Ars Magica Definitive Edition, Chapter Ten: Long Term Events
Experience and Advancement
Using Experience Points
Advancement
Calculating Experience Points
Assigning Seasons
Limits
Exposure
Adventure
Practice
Training
Worship
Teaching
Studying Books
Characters can learn by studying from books, and practicing if the subject of study requires it. It is not possible to study from a book unless you are fluent (have a score of four or higher) in Casting Total + Penetration Bonus – Spell Levelthe language in which it is written, and can read and write the writing system used (which requires a score in Artes Liberales).
There are two types of books, summae (singular summa) and tractatus (singular also tractatus). A summa contains an organized account of a topic, taking it from the basics up to a certain level. It can be studied as long as the student's level in the subject of the book is less than the level of the book. A tractatus contains an in-depth treatment of one aspect of the subject. A tractatus is useful to students at any level of ability, because you can never know everything about your subject.
| Summae | Source Quality and Level |
| Summa Gain Limit | Summa Level |
| Tractatus | Source Quality |
See Writing Books below, for the rules for calculating the Source Quality for a book. However, in most cases the quality, and level for a summa, will simply be noted as features of the book.
Books can be written about any Hermetic Art or any Ability, including Supernatural Abilities and Spell Mastery Abilities. A character can only study a Supernatural Ability from a book if he already has a score of at least one in that Ability.
Reading Summae
A student may continue to study a summa as long as his score in the Art or Ability that it concerns is lower than the level of the text. Thus, a summa may be studied for several seasons with profit.
Studying Tractatus
It takes one season to study a tractatus, and a given student may only study a given tractatus once, with benefit. A person gains nothing from studying a tractatus they wrote themselves.
Vis
Distractions
Books
Books are of great importance to the Order of Hermes, as they are almost always the best and fastest way for a magus to increase his power and improve his knowledge.
Standard Texts
For nine of the Arts, there is a basic text that, over time, has come to be accepted as the preferred primer for a magus seeking the competence necessary to train an apprentice. These texts, called the Roots of the Arts, are widely and cheaply available. A Redcap can arrange the delivery of any of these texts, for a very small consideration. These texts vary, but all have a Level of at least 7, and a Quality of at least 21. Each troupe should decide which Arts have Roots based on the needs of their saga.
In eight of the Arts, there are summae that are widely accepted as the finest works yet produced. These works, called the Branches of the Arts, can be purchased by young covenants from those with established libraries, but this is unusual. In the ritual of the Order it is accepted that these, purest, expressions of the Art should be given as gifts, because the information they contain is of such great value that they cannot be met in kind. It is, however, a delicate matter for a younger covenant to convince an older one to patronize them with such a valuable gift and, surreptitiously, they often offer payments and services in exchange for the gift of one of the summae.
Many magi seek to pen a standard text, but fail to produce a work that gains this highest level of acclaim. Many libraries contain these informative, but non-definitive, works. Some are excellent but lack the historical romance that has made foundational texts definitive in the minds of magi. Two Roots of the Arts have been superseded, each time by a magus of renown and intelligence. The Branches of the Arts have changed over time, as Hermetic magic gradually increases its reach. For example, the Branch of Terram in 1220 is De Lapii, by Jeremias filius Guernicus, a Summa on Terram, Level 17, Quality 14. Some of these titles hold such awe, however, that the works that replace them retain their titles and nominal authors.
There are no standard tractatus, but dedicated students of various subjects consider certain texts worthy of particular note. These books are far rarer than the Roots and Branches, but can be accessed in libraries that specialize in the book‘s theme.
Certain magi consider the root and branch symbolism employed in the advertising of standard texts to be a vestigial druidical practice, and they refer to the Foundations and Pillars of the Arts.
Writing Books
A character must have a score of at least five in an Art, or at least two in an Ability, before she can write a useful book. She must also have a score of at least five in the language she wants to write the book in.
Books may be written about any Ability, including the Mastery Ability of an individual spell. Learning from books about practical Abilities requires the reader to practice as well as read.
| Summa Source Quality | Author's Communication + 6 + bonus |
| Summa Gain Limit | Level of summa |
| Tractatus Source Quality | Author's Communication + 6 |
Summae
Each summa is described by two factors: its Level, which represents how much knowledge is contained in it, and its Quality, representing how well it is written.
