For now, simply post the V&F here. If we gather up a few, we can move it to a better location.
Careful Formulaic Casting: (Minor Virtue)
You may cast formulaic spells very slowly, but with extra power. This takes a full minute, and adds +10 to your casting total. You may cast formulaic spells normally as well.
Contributor: Bard, transcribed by Yair
Notes: +10, because this Virtue is much harder to use than 'Method Caster', and cannot be used in combat or stress situations. It might prevent fatigue (but not overwhelmingly likely, since most magi can mostly cast their formulaic spells without fatigue as it is) and it will certainly give some nice Penetration.
Planned Spontaneous Magic: (Minor Virtue)
You may, if you wish, plan how you will cast a spontaneous spell. Spend a minute thinking about the specific effect you are trying to achieve, and make an Int + Magic Theory simple roll of 9+. If this succeeds, you get an extra stress die on your spontaneous casting total (before division). The extra stress die has one botch die regardless of the circumstances. You retain the bonus that you rolled — on that specific spell — for one minute after you achieve it or use it.
Contributor: Bard, transcribed by Yair
Notes: Quicker but less reliable and less improvable than ceremonial casting. Better than Special Circumstances, but only applies to spont magic. No danger of twilight, but mild danger of warping. Like ceremonial casting, not usable in stress or combat situations.
High Ceremonial Casting: (Major Virtue)
You may cast spontaneous spells in a way that combines ceremonial and ritual styles. It takes 15 minutes and 1 pawn of vis for every magnitude of level you wish to achieve, and gives one long-term fatigue level. However, the level you achieve is 3/4(Casting Score + Art.Lib. + Philosophae + Stress Die) — viz., 50% higher than with regular ceremonial casting. As with regular ceremonial casting, the level is limited by how long you spent on it. You can use regular ceremonial casting as well. This is not Ritual magic and cannot do things that require Ritual magic, though.
Contributor: Bard, transcribed by Yair
Patterns of Improvisation (Minor Virtue)
You have a particularly clear style of spontaneous magic. If you take the time to write down how you would improvise a simple spell (up to level 5), you will learn it as a formulaic spell and have a written copy for other people to study. (For each spell you write, make a stress roll for casting the spontaneous spell. If you succeed, the spell is written correctly; if you fail, the spell you have written contains some kind of flaw which may or may not be visible. Botches can make the spells quite interesting.) You may write up to 30 levels of spontaneous spells in this way in a season; they need not be of the same form and technique.
Contributor: Bard from Ars Magica FTP Archive, transcribed by Dalak<br>
Notes: This lets a wizard get vast numbers of tiny spells which he could cast anyways, so it's a pretty cheap virtue.
Please note that level 5 spells are hugely useful in ArM5, which means the usefulness of this virtue is much greater now!
Subtle Sigil (Minor Hermetic Virtue)
Your spell Sigil is subtle. It is harder for people to notice spells that were just cast by the effects of the caster's sigil. Also makes Hermetic identification from a Sigil significantly harder.
Contributor: Andrew Mitchell
Blatant Sigil (Minor Hermetic Flaw)
Your spell Sigil is blatant. It is easy for people to notice spells that were just cast by the effects of the caster's sigil. Also makes Hermetic identification from a Sigil significantly easier.
Contributor: Andrew Mitchell
Steadfast ''Ability'' (Minor Virtue)
Allows the character to 'take five' instead of rolling with checks that involve this ability. In stressful situations where one choses to take five, a roll is still needed to check for a possible botch; if a zero is rolled, the character rolls one less botch die.
Contributor: Andrew Mitchell
Folk Hero (Minor Story Flaw)
You have gained a reputation (3) for helping common folk and they often come to you for aid.
Contributor: Andrew Mitchell
Indentured Servant (Minor Story Flaw)
You have inherited an indentured servant who serves you and for whom you are responsible.
Contributor: Andrew Mitchell
Comment: Borrowed from 3rd Edition Virtue of the same name.
Leaky Magic (Minor/Major Hermetic, Story Flaw)
You have less control over your gift than you would prefer, at random moments your gift will manifest itself as weak spontaneous magic in your strongest arts (due to the no gestures and no words used). How the arts will be used reflects your mood at the time.
In the minor version your body does not lose a stamina level (arts/5), in the major version you lose a stamina level (arts/2)
Examples for Minor versions :
Rego Herbam - occasionally doors will open as you approach.
Creo Aquam - you leave a morning dew on the ground as you pass.
Creo Auram - a gentle breeze starts up around you.
