Books: Difference between revisions

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{{About|rules for books in general|information on specific books|Books Index}}


In Ars Magica, texts see heavy use in the communication and study between magi. Books are usually written in Latin, and a basic competency with the alphabet (via [[Artes Liberales]]) and language (a score of 4 or 5) is expected to read or write a book.
In Ars Magica, '''books''' see heavy use in the communication and study between magi. Books are usually written in [[Latin]].{{citation needed}}


A given book may be represented mechanically by any number of elements, each providing a benefit from reading it - typically experience points in a given topic. There are three basic kinds books in [[ArM5]], described in the core rulebook:
== Studying Books ==
:[[Tractatus]]: Allow the reader to gain their ''Quality'' as experience points in an Ability or Art.
To study books, characters must be able to read (which, in [[ArM5]], requires a skill in [[Artes Liberales]]) and be fluent in the language, possessing a minimum skill of 4<ref name="ArM5Books" />. Studying a book takes at least one season. [[Summae]] can potentially be studied for more than one season, depending on the Level of the book and the reader's skill in the [[Art]] or [[Ability]] the book is about<ref name="ArM5Books" />.
:[[Summa]]: Likewise, but only if the reader's level is lower than the Summa's ''Level''.
:[[Laboratory Text]]: Aids in recreating the magical effect it describes.


Most books probably contain only one element. However, it is possible for a book to contain many. Each element is then treated separately, as if it was an independent book. For example, a [[Troupe|troupe]] might include the following in the [[Covenant|covenant's]] library:
Each type of book has different benefits, so please refer to the article on the appropriate book type for details on what characters can gain from the book.  
: : '''De arte venandi cum avibus''' (Tractatus on [[Hunt]], Quality 9; Summa on [[Animal Handling]] Level 4, Quality 9; Summa on [[Magic Lore]] Level 2, Quality 9.) ''Written by Frederic II von Hohenstaufen, this is a masterful treatise on falconry and the art of the hunt, and contains a rich illustrated encyclopedia of the beasts (magical and mundae) of Mythic Europe.''


Using this book, a reader might peruse the Hunt tractatus within this book for one [[Season]], and later spend another season reading the Animal Handling summa. Note that it is impossible for another reader to read the book while the character is using it, even if he is using another element of it. In-game, the book is usually a continuous whole, and the division into elements is only on the game-mechanics level, so that you can't rip-apart different sections of the book to serve as separate elements and stand-alone books.
=== Quality ===
The '''Quality''' of a book is its [[source quality]] (that is, number of [[experience point]]s gained from studying it). [[Laboratory text]]s do not have Quality scores.


While such complicated, many-element books are in [[Canon|canon]], for simplicity many [[Saga|sagas]] may opt to maintain a one-book-one-element policy.
=== Level ===
The '''Level''' of a book is the highest Art or Ability score one can attain by studying it. In [[ArM5]], only [[summa]]e have a Level score, but in [[ArM4]], [[librum questionem|libri questionem]] had a "target level," which is mechanically different.


== Expanded Book Rules ==
== Writing Books ==
Writing books has (in [[ArM5]]) stricter requirements than reading them: the character must have a minimum score of 5 in an [[Art]], or 2 in an [[Ability]], to write a book about it<ref name="WritingBooks">[[Ars Magica Fifth Edition]], p. 165, "Writing Books"</ref>. The prospective writer must also have a score of 5 in the language in which the book will be written<ref name="WritingBooks"/>.
 
Writing a book takes one or more seasons, depending on the type of book. See the article on the appropriate book type for details.
 
== Types of Books ==
=== Basic Book Types ===
[[Ars Magica Fifth Edition]] mentions three kinds of books in the core rules:
 
;[[Summa|Summae]]:are books designed to teach a topic up to a certain level<ref name="ArM5Books">''[[Ars Magica Fifth Edition]]'', p. 165, "Books"</ref>
;[[Tractatus]]:contain an in-depth treatment of one aspect of a subject<ref name="ArM5Books" />
;[[Laboratory text]]s:contain sufficient notes on a laboratory project that the reader can quickly reproduce the results of that project<ref>''[[Ars Magica Fifth Edition]]'', p. 101, "Laboratory Texts"</ref>
 
[[Fourth Edition]] included an additional book type, [[librum questionem|libri questionem]].
 