When a summa is started, the Level of the finished book is determined. The Level may be chosen freely by the author, up to half of her score in the appropriate Art or Ability. The quality of the summa is equal to the author's Communication + 6.
If the author chooses to set the Level of the summa below half her score, there is a bonus to the Quality. For an Art, the bonus is one point for every Level by which the summa is dropped. For an Ability, the bonus is three points for every Level. This bonus cannot exceed the base Quality of the summa, so the final Quality cannot be more than twice the sum of the author's Communication + bonuses from Virtues + 6.
Once the level is determined, writing commences. For every season spent writing, the character accumulates a number of points equal to his Communication + Language. When the total of points equals or exceeds the Level of the summa, for Arts, or five times the Level of the summa, for Abilities, the summa is complete. The Level of the book may not be changed midway through the writing (if the character improves the Art or Ability, for example). Once begun, the book must be finished at the initial Level or not finished at all.
For example, Quintus, who has a score of 24 in Ignem, a Communication of –1 and a Language of 5, wants to write an Ignem summa. He decides that the Level of the summa will be 12, the maximum that he can select. During the first season of writing he accumulates 4 points (his Communication + Language). He accumulates another 4 in the second season, taking him to 8, and 4 more in the third, for a total of 12. This equals the Level, so the book is completed at the end of the third season. The Quality of the summa is 5. If he had chosen to write a summa at Level 6, it would have taken him 2 seasons, and the Quality of the summa would have been 10, because the bonus from dropping the Level by six points is capped at 5 by the base Quality of the book.
Tractatus
It takes one season to write a tractatus. The Quality of a tractatus is equal to the author's Communication + 6.
A character may only write a total number of tractatus equal to half her score in an Ability or one fifth of her score in an Art, rounded up in both cases.
Copying Books
A character may copy books carefully or quickly. Copying a tractatus carefully takes one season. Every season that a character spends copying a summa carefully, she accumulates points equal to 6 + her Profession: Scribe score. When she has accumulated points equal to the level of an Art summa, or five times the level of an Ability summa, it has been copied. A careful copy has the same quality as the original book.
A character may copy books quickly at three times the rate. That is, she may make three copies of a tractatus (or one copy of each of three tractatus, and so on) in a season, or she gains 18 + 3 times her Profession: Scribe score points towards copying a summa. Books copied quickly have a quality one lower than the book copied.
| Copying Carefully | 1 tractatus per season, or 6 + Profession (Scribe) points towards a summa. |
| Copying Quickly | Three times as fast as careful copying, copy Source Quality is 1 lower than copied book. |
Corrupted Copies
Books copied by people lacking particular skills become corrupted. In the simplest case, the scribe omits small marks that are a vital part of the meaning because he thinks they are merely ink blots. In more complex cases, he 'corrects' parts of the text, creating gibberish. A corrupted text is useless.
A character must be able to read and write the language in which the book is written to copy it without corrupting it. However, a score of 3 in the language is sufficient to allow accurate copying.
A character must have a score of at least 1 in the relevant Realm Lore, or the appropriate Ability, to copy a text about a Supernatural Ability without corrupting it.
A character must have a score of at least 1 in Magic Theory in order to copy a book about the Hermetic Arts or Parma Magica without corrupting it. Scores in the Ability in question are no substitute in this case.
Acquisition
The Order of Hermes supports a vibrant book trade with two main branches: sale of finished books, and scribal hospitality. Sale of books occurs through the Redcap system, supplemented by exchanges that occur at Tribunal meetings. The use of magic to support the Redcap network is considered more fully in Houses of Hermes: True Lineages. Scribal hospitality occurs when a magus is allowed to copy from the library of a covenant to which he does not belong. Hospitality is usually offered in exchange for a payment or service.
Hermetic Books: Definition of Categories of Value
It is, theoretically, possible for a peerlessly capable Hermetic teacher, writing in the best of circumstances, to create a summa with a Quality score of approximately (41 – Level). In the history of the Order, this has never happened, but it might during your saga.
A very few summae, those most prized in the Order, are those that have been created by exceptionally powerful magi, with excellent Reputations, later in life. These books can have a Quality of (35 – level), particularly when techniques described in Covenants are used to enhance a particular copy.
