CHAPTER IN PROGRESS

Chapter Three: Characters

Character Types

Player characters in Ars Magica fall into three categories, depending on their role in the story. Magi are members of the Order of Hermes, the powerful wizards around whom the game centers. Companions are important characters who are not magi, while grogs are minor characters.

Most players of Ars Magica have at least two characters, and often more, although they do not play all of them at once. The characters to be played depend on events in the saga, and this is discussed in more detail in the section on troupe-style roleplaying, on page 219.

Magi

A magus (feminine maga, plural magi, feminine plural magae) is a powerful wizard, even when he has only just finished his training. Magi rule the covenant around which a saga revolves, and have the potential to become as powerful as any human being can. A magus player character belongs to a single player, who has complete control over that character’s decisions.

Although magi are very powerful, they are also limited in important ways by The Gift, their ability to work magic (see pages 36 and 75). This means that there are some things that only non-magi can do effectively. In addition, magi are rarely skilled at anything other than magic, which means that they need help in everyday affairs.

Companions

A companion is an important non-magus. Like magi, player character companions belong to a single player, who controls that character’s decisions. Beyond this, companions have little in common with one another. One might be a knight and veteran of the Crusades, another might be a wandering friar, a third an unGifted Redcap, still another a noblewoman. Because the Order of Hermes stands somewhat outside medieval society, it tends to attract those who do not fit in, so a companion could also be a woman who wants to serve as a knight, a priest who sees supernatural visions and has tipped into heresy, or a werewolf seeking someone who might be able to cure her affliction.

Although each player has a magus and a companion, they are almost never played together, and thus should not be linked to each other. Linking your companion to another player’s magus is a good idea, though, as that provides two player characters with a reason to investigate things together. If you do link your companion to another player’s magus, your companion should have abilities that complement those of the magus, rather than overlapping.

Companions should generally not have The Gift, unless you intend them to become magi at some point.

Grogs

Grogs are minor characters, often warriors who protect the magi and defend the covenant, but also including specialists such as bookbinders and teachers who are not important enough in the story to be created as companions.

As minor characters, grogs tend to have bad things happen to them. Warrior grogs die defending the magi, other grogs might be possessed by spirits, forced to marry a faerie lord, or die from a disease that threatens the covenant. In most versions of troupe-style play, grogs are played by many different players, and the storyguide sometimes simply tells the players what happened to a grog.

On the other hand, grogs are a great deal of fun to play. You don’t need to worry too much about the consequences of your actions, because you probably won’t be playing this character next week. You can ham up the acting, and have the grog do something stupidly heroic, or heroically stupid. If a grog charges into lone battle against a dragon, in order to defend a magus, he might die in a couple of rounds, in which case he is remembered fondly, or make some stupendously lucky rolls and kill the dragon, in which case he becomes a hero. With a grog, you can take that risk, while with a companion or magus you will probably want to be more cautious. Of course, it’s also fun to play a grog who debates with the magus about the wisdom of staying to face a dragon.

Grogs are normally generated from the grog templates, starting on page 21. They may be created by detailed character creation, but should have no Major Virtues or Flaws, and no more than three Minor Flaws, balanced by an equal number of Minor Virtues. In addition, grogs should not have Story Flaws, as they are supposed to be minor characters. Finally, grogs can never have The Gift. A character with The Gift is too important to be a grog.

Character Basics

This section outlines the way that the game rules describe characters.

Size

All Ars Magica characters have a Size score. However, almost all human characters have the same Size score, 0, as this represents an average adult human. Every three points of Size represents a ten-fold increase or decrease in mass, and adult humans can range from Size –2 to Size +2, if they take appropriate Virtues or Flaws. The effects of this are described in the Virtues and Flaws chapter. Size is more important for non-human creatures, and is discussed in detail in the Bestiary chapter.

Virtues and Flaws

Virtues and Flaws are features of the character that are not shared by most people; special benefits in the case of Virtues, and disadvantages or hooks into stories for Flaws. They cover supernatural abilities, including The Gift, enemies, obsessions, and aptitudes, as well as much more. All Virtues and Flaws are listed in their own chapter, on pages 38 and 39.

