Art & Academe Chapter One: Introduction

Welcome to Art & Academe, a supplement for the Ars Magica Fifth Edition role-playing game. Art & Academe details the intellectual and artistic environment of early thirteenth century Mythic Europe. With this book, players will be able to include academic and artistic characters in their saga, and reap the benefits of those characters’ intellectual and creative activities. Here you will find detailed descriptions of the educational system of the academic class and the subjects covered. Additional rules will allow the characters of your saga access to the current philosophical and academic learning of the time.

Art & Academe offers a wide range of suggestions for companion characters: schoolmen, professional healers, artists, and performers. These characters are similar to magi characters, in that there are things for them to do in any individual session (adventure), and meaningful ways to develop them over time (long-term advancement). But Art & Academe is not aimed exclusively at companions; many of the systems of philosophy, medicine, and art can be applicable to the magus himself, providing a player with additional interests and pursuits for her magus character.

This book begins with an intellectual history, covering the basic tenets of medieval philosophy and providing a “Who’s Who” of medieval philosophers. Rather than detail every important medieval thinker, it aims at explaining the concepts relevant to the academic philosophers of 1220.

Next is a detailed view of Artes Liberales, the seven liberal arts that form the established basis of medieval education. Artes Liberales is the foundation for further scholarly endeavors, including philosophy and medicine. The medieval philosophy chapter describes reality as perceived and explained by the most learned men of the time. The chapter on medicine describes the human body, its health and illnesses. Diseases are explained, as are their cures, and different types of bodily damage are assessed. Art & Academe then details a system of experimental philosophy, a type of “natural” magic that produces wondrous effects produced solely through the intrinsic power of the individual subject, and not by any arcane or magical force.

All of these academic sciences are learned at school, and medieval educational institutions are detailed in Chapters Six and Seven. Most educated characters will come from these institutions, including the ubiquitous parish school, the secluded monastic school, and the renowned cathedral schools. Muslim and Jewish schools are presented for non-Christian scholar characters. The acme of learning institutions in the thirteen century is the university, and Art & Academe explains the culture and life of medieval schoolmen. All of the existing universities in Mythic Europe are detailed, with specifics to allow characters to fully interact with the university. Suggestions are provided for creating a saga centered on the largest universities. Rules are given for the formal debates of scholars, which will allow your characters to participate in this verbal sparring.

Last but not least is a description of medieval artists — masters of the plastic and performance arts — and rules to determine the aesthetic qualities of their artwork. Rules are included to track their rise to fame, wealth, and power. The life of an artist character can be a glorious adventure, as he gallivants around Mythic Europe looking for clients and places to display his artwork. He is interested in his fellows, and will seek out their artwork to improve his own. And as he rises in prominence he attracts the attention of the mystical entities of Mythic Europe, otherworldly creatures that appreciate the artist’s handiwork as much as the throngs of mundane spectators do. Here you will find the “maestro,” a Mythic Companion who can include doses of magical power in his artistic creations.

The appendices feature a “Who’s Who” listing of the philosophers who are most important to the thirteenth century, with their most influential works and a brief summary of their philosophic arguments. Also included is a glossary of terms, intended to serve as a foothold in understanding the circuitous paths of medieval intellectuals and their educational institutions.

The authors have taken pains to ensure that this book is based on accurate historical facts that are not anachronistic for the time period. However, these facts are merely a springboard for the authors’ imaginations, in hopes of delivering a supplement that is flavorful and full of ideas for your saga. Many complicated academic subjects have been pared down to their essential idea and simply glossed over, so that emphasis can be placed on the mythic aspects of the subjects. History as a whole has been skimmed at best, to provide a foundation for your game rather than a historical treatment of any one academic subject.

Intellectual Background

Thirteenth-century scholastic thought is based in antiquity. Considered as a whole, medieval philosophy — which in its widest definition includes all academic knowledge and branches of learning — begins with the Greek philosopher Plato. Unlike his contemporaries, Plato persistently followed a set philosophical framework to form his theories, reaching conclusions through logical arguments based on premises gained from experience, thought, and observation. Most Greek philosophers discussed aspects of life and self-awareness. They discussed virtue, for example, as a desirable goal and determined ways for a man to become virtuous. Plato stated that Virtue in itself is a thing; a non-corporeal, external entity that exists outside our reality. According to Plato, for a thing to be true, it must exist, or “be.” Its existence must be eternal, without beginning or end, universal, always the same and not changing, and known through the mind, existing outside the physical senses. Thus, before determining if a man is virtuous, one must know what true Virtue really is.