=== Additional Book Types ===
Ars Magica supplements introduce a number of additional types of books:
;[[Casting Tablet]]: Allows the reader to [[casting from text|cast a spell from its text]], without having to learn it<ref>''[[Covenants]]'', pp. 89-90, "Casting Tablets"</ref>
;Correspondence: Letters between magi that function effectively as a [[tractatus]].<ref name="OtherOpusTypes">''[[Covenants]]'', p. 90, "Other Opus Types"</ref>
;[[Commentary]]: A tractatus written on the basis of an earlier work (in [[ArM4]], the earlier book is probably an [[Authority|authority]]). Many tractatus would be written as commentaries, as this increases their Quality<ref name="OtherOpusTypes" />
;[[Folio]]: A bound collection of [[tractatus]] and [[laboratory text]]s, published annually by the [[Colentes Arcanorum]]<ref>''[[Houses of Hermes: True Lineages]]'', pp. 22-23, "Folios"</ref>
 
=== Specialized Books ===
''[[Covenants]]'' includes rules for several kinds of specialized books<ref>''[[Covenants]]'', pp. 88-89, "Secondary Functions"</ref>, which are used for particular purposes and may have slightly different rules than regular books. Some examples include:
 
;Branch: A masterful high-level Summa.
;Root: A masterful low-level Summa.
;Vain: A book written to below accepted levels of Quality.
;Fine: A book written to accepted levels of Quality.
;Exemplar: A book written to be copied from.
;Juvenilia: A poor copy, typically by young magi.
 
== Multi-Element Books ==
''[[Covenants]]'' clarifies that the term '''book''' is any lengthy work magi may study, and may be split into sections and bound as several '''volumes'''.<ref>''[[Covenants]]'', p. 86, "Varieties of Manuscript"</ref> Contrariwise, several short books can be bound between a single set of covers. A '''codex''' is a single, physical tome. A single book is most commonly bound in a single codex, but an especially long book might be bound in several volumes, each a separate codex, or several related books might be bound into a single codex.
 
In common Ars Magica usage, ''book'' usually means a codex, just as it does in everyday speech. A "book" (codex) might therefore contain one or more [[summa]]e, [[tractatus]], etc. because one codex can contain several books. This article refers to the books within a codex as ''elements'' for clarity, though the official rule books don't use that term.
 
[[Folio]]s were the first example of multi-element books introduced in [[ArM5]] canon.
 
As an example of a multi-element book, a [[Troupe|troupe]] might include the following in the [[Covenant|covenant's]] library:
 
'''De arte venandi cum avibus''' ([[Tractatus]] on [[Hunt]], Quality 9; [[Summa]] on [[Animal Handling]] Level 4, Quality 9; [[Summa]] on [[Magic Lore]] Level 2, Quality 9.) ''Written by Frederic II von Hohenstaufen, this is a masterful treatise on falconry and the art of the hunt, and contains a rich illustrated encyclopedia of the beasts (magical and mundae) of Mythic Europe.''
 
Using this book, a reader might peruse the Hunt tractatus within this book for one [[season]], and later spend another season reading the Animal Handling summa. Note that it is impossible for another reader to read the book while the character is using it, even if he is using another element of it. In-game, the book is usually a continuous whole, and the division into elements is only on the game-mechanics level, so that you can't rip-apart different sections of the book to serve as separate elements and stand-alone books.
 
When designing a covenant library, each element counts as a separate book for computing the codex's cost in [[build point]]s.


The supplement [[Covenants]] provides expanded book rules, introducing new book types and more options. The new types of works include,
While such complicated, multi-element books exist in [[Books Index|canon]], for simplicity, some [[saga]]s opt to maintain a one-book-one-element policy.
:[[Casting Tablet]]: Allows the reader to cast a spell from the text (see [[Covenants]] [[??]]).
:Correspondence: Letters between magi (see [[Covenants]] [[??]]), that function effectively as a tractatus.
:[[Commentary]]: A tractatus written on the basis of an earlier work, usually an [[Authority|authority]]. Many tractatus would be written as commentaries, as this increases their Quality.


