Magical Artist (Template)

This article discusses the House Jerbiton Template from the ArM5 core rulebook, with some commentary on the design choices implied by that template.

Magical Artist

Characteristics: Int +3, Per +1, Pre +1, Com +1, Str 0, Sta 0, Dex +1, Qik 0 Size: 0 Age: 25 (25) Decrepitude: 0 Warping Score: 0 (0) Confidence Score: 1 (3) Virtues and Flaws: The Gift; Hermetic Magus; Gentle Gift; Free Expression, Improved Characteristics, Privileged Upbringing, Puissant Music*, Venus’s Blessing; Deficient Technique (Perdo), Necessary Condition (singing); Susceptibility to Infernal Power Personality Traits: Friendly +3, Brave +2, Studious +1 Reputations: None. Combat: Dodging: Init +0, Attack n/a, Defense +0, Damage n/a Soak: +0 Fatigue Levels: Ok, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20) Abilities: Artes Liberales 1 (music), Carouse 2 (maintaining dignity), Charm 3 (the opposite sex), Code of Hermes 1 (dealing with mundanes), Etiquette 2 (nobility), Folk Ken 2 (nobles), Guile 2 (fast excuses), Latin 5 (musical terms), Magic Theory 3 (Imaginem), Music 4+2 (singing), Native Language 5 (noble style), Order of Hermes Lore 2 (Jerbiton), Parma Magica 1 (Mentem) Arts: Cr 6, In 1, Mu 6, Pe 1, Re 6; An 0, Aq 0, Au 0, Co 5, He 0, Ig 0, Im 10, Me 0, Te 0, Vi 0 Twilight Scars: None Equipment: Wizardly robes. Encumbrance: 0 (0) Spells Known: Phantasm of the Talking Head (CrIm 10) +16 Phantasm of the Human Form (CrIm 25) +16 Discern Own Illusions (InIm 15) +11 Taste of the Spices and Herbs (MuIm 5) +16 Notes of a Delightful Sound (MuIm 10) +16 Disguise of the Transformed Image (MuIm 15) +16 Illusion of Cool Flames (InIm 10) +6 Illusion of the Shifted Image (ReIm 10) +16 Wizard’s Sidestep (ReIm 10) +16

Character Analysis

The Jerbiton took Puissant Music as his free House-related Virtue. He is designed as a social creature who sees himself as an artist in music and magic.

This design is particularly suited for a gentlewomen, charming and dignified, with great talent and skill in singing. Her Priviliged Upbringing probably indicates noble birth, as befits her social skills and is appropraite for her House. Her Gentle Gift and Venus's Blessing will also help her maintain ties with the nobility, as will her fine singing. Her Free Expression will be especially valued by both the House and mundane society.

Her fine taste, however, extends further, and should be reflected in her Imaginem magic and wizard's sigil.

Her flaws are less tied to the character concept, and can be more readily swapped.

Customization Notes

You can take up to three points more of Flaws, with the corresponding Virtues. Consider virtues such as Social Contacts, and flaws such as Black Sheep or Close Family Ties.

You can easily replace her flaws without affecting the theme or statistics. Consider choosing a Story Flaw, if you find one appropriate.

Further Customization Notes

House Jerbiton is discussed in Houses of Hermes: Societates. If you have access to it, consider using its options for ceremonial casting to aid casting in the Dominion, which you will often find yourself in if you keep up with your family and noble aquaintaces. This includes the Mystical Choreogaphy Minor Virtue, that reduces the casting time of such spells. If you do decide to make use of Ceremonial Casting, you should later spend time in-game to increase your Artes Liberales and Philosophiae.

Consider also taking Performance magic (Music) (see HoHS or The Mysteries Revised Edition) to disguise your spellcasting; this can be combined with Subtle Magic to allow you to cast your spells just by singing, at no penalty.

Roleplaying and Gaming Notes

Note that he has the Gentle Gift, and thus can interact with mundanes without any penalty. That said, casting spells in the Dominion is still more difficult and hazardous. As suggested in Houses of Hermes: Societates, it is very appropriate for Jerbiton to develop Artes Liberales and Philosophiae and use Ceremonial Casting to mitiage the aura penalties.

Your magic affords you two great advantages over mundanes: you can live longer, with the proper longevity rituals, which will allow you to reach great Ability levels; and you can use magic to produce things no mundane artist ever could. Make use of both, but decide which of these do you want to focus on. It is perfectly acceptable in House Jerbiton to develop your artistry, rather than your magic, and make only minor use of the latter. If you do decide to develop yourself as a magical artist, you may want to increase your Finesse, as it is vital to achieving great works of magical art.

Instead of increasing your raw magical power directly, consider deepening your ties to appropriate Mythic elements. You could join an appropriate Mystery Cult, or investigate an Ex Miscellnea or hedge tradition such as the Orphic Mysteries or the Seirenes. You could make the unusual choice, for your House, of going over to Faerie - many faeries would like to use your free expression and great musical skill to shape their Glamour (see Faerie Advancement Through Change in Realms of Power: Faerie), and you may in turn learn Faerie mysteries such as the use of Glamour or Symbolic Magic (see Merinita Mysteries).

If you have HoHS, you should also find House Jerbiton's description in it closely fits your character, with its emphasis on fine taste and artistic beauty and its affinity with the nobility. Further roleplaying and magic ideas can be drawn for its description.

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