Plato called these external truths forms or ideas, and the entire collection of these forms are referred to as his universals. Of all the universals, the highest form is the form of Good. Plato described the form of Good as the guiding principle for all the forms, setting up a three-tiered theory of reality. The form of Good creates and defines all the other universals, known collectively as the Intellect, because they are perceived through reason, and all the universals together create reality, which Plato calls the Soul, since reality is perceived through the senses. This tripartite theory of Good \ the Intellect \ the Soul will be generally accepted by later thinkers. Universals are a cornerstone of medieval thought, philosophy, and even theology.

Plato expresses all these ideas in the Timaeus, his only work available in the Middle Ages. In explaining the nature of the universe, Plato reversed the common Greek argument for the existence of its creator. Rather than say that, since the world is beautiful and good it must have a creator, he argued first for a beautiful and good creator, one that justly necessitates the formation of our reality through universal truths. Being a pagan, Plato did not name this creator, who he claims existed prior to the beginning of the world. Named simply, “The Divine Craftsman,” this creator made the world almost like a single, living entity, complete with intelligence and a soul. This combined physical, mental, and spiritual creation is named the “World-Soul.” This conforms to his three-fold theory, becoming the Divine Craftsman — the Intellect — the WorldSoul. He argued that man’s soul is immortal, and can return to the Divine Craftsman by ascending from the World-Soul, through the Intellect, back to the Divine Craftsman. Christian writers will find many similar themes between Christian cosmology and Plato’s. They will also find differences, which they will either ignore or synthesize into Christian theology. For example, Plato argues that the soul, once returned to the Divine Craftsman, returns again to reality, the World-Soul. Mass reincarnation is not part of the Christian paradigm.

Aristotle, Plato’s greatest student, disagreed with his master. Where Plato looked ever upward, combining mysticism with rationalism, Aristotle looked at the world around him. He taught a system based on direct observation and logical analysis. Instead of believing in external universals, he proposed internal properties of reality, creating categories, ten characteristics of the things of reality. These ten categories are: quantity, quality, relation, time, place, posture, possession, action, passion, and a more complicated category called “substance.” Logically, he created the system of syllogisms, which is thinking of the form that, if all A are B, and all B are C, then all A must be C. Aristotle’s logic and categories are especially important to medieval intellectual thought.

Neoplatonism

In the third century, the writer Plotinus refashioned Plato’s mystical ideas into a single, systematic, and spiritual philosophy. Plato’s Divine Craftsman was limited in nature, forced to work with the elements that existed in the Chaos before creation, but Plotinus’s “the One” was a true creator, fashioning reality out of nothingness. In his Enneads, Plotinus explained Plato’s three-fold cosmology as the One — Intelligence — Soul. The One emanates or flows downward, to the Soul, which may transcend through transmigration back to the One. Universals are thoughts in the One’s mind. Plotinus still drew a hard line between external and internal reality, claiming that the One existed outside of reality, like Plato’s universals and his Divine Crafter.

Plontius’s Neoplatonism provided the intellectual foundation for the development of early Christian theology. Early Christianity was not uniform; different sects developed different theologies. Since Christianity had become the legal religion of the Roman Empire, these different ideas were tied to different political factions. Where emperors desired to unite the empire, theologians desired to unite the faith. Not every early Christian wrote to unite the faith, but many did, especially the most influential.

A trained rhetorician writing in the early fifth century, St. Augustine used Neoplatonism in his intellectual arguments with other Christian sects to logically prove his interpretation of Christianity. His work, as well as that of other western Church Fathers, is the foundation of thirteenth-century Christian theology. God exists beyond our senses, externally, but is not removed from His flock, an important difference from Plato or Plotinus. Neither the Divine Craftsman nor the One could cross the line between external reality and internal (our) reality. God can, and does, and his miracles are many in the world of Mythic Europe. St. Augustine’s influence can not be understated. Besides Plato and to a lesser degree Aristotle, Augustine relied on the Scriptures, weaving them into his logical arguments as truth revealed by God. His reliance on the Bible and his logical arguments based on the greatest thinkers of the past set the benchmark for intellectual development.

