|
Table of Contents
|
Each member magus residing here has their own individual location, henceforth referred to as their "Quarter", and five points of Personal Boons to further customize their locations. They may further take up to 5 points of Personal Hooks for additional points of Personal Boons. No more than three points may be spent on any one Boon or Hook, nor may more than one Boon or Hook may be major.
The array of options for Personal Boons & Hooks is somewhat different that the one in Covenants, as it is approached from the point of view of building your own personal space in the covenant, personally and physically.
Terminology
I will try to be consistent in using the following Terminology…
- Lab: Your Laboratory space, which is only a portion of your whole Sanctum.
- Sanctum: Includes your Lab and the space around it (bedroom, kitchen, storage, etcetera); up to and including the entirety of your main building.
- Quarter: The entirety of your personal space, the property and the buildings upon it.
Status
Representing your rank and status in the Covenant, and thus in the Chapterhouse. Rank is not an optional choice, it is a mandatory pick based on the actual character. Masters have greater personal benefits (and may come and go as they please), but Journeymen have more room for individual flexibility.
+0 Journeyman:
As a Journeyman participating in the Sa Dragonera Chapter, the covenant owes you the Basic Rights and Rights of Membership. This means that you have your basic expenses paid for, are provided with a laboratory and a staff, and are eligible to earn annual Wages of 3 pawns of vis and 6£ silver presuming you perform at least a season of service in that year.
The covenant also owes you a decent aura and the protection of an Aegis. However, there has not yet been found a Magic Aura in these islands that is strong and large enough to accommodate everyone this way. Instead, there are several weak auras of small or tiny size. It is also not cost effective to pay for a separate Aegis for everyone, even a weak one. Thus participation in this mission is voluntary, and the covenant compensates you for sacrifice by offering you status as a Deputy Officer. You are given an additional 6£ of silver every year for your expenses just for being here, and a three year tour here counts as a service towards earning Master Status.
+3 Master
A Master at Sa Dragonera is also due the Privileges of a Master. This means an annual 3 pawns of vis and 6£ of silver as just due, the same again for every year with a season of service, and again if serving as an Officer (as compensation for looking over the juniors and the chapter). If serving a regular post with an established sanctum, the covenant offers 12£ silver as additional compensation for the lack of an Aegis or strong aura. Masters have more freedom and access to greater resources. They are the Superiors that the Journeymen have to be mindful of. Masters often come and go as they please and use the islands as a vacation retreat or pop in for observation to make sure their money is well spent.
Aura
The base that everyone starts with is a Weak & Small Aura, with a strength of 1 and large enough to cover their Lab and Sanctum. You may spend personal Boon points to increase the Size or Strength and/or to include other aspects, following the guidelines and restrictions as mentioned here.
+1 Favorable Aura:
The Aura is aligned with one of the Forms, such as Aquam. This doubles the aura's strength for Hermetic activities. For Magic beings with a Might aligned with that Form, the aura value is doubled for the purposes of preventing Acclimation, and all of their powers that have Might cost are one point cheaper while in that aura.
+1 Moderate Aura
This grants you a Magic Aura of 2.
+1 Medium Aura
This increases the Size of the Aura to Medium, enough to cover your entire Quarter.
+1 Regio
The Aura is also a Regio and your Lab lies at the center of it. The top layer has a Strength of 3 and covers only your Lab (and enables you to have the Lab Virtue of Regio). The Outer Layer is an Aura of 1, which includes the rest of your Sacnctum and Quarter.
Access to the Regio cannot be controlled or limited however. At the very least it can be navigated by Second Sight or other appropriate magic. There are also two or three uncontrollable means of entry; such as a specific short time every day or longer frequencies at longer intervals, by any one of a certain description or engaged in a certain activity, or by walking a certain path or accessing a certain landmark. There are just as many means of entry that you do not know and cannot control. Whatever these may be, everyone in the chapter knows at least one, and those who study the magical folklore of your area may learn them (say, an appropriate Lore roll of 12+).
+3 Strong Aura
This increases the Aura to 3 and increases the size to Medium, enough to cover your entire Quarter.
-1 Flickering Aura
The Aura declines one point every year unless some relatively simple task is performed. This can be something easy an at no expense, such as a seasonal ceremony or ritual dance performed by locals. This can be less frequent if slightly more complex and/or at a little expense, such as holding a feast in the aura every Christmas or sinking a ship nearby every spring equinox. Whatever it may be, it is mandatory and can be potentially interrupted.
-1 Tiny Aura
This Aura is Tiny and covers only one room (such as your Lab), and does not pervade throughout the rest of the Sanctum. If you have the Major Boon of Strong Aura, this is taken once as Small Aura (just your Sanctum), then can be taken a second time for a Tiny Aura.
-1 Troublesome Aura:
RoP-Magic, page 16
-1 Mutable
The fabric of reality within the aura is mutable, altered subtly by means easy for most anyone to achieve. Examples include painting on the walls with your fingers, being able press mold solid objects, lighting that reflects predominant moods, and so forth.
