A floating book, all a wizard needs

An item of fancy and indulgence for those Magi who insist on looking the part and being most prepared. It might also make a good justification for a lab improvement item with a focus on texts or reading. This is a similar function to the Bookstand of Hespera (Covenants, pg 121) except it affects just a book rather than a place to write and work. More purposeful for reference and study instead of creation. It will also cause warping in the target books over a long period.

Bookmark for a Text at Hand  (ReHeAn 25) is a small plate which is touched to the desired text and allows the text to float as the caster desires.

Ready an Attentive Tome

Rego Herbam / Animal 15, R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Individual

The targeted book, scroll, or text floats next to the caster and can be set in position via concentration.

(Base 5, +1 Touch, +1 Concentration)

(+5 Device maintains concentration, +5 for 24 uses per day)

With a final device level of ReHeAn 25 the devices are still cheap enough to be crafted by more junior magi, and may well be used as lab texts for an inexpensive boost to labs. The bookstand from covenants “adds two points to a specialisation in texts“, and has a slightly higher baseline although lower final level. This device is designed to that it can be used to direct many books at once, each sustained by the bookmark and controlled by the user’s concentration. It makes sense that it would offer a similar bonus and also have a more diverse application than a singular bookstand.

Rapid growth of a natural grove, room, or wall

This is a spell which rapidly grows a set of trees, cast on an existing seeds or saplings, allowing their branches to intertwine to the caster’s design. The intent is to cast upon many plants at once to imitate rooms, walkways, barriers, etc. Spells which do this are frequently high level as the smallest base effect is level 15, and from there the magnitudes stack quickly. A subtle caster may mark trees amongst a wider set with a sigil or paint so they can be easily identified as a Target: Group.

Although it would only be a note in the setting, the same spell could be used to guide the rapid growth of plants such as grape vines or fruit trees on farms in a manner which makes them easier to manage.

Growth of the Structured Grove

Creo Herbam / Rego 45, R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Group

The targeted seeds and saplings mature over the day duration to their adult size in an alignment and layout to suit the casters desire. Branches may be intertwined, leaves given favorable angles, and limited only to the broad fundamentals of their plant type.

(Base 15, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +2 Group, +1 Rego sub-effect which dictates shape)

This spell is part of the free new spells compendium for Ars Magica.

More spells and items for lab improvement, p4

For November 2017 Ars Magica writing challenge – I’m doing one spell a day.

Warmth of the Cozy Solar

Creo Ignem 15, R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Individual

This room is provided a pleasant heat, granting the Superior Heating attribute to a lab (Cov p.114).

(Base 2 for warm to touch, +1 Touch, +2 Concentration, +2 size)

Device effect total 14 (+1 for 2 Uses/day, +3 trigger: sunrise/sunset)

This spell is part of the free new spells compendium for Ars Magica.

More spells and items for lab improvement, p3

For November 2017 Ars Magica writing challenge – I’m doing one spell a day.

Touch of Daylight 

Creo Ignem 10, R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Individual

The object touched shines like the sun on a cloudy day. If used often within a lab it grants the Superior Lighting attribute (Cov p.114) without the upkeep cost

(Base 4 for light of a cloudy day, +1 Touch, +1 Conc)

Device effect total 20 (+5 Device maintains concentration, +5 for 24 uses per day)

This spell is part of the free new spells compendium for Ars Magica.

More spells and items for lab improvement, p2

For November 2017 Ars Magica writing challenge – I’m doing one spell a day.

Insulation for the Dedicated Halls

Perdo Imagonem 25, R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Structure

This effect stops any sounds from entering or leaving the structure, granting the “Well Insulated” lab virtue (+1 Safety, +1 Aesthetics).

(Base 3 to remove sound, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +3 Structure)

Device effect total 29 (2 uses per day +1, environmental trigger +3 = constant)

This spell is part of the free new spells compendium for Ars Magica.

Spells to Observe Through Fire

A few spells akin to Eyes of the Flame (InIg35, ArM p.141) which enhance the range of observation a Magus can perform, and also demonstrate a fair use for the Faerie Duration: Fire. When writing these spells I found the Fire duration limiting and overtly expensive in terms of how many levels it adds to spells. It really should not be a +3 Magnitude adjustment given how limited the mechanics of its use are, and how rarely it is used in-play.

Ears of the Flame

Intellego Ignem 35, R: Arcane, D: Concentration, T: Individual

Lets you hear a fire and anything within its radius of heat and light up to the size of a large campfire which you have an Arcane Connection to.

(Base 10, +4 Arc, +1 Conc)

And then,

Ears of the Faerie Flame

Intellego Ignem 45, R: Arcane, D: Fire, T: Individual, Faerie

Lets you hear a fire up to the size of a large campfire within its radius of heat and light which you have an Arcane Connection to, while it still burns.

(Base 10, +4 Arc, +3 Fire)

Then two variants designed for use with an Intangible Tunnel which makes the spell far lower level.