In addition, several new options are presented for writing:
== Expanded Book Rules ==
:[[Congregational]]: A bombastically large book, often written for communal or public reading.
''[[Covenants]]'' also includes extensive rules for adjusting the Quality of books based on many factors<ref>''[[Covenants]]'', pp. 87-89, "Extended Suggestions on the Quality of Books"</ref>  such as scribal skill, quality of illumination (illustration), and mystical [[resonance]]s built into books on the Hermetic [[Art]]s.
:[[Craftmanship]]: Low levels of craftmanship can lower the effective quality of a work. Supposedly, well-established covenants use skilled craftesmen to fashion their books, while young Spring covenants use poorer-quality books.
:[[Palimpsest]]: It is possible to write the book on a poor-quality, reused, parchment.
:[[Resonant Materials]]: Incorporating exotic materials through magic can increase the Quality of the text. Supposedly, many valuable Hermetic works use resonant materials.
:[[Gloss]]: It is possible to gloss a summa to increase its quality. Supposedly, most valuable summas have been glossed.
* [[Folio]], collecting Laboratory Texts (see [[HoHTL]] 22, [[Covenants]] [[??]]).
:[[Florigelium]]: A carefully-chosen collection of Tractatus (see [[Covenants]] [[??]]).


In the post-''Covenants'' setting, then, a book is characterized in many ways.  The above book, for example, might be written down as follows:
In the post-''Covenants'' setting, then, a book is characterized in many ways.  The above book, for example, might be written down as follows:
: : '''De arte venandi cum avibus''' (Tractatus on [[Hunt]], Quality 10; Summa on [[Animal Handling]] Level 4, Quality 10; Summa on [[Magic Lore]] Level 2, Quality 10. This book is wonderfully crafted and illustated (+3). Written with (Com +3), in Latin, the summas are Glossed (to Com +4). The Hunt tractatus serves as a [[Commentary]] on the Animal Handling summa (+1).) ''Written by Frederic II von Hohenstaufen, this is a masterful treatise on falconry and the art of the hunt, and contains a rich illustrated encyclopedia of the beasts (magical and mundane) of Mythic Europe.''


''Covenants'' also introduced new ways to categorize books, and new books types.
'''De arte venandi cum avibus''' (Tractatus on [[Hunt]], Quality 10; Summa on [[Animal Handling]] Level 4, Quality 10; Summa on [[Magic Lore]] Level 2, Quality 10. This book is wonderfully crafted and illustated (+3). Written with (Com +3), in Latin, the summas are Glossed (to Com +4). The Hunt tractatus serves as a [[Commentary]] on the Animal Handling summa (+1).) ''Written by Frederic II von Hohenstaufen, this is a masterful treatise on falconry and the art of the hunt, and contains a rich illustrated encyclopedia of the beasts (magical and mundane) of Mythic Europe.''
* '''Branch''': A masterful high-level Summa.
* '''Root''': A masterful low-level Summa.
* '''Vain''': A book written to below accepted levels of Quality.
* '''Fine''': A book written to accepted levels of Qualtiy.
* '''Exemplar''': A book written to be copied from.
* '''Juvenelia''': A poor copy, typically by young magi.


The affect of all these expanded rules is that maximum, and therefore effective, Quality tends to increase slightly, as does the book-keeping complexity. However, this is balanced by a lower Quality for starting covenants and a richer, more flavorful, treatment of books.
The affect of all these expanded rules is that maximum, and therefore effective, Quality tends to increase slightly, as does the book-keeping complexity. However, this is balanced by a lower Quality for starting covenants and a richer, more flavorful, treatment of books.


