Houses of Hermes Book
 | |
| Product Information | |
|---|---|
| Rules Edition: | Third/Fourth |
| Abbreviation: | HoH |
| Product Type: | Sourcebook |
| Author(s): | Jonathan Tweet |
| Publisher: | Wizards of the Coast |
| Product Number: | WOC1120/AG1120 |
| ISBN: | 188099254X |
| Release date: | 1994 |
| Format: | Softcover or PDF, 152 pages |
| Availability: | Out of print; PDF available |
Houses of Hermes is an Ars Magica supplement that describes the twelve current Houses in the Order of Hermes. Following chapters on each of the houses is a history section, including information on House Diedne and a timeline. The last chapter discusses apprenticeship.
Subject and Contents
This book is dedicated to describing all twelve of the Houses of Hermes. It therefore develops each House in more detail than the earlier supplement, Order of Hermes, but less detail than the later Fifth Edition Houses of Hermes series of supplements.
An interrum edition
Houses of Hermes is billed as a Fourth Edition supplement, but was written before that edition came out. It was never updated or replaced. Since the magic rules were quite similar between Third and Fourth Edition, Houses of Hermes remained perfectly usable and was the official sourcebook on the Houses from the time it was published in 1994 until the release of ArM5 in 2004.
Differences from Fifth Edition
The portrayal of several Houses in Houses of Hermes differs from Fifth Edition canon:
- House Flambeau is both less orderly and less diverse and has a more violent image. Flambeau the Founder in particular is depicted as a very violent figure.
- House Criamon has a more vague concept of the Enigma and is more preoccupied with visions, riddles, and symbolism
- House Tremere is less respectable and is portrayed as very conspiratorial.
Each of these Houses received a make-over when Fifth Edition overhauled the Ars Magica canon. There are, of course, some players who liked each of these Houses as they were in Houses of Hermes. The good news is that, since an electronic version of Houses of Hermes is available, players who liked the Houses the way they were before (or who just want to compare the treastment of the Houses between editions) can still buy and use this earlier book.
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Related Topics
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- Houses of Hermes: True Lineages
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- Houses of Hermes: Societates
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- Wizards Grimoire Revised Edition
- Order of Hermes