Time for your regularly scheduled quarter of a decade Ars Magica thread. Do we still have AM players lurking around under the floorboards?Post your:>Favorite House>Most-used form and/or technique>Silliest formulaic spell>Highest you ever scored on a stress dieI've been enamored with this book since I learned about it and wanted to try it enough to attempt GMing for the first time. It's a daunting first time experience though, and none of my potential players have heard of it before (but are likewise very intrigued). I've heard fifth edition is a tough nut to crack, is there a decent adventure to try before jumping to making my own sandbox?
>>93399695Ars magica. More like ass ma nigga :D
It's all fun and games until the Quaesitores violate the NAP
>>93399695>Favorite HouseTytalus>Most-used form and/or techniqueRego>Silliest formulaic spellAnything lewd>Highest you ever scored on a stress dieOne of my players got into the 60s at one point.
>>93399695>Favorite HouseCriamon>Most-used form and/or techniqueRego>Silliest formulaic spellMuto Imaginem. Had a magus who used a pet spell to reflavor everything he ate to be bland, and had a spell that emblandened foods. Criamon beliefs. In theory it was because he was trying to be unattached to worldly tastes, in actuality it's because that magus had turbo autism and just wanted his food unsurprising.>Highest you ever scored on a stress dieI can't remember my most positive roll, but I personally botched the exorcism of a demonically possessed assassin in the vatican as a cardinal while wearing the papal signet ring. I would have had so fucking many bonuses to that, but I went and botched. Fucking ars magica, man.
>>93399695>Favorite HouseMerinita, the spell timing allows for some really interesting posibilities.>Most-used form and/or techniquePerdo terram. No matter what your character is supposed to do it Will at some point need to dig a hole, even if it is spontanious.>Silliest formulaic spellThe funk of forty thousand years RgCo 35 R: Voice, D: Performance, T: 100It lets you summon 100 shitty skeleton servants for as long as you can keep the dance going. It was for a meme character that visited the covenant for one season while my regular character healed from having his House cart land on him and breaking every bone in his body.>Highest you ever scored on a stress dieNo idea.
>>93401060>I can't remember my most positive roll, but I personally botched the exorcism of a demonically possessed assassin in the vatican as a cardinal while wearing the papal signet ring. I would have had so fucking many bonuses to that, but I went and botched. Fucking ars magica, man.Shiet, gonna need to hear the aftermath on that one AnonAlso I notice here and elsewhere Rego and Muto seem the most popular forms, I guess it's fun to work with what you've got
>>93401073This was a campaign set mostly on crusade in the holy land. I wanted to play a high-ranking clergyman as my nonmage, and the funniest option was>I came second in the race for the papacy>This made me too much of a political threat>In order to get rid of me "politely" I was given the "honor" of overseeing a crusade, to get me out of rome>I was also given some "aides" who were actually the difficult underlings flaw. One of them got me hooked on coca leaves.>On returning to the vatican later, we found the trail of diabolical foreigners trying to do evil things>The pope was found assassinated, a secret door leading to the catacombs where the assassin had struck from>Remembered to take the signet ring, which FYI grants FULL authority of the office, and all that entails.>With a crusader and a magus in tow, race into catacombs>The mage has one of those virtues that gives you always-on magical aura vision, and he's seen me before, but now he sees me rocking the full magical authority of the pope, Divine MR 20 and all, and he doesn't know how or why.>Find the possessed assassin>Point>BY ALL AUTHORITY VESTED IN ME AND WITH THE CERTAINTY OF CHRIST'S PRESENCE, I REBUKE THEE, DEM->*roll* *botch*>Papal signet ring explodes, fragments of metal flying in every direction>Demon laughs>"It seems you lack the confidence to wield authority, pretender. Let me show you how to exercise authority over the bishops of rome... Rise!">We're in the vatican catacombs>Multiple dead popes' skeletal remains stand up>Fucking FLEE>Cannot remember what happened beyond that, but the problem was handled by the mage and crusader>The papal curia are evacuated into the catacombs by someone else thinking that's a safe place to hide them>approximately one third of the curia are never seen again>I can not confirm or deny that any of these disappearances were part of a political plot to influence the replacement of the pope, but I did get the office and retire the character
>>93401127>We're in the vatican catacombs>Multiple dead popes' skeletal remains stand up
What's the elevator pitch for this system?
>>93404112A decent magic system trapped in a medieval Earth straightjacket and the setting is tied into the mechanics. If you're okay with those limitations and like playing mage characters, check it out. If you'd rather have a fantasy setting with an independent wizard, then prepare for a lot of work.