=== Commentary on the Expanded Book Rules ===
Many in the [[Fan Community]] saw the expanded book rules as somewhat excessive, and introduce them only partially or with modifications to their sagas. The craftmanship rules insert extra book-keeping for very little return, as do the mutually-excluding gloss/commentary/florigelium options. The use of resonant materials seems extravagant and exceedingly expensive to some, and too easy for others. Only the poorest covenants would have cause to produce or purchase books using the lower-quality options such as using a palimpsest, so that this detail too seems redundant. Despite this, the expanded book rules provide a rich mix of options and ideas for those who want to use them.
Many in the [[Fan Community]] saw the expanded book rules as somewhat excessive, and introduce them only partially or with modifications to their sagas. The craftmanship rules insert extra book-keeping for very little return, as do the mutually-excluding gloss/commentary/florigelium options. The use of resonant materials seems extravagant and exceedingly expensive to some, and too easy for others. Only the poorest covenants would have cause to produce or purchase books using the lower-quality options such as using a palimpsest, so that this detail too seems redundant. Despite this, the expanded book rules provide a rich mix of options and ideas for those who want to use them.


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* Books can be used to disseminate the integration of [[Original Research]], [[Ancient Magic]], or [[Hedge Magic]] into Hermetic magic. Lab texts incorporating new ranges and durations which are [[Minor Breakthrough|minor breakthroughs]], or fully integrated great breakthroughs, disseminate these discoveries to their readers. A new Ability due to a Major Breakthrough may be taught by a book on it.  
* Books can be used to disseminate the integration of [[Original Research]], [[Ancient Magic]], or [[Hedge Magic]] into Hermetic magic. Lab texts incorporating new ranges and durations which are [[Minor Breakthrough|minor breakthroughs]], or fully integrated great breakthroughs, disseminate these discoveries to their readers. A new Ability due to a Major Breakthrough may be taught by a book on it.  
* [[Houses of Hermes: True Lineages]] offers a new type of book, the [[Folio]]. This is a collection of Lab Texts and Tractatus, along with biographical notes and comments. Reading an element in the collection provides experience in [[Order of Hermes Lore]] as well the usual benefit.
* [[Houses of Hermes: True Lineages]] offers a new type of book, the [[Folio]]. This is a collection of Lab Texts and Tractatus, along with biographical notes and comments. Reading an element in the collection provides experience in [[Order of Hermes Lore]] as well the usual benefit.
== Canonic Books ==
There are a number of books detailed in the [[Canon|canon]]. These include
* [[The Travels of Fedoso]], [[HoHMC]] 55.
* The works of [[Elaine of Flambeau]] (including works on [[Ignem]], [[Penetration]], [[Magic Theory]], and [[Philosophiae]]) on [[HoHS]] 9. These include the titles Ars Flambonis, Ultor, liber de Lumine, De Magica Sympathetica, and De Potestae et Obligatione.
* The [[Analects of Tytalus]] (covering [[House Tytalus Lore]] and [[Order of Hermes Lore]], as well as [[Philosophiae]]) on [[HoHS]] 74
* The legendary "Herbal of Crateuas" is mentioned on [[HoHS]] 124, a work on [[Medicine]], [[Apothecary]], and [[Mythic Herbalism]].
* Principia Magica, the authority on [[Magic Theory]], on [[GotF]] 57.
* A number of Christian books are described in [[Realms of Power: The Divine]] page 86. These include works on Theology, Church Lore, Dominion Lore, and Philosophiae. Titles include The Bible, Sentences (by Peter the Lombard), The City of God (by St. Augustine of Hippo), Consolations of Philosophy (by Boethius) and The Celestial Hierarchy (by Dionysius the Areopagite).
== References ==
* The core treatment of book is in [[ArM5]] [[??]].
* ''Covenants'' provides the expanded rules in [[Covenants]] [[??]].