Boethius continued this treatment of combining Christianity with Neoplatonism. A prolific writer and translator of Greek texts, he commentated extensively on all seven of the liberal arts. His greatest work, written while he was in prison for treason, is The Consolation of Philosophy, in which philosophy, personified in the female figure Philosophia, visits him, telling him not to fret his fall from fortune or his upcoming execution. She extols the virtues of knowledge and lauds the seeker of intelligence with copious praise. The Consolation is strikingly nonreligious, making later medievals wonder at Boethius’ Christianity. Rather than denying his faith, which he had firmly embraced, Boethius wrote The Consolation as a poetic masterpiece, in the vein of Virgil and Ovid.

Charlemagne’s Educational Reforms

Scholars continued the philosophical trends set by St. Augustine and Boethius. The sixth through eighth centuries are marked by philosophy always serving theological ideas and premises, and a continued emphasis on logic to prove religious and metaphysical theories. Students learned from individual masters, much like the ancient Greek model of a teacher instructing several students, or even the Hermetic scheme of a parens instructing his filius. This was not universal, and a few other models of education continued in select areas (see Chapter Six: Institutional Education), but it was the overall rule. Philosophers would never refer to themselves by such a title; they were churchmen, debating theological issues like predestination vs. free will and whether the Eucharist actually or symbolically changed into the blood and body of Christ.

In the late eighth century, Charlemagne met an English scholar, Alcuin of York, and asked him to join his royal entourage. Accepting, Alcuin was charged with creating Charlemagne’s Palace School at Aachen. Formerly, noble children were taught courtly etiquette and military tactics. With Alcuin’s guidance, these children were also taught to read, write, and think academically. Alcuin became Charlemagne’s counselor on education, and helped him create schools throughout Charlemagne’s large empire. Although never able to write himself, Charlemagne placed great emphasis on learning. His empire ran on the “missi” system, with messages and royal edicts delivered to the far reaches of his empire. Eventually, the messengers themselves were called missi. Charlemagne’s model of messengers collapsed with his empire, but his educational model of learning spread throughout northern Mythic Europe, being copied in the Frankish and Germanic lands first before spreading to Spain and England.

The Age of Translation

Medieval learning received its next great change in the late tenth century, with the efforts of Gerbert of Aurillac, who later became Pope Sylvester II. A French-born scholar studying in Barcelona, Cordova, and Seville, Gerbert was introduced to several scientific and academic Arabic treatises, which he translated into Latin. Influenced by this “foreign” knowledge, he wrote groundbreaking works on logic and mathematics. He introduced the abacus to the west, making complicated arithmetic easier, although he still used Roman numerals and did not use 0 in his calculations. Teaching at Rheims, his efforts invigorated a new interest into the theoretical procedures of philosophy, and his pupils continued his work by creating new cathedral schools across France and further advancing his theories. Western scholars began to appreciate academic works from their non-Christian neighbors.

In the twelfth century, with the retreat of Arabs from parts of Spain, and their complete defeat in Sicily, the Christian West came into the possession of great centers of Arab learning. Their libraries included Arabic translations of Greek works hitherto lost to the intellectually-starved Christian academics, and the basic physical works of Aristotle, Ptolemy, Euclid, Plato, and Galen, as well as original Arabic works by Averroes, Avempace, and Rhazes, amongst others. Twelfth-century translators such as Gerard of Cremona and Adelard of Bath earned fame and gratitude by producing Latin versions of these valuable works; Gerard is credited with translating no fewer than 70 treatises, and made available some works which had not been seen in the west for over twelve centuries.

Story Seed: The Spoils of Gerbert Gerbert of Aurillac was such a prolific scholar that his genius frightened the superstitious locals, who assumed he must be in league with the devil to achieve such monumental learning. Legends say he was also a wizard, although the investigations of various Hermetic seekers have failed to verify this claim. However, they are interested in the treasures Gerbert supposedly left behind. According to legend, Gerbert stole a book of magic from a Saracen wizard, from which he developed several of his ideas. He is said to have made a golden head, also, which would answer “yes” or “no” to any question asked of it. The book, if it exists, is certainly not Hermetic, having been stolen long before the Order of Hermes came to any peace with Arabic wizards. Some claim the head exists, and is used by Verditius magi in their complicated and obscure Mystery Cult initiations, although these are rumors at best. Mundane scholars are intrigued by these artifacts as well, postulating that the golden head works by hidden natural sciences. Both mundane and magi characters would certainly perk up their ears at rumors telling where the stolen book or golden head reside.

