Trianoma Politician (Template): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 14:18, 18 January 2014

This template represents the Trianoma tradition of politicians within House Bonisagus. This magus strives to maintain peace in the Order, and maintain peace with mundane society.

Characteristics: Int +3, Per +2, Pre +2, Com +3, Str -3, Sta +1, Dex -2, Qik -2

Free Virtues: The Gift, Hermetic Magus, Puissant Intrigue

Major Virtues: Gentle Gift

Minor Virtues: Adept Laboratory Student, Deft Form (Mentem), Social Contacts (land-owning nobility), Inspirational, Well Traveled

Free Flaws: -

Major Flaws: Favors (Bishop), Waster of Vis

Minor Flaws: Creative Block, Higher Purpose (Peace within and for the Order)

Age: 25 (Apparent 25)

Decrepitude: 0 (0 Decrepitude Points)

Warping Score: 0 (0 Warping Points)

Warping Scars: None.

Reputation: None.

Personality Traits: Protective (OoH) +3, Manipulative +2, Meddler +1

Confidence: 1 (3 Confidence Points)

Encumbrance: 0

Equipment: Wizardly robes.

Abilities: Native Language 5, Latin 5 (eloquence), Artes Liberales 1 (ritual magic), Civil and Canon Law 2 (papal laws), Common Law 1 (Laws on witchcraft), Theology 1 (heresy), Code of Hermes 1 (mundane relations), Magic Theory 3 (Mentem), Parma Magica 1 (Mentem), Area Lore: Tribunal 2 (politics), Bargain 1 (magical products), Charm 3 (Men in authority), Etiquette 2 (nobility), Folk Ken 3 (magi), Guile 2 (lying to authority), Intrigue 3+2 (alliances), Leadership 1 (inspiration)

Wizard's Sigil:

Arts: Cr 0, In 5, Mu 5, Pe 5, Re 5, An 0, Aq 0, Au 0, Co 5, He 0, Ig 0, Im 5, Me 5, Te 0, Vi 5

Spells Known:

Aura of Ennobled Presence (MuIm 10) +11

Aura of Rightful Authority (ReMe 20) +11

Trust of Childlike Faith (PeMe 10) +11

Perception of the Conflicting Motives (InMe 15) +11

Confusion of the Numbed Will (ReMe 15) +11

Calm the Motion of the Heart (PeMe 15) +11

Invisibility of the Standing Wizard (PeIm 15) +11

Disguise of the Transformed Image (MuIm 15) +11

Prying Eyes (InIm 5) +11

Size: 0

Soak: +1

Magic Resistance: An 5, Aq 5, Au 5, Co 10, He 5, Ig 5, Im 5, Me 15, Te 5, Vi 5

Combat:

Dodge: Init: +0, Attack --, Defense +3, Damage --

Fist: Init: +0, Attack +4, Defense +3, Damage +0

Kick: Init: -1, Attack +5, Defense +3, Damage +3

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20)

Note that you still need to choose the character's native language, wizard's sigil, background, and name.

Customization Notes

This character is built to function in both mundane and Hermetic politics, but with an emphasis on the mundane aspect. The Gentle Gift is pivotal for this role, as is the Deft Form. The other virtues are less essential, and can be changed for others. Note that Well Traveled increases her experience points, however, so changing it will require changing her Abilities.

The character has only 8 virtue points, so 2 more points can be added, if more flaws would be added. Suitable virtues include Affinity with Mentem, Hermetic Prestige (to reflect her repute as a peace-maker), a Minor Magical Focus (such as "peace and tranquility"), Puissant Art (Mentem), Affinity with Ability (Intrigue), Book Learner (to increase her benefit from the Order's smooth functioning), Clear Thinker, Famous (among nobles), and Great Communication. Mercurian Magic is also suitable to reflect the character's communal magic, but choosing it would require major changes to the character (dropping the Gentle Gift and acquiring one Ritual spell); this is a good option if you want to focus the character more on Hermetic politics.

Social Contacts was chosen as it greatly helps her in handling mundane politics. Inspirational allows her aids her inspire others in both the Hermetic and mundane domains. Adept Laboratory Student was chosen to emphasize her reliance on and affinity with Hermetic society: the character is better at building on the achievements of her sodales, rather than inventing things on her own. All of these virtues can be easily replaced by others.