== See Also ==
== See Also ==
 
* For related spells see [[Covenants]] 96-97, 99-100.  
* For related spells see [[Covenants]] 96-97, 99-100. For a discussion of magically copying books, see [http://lonedm.googlepages.com/bookcraft|here].
* An unofficial discussion of [http://lonedm.googlepages.com/bookcraft magically copying books].
* Books can also be used for [[Research]]. A related concept is [[Realia]].
* Books can also be used for [[Research]]. A related concept is [[Realia]].
* For enchanting books, see [[TMRE]] 92.
* For enchanting books, see [[TMRE]] 92.
* Any number of things can function effectively like a book. These include supernaturally-flavored libraries like ghosts or reflecting mirrors, and the [[Final Transmission]] of a [[Criamon]] magus.
* Any number of things can function effectively like a book. These include supernaturally-flavored libraries like ghosts or reflecting mirrors, and the [[Final Transmission]] of a [[Criamon]] magus.
===  Legacy Page  ===
 
== References ==
<references />
 
==  Legacy Page  ==
The history of this page before August 6, 2010 is archived at [[Legacy:books]]
The history of this page before August 6, 2010 is archived at [[Legacy:books]]
[[Category:ArM4]]
[[Category:ArM5]]
[[Category:Order of Hermes]]
[[Category:Order of Hermes]]
[[Category:Rules]]
[[Category:Rules]]
[[Category:Books]]
[[Category:Books]]

Revision as of 18:58, 6 September 2012

This article is about rules for books in general. For information on specific books, see Books Index.

In Ars Magica, books see heavy use in the communication and study between magi. Books are usually written in Latin.[citation needed]

Studying Books

To study books, characters must be able to read (which, in ArM5, requires a skill in Artes Liberales) and be fluent in the language, possessing a minimum skill of 4[1]. Studying a book takes at least one season. Summae can potentially be studied for more than one season, depending on the Level of the book and the reader's skill in the Art or Ability the book is about[1].

Each type of book has different benefits, so please refer to the article on the appropriate book type for details on what characters can gain from the book.

Quality

The Quality of a book is its source quality (that is, number of experience points gained from studying it). Laboratory texts do not have Quality scores.

Level

The Level of a book is the highest Art or Ability score one can attain by studying it. In ArM5, only summae have a Level score, but in ArM4, libri questionem had a "target level," which is mechanically different.

Writing Books

Writing books has (in ArM5) stricter requirements than reading them: the character must have a minimum score of 5 in an Art, or 2 in an Ability, to write a book about it[2]. The prospective writer must also have a score of 5 in the language in which the book will be written[2].

Writing a book takes one or more seasons, depending on the type of book. See the article on the appropriate book type for details.

Types of Books

Basic Book Types

Ars Magica Fifth Edition mentions three kinds of books in the core rules:

Summae
are books designed to teach a topic up to a certain level[1]
Tractatus
contain an in-depth treatment of one aspect of a subject[1]
Laboratory texts
contain sufficient notes on a laboratory project that the reader can quickly reproduce the results of that project[3]

Fourth Edition included an additional book type, libri questionem.

Additional Book Types

Ars Magica supplements introduce a number of additional types of books:

Casting Tablet
Allows the reader to cast a spell from its text, without having to learn it[4]
Correspondence
Letters between magi that function effectively as a tractatus.[5]
Commentary
A tractatus written on the basis of an earlier work (in ArM4, the earlier book is probably an authority). Many tractatus would be written as commentaries, as this increases their Quality[5]
Folio
A bound collection of tractatus and laboratory texts, published annually by the Colentes Arcanorum[6]

Specialized Books

Covenants includes rules for several kinds of specialized books[7], which are used for particular purposes and may have slightly different rules than regular books. Some examples include:

Branch
A masterful high-level Summa.
Root
A masterful low-level Summa.
Vain
A book written to below accepted levels of Quality.
Fine
A book written to accepted levels of Quality.
Exemplar
A book written to be copied from.
Juvenilia
A poor copy, typically by young magi.

Multi-Element Books

Covenants clarifies that the term book is any lengthy work magi may study, and may be split into sections and bound as several volumes.[8] Contrariwise, several short books can be bound between a single set of covers. A codex is a single, physical tome. A single book is most commonly bound in a single codex, but an especially long book might be bound in several volumes, each a separate codex, or several related books might be bound into a single codex.

