This page is part of the The Mysteries Revised Edition Open Content

Immortal Magi

The only truly immortal magi are those who have transformed themselves to become beings of one of the supernatural realms, in the process ceasing to be human.

This appendix provides common rules for immortal magi, especially the three paths described in this book. This book only covers those who join the Magic realm — other realms are possible through other methods of immortality.

A being of one of the realms has a Might score — having a Might score marks him as being part of that realm but does not of itself make him immortal. (see ArM5, page 182). A being with a Might score is subject to Warding spells, including Aegis of the Hearth, and may choose to resist spells with their Might Score or with (Form + [5xParma Magica]), but the effects do not combine.

An immortal ceases to make Aging rolls — he truly does not age — and is beyond the effects of Warping and Twilight. He does not need to eat, drink, or breathe, although he may do so if he wishes. (It is, for example, hard to talk if he forgets to breathe.) Depending on the kind of immortal, he may be slain (if he has a body) or destroyed (if his spirit is destroyed magically; e.g., by Perdo Vim).

An immortal also sacrifices change for everlasting continuity, and in consequence has a natural tendency to revert to stasis. This is generally a benefit: The effects of spells imposed on the magus fade once the spell is no longer maintained, mental changes fade, and wounds heal — even potentially lethal wounds or severed limbs. The immortal does keep a memory of events, but cannot study without magical reinforcement.

However, if an immortal desires to change, then magic can do what nature resists. An immortal magus may make learning permanent by binding knowledge into his talisman, if he has one.

Immortal Beings and Permanent Change

Immortal beings resist change, and have a natural tendency to return to their basic immortal selves. Those who are recently transformed often wish to continue their studies, and thus seek ways to reinforce their learning so that it does not fade away.

A Hermetic maga who transforms into an immortal magical being (via the Great Elixir) or into a ghost (the Living Ghost) and retains her talisman may bind her learning into her talisman and so retain the knowledge. A maga who becomes immortal in one of these ways is no longer limited by her highest Technique and Form in the number of spaces she can open in her talisman; rather, she can open as many as she spends time and vis for. A magus who has Inscription on the Soul can continue to invest such effects into his spirit talisman. This requires a laboratory to work in. (Ascended Daimon magi have their own ways to improve through the efforts of their cults on Earth. See Chapter 10: Hermetic Theurgy, Ascendancy to the Hall of Heroes, Learning and Improving as a Daimonic Spirit.)

All of these effects are bound into the magus’s talisman and, like talisman attunements, are only available when the magus is touching the talisman. They are lost if the device is lost or broken. Legends of items of great power associated with fabulous spirits and enchanters may have arisen from tales of magi who have followed this or similar paths.

Acquiring new Virtues or Flaws (such as Initiation grants to mortals) may be possible, but is sufficiently difficult to be beyond the compass of this book — you should negotiate with your storyguide for an acceptable series of quests and rituals. (Note that Ordeals cannot be used for Initiation of immortal beings, as Flaws are as difficult for them to acquire as Virtues!)

Learning Arts Or Abilities

After an immortal magus studies and gains experience points, whether in Arts or Abilities, his unchanging nature asserts itself and the change fades over the course of the next season as the spirit “repairs” itself. The magus can prevent this by spending the next season creating an enchanted effect to bind the experience into his talisman. This needs already opened spaces before the enchantment starts, so the magus is advised to prepare before study begins.

An immortal should be especially careful not to lose the device, as it contains part of his life.

The immortal transformation informs the magus how to perform these rites — once a magus is immortal, it seems obvious, but mortal magi lack the insight, which comes from the Mysteries.

Binding the Immortal Memory

CrMe Gen Pen +0, constant effect

R: Per, D: Always on, T: Ind, Mystery enchantment

This enchantment binds a learned study period into the magus’s talisman, so that the magus retains the benefits of study. If the talisman is destroyed, any study bound into it is lost. The Effect level needed is 10 x XP to be retained. The effect must be completed in one season or all new experience points will be lost to the repair effect. If the full effect cannot be invested in a single season, a lesser enchantment can be used to retain some XP, losing the remainder.

