As with any system of borders not contingent on clear demarcation such as a river or wall, the territory of each Tribunal is rarely defined with precision; this is partially illustrated via the Fifth Edition Covenants book with the 'Tribunal Border' characteristic, which situates a covenant in a location that could place it in more than one Tribunal depending on political favors, conflicts over resources, and so on.
Such ambiguity can exist even with 'clear' borders such as rivers or mountain ranges, since incorporating supernatural aid or power into the structure and perhaps the constituency or lifestyle of its inhabitants can allow them to thrive even in the middle of either such feature. The overarching premise of the Ars Magica setting is that the 'mundane' world of ordinary, physical existence is a place where four great supernatural forces have varying degrees of influence and presence.
Additionally, a 'Realm of Reason' appeared in the Third Edition. This was associated with skepticism and empirical observation, and its 'rational aura' challenged most supernatural effects. Many fans of the game consider this to be paradoxical and inconsistent, since applying reason and rationality to the world of Ars Magica should really lead to the conclusion that magic does exist and fairies are real, etc.
Reason proved an unwelcome addition to the game; neither Fourth nor Fifth Edition have included this 'Realm', and all references to it have been stricken from the canonical setting. Ars Magica 's mechanics use the ten-sided die. If the action is routine or trivial and nothing in particular is at stake, the roll is read as and simply added to the total this is called a 'Simple roll'.
If there is an opportunity for exceptional success or failure, the die is read as and is called a 'Stress' roll. For Stress rolls, results of '1' and '0' have special significance. A '1' is rerolled and the result doubled consecutive '1's redouble the eventual 'non-1', with consecutive '1's each redoubling the result again. A roll of '0' is also re-rolled more than once in cases of especially hazardous activity as a Botch roll.
If any botch die also comes up '0', the action has been botched: failed in some disastrous way. Otherwise, the roll merely equals zero, and the character is assumed to have been unsuccessful at whatever they were trying to accomplish. It consists of 15 Arts , divided into 5 Techniques and 10 Forms. These 'verb-noun' combinations can be used to cast both Formulaic spells which are recorded in texts, are learned through study and mastered through experience, and have known, fixed effects and Spontaneous spells which a caster improvises with no prior knowledge other than the Arts themselves, giving the potential results greater flexibility but lower potency.
Every apprentice with a few Ex Miscellanea exceptions is 'opened' in all 15 Arts before fully joining the Order; each Art begins with a Score of 0 and a mage may usually only increase one of them during a season see below.
A mage's skill when casting a spell is the sum of their scores in the appropriate technique and form. All relevant Art Scores are compared: the caster's lowest Technique and lowest Form are used, reflecting the limiting of the caster's magical knowledge. Regardless of how high one's Art Scores may rise, there are outer boundaries to the application of Hermetic Magic whether Formulaic, Spontaneous or even Ritual. Bonisagus's theory outlines a set of inherent Limits , similar in concept to the laws of physics; the two central, 'Greater' Limits are:.
There are also eleven 'Lesser Limits' addressing more specific 'blind spots' such as aging, creation, time and the soul which are generally thought either to derive from the two Greater Limits, or to be flaws in Hermetic Theory which may eventually be 'corrected'. Additional statistics for every spell which have been redefined in nearly every new edition of the game are Target what or whom the spell is directed at , Range how far the Target may be from the caster , and Duration.
No Creo effect, for example, can be permanent unless vis is consumed during the casting. Some Formulaic Magic is so effective that it can only be achieved with vis and an elaborate, time-consuming ritual hence, Ritual Spells. This automatically applies to any spell of a greater Level than 50, any spell with a Duration of 'Year', and any non-Imaginem spell with a range of 'Sight'.
All characters magi, companions and grogs alike improve their Abilities by applying experience which can be earned through Exposure , Practice , Training or Study. Magic, however, is stressed as a multifaceted discipline with a greater variety of avenues for improvement. Ars Magica includes rules for magical research within the game's standard 'advancement' timescale of 3-month seasons. These seasonal activities generally concern either study of a text or laboratory activity.
Although participating in adventures, missions and other endeavors outside of seasonal activity gives characters Story Experience , the most substantial progress and the raison d'etre of many in the Order is nearly always from the seasonal activities of magi. Hence, time in an Ars Magica campaign may pass much faster than in other RPGs if, for example, all player-characters are engaged in seasonal activity, standard 'roleplaying sessions' are unnecessary for that period but is also more 'accounted for' since regular and exact periods of activity give highly defined benefits.