Wandering Scholars

With more teachers and more schools, the idea of learning from a single master passed out of vogue. Why stay at Chartres when a famous intellectual was teaching at Laon? Students wandered from master to master, satisfying their curiosity and passionate drive for learning. Perhaps the most famous wandering scholar is Peter Abelard, whose cutting intellect and often bilious temperament drove him from one master to another. Abelard never refused the chance to argue with his masters, and became famous for showing their errors in his persuasive and mentally dazzling treatises. His academic work is sometimes forgotten though, his good name besmirched by heresy and his scandalous love affair with his young student, Heloise.

As a result of their heightened interest in the trivium, medieval schoolmen who closely read ancient and patristic texts discovered several contradictions. Their speculative thought combined with personal observation lead to innovative solutions to questions of man, God, and nature. Recent ingenuity, based on classical wisdom, led Bernard of Chartres to write, “We are dwarfs perched on the shoulders of giants.” The analogy is that thirteenthcentury scholars can see further, for though they might not be the ancient’s intellectual equals, basing recent knowledge on past wisdom leads to greater understanding.

The Scholastic Method

The method and manner in which medieval intellectuals think, teach, and argue is called “scholasticism,” a contemporary term used to differentiate their own type of intellectualism from the Greeks of antiquity. Coined from the Latin “scholasticus” (plural: “scholastici”), meaning the head teacher of a school, the scholastic method stems from the intense stress placed on dialectic in the early Middle Ages. Scholasticism is shaped by two factors: rational, logical arguments based on reason; and a clear distinction between philosophy and theology.

Stemming from St. Augustine and the other Church Fathers, who synthesized pagan writing into Christian thought by claiming that God granted Plato and Aristotle their ideas, scholasticism is a continuing attempt to express reality in reasonable, Christian terms. Reason itself is laudable, and God’s truths can be understood rationally to augment a thinker’s faith. Philosophical subjects are always subservient to theological subjects, and it is difficult to find a purely philosophical discussion that is not somehow wrapped in Christian theology. Scholastics regard earlier writers highly — Plato, Aristotle, and the Church Fathers especially — and form their own arguments based on theirs. They believe God has one truth, and by continuing to think, argue, and understand theology logically, they can gain this understanding.

Scholasticism was hotly condemned in the twelfth century by mystical writers, ecclesiastics who preferred to write about the spiritual contemplation of God. They claimed that scholastics elevated philosophy over theology, and that they placed reason above revelation. Certain Hermetic critics claim that scholastics place their adherence to authority over their individual reasoning, and that they have completely confused pure philosophy with theology. These criticisms have a grain of truth in them, certainly, but overall they are too harsh. Using logic and dialectic, scholastics strive to provide a reasonable philosophical proof that explains reality within the framework of Christian theology, without refuting any of the truths already expressed by the authorities.

The New Aristotle

Before the twelfth century, the only surviving copies of Aristotle in Latin were his Categories and On Interpretations, both works of logic, translated and commented on by Boethius. While these were sufficient to convey Aristotle’s logic and syllogisms, only the most able minds were able to effectively utilize them. Starting around 1150, a handful of scholars translated Aristotle’s remaining works, filtered through the able minds and commentaries of Arabic and Jewish scholars, which were quickly disseminated throughout western Mythic Europe. These works, including Prior Analytics, Posterior Analytics, Topics, On Sophistical Refutations, Physics, Metaphysics, and De anima (On the Soul), grouped together are referred to as the “New Aristotle.” The New Aristotle made syllogisms and his logical method much clearer. Aristotle claimed that a scholar knows something only if he knows the beginnings of that thing and the reason for its existence. Secondly, Aristotle offered a new approach to verifying the knowledge of a thing. A thinker has to discover accurate truths about a specific thing that then apply to the general group, and then make sure those truths are accurate when applied from the group back to the specific.

Although emphasized by Aristotle, dubbed “the Philosopher,” personal observation does not alone guarantee truth. Observation must be supported with reasonable arguments, based on antiquity and extrapolated by contemporaries. All agree that the senses are too susceptible to misinformation and illusion to be absolutely reliable. Philosophers do not reject the senses, though. Far from it, they merely demand that they be supported by rationally defined arguments that incorporate the ideas of celebrated pagan and Christian philosophical writings. This new body of knowledge has had a profound effect on the seven liberal arts and the men that study them. The most profound change is the attempt of the logica nova (new logic) to replace the logica veta (old logic) in medieval schools, but each of the liberal arts is affected to some degree. Some schoolmen are conservative, and reluctant to make major changes to a school’s curriculum. And the New Aristotle is not accepted by all scholars.