-3 Lacunae
You lack a Magic Aura, and instead subsist on a tiny Lacunae that includes only your Lab (or another chamber). There is no penalty or interference with spellcasting or lab work, but immediately outside there is a strong conflicting aura (such a Dominion of 3). This fits with having your Quarter as a house in a major city such as Palma.
Location
These are features of the physical property of your Quarter, features of the physical geography and environment.
+0 Island
This is the default choice, either being on the coast of one of the larger islands or somewhere upon one of the smaller ones.
-0 Inland
You may choose to instead reside inland on one of the larger islands, such as Mallorca or Minorca.
+1 Difficult Access
Your sanctum and lab is located in a difficult to access location, such as an underwater cave or secret room.
+1 Healthy Feature
Everyone already has this once by default, but may take it again up to twice more, for a total bonus of +3 to Aging and Recovery rolls.
+1 Hostile Environment:
This represents an environment that is hostile and inhospitable to others, not yourself. A good example would be an underwater sanctum for a magus that can live and breath underwater easily and naturally.
+1 Secluded
The sanctum is in a hidden spot, known only to the other magi of the chapter and a few others you might tell. Examples include underground, a sea cavern, in a regio (with uncontrolled and unknown entries, as per the boon above), a secret chamber in an unknown building, and etcetera.
-1 Cursed
Think of something as befits a Minor Hook.
-1 Haunted
For whatever reason, bad luck or choice, you picked a haunted location.
-1 Monster
There is some sort of monster of undefined supernatural nature that resides in or roams around an area nearby your Quarter. It is not yet a direct threat or problem to you, and you are not yet capable of defeating it.
-1 Uncontrolled Regio
There is a regio on the property of your Quarter that you do not control and have only partially or have not yet explored (or even discovered). Who knows what lies hidden inside?
-1 Unhealthy Feature
There are a few locations that may be unhealthy or unsanitary, such as in the city of Palma or a graveyard. Other aspects inhospitable to normal human life also apply, such as outdoors or underwater. Taking this hook once negates the general +1 bonus. Taken a second time results in a -1 penalty to Aging and Recovery rolls. That is about as bad as it gets though.
-1 Urban
Your sanctum is nestled within a small coastal settlement
-3 Monster
If taken as a Major Hook, then it *is* a direct threat and/or immediate problem, yet even the covenant united with you is unable to defeat it. If that's really what you want to do, then have as much rope as you want and I will go get you a stool.
-3 Urban/City
Your sanctum is located in or on the edge of a major city (the only obvious choice being Palma on Mallorca).
Construction
These are items concerned with buildings and physical constructions upon the property.
+0 Manor House
The property includes a modest stone manor house. If combined with Urban or City, this may be a townhouse. It may have mild fortifications, but nothing serious.
+0 Small Tower
The property is a small stone tower, such as a lighthouse or an old watch tower. It may have mild fortifications, but nothing serious.
+1 Edifice/Important Building/Special Feature
This could mean a really fancy building, a fountain and stature in front of your manor, a stone pier, an underground/underwater bunker, and etcetera. This may be taken multiple times.
+1 Superior Engineering
Due to exceptional skill (&/or magical craftsmanship), the construction and engineering of buildings are of incredible quality. It inspires awe, envy, and maybe even fear (it is best if you keep your buildings few and small).
-1 Crumbling
Whatever type of building you have and whatever it is made out of, it is in disrepair and falling apart
-1 Wooden
Your building is made out of wood instead of stone. This may be nice and of excellent construction, but it is vulnerable.
Resources
+3 Personal Resources
You have access to a resource that is rightfully yours alone, a gift from a friend or mentor, or given to you for a specific task by the covenant. This is of equivalent value to a Rook of vis, as spent in terms of the Hermetic Economics system. A Rook equals 40qp, and the simple price guide for recommended or additional items is as follows: Books = Quality + level, Lesser Items = 6qp per magnitude, Invested Items = 12qp per Magnitude + open pawn of space, cash reserves = 1qp per 3£, private income = 1qp per 1£, Vis Stocks = 4qp per pawn of Form or 8qp for a Technique, a private Vis Source = 28qp per annual pawn. This may only be taken once.
+1 Private Income
You have a private source of income that brings in 15£ a year. This boon is free if this is an Indiscrete Resource, a source of illicit income such as piracy. This may be taken up to three times, but only once for free. This may also be combined with other Resource boons to expand the value of this income.
+1 Hidden Resource
There is some undiscovered resource located on your property. You do not know of its existence at first, but you will soon become aware of it. At that point, if you decide to share it with the covenant & chapter or to horde it for yourself, those ramifications are dealt with at that time. The value is the same as for Personal Resource.