The character's Flaws can all be replaced by others. Her Higher Purpose is at the core of the character, but the roleplaying and/or flaw can be changed. Creative Block was chosen to focus the character on benefiting from the Order. Favors are from past peace-making, and Waster of Vis will encourage her to gain more vis, which can emphasize Hermetic politics. Suitable Flaws for replacing these or to add to the character include Blackmail or Cruse of Venus instead of Favors; Compassionate, Meddler, Noncombatant, or Softhearted in addition to Higher Purpose (remember you can only have two Personality Flaws); Unimaginative Learner (to focus her on learning from books); or Ability Block (martial abilities).

The character's Characteristics include +3 Intelligence. This is the standard choice for magi, but you can consider lowering it as this character need not be particularly bright. This will free up points that you can use to increase your social Characteristics further, or to increase your abysmally low martial Characteristics.

Further Customization Notes

If your group is using the Houses of Hermes: True Lineages supplement, you could make use of the rules for Intrigue in that chapter, as well as benefit from reading the House's description. You may also wish to consider taking the Tenens Occultorum virtue, which would embroil you more deeply in your House's politics as well as in efforts to protect the Order's magic.

If using Houses of Hermes: Societates, you should examine the rules for Etiquette and urban magic in the Jerbiton chapter; the rules for Debate in the Tytalus chapter; and for Agents in the appendix. You may be interested in the Performance Magic (Music) virtue, which you can use in lieu of Deft Form to cast spells unnoticed.

Roleplaying and Gaming Notes

This character should participate in stories where she can use her subtle magic and great social skills to manipulate and intrigue. Her magic is especially effective against mundanes, while her social skills will also serve her well in the Hermetic domain. Her lack of martial capabilities means that she will be wise to travel with a martial entourage; although she will doubtlessly also add other characters that will serve in her designs for future subterfuge.

This character, although focused heavily in Mentem, is somewhat of a generalist and not particularly strong magically. You may want to further this line, adding mainly various utility and sneaky spells to her as she grows older. These should probably include some combat spells, to increase her versatility, as well as Vim effects for subterfuge and counter-subterfuge against Hermetic opponents. Alternatively, you may continue to increase her mastery over Mentem and Imaginem, adding spells to allow her to monitor and affect her agents and targets from a distance, magically control people, and so on.

A key part of this character design is her extensive social skills. The use of social skills is a very saga-dependent issue. If your saga uses these skills - perhaps following the rules in Houses of Hermes: True Lineages and Houses of Hermes: Societates - then you should continue to invest in these skills further. This means that your Arts and magic will be less developed. If social interactions are mostly role-played, however, or if you don't want to cut back on your magical development, then you should focus on magical subterfuge and influence and stop investing in such Abilities. In this case, you may also want to revisit the character and lower her social skills, perhaps replacing Well Traveled with some other Virtue.

As you would probably lack somewhat in raw magical power (both because of your efforts to increase your social skills and due to lacking a Magical Focus), a possible direction for magical growth would be initiation into a Mystery Cult. This will both allow you unique, non-Hermetic powers that cannot be simply gained by advancing in the Arts, and would grant you influence through your rank in the mystery cult. The character is well-suited to this role due to her high Presence score and Inspirational virtue. Given your interest in Mentem, a natural Mystery to seek out is Dream Magic (see The Mysteries Revised Edition). Idealistic cults, such as the Legion of Mithras (see there) are also possible.

