Hedge Magic Revised Edition Chapter Five: Learned Magicians

In Bologna — one of the largest cities in western Mythic Europe — there is a great university. It draws thousands of students and hundreds of teachers from across Mythic Europe. A secret society has grown among these students and scholars where magical charms are cast and amulets are created, and where the study of astronomy, alchemy, and herbalism produce astounding results. These learned magicians refer to themselves as the Mathematici of Bologna, and they are comprised of men of the cloth, men of letters, and members of other literate classes. They sometimes use their magic as a reward to the faithful, sometimes as a way to make a quick coin, or sometimes to protect themselves in a dangerous world.

The learned magicians are capable of casting simple spoken charms that produce relatively minor short-term magical effects, of transmuting atoms into different forms, and of creating healing poultices, enhancing potions, and poisons. But their strength lies in written amulets. Amulets and chartae provide long-lasting magical protections or powers to their bearers. And mathematici (singular: mathematicus) are able to strengthen their magical charms and amulets by calling upon beings of power from each of the four Realms. While this mitigates the harsh effects of the Dominion on their magic, it also exposes them to potential dangers.

Character Generation

There are both Gifted and unGifted learned magicians. An unGifted learned magician should be treated as a companion character when assigning Virtues and Flaws, and a Gifted learned magician may be treated as either a magus or a companion character, at the discretion of the troupe.

Learned magicians receive experience points using the normal character generation rules before apprenticeship. A learned magician usually begins his training as a teenager — either as a child entering University as a simple student, or as a baccalaureate studying to become a Magister in Artibus — between the ages of 14 and 19.

Although some magicians possess The Gift, most do not. The average learned magician has knowledge of only one or two Techniques and a couple of Forms. For Gifted magicians, the master performs a season long ritual that opens the apprentice’s Gift to the powers of the learned magician’s tradition — Tueor, Succurro, Vulnero, Fortunam, Magicam, and Salutem — and the Entreat the Powers Virtue. When his Gift is opened, the magician starts with a score of 0 in all of his Arts.

The master’s Opening Total is his Succurro Magicam Lab Total, described later. This total only matters if the student has pre-existing Supernatural Abilities. Because learned magicians begin their training so late in life, this is not an uncommon situation. The learned magicians are aware of this and when a Gifted student is identified, the most powerful learned magician available often opens The Gift of the student, even if the student does not remain his pupil. The process for Opening The Gift is described more fully in the Introduction of this book. Similarly, UnGifted learned magicians must undergo an Initiation to gain the necessary Virtues to practice their magic. Although only a Gifted master may Open The Gift of another, a master need not be Gifted to Initiate an unGifted student into the tradition. Several Initiation Scripts for unGifted magicians are detailed later.

Each year that the learned magician trains under a master he gains 30 experience points. The player may spend these experience points on any Arcane or Academic Abilities and the Hedge Arts in this chapter. The player may also spend experience points on charms, at a rate of 5 levels of charms per experience point. Although Gifted magicians may spend experience points on any of the Hedge Arts in this chapter without the need to have any of the corresponding Virtues, unGifted magicians may not spend experience points in Arts, or charms utilizing Arts, for which they do not have the corresponding Virtue. The learned magicians have no formal rules regarding “apprenticeship,” and students study as long as they are able before moving on to their vocation, returning home from university, or running out of money.

Because the magician’s training is often conducted in this ad hoc manner, there is no typical level of skill that a learned magician might possess. A junior monk who trains under an accomplished teacher might study with the same master for decades, developing his magic the whole time; while a university student might learn a few simple charms from a master before returning home. There is no formal end to the training and no stigma attached to an adult learned magician continuing to learn from his master for as long as the master can continue to teach him.

Training

Learned magicians acquire knowledge of their magic in much the same way Hermetic magi do. Training by a master is usually the source of initial knowledge, but once the fundamentals of the tradition are known, the student studies from texts. The texts of learned magicians are written using the normal rules from ArM5, page 165.

Typical Learned Magician Abilities

Learned magicians are not hermits, sequestered from society, as those with The Gift often are. They tend to be integrated members in their communities. The practitioners of this magic are also well educated by the standards of Mythic Europe. Depending on the Social Status selected by the player, a learned magician will likely have some skill in the following Abilities: Artes Liberales, Civil and Canon Law, Medicine, Philosophiae, Profession (Scribe), and Theology. After training begins, learned magicians also often study Concentration, Penetration, and (Realm) Lore, in addition to the Abilities and Arts presented in this chapter.

All magicians must possess minimum scores of 1 in Latin to learn charms and 1 in Artes Liberales to create amulets and chartae or cast charms from text. But because most magicians are students at university or members of the clergy, their scores are significantly higher. The Virtues specific to learned magicians are listed below, but magicians may also possess a number of other Virtues and Flaws. Mythic Herbalism and Mythic Alchemy Virtues are common. Because learned magicians are drawn from the scholarly community, Virtues such as Apt Student, Clear Thinker, Educated, Good Teacher, and Privileged Upbringing are particularly appropriate. The students and classmates of learned magicians are often spread throughout Mythic Europe; Social Contacts, Well-Traveled, and Temporal Influence are all common.

Likewise, magicians often have Flaws associated with their position in society; Dependent, Favors, Monastic Vows, Oath of Fealty, Close Family Ties, and Heir may be appropriate for them. And when magicians call upon the powers of the realms, they sometimes upset those powers, so the following Flaws are appropriate: Greater Malediction, Plagued by Supernatural Entity, and Supernatural Nuisance. Any of the Flaws listed under Magical Dangers, Warping (later) are also appropriate for a character.

Lore of the Mathematici

This is the (Organization) lore of the learned magician tradition based in Bologna. A character with this Ability has knowledge of the following: the general effects that charms and amulet magic produce, the identities of the powerful members of the Mathematici of Bologna, their history, and the secrets of the tradition. The secrets of the Mathematici include knowledge of the rites and rituals to Initiate another into the powers of the tradition. Other groups of learned magicians may exist in Mythic Europe and possess their own (Organization) Lore Abilities.

Virtues and Flaws

In addition to the Non-Hermetic Virtues listed in the introductory chapter, learned magicians may have the following Virtues. A character must possess at least one Hedge Technique and Form from this chapter to be considered a learned magician, and gain access to the charm-making and laboratory activities of this hedge tradition.

Virtues of the Learned Magicians

With the exception of Mythic Alchemy, Mythic Herbalism, and Natural Magician, the list of Virtues below is only suitable for learned magician characters or characters from a related magical tradition.

Mathematicus of Bologna

Free, Social Status

The character is a member of the magical tradition of the Mathematici of Bologna. The character may cast charms and perform laboratory activities according to the rules of this chapter. To possess this Social Status, the character must have at least one Hedge Technique and Form from this chapter.

A mathematicus must also possess a Social Status that defines his role in mundane society, suitable examples include: Clerk, Gentleman, Landed Noble, Magister in Artibus, Mendicant Friar, or Priest. The Social Statuses listed in the Universities and Medicine chapters of Art & Academe are very appropriate, as are those listed in Realms of Power: The Divine, pages 92-93. These lists are not exhaustive, and the troupe may include additional Social Statuses that are appropriate to the learned magician character. The amount of freedom a mathematicus has to study is based on his other Social Status, or whether he possesses the Wealthy Virtue or Poor Flaw.

Entreat the Powers

Major, Supernatural

This Virtue grants the character the ability to minimize or overcome the negative effects associated with using magic-aligned powers in Divine or Infernal auras. The mechanics for using this Virtue are described fully later. See Magic of the Learned Magicians: Mitigation of Realm Interaction Effects.

Mythic Alchemy

Major, Supernatural

This Virtue grants the character a score of 1 in the Mythic Alchemy Supernatural Ability. Mythic alchemists can actually transmute types of atoms into other types of atoms through the application of magical rather than philosophical techniques. This Ability always requires at least one season of activity in a properly outfitted alchemical laboratory. The rules described here depend on the rules for alchemists given in Art & Academe, Chapter 5: Experimental Philosophy.

Briefly, a formula is invented in a season by acquiring 5 experience points. Formulae are described like spells, with a single parameter called Alteration that describes the magnitude of the change. The formula is used to produce a reagent in a season using a Lab Total equal to Intelligence + Philosophiae, and the alchemist must accumulate points in excess of the formula’s level just like inventing a spell. Mythic alchemists are superior to their non-magical brethren in this, and they may add their Mythic Alchemy to their Lab Totals for creating any alchemical reagents.

Those with this Virtue can devise formulae that employ guidelines for alchemical reagents that are not available to those without the Virtue. The changes effected by Mythic Alchemy are permanent transmutations of the elements and result in non-magical substances, which cannot be dispelled. Alchemists without Mythic Alchemy always fail if they try to recreate these formulae from a Laboratory Text.

Learned magicians with the Mythic Alchemy Virtue may extract and transfer vis as described in ArM5, page 94. The Mythic Alchemist uses his Succurro Magicam Lab Total to determine the number of pawns of Vim vis he may extract from a magical aura. Substitute the character’s score in Mythic Alchemy for Magic Theory to determine the number of pawns a character may use in a single season.

Mythic Alchemists can also prepare the raw materials for a craftsman in such a way that the Ease Factor for creating Superior, Excellent, or Wondrous items is reduced; see City & Guild, pages 63-73. The alchemist produces a reagent in the form of the primary component of the item to be created. For example, to create superior swords or armor, the alchemist would need to treat the metal used, but not the leather for the hilt or straps. The alchemist may prepare enough raw materials for a craftsman to use in one season (City & Guild, page 68). This process does not require vis. A Slight Alteration subtracts 1 from the Craft Ease Factor, a Minor Alteration subtracts 2, a Substantial Alteration subtracts 3, and a Major Alteration subtracts 4.

Transmuting a complex element into a similar sort of complex element is a Slight Alteration if there is no change in the type of substance; for example, as in turning Welsh copper into Cornish copper (which has a slightly different luster). A Minor Alteration can effect a transmutation of species; for example, base metal to base metal, or processed liquid to processed liquid. And a Substantial Alteration can change genus; for example, base metal to noble metal, or oil into acid. Major Alterations can affect higher categories of genus; so wood can be turned into tin, for example. Solids must remain solids, and liquids must remain liquids in any transmutation, and this is true when transmuting simple matter to complex matter and vice versa.

Each dose of a transmutative reagent requires a pawn of Vim vis or vis of the appropriate Form for every 5 points (rounded up) of the reagent’s final level. A Mythic Alchemist can handle a number of pawns of vis in a season equal to twice his Mythic Alchemy score; and this may limit the number of doses he can produce regardless of his Lab Total or any Laboratory Texts.

New Reagent Guidelines

Level 2: Prepare raw materials for a craftsman to produce superior goods.
Level 5: Transmute complex matter to a different type of complex matter.
Level 10: Transmute complex matter to simple matter.
Level 15: Transmute simple matter to complex matter.

Example Reagents

Lapis Maior

Reagent Level 15
Alteration: Substantial

This is the ultimate goal of many materialistic alchemists; the transmutation of a base metal into gold. This waxy red stone, if melted in a crucible with up to 50 cubic inches of lead, converts it to virgin gold. This reagent requires three pawns of Vim or Terram vis per dose.

(Base 5, +2 Substantial)

Cordovan Cuirbolli

Reagent Level 5
Alteration: Minor

Prepares raw animal hides into superior boiled leather, such that any craftsman working with it reduces the Ease Factor for his Craft (Leather), or similar Ability, by 2. The leather can be made any conceivable color as part of the transmutation process. Each dose of this reagent makes sufficient leather for a suit of full leather armor.

(Base 2, +1 Minor, +2 Size)

Mythic Herbalism

Major, Supernatural

Mythic Herbalism is a Major Supernatural Virtue that grants a score of 1 in the Mythic Herbalism Ability. Mythic Herbalism permits a character to create unguents and poultices that can heal the wounded, cure the diseased, or assist the poisoned. The Ability also allows a character to create especially virulent poisons. Finally, the Mythic Herbalist may create potions that grant temporary bonuses to various physical characteristics. The effects of the concoctions are detailed in the nearby chart.

For any creation, the character must spend a number of days equal to one-third the Ease Factor of the intended effect to prepare and brew the necessary ingredients. Anyone with the Ability Profession (Apothecary) and access to plants growing in a Magic aura may supply the ingredients. The character may create multiple doses of any concoction; the Ease Factor is increased by 1 for each additional dose.

The character must select the total number of doses he wishes to create prior to beginning the brewing process. Large batches are more difficult to create because of instability during the brewing process, but they do not take longer to create than a single dose does. The character does not need access to a full Hermetic laboratory, but may create potions with only a few basic tools and a constant source of heat.

At the end of the process, the player must roll the character’s Intelligence + Mythic Herbalism against the target Ease Factor. If the roll fails, the concoction is useless. If the roll is a botch, the resulting concoction may poison the creator or its recipient.

Ease Factor: 3
Healing Effects: Add Mythic Herbalism Score to patient’s Stamina roll to resist all disease.
Poisons: Ease Factor 6, Sleep
Physical Bonuses: Add +2 to Fatigue rolls.