Examples for Major versions :
Rego Herbam - Plants and Trees will bend away from you, sometimes snapping.
Creo Aquam - Wherever you stand water seems to appear, the ground turns to mud, rivers/ponds overflow.
Creo Auram - dark clouds seem to follow you, rain falls.
These effects could be triggered by strong emotions or loss of control (e.g. drunkeness/sleep).
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Acidic Personality (Minor Social Flaw)
You have a way of rubbing people the wrong way. Little sarcasms and ironies that pass them by and a smug superiority tends to be the order of the day when dealing with your peers. Take a nice little -3 penalty to all social rolls unless you manage to control yourself with a Willpower roll vs 9.
Contributor: Adam Östergren
Odious Personal Habits (Minor Social Flaw)
You have some kind of behaviour that is generally of great annoyance to those around you. Maybe you drone on and on in a monotone about your own favourite subject no matter what the others wish to talk about, or maybe your hygiene is lacking. Either way this gains you almost as much of a penalty to social interaction as the gift itself. -2 to all social interactions unless the person knows you since before and has accepted you for what you are.
Contributor: Adam Östergren
Singing Voice (Minor Social Virtue)
You have been blessed with an extremely beautiful voice. It is both powerful and sweet like spring water. Add +4 to all rolls involving singing. Also when trying to charm someone, add +1 to those rolls.
Contributor: Adam Östergren
Bumbler (Minor Story Flaw)
If it can go wrong, it will go wrong. Most things you undertake will end in unexpected ways. Sometimes outright failue, but more often than not, it will take an unexpected turn - sometimes for the better. Perhaps your guardian angel is trying to influence your destiny, or you have annoyed a powerful fey. Whatever the reason, you are the butt of many jokes, and will always have a tale to tell.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Poor Communicator (Minor General Flaw)
In a specific area, such as speech or writing, you are unable to communicate properly - you gain a -3 penalty to all activities. You must be able to undertake the activity in question e.g. You must be literate to be a poor communicator with writing.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Easily Distracted (Minor Personality Flaw)
Whenever you are undertaking any task you are easily persuaded to leave it. You need to succeed an opposed personality roll to remain focused. You have a -3 penalty to all concentration rolls involving multiple activites or overcoming interruption.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Owe resources (Minor Story Flaw)
You have a debt to someone, for magi it is resources, for companions it is money. This is a large amount, and if you cannot pay it at once you need to make regular payments. If you leave the area, or stop paying you will be hunted down. Examples are 25 pawns of vis fine to a tribunal, 2 pounds of silver to a moneylender.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Dishonest (Minor Personality Flaw)
Whenever the opportunity presents itself you will do a dishonest deed. You may rob people you meet, lie at every opportunity, or betray secrets. You don't have to be any good at the deeds, but you will attempt them.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Honest (Minor Personality Flaw)
You cannot lie or mislead someone. You expect everyone you meet to be the same. Experience may lead to to distrust certain people, but you will always trust first. If something causes you to break your word you will be overcome with guilt and attempt to make amends. This may mean paying extra, donations to the church, or acts of charity. You will also lose a confidence point.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Delicate humours (Minor General Flaw)
Your 4 humours are more delicate than most people. You receive a -5 to all rolls to resist ilness, and a -3 to wound recovery rolls.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Religious minority (Minor Story Flaw)
You belong to one of the minor heretical religions. You are devout in your worship, and will attempt to convert anyone you meet. During the religious crackdowns (Cathar heresy etc.) You will be probably be targeted.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Careless (Minor/Major General/Story Flaw)
You never quite take the time to make sure that things are as they should be. You leave important things lying around, doors unlocked and windows open. You are always mislaying things that you need. Whenever you have had a crisis of some type you become careful for a few weeks, but quickly fall back to your old ways.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Barren (Minor Story Flaw)
You are unable to naturally conceive a child. This could be the result of a curse, some supernatural entity, or a magical spell. Depending on the exact cause of the disability it may be curable. Being around children/expecting women will depress you. You are "driven" to have children, perhaps adopting strays, or pursuing a cure. Only female characters desiring children may take this flaw.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Wanderlust (Minor Personality Flaw)
You find it hard to live in one place for any length of time, you are always itching to be on the road. If you are forced to remain in the same place for more than a season you gain the personality trait irritable. Each passing month adds 1 experience point to it. When you set off on a journey again, each day of travel gives 1 exp towards reducing the trait.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Town dweller (Minor General Flaw)
You have been raised in a town and have never ventured outside its walls. If you have left the town, it was in a wagon or on a boat. At character creation you cannot take wilderness skills, and outside of towns you have no sense of direction.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Interfering arts (Minor Hermetic Flaw)