Characteristics

There are eight Characteristics in Ars Magica, each representing one of a given character’s inborn attributes. Each Characteristic has a score that describes the degree of the character’s aptitude. A score of 0 is completely average, therefore positive numbers denote higher-than-average ability and negative numbers below-average ability. All but the most exceptional of individuals have Characteristics that fall between –3 and +3.

Since Characteristics represent your character’s inborn potential, they cannot be increased by normal means. In rare circumstances, the storyguide may decide that drastic events warrant some sort of permanent change to a Characteristic, and powerful magic can also raise them, but for most characters, they are fixed.

CHARACTERISTIC DESCRIPTIONS

Intelligence (Int): Intelligence represents the power to analyze and synthesize concepts, as well as simple memory. It is important for Abilities that require thought power and is paramount for the Hermetic Arts. A character with low Intelligence is not necessarily stupid common sense, street savvy, wisdom, and the ability to learn, are not described by Intelligence.

Perception (Per): Perception quantifies the ability to notice things, as well as powers of intuition. While sometimes conscious, Perception often works intuitively — your character simply notices something. The storyguide may also let you roll Perception when checking various Knowledges, to see if you have insight into a certain fact or concept. Perception is important for Abilities such as Awareness, Hunt, and Folk Ken.

Strength (Str): Strength measures physical power: lifting, pushing, shoving, heaving and moving. Strength is important when hefting a melee weapon and when using brute, physical force against something or someone. People with high Strength are often bigger than those with low Strength, assuming they have the same Size.

Stamina (Sta): Stamina represents the limits of a character’s exertion, as well as how much physical punishment he can sustain. It is staying power, both mental and physical, and one of its most important components is simply the will to live. Spellcasting relies on Stamina. Stamina also measures someone’s ability to carry a load for an extended period, ignore fatigue, and withstand wounds.

Presence (Prs): Presence describes a character’s appearance, demeanor and charisma. It is important for making a good impression, as well as for leading people. Presence also measures how imposing or intimidating a person is. Even if not physically attractive, a person with high Presence might still have a demeanor that commands respect.

Communication (Com): Communication represents the aptitude for self-expression. It is important when attempting to influence or communicate with someone, verbally or otherwise. A positive Communication score suggests a character who is comfortable with or confident in his relationships with other people.

Dexterity (Dex): Dexterity means being able to move with agility and to manipulate objects accurately and skillfully. It includes hand-eye coordination, fine motor control, and bodily grace. Dexterity also helps determine how well your character swings a sword or throws a knife.

Quickness (Qik): Quickness indicates reaction speed and reflexes, and helps determine who acts first when two people are trying to do something with great haste. It also describes how well your character does something in a hurry. Your effective Quickness is usually modified by your Encumbrance. See page 178 for more information on Encumbrance.

Abilities

Abilities are a character’s learned skills. They usually do increase during the course of a saga. Characters in Ars Magica can choose from a wide range of Abilities, listed in the Abilities chapter on page 63, which are divided into five types: General Abilities, which can be learned by anyone, and Academic Abilities, Arcane Abilities, Martial Abilities, and Supernatural Abilities. A character can only learn Academic, Arcane, or Martial Abilities if he has an appropriate Virtue or Flaw, or is a magus.

A character cannot learn or use a Supernatural Ability at all unless he has the Virtue granting it, or has The Gift and has learned that Ability.

Personality Traits

Personality Traits are a short description of important features of your character’s personality. For major characters, such as magi and companions, they should be nothing more than an aide memoire, and a reason to think about the character’s personality during character creation.

For grogs, they are more significant. As grogs are often shared between players, or at least played rarely (see “Troupe-Style Roleplaying” on page 219), the numbers attached to Personality Traits can be used as a concrete guide to playing the character. They can be positive or negative, and normally range between +3 and –3, although there are exceptions. “Loyal” is a particularly important Trait, as it reflects the grog’s attachment to the covenant, while “Brave” is just as important for warrior grogs. A third Trait should be something distinctive about that grog. You may decide to roll a grog’s Personality Traits when you are unsure how he would react, or you may treat the numbers simply as a guide to roleplaying. If you do roll them, add nothing but the Personality Trait, and roll a stress die. Suggested Ease Factors are found on the Personality Rolls table.