>>93404705I actually like the setting, spend so much time in kooky fantasy settings with a random percentage of furbait races that it's nice to be able to apply historical trivia directly to the very grounded game without edits.>I get my lore from the bible
>>93405414>it's nice to be able to apply historical trivia directly to the very grounded game without editsAnons just need to know what they're getting into. Most will probably like it, but there's bound to be some that are disappointed and a small minority that are genuinely pissed.
>>93399695>is there a decent adventure to try before jumping to making my own sandbox?I'd like to know this too, any fa/tg/uys try the adventures for this system or all original campaigns? I've only ever heard mention of Calebais and Black Death which I think may have been 2e
>>93401070>The funk of forty thousand yearshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V90AmXnguw
>>93399695How does it compare to Dark Ages: Mage? Some of the House names sound familiar.
>>93399695How does Ars Magica handle elemental magic? Heck, how does it compare to other RPG magic systems in general?
>>93411128Haven't played Mage but I know 3e was tied into WoD (which 4e and 5e did away with) and was thus much more grimdark. iirc Tremere originated in Ars Magica and was directly ported to WoD.>>93412117So you've got 5 techniques and 10 forms and mix and match them for your spell effects, with flexibility only really limited by your imagination.-Creo Auram can create weather phenomena or produce a gust of wind to blow someone away or let you fly in a janky manner.-Intellego Aquam could draw you towards the nearest water source, let you see distant scenes reflected in water or even let you speak to water.-Perdo Ignem lets you snuff out flames or freeze something entirely, producing ice.-Rego Terram may let you carve and sculpt existing dirt and stone into structures, turn it into strong metal or rust existing metal.Elementalists may be a bit like AtLA characters except your fresh-off-the-boat air bender could already be conjuring hurricanes, Ars Magica starts you off as a big dick Merlin-tier wizard and you only go up from there.I recall there's even a virtue in the book specifically for elemental magic that lets you learn them all at the same rate or somesuch.
>>93399695>Favorite HouseVerditius, because I love enchantments and the way they tie symbolism to mechanics, in a way that's crunchy yet somehow keeps the mystical>Most-used form and/or techniqueAuram, did you know that Empedocles demonstrated that air was not empty space? [HoH:MC, page 45]>Silliest formulaic spellLet me give you an enchantment instead: a collar that compels a beast wearing it to devour itself. No secrets for our rivals.
>>93414275I've heard Ars Magica compared to TNG but I know exactly which episode this is.
>>93416374That was the wrong screencap, oops.
>>93399695>Favorite HouseI have a soft spot for Bjornaer because the only character I've played was a magus with a swan Heartbeast and that was a lot of fun. I also like Tytalus because they have some really interesting character concepts like the leper magi and the titanoi who summon the spirits of the motherfucking Titans.
>>93409508What would be a good name for a hypothetical Scandinavian Tribunal?>>93405414You can still get furbait in Mythic Europe, silly.
>>93417896>You can still get furbait in Mythic Europe, sillyI choose (not) to believe, brother.
>>93418756its pretty well documented in all european societies. its not even really a 'mythic' thing, we have multiple written descriptions of it being an actual thing
Is there teleport magic? I have a concept for a Flambeau called Hot Steele.What other splats are there aside from wizards?
>>93419296Yes, and the Egyptians were massive degenerates who worshipped a cow woman with exaggerated udders alongside the rest of their very furry pantheon. I'm just stubborn and choose to Friar.
>>93411128Mage is the spiritual successor of Ars Magica, and for a while IRL there was some friendly overlap between the game settings. The IPs were eventually separated, leaving only some similar names and historical points.>>93416387I love that Mythic Europe actually works off some of these principles, rather than our modern conception of phsyics.>>93420140Teleportation is typically Rego Corpus, with some other Forms to take your clothes and things with you. Range, precision, safety, etc. will add to the necessary spellcasting total (the TN, essentially).Aside from wizards, there's various kinds of humans and human offshoots like half-giants and dhampirs, as well as intelligent animals (often familiars) or spirits. And while it isn't the default, the game has serviceable rules for playing magical creatures like fairies and dragons. More likely to be NPCs, though.
>>93420140Sort of.Rego/Corpus does allow for effective teleportation (with appropriate requisites for equipment), but it has been noted that teleportation doesn't quite fit with the medieval paradigm and that instant transportation spells like 'Seven League Stride' should more properly be envisioned as the character traversing the distance very quickly (even instantly) rather than disappearing from point A and reappearing at point B.Obviously, your saga may vary, but it I wouldn't necessarily take it for granted and it's probably something you should discuss with your SG
>>93423888Would Rego Mentem astral projection be simpler/cheaper than Rego Corpus teleportation?
>>93399695What are the pros and cons of using the system, and how does it change between editions?
