Tradition

A tradition is a particular style of magic that is practiced and handed down to generations of magicians through apprenticeship. Hermetic magic is an especially flexible, powerful magical tradition practiced throughout the Order of Hermes. There exist other, non-Hermetic traditions; many of them are associated with a particular culture or locale in Mythic Europe. Many traditions have origins in the classical or ancient past.

"Tradition" is not a strictly defined game term in Ars Magica. There are several varieties of magic that can be called traditions. They are all similar in a sense that wizards who practice the tradition share some similar powers, but they differ in the scope of those powers and in the diversity of the traditions' members.

Hermetic Traditions

Main article: Houses of Hermes

Hermetic magic can be considered a very broad, powerful, and diverse tradition of magic. All members of the Order of Hermes can be said to follow it, except perhaps hedge wizards who very recently joined the Order.

Each of the Houses of Hermes is a tradition in its own right. Indeed, several houses combine two or more traditions; see the articles on the individual Houses for details.

Quaesitorial Magic

As described in Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, quaesitorial training allows access to occult quaesitorial magic. This includes the Acute Sense spell mastery ability, which allows quaesitors to sense when their Intellego sense spells are being fooled.

In addition, quaesitors are privy to Fenicil Rituals. These rituals, each learned separately, allow quaesitors to enact powerful magic, at times exceeding Hermetic limits.

Mercere's Portals

Magi who stdy an existing Mercere Portal or the lab notes of someone who has already built on can learn the method of construcing them. While this is in principle possible for any magus, in practice House Mercere ensures that only Merecere magi would be allowed to learn this secret.

The Cult of Mercury and the Cult of Heroes

The cult of Mercury, re-created by Priamatus filius Mercere, worships the Magical great spirits of nature, such as the spirit of weather, death, love, or war, as pagan gods. They practice Mercurian Magic, and have access to several spell mastery special abiltiies; these include Ceremonial Casting, which has escaped the Cult and has become more widespread in the Order.

Its members include about half of all Mercere magi, as well as members from other Houses.

Within this cult, an inner Cult of Heroes operates. This cult believes reincarnations of the heroes of old walk the earth, and their magi use Characteristic-enhancing spells to awaken and kindle their spirit. The cult also encompasses Redcaps, and Mythic Companions (privy to the Blood of Heroes). Like other magi in the Cult of Mercury, members of the Cult of Heroes are privy to its uniquwe spell mastery special abiltiies. Their magic is otherwise Hermetic.

The cults and the special spell mastery abilities are described in Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, and some more detail is provided in Houses of Hermes: Societas within the Flambeau chapter.

Mutantes

A Merecere tradition, Mutantes magi are privy to the virtue of Mutantum Magic, which allows them extra control over their magic. They can boost spell paramters or effect-size, and can pass control over the spell to another person or even an item. Magi of other Houses descended from the Mutantes may partly partake in this tradition (through the Boosted Magic, Harnessed Magic, or Tethered Magic virtues). Non-Mutantes magi may also learn a few special spell mastery abilities (Boosted Casting, Harnessed Casting, Tethered Casting) from Mutantes magi.

Mutantes magi believe Mercurian magic originates in an Egyptian tradition that served in the library of Alexandria, and so often patron Recdcaps to copy and trade ancient books, often using Mutantem magic to assist them. The redcaps they patron are known as the Milvi Antiquiti, the "kites of old", for their penchant of using magic that turns them into hawks to better transport the books.

Ex Miscellanea Traditions

Main article: House Ex Miscellanea

House Ex Miscellanea is a Societas, but consists of many independent traditions that it has assimilated over the centuries. It is therefore more properly considered a collection of traditions than a tradition in its own right. Most of the traditions in House Ex Miscellanea overlap with hedge magic. The difference is that magi Ex Miscellanea usually have full command of the Hermetic Arts in addition to the magic of their ancestral traditions, whereas hedge wizards are restricted to their pre-Hermetic powers only, and are much more limited.

See House Ex Miscellanea for a list of traditions. Those traditions which, according to canon, survive outside of the Order of Hermes are also listed below.

Leadworkers

House Tremere's ancestors were necromancers that worshipped Aita, an Etruscan cthonic god of the underworld. While much of this tradition's powers was lost in the move to Hermetic magic, some Tremere magi still retain a portion of it through the Leadeworker virtue. This virtue allows them to more easily create arcane connections to the resltless dead, and to those animals and spirits able to recognize their own names, and to more easily fix arcane connections to people.

The Cult of Mithras

A lineage of magi seeking to recreate the ancient Cult of Mithras. The cult practices no non-Hermetic powers, but does maintain a legacy of Virtues and Flaws that are passed, to some degree, down its lineage. These include the Genntle Gift, and Puissant Ignem. It is possible the cult have, in secret, already integrated the ancient cult's magic, and thus is secretly a true Mystery Cult with its own cult lore and mysteries.

See "The Mithtraians" in the House Flambeau portion of Houses of Hermes: Societates.

