Spell – The Fastidious Wizard’s Repose

Here is a run-up for a simple spell which came to mind a few days ago as I pondered how cool and neat most spell casters look in movies and tv. They’re almost always clean – nice flowing robes, shiny gear, or neat suits all while gritting it out through the plot. How?

I think this is how they do it: a spell to clean-up, press, tweak, and generally make all their grooming habits and needs get done ultra-fast.

The Fastidious Wizard’s Repose

Rego Corpus 10, R: Personal, D: Momentary, T: Individual

This spell performs all of the caster’s standard grooming and laundry needs in a matter of seconds. The casters body, clothes, and equipment worn are cleaned, clothes pressed, body manicured, etc.

The quality of the effect is determined by a Finesse check, difficulty 3+ to obtain complete coverage and effect. The spell’s inventor traveled extensively without servants in difficult and remote areas, and this spell maintained a suitably dignified and hygienic appearance.

The additional magnitudes for requisite arts empowers the spell to use affect a wide range materials, and also temporarily create materials needed for cleaning.

(Base 2, +1 to enhance the Finesse check difficulty downward from 6 to 3, +1 to allow for cleaning of complex equipment carefully, +1 Creo, +1 Herbam Animal and Terram)

Silly? Somewhat, but I can think of a few times in RPG games when it would have been handy to get cleaned up. Designing the spell might also be looking in too much detail at an effect which the Magus could use a spont spell for, and it certainly feels more like a cantrip style effect than most others I’ve created.

A side consideration for the effect is what base effect level it should be. Cleaning an item is a really simple task and I think it should be the simplest of effects to groom a person or clean an item; all but trivial. I am almost tempted to make the starting base level 1 except that the cleaning is being performed on a range of materials, but I cannot find a reference to make it that easy.

The Finesse skill roll is needed to see how well the caster can control the effect while they concentrate, with an ease factor of 6, which is based upon an ease factor of 3 for a normal person to do it by hand which is then enhanced magically to lower it slightly. This means that the magical effect is designed specifically to clean in an orderly way, and that ease is built into the spell which in effect increases the magnitude of the spell.

Lastly the requisites have been added so that the spell can conjure materials to be used in the cleaning (Creo), and so the spell can effect a range of materials (Herbam, Animal, Terram). At the suggested +2 magnitudes it seems enough to justify the added Arts, without over spending.

Spells for the Maniacal Overlord

I love a villain, and good villains should have powers that evoke their personalities in a visceral way in the story; so with that as a premise – here are some spells for the maniacal overlords.

(Aside: I’ve not been too careful about the spells being perfectly formed in terms of Ars Magica guidelines in this post, as its meant to be more for the spectacle of villainy, rather than accuracy).

Invoke the Agony of Man

Perdo Corpus 15, R: Voice, D: Conc, T: Individual

Inflicts the target of the spell with wracking pain, almost completely disabling them. To make an action the target must succeed a Stam + Size stress of 9+.

(Base 4 to cause a person pain, +2 voice, +1 concentration)

Its a nasty spell. And yet it lacks something. It will be brutal and horrifying when used with a long monologue, but there are some risks that the villain will get distracted, or even that the heroes of the story might pass that physical resistance check. Or that there are too many good guys, and they might not all be able to be affected.

So instead, we use:

Invoke the Horrific Cacophony

Perdo Corpus 35, R: Voice, D: Diameter, T: Group

This spell inflicts the targeted group of up to 100 standard sized people with physical pain so severe that they can do nothing else except writhe in agony, and perhaps very slowly crawl away.

(Base 4 to cause a person pain, +1 to boost the effect to the same level as ReCo immobilizes the target, +2 Voice, +1 Diameter, +2 Group, +1 to affect up to 100 targets at once)

Now that is a spell worthy of a villain. It is high level and only usable in select circumstances, but when its used it will look fantastic. The duration has been altered so than it lasts 2 minutes, which is plenty of time to introduce yourself, give the elevator pitch, or take a rest between killing henchmen.

Villains sometimes also need a boost to inspire fear and loyalty (yes, through fear) in their minions. Everyone has off-days and no brutal dictator wants a mini-uprising just because they’re not feeling 100%. This spell ensures that the target perceive the caster as the cruel and evil juggernaut they need to be to get the job done.

Aura of Unstoppable Malevolence

Rego Mentem 35, R: Voice, D: Sun, T: Group

Targets of this spell are strongly inclined to obey you, as their sense of fear is heightened for the duration of the spell.

