Faq

Frequently-Asked Questions

These questions, and answers, come from the Ars Magica Fan Community. The answers are unofficial but represent the best judgment of a large body of experienced players.

General FAQ

What is Ars Magica?
What Products are available?
What ArM5 products are planned for the near future?
Which Ars Magica book(s) should I buy?
Is there a d20 conversion for Ars Magica?
How is Ars Magica related to the World of Darkness (also known as Storyteller) games?
Does Ars Magica have an active Fan Community?
What is the history of the Ars Magica game?

Fifth Edition FAQ

ArM5 Rules Questions

These are questions about the Rules. Newcomers may also find the introduction to Game Mechanics informative.

What are the differences between Fourth Edition and Fifth Edition?

Rules Status Questions

Are there Errata for Fifth Edition?
Can one of the authors or playtesters leak details of (upcoming product)?
I need an official ruling on (X)
Why has (rule X) been removed from Fifth Edition?
Why was (X) changed in (new edition / new product)?
Are the older Tribunal books still useful?
Will Atlas make available free downloads with conversion stats for older supplements to Fifth Edition?
Why do some of Ars Magica supplements have hard covers (and others have soft covers)?

Characters, Abilities, and Virtue and Flaw Questions

Why are something called "Body Levels" listed on the character sheet? What are they?
How does the Faerie Magic Ability (on the Merinita template, ArM5 page 27) work?
Are the Minor Story Flaws, like Blackmail and Animal Companion, really Flaws?
Do Virtues that affect the way a character gains experience points - Wealthy, Secondary Insight, Elementalist, and so on - affect starting experience points?
Does the Puissant Ability Virtue affect what the character can teach and write? Does Puissant Magic Theory let a character use more vis in the lab?
How exactly does the Fast Caster Virtue work?
What are the statistics for a shapeshifter (such as a Bjornaer magus or a character with the Shapeshifter Virtue) in beast form?
Has the social effect of the Gift changed in Fifth Edition?

Spellcasting Questions

Shouldn't there be a die roll for non-fatiguing spontaneous magic?
What is the fast-casting speed roll (p. 83) for?
Isn't there any way for a magus to create permanent magical effects?
Is temporary, magically-created food nourishing?
Can the damage from a Momentary Perdo effect be healed?
Can a Momentary Perdo spell permanently remove a natural property of something, for example, make an object permanently weightless?
What Form is electricity?

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Can a magus cast spells directly from a text?
How does Multiple Casting work?

Questions on Specific Spells

Is Incantation of Summoning the Dead really supposed to be a ritual spell?

Magic Resistance, Penetration, and Parma Magica Questions

Most of the following questions are addressed in detail in the (lengthy) article on Magic Resistance.

Magic Resistance Mechanics

Please explain in simple terms how Magic Resistance works.
Does Magic Resistance protect against the Divine?
Does Magic Resistance keep out helpful spells like healing spells?
Does Magic Resistance protect against the claws or teeth of a magical creature?
How would magic resistance affect a sword that's enhanced by a spell?
Does magic resistance keep out enchanted devices?
Since magic resistance keeps out magical things, doesn't it keep out illusions?
What is the " Pink Dot Loophole?" Is there a way to close it?

Penetration Mechanics

Do wards have to penetrate in order to keep out a creature with Magic Resistance?
Does Aegis of the Hearth have to penetrate in order to keep out a creature with Magic Resistance?

Magic Resistance: Design Questions

Why doesn't Magic Resistance just dispel magical effects?
Why can't non-Hermetic magicians (hedge wizards) have Magic Resistance similar to Parma Magica?

Laboratory Questions

Do lab helpers increase the amount of vis a magus can use in a season?
Where are the rules for learning spells from a text?
How are Verditius Runes supposed to work?

Books, Study, and Experience Questions

What is meant on p. 165 by " Summae: Source - Quality and Level?"

Combat Questions

Do Wound and Fatigue Penalty penalties apply to Soak#WoundPenalties totals?
Do Wound Penalties apply to Wound Recovery rolls?
Where are the rules for crossbows?
The rules in Covenants say it takes a very long time to reload a crossbow. Are those times realistic?
Why would anyone want to use a crossbow, when longbows are so much better?
Where can I find house rules for crossbows and/or longbows?
How does one calculate Attack and Defense for missile weapons?
What are the rules for movement in combat?
Where are the rules for making an all-out attack or defense?
Where are the rules for combat fatigue?
What are the rules for charging?
What happens to a character's Initiative Total if he changes weapons?
How does Initiative work for spellcasting?
Where can I find house rules for more combat options, variant weapon stats, and so on?

Mythic Europe Questions

What is the Medieval Paradigm?
What is this about Tremere and vampires?
How do I say (something) in Latin?
In Ars Magica, are the pagan gods Magical, Faerie, or what?
Can you recommend some good reading material that can inform or inspire my Ars Magica game?

Fan Community Questions

Can I write an entry for this FAQ?
How many people make up the Ars Magica community?
How can I find a troupe to join?
Can I write a supplement for Ars Magica?
Who is in charge of the Ars Magica product line?

Fourth Edition (and earlier editions) Questions

How does the Parma Magica work in Fourth Edition?
Is Perdo Imaginem too easy?
"How do I use Range, Duration, and Target?"
Can my wizard create ritual spell to lift an entire mountain five hundred feet into the air permanently? If so, what level would it be?
Can a magus create a golem and switch minds with it and thus escape old age?
Is ice part of Aquam, or what?
"Is combat busted?"
A sample combat

Legacy Page

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