Most of the summae traded within the Order are written by specialists in an Art, with no particular skill in teaching. These summae have a Quality somewhere between (31 – Level) and (28 – Level).
A few books are written by magi with weaker skills than these authors. These books are called "vain summae", because immodest people do not understand why their book, poor and weak as it is, should not sit alongside better work. These Summae have a Quality of (25 – Level) or below.
Discarded summae are usually damaged versions of the books above. They are stripped of their resonant materials before sale and usually have a Quality of between (18 – Level) and (15 – Level).
A tractatus written by a legendary teacher could, theoretically, have a Quality of around 17, but generally an excellent tractatus will have a Quality of around 14, a sound tractatus approximately 11, and a vain tractatus around 6. Damaged tractatus may have Quality scores as low as 1.
The Sale of Hermetic Books
Many Hermetic books are sold through exchanges of letters, carried by Redcaps. Some Redcaps provide ancillary services to the book trade. Some assess goods for sale on behalf of distant clients, or act as neutral parties between a pair of interested vendors. A few act as procurers, finding desired materials for a small fee. House Mercere’s covenants also sometimes act as scribal centers. There are four main methods of postal sale.
Sale by public offer occurs when covenants make known the catalog of books they have available, and invite buyers. Public offers often persist over lengthy periods. Some covenants, for example, provide their sodales with a list at each Tribunal meeting. Some public offers specify the price the seller requires, others invite negotiation.
Sale by tender occurs when a covenant circulates the desire to possess a certain work, or books of a particular type, and invites contact by potential suppliers. These offers are usually accompanied by an indication of the price the covenant would consider fair, but it is not unusual for a potential seller to contact the tendering covenant and suggest an alternative method of payment. Negotiation for sales by tender can be complex and protracted. It is common for several covenants to answer each call, and the tendering covenant may hold a glacial auction by mail, pressuring the sellers to reduce their price. Covenants who do not wish to advertise their requirements can usually hire a Redcap to discreetly ask nearby covenants if they have a suitable book available.
Sale by exchange occurs when a covenant advertises that it wishes to trade one class of text for a second class of text. This sort of barter can lead to extended negotiations, on delivery dates and confirmation of the quality of the copies to be traded by a third party trusted by both vendors. Even the choice of quality assessor is often a matter of haggling.
Sale by subscription occurs when a magus announces his intention to create a spell or device and invites magi to pay, in advance, for access to a Lab Text when it becomes available. Some magi seeking subscriptions offer a flat price for example, a pawn of vis per subscriber. Other magi, performing more difficult and expensive research, sometimes encourage the formation of purchasing consortia by offering proportional payments. For example, a magus might agree to release his new Ritual in exchange for twenty-five pawns of vis. Covenants spread across Europe may form a buying cartel, splitting the costs in various ways. These consortia are maintained by side agreements. For example a vis rich covenant may pay a large proportion of the price, in exchange for a series of political concessions, acts of assistance with vexing problems, and payments in kind. This allows poor, Spring covenants to join purchasing consortia.
Books are often sold at Tribunal. Many of these sales are pre-arranged, by the methods that are described above, and completed at the Tribunal meeting, when each party has the opportunity to inspect the goods of their correspondent. Other covenants bring surplus copies to sell to whoever desires to buy. Many covenants, not wanting the possible expense of unsold stock, create exemplars and take orders during tribunal for later delivery. These books are prepared to a series of informal standards, with the finer books, intended to be used for study, commanding higher prices than those intended as originals, from which working copies are to be made.
Prices for Books
Many Hermetic books are sold under a condition called the Cow and Calf Oath. This refers to a ruling from the Hibernia Tribunal that has not been ratified by the Grand Tribunal. It is an agreement that the purchaser of the book will not sell, or freely give, copies without the seller's permission. Some magi approve of the Cow and Calf Oath, while others despise it. The prices given below, aside from that for mundane books, assume the characters have sworn the Oath. Prices may be far higher for books that will rival their parents, and reduce the income of the original covenant.
Mundane Books
The mundane book market is a cash market. Any magus with a spare pound can obtain any standard text from a stationer in a large city. Less common books still cost a pound, but it takes season for the stationer to arrange for a copy to be produced and delivered. Cheaper versions, unbound and written on paper, are also available, for half a pound. Commissioning books takes longer for covenants remarkably distant from civilization, or poorly served by the Redcaps.