CHANGING PERSONALITY TRAITS

Personality Traits can only be changed by the player who controls the character, and only between game sessions. However, they can be changed freely, possibly to reflect a series of exceptional rolls, or to reflect life events. For example, a cowardly grog who stands his ground and kills an impressive monster might well become more brave.

Personality Rolls
Ease Factor	Brave	Loyal	General
0	Not really scary. Facing down a barking dog.	Loyalty & self-interest coincide. Warning the magi that your enemy is planning to attack the covenant.	Average people would always do this.
3	Hardly scary. Facing down an angry, but unarmed, peasant while armed and armoured.	Little loyalty required. Not denouncing the magi to the bishop passing through the local village.	Average people would usually do this. People noted for a Personality Trait would always do this.
6	Scary. Facing down an apparently equal enemy.	Average loyalty. Standing by the covenant when it is threatened.	Average people do this about half the time.
9	Very scary. Facing down a clearly superior enemy.	Loyal. Resisting a large bribe and offer of protection.	Average people usually don’t do this, and even notable people often fail.
12	Extremely scary. Facing down a dragon.	Very Loyal. Staying loyal to the covenant under torture.	Average people almost always fail. Even notable people do this rarely.

Reputations

Reputations determine whether people are likely to have heard of the character, and what they have heard about him. They don’t determine how people react to characters they have heard of, as that depends on what they think of what they’ve heard, nor do they necessarily aid in the identification of characters. Indeed, in some cases a high Reputation may make it difficult for a character to convince people that he is who he says he is. (“Oh, sure you’re Sir Robert the Dragonslayer. Of course he’d be visiting my inn. Who are you really?”)

Reputations have a score, a content, and a type. The score is a number, used as described below. The content is what the Reputation is for; a reputation for killing dragons, powerful fire magic, or learned interpretation of the Psalms, for example. The type determines who might have heard of the Reputation. The most basic type is a Local Reputation, which is one that anyone who lives near the character might have heard. The other two main types are Ecclesiastical and Hermetic Reputations, determining a character’s reputation in the Church and Order of Hermes, respectively. The type of Reputation defines what counts as distance.

A random person has heard of a character with a Reputation if a roll of a stress die plus the Reputation equals or exceeds the Ease Factor given on the table above. The more he succeeds by, the more he has heard about the character. If the character’s Reputation is largely accurate, so is what the person has heard. Conversely, a largely underserved Reputation brings lots of false beliefs with it.

Reputations can change over time. See page 167 for details.

Reputation Ease Factor
Ease Factor	Local	Ecclesiastical	Hermetic	Comments
0	Same village	Same parish/monastery	Same covenant	Everyone in these groups has heard of everyone else in them
6	Same town	Same diocese	Same Tribunal	On average, people have heard of about half the people in this area, and of most people who have any sort of reputation.
9	Same county	Same province	Entire Order	In general, only people with a reputation are known in this group, but everyone knows a few other people.
12	Same country	Whole Church	N/A	Most people in this wider world are unknown, but those with outstanding reputations may be.

Confidence

Important characters have a Confidence Score and Confidence Points. This includes both central player characters (magi and companions) and important NPCs, such as recurring antagonists and allies. These characters start with three Confidence Points. Most such characters start with a Confidence Score of one, but this can be modified by Virtues and Flaws.

There is no limit to the number of Confidence Points that a character can have.

USING CONFIDENCE

A player may spend Confidence Points on most rolls to get +3 to the total per point spent. He may decide to spend the point after the

dice are rolled and the putative result of the action is known. He may not spend Confidence on a roll that botched, but he may spend it on a roll of zero which was not a botch. A player may spend any number of points up to, but not exceeding, the character’s Confidence Score.

Once a Confidence Point is spent, it is gone forever. Confidence Points are not recovered.

Confidence may not be spent on rolls which represent a whole season’s activities, such as rolls for studying from vis.

