Hermetic Projects Chapter One: Wonders of the Hermetic World

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Wonders of the Hermetic World

The magi of the Order of Hermes are among the most powerful practitioners of magic the world has ever seen. They have the power to reshape the land, bind the elements to their will, and hold life and death within their thrall. But while some magi seek to depart from their Hermetic learning by embracing secret mysteries that twist their Gifts, others use Bonisagus’ great theory to its full potential and achieve the truly incredible. This book is for those ambitious magi who see the power and wonder in Hermetic magic, as passed from master to apprentice for generations.

This book presents six grand Hermetic projects that magi, councils of magi, or covenants may undertake. The magi undertaking these endeavors need only know the core magical teachings of Bonisagus as presented in the Ars Magica Fifth Edition core rulebook. They require no Mystery Cult initiations, no studious original research, and no discovery of ancient lost secrets. The projects are presented in such a way that any magus inclined to follow them can achieve the intended results.

The Hermetic Projects

The Burning City project sees the construction of a covenant in the heart of a volcano. The project moves from setting out to find a volcano to creating Hermetic rituals that transform mountains into new volcanoes; and from ensuring that magi and covenfolk alike can survive in the most inhospitable of environments to spells and devices to control the volcano and its inhabitants, both natural and unnatural.

The Great Tower is perhaps the most audacious project that the world has ever seen. It is by turn a celebration of mankind’s aspirations, and an arrogant affront to God’s Divine order. This project sees the construction of a tower so tall that it might reach into Heaven itself. Angels, demons, passion, and pride all drive this potentially endless project that could consume not just one magi, but generations of them.

The Hermetic Shipyard describes the founding and construction of an Hermetic laboratory in the form of a shipyard. The laboratory is described as per the rules in the Covenants supplement, and enables the magus to complete the second part of this project: the building of an enchanted ship called The Hermes. Effects are described to allow the Hermetic shipwright to build vessels more quickly and more soundly than his mundane rivals. And exotic ships, which are only made possible through enchantment, are also discussed, including ships that sail the skies, that skim the ocean floor, and even those that tack the void between the Magic Realms.

The Intangible Assassin project gives the maga the tools she needs to dominate her foes in Wizard’s War. The chapter describes effects that gather information about an enemy and provide unseen vectors of attack, discusses how to increase the chances of penetrating Magic Resistance, and, of course, tells how to combat and defend against such attacks.

The Living Corpse is the chapter for those magi who see death as something to be cheated and life as a right not to be surrendered lightly. The achievement of immortality is the aim of this Hermetic project. There are Mystery Cults that jealously guard the secret of immortality, but their number is small and their secrets may soon be lost. The effects described in this chapter are open to all magi of Hermes.

The Menagerie of Magical Beasts describes a collection of beasts, both mundane and magical, and the means to find, ensnare, and contain them. Such a project is both a useful resource for the studious mind and a symbol of great wealth and prestige. This chapter discusses all aspects of maintaining a menagerie, including the acquisition of prized specimens and their accommodation, handling, and domestication. The enchantment of animals through the application of magical brands is also discussed, as is the potential to breed and cross-breed from the menagerie specimens.

Using Other Supplements Magi undertaking any of these projects require only core Hermetic magic as described in the Ars Magica Fifth Edition rulebook. But the projects also make use of some of the standard techniques and trappings open to all magi that have been explored in later supplements. Rego Craft Magic and laboratory advancement from the Covenants supplement are used to support some projects, while others use material from Realms of Power: Magic, City & Guild, and Art & Academe, all of which are areas open to all Hermetic magi.

Using this book

For the player, the six Hermetic projects presented in this book are designed for a magus to follow from start to finish. The various spells and devices advance the magus’ knowledge and ability and move the project a step closer to completion. But the projects are also filled with story opportunities, whether as a result of certain laboratory work, or as an obstacle to be dealt with before work can continue. Each project is distinctive enough to guide a magus’ career through a saga, and some may potentially guide the saga itself.

The items and effects described in each chapter can also be used simply as sources of inspiration. A magus may be looking for a way to entrap a magical beast and find a solution in the Menagerie chapter, while a storyguide may be looking to present the covenant with a deadly Hermetic challenge, in which case the Intangible Assassin chapter will be invaluable to player and storyguide alike.

The spells and devices that build toward each project are fully described in the usual way. However, they also have an additional line that provides the minimum laboratory total required to complete the device in one, two, three, or four seasons. This is to help players plan their approach when following a given project and to weigh up their options; a device described as a Lesser Enchanted Item could instead be created as a standard Invested Item if the magus doesn’t yet have a high enough lab total to complete the work in a single season.

While the assumption is that all of these projects have yet to be undertaken by the Order of Hermes, storyguides may like to use those that their players do not want to pursue as background material for their sagas; no matter who builds the Great Tower for instance, there is drama to be had from the threat of Divine wrath at such Hermetic arrogance.

Designing your own project

The six Hermetic projects presented in this book are just the start of what’s possible, and every troupe may develop their own grand projects relating directly to events, characters, or situations in their own sagas. Developing such a project is not simply about designing a number of related effects. A grand project may occupy the magi involved for a number of years and will present challenges along the way. So here is a walk-through of a project showing the major steps you might want to consider when designing your own project.

