General Spell
A General spell in Ars Magica is a spell for which different versions exist and each version has a different levels. All versions of a general spell do essentially the same thing, but the higher-level versions are more powerful.
General spells are usually related to meta-magic (such as defending against or dispelling magic) or dealing with supernatural creatures: summoning, warding, and the like. The higher-level General spells work better on more powerful spells or creatures.
General spells are a convenience for players. It is easier, and takes up less space in the book, to designate a spell such as Aegis of the Hearth as "General" than to write a dozen different entries in the Spells chapter: Aegis of the Hearth (level 20), Aegis of the Hearth (level 25), and so on.
Table of contents
Examples of General Spells
- Aegis of the Hearth
- Demon's Eternal Oblivion
- Discern the Images of Truth and Falsehood
- Maintaining the Demanding Spell
Using General Spells
General spells are just like any other Hermetic spells, except they exist in many different versions and each version has a different level. For most spells, the name alone is sufficient to determine the spell's level, but General spells must be identified by name and level; for example, Demon's Eternal Oblivion (level 25) or Maintaining the Demanding Spell (level 15).
Allowable Levels
The Level of a General spell does not have to be a multiple of 5; it is possible for example to invent a General spell at Level 17 or Level 29.
Inventing a General Spell
A magus can invent more than one version of a General spell, if he wishes. This might happen if the magus invents a weak version early in his career and then decides to invent a more powerful version later when his Art scores have improved.
Inventing a General spell follows the normal spell design process except that the magus has to decide what the base level of the effect will be. This is in contrast to most spell guidelines where the base level is a fixed number. The base level is usually related to some number that quantifies what the spell does: the Might score of the creature it effects, for example.
One the base level is determined, add adjustments for the Range, Duration, Target, and other factors as usual according to the spell design rules.
The casting total required to cast the General spell equal the final level after all these adjustments. The effect of the spell, such as the Level of the spell it affects or the Might score of the creature it affects, is derived from the level of the base effect, not the level of the final spell. The way the guidelines in ArM5 are written is a little ambiguous because the guidelines aren't explicit whether they refer to the level of the base effect or the level of the final spell. One can figure that out from context, with a little experience.
Exempli Grati: Marcus wants to invent a formulaic spell that will temporarily suppress any other spell he has cast. This is useful for example for "turning off" Sun-duration effects without dispelling them. The applicable guideline is a Rego Vim General guideline: "Sustain or suppress a spell you have cast whose level is less than the level +2 magnitudes of the Vim spell." (ArM5 p. 161) His Rego Vim Lab Total is 45. He wants to be able to suppress spells up to Level 25. The level of the base effect is therefore 15 (25 - 2 magnitudes = 15). He also wants the Duration of the effect to be Diameter (so he doesn't have to concentrate to maintain it) and the Range to be Voice. These add an additional 3 magnitudes (+1 Diameter, +2 Voice). The final level of the spell is 30 (base 15 + 3 magnitudes).
Casting a General Spell
Casting a forumulaic General spell is just like casting any other spell; the only difference is that the player needs to know the level of the particular version the magus is casting. For formulaic spells, this is the same level with which the spell was invented. If the caster knows more than one version of the General spell, the player needs to specify which version the magus is casting.
One can also cast a General spell as a spontaneous spell. That may seem rather complicated but it is just like any other spontaneous spell, except one has to first determine the level of the base effect.
General Spell Guidelines
General spells in canon are all based on General spell guidelines. A General spell guideline is one where the effect of the spell is calculated in a mathematical way from the base level of the guideline.
The majority of General guidelines are found in the Form of Vim but there are a smattering of General guidelines throughout the other Forms.
Related Pages
References
- (Spell) Level: ArM5, p. 115