GETTING NEW CONFIDENCE POINTS

The storyguide for a session hands out Confidence Points to characters at the end of the session. To qualify for Confidence Points, the character must have been played for a significant length of time during that session, and must have made a contribution to the session.

Characters should be awarded one Confidence Point for each of the following that they managed:

Achieve a personal goal.
Contribute to achievement of a group goal, even if it wasn’t a personal goal.
Success in a difficult task. (Only one award per character per session.)
Entertainingly well roleplayed. This means that the player portrayed the character well, and in a way that entertained and enhanced the fun of the other players.
Bonus. This point is awarded if the storyguide thinks that the character or player did something that deserves a reward, but which does not fall under the above categories. You should only award one bonus point per character per session.

Typical characters should gain two or three Confidence Points per session.

RAISING CONFIDENCE SCORE

A character’s Confidence Score can only be increased by long-term story events which greatly increase the character’s self-confidence and self-reliance. As a baseline, the fifteen gruelling years of a Tytalus apprenticeship are enough to raise a character’s Confidence Score by one point. Raises in play should follow on events of a similar magnitude and duration.

Character Templates

The quickest way to get started playing Ars Magica is to choose one of the characters presented in this section. All are fully generated, and just need a name and a bit of background to fit them into your saga. The second quickest way is to customize one of these characters. Finally, you can use the Detailed Character Creation rules, starting on page 28, to build your own character from scratch.

Format

Each template is presented in the same format, described below.

Characteristics: A list of the Characteristics and values. If the character has any aging points in any Characteristics, these are shown in parentheses after the Characteristic value. (See page 168 for aging rules.)

Size: The character’s size.

Age: The character’s actual age, with the apparent age in parentheses. (See page 168 for aging rules and apparent age.) Decrepitude: The character’s number of Decrepitude points. These are gained from aging, and described on page 170.

Warping Score: The character’s Warping Score, with the number of excess Warping Points in parentheses. Warping Points measure a character’s exposure to magic, and have bad effects if you gain too many. See page 167 for more details.

Confidence Score: The character’s Confidence Score, with the number of Confidence Points in parentheses. Grogs don’t have Confidence, so this line is omitted.

Virtues and Flaws: All the character’s Virtues and Flaws. These are all described in the Virtues and Flaws chapter. The first Virtue listed is The Gift, if the character has it. The next is the character’s Social Class. Then come all other Major Virtues, in alphabetical order, Minor Virtues, alphabetically, Major Flaws, alphabetically, and Minor Flaws, also arranged in alphabetical order.

Personality Traits: The character’s Personality Traits, and scores.

Reputations: Details of the character’s Reputations, if any. Combat: The combat statistics for modes of attack and weapons that the character uses often.

Soak: The character’s Soak score.

Fatigue Levels: A listing of the character’s Fatigue levels and penalties, which represent how tired the character is. Fatigue is on page 178.

Wound Penalties: Shows the penalties for wounds of varying severity, with the number of points of damage required to inflict a wound of that severity shown in parentheses.

Abilities: All of the character’s Abilities, in alphabetical order. The format is Ability X (Y) (specialization), where X is the score in the Ability and (Y) is the number of experience points spent towards the next level. If the Ability is written X+Y (Z), X is the score in the Ability, Y is a fixed bonus from a Virtue (usually Puissant Ability), and Z is the number of experience points spent towards the next level. Arts: The character’s scores in the Hermetic Arts, in the format Art X (Y), where X is the score and Y the number of experience points spent towards the next level. If the Art is written X+Y (Z), X is the score in the Ability, Y is a fixed bonus from a Virtue (usually Puissant Art), and Z is the number of experience points spent towards the next level. The Arts are named according to the standard abbreviations, described starting on page 77.

Non-magi have no scores in the Arts, and this section is omitted.

Twilight Scars: Long-lasting effects of Wizard’s Twilight. This is only applicable to Hermetic magi, and is described in detail on page 88.

Equipment: The character’s stuff.

Encumbrance: The character’s Encumbrance, with the character’s Burden in parentheses. Rules for Encumbrance are on page 178.