Ease Factor: 6
Healing Effects: Prevent all of a patient’s Wounds from getting worse for one day.
Poisons: Ease Factor 6, Light Wound
Physical Bonuses: Ignore Wound Penalties up to Medium Wounds.

Ease Factor: 9
Healing Effects: Add Mythic Herbalism Score x 2 to Recovery roll.
Poisons: Ease Factor 9, Medium Wound
Physical Bonuses: Add +3 to Soak.

Ease Factor: 12
Healing Effects: Add Mythic Herbalism Score x 3 to Recovery roll.
Poisons: Ease Factor 9, Heavy Wound
Physical Bonuses: Ignore one level of Fatigue.

Ease Factor: 15
Healing Effects: Add Mythic Herbalism Score x 4 to Recovery roll.
Poisons: Ease Factor 9, Incap. Wound
Physical Bonuses: Add +5 to Soak.

Ease Factor: 18
Healing Effects: Heal the debilitating aftereffects of a disease, poison, or injury.
Poisons: Ease Factor 9, Death
Physical Bonuses: Increase one physical characteristic from negative to 0.

Ease Factor: 21
Healing Effects: Resolve a major aging crisis.
Poisons: Heal a Medium Wound that was caused by poison.
Physical Bonuses: Increase one physical characteristic to +1.

Ease Factor: 24
Healing Effects: Resolve one terminal aging crisis.
Poisons: Heal an Incapacitating Wound caused by poison.
Physical Bonuses: Increase one physical characteristic to +2.

After one Season, an unused poultice, poison, or potion expires and thereafter lacks all powers. An unguent or poultice grants a bonus to Recovery rolls based on the target Ease Factor selected by the player and the character’s Mythic Herbalism score. Unless otherwise stated, the curative is effective for one month and must be reapplied if the patient’s Wound takes longer to heal. If a character receives the benefit of a poultice and a spell, only the larger Recovery bonus applies.

Use the Ease Factors above to create an ingested poison. If the poison is a contact poison, increase the Ease Factor by +3.

Salutem

Minor, Supernatural Form

This Virtue gives the character the Form of Salutem. The Form advances as an Art. It is described more fully later and is useless unless the character also possesses a Technique from this chapter.

Skilled Master

Minor, General

Due to the skill of the learned magician’s master or his extensive time studying under his master, the character may spend an extra 50 experience points on Arts, Abilities, and charms. This Virtue may be taken multiple times.

Minor, Supernatural

The character is less proficient at creating chartae than the typical learned magician. Subtract five from your Lab Total when creating chartae. This Flaw does not affect the character’s ability to create amulets.

Hermetic Virtues and Flaws for Learned Magicians

Learned magicians may possess a number of Hermetic Virtues and Flaws. Most of these are suitable for all magicians, but others are only appropriate for those magicians with The Gift.

Major Hermetic Virtues: Gentle Gift, Major Magical Focus, Secondary Insight.

Minor Hermetic Virtues: Adept Laboratory Student, Affinity with Art, Cautious Sorcerer, Deft Form, Enduring Magic, Fast Caster, Harnessed Magic, Inventive Genius, Minor Magical Focus, Magical Memory, Personal Vis Source, Puissant Art, Quiet Magic, Side Effect, Special Circumstances, Subtle Magic.

Major Hermetic Flaws: Blatant Gift, Deficient Technique, Necessary Condition, Painful Magic, Restriction, Rigid Magic, Short-Ranged Magic.

Minor Hermetic Flaws: Careless Sorcerer, Creative Block, Deficient Form, Deleterious Circumstances, Disorientating Magic, Short-Lived Magic, Susceptibility to Divine Power, Susceptibility to Faerie Power, Susceptibility to Infernal Power, Warped Magic, Weak Magic, Weak Scholar, Weird Magic.

Magic of the Learned Magicians

Learned magicians are able to combine their Arts to create two types of magic: verbal charms and written amulets. Verbal charms are quick to cast, have very limited duration, and are the least powerful of a learned magician’s abilities. Amulet magic is more powerful and comes in two varieties: chartae and amulets. Chartae are simple, one-shot magic devices that can be produced relatively quickly and are approximately equal in strength to Formulaic spells. Amulets are more-powerful devices that take a season to produce and are capable of having longer-lasting effects.

Charm magic violates the Hermetic limit of Arcane Connection. Fortunam charms especially are able to influence the luck and actions of others. Although these charms may affect unsensed targets, they must still overcome any Magic Resistance that a target might have.

The Arts

The learned magicians possess three Techniques and three Forms, as described below. Every charm or amulet requires the learned magician to have knowledge of at least one of each. The character must possess knowledge of the applicable Technique and Form, which is represented by a score of at least 0 in the applicable Art. An unGifted character who does not possess a Virtue for a particular Art may not utilize the guidelines listed here regardless of his knowledge of other Techniques or Forms.

Techniques

Tueor (Tu) “I guard/protect”
Pronounced: “too-AY-or”
Tueor is the Art that guards or defends the target of the charm from certain specific harms. Tueor works in conjunction with the Form of the thing protected. Tueor Salutem charms protect a target’s health; they do not protect “against” health. A Tueor Salutem charm could protect a person’s health, a field’s health, or an animal’s health. Although different charms are required to accomplish each feat, the same two Arts can protect a wide range of targets from an infinite range of maladies.

The more common the potential harm that the charm protects against, the more difficult it is to create. Tueor charms against rare or very specific harms are relatively simple to create and are the most common. A charm against “weapons” requires great skill and effort to create, while a charm against an iron dagger wielded by a left-handed man would be almost trivially easy to create.

Some might think of Tueor charms as the Hermetic equivalent of Rego spells. This is an incomplete analogy at best. Where Hermetic magic controls a targeted Form and prevents anything falling under that Form from harming someone inside a particular area, Tueor magic protects a subject from potential harm, regardless of form, in a very narrow area. For example, a spell such as the Rego Vim spell Circular Ward Against Demons protects from all potential attacks from a demon, including claws, possession, flaming breath, or anything else. Tueor Salutem charms may protect against one type of non-magical attack, claws for instance. This would protect the target from the claws of wild animals, demons, Faerie wolves, a magus in the form of a bear, or anything else, but would be no protection against an animal’s bite. Any claw-based attack that would need to penetrate Magic Resistance is unaffected; however, those attacks could be defended against by Tueor Magicam charms.

Succurro (Su) “I aid”
Pronounced: “suk-KUH-roh”
This Art allows charms that enhance some pre-existing aspect of a target. Succurro charms cannot grant abilities that have no basis in the original target, and Succurro most closely corresponds to Hermetic Creo magic. Succurro charms cannot, however, create something from nothing or instantly heal a target.

Succurro magic cannot replicate the unnatural modifications to a target that are available with Muto magic. A charm can assist a person to heal more quickly or improve her sight, but it cannot allow her to grow wings or see through walls because no mere mortal can do those things. Succurro magic removes imperfections in a target, but cannot create perfection.

Vulnero (Vu) “I harm”
Pronounced: “VUL-neh-roh”
Vulnero charms cause harm, whether direct or indirect, to a target. Vulnero magic is always harmful to the target. Vulnero charms closely resemble Perdo magic. Both forms of magic can cause a target to suffer damage or become worse examples of person, place, or thing. Unlike Perdo magic, Vulnero magic may not completely remove an aspect of a thing. The more completely some aspect of a thing is destroyed, the more difficult it is to create a Vulnero charm. Similar to Succurro charms, Vulnero charms work most easily when they weaken an already weak aspect of a target.

All verbal magics that learned magicians perform are referred to as charms, but when the charms are malicious in nature and harm the target , as the Vulnero Technique does, they are often referred to as curses.

Forms

Fortunam (Fa) “Luck”
Pronounced: “for-TOON-nam”
Fortunam charms affect a target’s luck by reducing the likelihood of accidents or improving his good fortune. Although Fortunam magic is cast on a single target, its effects can influence the acts of anyone that target encounters. For example, a Fortunam charm that aids one in combat could cause a defender to be momentarily distracted, a strap on the defender’s shield to snap, or the footing of the defender to give. None of these small events happen under the direction of the learned magician or the target, but in combination they can temporarily improve the target’s ability to successfully strike his opponent. The Art of Fortunam does not have a Hermetic equivalent.

Magicam (Ma) “Magic”
Pronounced: “mah-GEE-kam”
Magicam charms allow a character to acquire or improve magical powers. They can also be used to enhance or strengthen the magic of amulets or other charms, or more commonly, to protect against or remove the effects of hostile magic upon a target. Of all a learned magician’s Forms, Magicam corresponds most closely to the Hermetic Art of Vim.

Salutem (Sa) “Health”
Pronounced: “sal-LOO-tem”
Salutem governs the health and general well being of a target. Salutem charms involve disease, age, and other infirmities related to a target’s health. For humans, most of the aspects of Salutem charms are included in Corpus magic. However, this Form is much broader than simply being a non-Hermetic equivalent of Corpus, as Salutem charms can affect the health of an animal or plant also. The health of any living creature can be affected by Salutem charms. Abstract entities cannot be affected by Salutem charms. The economic “health” of a city could not be improved by a Salutem charm; this would be more the province of Fortunam.

Salutem charms cannot replicate all aspects of Corpus, Animal, or Herbam magic. A Salutem charm only affects the health of a target. For example, a Salutem charm cannot improve a person’s strength so that he is stronger than normal or even above average; however, if an infirmity has caused the target to become weak, either through age, injury, or disease, those imperfections could be removed by a Salutem charm to allow a person to have average strength or whatever strength he possessed before stricken by the malady.

Charms

Learned magicians cast and learn charms in the same basic manner that Hermetic magi do Formulaic spells. Although learned magicians are not able to cast “spontaneous” charms, they are able to cast directly from a text for charms that they have not learned. Throughout this chapter, the spells of the learned magicians are referred to as charms, but learned magicians would refer to them as “carmen” (plural: carmina) in Latin.

Charm Design

The ability to cast both known verbal charms and charms from text is based on the learned magician’s Casting Score, which is calculated below.

Casting Score

Hedge Technique + Hedge Form + Communication + Aura Modifier

Charm Total

(casting Score + Die) / 2

Charm Total When Read From Text

(casting Score + Stress Die) / 5

If the charm total is greater than or equal to the level of the charm, the charm is successful and the magician loses no Fatigue. When the charm total is less than the charm level, but within 10 of the charm’s level, the magician loses one Fatigue level and the charm is successfully cast. If the charm total is more than 10 lower than the charm’s level, the charm fails and the caster loses one level of Fatigue.

The type of die rolled depends on whether the caster is in a stressful situation. Normal, non-combat situations require only a simple die. Charms cast from a text always require a stress die roll.

Reading Charms From Text

A learned magician may cast spells directly by reading from texts, which are assembled in large collections called formularies. Formularies are not texts in the standard sense and do not have normal Source or Quality ratings. They are simply collections of hundreds or thousands of charms. Although a known spell requires only a few seconds to cast, a charm cast from a formulary takes considerably longer.

Formularies tend to be poorly organized, with Fortunam, Salutem, and Magicam charms mixed together. First, the caster must locate the desired charm in the formulary. The player must make an Intelligence + Language roll against an Ease Factor of 9, and if successful the caster locates the desired charm in ten minutes. If the roll fails, the caster must spend ten minutes searching for the spell for each point by which the roll failed. The caster must add +1 to the target Ease Factor for each formulary above 1 that he possesses.

Once the charm is located, the caster must spend two minutes per magnitude of the charm reading the text. The time required to cast a charm from text doubles if the caster’s Language score is below 4 and quadruples if the score is 2 or less. If the character’s Language score is below 5, add one botch die for each point it is below 5.

The effects of a charm are very specific. For example, different charms exist to heal a slash to an arm versus healing an arrow puncture wound to an arm. In Hermetic magic, both could be addressed by Chirurgeon’s Healing Touch. For each formulary, the storyguide should set a target level for one or more Technique and Form combinations, and set a target Ease Factor from 3 to 9. If the player succeeds on a simple die roll against the Ease Factor, the desired spell is contained within the formulary, unless the storyguide determines otherwise.

Ranges, Durations, and Targets

Like Hermetic spells, all charms must have a Range, Duration, and Target. For charms, these parameters are the same as those used by Hermetic magi (ArM5, pages 111-13). The base parameters for a charm are Personal, Momentary, and Individual. Charms that vary from these parameters are more difficult to cast, and the level of the charm is increased just as Hermetic spells are. Only those parameters listed below are available for use in charms. Also, the Range, Duration, and Target of a known or textual charm are fixed and may not be altered during the casting. Instead, the character must invent a new charm to alter the parameters of a known charm. The character receives the benefit to his Lab Total for knowing a related charm, in the same manner a Hermetic magus would (ArM5, page 101).

