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ArsMagica: HouseRules

House Rules

Enchantment of Arms and Armour

(From the Parma Fabula, Atlas Games)

Nota bene: these rules provide simple, subtle enchantments that modify equipment's statistics.

Nota bene: When multiple effects are instilled in an item, they must work co-operatively. Thus, the effects noted below combine to form a single effect so long as they share Form and Technique; the magnitude is the magnitude of all component effects.

Rego Terram (or Herbam) effects:

• Increase damage of a weapon by +1 per magnitude. If the damage is increased beyond 150% of standard, the weapon will eventually break. A Mu Te effect of magnitude at least half as great as this effect strengthening the weapon will prevent this.
• Increase accuracy (attack bonus) of a weapon by +1 per magnitude; increases of greater than +1 require an Intellego requisite.
• Increase the defence rating of a weapon by +1 per magnitude; increases of greater than +1 require an Intellego requisite.
• Reduce the minimum strength requirement of a weapon by 1 per magnitude.
• Reduce a weapon's load by 0.5 per magnitude.

Muto Terram (or Herbam) effects

• Increase damage of a weapon by +1 per magnitude. This is limited to +6 for edged weapons, +3 for pointed weapons. No weapon can more than double its normal damage in this manner; blunt weapons are unaffected by this effect.
• Increase a weapon's toughness. Every two levels of magnitude increases the number of botches required to break the weapon by one. Thus a weapon enchanted at second magnitude requires a double botch to break; a weapon enchanted at fourth magnitude requires a triple botch.

Muto Herbam effects

• Increase a projectile's damage by +1 per magnitude.
• Increase the accuracy of a projectile by +1 per magnitude (with an Intellego requisite if the bonus exceeds +1).
• Increase the damage of a bow, crossbow or sling by +1 per magnitude.
• Increase the accuracy of a bow, crossbow or sling by +1 as a first magnitude effect. No greater increase is possible in this way.
• Reduce the strength requirement of a missile weapon by 1 per magnitude.

Enhanced defence

• Re Te or Re An (or Re He for wooden shields) effects reduce the load of armour by 1 per magnitude.

• Mu Te or Mu An effects increase the soak rating of armour by +1 per magnitude.
• Re He increases the defence of a shield by +1 per magnitude; increases of greater than +1 require an Intellego requisite.
• Mu He effects may strengthen a shield as Mu Te strengthens weapons.

Nota bene: If, for mythic or practical reasons an enhancement is enemy-specific (only applies against one type of opponent), the bonus is doubled.

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New Experience Rules

Nota bene: These are some of John's wacky new ideas - they are not approved, but are hopefully being discussed.

Also, experience has changed markedly with 5th edn.

Practice

• Practice is the most common method of gaining experience. Anyone who performs tasks for an entire season will practice abilities. Practice can be a result of normal duties or work, or the result of an deliberate attempt to hone the ability.
• An ability may only be practiced in certain situations. If the ability in question is a Talent then it may be practiced by any character. If the ability in question is a Skill then it may only be practiced if the character has a score of at least one in the ability. Knowledges may not normally be practiced, however there are exceptions; specifically for Knowledges used in a magus' laboratory work (i.e. Magic Theory, Hermetic Alchemy, Hermetic Theurgy, etc.).
• A character who practices gains provides one experience point in the appropriate ability.

Training

• Training requires a trainer and conforms to the rules presented in Ars Magica: Fourth Edition, page XX; except for the modifications presented below.
• The trainer gains one experience point in the appropriate ability or one experience point in Leadership.

Lectio

• Lectio requires a lecturer, a text to lecture on, and conforms to the rules presented in Ars Magica: Fourth Edition, page XX; except for the modifications presented below.
• The lecturer gains one experience point in the appropriate ability, and one experience point in Lectio.
• The student must have a knowledge of the writing of Latin (perhaps Write Latin 2 or 3 minimum?) - Bruno.

Disputatio

• Disputatio requires a preceptor, who possesses the Disputatio Academic Skill, and conforms to the rules presented in Ars Magica: Fourth Edition, page XX; except for the modifications presented below.
• The interlocutor (the character being taught) generates a Study Total for the appropriate ability equal to 6 + Intelligence + preceptor's Intelligence + preceptor's Disputatio, and gains one experience point in Disputatio.
• The preceptor gains one experience point in the appropriate ability, and one experience point in Disputatio.

Study

• Study requires that the character be both familiar and literate in the language of the text that is to be studied, and conforms to the rules presented in Ars Magica: Fourth Edition, page XX; except for the modifications presented below.
• The reader generates a Study Total for the appropriate ability equal to Quality + Intelligence + Concentration, and gains one experience point in Concentration.
• John: I personally think that perhaps this needs to be reconsidered, as per the rules on the website I mentioned a while back.

Exposure

• Exposure occurs constantly as a character is engaged in other activities, and conforms to the rules presented in Ars Magica: Fourth Edition, page XX; except for the modifications presented below.
• Experience in Speak: Latin - although an Academic, not a Casual, Knowledge - can be gained through exposure if the character is in an environment where this is the language that is being used primarily, or if they are engaged in the study of texts in Latin.
• John: Is living in a covenant sufficient exposure to gain Order of Hermes Lore?

New Experimental Results Table

(Stress die + risk modifier)

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New Fatigue Rules

Nota Bene: These are some of John's wacky new ideas - they are not approved, but are hopefully being discussed.

The rules for combat fatigue in Ordo Nobilis seem sensible, and cut down on the amount of dice-rolling during the game (not that this is a big problem for us now).

The basic Ease Factor for fatigue rolls brought on by strenuous activity will increase from 6 to 9. To mitigate this, in most (if not all!) cases, the Athletics ability will be added to characters' fatigue totals.

If a character is forced to roll to see if they are fatigued, a roll of 9+ means that they suffer no Fatigue Level loss. If the result is below 9 then one Fatigue Level is lost. If the result is more than 3 below 9 then an additional Fatigue Level is lost; if the roll is more than 6 below 9 then two additional Fatigue Levels are lost; and so on. Botched rolls result in an additional Fatigue Level loss for each level of the botch. If all Fatigue Levels are lost, then Body Levels are lost.

The fatigue from travel rules will also be altered. The difficulty of the travelling will result in a higher Ease Factor, making more Fatigue Level loss likely; however experienced marchers will be more able to travel with less ill-effects. A list of Ease Factors for travel-related fatigue tests follows:

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New Spell Design Rules

When designing a spell or effect that will not Warp its target(s), add three levels - as if creating a device with limited access - to the design process (not the spell's level).

Alternative idea: rather than a flat three levels, add one level per extra individual included. If doing this, you may assume that any combination of those included may be targeted without Warping.

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