Spells Known: A list of all the Hermetic spells the character knows. Obviously, this is omitted for non-magi. The spells are in the format: Spell Name (TeFo X) +Y, where TeFo is the Technique and Form of the spell, X is the spell level, and Y is the magus’s Casting Total with the spell. If the Casting Total is higher than the spell level, the magus can cast it easily. If it’s significantly lower, he might have problems. The spells are described in the Spells chapter.

Customization Notes: Some notes on the character, and what can easily be changed if you want to customize it.

Grog Templates

These templates are intended for use as grogs. You could expand one into a companion fairly easily, though.

THE BERSERKER

Characteristics: Int –2, Per –1, Pre –1, Com –1, Str +3, Sta +2, Dex +2, Qik +1 Size: +1 Age: 15 (15) Decrepitude: 0 Warping Score: 0 (0) Virtues and Flaws: Covenfolk; Berserk, Large; Short Attention Span, Wrathful (Minor) Personality Traits: Angry +3, Brave +3, Loyal +1, Obedient –2 Reputations: None Combat: Pole Axe: Init +2, Attack +13, Defense +7, Damage +14 Kick: Init +0, Attack +6, Defense +4, Damage +6 Soak: +9 (Stamina, full metal scale armor) Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–6), –3 (7–12), –5 (13–18), Incapacitated (19–24) Abilities: [Area] Lore 1 (streams), Athletics 2 (running), Awareness 3 (attackers), Brawl 3 (kicking), Guile 1 (apologising), Great Weapons 5 (pole axe), Native Language 5 (insults), Single Weapon 1 (heater shield), Survival 3 (hills) Equipment: Pole Axe, Full metal scale armor, pack containing gear to care for weapons and armor and establish camps when traveling. Encumbrance: 0 (3) Customization Notes: The Berserker’s Large Virtue could be swapped out for an Affinity or Puissant Ability with Great Weapons. In addition he could have another Flaw, and take one of those Virtues to balance it. Other than that, he is young, so most of his Abilities are dictated by the concept. The Abilities at 1 or 2 can be swapped around, though.

THE GRIZZLED VETERAN

Characteristics: Int 0, Per 0, Pre –1, Com –1, Str 0, Sta +1 (1), Dex +2 (2), Qik +2 (2) Size: 0 Age: 45 (45) Decrepitude: 1 (2) Warping Score: 0 (0) Virtues and Flaws: Covenfolk; Warrior; Weakness (talking back to magi) Personality Traits: Loyal +3, Cheeky +2, Brave +1 Reputations: None Combat: Axe & Heater Shield: Init –1, Attack +15, Defense +14, Damage +6 Kick: Init –3, Attack +6, Defense +5, Damage +3 Soak: +8 (full metal scale armor) Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20) Abilities: [Area A] Lore 4 (monsters), [Area B] Lore 2 (monsters), Awareness 5 (in combat), Bows 5 (longbow), Brawl 3 (kicking), Carouse 3 (with fighting friends), Folk Ken 1 (magi), Great Weapon 5 (pole axe), Guile 2 (getting extra rations), Leadership 3 (in combat), Living Language 5 (military talk), Order of Hermes Lore 3 (grogs), Single Weapon 8 (heater shield), Stealth 3 (when armored), Survival 1 (when in a group), Thrown Weapon 4 (knife) Equipment: Axe, Heater Shield, Full metal scale armor, pack containing gear to care for weapons and armor and establish camps when traveling. Encumbrance: 4 (4) Customization Notes: The Grizzled Veteran has been around the covenant for years, but has never reached a formal position of leadership, because he has a tendency to talk back to the magi. On the other hand, he makes a good informal leader of the grogs. Age hasn’t really slowed him down yet, but it is about to. He could take another two Flaws and a corresponding number of Virtues if desired, and his Ability scores can be moved around. The high set should probably be kept in combat, but he could specialize in a different sort of combat (you would have to recalculate Combat Totals), and the secondary abilities can be moved around at will.