Ranges, Durations, & Targets for Charms

Range: Personal, Eye/Touch (+1), and Voice (+2)
Duration: Momentary, Diameter (+1), and Sun (+2)
Target: Individual and Group (+1)

Vis Use

Learned magicians may utilize raw vis in casting charms. The casting score modifier, botch modifiers, and vis limit are the same as those for Hermetic magi (ArM5, pages 8283). The learned magicians’ knowledge of their Arts does not mesh perfectly with the Hermetic Arts, and the storyguide should use common sense in allowing vis to be applied in casting charms. If a charm’s effects could be duplicated by a Hermetic spell, any vis that could be used to assist that spell assists the charm. Learned magicians may not study from vis.

In general, when casting Tueor charms, a caster may utilize Rego vis. Succurro charms may use Creo vis, and Vulnero charms benefit from Perdo vis. Learned magicians may use Vim vis in casting Magicam or Fortunam charms. A Salutem charm may utilize Corpus, Herbam, Animal, or Mentem vis depending on the nature of the target. Salutem charms that protect against a specific form of damage may utilize Aquam, Auram, Terram, or Ignem vis depending on the specifics of the charm.

Laboratory Activities

Learned magicians are able to create two types of magical devices: amulets and chartae. Amulets require a season to create, but may contain multiple charges. Chartae (singular: charta) are single-use magical devices that the learned magicians may produce relatively quickly. Both types of devices are transcribed on physical media — usually paper, vellum, or parchment. In general, amulets and chartae have the potential to produce longer-lasting and more-powerful effects than a learned magician’s charms. Learned magicians may also create amulets of more substantial materials, such as metals or engraved gemstones.

Amulet and Charta Design

All amulets function as charged devices. They are not permanent magical devices and contain a finite number of uses. The magician always specifically designs an amulet or charta for a single subject. Should someone other than the original subject attempt to utilize the device, it provides no benefit to the person.

The ability to create both amulets and chartae is based on the character’s Lab Total, which is calculated below.

Lab Total

Hedge Technique + Hedge Form + Intelligence + Artes Liberales + Aura Modifier

Amulet Charges

(lab Total – Amulet Level of Effect) / 5 (Rounded Up)

Charta Total

Lab Total/2

The player first designs the level of effect for the amulet using the guidelines for charms. The effect must be fully defined with a Target, Duration, and Range. The character need not have knowledge of the charm effect selected, but if he does know a similar charm, he may add a magnitude bonus to his Lab Total as a Hermetic magus would (ArM5, page 101).

Once the effect level is determined, the character spends one season creating the amulet. For every 5 points, or fraction thereof, that the learned magician’s Lab Total exceeds the desired effect, the amulet contains one charge. If the character’s Lab Total is less than the desired effect, the character cannot create the amulet.

Chartae are created similarly to an amulet, except they may only have one charge and that charge is expended as soon as the charta is created; once their effects are used, they lose all power. The player first designs the level of effect for the charta using the above rules. If the character’s Charta Total is greater than or equal to the desired effect, he successfully creates the charta. A learned magician may not replenish the charge of a charta as he can with an amulet.

The main benefit of chartae is that learned magicians may create them relatively quickly. To create a charta, A learned magician need only spend the amount of time necessary to cast a horoscope for the recipient of the charm (see Astronomical Requirements, below) plus one hour for each magnitude of the desired effect.

A learned magician may also create a charta for an unknown recipient ahead of time and leave the identity of the target of the charta blank. When the learned magician determines the person for whom he will create the charta, he spends one hour casting a horoscope and completing the charta with the relevant astronomical information and the recipient’s name. An incomplete charta may not receive the Lab Total bonus for a nativity horoscope; the astronomical information of the nativity horoscope must be integrated throughout the charta. Magicians may never create similarly incomplete amulets; an amulet’s recipient must be known from the beginning and may not change during the process. If the recipient is not added to the charta before it expires, the charta is useless. Likewise, when a recipient is added, he only gains the benefit of the charta for the remainder of its duration.

Astronomical Requirements

All amulets and chartae incorporate astronomical elements. A learned magician must determine the horoscope of the recipient of the device and include the relevant astronomical information in it. A simple daily horoscope is sufficient for writing a charta, and adds +5 to the character’s Lab Total, but if a nativity horoscope is created instead, the astronomer adds +10 to his Lab Total. The bonus for a nativity horoscope only applies when the Target of the charm is Individual, Group, or Bloodline. The requirement for a nativity horoscope for Group or Bloodline Targets is fulfilled by casting the horoscope of the relevant group’s most prominent member.

To cast a horoscope for the target, the creator must know the recipient’s current location and succeed in an Intelligence + Artes Liberales (astronomy) roll against an Ease Factor of 6; the process takes the hedge wizard one hour. If the learned magician casts a nativity horoscope, he must know the target’s place and time of birth and succeed in an Intelligence + Artes Liberales (astronomy) roll against an Ease Factor of 9; the process takes the learned magician one full day of work. The time required to cast a horoscope is only relevant when creating a charta. If the learned magician is creating an amulet, the astronomical information is monitored and incorporated through out the season. If the learned magician fails in casting the horoscope for the recipient, the device has no effect.

Ranges, Durations, and Targets

Like Hermetic devices, all amulets and chartae must have a Range, Duration, and Target. Only those parameters listed below are available for use in amulets and chartae. The base parameters for amulets and chartae are Touch, Momentary, and Individual. Amulets and chartae that vary from these parameters are more difficult to cast, and the level of the device is increased just as Hermetic spells are. The magnitudes used to determine the spell level are slightly different for amulets and chartae, and they are listed in the insert.

All amulets and chartae have Range: Touch — a device must be in physical contact with the Target for it to have any effect. Where the Target is Group, the device must be in the possession of the group’s leader. For the requirements of the Bloodline Target, see ArM5, page 93. For Structure and Boundary Targets, the charm must be placed somewhere near the main entrance to the relevant location.

Magicians may create an amulet or charta with a Duration of Season. The effect of the device lasts until the next solstice or equinox. To determine the level of effect of the amulet or charta, the Season Duration adds +3 magnitudes to the level of the effect.

Ranges, Durations, and Targets for Amulets and Chartae

Range: Touch
Duration: Momentary, Sun (+1), Moon (+2), and Season (+3)
Target: Individual, Group (+1), Bloodline (+2), Structure (+3), and Boundary (+4)

Amulet and Charta Effects

The bearer of an amulet or charta has no control over when a charge is expended. As soon as an amulet is donned or affixed to an appropriate location, one charge is expended and the effect lasts according to the Duration set by the creator. When that Duration is complete, the next charge is expended. If an amulet is not in physical contact with an appropriate target, no charge is expended. In contrast, a charta’s charge is expended as soon as it is created, even if the charta is not in the possession of its ultimate recipient. Chartae are only useful if the recipient receives them at the moment of completion.

An amulet or charta cannot produce effects that require Concentration, have Penetration, or are activated by environmental triggers. Magical device effects, such as those listed in ArM5, page 99, other than Penetration, are inappropriate for amulets and chartae; however, chartae and amulets may utilize form and material bonuses.

Laboratory Requirements

For a learned magician to perform Laboratory Activities, his requirements are a much simpler affair than the Hermetic equivalent. The wizard need only possess the basic accouterments for casting a horoscope, writing implements, and a place to put quill to parchment. The laboratories of some learned magicians are far more complicated, however, because they also practice the alchemical arts.

Laboratory Texts

The learned magicians create and use Laboratory texts in the same basic manner as Hermetic Laboratory Texts (ArM5, page 102). The one difference is that learned magicians spells are much simpler and shorter than Hermetic spells; therefore, a learned magician is able to write or copy many more levels of charms per season than a Hermetic magus. This benefit does not extend to lab texts for amulets or chartae, which are nearly as complicated as their Hermetic equivalents.

Writing Laboratory Texts

Language X 100 Charm Levels Per Season Language X 20 Device Levels Per Season

Copying Laboratory Texts

Prof. (Scribe) X 300 Charm Levels Per Season Prof. (Scribe) X 60 Device Levels Per Season

Inventing and Learning New Charms

Learned magicians learn charms from a teacher and invent them as their Hermetic counterparts do (ArM5, page 95). However, because their charms are much simpler, the maximum total levels of charms learned in a season is the teacher’s Lab Total in the applicable Art combination multiplied by five. Similarly, when creating new charms, whether from a Lab Text or from scratch, a learned magician may multiply his Lab Total by five.

Remember that charms are much more specific than Hermetic spells, and that five charms, in most cases, are less flexible than one Formulaic spell.

Mitigation of Realm Interaction Effects

The Virtue Entreat the Powers allows a character to mitigate or eliminate negative realm interaction effects (ArM5, page 183). For magicians with either Entreat the Powers or Entreat the (Realm) Powers Virtues, they may reduce the realm interaction effects upon their magic. The Entreat the Powers Virtue has no effect in areas where there is no negative realm interaction. It cannot, for instance, be used to assist a Magic Supernatural Ability in a Faerie aura. Although the magicians may call upon entities outside the Magic Realm, this does not mean that they are practicing a supernatural ability aligned with that realm. The powers presented in this chapter are aligned with the Magic Realm.

When casting a charm or creating an amulet or charta, the character calls to the powers of the realm from which he seeks aid. The learned magician generally selects the powers to call based upon the aura in which he is casting the charm, is creating the amulet, or he expects the amulet to be used. When casting a charm, the caster loudly and firmly names the powers, which he is invoking to aid him. The magician may not use Quiet Magic or silently cast a charm while using the Virtue Entreat the Powers. If he is creating an amulet or charta, the creator invokes the powers by transcribing the names of various creatures of power on the device.

Entreat the Powers Total

Stress Die + Presence + (Realm) Lore

A learned magician adds his Entreat the Powers total to his Casting Score or Lab Total. The Entreat the Powers Total may never be greater than the absolute amount of the Aura Modifier component of the Casting or Lab Total. Therefore, Entreat the Powers only aids a learned magician in overcoming the negative realm interaction effects of an aura. It never assists a learned magician in achieving the initial effect total required to create the charm or device, and cannot aid in Penetration. If the learned magician calls upon a power other than the one in which the magic occurs, the Entreat the Powers total is divided by the hostile aura.

For example, Giacomo, a learned magician, wishes to cast a simple charm in the streets of Bologna. The local aura is Dominion 3, which results in a –9 aura modifier. He loudly calls upon a few angels for assistance in his spell. Giacomo has a Presence of 1 and a Divine Realm Lore of 3; he rolls a 6 on his stress die. His Entreat the Powers total is 10, but since the local aura modifier is only –9, the extra point is ignored and he casts the charm as if the Divine Aura were not present, because angels are assisting him. But Giacomo could have called upon the powers of Magic, instead. He has a Magic Realm Lore of 2, which would have resulted in an Entreat the Powers total of 9, but because he is in a Divine aura of 3, the benefit is reduced to only 3. Had Giacomo called upon the Magical powers, he would have to overcome the remaining –6 aura modifier for the Dominion.

The learned magician may call upon the powers of multiple realms in his entreaty, although doing so enhances the risk of angering the powers upon which he calls. Multiple powers are usually only entreated in amulets or chartae because the creator does not know where the bearer may take the objects. Every time the magic of an amulet or charta is activated, the player rolls to determine the Entreat the Powers total for the local aura. If the learned magician has called upon multiple powers, the player adds the Entreat the Powers totals of the different realms that the learned magician has included in his charm. Should the player botch, he adds one additional botch die for each realm entreated. The effects of a botch are described later, in the “Magical Dangers” section.

For example, Giacomo wants to cast a spell in an Infernal aura of 4. He is unwilling to call upon those powers, so calls on the powers of Magic, Faerie, and the Divine. He adds his (Realm) Lore totals together and rolls a stress die. The roll is a 6 and his combined (Realm) Lore scores add up to another 6, plus his Presence of 1, so he gets a total of 13. This is divided by the Infernal aura of 4. Giacomo is able to ignore 3 levels of negative realm modifiers and cast his charm at only a –1 because of the aura. Had Giacomo botched, he would have rolled eight botch dice — four extra for the Infernal aura and three more because he entreated three separate powers.

UnGifted Mathematicus Initiations

Because of the heavy cost in terms of a master’s time and the Flaws imposed on an unGifted mathematici by the Ordeals, few are willing to learn more than a few of the tradition’s Arts. A player who wishes to play a companion mathematicus must take both the Flaw and Virtue for each Initiation listed. The Initiations described below are examples only, however, and the troupe is free to allow an unGifted character to begin play with other Flaws. As the examples below show, the typical Flaws imposed because of the Ordeal are related to the mathematicus’ ability to practice his magic. UnGifted characters are unable to harness the magical abilities as well as Gifted characters are, and the Flaws imposed by the Ordeals are evidence of this fact.

Initiation Into the Tueor Technique

Initiation Ease Factor: 21
Script Bonus: +20 (+3 Quest, +9 Major Ordeal, +3 Minor Ordeal, +3 Mystagogue’s Time, +1 Initiate’s Time, +1 Sympathetic Bonus)
The Initiate must spend one season in his master’s service demonstrating that he has the knowledge to properly use the gift the master is about to impart. During this period, the master tests the student’s knowledge of Philosophiae. If the character’s score is below 2, he is not Initiated. The master spends the second season teaching the Initiate in the Tueor Technique. The character acquires the Major Flaw Short-Ranged Magic, Minor Flaw ShortLived Magic, and a score of 1 in Tueor.

