Yair
Community Supporter
It seems fine, really, for a +2 virtue. Keep in mind that affinities are not cumulative, however - only the highest of this affinity or Faerie Magic will apply to faerie magic spells.Maerdwyn said:
I objected to it being used *as* Faerie Magic, as a seperate affinity complementing faerie magic it's fine. I think.
It is a rather serious limitation - magical and faerie auras can be large, but are ultimately limited. Most of the land has no aura, and any Christian settlement of significant size will have a Dominion aura. At any rate, the virtue's cost is misleading as the character is not intended to actually take it at character creation - see below.
I really should have explained the Mysteries to you before letting you read the article, I'm sorry. The main idea of the Mysteries is that there are some Outer Mysteries you can begin the game with (like Faerie Magic), but that there are deeper, secret, inner mysteries that you can acquire during the game through ordeals (that's the "preferred ordeals" part of the Mystae description).
A typical starting character of one of the suggested mystae will know Faerie Magic, but not the other virtues. As he impresses the more experienced memebers of his mystae he will be initiated into greater mysteries via the ordeals.
In principle the "virtues taught" list is supposed to be exhaustive and represent a high-ranking member's stock virtues, but there is nothing preventing you from learning a mystery ("virtue") from another source (a legendary Merinitia "hermit" that you met, a faerie queen, a member of another mystae, an ancient text, a demon, or whatever), or maybe one of the mystae learned it in this manner and can teach you. In short, it is best to leave the exact inner mysteries of the mystae mysterious
It will be present if we want it to. If it suits you to be a member of this Mystae as a starting character, you can start as one. Just pick the FM virtue at character creation, have your parens be a member of the mystae, and you are set. Or, you can discover the mystae as part of the saga - personally, I would go with this as I think it is more interesting, but it's up to you.
The inner mysteries are intended to be acquired during the game. As a typical beginning magus, you are expected to have only Faerie Magic (the outer mystery), though you may choose a few inner mysteries (perhaps Affnity with Faerie) to represent a more respected and experienced member of the mystae. You are too young and weak to be privy to the deeper secrets of the mystae.
You should balance mysteries you take at character creation with other virtues. Virtues gained through initiation ordeals during the saga need not be accounted for (although they may come at a cost, depending on the ordeals - such as "wasted' seasons and vis, temporary twilight, and so on).
BTW, as I understand the rules *any* character can effectively gain or lose virtues or flaws as part of the saga. The mechanism of initiation ordeals is merely a structured way to do so. Surely a character can become an Heir, or Lame, or gain Twilight Points, and so on - V&F gain and loss is a delicate thing, but it is certainly possible.
Rereading hte article, it seems it doesn't really say what the new categories are. Here are the missing pieces, roughly:
Bargain:This is a qualifier that can be added to a spell. Bargain spells can only be cast on someone who just completed a bargain with the caster, but the caster's penetration is doubled. The spell has no effect unless the target breaks the bargain, at which point it takes affect normally (without another magic resistance check). To determine the level of the spell, add three magnitudes to what it would be without the Bargain qualifier.
Fire:A special duration available for Ignem spells, equivalent to Ring in terms of spell design. The spell lasts until the original fire targeted is extinhguished. [I personally think this duration should be moved to a side-benefit of belonging to House Flambeau, but hey.]
Until (Condition):This special duration is equivalent to Permanent in terms of spell design. The spell lasts until some condition is met (the name of God is invoked, some item is touched with iron, or so on). The condition must be set at the spell's creation, and may be determined by the caster's sigil. Formulaic spells cannot dispell an Until (Condition) spell (except by fulfilling the condition).
Year +1:This duration is equivalent to a Year duration in terms of spell design. The spell lasts for a "year and a day", "1001 days", "100 years and a day" [ehhh, NOT!], or a similar duration. Note that this is measured from the time of casting, not by the passing of the seasons (as per the Hermetic Year duration).
Bloodline:This target category is equivalent to Structure in terms of spell design. The spell must be cast at an Individual, but affects all his descendants (regardless of their location), even those not yet born.
Last, I want to mention that issue 7 has a follow-up article, More Merinitia Mysteries, if you are interested.
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Any idea when AM5 is coming out? I'd probably just spring for the WGRE myself, but figured it would be republished as one of the first books for 5th edition.
