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This is the second in my series of articles dealing with highly individualistic practitioners of magic. In this article I describe a character (conceived and played by my good friend Richard) who wields a form of magic centered on the manipulation of storms and related effects.
In one way this article breaks the guidelines I mentioned in "The Shapeshifter," in that the character is not a complete individual in his use of this form of magic. However, his tradition is very rare and scattered, and he is the only member of it in the Order of Hermes, so he might as well be. In addition, he fulfills the other criteria of being a non-Hermetic wizard created in response to a request from a player. The original character was generated and played using the 3rd Edition rules; I have since updated the character and rules for 4th Edition. As before, I have included his statistics, appropriate rules and design notes.
Characteristics: Int +3, Per +2, Str +1, Sta +2, Pre -3, Com -2, Dex 0, Qik -1
Magic Resistance: +13 vs. Auram and other weather related magics (see below)
Age: 42
Afflictions: Looks old 1, Aching joints 1, Stoop 1
Size: -1
Confidence: 3
Virtues and Flaws: Free Virtues and Flaw: Special Circumstances +1 (During storms), Weather Sense +1, Driving Goal (To regulate the weather and prevent its damaging effects) -1. Bought as normal: Outsider Trained in the Order +3, Charmed Life +3, Enduring Constitution +1, The Gentle Gift +1, Strong-Willed +1, Tough +1, Old -3, Small Frame -3, Enemies (Killers of parents) -2, Warped Magic (Static shocks) -1, Oversensitive (Accusations of being a diabolist) -1
Personality Traits: Irritable 3, Patient 2, Mysterious 1
Reputations: Hedge Wizard 3, with the Order of Hermes
| Weapon/Attack | Init | Atk | Dfn | Dam | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brawling (unarmed) | +3 | +3 | +3 | +0 | +5 |
| Brawling (dagger) | +5 | +5 | +6 | +3 | +6 |
Soak: +4
Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -2, -4, Unconscious
Body Levels: OK, 0, -2, -4, Incapacitated
Abilities: Awareness 3 (Ambushes), Brawling 3 (Dagger), Calling 6 (During Natural Storms), Climb 1 (Cliffs), Concentration 2 (Long Periods), Folk Ken 3 (Peasants), Germany Lore 3 (Geography), Legend Lore 2 (Beasts), Scribe German 3 (Speed), Speak German 5 (Colorful phrases), Stealth 2 (Sneak), Survival 3 (Mountains), Swim 1 (Rough Water), Weather Sense 5 (Storms)
Decrepitude: 0
Equipment: Dagger, walking stick (sigil)
Encumbrance: 0
Description and Background:
Of the various groups of non-Hermetic magi who have been recorded by the Order of Hermes, few are more obscure and disorganized than the Storm Wardens. There are believed to be about fifteen of these reclusive magi spread throughout Europe, mostly living in remote sites away from the rest of the world. Little is known of their precise purpose, but it seems that they dedicate themselves to the regulation of the weather, and particularly of its most violent phenomena - storms. In order to do this, they summon storms of their own, and discharge them in areas where they will do little damage. It is unclear how successful this practice is, but the Storm Wardens remain dedicated to their purpose nevertheless.
Despite the fact that one Storm Warden, Tiberius, has taken membership of House Ex Miscellanea, the Order knows little else about them, and does not find them a cause for concern, as the majority of the Storm Wardens show little interest in exerting influence on others. The group seems to be very disorganized - its members have very little contact with each other (although they do meet occasionally), and even less with the outside world. They have no formal procedure for training apprentices, and constantly maintain a watch for others displaying powers similar to theirs, in order to recruit them to their number. It is unclear whether their powers can be taught at all. Tiberius maintains that the major problem faced by their organization is that the paucity of their numbers means that they cannot exercise as much control over the weather as they would like.
Tiberius was born in an inn in the mountains in the south of the Rhine Tribunal. Both of his parents were killed in an attack on the village by an unknown group of knights and men-at-arms, during which Tiberius drove off the men with a storm. He then fled from the villagers, who were attempting to burn him as a diabolist, and lived for years in the hills. One day he was found by Bernhardt, a storm warden, who persuaded him to join the organization. After some years of practicing in the mountains, Tiberius felt that he could be more effective if he moved to Bavaria, where he found a covenant in an ideal location for his intended work. Rather than come into conflict with the magi of the covenant, Tiberias approached its members and applied to join the Order of Hermes. His application was accepted, and soon he became a member of House Ex Miscellanea. He currently lives a couple of miles outside the covenant for privacy, in a hut full of cauldrons, flasks, herbs, mixtures and other ritual materials. He is only generally seen in the covenant at times of crisis, or when its head wishes to consult him.
Tiberius is a small, wizened man who appears to be immensely old, an impression that he cultivates and accentuates by leaning on a walking stick and maintaining a cantankerous demeanor. He has scraggly white hair and gray eyes, and usually dresses in a simple habit of brown wool. Tiberius' magic displays the odd feature that when he uses it, his body is charged with static electricity, giving him nasty static shocks when he touches things, something that annoys him tremendously. He votes at tribunals with his walking stick.