First, you need to define what the project is. This will include working out the motivation behind the project and its ultimate goal. This provides the direction and helps to keep the stories, challenges, and laboratory work focused toward the outcome. This is likely to arise from events already underway in your saga.

Exempli Gratia: For the purposes of this walkthrough, let’s assume that we have a covenant in the turbulent Roman Tribunal, in the wealthy city of Verona. The covenant is beset on all sides by jealous neighbors both mundane and Hermetic. Fearful of an attack on their city, the magi decide to magically fortify it.

Some projects, such as building a covenant inside a volcano, require a specific location. Others can be performed out of the magus’ laboratory. So the troupe should decide whether they need to settle in a new location. Finding and securing such a location might present story opportunities as the magi lay the foundations for their project.

Magi undertaking significant projects are rarely able to work independently. They will need assistance, if not from other magi, then from mundanes. The Hermetic shipwright, for instance, needs a team of carpenters and laborers in order to build his ships. Other projects may require the magus to learn specific Arts or spells, and suitable books must be found and bargained for. And then there is the question of how to fund the project, both in terms of silver to pay for supplies and services, and vis for the enchantment of devices.

Exempli Gratia: Following our example, with the magi already based in and wanting to fortify Verona, it is clear that they will conduct their project from the city itself. But while the limited pockets of magical aura have so far been tolerable, the magi search for something larger and more powerful. If they do find a stronger magical aura, there’s a risk that something else has already laid claim to it. All of the covenant’s magi have committed to this project, but they decide they have no alternative but to skirt the Code of Hermes and approach the city leaders for support and funding; the magi know they will need to buy vis and other supplies, and for that they will need money.

The troupe should then decide upon the steps toward completing the project. This may, as with the Hermetic Shipyard, include creating a dedicated laboratory. It will certainly include creating multiple spells, rituals, and enchantments. This stage also determines how you know when you’ve accomplished your goal as each planned part of the project reaches fruition.

Exempli Gratia: The Verona covenant decides that they need to enchant the city gates in order to strengthen them against siege activity. Similarly, they create a ritual to do the same to the city walls. As they also anticipate magical attacks, they train a group of grogs and appoint a Parma Magica specialist from among the magi charged with protecting these grogs. Further parts of the project see enchanted siege engines being created as well as tall, slender towers within the city, from which all of Verona can be seen. And from these towers, variants of subtle destructive spells, all with Sight range, can be rained down on attacking forces.

And, of course, no long-term project would be complete without story potential. Each stage of the project — finding the location, securing supplies, gaining allies and support, etc. — is an opportunity to make story every bit as important to the project as laboratory time.

Exempli Gratia: The magi of Verona have already had to find a larger and stronger magical aura within Verona, negotiate support from the city itself, and forge links with foreign magi to secure a supply of vis. The city may expect more out of the arrangement than the magi anticipated, or the supply lines with their foreign allies may be interrupted or discovered by their enemies. Nearby rivals and enemies may learn of the fortification and stage preemptive attacks, testing the defenses before they are ready. Or new allies may be found, eager to gain similar defenses against mutual enemies. The culminating story of the project will be in putting the long years of work to the test: an attack on Verona by Hermetic rivals under the cover of a mundane siege. The fate of the covenant — perhaps even Verona itself — is then decided by the years of preparation that came before.

And so the creation of a grand project is not simply a device to account for a magus’ time. It provides direction to a magus’ study, and can be used by both storyguide and troupe to tell stories that directly relate back to that magus, his covenant, his tribunal, or even the Order.

Additional Project Ideas

For players and troupes looking for even more Hermetic project ideas, here are some brief options.

This book presents a covenant built within a volcano, but other inhospitable places are equally possible. Covenants built beneath the sea or surrounded by desert pose distinct challenges, including securing the covenant from its surroundings, ensuring a means of travel to the outside world, and bringing sufficient supplies to sustain it.

Magi searching for the perfect sanctum and laboratory may decide to build one in other unusual, unnatural, or unconventional places. How might an Auram specialist built a sanctum in the clouds? Would the sanctum be built on the ground and then enchanted to float, or would it be crafted from the clouds themselves? What would the magus need to do in order to harness and control the weather? And what airy spirits might object to this new presence?

A covenant withdrawn from the world may surround itself with woodland, and the magi, who want to protect their home and guard their secrecy, might then attempt to enchant that woodland to redirect travelers harmlessly away; they may command the birds to be watchful for intruders, and the trees themselves to act as guards. And such a place may have need for a turb of magical or unnatural grogs: enchanted devices, summoned and bound spirits, or enthralled and ensorceled servants that can bear the long years of isolation.

And finally, just as mundane minstrels and troubadours roam Europe and beyond making merry for their patrons, a master of Hermetic entertainments could roam from tribunal to tribunal providing unnatural distractions unmatched by the mundane world: from unearthly music and a troupe of ghostly acrobats to feasts of magical spices, never-ending food, and meats from the rarest of supernatural animals. A master of Hermetic entertainment would find favor in the richest of covenants and the most ostentatious of tribunal halls.

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.