Initiation Into the Fortunam Form

Initiation Ease Factor: 15
Script Bonus: +14 (+3 Quest, +6 Minor Ordeals (2), +3 Mystagogue’s Time, +1 Initiate’s Time, +1 Sympathetic Bonus)
The Initiate must spend one season in his master’s service demonstrating that he has the knowledge to properly use the gift the master is about to impart. During this period the master tests the student’s knowledge of Theology. If the character’s score is below 2, he is not Initiated. The master spends the second season teaching the Initiate in the Fortunam Form. The character acquires the Minor Flaws Careless Sorcerer and Weird Magic and a score of 1 in Fortunam.

Initiation Into the Magicam Form

Initiation Ease Factor: 15
Script Bonus: +14 (+3 Quest, +6 Minor Ordeals (2), +3 Mystagogue’s Time, +1 Initiate’s Time, +1 Sympathetic Bonus)
The Initiate must spend one season in his master’s service demonstrating that he has the knowledge to properly use the gift the master is about to impart. During this period, the master tests the student’s knowledge of Magic Lore. If the character’s score is below 2, he is not Initiated. The master spends the second season teaching the Initiate in the Magicam Form. The character acquires the Minor Flaws Weak Magic and Warped Magic and a score of 1 in Magicam.

Initiation Into the Salutem Form

Initiation Ease Factor: 15
Script Bonus: +14 (+3 Quest, +6 Minor Ordeals (2), +3 Mystagogue’s Time, +1 Initiate’s Time, +1 Sympathetic Bonus)
The Initiate must spend one season in his master’s service demonstrating that he has the knowledge to properly use the gift the master is about to impart. During this period, the master tests the student’s knowledge of Medicine. If the character’s score is below 2, he is not Initiated. The master spends the second season teaching the Initiate in the Salutem Form. The character acquires the Minor Flaws No Magic Defenses and Incompatible Hedge Arts (Vulnero and Salutem) and a score of 1 in Salutem.

Initiation Into the Entreat the Divine Powers Ability

Initiation Ease Factor: 15
Script Bonus: +14 (+3 Quest, +9 Major Ordeal, +1 Initiate’s Time, +1 Sympathetic Bonus)
The Initiate must spend one season in his master’s service demonstrating that he has the knowledge to properly use the gift the master is about to impart. During this period, the master tests the student’s knowledge of Divine Lore. If the character’s score is below 2, he is not Initiated. The character acquires the Major Flaw Intervention Prone and the Entreat the Divine Powers Minor Virtue.

Magical Defenses

Learned magicians receive a Magic Defense against certain Hermetic Form-specific magical effects. The specific defenses they possess are listed below, in relation to each of the learned magician Arts, and their mechanics are described in the Introduction to this book. If a character does not possess a particular Art or Supernatural Ability, it grants him no defense.

Art: Tueor
Defense: Alacritous Fortune
Effect: Defense vs Terram effects.

Art: Succurro
Defense: Accelerated Expiry
Effect: Defense vs Corpus or Mentem effects.

Art: Vulnero
Defense: Confounding Magics
Effect: Defense vs Corpus effects.

Art: Fortunam
Defense: Confounding Magics
Effect: Defense vs Mentem effects.

Art: Magicam
Defense: Confounding Magics
Effect: Defense vs Vim effects cast on the learned magician’s charms.

Art: Salutem
Defense: Magical Fortitude
Effect: Defense vs Corpus effects.

Spell Guidelines

The following are the spell guidelines and sample spells for learned magicians.

Fortunam

Fortunam charms affect a character’s luck. Tueor Fortunam charms protect the character from bad luck, and Succurro Fortunam charms give the character good luck. Vulnero Fortunam charms — or curses — eliminate any good luck the character may have and cause him to become unlucky. Because luck can encompass not just what a character does, but what is done to or near a character, Fortunam charms have special considerations regarding Magic Resistance.

Vulnero Fortunam charms, of course, must overcome Magic Resistance and penetrate to affect their target. If a character is protected by a Tueor Fortunam charm and engages in a contested roll, the Tueor charm must penetrate the opposing character’s Magic Resistance to have any effect. However, when a Succurro Fortunam charm only affects the Target (it improves his luck and he is not interacting with another), it does not need to penetrate anyone’s Magic Resistance other than his own.

Tueor Fortunam

Tueor Fortunam Guidelines

Whenever a character under the influence of a Tueor Fortunam charm makes a contested roll against a character with Magic Resistance, the charm must penetrate the opposing character’s Magic Resistance to be effective. A different charm must be used for every Ability affected. Fortunam spells affect rolls on Abilities, not all stress die or botch rolls. They have no affect on rolls for learning from vis, experimentation, or Twilight-related botch dice, for example.

General: Reduce the number of botch dice a character must roll for a single Ability. Each magnitude of the effect eliminates one botch die.
Level 1: Allow a player to re-roll a failed roll for a single Ability where the Ease Factor is no more than 3 and use the better of the two rolls.
Level 2: Allow a player to re-roll a failed roll for a single Ability where the Ease Factor is no more than 6 and use the better of the two rolls.
Level 2: Prevent random mishaps from occurring to the character.
Level 3: Allow a player to re-roll a failed roll for a single Ability where the Ease Factor is no more than 9 and use the better of the two rolls.
Level 4: Allow a player to re-roll a failed roll for a single Ability where the Ease Factor is no more than 12 and use the better of the two rolls.
Level 5: Allow a character to re-roll a failed contested roll for a single Ability.
Level 5: Allow a player to re-roll a failed roll for a single Ability where the Ease Factor is no more than 15 and use the better of the two rolls.
Level 10: Allow a player to treat a stress die roll of 0 as a 10 for a single Ability, eliminating the possibility of a botch.

Stay the Fickle Hand of Fate

TuFa Level 5
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
For the duration of the charm, the character is not subjected to any random mishaps. Whenever the storyguide determines that something occurs randomly, the character protected by the charm is not selected. For example, if a chamber pot is emptied into the street, the character will not be hit, but his companions may be. If the storyguide determines who a cutpurse will rob randomly, the character protected by the charm cannot be selected.

(Base 2, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)

Grant Fortuna Belli (Single Weapon)

TuFa Level 15
R: Touch, D: Diam, T: Ind
Different versions of this charm exist for each Martial Ability. For the duration of the charm, if the character’s Attack Advantage using her Single Weapon Ability is 0 or less, both combatants re-roll. If the second roll produces a positive Attack Advantage, it is used. Should the player botch on any of his rolls, that result is discarded unless he botches on both rolls, in which case he suffers the less-serious botch.

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

Charm Against Capriciousness (Great Weapon)

TuFa Level 20
R: Touch, D: Diam, T: Ind
For the duration of the charm, the player treats all stress die rolls for his Great Weapon Ability as simple die rolls; except when the player rolls a 1, the roll is treated as if it were a stress roll. The character cannot botch with his Great Weapon Ability while this charm is in effect. A different charm must be used for any other Ability.

(Base 10, +1 Touch, +1 Diameter)

Succurro Fortunam

Succurro Fortunam Guidelines

Succurro Fortunam charms affect both the character upon whom they are cast, and any person with whom that character interacts; therefore, they must penetrate the Magic Resistance of the Target and any character against whom the character attempts to use the enhanced Ability or Characteristic. Different charms must be used for each Ability or Characteristic affected. The player does not have the option to select which Ability or Characteristic the charm affects without inventing a new charm. The troupe should use common sense in selecting Virtues appropriate for charms. For example, a Fortunam effect may not grant Virtues that affect the accumulation of experience points, allow specific types of Abilities to be learned, provide the character with benefits from a third party, or grant a physical object. This Form cannot grant some other Virtues, as well — Social Statuses and Divine or Infernal Virtues, for example.

Level 1: Provide a bonus of +1 to all Luck related rolls. (As per Luck Virtue, see ArM5, page 45.)
Level 2: Provide a bonus of +1 to rolls for a single, non-Supernatural Ability.
Level 2: Provide a bonus of +2 to all Luck-related rolls.
Level 5: Provide a bonus of +3 to all Luck-related rolls.
Level 5: Provide a bonus of +2 to rolls for a single, non-Supernatural Ability.
Level 10: Grant a Minor General Virtue.
Level 10: Provide a bonus of +3 to rolls for a single, non-Supernatural Ability.
Level 10: Provide a bonus of +1 to all Ability rolls using a single Characteristic.
Level 15: Provide a bonus of +2 to all Ability rolls using a single Characteristic.
Level 20: Grant a Major General Virtue.
Level 20: Provide a bonus of +3 to all Ability rolls using a single Characteristic.

Fortune Favors the Bold

SuFa Level 5
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
The player receives a bonus of +2 to all rolls involving her character where luck is a greater factor than skill or talent. The character excels at games of chance and in other situations where benefits are distributed by random chance. If the player makes a contested roll, the charm must penetrate the Magic Resistance of the character against whom the roll is made.

(Base 2, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)

Gift of Venus (Venus’ Blessing)

SuFa Level 25
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
The character gains the benefits of the Virtue Venus’ Blessing for the charm’s duration. The character says the right things, catches the target in the right mood, and generally benefits from fortuitous circumstances, adding +3 to all Communication and Presence rolls involving sexually compatible characters in appropriate situations. If the object of the character’s advances possesses Magic Resistance, the charm must penetrate to have an effect.

This charm exists for each eligible Virtue. The following is a non-exhaustive list of examples of other charms, in the Gift of [God] category: Prometheus (Good Teacher), Mars (Berserk), Mercury (Lightning Reflexes), Hercules (Reserves of Strength), Hera (StrongWilled), Fortuna (Luck), Apollo (Free Expression), and Minerva (Common Sense).

(Base 10, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)

Charm of Quickness

SuFa Level 20
R: Per, D: Sun, T: Ind
For the duration of the charm, the character benefits from fortuitous circumstances surrounding all attempts to use any Ability or roll that involve his Quickness. For example, in combat, the character’s Initiative Total is increased by +1 because his hand happens to be on the hilt of his weapon when combat occurs, his adversary slips on loose footing, or a strap on his equipment unexpectedly shifts or breaks putting the adversary off balance. This charm exists for each Characteristic.

(Base 10, +2 Sun)

Vulnero Fortunam

Vulnero Fortunam Guidelines

A different Vulnero Fortunam charm must be used for each Ability or Characteristic affected. The player does not have the option to select which Ability or Characteristic the charm affects. All Vulnero Fortunam charms cause minor unlucky or inconvenient things to happen to their victims, in addition to the game mechanic effects. The more powerful the curse, the more frequent and annoying the inconvenience must be. Astute characters may realize that they have been cursed. To discover the curse, the player must roll a Perception + Magic Lore against an Ease Factor of 12, minus the magnitude of the Vulnero Fortunam charm; the more powerful the curse, the more obvious it is.

General: Increase the number of botch dice a player must roll. Each magnitude of the charm adds one botch die.
Level 2: Modify a single Ability roll by –1.
Level 2: Force a character to re-roll a successful contested roll for a single Ability once and use the worse of the two rolls.
Level 5: Modify a single Ability roll by –2.
Level 10: Modify a single Ability roll by –3.
Level 10: Modify all Ability rolls using a single Characteristic by –1.
Level 10: Force a player to treat all simple die rolls as a stress die rolls for a single Ability; but if the player rolls a 1, she does not roll again.
Level 15: Modify all Ability rolls using a single Characteristic by –2.
Level 20: Modify all Ability rolls using a single Characteristic by –3.

Curse of Fortuna

VuFa Level 20
R: Eye, D: Sun, T: Ind
Any time the Target of this charm rolls for a botch, one additional die is added to the number of botch dice the character must use. The character also suffers minor unlucky events throughout the duration of the spell. None of these events are significant, but are enough to alert a perceptive person to the presence of the curse. The player may roll Perception + Magic Lore against an Ease Factor of 8 (12 minus the magnitude of the charm) for his character to realize he has been cursed.

(Base 5, +1 Eye, +2 Sun)

Dispel Fortuna Belli (Single Weapon)

VuFa Level 5
R: Voice, D: Diam, T: Ind
This curse exists for each Martial Ability. For the duration of the curse, if the character’s Attack Advantage using her Single Weapon Ability is greater than 0, both combatants re-roll. If the second roll produces a 0 or negative Attack Advantage, it is used. If it does not, the curse expires and the worse of the two rolls is used. If the player succeeds in a Perception + Magic Lore roll against an Ease Factor of 11 (12 minus the magnitude of the charm), the character realizes that he has been cursed.

(Base 2, +2 Voice, +1 Diameter)

Curse of Weakness

VuFa Level 25
R: Voice, D: Diam, T: Ind
The victim of this curse becomes especially unlucky when using all Abilities related to Strength, and suffers a –1 penalty to any roll involving that Characteristic. Different versions of the curse exist for all the Characteristics. The character suffers minor problems while doing anything involving Strength — the sweat on his brow stings his eyes as he is lifting something, his footing becomes loose, or his grip slips at just the wrong moment. If the player succeeds in a roll of Perception + Magic Lore against an Ease Factor of 7 (12 minus the magnitude of the charm), the character realizes that he has been cursed.

