Virtues and Flaws

Virtues and Flaws are special attributes possessed by Ars Magica characters. Virtues are beneficial (but may include some drawbacks) and Flaws are detrimental (but may include some advantages).

Each Virtue or Flaw has a cost, with Virtues having a positive cost and Flaws having a negative cost. Each Ars Magica character type has an allowance stating how many Virtues the character can have; the exact allowance varies depending on character type (and edition of the rules).

In the Fifth Edition

There is some variation on available Virtues and Flaws between editions, most noticeably in that True Reason only exists in the Third Edition.

The Third and Fourth Editions had a fairly complex list of Virtues and Flaws, many of them with variable costs. The Fifth Edition opted for a generally well-received change that made it so that Virtues and Flaws are always either Minor (worth one point) or Major (worth three points).

Balancing Virtues and Flaws

In most cases, the total cost of a characters' Virtues and Flaws must add to zero; Virtues have to be paid for by choosing an equivalent value of Flaws. There are some exceptions. For instance, in ArM5, all magi get a "free" Minor Virtue from their Houses.

After balancing Virtues and Flaws, the total cost of the character's Virtues must be within the allowance for his character type.

Types of Virtues and Flaws

ArM5 categorizes Virtues and Flaws as follows:

General Virtues and Flaws
Hermetic Virtues and Flaws
Heroic Virtues and Flaws
Supernatural Virtues and Flaws
Personality Flaws
Story Flaws

Acquiring Virtues and Flaws In-Play

Most characters will probably retain the virtues and flaws they had at Character Generation throughout the game. There are, however, many ways for their virtues and flaws to change in-game.

Mystery Cults

This is probably the dominant way to acquire new Virtues for (magus) player characters.

The character joins a mystery cult and gets initiated into its mysteries. Each mystery is a Virtue, and often a Flaw is acquired as part of the initiation. This is described in core rules book in Chapter Ten: Long-term Events, and more extensively in The Mysteries Revised Edition.

(Nature) Path

The Guardians of the Forests book introduced the possibility of Walking the Paths through the Forest. Each path begins with acquiring a score in Forest Lore, indicating a deep understanding of the nature of a supernatural forest. He must then commune with the forest spirit and strike a pact with it. He will make a Sacrifice (acquiring a Flaw), undertake a Quest (perform a service), and receive a Fruit (Virtue).

Each forest path offers its own Sacrifice, Quest, and Fruit, and the example paths include two such triplets. Note that while some forest paths may only be walked by magi, mundanes and even the unGifted may walk some paths. Some paths may be tied to a particular forest spirit, but many are not and may be walked in many forests.

Fruits are not a manifestation of the Grant Virtue power, and so may possibly be granted by any forest spirit.

Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults later expanded on the idea of Forest Lore, expanding the concept into other (Nature) Lore abilities such as Animal Lore, Mountain Lore, and so on. These abiltiies allow one to "walk the path" just like the original Forest Lore ability.

Integration and Original Research

Magi can gain new virtues by integration hedge magic, ancient magic, or rival magic, or by conducting original research. These methods are explained in Ars Magica Definitive Edition, Chapter Eight: Laboratory. See also Hedge Magic Revised Edition, Ancient Magic, Rival Magic, and Houses of Hermes: True Lineages.

Mighty Beings

Creatures of Might may have a Grant (Virtue) power.

As described in Realms of Power: Magic, a Magical being may have the power to grant a particular Minor or Major Virtue or Flaw. This costs Might Score, as well as Might Points, so would be done sparingly. Daimons are especialy noted as often having a Grant (Virtue) power, as do spirits of places (genii loci).

Similarly, Realms of Power: Faerie allow beings of Faerie Might to grant a particular Minor or Major Virtue or Flaw.

While not explicitly pointed out, it makes sense demons can likewise grant virtues and flaws. Realms of Power: The Infernal says that demons, or anyone with the Corruption ability, can teach Corrupted abilities, arts, or spells, leading to mortals acquiring these Virtues.

Hedge Wizardry

Hedge traditions usually have a list of favored supernatural abilities or arts, that can be learned by members of the tradition. In addition, they often have initiation scripts that allow them to be initiated as Virtues much like mysteries of a Mystery Cult. Occasionally, they also hold initiation scripts for Virtues not associated with abilities, such as Magical Warder or Venus's Blessing.

Hermetic magic generally cannot give Virtues or Flaws. Hedge magic is not always limited in this way.