Due to the way you were trained, two of your arts interfere with each other. They both have to be of the same type i.e both form or both technique, but when you use one, the other effects it. The dominant art (highest score) is lowered by half the weaker art (rounded down). E.g. Ignem & Aquam, Creo & Perdo. These modifications effect the art itself when it is used in the lab/casting/teaching, and so take place before other modifiers. The full total is used for studying & writing.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Searching for () (Minor/Major Story Flaw)
You are travelling the lands searching for something which has been stolen from you. This could be a family heirloom, or a beloved snatched by the fey. You cannot settle down to lead a normal life until you have regained what was lost. You may occasionally be driven to despair by your daunting task, but you quickly resume the trail. Your journey will often lead you into danger, and could take most of your life.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Runaway (Minor Story Flaw)
You ran away from home at a young age and was forced to make your way in the world. You often think of your brothers and sisters, languishing at home, and you are overcome with the desire to find them. Perhaps you aren't quite sure where your family live, or have sworn an oath of service. Returning home will be difficult, but that shouldn’t stop you.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Strong body Rhythm (Minor General Flaw)
Your body is attuned to the cycle of the sun. During the day you have a +3 bonus to being awake. During the night you have a +3 bonus to falling asleep. These bonus' apply whether you wish them to or not. E.g. At night it is very hard for this person to stay awake, even by using magic. However, it is hard to use magic to put them to sleep during the day.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Paranoid (Minor Personality Flaw)
This virtue confers the personality trait Paranoid +3. You distrust everyone you meet, and roll against the trait on every attempt to befriend, help or influence you. You are deeply distrustful and are constantly planning on ways to save yourself when you are betrayed. Over many years you may learn to trust someone - but it takes a lot of effort.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Poor timekeeper (Minor General Flaw)
You have a poor sense of time, often getting lost in the pursuit of something. You will always turn up late, sometimes by days. If you are a magus you must roll a stress die for each season of lab-work (storyguide's discretion). This represents the number of days lost due to various circumstances. If you botch, you were distracted at a critical time and must roll on the experimental results chart.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Mistress (Minor Social Class)
You are the mistress of a fairly prosperous man. You can occasionally influence him in his area of expertise. You have a house in town and a small income as well as the "gifts" he lavishes upon you.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Mistress (Major Story Virtue)
As with the minor social class, but your provider is a powerful and influential person. You may have a larger house and servants, income and more influence over him. However, the more care the man lavishes on you and the more influence you have over him, the more chance his in-laws will find out. You must take the Dark Secret (Mistress) flaw, and if discovered it may turn into Enemies (in-laws).
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Night vision (Minor Supernatural Virtue)
You can see perfectly in almost pitch black. As long as there is some type of light (outdoors, open window etc.) you can see as normal. However, your eyes turn an unnatural colour in darkness. It takes your eyes a moment or two to adjust between states.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Arranged Marriage (Minor Story Virtue)
Your future has been assured with a prosperous family. When your betrothed comes of age the ceremony will take place. For now, the family treat you as one of their own, giving you what assistance they can. You must visit them at least once per year. Depending on what your troupe decide you may have to settle down in one place after you wed. Certain actions could cause the marriage to be called off.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Bewitching beauty (Major Supernatural Virtue)
You are more than beautiful, men will give up anything for you - wealth, power, it is all yours. All women are put in your shadow, and they know it. You gain a +3 to all presence rolls when dealing with men, -3 when dealing with women. This virtue also confers the ability Bewitching Beauty with a starting score of 1. Use this score to coerce men into doing things for you - see entrancement, but victim bonus reduced by 3 (min 3). You cannot bewitch a woman into doing anything for you - unless they are naturally attracted to women.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Apprenticeship (Minor/Major General/Story Virtue)
You were raised for a specific profession, and a lot of expense was invested in your education. For up to 5 years (minor) or 15 years (major) after the age of 6 you undergo strict training and you gain an extra 10XP per year for use in abilities relevant to your trade. At the end of your training you have a good career ahead of you, perhaps even a workshop to start in. Depending on your chosen profession you may have had to agree to a contract beforehand promising to repay your tuition expenses, or to remain in the area for a length of time.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Inward Focus (Minor Hermetic Virtue)