(Base 10, +2 Voice, +1 Diameter)

Magicam

Magicam charms protect wearers from malicious magic or improve a character’s amulets and chartae. Tueor Magicam charms protect the character from malicious magic. Succurro Magicam charms can enhance the strength, duration, or range of other charms. Vulnero Magicam charms are used to counteract or eliminate negative magical effects.

Although Magicam charms can replicate some of the effects of Vim spells, they cannot influence demons directly. A demon’s magical attack may be blunted or nullified, but Magicam charms cannot control or harm the demon itself. Like Vim spells, an Individual Target can apply to either a single person or a spell/charm/magical effect.

Many Magicam charm guidelines are described as General. It is important to remember that no “general” charms exist; every charm must be learned at a specific level of effect. If a character’s Art scores are higher than the charm he knows, the character can still only cast the known charm.

Tueor Magicam

Tueor Magicam Guidelines

Tueor Magicam charms provide some level of protection against hostile magic. Magical defense charms are tied to a specific type of magical damage, and protection for any other type of damages requires a different charm. For example, a Magical Fortitude Charm (fire) would provide protection against all supernatural fire, but would provide no protection from cold, although cold is also an Ignem effect.

General: Add +2 to the Target’s Soak Total for damage caused by magical damage of specific type for every level of the base charm effect.
General: Add +4 to the Target’s Defense Total for magical attacks aimed at him of one specific type for each magnitude of the base charm effect.
General: Increase Ease Factor of Supernatural Ability used against Target by +3 for each level of base charm effect.

Magical Fortitude Charm Against Lightning

TuMa Level 5
R: Per, D: Diam, T: Ind
This charm adds +8 to the caster’s Soak Total against any damage caused by magical lightning. A different version of this charm exists for other types of damage.

(Base 4, +1 Diameter)

Charm of Alacritous Fortune Against Earth

TuMa Level 10
R: Per, D: Diam, T: Ind
This charm adds +4 to the caster’s Defense Total for any magical earthor stonebased attacks aimed at him. A different version of this charm exists for other types of magical damage.

(Base 5, +1 Diameter)

Charm Against the Hex

TuMa Level 10
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
This charm protects the target against a single Supernatural Ability, Hex in this case (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 92). The Ease Factor required to use Hex against the wearer is increased by +9 for the duration of the charm. A different version of this charm exists for other Supernatural Abilities.

(Base 3, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)

Succurro Magicam

Succurro Magicam Guidelines

Succurro Magicam charms grant bonuses to a character’s Supernatural Abilities, or they allow a character to temporarily enjoy the benefit of such Abilities. The troupe should use common sense in selecting Virtues appropriate for charms. For example, a Magicam charm may not grant Virtues that affect the accumulation of experience points, allow specific types of Abilities to be learned, provide the character with benefits from a third party, or grant a physical object. This Form cannot grant some Virtues — Social Statuses and Faerie, Hermetic, Divine, or Infernal Virtues, for example. A charm may only improve or grant Supernatural Virtues that derive their power from the Magic Realm. Where a Supernatural Virtue is granted that has a corresponding Ability, the character is able to perform the Ability as if he had a score of 4. No magical effects resulting from a granted Virtue last longer than the duration of the charm, amulet, or charta. The mundane results of using the granted Virtue do remain, however. For example, if the granted Virtue allows the creation of enchanted items, those items lose their enchantment when the charm granting the Virtue expires.

Succurro Magicam charms also aid charms that have already been cast or amulets that have already been created. The target is always the charm or amulet, and Touch Range is sufficient for any charm that is still in effect. Charms that have expired and Momentary charms may not be affected with Succurro Magicam charms. A general charm must be learned at a specific level of effect for a learned magician. To allow charms to be cast within the Dominion or with Penetration, magicians often learn their charms at a level below the highest they could cast.

General: Significantly change a charm of less than the level +1 magnitude of the Magicam charm. This may not change either the Technique or Form of the target charm. A change in Duration, Range, Target, or level of the charm is appropriate, so long as the charm is changed by no more than one magnitude. The new charm parameter must be one available for the charm in question, and the final level of the charm modified may not be a higher level than the Magicam charm.
General: Increase the number of charges in an amulet of a level less than or equal to the charm +1 magnitude by one. The amulet must be one created by the learned magician casting the charm.
Level 1: Detect the presence of vis.
Level 2: Provide a bonus of +1 to rolls for a single Supernatural Ability.
Level 5: Provide a bonus of +2 to rolls for a single Supernatural Ability.
Level 10: Grant a Minor Supernatural, Magic Virtue.
Level 10: Provide a bonus of +3 to rolls for a single Supernatural Ability.
Level 20: Grant a Major Supernatural, Magic Virtue.

Magician’s Boost (Form)

SuMa Level Gen
R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind
This charm is cast immediately following the casting of another charm. The effect of the first charm increases by 5 levels in power, but cannot exceed the level of the Magician’s Boost. The effects of the extra levels of power are for the storyguide to determine, but she should consult the charm guidelines and generally increase the power of the charm by one magnitude. There are three versions of this charm, one for each Form of the learned magician. The charm may never boost more than one charm.

(Base effect, +1 Touch)

Revive the Fading Amulet

SuMa Level Gen
R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind
This charm allows the caster to increase the number of charges in an amulet he created by one. The level of the amulet’s effect must be less than or equal to the level of the charm. This charm can never increase the number of charges an amulet has above the number it had when created, and the charm may only be used on a single amulet a number of times equal to the initial charges of the amulet.

(Base effect, +1 Touch)

Magician’s Second Wind (Duration)

SuMa Level Gen
R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind
This charm is cast immediately following the casting of another charm. If the level of the first charm is less than or equal to the Magician’s Second Wind, the Duration of the initial charm is increased by one—meaning a Momentary charm becomes a Diameter charm, and a Diameter charm becomes a Sun charm. However, in no event may a charm ever be increased beyond Sun Duration, and the final charm level may not be higher than the level of the Magician’s Second Wind spell. There are three versions of this charm, one for each parameter: Range, Duration, and Target. This charm may never improve the same charm’s Duration more than once.

(Base effect, +1 Touch)

Vulnero Magicam

Vulnero Magicam Guidelines

Vulnero Magicam charms suppress or eliminate the effects of magic on the target. For Vulnero Magicam charms, an Individual Target refers to a single spell or magical effect. If the victim of the spell has Magical Resistance, the charm must penetrate to be effective.

General: Reduce the Duration of a specific type of continuing magic with a casting total less than half the level + 4 magnitudes of the charm + a stress die (no botch). A specific type of magic should be narrower than a single Hermetic Form. For example, one spell would protect against flame, but not heat, cold, and smoke — all types of damage produced by Ignem.
General: Ward the target against creatures from a single realm with Might less than the level of the charm. (Touch, Sun, Individual)

Stifle the Lengthy Sickness

VuMa Level Gen
R: Voice, D: Mom, T: Individual
This charm reduces the Duration of a magical effect causing disease or sickness. If the level of the charm + a stress die (no botch) + 10 is at least double the casting total of the targeted spell-like effect, the Duration of the spell is recalculated using one less magnitude than the original spell. For example a Moon Duration (+3 magnitudes) Hermetic spell would be reduced to Sun Duration (+2 magnitudes). If the magical effect’s duration is not determined by magnitude, as in some Supernatural Abilities, the duration is reduced by half. To determine the spell level equivalent of a Supernatural Ability, use the Ability score x 5. A different charm exists for each type of magical curse or spell. This charm does nothing to affect spells of Momentary Duration.

(Base effect, +2 Voice)

Charm of Protection Against the Faerie

VuMa Level Gen
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
Creatures with Faerie Might equal to or less than the level of the spell are unable to affect Individual. The spell must penetrate the Faerie creature’s Magic Resistance to have an effect. The charm doesn’t affect spells or Supernatural Abilities unless the creature responsible for the effect has a Might Score. Different versions of the charm exist for the other realms.

(Base effect)

Salutem

Salutem charms deal with the health of the target. This is broader in application than Corpus because animals, crops, and structures all may be protected by Salutem charms in addition to humans. However, it is also much narrower than the Corpus Form in that Salutem cannot improve the Characteristics of a person, change his shape, or control his movements because none of those things are related to the person’s health.

Tueor Salutem

Tueor Salutem Guidelines

For Tueor Salutem charms that protect against a broad category of damage, the troupe should use the guidelines provided by the Virtue Greater Immunity to determine appropriate categories. For broad categories, the potential harm should be both common and potentially deadly. Suitable examples are fire, iron weapons, swords, or the like. For Tueor Salutem charms that protect against a narrow category of damage, the troupe should use the guidelines for the Virtue Lesser Immunity to determine appropriate categories. For narrow categories, the potential harm should be rare, not deadly, or both. Unlike the Virtues Greater Immunity and Lesser Immunity, a Tueor Salutem charm never protects against magical versions of the damage category defended against. If the learned magician seeks protection against magical forms of damage, a Tueor Magicam charm is required.

Tueor Salutem wards can only be placed on locations with either a Structure or Boundary Target. They may never affect anyone or anything in the category warded if they possesses a Might score. If a ward would prevent a magus from entering an area, it must penetrate his Magic Resistance to have any effect. Wards that keep out a specific type of person or animal should be easily described by a single word, but not so broad as to include significantly more than half of the human populace. Suitable examples for animal wards are vermin, predators, or birds, for example, and examples of a single type of human might be thieves, Mongols, or men.

General: Provide +4 bonus to a person’s Soak Total against a narrow category of damage per level of the base effect.
General: Provide +2 bonus to a person’s Soak Total against a broad category of damage per level of the base effect.
General: Provide +1 bonus to a person’s Stamina for Disease Avoidance rolls for a single disease per level of base effect. See the Medicine chapter of Art & Academe.
General: Provide +1 bonus to a person’s Stamina for rolls to avoid the effects of poison per level of the base effect.
General: Provide +2 bonus to a person’s Soak Total against all damage per magnitude of the base effect.
General: Add +4 to the Target’s Defense Total for attacks from a narrow category of damage for each magnitude of the base charm effect.
General: Add +2 to the Target’s Defense Total for attacks from a broad category of damage for each magnitude of the base charm effect.
Level 2: Ward a target against a single type of animal.
Level 5: Ward a target against a single type of human being.
Level 10: Prevent a person from being harmed by narrow category of damage.
Level 10: Ward a single target against all human beings.
Level 15: Prevent a person from being harmed by broad category of damage.

Charm of Protection Against the Attacks of Semita Errabunda

TuSa Level 15
R: Touch, D: Diam, T: Ind
This charm protects a person from nonmagical attacks by the residents of Semita Errabunda, a narrow category of damage. The recipient of the charm receives a +4 to his Defense Total for the Duration of the charm. The charm protects against attacks by any member of the covenant of Semita Errabunda regardless of the weapon used, so long as it is not magical.

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

Charm of Protection Against Achilles’ Bane (Arrows)

TuSa Level 5
R: Per, D: Diam, T: Ind
When an arrow successfully strikes the caster, he is protected by this charm. The charm adds +8 to the character’s Soak Total against any non-magical arrow, a broad category of damage. The Soak bonus of this charm is cumulative with the character’s Soak provided by armor, the Tough Virtue, or any other source, but multiple charms do not stack. If a character has two or more charms protecting against the same form of damage, only the more-powerful charm works. Versions of this charm exist for all common weapons and must be learned individually.

(Effect: Base 4, +1 Diameter)

Charm of Warding Against Unwanted Pests

TuSa Level 5
R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
The charm protects the recipient against all forms of pests, including insects, spiders, lice, etc., none of which may come in contact with the person. Creatures with a Might score of any type are not affected by the ward.

(Effect: Base 2, +1 Touch, +2 Sun)

Succurro Salutem

Succurro Salutem Guidelines

Succurro Salutem charms track the guidelines for Creo Corpus spells very closely, except they are incapable of permanently healing. Short of that, any questions regarding application of a Succurro Salutem charm should be resolved in the same way a Creo Corpus spell of the same level would be. Because the Succurro Salutem effects must linger over long periods of time, they are best suited as magical devices, and example chartae and amulets are listed below. The levels listed below are the minimum Lab Totals necessary to create the devices.

General: Add +1 to a person’s Living Conditions modifier per level of the Base. The target must be under the effects of the charm for the entire year for it to provide any benefit.
Level 1: Give a character a +2 bonus to Recovery rolls for a single non-magical disease, poison, or injury.
Level 1: Ensure that a plant grows well for the duration of the charm. This guideline can affect plants up to ten paces in each direction, large trees for example.
Level 2: Give a character a +6 bonus to Recovery rolls for a single non-magical disease, poison, or injury.
Level 3: Give a character a +12 bonus to Recovery rolls for a single non-magical disease, poison, or injury.
Level 4: Give a character a +18 bonus to Recovery rolls for a single non-magical disease, poison, or injury.
Level 5: Give a character a +24 bonus to Recovery rolls for a single non-magical disease, poison, or injury.
Level 10: Resolve a minor aging crisis.
Level 15: Heal the debilitating after-effects of a disease, poison, or injury.
Level 15: Resolve a serious aging crisis.
Level 20: Resolve a major aging crisis.
Level 25: Resolve a critical aging crisis.
Level 30: Resolve a terminal aging crisis.