Non-Hermetic Traditions

Main article: Hedge magic

Most non-Hermetic traditions are much weaker and more limited than Hermetic magic. These weak forms of magic are collectively called hedge magic. There are, however, a few powerful forms of foreign magic that are closer to parity with the power of Hermetic Magic; see Rival Magic for rules and background on them.

Mystery Cults

Main article: Mystery Cult

Mystery Cults are secret organizations that teach specific mystical practices call Mysteries. Mysteries are highly ritualized and often include a spiritual or even explicitly religious component. Magi of the Order of Hermes can join mystery cults, but Mysteries are outside the usual theory and practice of Hermetic magic.

In terms of game mechanics, Mysteries usually take the form of special Mystery Virtues rather than Arts or Abilities. Some Mystery Cults are integrated into the Order as Houses, but others are not. Most mystery cults pre-date Hermetic magic theory.

See the Mystery Cults article for a list of mystery cults.

Hedge Traditions

Most traditions that still exist outside the Order are considered hedge magic, though that broad term masks a diversity. Some forms of hedge magic are more powerful than others. In terms of game mechanics, a follower of a hedge tradition may be a companion, Gifted companion, Mythic companion, a magus Ex Miscellanea, or even a grog, depending on the particular tradition and/or the player's preference.

The following list combines traditions affiliated with both the Magic Realm and Faerie Realms. Both are included in the common usage of the term "hedge magic."

Borrowers

Traders who barter mortal goods for faerie blessings

Breton Bards

There is a tradition of Breton bards descended from Melusine the water faerie, whose powers of enchanting music are similar to those of the Seirenes

Corrguineach

Irish wizards with great powers over elemental spirits, whose powers are similar to those of sahirs

Elementalists

Magicians with power over the four classical elements, including elemental spirits

Folk witches

Usually female magicians with magical powers of healing, cursing, divination, and shapeshifting

Galdramen

Norse version of the mathematici

Gruagachan

Scottish magicians with a wide range of powers including shapeshifting, spirit magic, and visions

Koldun

Slavic sorcerers similar to volkhvy, but who follow dark pagan gods of winter and cold

Learned Magicians

University-trained magicians, experts in astronomy and alchemy, also known as mathematici

Nightwalkers

Magicians who can project their spirits astrally

Ollamhain

Irish bards and soothsayers

Roman Necromancers

There are Roman necromancers who use their powers over ghosts to terrorize the locals; their powers are similar to those of the Donatores Requietis Aeternae

Rustic Magi

craftsmen who imbue their products with magical powers

Sahirs

Islamic wizards who summon and bind spirits called jinn

Seithkonir (also Seithr)

Nordic folk witches.

Settuten, (also Settut)

Berber witches that excell at destrutictive and dispelling magical effects.

Scinnfolk

Herbalists and faerie doctors whose magic can increase fertility

Taltos

A Magyar tradition of skinchangers and herbalists with powers similar to the Pharmacoepians

Trollsynir

Giant-descended wizards of Scandinavia and Iceland

Vitkir

Scandinavian rune-wizards with versatile powers

Volur

Norse diviners

Volkhvy

Slavic pagan priests with nature-related powers.

Wise Folk

Villagers who use faerie wizardry to make charms and wards

Witches of Thessaly

Mostly female wielders of necromancy and curses; possibly the ancestral tradition of Trianoma

Divine Traditions

Karaites

Jewish practitioners of Holy Magic

Rival Traditions

The most powerful non-Hermetic traditions are described in Rival Magic. They are shrouded in legend; some of them are not even certain to exist in canon.

Amazons

The warrior-women of classical legend, who have developed their own independent, non-Hermetic Arts

The Augustan Brotherhood

A secret society of court wizards whose magic descends from the Roman poet and sorcerer Virgil

The Order of Odin

A shadowy group of Nordic wizards that may or may not actually exist

The Order of Suleiman

A rumored organization of Islamic sahirs

Muspelli

Scandinavian sorcerers who worship the jotunn, the wicked giants of Norse myth; they are more powerful than the vitkir.

The Sorcerers of Soqotra

Legendary magicians from a mysterious island in the Arabian Sea

Extinct Traditions

Not all magical societies survive the ages; several such traditions are covered in Ancient Magic.

Canaanite Necromancy

The supposed origin of all summoning arts, this biblical group of necromancers are long dead. Being necromancers this doesn't mean the end of them.

Defixio Magic

A Roman chthonic tradition that has ties the Cults of Pluto, Hecate & other deities.

Heron Mechanicians

A tradition of mechanical craftsmen who create magical constructs to generate their effects.

Hyperboreans

The Priests of Apollo who were wiped out by the Order in it's early days despite much of the Hyperborean hymns breaking the limits of Hermetic magic.

Related Topics

• Hedge Magic
• True Lineages
• Societas
• Mystery House
• Hermetic Magic
• Mystery

Related Products

• Ancient Magic
• Houses of Hermes: Societates
• Hedge Magic and Hedge Magic Revised Edition
• Rival Magic

Legacy Page

The history of this page before August 6, 2010 is archived at Legacy:tradition