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 ''Prying Eyes'' (InIm 5) +11
 '''Size''': 0
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 ==== Customization Notes ====
-This character is built to function in both mundane and Hermetic politics, but with an emphasis on the mundane aspect. The Gentle Gift is pivotal for this role, as is the Deft Form. The other virtues are less essential, and can be changed for others. Note that Well Traveled increases her experience points, however, so changing it will require changing her Abilities. The character has only 8 virtue points, so 2 more points can be added, if more flaws would be added.
+This character is built to function in both mundane and Hermetic politics, but with an emphasis on the mundane aspect. The Gentle Gift is pivotal for this role, as is the Deft Form. The other virtues are less essential, and can be changed for others. Note that Well Traveled increases her experience points, however, so changing it will require changing her Abilities.
-Social Contacts was chosen as it greatly helps her in handling mundane politics. Inspirational allows her aids her inspire others in both the Hermetic and mundane domains. Adept Laboratory Student was chosen to emphasize her reliance on and affinity with Hermetic society: the character is better at building on the achievements of her [[sodales]], rather than inventing things on her own.
+The character has only 8 virtue points, so 2 more points can be added, if more flaws would be added. Suitable virtues include Affinity with Mentem, Hermetic Prestige (to reflect her repute as a peace-maker), a Minor Magical Focus (such as "peace and tranquility"), Puissant Art (Mentem), Affinity with Ability (Intrigue), Book Learner (to increase her benefit from the Order's smooth functioning), Clear Thinker, Famous (among nobles), and Great Communication. Mercurian Magic is also suitable to reflect the character's communal magic, but choosing it would require major changes to the character (dropping the Gentle Gift and acquiring one Ritual spell); this is a good option if you want to focus the character more on Hermetic politics.
+Social Contacts was chosen as it greatly helps her in handling mundane politics. Inspirational allows her aids her inspire others in both the Hermetic and mundane domains. Adept Laboratory Student was chosen to emphasize her reliance on and affinity with Hermetic society: the character is better at building on the achievements of her [[sodales]], rather than inventing things on her own. All of these virtues can be easily replaced by others.
+The character's Flaws can all be replaced by others. Her Higher Purpose is at the core of the character, but the roleplaying and/or flaw can be changed. Creative Block was chosen to focus the character on benefiting from the Order. Favors are from past peace-making, and Waster of Vis will encourage her to gain more vis, which can emphasize Hermetic politics. Suitable Flaws for replacing these or to add to the character include Blackmail or Cruse of Venus instead of Favors; Compassionate, Meddler, Noncombatant, or Softhearted in addition to Higher Purpose (remember you can only have two Personality Flaws); Unimaginative Learner (to focus her on learning from books); or Ability Block (martial abilities).
-Mechanically, this character is built around the Feral Upbringing virtue. Animal Ken and Inoffensive to Animal were chosen to allow the child to grow up with and speak to the wolves that raised him. An Ability Block with all social skills and a Social Handicap (a feral demeanor) maintain the spirit of the Feral Upbringing in the adult character. The Blatant Gift (granted by his House affiliation) also serves to alienate him from civilized society. Ways of the Forest and a Minor Magical Focus in wolves were chosen to represent his feral upbringing mystically; note that none of his spells necessarily affect wolves, and the bonus should be applied when they do (Beast of Outlandish Size is especially useful for acquiring a mount). Study Bonus is useful to encourage the character to study outdoors, emphasizing his feral nature. Skilled Parens was deemed needed to acquire the desired Abilities (such as some Magic Lore), and to complement his spell selection.
+The character's Characteristics include +3 Intelligence. This is the standard choice for magi, but you can consider lowering it as this character need not be particularly bright. This will free up points that you can use to increase your social Characteristics further, or to increase your abysmally low martial Characteristics.
-The wolf-child's Animal Companion flaw can be replaced by a Dependant flaw to represent an entire pack. Alternatively, the Hedge Wizard flaw is also highly appropriate, due to the magus' feral nature. His Study Bonus and Minor Magical Focus virtues don't figure into his statistics and can be easily exchanged for others.
-The Wolf Child also has 4 virtue points, so up to 6 more points can be added by adding more Flaws. You may consider obtaining the virtues Ghostly Warder (representing wolf spirits), Wilderness Sense, or an Affinity or Puissance in Animal. Suitable flaws include Fear of fire, Deleterious Circumstances (in city), and Study Requirement.
-Choosing Shapeshifter (or changing House to Bjornaer and ackquiring a wolf heartbeast) will significantly alter the character, from a human that talks to wolves to a wolf that can take human form. The character's spell selection is meant to serve a human, and will require significant reworking for this new role.
 ==== Further Customization Notes ====
-If your group is using the [[Houses of Hermes: Societates]] supplement, this character may be a [[Beast Master]].