Amulet for an Ample Harvest

SuSa Level 20
Pen 0, 2 charges
R: Touch, D: Season, T: Bound
This amulet protects a single field of crops, and ensures that they will be healthy and fruitful. The amulet protects against nonmagical blight and other diseases, but does not control the weather or prevent anyone from harming the crops. The crops under the protection of the amulet are healthier, larger, and tastier than normal. The amulet can affect any crops, from wheat to an orchard or vineyard. The amulet must be created with two charges, and buried somewhere within the confines of a well-demarcated field on the Vernal Equinox and remain buried until the Autumnal Equinox. The additional charge allows the amulet to reactivate at the Summer Solstice.

(Minimum Lab Total 26. Effect: Base 1, +3 Season, +4 Boundary)

Charta for Healing a Broken Limb

SuSa Level 4
Pen 0, 1 charge
R: Touch, D: Moon, T: Ind
This charta provides a +6 bonus to all Recovery rolls for healing a broken limb. To be effective, the charta must remain in contact with the person, directly over the wound. Once the character is healed, the charta may be removed with no adverse consequences. There are different chartae for all common injuries, diseases, and poisons, which must be created individually. There are different formulae for specific areas of the body, as well. A charta for a cut to the head is ineffective in healing a cut to the abdomen, for instance.

(Effect: Base 2, +2 Moon)

Amulet of Longevity

SuSa Level 5
Pen 0, 4 charges
R: Touch, D: Season, T: Ind
This amulet provides a +2 bonus to the bearer’s Living Conditions modifier. For the charm to affect the character’s Aging Total, it must be worn the entire year and it must be created with four charges. The effects of the amulet are cumulative with other Living Conditions modifiers, but in no case may the total Living Conditions modifier exceed +10.

(Minimum Lab Total 21. Effect: Base 2, +3 Season)

Vulnero Salutem

Vulnero Salutem Guidelines

The Vulnero Salutem charms track the guidelines for Perdo Corpus spells very closely. Any questions regarding application of a Vulnero Salutem charm should be resolved in the same way a Perdo Corpus spell of the same level would be. For an extended discussion of diseases, see the Medicine chapter of Art & Academe.

Level 3: Do superficial damage to body.
Level 4: Cause a person pain, but do no real damage.
Level 5: Inflict a Light Wound.
Level 5: Hamper a person without actually injuring him. For example, make him lame, blur his eyesight, or cramp his hand severely. It heals as a Light Wound.
Level 10: Inflict a Medium Wound.
Level 10: Cause loss of a Fatigue Level.
Level 10: Inflict a minor disease.
Level 15: Cripple a limb, making it unusable but still capable of healing as a Medium Wound.
Level 15: Destroy one of a person’s minor senses. It heals as a Medium Wound.
Level 15: Inflict a serious disease.
Level 20: Destroy one of a person’s major senses. It heals as a Heavy Wound.
Level 20: Inflict a major disease.

Curse of Coughing Fits

VuSa Level 10
R: Voice, D: Diam, T: Ind
This curse causes the character to cough uncontrollably for its duration. A victim must make an Intelligence + Concentration roll against an Ease Factor of 12 to successfully cast or maintain a spell while affected. All others are at –2 to most activities while coughing.

(Base 3, +2 Voice, +1 Diameter)

Curse of Quotidian Fever

VuSa Level 25 <br R: Voice, D: Mom, T: Ind
This curse potentially afflicts the target with a serious disease. If the player fails a Stamina check against an Ease Factor of 6, her character contracts a serious form of quotidian fever. Within a simple die hours, the character begins to suffer from a high temperature, red color, and a constant fever. The disease inflicts a Medium Wound on the character, and she suffers the symptoms of the disease until the Medium Wound is healed.

(Base 15, +2 Voice)

Curse of the Aged Swordsman

VuSa Level 15
R: Voice, D: Mom, T: Ind
The curse causes the victim to suffer painful cramping and stiffness in one hand. The character suffers –2 to all activities involving the afflicted hand. The cramping and stiffness heal as a Light Wound.

(Base 5, +2 Voice)

Story Seeds for the Learned Magician Spell Guidelines

Ill News

A friend of the covenant with ties to the mundane world is late arriving at the covenant. The friend sends word that he and his entire family are very ill and unable to leave home. He requests the assistance of the covenant’s best healer. When that magus investigates, he discovers the friend’s household is ill because of a Vulnero Salutem curse buried under the threshold of their home. The characters are left to discover why someone would want to prevent their friend from arriving at the covenant; or was the goal to draw certain characters away from the covenant for a time, instead?

All’s Fair in War

A knight of mediocre abilities is suddenly the talk of the tournament. His fighting skills earn him great praise from the local nobility. Near the end of the tournament, the knight is discovered impaled on his own sword. The characters are asked to investigate, and discover that the knight has several expended Succurro Fortunam chartae on his person. Through further investigation, the characters uncover that the knight was in desperate need of money and had hoped to use his successes at the tournament to improve his position with his liege. If the characters return to the knight’s manor, they discover that a local priest has disappeared. When they find the priest, they discover that he provided the knight with charms and then attempted to blackmail him. When the knight refused to pay the priest and threatened to kill him, the priest cursed him with a Vulnero Fortunam charm and the knight botched horribly.

Charms From Strangers

On the return trip from a visit to town, the covenant’s grogs are beset by terrible luck. One grog breaks his leg slipping on the path. While fighting bandits, another grog nearly impales himself. The mishaps become so blatant that someone finally suspects that magic is at work. When the magi investigate, they discover the grogs are carrying Vulnero Fortunam chartae. A friendly old man gave the grogs the charms for good luck while they were out on the town. When the group returns to town, the charm maker is gone. The characters are forced to investigate the identity of the learned magician and find why he gave the false chartae to the grogs. Does he harbor a grudge against the characters, or is he merely in the employ of someone else?

Unwilling Aid

Banditry in the forests near the characters’ covenant is on the rise. The ill-organized and poorly equipped bandits have started defeating the local authorities with ease. Prices start to rise and all commerce begins to dwindle. The characters are forced to investigate. They discover the bandits are exceptionally strong, tough, and skilled with weapons. If the characters defeat one of the bandits, they discover he has a Tueor Salutem and Fortunam chartae on him. When the bandits are tracked back to their hideout, the characters discover that the highwaymen have captured a scholar and are forcing him to provide them with charms. If the learned magician is rescued, he is very grateful and offers his services to the covenant for a time.

Magical Dangers

The learned magicians are exposed to several hazards through the use of their magic. Magicians call upon the powers of the realms in which they cast their charms, and sometimes those powers take exception to the entreaties. When this occurs, a learned magician can temporarily lose his ability to cast charms, and sometimes those powers abduct the learned magician, forcing him to spend a period of time in their realm.

Botches

Botches by magicians cause similar problems as they do for Hermetic magi, and the general guidelines one would use for Hermetic spells are applicable here. Botches involving Fortunam charms often cause the intended target the opposite luck the learned magician intended or inflict bad luck on the caster. Salutem charms can cause the caster to suffer from disease, injury, or other forms of ill health, and might cause the opposite of the intended effect. Magicam charms that result in a botch usually weaken or shorten the duration of a caster’s charms for a period commensurate with the severity of the botch, but they may also remove a Supernatural Virtue from or inflict a Supernatural Flaw on the intended target for a limited period.

Warping

Magicians can gain Warping Points from all of the normal sources of Warping; see ArM5, page 167. Like Hermetic magi, magicians also gain 1 Warping Point for every 0 that comes up on the botch dice when casting a charm. If a learned magician receives 2 or more Warping Points from a single botch, he may suffer an intervention as described below.

Intervention

When a learned magician suffers an intervention, he is confronted by a powerful entity of the same realm in which the charm that caused the Warping was cast. If the learned magician botched in an area without an aura, a Magic entity intervenes. The learned magician has one opportunity to avoid an intervention. If the character is able to control the forces of his magic, no intervention occurs. If this attempt fails, the magician must attempt to appease the entity. If the character succeeds in avoiding intervention, nothing negative occurs except the accumulation of Warping Points.

Intervention Avoidance

Intelligence + Concentration + (Magicam Score / 5) + Stress Die Vs. Warping Score + Number of Warping Points Gained + (Realm) Aura + Stress Die

If the player fails the roll, the character must appease the offended entity to avoid a punishment. If the character is successful, the entity might grant the character a small boon, but if the character fails, the entity punishes him. The storyguide should select an appropriate effect from those listed below:

Appeasing the Entity

Communication + Stress Die Vs. Warping Score + Stress Die

Boons might be to add 2 experience points to the appropriate (Realm) Lore Ability for each Warping Point gained, add 2 experience points to the appropriate Form for each Warping Point gained, or gain the Student of (Realm) Virtue.

Punishments include acquiring the Susceptibility to (Realm) Power, Warped Magic, Weird Magic, Deleterious Circumstances, or Plagued by Supernatural Entity.

The Susceptibility to (Realm) Power is always tied to the realm in which the learned magician suffered his botch. If the botch occurred in a Magic realm, however, the learned magician suffers from Warped Magic or Weird Magic. The Deleterious Circumstances Flaw always limits the character’s ability to casts charms in the realm in which the botch occurred, and the entity of Plagued by Supernatural Entity is likewise tied to the realm in which the botch occurred. If the learned magician undergoes multiple interventions in different realms, he can acquire additional Flaws specific to those other realms, also. In theory, the learned magician could develop Flaws or Virtues for all four realms.

Abduction

Once the learned magician’s Warping Score reaches 7, the entity takes more-direct action. This action continues over a number of seasons equal to the result of a stress die. Faerie and Infernal entities take the character to a regio associated with their realm, and prevent him from leaving for the duration. This is not normally a pleasant experience, although a faerie abduction may be. A Divine entity will not abduct a character to a Divine regio unless he is pious and free of sin. Instead, the Divine entity exposes the character to the horrors of the Infernal realm or prevents the magician from using any magic and harasses him so that he suffers from the Plagued by Supernatural Entity Flaw for the duration. Magical entities rarely abduct characters, and if they become annoyed with a magician’s entreaties, they simply remove his ability to perform magic for the period indicated. When the character’s Warping Score becomes 10, the effect becomes permanent. The character is removed to a regio aligned with the realm of the entity, never to return, or he loses all ability to practice any magic.

Learned Magicians in Your Saga

Although the magicians who comprise the Mathematici are tied to the University of Bologna, most of the magicians graduate and leave the city to teach throughout Mythic Europe. Mathematici or members of other learned magician traditions could thus be encountered in any of the cathedral or university cities. Likewise, many of the Mathematici take jobs as tutors or in lessprestigious teaching positions, and so they could be encountered in the court of nearly any noble in Mythic Europe.

Learned magicians are not likely to pose a significant challenge to Hermetic magi alone. However, the Mathematici do not tend to act alone. They often use their services to curry favor with powerful nobles, and, because of their position as teachers or classmates to many members of the educated classes, they often have extensive contacts within mundane circles of power.

History of the Mathematici

Most within the Order of Hermes believe that the magic practiced by the learned magicians is descended from the cartouche magic of ancient Egypt, which was the precursor to the defixio magic that was practiced by the chthonic cults of the Roman Empire. (See the Defixio Magic chapter in Ancient Magic, page 41, for more information.) Few Hermetic magi have studied the magic of the learned magicians to any extent, but most believe that it is a relatively weak and inconsequential remnant of more-powerful magic that has been fully incorporated into the Order as the Leadworker Virtue of House Tremere (Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 143). Few of the wizards of the Mathematici know or care about the history of their magic. Instead, they tend to focus on the more practical aspects — the accumulation of charms and improving their abilities in using them.

University of Bologna

Bologna, located in northern Italy, is the home of one the great universities of Mythic Europe. Almost 6,000 students attend the university and pack the cathedral of San Pietro around which most instruction occurs. The University has a Faculty of Law, in which both civil and canon law are taught, and a Faculty of Arts and Medicine. The combined masters number in the hundreds, but generally fewer than 70 teach classes at a given time. Although the University is student-run and largely democratic, the guild of the masters is not, and the leaders of the guild determine who becomes a teacher and is paid tuition and who does not. The guild of masters respects student opinion for fear of backlash, but only grudgingly so.

Although there may be Gifted members of the guild of masters, they rarely teach students of the University. The social effects of The Gift cause many problems for a magician teaching students, and a mathematicus with a Blatant Gift would be completely incapable of recruiting students in the university setting. Instead, the Gifted magicians remain in the shadows where they instruct those interested in learning their magic. These Gifted magicians are forced to earn a living in another manner, and they usually practice some profession that does not require frequent interaction with the public. They may also depend on the tuition paid by their students or raise money through the sale of their amulets.