In 1220, the University of Paris has banned teaching any of the New Aristotle, although copies of his translated works exist. Specific changes of the New Aristotle to the various liberal arts are discussed in the next chapter.

Hermetic Societas: The Lyceum The Lyceum consists of about eight members, still lead by Venatus Trianomae, who is now eighty years from his Gauntlet. They hardly ever meet due to their wide geographical spread across, principally, the southern Tribunals of the Order, but they correspond with one another avidly, and compose their correspondences into volumes that are copied for new members to their group (see Covenants, page 90 for rules on Correspondences). Several Lyceum members regularly attend — and Venatus still teaches at — a university. Despite Aristotle’s insistence on theoretical, practical, and productive philosophy, the Lyceum concentrates only on the former, and actively promulgates rationalism through the New Aristotle and the seven liberal arts. They believe that Bonisagus, like Aristotle, was divinely inspired, and that Hermetic breakthroughs that push the bounds of Magic Theory are unnecessary — Bonisagus provided for all facets of the world when he devised Magic Theory, although the more arcane applications of his theory still need to be revealed. Story Seed: The Academic’s Demand When the characters stumble across a rare book (perhaps one of Aristotle’s lost dialogues), they receive a visit from Antimedes of Tytalus, a member of the Lyceum. He wants to copy the tome, but refuses to offer payment, since he believes it is for the good of everyone that it re-enters academic circles. What is suspicious, however, is how he found out that they had the book in the first place. The manner in which they deal with Antimedes’ request will determine whether they secure an ally or an enemy. The Lyceum could prove to be useful to a young covenant due to its access to both mundane and arcane knowledge, but it is well connected enough to cause them serious problems as well. Hermetic Societas: The Collegium The Collegium is a Hermetic societas — a group of magi from different houses who share a common interest in the Academic Sciences, particularly Philosophiae. They are dedicated to testing the nature of the world as revealed through the application of magic, and are keen to promote a greater understanding of philosophy and technology throughout the Order. They seek to expand the limits of Hermetic Theory through experimentation — in the words of Xenophon, they are dedicated to “exploring the awesome complexity of the emanated world;” and are often keen empirici (see Chapter Five: Experimental Philosophy). It is likely that the Order of the Green Cockerel (see The Mysteries, Revised Edition) boasts at least one member of the Collegium. There are about a dozen active members, and an undetermined number of inactive members who surface from time to time with new results. They have no formal leader, but a secretary is elected to serve a ten-year term to organize the symposia, the official meetings of the Collegium. The purpose of the symposia is to exchange the results of the members’ research, and they are attended by half to two-thirds of the societas’ active members. These symposia usually take place in a town in the Normandy, Provencal, or Rhine Tribunals, which are those regions where most of the Collegium reside. Often, the secretary rents a hall from a university or cathedral school, and select students or masters are invited to attend at least a portion of the event. Story Seed: A Living Library Borbygus of Verditius has been corresponding with a scholar (an ally of the covenant) for years with encouragement for his research, though the scholar is unaware that Borbygus is a magus. Borbygus — a member of the Collegium — invites the scholar to a colloquium to meet with other prominent academics. Unfortunately for the scholars, they’ve just become part of the magus’ new collection of realia (see Covenants, page 102), a collection of “objects” that take the place of a library (in this case, on Intellego). Borbygus intends to keep the scholars in magical confinement until he has a sufficiently large collection to complete his studies, and he is sure he’ll be the envy of his peers.

The Hermetic Intellectual Landscape

When developing Hermetic magic, Bonisagus did not attempt to synthesize the nature of magic or its causes with academic rational philosophies that explain reality. Nevertheless, Hermetic magic is very much rooted in academic tradition, with its systematic treatment of theory, and the focus on study, research, experimentation, and the recording of knowledge. This is in stark contrast to pre-Hermetic days, when magic was most often a religious or mystical experience based in personal revelation, and knowledge was often transmitted orally rather than recorded for posterity. Bonisagus was deeply interested in language, analyzing and deconstructing the dialectical formulas of the Cult of Mercury’s Latin rituals and synthesizing them with those of other pagan magical cults. Reading his original treatise, it is evident that Bonisagus had read the Timaeus and was capable of understanding Aristotle’s system of logic. He did not emphasize one over the other, and merely pulled bits and pieces from both authors to explain his theory of magic.