Eavesdrop by the Fire

Intellego Ignem 25, R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Individual

Lets you see and hear a fire up to the size of a large campfire within its radius of heat and light which you can touch. The intention is to combine this spell with an Intangible Tunnel to a particular fire.

(Base 10, +1 Touch, +1 Conc, +1 additional sense)

Eavesdrop by the Faerie Fire

Intellego Ignem 35, R: Touch, D: Fire, T: Individual, Faerie

Lets you see and hear a fire up to the size of a large campfire within its radius of heat and light which you can touch. The intention is to combine this spell with an Intangible Tunnel to a particular fire.

(Base 10, +1 Touch, +3 Fire, +1 additional sense)

Over 650+ new spells for Ars Magica can be found here.

More spells and items for lab improvement, p1

For November 2017 Ars Magica writing challenge – I’m doing one spell a day. This set of posts are spells and items for comforts in a magi’s lab which expand on lab protections a few years ago and illusions in last year’s post.

Insulation for the Dedicated Solar

Perdo Imagonem 20, R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Room

This effect stops any sounds from entering or leaving the room, granting the “Well Insulated” lab virtue (+1 Safety, +1 Aesthetics).

(Base 3 to remove sound, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +2 Room)

Device effect total 24 (2 uses per day +1, environmental trigger +3 = constant)

This spell is part of the free new spells compendium for Ars Magica.

Carapace of Insects (stolen spell)

Another borrowed idea from Sea of Stars by Sean Holland, a spell that surrounds the target in armour made from insects, which also strikes and harms attackers. Awesome idea.

The last words of the spell were more of a sequence of clicking sounds than words and within seconds, the sorcerer’s body was swarmed by insects.  Moments later, the cover became living armor as the interlocked layers of beetles moved with his body.

Now in a typical rpg magic system you’d just figure how good the advantage was by comparison with other effects and plop the spell in – easy. Ars Magica on the other hand is more mechanical in how magic constructs a spell, which means some effects are easy and others brutally hard. And spells generally must also be balanced against the prior examples of similar spells.

• It need Creo to instantly gather the bugs, or Rego to control a pool that already exist (somewhere),
• Muto is probably needed to make the bugs behave as armour, and to toughen them,
• The armour would look very creepy,
• The mix of Animal baselines fo Creo, Rego, and Muto have the highest level of Base 5, which will be used.

Here is the same spell written up for Ars Magica,

Carapace of Insects

Creo Animal / Muto Rego 40, R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Group

The target creature is covered in a carapace of interlocking swarming insects, which have enhanced toughness and durability. The armour will adjust to repair points of damage and shift as the target moves, so that encumbrance is minimsed. The carapace grants the target a +4 to Soak and adds +2 Load.

Although Target: group allows for a very large amount of insects, at  the storyguides discretion the swarm of insects might eventually be ablated away from the target if it suffers sustained severe damage over many rounds.

(Base 5 to create an animal, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +2 Group, +1 toughness sub-effect, Rego and Muto free requisites, +1 complex movement)

It is a wonderfully wierd and overly complex spell.

 

What can be done within the Muto Vim guidelines? p4

As part of a November 2017 Ars Magica writing challenge – I’m doing one spell a day.

This post continues the convoluted mix of ideas around Muto Vim meta-magic borne out into potential spell mechanics.

Sorcerer’s Reach (Form) Downward

Muto Vim Gen, R: Touch, D: Momentary, T: Individual

The caster alters their own targeted spell by reducing the Target range by one magnitude less, with the same limitations of Wizard’s Reach (Ars p.160). The target spell must be no higher than the level of this spell.

(Base Gen, +1 Touch)

This spell is part of the free new spells compendium for Ars Magica.

Maintenance and Cleaning spells

Replacing the work based activities of servants and grogs with magic is interesting. It can be argued that it helps keep covenant costs or staff numbers down, but also that the vis spent is really wasted as it could be used for so much more (spend silver instead of vis). Simple work replacement devices can turn menial life of the Middle Ages into something akin to our lives in modern times.

These are work replacement spell effects, and some parts are based upon the enchanted devices such as the Abluere Magica (presented in Covenants sourcebook p 52), with parameters changed to affect larger volumes, add extra materials, or to provide more efficiency.

The spells also demonstrate changing the normal spell Target from Individual to Circle or Room.

Work of the Wooden Tub

Rego Herbam / Animal Terram 5, R: Touch, D: Momentary, T: Circle

Clothes and equipment within the circle are cleaned and laundered, as if cleaned by a skilled servant. A very simple Finesse check is required to ensure success (3+), otherwise damage maybe done, items missed, or remain soiled.

(Base 4, +1 Touch, +0 Circle)

Tidy Room of the Pedantic Servant 

Rego Herbam / Animal Terram 20, R: Touch, D: Momentary, T: Room

The room and all its contents are ordered, squared away, and stacked neatly, as if performed by a skilled servant. A basic Finesse check is required to ensure success (3+ to 6+), otherwise damage maybe done, items missed, or remain unordered.

(Base 4, +1 Touch, +2 Room, +1 complex materials)

Many hundred of new spells for Ars Magica can be found here.