The students of Bologna have a reputation for being laidback, lax, and even revolutionary. This anti-establishment attitude might contribute to the students’ desire to learn subjects beyond the normal curriculum. For more information on the University of Bologna or running a saga in Bologna, see the Universities chapter of Art & Academe.

Foundation of the Mathematici

Although the magic of the tradition can be traced back to Ancient Egypt, the Mathematici of Bologna are barely a century old. Giacomo, an accomplished scholar in Bologna, took the Cross and joined the First Crusade in 1096. While in the Holy Land, Giacomo discovered several texts and formularies in Greek that contained the learned magicians’ magical powers. He also found that he could perform the charms described in these texts. Giacomo learned Arabic and traveled through the Moorish lands where he encountered others who could cast charms and create amulets. He learned everything he could from them before returning to Italy bearing all the texts he could take with him.

When Giacomo returned he obtained a position in the new University of Bologna as a master. He soon found others, both teachers and students, who wanted to learn his magic. As the University grew, so did the Mathematici. Now most of the university’s population has at least heard rumors of its existence, and many students actively work to impress the masters so that they may be inducted into the secrets of the learned magicians.

The university isn’t the sole source of magicians in Bologna. The cathedral of San Pietro and other churches in Bologna are home to an array of clergymen. Some of the more openminded clergy, who take part in the intellectual community of the university, have joined the Mathematici and practice its magic.

Story Seed: Historical Investigation

Despite their ambivalent feelings about the history of their magical tradition, many learned magicians recognize that Greek and Egypt sources provide fertile ground for discovering new charms and laboratory texts. The characters might encounter a mathematicus exploring these lands for new sources of magic, or a well-traveled mathematicus might have discovered a valuable source of Insight for Hermetic integration.

Culture of the Mathematici

The magicians view their magic in a very utilitarian way. They have little internal hierarchy beyond the division of mundane student and master. Social status among the Mathematici is determined solely by the magician’s position in mundane society. Likewise, there are no artificial distinctions between teacher and apprentice; a mathematicus particularly knowledgeable in one Art might train another in exchange for training in a different Art or for a season of instruction in charms. Mathematici have neither a formal apprenticeship nor a Gauntlet, and anyone possessing knowledge of their magic may teach anyone willing to take instruction.

Epistolary Community

The Gifted members of the Mathematici seldom teach as masters. The social effects of The Gift prevent them from being effective teachers to large classes, after all. The unGifted members of the Mathematici bear that burden instead, but in exchange for teaching they require instruction in the magic of the learned magicians. However, despite their desire to improve their magical abilities, few unGifted magicians wish to remain in close contact with their Gifted masters. To limit personal contact, the Gifted masters often loan their unGifted students tractatus on their Arts in exchange for freedom from teaching. Because both student and teacher live in the same community, they are able to prepare correspondence and receive a response within the hour. This close proximity allows the master and student to engage in a disputatio through correspondence.

In fact, whenever possible the Gifted members of the Mathematici rely on correspondence to communicate with others, which allows them to overcome the negative social aspects of The Gift to a certain extent. A Gifted mathematicus might exchange extensive correspondence with a potential employer, provide a copy of a text, or send written commentary of his lectures to establish his bona fides and secure a teaching position. If the mathematicus maintains the correspondence over months or years and is successful in a Communication + Charm roll against an Ease Factor set by the storyguide, the character might be treated as described under “Established Relationship,” rather than “First Impression” (see ArM5, page 76) when finally dealing with the correspondent in a face-to-face meeting.

Because of the negative social effects of The Gift, the learned magicians also conduct much of their internal business via correspondence. When the Mathematici must meet, the meetings are often held in darkened rooms with each member hooded to ensure anonymity. It is often the case that members of the Mathematici who have engaged in extensive correspondence with one another have no idea what the others look like.

Traditions of the Mathematici

Mathematici come from all manner of literate professions. Monks and priests or other members of the clergy might receive instruction from clergymen who spent time in Bologna, or from students of the University who have taken jobs in a cathedral school. Students and teachers from Bologna often go on to attend or teach at other universities. Lawyers and physicians trained at Bologna practice throughout Mythic Europe. Of course, these individuals often come into contact with non-university trained individuals, such as surgeon-barbers, clerks, or even ordinary men and women whom they might Initiate into the secrets of the learned magicians.

Because of their professions, unGifted mathematici tend to live among the communities that they serve. Priests often create charms for their fellow clergy members, and when a member of the congregation becomes ill or injured, in addition to praying for that person, the mathematicus often prepares a charta. Likewise, secular magicians create amulets for others, but they often have lesspure objectives and charge for their services. In many cities, romantic amulets, chartae to assist with one’s business, or amulets to improve one’s luck are available for a price. A large city in Mythic Europe might contain several unGifted learned magicians, often of varying abilities and levels of power, or even a Gifted one. And many towns contain at least one person who knows a few simple charms.

Learned Magicians and the Church

Although the general populace of Mythic Europe readily accepts charms and amulets, and many learned magicians are members of the clergy, theologians and senior Church officials have mixed opinions on the practice. Some theologians believe that the amulets themselves are useless and it is the powers upon which the charms call that are responsible for any supernatural effects. These individuals are wrong. The charms, amulets, and chartae of the magicians use magic to create their effects, and the magicians need only call upon the other realms to overcome the negative effects of non-magical auras.

Other Church officials worry that too often learned magicians call upon powers other than the Divine to aid in creating their amulets. These clergymen regard the Faerie and Magic realms as being just as deleterious to a Christian’s spiritual well being as the Infernal. Further, some believe that the Infernal powers may masquerade as agents of the other realms, and caution against creating or wearing any amulet that calls upon any names other than those angels found in the Bible.

Opinions do vary, but most members of the Church believe that amulets or chartae created for protective purposes that call upon the Divine are perfectly acceptable, or harmless symbols of a Christian’s devotion at worst. The common folk are ignorant of the finer points of the debate over charms and amulets and accept them for what they are, a small measure of protection in a dangerous world.

Learned Magicians in Play

In addition to playing a Mathematicus of Bologna, such a character can be involved in a saga as an ally or adversary of a covenant. If the mathematicus is not a member of the Order, then generate the character as described above. If the mathematicus is a member of the Order, follow the guidelines provided below under “Hermetic Magicians.” Mathematici outside of the Order may be represented by the following Boons and Hooks.

Minor Covenant Boon: Mathematicus Ally

Take this Boon if the troupe wants to limit the stories about the existence of their learned magician ally. A single mathematicus lives near the covenant. He’s likely a graduate of the University of Bologna and may be teaching or tutoring students locally. He assists the magi if possible and shares information with them. The magician may aid the covenant out of intellectual curiosity or because he’s seeking employment.

Story Seed: Second-hand Books

The covenant unknowingly hires an unGifted mathematicus as a librarian or to instruct apprentices in Latin and Artes Liberales. The mathematicus copies and trades texts on Code of Hermes, Magic Theory, and Order of Hermes Lore to his Gifted brethren, to improve the player characters’ mundane library. How do the characters react if the discover this trade? If the characters aren’t careful, the mathematicus might discover and propagate the secrets of Parma Magica, after all. And if the Order discovers the characters were indirectly responsible for allowing information on Parma Magica to be learned by others, it would be a serious breach of the Code.

Stefano the Master
Characteristics: Int +4, Per +1, Pre +1, Com +2, Str –1, Sta –1, Dex 0, Qik +1 Size: 0 Age: 30 Decrepitude: 0 Warping Score: 1 Confidence Score: 1 (3) Virtues and Flaws: The Gift; Magister in Artibus, Mathematicus of Bologna; Affinity with Divine Lore, Arcane Lore, Book Learner, Educated, Great Intelligence, Improved Characteristics, Skilled Master; Driven, Dependent; Deleterious Circumstances (wilderness), Susceptibility to Infernal Power, Weak Magic, Poor Eyesight Personality Traits: Driven +3, Scholarly +3, Stubborn +2, Fair +1 Reputations: Accomplished Scholar 2 (local) Combat: Dodging: Init +1, Attack n/a, Defense +1, Damage n/a Soak: –1 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+) Abilities: Arabic 1 (charms), Artes Liberales 5 (astronomy), Bologna Lore 2 (geography), Charm 2 (putting others at ease), Church Lore 2 (history), Civil and Canon Law 2 (treatment of magic), Divine Lore 5 (names of power), Etiquette 2 (nobility), Faerie Lore 2 (names of power), Folk Ken 2 (clergy), Infernal Lore 2 (names of power), Italian 5 (poetry), Latin 5 (letter writing), Lore of the Mathematici 2 (Initiations), Magic Lore 2 (names of power), Medicine 3 (physician), Philosophiae 4 (moral philosophy), Profession (Scribe) 1 (flowery script), Teaching 3 (Artes Liberales), Theology 2 (treatment of magic) Arts: Tu 2, Su 2, Vu 2, Fa 14, Ma 6, Sa 5 Equipment: Clothes, walking stick, and a writing material. Encumbrance: 0 (0) Spells Known: Grant Fortuna Belli (Single Weapon) (TuFa 15/+9) Grant Fortuna Belli (Brawl) (TuFa 15/+9) Charm against Capriciousness (Medicine) (TuFa 15/+9) (Personal Range) Magical Fortitude Charm against Magic Fire (+8 Soak) (TuMa 5/+5) Magical Fortitude Charm against Magic Claws (+8 Soak) (TuMa 5/+5) Magical Fortitude Charm against Magic Teeth (+8 Soak) (TuMa 5/+5) Charm against Entrancement (+9 Ease Factor) (TuMa 10/+5) Charm against Hex (+9 Ease Factor) (TuMa 10/+5) Gift of Prometheus (Good Teacher) (SuFa 20/+9) (Personal Range) Charm of Communication (+1) (SuFa 20/+9) Charm of Stamina (+1) (SuFa 20/+9) Charm of Protection against Achilles’ Bane (fists) (+8 Soak) (TuSa 5/+5) Charm of Protection against Achilles’ Bane (kicks) (+8 Soak) (TuSa 5/+5) Dispel Fortuna Belli (Brawl) (VuFa 5/+9) Dispel Fortuna Belli (Single Weapon) (VuFa 5/+9) Charm of Protection against the Faerie (Might 5) (VuMa 5/+5) Charm of Protection against the Infernal (Might 5) (VuMa 5/+5) Curse of Coughing Fits (VuSa 10/+5) Appearance: Stefano is a slight man with spindly arms and legs. He has a slight paunch from spending too much time at his studies. He has a broad smile and cheerful brown eyes. His bushy black beard is starting to go grey. Stefano was born in Rome, where his father was a well-known jurist. The social effects of The Gift made Stefano’s childhood an uncomfortable one, and his father sent him off to the finest teachers money could buy, largely to keep the strange child from embarrassing the family. Stefano attended the University of Bologna where he encountered the Mathematici. He was a quick study and became an accomplished scholar. Stefano impressed the senior members of the guild of masters and was offered a teaching position. Stephano’s father died recently, and his stepmother sent his adolescent sister to Bologna to live with him. They frequently argue because Stephano pays little attention to his sister and she resents living in the relative poverty required by Stephano’s profession. Although their relationship is tense, Stephano would do anything for his sister. Stefano is very concerned about doing a good job as a teacher, and casts Gift of Prometheus and Charm of Communication before every lecture. These charms do not allow him to overcome the effects of The Gift, but as the year progresses his students warm to him as the negative effects diminish somewhat, and they begin to appreciate his eloquent lectures. Stefano obsesses about the Church and its stance on the use of magic. He is worried that the Church will uncover the Mathematici and make trouble for them and the University. In his spare time, Stefano has been corresponding with clergy across Mythic Europe to discuss his research on canon law regarding the use of magic. Because Stefano learned his magic while studying to become a Magister, no additional experience points were assigned for the years of his “apprenticeship.”