Bonisagus wrote circuitously, using Gnostic and other allegorical examples to elucidate the finer points of Hermetic magic. Select passages suggest that he believed Plato had perfectly explained creation, and that better understanding Platonic creation would lead to a better understanding of magic. Other passages imply the opposite viewpoint, that Aristotle’s categories are a better way of understanding magic, and an enhanced comprehension of magic can only be gained by mastering Aristotle’s method. The tenth-century scholastic debates between universals and categories migrated to the Order of Hermes, where a handful of academic-minded magi argued the same distinction concerning Bonisagus’ magic theory.

The Platonic position was championed by a Hermetic societas called the Collegium, founded by Xenophon of Bonisagus. Xenophon felt that The Founder had performed an injustice to the Order by stripping Hermetic Theory to its bare essentials. He felt (and others agreed) that Hermetic magic was focused too heavily on practice, making no attempt to investigate or explain either the nature of magic or its origin. The Collegium sought among the teachings of Plotinus and Boethius for insight into such weighty questions, and conducted their own experiments to investigate magic’s nature and source. Venatus was a Collegium magus of Trianoma’s lineage and had discovered the New Aristotle while at the university of Bologna, before his Gentle Gift was made manifest. However, he soon found the societas unwilling to consider pure thought as a route to understanding, and was openly ridiculed for his Aristotelian position that experience was no substitute for reason. The Collegium was simply unwilling to discard their philosophical paradigm in favor of rationalism. With many bitter recriminations, Venatus (and a few likeminded young magi) split from the Collegium to form the Lyceum, a new societas named after Aristotle’s famous school.

The debates between the rationalist Lyceum and the empirical Collegium were intriguing, at first, and enjoyed by many Hermetic magi. Fundamentalists in both camps, however, took the philosophical debate much more personally, becoming invested in being right and proving the others wrong. This passion made the debates unsavory for Order members in general, and many ignored the abusive exchanges between the two camps. In 1220 both factions still exist, each attempting to augment Hermetic magic through specific academic breakthroughs, while at the same time disparaging the opposing camp.

Hermetic Magic and Philosophical Breakthroughs

Whether Bonisagus used Plato or Aristotle as a logical model for magic theory is entirely dependent upon your saga. Although he wrote before the scholastic period, Bonisagus’ education did include Aristotle and Plato, as well as other classical authors. As a troupe, you could decide that Bonisagus followed Aristotle, and that synthesizing the New Aristotle with Magic Theory would be a minor breakthrough, as per the original research rules suggested in Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 26. Or, if Bonisagus modeled Magic Theory on Platonic universals, such a breakthrough would require synthesizing newly found works of Plato with Magic Theory. This would be harder, since the majority of Plato’s works will not be rediscovered for two hundred years (historically, in the fifteenth century). You could decide that Magic Theory and academic theories, Platonic and Aristotelian, won’t affect Hermetic magic in the slightest. Paradoxically, you could decide that both could affect Hermetic magic — that both Aristotelian Magic Theory and Platonic Magic Theory are possible breakthroughs. Such an event would further the debates between the Collegium and the Lyceum, adding fuel to the fire in proving which philosopher was more influential to the founder.

Trying to create Aristotleian Magic Theory as a breakthrough would require the magus to experiment with any combination of Hermetic Forms and Intellego magic, since Aristotle is so keen on knowing a subject. Platonic Magic Theory would require a magus to experiment with any Technique and the four elemental Forms (Auram, Aquam, Ignem, Terram), since Plato is definitive about the building blocks of reality. Once properly incorporated, either version of the breakthrough — Aristotelian Magic Theory or Platonic Magic Theory — would allow a magus character to add his score in Artes Liberales to his Lab Totals and his formulaic spell casting totals.

Once such a breakthrough occurs, the researcher can disseminate his discovery through a written tractatus, describing the improved Magic Theory. Such a tractatus will allow any reader to incorporate the minor breakthrough into their own laboratory work.

Attribution

Attribution Based on the material for Ars Magica, ©1993-2024, licensed by Trident, Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games®, under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license 4.0 ("CC-BY-SA 4.0"). Ars Magica Open License Logo ©2024 Trident, Inc. The Ars Magica Open License Logo, Ars Magica, and Mythic Europe are trademarks of Trident, Inc., and are used with permission. Order of Hermes, Tremere, Doissetep, and Grimgroth are trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB and are used with permission.