In common Ars Magica usage, book usually means a codex, just as it does in everyday speech. A "book" (codex) might therefore contain one or more summae, tractatus, etc. because one codex can contain several books. This article refers to the books within a codex as elements for clarity, though the official rule books don't use that term.

Folios were the first example of multi-element books introduced in ArM5 canon.

As an example of a multi-element book, a troupe might include the following in the covenant's library:

De arte venandi cum avibus (Tractatus on Hunt, Quality 9; Summa on Animal Handling Level 4, Quality 9; Summa on Magic Lore Level 2, Quality 9.) Written by Frederic II von Hohenstaufen, this is a masterful treatise on falconry and the art of the hunt, and contains a rich illustrated encyclopedia of the beasts (magical and mundae) of Mythic Europe.

Using this book, a reader might peruse the Hunt tractatus within this book for one season, and later spend another season reading the Animal Handling summa. Note that it is impossible for another reader to read the book while the character is using it, even if he is using another element of it. In-game, the book is usually a continuous whole, and the division into elements is only on the game-mechanics level, so that you can't rip-apart different sections of the book to serve as separate elements and stand-alone books.

When designing a covenant library, each element counts as a separate book for computing the codex's cost in build points.

While such complicated, multi-element books exist in canon, for simplicity, some sagas opt to maintain a one-book-one-element policy.

Expanded Book Rules

Covenants also includes extensive rules for adjusting the Quality of books based on many factors[9] such as scribal skill, quality of illumination (illustration), and mystical resonances built into books on the Hermetic Arts.

In the post-Covenants setting, then, a book is characterized in many ways. The above book, for example, might be written down as follows:

De arte venandi cum avibus (Tractatus on Hunt, Quality 10; Summa on Animal Handling Level 4, Quality 10; Summa on Magic Lore Level 2, Quality 10. This book is wonderfully crafted and illustated (+3). Written with (Com +3), in Latin, the summas are Glossed (to Com +4). The Hunt tractatus serves as a Commentary on the Animal Handling summa (+1).) Written by Frederic II von Hohenstaufen, this is a masterful treatise on falconry and the art of the hunt, and contains a rich illustrated encyclopedia of the beasts (magical and mundane) of Mythic Europe.

The affect of all these expanded rules is that maximum, and therefore effective, Quality tends to increase slightly, as does the book-keeping complexity. However, this is balanced by a lower Quality for starting covenants and a richer, more flavorful, treatment of books.

Commentary on the Expanded Book Rules

Many in the Fan Community saw the expanded book rules as somewhat excessive, and introduce them only partially or with modifications to their sagas. The craftmanship rules insert extra book-keeping for very little return, as do the mutually-excluding gloss/commentary/florigelium options. The use of resonant materials seems extravagant and exceedingly expensive to some, and too easy for others. Only the poorest covenants would have cause to produce or purchase books using the lower-quality options such as using a palimpsest, so that this detail too seems redundant. Despite this, the expanded book rules provide a rich mix of options and ideas for those who want to use them.

Other Books and Options

Certain other rules expand on books, adding more options to writing them and new categories of books.

See Also

  • For related spells see Covenants 96-97, 99-100.
  • An unofficial discussion of magically copying books.
  • Books can also be used for Research. A related concept is Realia.
  • For enchanting books, see TMRE 92.
  • Any number of things can function effectively like a book. These include supernaturally-flavored libraries like ghosts or reflecting mirrors, and the Final Transmission of a Criamon magus.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Ars Magica Fifth Edition, p. 165, "Books"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ars Magica Fifth Edition, p. 165, "Writing Books"
  3. ↑ Ars Magica Fifth Edition, p. 101, "Laboratory Texts"
  4. ↑ Covenants, pp. 89-90, "Casting Tablets"
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Covenants, p. 90, "Other Opus Types"
  6. ↑ Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, pp. 22-23, "Folios"
  7. ↑ Covenants, pp. 88-89, "Secondary Functions"
  8. ↑ Covenants, p. 86, "Varieties of Manuscript"
  9. ↑ Covenants, pp. 87-89, "Extended Suggestions on the Quality of Books"

Legacy Page

The history of this page before August 6, 2010 is archived at Legacy:books

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