(Mystery Guideline level)

Example: A maga studies a tractatus with Quality 10 for a season. The next season, she instills another Binding the Immortal Memory effect into her talisman. She has a Creo Mentem lab total of 90, and can invest a level 45 effect in one season. This is enough to permanently bind 4 XP (a level 40 effect), but she will lose the remaining 6 XP.

Learning Spells

When an immortal magus learns a spell then, again, the natural tendency of the immortal spirit is to repair itself over the next season, so the spell fades from memory unless prevented. The magus can bind the knowledge of a spell by creating an enchantment in his talisman. This requires already opened spaces in the talisman.

The Immortal’s Grimoire

ReVi Gen Pen +0, constant effect

R: Per, D: Always on, T: Ind, Mystery enchantment

This invested enchantment enables the magus’s talisman to hold the knowledge to cast a spell. The effect cannot be triggered as a normal device effect, but is always on, as a “memory.”

Once complete, the magus may cast the spell as normal.

The invested effect level must equal the level of spell to be retained. The effect must be completed in one season or the spell knowledge is lost. The magus gets a similar spell bonus for this enchantment, regardless of the spell’s Technique and Form — he is in effect enchanting the spell.

(Mystery Guideline level)

The advantage of instilling The Immortal’s Grimoire is that by casting the spell normally the magus uses his full Casting Total, gets full Penetration (Casting Total – Spell level + Penetration Bonus), and has unlimited uses per day. A device effect has zero Penetration and one use per day, unless extra levels are invested. A magus who can instill The Immortal’s Grimoire in one season can expect to cast the spell far more effectively than an equivalent effect instilled in a single season.

Binding High-level Spells

If the magus cannot invest The Immortal’s Grimoire effect into his talisman in one season, then he may undertake a particularly laborious process instead.

The magus may invest the spell, even a Ritual spell, as a normal effect into his talisman. A Ritual cannot be cast from the talisman, but that is not the point; the point is a to provide a foundation for The Immortal’s Grimoire. The magus may create the invested effect over multiple seasons, but must accept that he loses the incompletely fixed spell each time he does so. After each season of enchantment, he must return to the source of the spell and relearn it, alternating a season of spell-learning and a season of investment, until the bound spell effect is completed. (Creating an ordinary invested effect without knowing an equivalent spell is still possible, but does not provide a key to create The Immortal’s Grimoire and let the magus cast the spell normally.)

Because this process relies on learning and relearning a spell, the magus must ensure that the spell has been reinvented as a perfect match, with no unintended variations. He must succeed in a roll of Intelligence + Magic Theory against an Ease Factor of 6 + the magnitude of the spell. To bind a spell as an effect over multiple seasons, the magus must relearn the spell after each season of enchantment.

To match each partial spell-binding, roll a stress die + Intelligence + Magic Theory vs. (6 + Magnitude of Spell). If this roll is failed, the relearned spell does not match the partial enchantment, but the magus notices and abandons the second season. He may continue the cycle, taking up from relearning the spell.

If the roll is botched, the magus fails to notice the mismatch and ruins the investment, and may risk his talisman. For each botch zero rolled, roll on the Modified Effect or Side Effect tables of the Extraordinary Results chart in ArM5, page 109 and apply the alteration to an existing effect in the talisman. Roll to determine the effect, or decide in consultation with the storyguide. If the magus was experimenting, add the Risk Modifier to the number of botch dice; if such an experiment botches, then roll on the Disaster table as well as the Modified or Side Effect tables.

Once the Effect has been invested, the magus may invest the Immortal’s Grimoire Effect over a number of seasons.

Becoming Immortal with a Familiar

A mortal magus’s familiar will not die of old age as long as the magus is alive, and only suffers ill effects from aging when the magus does; the familiar ages along with the magus, generally dying a few days before or some weeks after the magus (ArM5, page 105).

As the paths to immortality variously involve dying, removing from the world, or transforming into an alchemical being, these changes would normally sever the link to the familiar, and leave it to die. However, the existing bond to the familiar allows the magus to draw it along his chosen path to join the magus in his immortal state: ghostly, Daimonic, or as an alchemical magical beast.