Books Concerning the Arts and Arcane Abilities
The Hermetic book trade is essentially a barter market. Most covenants can create so much mortal money that it isn't valuable enough for them to use as a medium of exchange for rare items. This makes pricing books an art, subject to a lot of haggling. The value of the book for sale, and of the things that might be traded for it, can be disturbed by events. A second magus might offer a similar book at any time, lowering the first book's value. A covenant might decide it has too much vis for one Art, and seek to trade it for others. This lowers the value of all vis of that Art, which would make a book's seller ask for more.
Least Expensive Books
The cheapest books available are damaged and discarded surplus books from major libraries. Inexpensive Hermetic books are not systematically produced for sale. Any established covenant could theoretically make them, but no established covenant needs them. There are few buyers for cheap books, and no covenant wastes the effort of creating a book on something that might not sell for years. Characters wanting damaged and discarded books can often arrange for them to be added to other trades as sweeteners. A covenant wanting to purchase damaged summae with vis can usually find a seller for about a pawn of vis per book, but could arrange other services instead. It is unusual for a seller to have a pile of damaged tractatus to sell for a pawn of vis, but after a library flood or some similar calamity, a buyer might get somewhere between three and nine to the pawn, depending on the degree of damage.
Vain Books
Books of the second-lowest level of Quality exist because their authors chose to publish them, despite their comparative lack of worth. Such authors are usually proud of their books, and some give them as gifts to their friends and allies. Characters can usually purchase vain summae for half their level in pawns of vis, less if the author is particularly susceptible to flattery. Vain tractatus cost about a pawn each.
Characters attempting to acquire a vanity book from someone other than its author often find that they must pay for it as if it were sound. The amount of labor and material involved in copying a book does not change simply because the buyer insists on a poor title, and the time taken to copy the poor book could instead be used to copy a good one for another buyer.
Sound Books
Books of the level of Quality that make up most Hermetic libraries are the most difficult to price. There are many possible sellers, so buyers have some opportunity to compare prices and force competition. Generally, the lowest prices can be found at covenants that have staff permanently copying books. These charge a number of pawns of vis equal to the book's level, if the purchaser is willing to wait a season for the copy to be produced. A surcharge of up to 20% is added if there is a spare copy available for the impatient. Sound tractatus cost around 2 pawns to order, or 3 for the impatient, but trade of equivalent, sound tractus remains very common.
Excellent Books
Most books of the highest Quality cannot be purchased. Covenants receive them as gifts in exchange for exceptional service, and on the condition that the book will never be copied without the permission of the originating covenant, or magus. The Cow and Calf Oath limits the distribution of some material, but is difficult to enforce.
House Bonisagus does allow magi to copy books of exceptional Quality, as part of its members' obligation under the Oath of Hermes. Durenmar does not sell copies of these texts, but does limit copying to one magus at a time, selected by the Primus's representative. Durenmar uses a version of the Cow and Calf Oath to insist that copies of these finest works not be sold, because it is an insult to the authors of the book to value their work against mundane possessions. They may only be given, and with ceremony. There is little the Bonisagus magi can do to prevent the gift being a reciprocation, beyond social pressure.
House Tremere is eager to sell, or buy, copies of excellent books. A difficulty is that Coeris is an extraordinarily rich covenant, so simple offers of vis do not interest the Prima. In the past, she has accepted transfer of ownership over valuable vis sources in exchange for books. House Tremere takes the Cow and Calf Oath very seriously and sometimes champions it at the request of others.
Learning Supernatural Abilities
Training Creatures
Changing Reputations
Mystery Initiation
The process of Initiation into a Mystery is given a full treatment in The Mysteries Revised Edition, but a summary of the mechanics is provided here.