Hedge Magic Revised Edition says that the Gruagach art of Blessing can grant virtues, while Curse allows inflicting Flaws. Note that this type of magic is shared also by the Trollsnyr and Kolduni. Learned Magicians can grant virtues through Saccuro Fortunam and Succurro Magicam; this magic is shared also by Mythic Alchemists and Cunning-Folk.

Realms of Power: Faerie allows faerie hedge wizards to grant Virtues and Flaws through the use of the Grant Faerie Power. This is an ability used in conjunction with a Method much like a Form is used with a Technique. (The Grant Faerie Power is not to be confused with the Ritual Power of faeries to grant a virtue or flaw). Such spells can last a long time, effectively permanently granting a virtue to the recipient.

Realms of Power: The Infernal adds that Diablerie malificia, practiced by some diabolists, can grant virtues; Malediction malificia can grant Flaws. Some virtues may also be gained by the use of the Goetic Art of Ablation.

Enriched Things of Virtue

Realms of Power: Magic describes how one can enrich things, or animals, of virtue using Magic Lore. Those carrying such an item acquire a Virtue. This effect has a penentration of zero, so is rarely of use to magi.

The Magic Realm

As explained in Realms of Power: Magic, upon retunring from the Magic Realm travelers may acquire virtues, and possibly also flaws.

The Faerie Realm

Visiting the land of the Faerie Realm known as Eudoika may result in gaining virtues or flaws, as discussed in Realms of Power: Faerie.

Disease

In the core rules, disease causes wounds that are treated with Medicine rather than Chirurgy (see Chapter Eleven: Obstacles, Debilitation).

Under Art & Academe rules, however, some diseases inflict Flaws instead of (or in addition to) disease penalties. In most cases these flaws are temporary, and disappear if and when the character recovers from the disease. In some cases, however, these flaws can be made permanent. For example, a failure to cure Suffusio will result in permanent blindness.

Wounds ?

Art & Academe suggests, as an optional rule, that Incapacitating wounds may lead to Minor Flaws. See Art & Academe, Chapter Four, Lasting Consquequences of Serious Damage.

Furthermore, when a Wound Recovery roll fails, Art & Academe offers the option of performing a major surgery. This can stabilize the wound, preventing its worsening, but can result in permanent Flaws.

Warping

Mundane characters gain Flaws or Virtues as a result of Warping. As discussed in Ars Magica Definitive Edition, Chapter Ten: Long-Term Events, they suffer a Minor Flaw when they reaching a Warping score of 1, another Minor Flaw at Warping score 3, a Minor Virtue at Warping score 5, and a Major Flaw at Warping score 6.

Certain responses to warping by supernatural traditions also include the possibility of gaining virtues or flaws. This incldues the Witch's Moon of Folk Witches as described in Hedge Magic Revised Edition.

Aging

Aging can result in the reduction of Characteristics, increase in Decrepitude, or an Aging Crisis. The latter can cause temporary illness, but not Flaws.

Art & Academe, however, mentions the aging can cause Flaws. No mechanism for this is provided, however Art & Academe suggests that "an illness result on the Crisis roll (ArM5, page 170) may be represented by a disease instead". Presumably these age-related diseases can leave one with Flaws even if cured (i.e. if the crisis is resolved so that the person does not die), as per Disease above.

Storyguide Fiat

In addition, some storyguides allow characters to acquire or lose Virtues and Flaws over the course of the Saga by fiat; for example, a character might acquire a new Enemy, or defeat an Enemy she had at the start of play. This makes sense from a character-development point of view, but there are no formal rules for doing so. Some storygiudes dislike changing characters' Virtues and Flaws over time, and others allow it occasionally but insist that overall Virtues and Flaws remain balanced (that is, any new Virtues are offset by new Flaws, or any Flaws lost are replaced by new Flaws of equivalent cost).

Some storyguides allow characters to acquire or lose Virtues and Flaws over the course of the Saga; for example, a character might acquire a new Enemy, or defeat an Enemy she had at the start of play. This makes sense from a character-development point of view, but there are no formal rules for doing it. Some storygiudes dislike changing characters' Virtues and Flaws over time, and other allow it occasionally but insist that overall Virtues and Flaws remain balanced (that is, any new Virtues are offset by new Flaws, or any Flaws lost are replaced by new Flaws of equivalent cost).

References

ArM5 28-30 and 36-40
Virtues and Flaws Index, courtesy of Atlas Games and Erik Dahl
Fifth Edition Design Notes on Character Creation

Legacy Page

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