When casting spontaneous magic you enter a slight trance as you control you magic. You receive a -3 penalty to any knowledge of you surroundings, thus short of physical contact you will be undisturbed. When casting you always roll a stress die, if you choose to divide by 5 you roll 2 less botch die (min 0). If you choose to divide by 2 you gain a +3 bonus to your spell. If you are undisturbed you cannot botch, if you are disturbed you gain two extra botch die.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Cautious Experimenter (Minor Hermetic Virtue)
Labs explode, it is a fact of life. However, you have the knack of spotting the early signs, so you can mitigate the damage. If you make a perception + stress die roll against an ease factor of 6 you spot the impending disaster and can take action. You can undertake emergency action to reduce the number of botch die by 2, (minimum 0), you can attempt to activate lab safety devices or you may attempt to flee with some handy valuables.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Touched by magic (Major Hermetic Virtue)
Once per day you may cast any spell up to 5th magnitude without the penalty for no words and no gestures. The range of the spell cannot be greater than voice.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Unknown bloodline (Major Story Virtue)
You do not know it, but you are descended from a legendary family - and you are recognizable as one of them. You gain an extra 3 points to spend on attributes (this may take one from 2 to 3), you gain one free puissant ability (e.g. Leadership) and a puissant combat/craft/profession virtue of your choosing. You must also take a flaw appropriate to your background - Driven (Save people in need), Weakness (Lost causes), compulsion (take charge). If your ancestry is unearthed, and you have followed in their footsteps, you may receive the wealth & fame your heritage deserves - or a host of enemies could come to stop you claiming your birthright.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Gift of Mercury (Major General Virtue)
You enjoy traveling to new places and meeting new people. You are good at learning new languages, places and customs. (Affinity living languages, Affinity Area Lores)
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Speaking to the nature spirits (Major Supernatural Virtue)
By meditating near a plant, stone, fire or stream you may "converse" with the spirit it contains. It takes 15 minutes of meditation to be able to converse with it, and you are unaware of your surroundings.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Animal master (Major Supernatural Virtue)
You can befriend almost any animal you meet, and over time you will be able to communicate. Each season you spend together the animal gains 5 points in the ability "Trained". For any task you wish the animal to accomplish it must make a Cunning + trained roll against an appropriate ease factor depending on the complexity of the task.
Some animals you may be able to command to do simple tasks within a day of meeting them.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Enhanced senses (Minor Supernatural Virtue)
For one part of the day (day or night) your perception gains a +2 bonus.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Hidden wealth (Minor Story Virtue)
You have discovered a hidden cache of treasures. Will you move them to another location, or leave them where they are. Will you remove small amounts at a time to "assist" your livelihood, or will you use a large portion of it for big purchases. Decide with your troupe how "large" the treasure is, where it comes from, and if someone will turn up to claim it.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Conditional Immortality (Major Supernatural Virtue)
Due to a powerful mystical effect, you do not age after the age of 30. You cannot be killed except by decapitation or by the condition, all injuries and wounds heal at dusk/dawn. You cannot die from hunger, but you will become weak, perhaps even too weak to move, falling into a slumber you will never awaken from. Examples of a condition are iron weapons, drowning, wooden stake, killed by a specific type of person.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Impervious to the Divine (Minor Hermetic Virtue)
You are less effected by the divine than normal magi. You suffer half the normal penalties when using magics in a divine aura.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Impervious to the faerie power (Minor Hermetic Virtue)
When entering fey areas it is almost impossible to become disoriented/get lost or become befuddled. In addition your magic resistance is increased by a half. If you are covered by someone else's magic resistance it is effected normally.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Impervious to the infernal power (Minor Hermetic Virtue)
When entering infernal areas you gain a faint taste of brimstone. In addition your magic resistance is increased by a half. If you are covered by someone else's magic resistance it is effected normally.
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Magical Attunement (Minor Hermetic Virtue)
This virtue confers the ability Magical Attunement +1. This gives you an awareness of magical energies around you. When someone is casting magic nearby, you may notice their spell with roll of perception + Magical Attunement against the magnitude of the effect + (no gestures +1 mag, no words +2mag).
Contributor: Brutus ex Verditius
Learning Disability (Major General Flaw)
You have serious trouble understanding the world without someone to guide you. Whenever you gain experience from Practice, Exposure, or Adventure, the number of experience points you gain is reduced by 2. This is applied after Affinities, but may reduce the experience you gain to 0. (Thus, without another virtue giving you an experience bonus, you effectively get 0 experience points from exposure.)
Contributor: Chameleon
Betrothed (Major Story Flaw)
You have been promised to someone in marriage, and they may not approve of the activities that you have decided to spend your time at. If they discover what you have been up to you lose this flaw and gain enemies instead.
Contributor: Carris Noire