>>93399695I tried to talk my friends into playing it. Zero interest. I should have recommended Mage instead for the brand recognition.Conserve effort unless your players are *actually* interested, not "yeah that sounds cool".
>>93429374Well I've got about seven friends willing to give it a try, hopefully out of all that there's at least two or three with workable schedules to each other and a willingness to commit once they see it in action.>>93429320From just having read into it very hard but yet to play, the magic system is what it's built around and it does it very well. The flexibility and freedom lends itself very well to a character-driven heavy roleplay game focused on exploration, mystery, problem solving, politics, intrigue, etcetera.On the flip side, it's a very long and meticulous ruleset with a boatload of it frontloaded in character creation, and requires a good deal of commitment and bookkeeping by GM and Players both. Combat is the major shortcoming with sluggish barebones rules and more lethality than a Guardsmen Only campaign, I hear it's the most common thing to get houserule'd.
>>93400043fpbp
>>934293201e and 2e were the most rules-lite3e was tied in with White Wolf World of Darkness4e did away with the tie-in and more grimdark stuff5e is 4e with more concise rules, but it does get a 'for veterans, not new players' reputation because there's no starter adventures or anything. Nowadays it's the only one played and once you know the system it's not hard to translate the older stuff to 5e rules, since it's all pretty freeform to begin with.
>>93430494What about the Definitive Edition?
>>93429862damn, Hirame hasn't made any new stuff in ages
I really like the idea of a complex, mage centered ttrpg, but this setting just feels so boring.
>>93431122There's always third edition D&D (but it's also cleric and druid centered).
>>93431164>third edition D&D >wizard, cleric and druid centeredretard takeclasses being unbalanced and OP does not mean the game is centered on them, it just means the designers are idiots
imagine trying to play this without outing yourself as an incel
>>93431122>but this setting just feels so boringI'd say it's the biggest thing holding the game back. The forced involvement with the orders and houses probably turns a lot of players off right at the start.
>>93432136My gm had to tell us over and over that we could break hermetic rules so long as we covered up/could get out of it somehow. Still felt restricted, though. I guess we were just too cowardly.
>>93432163>Still felt restricted, though. I guess we were just too cowardly.Hardly surprising considering how the first real chapter of the 5e book (after the rules intro) is a list of threats against aspiring magi. The religion-based cosmology probably hampers judeo-christian players even more.
>>93431105Seconding, anyone here familiar with it?
>>93431105>>93434777It's not out yet.
>>93399695What are your favorite and least favorite Ars Magica books and why?
>>93438870The one you posted for all the added loreHibernian Tribunal feels off even though I like the region
>>93438870Favorite: Tie between Ancient Magic and Mysteries. I like seeing player options get expanded in depth.Least Favorite: Finis Terrae, because I can't fucking read it.
>>93399695I think it's hilarious that this board has shitfiling contests about "medieval fantasty" and when you ask them to roleplay fantasy in the medieval era they're like "Not like that Anon, like the Lord of the Rings..."
>>93445138>shitfiling contestsHow does that work? Whoever fills the most filing cabinets with adjacent manure wins? I didn't even know this was a thing.
>>93445234It's a thing on this board. Just talk about whether muskets are historically appropriate and you will see it.
>>93445138Ars Magica just feels like too much depth to even get to actually play.
>>93445705So do other bullshit fantasy settings, desu, at least your knowledge of Ars Magica has real-world applications.
>>93445122>Finis TerraeThat book is a monster, so I'm not too surprised it hasn't been translated yet, if it's ever going to get one.
>>93445789A rank chemistry text is well in excess of any number of irl alchemy codebooks. I recall having to cite one where the procedure is interrupted by a literal prayer. Even were I to interpret that as a timing device (far more common across history than our absolute timekeeping) it’s a bizarre indirect placement by modern standards. T b f, I can think of a more retarded alternative: sing three measures of a song by referring solely to the title name, see foot-notes in the back-matter, it’s soon to be published.
>>93442141>Hibernian Tribunal feels offWhat precisely bugs you about it?
>>93399695Welp color me surprised, never expected to see an Ars Magica thread. Here is a bump.Ars was never a popular game, but I feel Atlas pushed simulationism/historical accuracy a bit too much. I think white wolf editions approach of "stroytelling" was better. Ars slowly bled players starting from mid 90s and Atla's later policies only made it worse. 5th edition was also very much focused on grognards instead of trying to get new players, I find the corerulebook a terrible read for new beginners, nevermind the fact they lack a starting adventure (unlike 4th ed). Cutting off publication in 2015 didn't help much either.But there will be a new kickstarter coming up by end of this year, A book that gathers all the 5th edition rules/mechanics into one, kinda like the vampire 20th anniversary edition we got from kickstarter back in 2011. Maybe it will spark some interest in people.