All of the Exoteric (that is, House) Mysteries are governed by a separate (House) Lore; thus there is a House Bjornaer Lore, a House Criamon Lore, a House Merinita Lore and a House Verditius Lore. Initiates who have not been apprenticed to a member of the House need at least (House) Lore 1; the Mystagogue for any Initiate must also know the same Lore, but generally needs a high level if the Initiation is to succeed. To grant the Initiate a new mystery Virtue, the Mystagogue generates an Initiation Total, which determines the success or failure of the Initiation:
| Initiation Total | Presence + (House) Lore + Script bonus |
Note that the Initiation Total is based on the scores of the Mystagogue. There is no die roll; if the total is higher than the required target level the Initiation succeeds. Initiation Scripts and their bonuses are described below, and examples are given in the Hermetic Magic chapter. The target for this total is the Initiation Target Level, which depends on the kind of Virtue to be initiated, Major or Minor:
| Initiate a Minor Virtue known by the Mystagogue | Ease factor 15 |
| Initiate a Major Virtue known by the Mystagogue | Ease factor 21 |
The Target Level is increased in the unlikely event that the Mystagogue does not know the Initiated Virtue. This is most often the case in the event of a maga who decides to try to Initiate herself in a Mystery Virtue without a Mystagogue, in which case the Initiate acts as her own Mystagogue and uses her own scores in the Initiation Total.
| Initiate a Minor Virtue not known by the Mystagogue | Ease factor 18 |
| Initiate a Major Virtue not known by the Mystagogue | Ease factor 30 |
In addition, if the Initiate underwent a previous Ordeal (gained a Flaw, lost a Virtue, or increased a Flaw from Minor to Major) for a previous Initiation, reduce the Target Level as follows:
| First initiation after an Ordeal | After a minor Ordeal: Ease factor -3 After a medium Ordeal: Ease factor -6 After a major Ordeal: Ease factor -9 |
| Second initiation after an Ordeal | After a minor Ordeal: Ease factor -3 After a medium Ordeal: Ease factor -4 After a major Ordeal: Ease factor -6 |
| Third initiation after an Ordeal | After a minor Ordeal: Ease factor -1 After a medium Ordeal: Ease factor -2 After a major Ordeal: Ease factor -3 |
Only one past Ordeal counts towards a new Initiation, and there is a minimum Target Level of 9 no matter how great a reduction is applied.
If the Initiation Total equals or exceeds the Target Level, then the Initiation succeeds automatically. No die roll is made — it is required merely to be properly prepared, and skilled enough to succeed.
If the Mystagogue's Initiation Total does not exceed the Target Level, the Mystagogue may be able to vary and extend the Script, to make it more effective. If that is still not enough (for example, no Script exists) then the Mystagogue can experiment to attempt to discover a Script.
The Initiation Script
This is a written text (similar to a Lab Text) which describes a successful Initiation and the process followed: the chants and methods, the places and times, and any sacrifices made. If this Script is followed exactly, the Script grants its bonus to the Initiation Total. Scripts usually detail the price of Initiation, which may take the form of an Initiation Ordeal (the acquisition of a Major or Minor Flaw, loss of a Major or Minor Virtue, or increasing a Minor Flaw to Major level), an Initiation Quest (a lengthy journey combined with a series of challenges), and/or an Initiation Sacrifice (of time, wealth, knowledge or power). The Scripts detailed in the Hermetic Magic chapter give the bonus contributed to the Initiation Total from each component of the Initiation Script involved. More details about Initiation Scripts can be found in The Mysteries Revised Edition, Chapter 2: Entering the Mysteries. That chapter includes details of the hazardous process of creating a new Script.
Example Elements of an Initiation Script
The Mysteries Revised Edition has many examples of different Script Bonuses, but the ones below are most commonly employed. See the following chapters for the bonuses of other Script elements:
| Script Bonus | Example script elements |
|---|---|
| +3 | Initiate has to be at a special place at a special time for the Initiation |
| +3 | Initiate has to complete a specific Quest |
| +1 | Initiate sacrifices time — serving another in the cult (one bonus only) |
| +1 | Initiate sacrifices material goods or wealth (this must entail real personal loss) |
| +3 to +6 | Initiate sacrifices something of great and symbolic value (familiar, talisman, powerful invested device) |
| +3 | the Initiate suffers an Ordeal inflicting a Minor Flaw or removing a Minor Virtue |
| +6 | the Initiate suffers an Ordeal increasing a Minor Flaw to Major level |
| +9 | the Initiate suffers an Ordeal inflicting a Major Flaw or removing a Major Virtue |
Varying a Script
It may be necessary for a Mystagogue to modify an Initiation Script; for example, to add additional elements to it to make a difficult Initiation possible for an inexperienced Mystagogue.