+1 Indiscrete Resource
You have a resource obtained by illicit or improper means. Something you stole/are stealing from someone, something you are supposed to share, or otherwise by some means or condition that could cause trouble if discovered by concerned authorities (such as your chapterhouse associates/covenant mates). The value is the same as for Personal Resource.
+1 Single Resource
You own and control a single small personal resource, worth 15qp, that you do not have to share with or hide from anyone. You may take this only once.
Inhabitants
This represents others that inhabit the area of your quarter. As a base, besides themselves and an allotment for a Familiar and an apprentice; you have an allotment of 10 points of staff figured into your staff. Minor Staff costs one point per person, Major Staff cost two points each. Minor staff includes grogs, servants, sailors, pirates, rabble, flunkies, covenfolk, and other commoners. Major Staff includes specialists, armed soldiers, craftsmen, professionals, favored grogs, and so forth. Companions may or may not be staff, but they still need a magus to sponsor them unless they are independently wealthy. Boons and Hooks concerning Inhabitants do not affect your expenses (the cost is absorbed into the abstract). You may also have additional staff that you actually pay for, or cut costs by downsizing, but they will have to be recruited or fired in game.
+1 Increased Staff
You have an additional 5 points of miscellaneous staff that you do not affect your expenses (they are already figured in). This is worth 6 points if they are all of the same type (a trio of soldiers, three craftsmen, six pirates, etc). This may be taken up to three times.
+1 Magical Staff
Almost every member of your staff has inherit magical traits, or will soon acquire them while residing in the aura of your quarter.
-1 Minor Mystical Pests
You have gremlins in your lab, or smurfs in your sanctum, or woozles tearing up your garden.
-1 Small Staff
Your staff is greatly reduced, but your expenses are not. This may be because of the cost of high living, paying of debts to them or for them, or some other hole in your budget that equates to having a limited staff. You start off with only six points, additional members have to be recruited and paid for. Your Familiar is paid for, if you have one, but your apprentice (if any) is not and costs 2 points.
-3 No Staff
Perhaps it is because your own expenses are so lavish, or because of some other great expense that drains your resources, you have absolutely no staff yet still have the same expenses. Only your familiar is paid for if you have one, and if you do not it provides no cost savings. Recruiting staff is difficult,
Relations
+1 Informants/Agents
You have a network of informants and other agents in the area that gather information for you and perform other (non-violent) tasks of intrigue. They are not on your staff or part of your expenses, they have their own lives. They just cooperate with you seeking favor. It is wise to throw them a bone once in a while. Use the rules from Societas to design your agency.
+1 Local Ally:
You personally have made friends with influential mundane authorities
+1 Promised Favors:
Someone, Hermetic or mundane, owes you a favor pertaining to your residence here at Sa Dragonera
-1 Hangout:
On or near your quarter, there is a popular hangout (such as a tavern or church) that others are always congregating about. This is a draw on your staff and a potential start point for endless random stories.
-1 Owed Favors:
You owe a favor to someone in the area, or one that concerns your residence here.
-1 Politics:
You slightly entangles in mundane politics of the area (always a bad idea), or you have a heavy involvement in Hermetic politics that will affect your life here in Sa Dragonera
Individual Expenditures
Average Annual Expenses
- Magus: 15£ (5£ Inhabitant, 1£ Writing Materials, 3£ Lab and Arcane Supplies, 6£ Compensation)
- Companion/Familiar: 3£
- Soldier/Specialist/Craftsman/Professional/Apprentice: 2£
- Servant/Rabble/Covenfolk/Flunky/Pirate/Other: 1£
The typical Journeyman is afforded the lifestyle that befits a magus, and may have a Lab Upkeep as high as +2. It is further presumed that each magus will have a Companion, a Familiar, two soldier grogs, three servants, and an Apprentice or a Specialist at their disposal.
This totals up to an average expense of 30£ per magus; including their entourage, buildings & properties, and laboratories. This is what the covenant has budgeted, and supplies each magus with each year. This includes 6£ that they can save aside, or use to live a more lavish lifestyle. Wages that they earn for services would be money owed no matter if the resided here or at the main covenant, so this is not a budget concern.
At the rate of 30£ per magus, it costs the covenant 180£ per year to maintain the Chapterhouse. The vis yeild from Sa Dragonera is a Queen per year, and we make a 60/40 split with Barcelona. So it takes us 180£ to make 60 pawns of vis, using a vis exchange rate of 12£ per pawn, Andorra profits 45 pawns of vis per year. That is 5 pawns more than Barcelona, but we can consider that a wash with cost overruns and miscellaneous expenses.
Upgrading your Lifestyle
If you want a more lavish lifestyle, the cost is up to you. You have 6£ to play with, and there are other ways to obtain income. The expense of expanding your entourage is as indicated above, Other additional expenses are as follows.
- Lab Upkeep: Pyramid value of Upkeep score minus 3£
- Lab Size: 1£ per point of Size
- Buildings: 1£ per point of Boon, -1£ per point of Hook