In game terms, the magus must add extra raw vis to his transformation rite, equal to their Familiar Bond Score/5 (round up). If this is done, the familiar transforms along with her magus, otherwise she remains as a mortal beast, severed from the new immortal, and will die soon.

A magus with a spirit familiar benefits, as his familiar is already an immortal disembodied spirit: no extra vis is needed to transform a spirit familiar.

Immortal and Unchanging

The unchanging nature of the immortal means that while temporary changes are possible, they fade unless bound by magic. If a change is caused by a magical effect with a duration longer than Momentary, recovery or fading does not begin until the effect expires.

As a guideline, once the cause ends, no unbound, temporary change lasts beyond a season — after a season all trace will have faded. If a whole season passes, then simply assume that wounds and scars fade completely — no die roll is needed.

Any Temporary, Unbound Change Will Fade Completely Over a Season

An immortal with a body may be wounded, and if the wound is deep enough (beyond Incapacitated), he can die. If he is wounded but does not die, then his wounds will always heal. In game terms, if you need to monitor wounds over a short period, then make a Recovery Roll for every wound once per week (regardless of severity), and no wound worsens — a wound can only remain stable or improve. Since the immortal cannot get drastically worse, the normal stress roll becomes a simple roll.

If a whole season passes, just assume that all wounds fade completely; this includes regenerating crushed or severed limbs. (Recovery from wounds is detailed on ArM5, page 179, and summarized below.)

Recovery Total

Simple Die + Stamina + Medic’s Chirurgy Or Medicine Score + Magical Aid

Roll To Recover From Incapacity At Sunrise and Sunset

If the Recovery Roll Is 9+, All Incapacitating Wounds Improve To Heavy Wounds, Other Wise the Immortal Remains Stable But Incapacitated.

Roll To Recover From Light, Medium, And Heavy Wounds Once Per Week

Improve If Recovery Total Is 10+(light Wounds), 12+ (Medium Wounds), 15+ (Heavy Wounds), Otherwise an Immortal’s Wound Is Stable (+3 Bonus To Future Rolls)

A ghost may be wounded by other ghosts, but its wounds disappear within a day (see Chapter 8: Hermetic Spirit Magic, Ghosts in Ars Magica). An Aspect of a Daimon may be wounded if it takes bodily form, but can be discarded at will — the Daimon cannot be killed by bodily wounds to an Aspect.

Mental changes, such as those inflicted by spells or powers, recover similarly. Other spells can be compared across guidelines, or an approximation can be used. If the speed of recovery matters, compare the effect with wound-causing magics, rate the loss on the wound scale, and make recovery rolls as above.

If a whole season passes, assume all trace fades without rolling.

Recover From Mental Changes As a Comparable Physical Wound.

See the accompanying table.

Might damage, such as from Perdo Vim magics equivalent to Demon’s Eternal Oblivion, only results in temporary Might loss if the spirit is not utterly destroyed — full Might recovers by the next day.

The sacrifice or drain of Might Score caused by Mystery rites or rituals is a permanent loss, although methods exist to improve Might Score. For example, a Living Ghost may sacrifice Might Score points to replace vis in spells, but may increase his Might Score later by repeating his Transformation of the Living Ghost ritual.

Spell Gl	Heal As...	Perdo Corpus Effect	Mentem Effect
3	Light Wound		Remove minor detail of memory.
4	Light Wound		Remove important detail of memory. Diminish mental capability.
5	Light Wound	Inflict Light Wound.
10	Medium Wound		Remove minor memory. Reduce all mental capabilities.
15	Medium Wound	Cripple a limb.
15	eavy Wound	Destroy minor sense.	Remove a major memory, or all emotions. Drive insane.
20	Heavy Wound	Destroy a major sense.
20	Incapacitating	Incapacitating Wound. Destroy or sever a limb.
25	ncapacitating		Leave a mindless husk.
30	Dead	Kill a person.

Editor's Note: This text includes errata.