Storm warden magic is essentially a combination of two forms of magic, which the storm wardens refer to as "Lesser Calling" and "Greater Calling." Both forms of magic involve a Calling Total, which is the sum of the following:
Calling Total = Stamina + Calling + Weather Sense
The Storm Warden manipulates both his or her own inherent power and the existing weather conditions to produce small, instant effects, such as claps of thunder or breaths of wind (effectively Creo Auram spells). This form of magic is generally low-powered, and can be difficult to implement if weather conditions are too good. In order to cast a Lesser Calling spell, the player should specify the effect the Storm Warden wishes to create, then expend a Fatigue level. The player should then roll a stress die and add it to the Calling Total, then divide the result by two. This is the effective level of the effect created. The storyguide should then determine if the Storm Warden's efforts were successful, and if so what the precise effect of the spell was. Lesser Calling spells may be used to counter other spells or attacks in the same way as spontaneous magic. The effective Spell Casting Speed of a Storm Warden is equal to the character's Quickness + Finesse.
It is in Greater Calling that the real power of the Storm Warden lies. As has been mentioned above, Storm Wardens dedicate the majority of their time to summoning storms and unleashing them where they will do no harm. To do this, they build up power over a period of months, using obscure, continuous rituals, before releasing it. The home of a Storm Warden is a chaos of ritual paraphernalia, including bubbling cauldrons, mummified animals and herbal mixtures, which they use to build up power. A Storm Warden may use this power during the game to unleash a storm. To do this, the Storm Warden enacts ritual gestures and releases his or her power in a cataclysmic storm. The player should make up and act out the suitably dramatic gestures that the Storm Warden uses. The player then multiplies the Storm Warden's Calling Total by the number of months spent preparing the storm, before adding a stress roll. The resulting number is the effective level of the spell, and thus the violence of the storm, the precise results of which should be adjudicated by the storyguide. As a guide, a "standard" storm (as described in the Creo Auram spell Clouds of Rain and Thunder) is level 25. Increasing the level will increase the severity of the storm in proportion.
This ability to build up power over a long period of time makes Storm Wardens seem extremely powerful, but there are one or two other factors that should be borne in mind. Firstly, the storm is always centred on its caster, and the Storm Warden will have to bear the full brunt of its power, although the character's Magic Resistance may help resist this. Secondly, building up power in this way is painful; this means that the Storm Warden suffers from one "pain level" for every month he or she has been building up power (for more details, see the -3 Hermetic Flaw Painful Magic). The player should also bear this constant pain in mind when roleplaying. Thirdly, the Storm Warden will have obligations to their purpose, as well as to the covenant, and so he or she will have to discharge his or her power periodically as a result.
When Storm Wardens discharge their power, they have to discharge all of it. However, if a Storm Warden has accidentally allowed too much to build up, the character may choose to discharge the power inefficiently, in such a way that not all of it provides energy for the storm. Thus the player may specify how many months of power are being devoted to the storm, up to the maximum number stored, before the dice are rolled, and the rest of the power will be discharged harmlessly. Once the power is discharged, the Storm Warden must begin building power up again from nothing.
Botches on rolls for Lesser Calling are likely to be relatively harmless. However, for Greater Calling, they are likely to be particularly unpleasant and dangerous.
Storm Wardens have a specialized Magic Resistance score equal to their Calling Total, which is only effective against their own storms, Auram effects and other, similar magics.
Storm Wardens gain experience in the same way as companions and grogs. Calling may be increased using Story Experience and Practice (ArM4, pages 186-7). Storm Wardens never create items or potions, nor may they write down information about their magic, as it is purely instinctive.
Concept: Tiberius came into Richard's mind almost fully-formed: a small, wizened old man who lived in a hut full of bubbling cauldrons, mummified alligators and the like, who was able, in a very crude fashion, to summon and unleash storms of awesome might, but only under very limited circumstances. The idea of the Storm Warden organization soon followed, primarily as an explanation of how Tiberius learned to refine his magic, but also to give a possible future ally for the covenant. The unknown murderers of Tiberius' parents further enhanced his enigmatic nature, and gave me other potential avenues for stories based around his mysterious origins.
Attributes: Tiberius' attributes were randomly rolled, yielding scores of 5, 3, -5, -1.
Virtues and Flaws: It was decided that Storm Wardens should receive the following Virtues and Flaws for free: Special Circumstances +1 (During storms), Weather Sense +1 and Driving Goal (to regulate the weather and prevent its damaging effects) -1. Tiberius was also allowed to take up to 10 points of additional Virtues and Flaws, in the same way as other magi. As a non-Hermetic member of the Order, Tiberius was required to take the +3 Virtue Outsider Trained in the Order (WGRE, page 61).
Abilities: Tiberius was given the following starting Abilities:
| Speak Own Language | 5 |
| Weather Sense | 3 |
| Calling | 3 |
| Scribe Own Language | 3 |
| Legend Lore | 2 |
| Area Lore | 2 |
"Calling" is a new Exceptional Talent, only possessed by Storm Wardens, and is used for the casting of Storm Warden magic, as explained above. Subtracting the experience point cost of these Abilities from 55, the standard for a starting magus, gave him Age + 17 points remaining to be spent at his discretion (note that he received one level of Weather Sense, and hence an additional experience point, for free).
It was decided that with the exception of Scribe Own Language, Storm Wardens should take the Educated Virtue to gain Academic Knowledges and Skills, and the Arcane Lore Virtue to gain Arcane Knowledges. They could also take Arcane Talents, which might be used in suitable circumstances, but not Hermetic Skills, for obvious reasons!
Magic: Tiberius' magic was envisioned as having two forms, one that could be used from day to day, and the second extremely powerful, but also exceedingly limited. We soon realized that a basic mechanic would be required for both (the Calling Total), and the above system resulted from trying to find a way to make this mechanic fit both minor effects and the results of long months of preparation. It also made sense, given his expertise, to give Tiberius resistance to weather and Auram magics, calculated, for simplicity's sake, using the same mechanic.
Text copyright © Niall Christie and Richard Read 2003.