Marco the Student
Characteristics: Int +1, Per +2, Pre +1, Com +2, Str 0, Sta 0, Dex –1, Qik 0 Size: 0 Age: 27 Decrepitude: 0 Warping Score: 0 Confidence Score: 1 (3) Virtues and Flaws: Priest, Mathematicus of Bologna; Strong Amulet Magic, Tueor; Magicam, Relic, Salutem, Sense Holiness and Unholiness, Social Contacts (minor clergy), Student of the Divine, Well-Traveled; Compassionate, Intervention Prone, Plagued by Angel; Incompatible Hedge Arts (Vulnero & Salutem), Fragile Constitution, No Magic Defenses, Short-Lived Magic, Short-Ranged Magic, Social Handicap (sickly), Vow (celibacy), Warped Magic, Weak Magic Personality Traits: Kind +3, Curious +2, Shy +1, Brave –1 Reputations: Creepy 2 (local) Combat: Dodging: Init +1, Attack n/a, Defense +1, Damage n/a Soak: –1 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+) Abilities: Artes Liberales 2 (rhetoric), Brawl 1 (dodging), Bologna Lore 3 (graveyards), Charm 2 (superiors), Church Lore 2 (legends), Civil and Canon Law 2 (regulations), Divine Lore 3+2 (names of power), Etiquette 3 (Church), Folk Ken 3 (clergy), Intrigue 1 (appointments), Italian 5 (preaching), Latin 4 (Church rites), Lore of the Mathematici 1 (history), Magic Lore 2 (ghosts), Philosophiae 2 (natural philosophy), Sense Holiness and Unholiness 4 (ghosts), Theology 2 (purgatory) Arts: Tu 1, Su (n/a), Vu (n/a), Fa (n/a), Ma 7, Sa 7 Equipment: Simple robes. Encumbrance: 0 (0) Spells Known: Magical Fortitude Charm against Magical Claws (+10 Soak) (TuMa 10/+5) Charm of Alacritous Fortune against Claws (+4 Defense) (TuMa 10/+5) Charm against Hex (+9 Ease Factor) (TuMa 10/+5) Charm of Protection against Achilles’ Bane (knives) (+10 Soak) (TuSa 10/+5) Charm of Protection against Achilles’ Bane (clubs) (+10 Soak) (TuSa 10/+5) Appearance: Marco is a portly man with a thin smile and beady black eyes. Marco is constantly coughing, wheezing, and wiping his nose on the sleeve of his black habit. Marco came to Bologna after corresponding with Stefano for several years. Through their correspondence, Marco came to realize that Stefano possessed knowledge of the supernatural. Marco sought him out because for as long Marco can remember he has been pestered by a creature claiming to be an angel. The creature exhorts Marco to assist the spirits of the recently departed on their way to the afterlife. Marco is not sure that this creature is an angel, but it seems to be prodding him to do good deeds. The angel has also encouraged Marco to learn more about purgatory. In his travels, Marco has acquired a finger bone of Saint Odilo, the patron saint of souls in purgatory. Although Marco has only studied for two years as a member of the learned magicians, he is able to create amulets and chartae to assist him in his vocation.

Minor Covenant Hook: Mathematicus Resident

Take this Hook if the troupe wants to tell stories about a learned magician living with the magi. One or more mathematici live in the covenant. If any of these mathematici have The Gift, their presence quickly draws suspicious visits from Quaesitors. The covenant may also be visited by magi pursuing the magicians for Insight into research projects.

Hermetic Learned Magicians

A particularly powerful member of the Mathematici of Bologna might be invited, or commanded, to join the Order of Hermes. Such a magician would likely continue to practice his tradition’s magic, but might join the Order to avoid persecution or enjoy the benefits of Parma Magica. A nominally Hermetic learned magician character should take the Flaw Hedge Wizard and the Virtue Arcane Lore. The 50 experience points from Arcane Lore can be used to learn any Arcane Abilities, but the character already has access to those, and so would likely spend the experience points solely on Code of Hermes and Parma Magica. Otherwise, the player generates the character exactly as described earlier.

Alternate Traditions

There is no requirement that the Mathematici be based in Bologna, and any of the university towns — such as Oxford, Cambridge, Paris, Montpellier, or Salamanca — are equally suitable. See the Universities chapter of Art & Academe for a description of universities in Mythic Europe. With little effort, the magicians could be placed in any of these locations. In addition, the magic of this chapter can be used for other magical traditions.

Mythic Alchemists

Required Virtues and Flaws: Mythic Alchemy, Laboratory Magician, and No Text Casting

Arts and Abilities: All Learned Magician Arts, Natural Magician, and Mythic Herbalism

Mythic alchemists use their magic to create powerful magical potions and transform base materials.

History and Culture

Developed in ancient Egypt, the occult science of alchemy has been practiced for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks and Romans were well versed in its mysteries, but with the fall of the Roman Empire the knowledge of alchemy was nearly lost to the West and only survived in fragments. The alchemists of Mythic Europe have recently gained new insight into this art. In 1144, Robert of Chester translated Morienus Romanus' *Liber de Compositione Alchemiae* into Latin, making it the first Arabic alchemical work accessible to the West. By 1220, many other treatises on alchemy are available in Mythic Europe — both Greek and Roman classics translated from Arabic, and alchemical texts written by Arab practitioners. For an extensive discussion, see the Experimental Philosophy chapter of Art & Academe.

Although alchemical texts are available to the literate population of Mythic Europe, alchemists and alchemical writers express constant concern about the need to keep its secrets from the general populace, from the ignorant, and from the foolish for fear of the damage it could do. Of course, some alchemists also acknowledge that widespread knowledge of the secrets of alchemy would diminish the power of each practitioner. Regardless of the reason, most mythic alchemists are loath to divulge their powers to others. They write in code and speak in parables to ensure that only those worthy of the knowledge may obtain it.

Many mythic alchemists gain their knowledge from a single teacher, but some are born with the ability to practice alchemy or gain it through exposure to alchemical texts. Mythic alchemist Initiations follow the rules presented in the Introduction. The Ordeals inflicted often reflect the alchemists' obsession with keeping their knowledge secret and ensuring that their magic does not fall into the wrong hands.

Magic

Mythic alchemists cannot cast charms, but instead create powders, potions, or pastilles. A Mythic alchemist substitutes his Philosophiae score for Artes Liberales in calculating his Lab Total. All alchemical creations must use the Arcane Experimentation rules, as discussed in Enchanted Items Created by Experimentation, ArM5 page 107-109. The mythic alchemist always adds a simple die to his Alchemical Lab Total and rolls a stress die on the Extraordinary Results chart (ArM5, page 109). The mythic alchemist may choose to take an exceptional risk and deal with the consequences.

Alchemists can create powders, which use the same mechanics as chartae, except that there is no astrological component. Like chartae, alchemical powders only last for a limited time and are useless after their initial charge expires.

Alchemists may also create potions. Potions use the same basic game mechanics as amulets, with a few exceptions. An alchemist's potions do not require any astronomical knowledge and may be used by anyone; however, the alchemist must use 1 pawn of vis for every 5 levels of the base effect of the potion. For each charge that an amulet would have, the alchemist creates another dose of the potion, which also requires an additional pawn of vis. An alchemist may elect to conserve vis by not making the additional doses. Succurro Magicam charms may not be used to increase the number of doses of a potion.

Mythic alchemists use slightly different Targets than learned magicians. They cannot use the Bloodline Target. If the alchemist uses the Group Target, he creates a pastille. Pastilles are small lumps of hardened paste that must be ignited to take effect. The smoke they produce carries the magic. They lose effectiveness in wide-open or breezy areas quickly. The target need not be able to breathe; it is enough for it to be surrounded by the pastille's smoke.

The laboratory of a mythic alchemist is very similar to a Hermetic magus', and any magus using one would suffer only a –3 penalty to his Lab Total, which could be eliminated with one season's work to properly outfit it for Hermetic magic. Mythic alchemists also use the same rules as magi for lab assistance, except their assistants need not possess The Gift, only the Mythic Alchemy Virtue. The apprentice's score in Mythic Alchemy is substituted for Magic Theory in determining the amount added to the alchemist's Lab Total (ArM5, page 103).

Because Mythic Alchemists do not possess the Entreat the Powers Virtue, the Warping reaction of the learned magicians is not appropriate for them. Mythic alchemists accumulate Warping in the same manner as learned magicians, but as their Warping Score increases they begin to lose their minds. When the character's Warping Score reaches 3, he acquires a Minor Personality Flaw making the character more secretive and suspicious. When the character's Warping Score reaches 6 or more, he gains a Major Personality Flaw that makes the character paranoid. If the character's Warping Score reaches 10, the player no longer has control over the character's actions as the character goes utterly insane.

Characters

Mythic Alchemists should follow the same guidelines as other learned magicians, as they are cut from the same cloth as the Mathematici. Because the Church provides most education in Mythic Europe, many mythic alchemists are members of the Church or received their education from the Church. Most mythic alchemists know Latin and have studied Artes Liberales and Philosophiae, but beyond that, they have few similarities. Their training is highly idiosyncratic and greatly depends on the knowledge of the first mentor or whatever alchemical tomes they happen to find. Some mythic alchemists, especially those near the Iberian Peninsula, also study Arabic, which allows them access to the powerful alchemical texts held by the Moors.

Cunning-folk

Required Virtues: Mythic Herbalism and Entreat the Faerie Powers

Arts and Abilities: All Learned Magician Arts, Purifying Touch, and Premonitions

Cunning-folk use their magical powers to mediate between the supernatural powers and the common people of Mythic Europe. The cunning-folk assist the lowliest peasants with their magic, and are hardly distinguishable from the people among whom they live. Because of their lowly social status, they are often ignored by Hermetic magi and even by other hedge wizards.

History and Culture

Cunning-folk have no real traditions. They are a disparate mix of men and women living in the villages and hamlets of Mythic Europe. The cunning-folk have a profound respect for the faeries, and their close relationship with them is often a source of their powers. Although some cunning-folk are born with the ability to practice their magic, most receive it through an encounter with the faeries. The Initiation Scripts of the cunning-folk focus on interaction with and understanding of the faerie realm, rather than the academic abilities emphasized by the Mathematici.

Most cunning-folk are unGifted and live in rural communities, where they serve as interlocutors between the world of the supernatural and the peasants. They use their charms to assist villagers in overcoming mundane obstacles, such as minor injuries, sick livestock, or difficult childbirths. The cunning-folk also use their charms to provide a small measure of protection against hostile supernatural forces.

Magic

Cunning-folk are able to practice magic in much the same manner as the learned magicians. They can cast verbal charms and create magical devices. The charms cunning-folk cast are frequently in the local language, and knowledge of Latin is not necessary. Not all cunning-folk are literate, but those who are may cast charms from texts as described above. Cunning-folk texts may be in Latin, but most are not.

Cunning-folk have equivalents of chartae and amulets; however, the magical devices they create are small charms that can consist of bundles of herbs, parts of animals, knots of string, small wooden carvings, or other objects. These devices often incorporate the name of the target somewhere in the charm.

The cunning-folk substitute the Craft: Charm Ability for Artes Liberales in their Laboratory Total when creating their devices. The rest of the mechanics remain the same, except the cunning-folk need not cast horoscopes for the recipients of their magic. Cunning-folk may use the same rules as magi for lab assistance, except their assistants must possess at least one learned Magic Technique and Form, and the assistant's Craft: Charm score is substituted for Magic Theory in determining the amount added to the wizard's Lab Total (ArM5, page 103).

Characters

Cunning-folk often do not begin training in magic until they are in their teens. The cunning-folk apprenticeship generally lasts three to five years, but may last longer if a child shows an aptitude early in life and is discovered by a teacher. For each year of training, the player may spend 16 experience points in Abilities or Arts and 8 levels of spells.

Although the cunning-folk are generated using the same basic rules described earlier, they rarely possess the same Abilities as the Mathematici. In addition to their Arts, cunning-folk often devote their time to learning Craft: Charm, Chirurgy, Faerie Lore, Folk Ken, Herbalism, and Magic Lore. Cunning-folk usually possess the Wise One Social Status. In addition to the required and favored Virtues, appropriate Virtues and Flaws include the following: Gentle Gift, Faerie Blood, Second Sight, Student of Faerie Realm, Faerie Friend, and Visions. For other appropriate Virtues and Flaws, see Realms of Power: Faerie.

Integrating the Learned Magicians' Magic

The learned magicians' magic is the source of a potential Breakthrough for the magus who manages to integrate it with Hermetic magic.

Single-Use Charged Items

Suggested Breakthrough Points: 40
Hermetic magic currently lacks the ability to create quick, relatively powerful magic items. By incorporating the chartae creation ability of the learned magicians, a Hermetic magus can gain the ability to quickly create single-use charged items.

In addition to the texts of the Mathematici, the Hermetic researcher may be able to acquire texts from ancient Greek or Egyptian sources. These texts are slowly beginning to trickle into Mythic Europe. Once a researcher discovers these sources, he may travel to the Islamic lands and discover additional texts and formularies for Insight. Likewise, the researcher may discover native practitioners of the learned magicians’ magic.

Minor Hermetic Virtue: Quick Charged Items

The magus is able to create singleuse charged items. The level of the effect of the charged item must be less than or equal to the magus' Lab Total. The magus must spend one hour per magnitude of the effect of the item. At the end of that period, the magus creates a charged item with a single charge. All other restrictions on the creation of charged items must be followed.

Integration Effects

During the Integration process, the magus creates charged devices. Regardless of the Lab Total of the magus, each charged device only contains a single charge. The magus may only create one device per season until he achieves a Breakthrough.

Consequences of Integration

The principal consequence of Integrating this effect is to greatly increase the number of magical devices available to nonmagi. With this Breakthrough, magi are able to create devices tailored to situations their grogs are expected to encounter. Grogs are likely to benefit from devices to assist them in combat, such as projectile weapons with Perdo Corpus, Creo Ignem, or other combat effects. Other uses include defensive devices, such as Rego Terram, Rego Herbam, or Muto Corpus effects.

Because the charged device is essentially the equivalent of a formulaic spell for magi, it is unlikely that they will create many devices for themselves. Magi with different areas of expertise might exchange useful charged devices with each other. The primary benefit of the Integration would be to allow a magus to use his Lab Total to cast the equivalent of a formulaic spell that he does not know. Of course, a magus who uses a particular spell effect on a regular basis would always be better served by learning and mastering it, rather than relying upon a charged device.

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.

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