SHR Main Page | Opera Propria | Pax Hermetica Introduction
Character creation for the Pax Hermetica setting is, for the most part, the same as for the mediaeval setting. However, there are a few issues that need to be considered, as follows.
Purchase characteristics as normal.
Virtues and Flaws are largely unchanged, though a variety (most particularly a large number of the Social Status Virtues and Flaws) are unsuitable, and should only be used in an adapted form, as described below.
When allocating these, consider whether there is an appropriate modern equivalent. For example, the Minor Social Status Virtue Wise One, which grants a certain measure of prestige over your peers for reasons of your superior knowledge in a certain field, can be expanded to include such people as doctors, lawyers and scientists. As another example, Landed Nobles, while still extant, do not generally maintain justice in their holdings, and their oaths of fealty do not impinge as much on their lives as they used to, so the virtue may well also need some re-interpretation.
Illiterate (Major Flaw): In a world that prizes the ability to read and write, you can do neither. Whether this is due to lack of inclination, a mental problem of some kind, prolonged absences from school or membership of a group that believes that only oral tradition is acceptable, you cannot read and write in your own writing system, even if you somehow have the Artes Liberales Ability, nor may you read and write any other writing system. You may learn to read and write in future by increasing your score in Artes Liberales, but any levels possessed at character creation do not count when calculating the number of writing systems you can read and write. This Flaw is not normally available to Hermetic Magi.
Magi of House Ex Miscellanea who began their careers outside the Order do not hold voting sigils. For them, this forms part of the Minor Hermetic Flaw Hedge Wizard, which they must take. For more details on how such magi gain the right to vote, see the section on the Houses of Hermes.
A relatively common Minor Story Flaw is Dark Secret, particularly in Houses Tytalus and Flambeau where it may refer to one whose ultimate parens was a Tremere Magus.
In Mythic Europe the predominant religions were Paganism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. With the adoption of a wider geography comes the addition of other religions to the game. It hence becomes necessary to decide what is a "True" Faith. There are at least two ways of approaching this, which are described below. The first one is Tom's preferred option, but if you are easily offended on such matters, or prefer political correctness, just skip ahead to the second one. Trust us, you'll be happier.
God is One: The Jews are right. So are the Christians and the Muslims. These are collectively known as the "Peoples of the Book" but they are not (necessarily) the only ones who are right. There are enough similarities between Buddhism and the Book to suggest a possible link. In this version, therefore, Buddhist temples and so on can have a Dominion aura, although of a much more calm or merciful nature than some others. No other religions have a "True Faith." They can be, in a similar way to the Paganism portrayed in The Dragon and the Bear, forms of Faerie Lord worship (e.g. Hinduism) or the worship of denizens of the Magic Realm (e.g. Shinto) or demons.
God is Many: Every "True" religion (and here each Storyguide has to draw their own line) has a shard of the True Empyrean and as such is a reflection of the true God, who is impossible to understand using flawed human understanding. Each faith is a reflection of but a single facet of the unknowable whole, and hence each can have True Faith, Dominion auras and so forth.
In addition to all other starting abilities, each character receives a score of 1 in the Artes Liberales Academic Ability, enabling the character to read and write his or her own language system.
The following should be added to the Ability list on page 63 of ArM5:
General Abilities
Academic Abilities
Martial Abilities
Copyright © Tom McKinnell 2006.