+If your group is using the [[Houses of Hermes: True Lineages]] supplement, you could make use of the rules for Intrigue in that chapter, as well as benefit from reading the House's description. You may also wish to consider taking the Tenens Occultorum virtue, which would embroil you more deeply in your House's politics as well as in efforts to protect the Order's magic.
-If using [[Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults]], adopting [[Nature Lore]] (especially Animal Lore or Forest Lore; the latter can also be found in [[Guardians of the Forests]]) is very appropriate for this character. Suitable virtues and flaws from [[HoH:MC]] include Pack Leader and Feral Scent, as well as Alluring to Mundane Animals and Independent Study.
-A possible direction for character development might be re-learning the Adamite language, as described in the supplement [[Ancient Magic]]. The character's feral nature might make that language appealing or give him insights into it.
+If using [[Houses of Hermes: Societates]], you should examine the rules for Etiquette and urban magic in the Jerbiton chapter; the rules for Debate in the Tytalus chapter; and for Agents in the appendix. You may be interested in the Performance Magic (Music) virtue, which you can use in lieu of Deft Form to cast spells unnoticed.
 ==== Roleplaying and Gaming Notes ====
-[[ArM5]] wolves (see the [[Book of Mundane Beasts]]) are murderous and bloodthirsty, and this is reflected in the wolf-child's "Murderous +1" personality trait. Cull and uncouth, the wolf child lacks almost all restraint and temperance ("Feral +3"), although his training in the ways of civilization has taught him to beware the reach of the Quaesitors and dangerous Hoplites. In his own way, the wold child is extremely loyal to his friends and protective of what is "his". He would go to great lengths to protect his own wolf pack, forest, and its denziens, and by extension can be moved to support other animals, places of wild nature or Magic, or their guardians.
+This character should participate in stories where she can use her subtle magic and great social skills to manipulate and intrigue. Her magic is especially effective against mundanes, while her social skills will also serve her well in the Hermetic domain. Her lack of martial capabilities means that she will be wise to travel with a martial entourage; although she will doubtlessly also add other characters that will serve in her designs for future subterfuge.
-The wolf child's flaws combine to make interaction with mundanes all but impossible. Relations with magi (who, by virtue of their [[Parma Magica]], at least disregard his Blatant Gift) would also be strained (due to his lack of social skills and his feral demeanor), although he might get along better with Bjornaer magi (who can understand the animal nature). The wolf child gets along very well with animals, however (especially wild animals, which are unphazed by his feral nature and are often further influenced by Ways of the Forest), and had especially developed close ties with his animal companion - probably a member of the wolf-pack he was raised in, perhaps a brother.
+This character, although focused heavily in Mentem, is somewhat of a generalist and not particularly strong magically. You may want to further this line, adding mainly various utility and sneaky spells to her as she grows older. These should probably include some combat spells, to increase her versatility, as well as Vim effects for subterfuge and counter-subterfuge against Hermetic opponents. Alternatively, you may continue to increase her mastery over Mentem and Imaginem, adding spells to allow her to monitor and affect her agents and targets from a distance, magically control people, and so on.
-In combat, the wolf child mostly wields ''The Crystal Dart'' while buffing himself magically with ''Wizard's Sidestep'', ''Endurance of the Berserkers'', and ''Gift of the Bear's Fortitude''. You may consider developing a ''Curse of Circe'' spell as well, and a suite of spells to summon, buff, and control animals for use in combat.
+A key part of this character design is her extensive social skills. The use of social skills is a very saga-dependent issue. If your saga uses these skills - perhaps following the rules in ''Houses of Hermes: True Lineages'' and ''Houses of Hermes: Societates'' - then you should continue to invest in these skills further. This means that your Arts and magic will be less developed. If social interactions are mostly role-played, however, or if you don't want to cut back on your magical development, then you should focus on magical subterfuge and influence and stop investing in such Abilities. In this case, you may also want to revisit the character and lower her social skills, perhaps replacing Well Traveled with some other Virtue.
-An important goal for you should be binding a [[familiar]]. Certainly a wolf, possibly your animal companion. You would then be able to affect yourself (and your familiar) with buffing effects, remaining mounted in combat and not needing to waste time to cast buffing spells. And you would be able to ride it in combat, which is cool.
+As you would probably lack somewhat in raw magical power (both because of your efforts to increase your social skills and due to lacking a Magical Focus), a possible direction for magical growth would be initiation into a [[Mystery Cult]]. This will both allow you unique, non-Hermetic powers that cannot be simply gained by advancing in the Arts, and would grant you influence through your rank in the mystery cult. The character is well-suited to this role due to her high Presence score and Inspirational virtue. Given your interest in Mentem, a natural Mystery to seek out is Dream Magic (see [[The Mysteries Revised Edition]]). Idealistic cults, such as the Legion of Mithras (see there) are also possible.