(Base 5, +2 Voice, +2 Sun, +2 Group)

It’s a re-hash of Aura of Rightful Authority as the base effect, however this spell is worked to be far more suitable to the dictator as it focuses on fear as the base emotion being manipulated, and it uses R: Voice and T: Group in the spell effect. Having to control minions individually is a total waste of energy.

The intimidation that an evil overlord should bring to the story should be expressed to minions periodically. This next spell is specifically used to demonstrate that failure is not tolerated, and death is no escape from punishment.

Torture the Restless Dead

Perdo Mentem 35 / Creo Imagonem, R: Arc, D: Conc, T: Individual

This spell connects the caster to ghost of a dead person for whom they possess the arcane connection (or body), and inflicts pain upon the ghost.

The Creo Imagonem component of the spell make the auditory screams and pleas of the ghost audible to those around the caster.

(Base 4, +2 Creo Imagonem, +4 Arc, +1 Conc)

I’d see this spell being used when the body of a fallen henchman is returned to the evil villain. The henchman’s failure is noted, and the overlord questions and punishes the henchman as a lesson to others. Use of props such as ceremonial daggers, bubbling pools, and other theatrical effects can really  increase the impact this spell has when used; although by itself it should horrify moral people.

(Edit: Yairr’s comment is inspired – Making the effect D: Ring adds +1 mamagnitude but really enhances the aspect of torture, then combined with a Ring based Creo Corpus spell to prohibit the body’s decay, and the ghost is in agony for eternity)

Magic for Traveling

Traveling is usually a major part of roleplaying games set in medieval times – a typical rule-set will give you some guidelines for walking, horses, carts, and perhaps ships. I think it is also fair to say that having accelerated travel is something that can give characters a major advantage in how stories are resolved and in moving the rpg story along.

The Ars Magica setting is almost a boilerplate medieval setting, with the magic system allowing wizards to completely disregard the limitations that mundane commoners live with in terms of travel. Within the magic system’s core rules are examples of transformation into birds, flight via wind, and a few variations on teleportation. That is all fine for the wizards, but it leaves the mundanes unchanged – and when a wizard needs mundane protection their companions being slow is an impact to them as well.

Here are some ideas for spells which will help transport and travel for both mundanes and magi. Some effects are purely designed for magi to get around, while others could be used on both magical and mundane targets.

Necromantic Breakthroughs

A recent question on Necromantic Breakthroughs on the RPG forums in Stack Exchange got me pondering a variant of necromancy in Ars Magica; a symbiotic prosthetic. I’m re-posting here, and I’d recommend interested readers stopping in to read there too.

(Update: this was more a sharing rant, than a concise and edited post – the purpose was to share the ideas. Given enough free time it would be great to develop this into a full example.)

The question was:

Ars Magica 5th edition has many possible routes for necromancers and original necromantic research. Beyond the research found in Ancient Magic, are there any mystery cults or theoretical breakthroughs that a necromancer interested in doing the Igor thing (renanimating dead bodies, stitching bits of … assorted bodies together) would be particularly interested in?

This question is specifically interested in specific research directions for a ArM5 necromancer looking to do theoretical research.

In regard to the limits of magic vs necromancy, that is where the discovery rules can be used to circumvent or edge away from Hermetic limits. That said, the only two real limits I see as being present are the restoration of fatigue levels (energy) and the limit of the Divine (see the Ars base book). Other than those I think there is ground within the rules for Necromancy to be created and used easily. It might not be easy, but it is specifically dealt with in the spell guidelines.

Thoughts on Mutation Magic

Mutation magic (or Muto) is a technique which is very powerful, but has only a small set of effects in the core rulebook. The guidelines for new spells indicate side variations and options that I found interesting enough to work up as a few sample spells. Muto covers all changes to whatever it is applied to. This can be small partial changes like changing the colour of somebodies hair, or full changes like turning into a bird or wolf.

On first thought changing into an animal is very cool, there is however the somewhat tricky limitations in Ars Magica for changing shape.

The first is that your carried gear and equipment will either make the spell harder to cast, or be left behind when you transform. This gets slightly worse when the mage returns to normal, and is missing their gear. Standing naked in open places can make a mage seem less striking. To solve this there is an common spell used by some shapeshifters to create the illusion of clothes (see Disguise of the Transformed Image, ArM p146). Bundle that with a small easy spell so mage does not feel the cold as much and they’re at least civilized.

