Verditius Magic
Verditius Magic sets the magi of House Verditius apart from their brethern in the Order. It greatly enahances their ability to enchant items, but also limits their ability to cast Formulaic spells by requiring the use of casting tools. The term generally refers to the Outer Mystery of the House, but also includes the Inner Mysteries as well.
Verditius Magic in Fifth Edition
Verditius Magic is gained as the Free Virtue of House Verditius in character generation. As such, it is a Minor Hermetic Virtue, and is shared by all Verditius magi, who are initiated into the House's Mystery Cult and its Outer Mystery in the earliest stages of their apprenticeship (see HoHMC 117-118). While it possible for a magus of another House to adopt the Mystery and become a Verditius, this is especially difficult and dangerous (see HoHMC 119). It is virtually nonexistant outside the House, excepting perhaps some Orbi Magi.
Characteristics of the Outer Mystery
The Outer Mystery, as described in the core rule book provides a number of advantages with one telling disadvantage.
Advantages
A Verditius magus will typically specialize in a certain Craft Ability, and fashion all his enchanted devices from raw materials using it. This allows him to take full advantage of this Mystery: the high Craft Ability both increases all relevant Lab totals and lowers the Raw Vis cost of opening the item for enchantment.
Since the use of Verditius Runes is free, most Verditius magi have at least some modest score in philosophiae. This allows them to increase the Shape and Material Bonus to all the effects to be invested in the device. Since this is a generic bonus, not specific like the Shape and Material Bonus, a high Philosophiae score would allow the Verditius magus to forgo any use of Shape and Material sympathies in the item - however, this would require a Philosophiae score as high as the magus' Magic Theory (Ability) score, and this is a high expenditure of experience points. Most Verditius magi therefore only use Verditius Runes to slightly increase the Shape and Material Bonus when possible. Verditius Runes are most potent when used on an item that needs to support multiple types of enchantment (so that not all can be assisted by some appropriate Shape and Material design), or whose shape needs to be unrelated to its function. They are nearly useless for items that are easily fashioned, so that the small boost to the Lab Total is insignificant; but no Verditius that respects himself will be caught dead fashioning such items anyways.
A Verditius magus may prepare items for enchantment by other magi. This has the twin advantage of lowering the Raw Vis cost and of allowing the use of Verditius Runes.
Disadvantage
The Mystery does have the disadvantage of limitng its practioners, requiring Casting Tools to cast Formulaic spells. Although it isn't clearly written in the core ArM5 book, a different casting tool is required for each formulaic spell. For the most part, this is a cosmetic, flavor, requirement - the circumstances where a Verditius magus is deprived of his casting tools are rare. When this does happen, however, the effects can be dire. Note that both casting either spontaneous or ritual spells does not require casting tools.
Each Verditius' casting tools should be fashioned in a form that is appropriate to his nature. Give thought also to how the magus carries them around. Are they drawn from a pouch? Worn as jewelry? Hang from a key-chain?
Inner Mysteries
There are a number of Inner Mysteries that mechanically can be learned in any order, though individual Confranternities usually teach certain mysteries in a certain order. Fifth Edition introduced the Hubris trait that is unwittingly acquired the first time a magus is initiated into any one of the inner mysteries.
Bind Curse
A Major Inner Mystery within House Verditius. The legacy of Himnis the Mad, it is related to the Confraternity of his name. It allows binding curses into enchanted devices to strike the users of such devices. The curses do not have to strictly follow hermetic guidelines, particulary insofar as they can inflict curses that last longer than a year with only a momentary parameter on the duration with being a ritual effect. The mechanics and sample curses can be found in Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults, pages 131-134.
Bind Magical Creatures
This mystery allows the magus to drain a magical creature's magical power (might score) to either be used in place of vis for enchanting items or to bind one magical power the creature has to the magus' Gift, allowing the power as if it was a spell or power granted by Mythic Blood. Either process lowers the Might Score of the creature, but binding a power to a magus' Gift does not take the power away from the creature. Tierent of Verditius adapted the mystery to affect Faerie creatures in the 12th century. The mechanics of the mystery and a sample Mystery Script are described in pages 134-35 of Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults.
Enchant Casting Tools
A Minor Verditius House Mystery, allowing advantages in spell casting. The benefits, mechanics, and a sample Mystery Script are described in Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults, pages 123-124.
Item Attunement
A Major Inner Mystery of the Verditius, allowing the creation of powerful magic items not bound in their capacity by the Shape and Material limitations, and seen as 'precious' to their possessors. The mechanics and as well as the effects such items have on their owners and others, as well as a sample Mystery Script are included in Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults, page 135.
Items of Quality
A Minor Inner Mystery within House Verditius, described in HoHMC 124-125, allowing the Veriditius magus to create an Item of Quality as a Seasonal Activity. These items provide a way to utilize the Shape & Material bonuses towards some trade profession. Note that items of quality, according to House Verditius, count as Enchanted Devices for the purpose of magic item trade. The mechanics and a sample Mystery Script are included in Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults, pages 124-25.
Reforging Enchanted Items
While it is generally impossible to repair Hermetic magic items under current Hermetic theory, the Reforging Enchanted Items Inner Mystery of House Verditius allows one to do so. The mystery further allows for reforging (allowing to pack more into the device) and smelting (draining raw vis from magical items). The mechanics of this mystery, as well as a sample Mystery Script, are included in pages 125-27 of Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults.
Verditius Elder Runes
Incorporated from knowledge Verditius gained from Wayland Smith, Verditius Elder Runes can significantly increase the Verditius' Lab Total, acting much like a Magical Focus. The mechanics, as well as a sample Mystery Script, can be found in pages 128-29 of Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults.
References
Legacy Page
The history of the portion of this page dealing with the outer mysery before August 6, 2010 is archived at Legacy:verditius_magic. The history of the portion of this page dealing with the relevant inner mystery before August 6, 2010 is archived at Legacy:verditius_elder_runes.