To vary the Script, the Mystagogue makes a test of
| Stress Die + Intelligence + (House) Lore vs. Ease Factor |
The Ease Factor is 9 to extend the Script by adding a new component, such as an additional Quest. A magus with lower Presence or (House) Lore will often try to extend a Script he has acquired.
The Ease Factor is 12 to make a change to a component, such as varying the place, the time, or the subject of a Quest. It is not possible to change which Virtue the Script Initiates; that requires a new Script.
The Mystagogue may only attempt one change in a given Initiation. If the test fails, the Initiation would fail (and the Mystagogue will know this), but the original Script (or a different variation) may be attempted in another Season. If the variation test roll succeeds, the modified Script is used as above to generate the Initiation Total, and if this equals or exceeds the Initiation Target level, the Initiation succeeds with no further rolls.
If a single change is not enough to make this Script work, then either a different Script is needed, or the Mystagogue must study more Cult Lore, or experiment.
Warping
Warping is the side effect of living in a strong supernatural aura, or being subject to supernatural effects over a long period of time. Every character has a Warping Score, which is increased like an Ability, but by Warping Points rather than experience points. To increase the Warping Score by one point, a character needs five times the new score extra Warping Points. Thus, to increase from a Warping Score of 2 to one of 3, a character must gain 15 Warping Points.
Warping Points can be gained from exposure to any of the supernatural realms, Divine, Faerie, Infernal, or Magic. The points are not distinguished based on their source.
| Warping Score | Warping Points to reach | Warping Points to increase to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 5 |
| 2 | 15 | 10 |
| 3 | 30 | 15 |
| 4 | 50 | 20 |
| 5 | 75 | 25 |
| and so on... |
Gaining Warping Points
There are four main sources of Warping Points:
- Living in a strong (6 or higher) supernatural aura.
- Being affected by a powerful supernatural effect, unless you created the effect, or it was designed especially for you.
- Being continuously under the influence of a supernatural effect, whether powerful or not.
- Botching a roll to use a supernatural ability.
Note that these are separate sources of Warping Points. Thus, if a magus designs a powerful supernatural effect, such as a Longevity Ritual, for himself, he doesn't gain Warping Points for being under a powerful supernatural effect, but he does gain them from being under a continuous supernatural effect.
All sources of Warping Points stack. A character continuously affected by a strong supernatural effect that wasn't designed for him and that he didn't cast gains Warping Points both from being affected by a strong supernatural effect, and for being continuously under the influence of a supernatural effect.
Warping and Non-Humans
Other mundane creatures and things are also warped by mystical effects. However, keeping track of the Warping Scores of every table in the covenant is unlikely to be fun. Instead, the storyguide should just describe interesting effects, as required. The rules for humans give an idea as to when the effects should be visible, and as to how serious they should be. Creatures with a Might score are absolutely immune to warping. They are already fully part of one of the supernatural realms.
Living in Strong Auras
Auras of over five points have an effect on anyone living within them, reflected in gaining Warping Points. The number of points gained depends on the strength of the aura and the length of time spent there.
A character is "always within" an aura if she lives, works, and sleeps there. Occasional visits outside the aura do not matter. "Half time within" applies to someone who sleeps in the aura but works elsewhere, or vice-versa. It also covers someone who spends two weeks constantly in an aura, and two weeks outside. "Frequent visits" means that the character spends about a quarter of her time in the aura.
This time refers to the total length of time spent in an aura, even if there are several different auras involved. Time spent in higher auras may be treated as time in a lower aura if this increases the number of Warping Points gained. For example, a character who spends half her time in a level 6 aura, with frequent visits to level 7 and 8 auras, should gain one Warping Point per year, because she is always in an aura of at least level 6.
| Aura Strength | Always within | Half time within | Frequent visits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1/year | None | None |
| 7 | 1/year | 1 per 2 years | None |
| 8 | 2/year | 1/year | None |
| 9 | 1/season | 2/year | 1/year |
| 10 | 1/month | 1/season | 2/yer |
Characters with supernatural abilities arising from the same realm as the aura (for example, Hermetic magi in a Magical aura) do not gain Warping Points from living in the aura. They may gain them from other sources.