The increased longevity has led to a prevalent attitude among members of the Order that Companions in general and Grogs almost invariably will come and go - perhaps killed in action, occasionally living long enough to retire - while the Magi carry on.
Magi may concoct longevity formulas for non-magi, but this is a rare consideration, less effective than devising one's own personal formula, and is an expensive prospect in time and resources in any case.
Study is primarily achieved with texts, each designed to enhance an Ability, Art or specific Spell s. A respectable covenant inevitably requires either a respectable library or sufficient commodities to exchange for the use of other libraries, since the dominant form of Hermetic Magic is a scholarly pursuit. Magi who are able to write useful books or teach well can use these as commodities, trading with other magi for books or training though the Code of Hermes places limits on what its members may sell to 'mundanes'.
Lab Projects concern projects to enhance one's repertoire of spells or magical artifacts. Some merely require a Lab Total to match the Level of Effect; more extensive endeavors simply add up each Lab Total in 'points' until twice the Level of Effect are accumulated. In the December edition of Dragon Issue , Ken Rolston was effusive in his praise, calling Ars Magica 'a distinctive, original, and intriguing treatment of magic for fantasy role-playing games Its attempts to integrate this magic into a historical context are persuasive, and the game master notes and staging tips are wonderfully perceptive.
Six months later, Rolston revisited Ars Magica for a more in-depth review in the July edition of Dragon. Rolston noted that 'the quality of writing, editing, and presentation is first-class', and he admired the 'storyguide' system of role-playing: 'This emphasis on the dramatic and narrative elements of role-playing produces some distinctive and thought-provoking perspectives on commonly accepted conventions of role-playing gaming.
He concluded with strong recommendation: 'The Ars Magica game features an original and exciting game system, a coherent and satisfying treatment of magic, a convenient and imaginative exploitation of a historical medieval setting, and an explicit and appealing presentation of a role-playing style that emphasizes the common development of the setting, narrative, and PC-group activity over the personal expression of the individual PC.
II, Issue 2 , J. Caparula commented that 'In the end, Ars Magica is a superb roleplaying game, one that furthers the gaming art in a positive direction.
At the center of your saga is the covenant : the magi, their companions, and their Grog servants. Step into the shoes of each group with Ars Magica's unique troupe-style play. Stories revolve around the covenant, which is part mystical college, part magical laboratory, part Hermetic fortification, and part bastion of secrecy.
What secrets will you possess? What powers will you unleash? Play a powerful magus learning to control the elements or the loyal retainers who risk their lives to protect their homes. The 4 th edition introduced a variety of mechanics , including spell guidelines, laboratory customization, mystery cults, and revised combat rules.
Fifth edition , which is the most current, completely revised the combat rules, expanded the information about the houses of magic, and made extensive changes to the overall mechanics. For more information about the 5 th edition, visit its line page. The Ars Magica 4 th edition product line is out of print and, with limited exceptions, only available in PDF.
Supplements can be adjusted for use with the 5 th edition system as needed. Core Sourcebooks World Scenarios. Ars Magica 4th Edition Core Rulebook. The Wizard's Grimoire. Hedge Magic. Ordo Nobilis. Not stopping there, I came up with six different "flavors": font and graphics choices which I think will help you match a sheet to your saga's locale!
Supplemental sheets coming soon for Volkhvy, Vitkir, Kabbalists, etc. Ars Magica is my favorite fantasy roleplaying game, hands down. I'm working on a FileMaker Pro database for the game; here's a printout of the character sheet. The design is based in part upon one produced by the Alpha Storyguide of our Rabenstein saga, Jason Buss see below.
In trying to help us keep track of who did what during each story our Troupe runs, I developed this simple story record. Keep track of when the game was played, who ran it, what the characters did, and what their in famous quotes of the night were.
This is the way-cool sheet that my friend Jason Buss created for the Rabenstein saga. The current ruleset then was the third edition, so you might have to write in some things by hand to use this with the fourth like experience points for Arts , but it's distinctive. Jason has added some cool things like "Astrological Influences" which are not in the rules, and mostly there for color.
Note that where I create all mine on my computer, this is a straight scan job from Jason's fine hand crafting. I ran this story as part of the Rabenstein saga. This story recently appeared in French in issue number 18 of the French fanzine Ars Mag. Here's one of the maps from that product.
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