A magus might wish to polymorph their clothing into a more suitable type, or need a special type of clothing to enact a spell. The following spell is cast on existing clothes, to give the caster a far greater range in their wardrobe. The core effect is based upon “Coat of a Hundred Colours” spells Wiki by Andrew Gronosky, which is a simple and effective idea.

Attired as Desired

Muto Animal 20 / Herbam Terram. R: Voice, D: Sun, T: Individual

Changes all the clothing of the target touched to the desires of the caster. Purpose of the spell is to allow a quick outfit change should circumstances demand, and also so that the clothing of the target to become appropriate foci for the Muto Corpus spells. It saves carrying around five different cloaks.

(Base 3, +2 Voice, +2 Sun, +1 highly complex clothing).

I created this spell so that it could be cast at some range from the target, just in case touching the target would be difficult. It could be lowered to level 10 if it only affected the caster.

Spells: Selfish Rest of the Injured Magus

As getting hurt is almost unavoidable in role playing games, there are often spells which assist in healing or repairing damage. Ars Magica has a very long recovery time in the core rules, and it serves to give after combat effects to the lives of the characters. A brute force healing spell to just remove wounds are expensive, but improving the general healing of a target is an option which can greatly assist characters.

This spell was created by an NPC in the current saga, and demonstrates a use of the Creo Corpus (create/heal the body) spell guidelines.

Selfish Rest of the Injured Magus

Creo Corpus 15, R: Personal, D: Moon, T: Individual

This spell grants the Magus a +9 bonus to all wound recovery rolls made while the spell is in effect, as long as the spell is maintained during the recovery time.

(Base 4, +3 D: to Moon)

The Magus who crafted the spell has fundamental limitations in how powerful spells and effects he can create, and while a more powerful version could be crafted to help others as well, it would be beyond his skill to create quickly. Raising the spell to Range: Touch makes the final level 20.

True Rest of the Injured Custos

Creo Corpus 20, R: Touch, D: Moon, T: Individual

This spell grants the target touched a +9 bonus to all wound recovery rolls made while the spell is in effect, as long as the spell is maintained during the recovery time.

(Base 4, +1 R: to Touch, +3 D: to Moon)

Spells for controlling people

Working through the core ArM5 rules there are effects that are laden with story potential mentioned in the spell guidelines, but not as written up spells in the text.

As a sample here are some spells designed to demonstrate those spells, using the Rego Corpus (aka Control the Body) guidelines.

The Clumsy Mannequin

Rego Corpus 10, R: Eye, D: Diameter, T: Individual

The spell facilitates the control of the target’s large scale motions (arms, legs, and head movement), which must follow any simplistic instructions.The target can only control their own small scale motions (finger gestures, talking), and suffers a -3 modifier to any of these actions, including spell casting. Eye contact is needed only for the initial application of the spell.

Valid commands might be “walk in a circle”, “sit down”, “walk of that edge”, and if the command is completed but the spell still has duration the target gains control again until the caster issues another command.

As the duration is Diameter the caster must concentrate to the control over the target’s body. While the spell is in effect the target cannot be made to make any complex or agile movement such as fighting, dancing, juggling, etc.

(Base 4, +1 Eye, +1 Diameter)

Magic for mundanes – spells for ArM physical combat

These spells and effects demonstrate the use of hermetic magic in enhancing physical combat, typically for others. While it is easy for a magus to destroy or impair a mundane opponent in an overt manner, these effects can be used in combat in a far more subtle way than fireballs, walls of earth, or lightning bolts; and may also be the basis for effects in enchanted devices for companions.

Soaking Damage

A spell to increase Soak for a character matches the guidelines as a core effect. As a base effect a +2 bonus to soak is a significant combat advantage, while keeping the spell level small enough to not be considered a powerful effect.

The bonus to soak guidelines offer a +1 Soak for each +1 magnitude of spell, so the spells above could be raised or powered by a few levels to provide a different bonus subject to what the caster desires.

The Resistant Skin

Muto Corpus 20, R: Personal, D: Sun, T: Individual

The casters body is enhanced and toughened, gaining a +2 bonus to Soak for the duration. From the Ars Magica muto corpus guidelines p. 132.

(Base 10, +2 Sun)

This spell could be re-worked through to level 35 for +5 soak bonus, which is powerful enough to change a melee combat outcome if only mundanes are involved.