Powerful Supernatural Effects
Anyone subjected to a powerful supernatural effect gains a Warping Point, unless they themselves were responsible for the effect or it was specifically and carefully designed to work on them. 'Powerful effect' is subjective, but any Hermetic spell of sixth magnitude or higher counts. Designing an effect for a particular target requires, in Hermetic terms, that a special version of a Formulaic spell be invented. The spell has its effect on anyone, but only the designated target, and the caster, do not suffer Warping unless the effect is also continuous. Hermetic Longevity Rituals are always designed for a specific target. If the effect is continuous, a Warping Point is gained when it begins and every season thereafter. Ritual effects with Momentary duration are not continuous, but do grant a Warping Point when first applied if they are neither cast by the target nor specifically designed for the target.
Constant Supernatural Effects
A character who is constantly under the influence of one or more active supernatural effects gains one Warping Point per year for each effect. The strength of the effect is irrelevant, as is the caster, and whether or not the effect was designed specifically for a certain person.
A character is only under the influence of an effect if she is affected directly and personally. Thus, a character enchanted to fly at all times is under the influence of an effect, but a character living in a flying castle need not be; the castle is directly affected by the magic.
Wards are active mystical effects as long as they are protecting someone. Two notable exceptions are Parma Magica and the Aegis of the Hearth, which are based on the same breakthrough by Bonisagus.
Effects with Momentary duration are not continuing effects. A Hermetic Longevity Ritual is, and thus grants one Warping Point per year as a continuing supernatural effect even though it does not grant any Warping Points as a powerful supernatural effect. The binding between a Hermetic magus and his familiar or Talisman does not grant Warping Points, nor do any powers enchanted into the bond.
An effect which is active for half the time counts as constant for these purposes. Less than that, and it does not. Further, it also counts if the character is under the influence of some supernatural effect or other for half the time, even if the particular supernatural effect changes. A character under the effect of a different Sun Duration spell from sunrise to sunset every day for a year would gain a Warping Point.
A powerful, continuous effect that is not specifically designed for an individual grants one Warping Point when first applied, and five every year thereafter: one because it is a continuous supernatural effect and one per season (four total) because it is a continuous powerful supernatural effect.
| Type of effect | Designed for/cast by subject | Not designed for or cast by subject |
|---|---|---|
| Brief Effect, Low Power | 0 | 0 |
| Brief Effect, High Power | 0 | 1 |
| Constant Effect, Low Power | 1/year | 1/year |
| Constant Effect, High Power | 1/year | 1 when cast, + 1/year + 1/season |
Supernatural Botches
When a character botches the roll to invoke a supernatural effect (for example, a Hermetic spell or a Supernatural Ability), she gains one Warping Point for every zero on the botch dice.
Effects of Warping
The effects of warping depend on a character's Warping Score, the nature of the character, and the source of the warping.
Hermetic magi are made more prone to Wizard's Twilight by their Warping Score. This replaces the normal effects.
Mundane characters gain a Minor Flaw when they reach a Warping Score of one. Note that most inhabitants of Mythic Europe have no Warping Points at all, because they live in a low aura and have never been the subject of a supernatural effect. Even those who have been affected by a powerful supernatural effect once only have one Warping Point, not enough for a Minor Flaw.
This Minor Flaw should reflect the predominant source of the Warping Points. If they are mainly due to an aura, the Minor Flaw will reflect the aura, and most characters will get the same Minor Flaw. If they are mainly due to magical effects, they will reflect the effect. For example, a character who has been repeatedly healed with powerful magic might gain a stigmatic wound, which neither hurts nor causes damage, but looks and feels real.
When the Warping Score reaches 3, the character gains a second Minor Flaw.
At a Warping Score of 5, the character gains a supernatural Minor Virtue attuned to the primary source of Warping Points. This stops any further gain of points from living in a strong aura of the same type as the Minor Virtue.
At a Warping Score of 6, and every point thereafter, the character gains a Major Flaw appropriate to the main sources of the warping.
Attribution
Content originally published in Ars Magica: Definitive Edition, ©2024, licensed by Trident, Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games®, under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license 4.0 ("CC-BY-SA 4.0)