THE HUNTER

Characteristics: Int 0, Per +3, Pre –2, Com –2, Str 0, Sta +1, Dex +2, Qik +2 Size: 0 Age: 20 (20) Decrepitude: 0 Warping Score: 0 (0) Virtues and Flaws: Covenfolk; Warrior; Pessimistic Personality Traits: Brave +3, Loyal +1, Sociable –2 Reputations: None Combat: Short Bow: Init –1, Attack +9, Defense +6, Damage +6 Soak: +3 (partial leather armor, Stamina) Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20) Abilities: [Area] Lore 4 (game trails), Athletics 1 (climbing), Awareness 5 (woodlands), Bows 4 (shooting from cover), Hunt 5 (deer), Native Language 5 (talking about forests), Stealth 2 (hunt- ing), Survival 4 (woodlands) Equipment: Partial heavy leather, short bow, arrows, survival kit. Encumbrance: 2 (2) Customization Notes: The hunter is extremely useful in the wilderness, and can guide the party as well as take part in missile combat. He can also help to support the covenant by bringing in food. He doesn’t work well in social situations, though. Note that the character’s Bows score uses the bonus XP from Warrior, and thus cannot go below 4, but otherwise the values of his Abilities, apart from his Native Language, can be swapped freely.

THE SPECIALIST

Characteristics: Int –1, Per 0, Pre –1, Com –4, Str +2, Sta +2, Dex +3, Qik +2 Size: 0 Age: 19 (19) Decrepitude: 0 Warping Score: 0 (0) Virtues and Flaws: Covenfolk; Affinity with Single Weapon, Puissant Ability (Single Weapon), Warrior; Afflicted Tongue (stammer), Obsessed (improving Single Weapon ability), Poor Communication Personality Traits: Brave +3, Loyal +2, Quiet +1 Reputations: None Combat: Axe & Heater Shield: Init +1, Attack +17, Defense +15, Damage +8 Fist: Init 0, Attack +8, Defense +7, Damage +2 Soak: +9 (full metal scale armor) Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20) Abilities: [Area] Lore 3 (warriors), Athletics 3 (running), Awareness 4 (in combat), Bargain 2 (weapons), Bows 1 (2) (short bow), Brawl 5 (dodging), Carouse 1 (drinking), Living Language 5 (talking about fighting), Single Weapon 7+2 (Heater Shield) Equipment: Axe, Heater Shield, Full metal scale armor, pack containing gear to care for weapons and armor and establish camps when traveling. Encumbrance: 2 (4) Customization Notes: The Specialist can easily focus on a different Ability, although you might want to swap the Characteristics around as well if he does, and probably change Warrior for one of the other experience-point-granting Virtues, such as Educated or Well-Traveled. You can change Personality Traits freely, and assign the Ability scores to other Abilities. Similarly, the Flaws can be changed without changing the central concept of the character.

THE STANDARD SOLDIER

Characteristics: Int –1, Per 0, Pre 0, Com 0, Str +1, Sta +1, Dex +2, Qik +2 Size: 0 Age: 25 (25) Decrepitude: 0 Warping Score: 0 (0) Virtues and Flaws: Covenfolk; Warrior; Weakness Personality Traits: Brave +3, Loyal +2, Garrulous +1 Reputations: None Combat: Axe & Heater Shield: Init +0, Attack +12, Defense +11, Damage +7 Fist: Init –1, Attack +7, Defense +7, Damage +1 Soak: +8 (full metal scale armor) Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20) Abilities: [Area] Lore 3 (taverns), Athletics (running), Awareness 3 (in combat), Bows 4 (short bow), Brawl 4 (punching), Carouse 3 (drinking), Charm 2 (opposite sex), Etiquette 2 (magi), Great Weapon (pole axe), Guile 2 (avoiding duties), Native Language 5 (rude words), Single Weapon 5 (heater shield), Survival 1 (for a short period) Equipment: Axe, Heater Shield, Full metal scale armor, pack containing gear to care for weapons and armor and establish camps when traveling. Encumbrance: 3 (4) Customization Notes: The standard soldier’s Weakness can be chosen freely, and he makes a good base for creating a slightly non-standard grog, by adding Virtues and Flaws and rearranging his Abilities.

GROG TEMPLATE

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