Irioth (>) wrote: > I would be extremely grateful if someone in the know would give me > some general description or review of the following rules published > in Hermes Portal, so I can decide whether to get them as a stopgap. > Not asking for every detail, of course, just a general picture. I'll do my best. I wrote a couple of them, so while I might be somewhat biased, I should also be fairly accurate, at least about what they contain. The others I will have to do from memory, since I keep my back issues on a computer that is currently elsewhere. However, there is also a review of issues 1-3 on RPG.net, written by Alex White, that might give you some more insight. Also, you can download a preview of several of these issues at http://hermesportal.fr.st/, and it looks like in most cases there's an excerpt of the article you're interested in. > Bjornaer Mysteries, by Erik Dahl (rules for shapeshifting and > Bjornaer mystae) That article was an attempt to answer some questions that came up often in my saga, namely how to deal mechanically with Bjornaers changing shape. Also, it was suggested many times in Fourth Edition that Bjornaer magi could acquire additional shapes, but apart from a brief mention in the Medieval Bestiary Revised, there wasn't much as far as rules went. I tried to write an interesting path of mysteries that would address that need. > Merinita Mysteries, by David Chart (new rules for Faerie Magic, > using mystae based in House Merinita) The Line Editor wrote that article, basically revising Faerie Magic from the /Wizard's Grimoire/ to make it more balanced and introducing a mystery path as in The Mysteries. Interestingly, the outer mystery Faerie Magic from Fifth Edition looks nearly identical to the first Virtue on this article's path. > More Merinita Mysteries, by Scott D. Orr (flavorful additions to > HP4's "Merinita Mysteries") I found this article a welcome addition to the previous one; they complement each other extremely well, and this one gave me a lot of ideas for characters in my game. I believe it addressed the imaginative, speculative side of faeries, while David's article focused more on Faerie and Glamour. > The Galdor Mysteries, by David Woods (bringing galdramen into > Hermetic magic) I don't remember much about this article, I'm afraid. > Ars Mathematica: Mathematics, by Adam Bank and Jeremiah Genest (the > Mystery of numerology) I thought this was an interesting read, though I don't remember using it in my game. Obviously, it's a nice counterpart to The Mysteries, being some of the material that got cut. > Ars Sympathia, by Mark Shirley (a new mysta based in the Law of > Sympathy) I thought this was clever. Now that every magus in Fifth Edition uses the Law of Sympathy to boost Penetration, I think a mystery path based on the other uses would be very interesting to introduce. > The Realm of Magic, by Adam Bank and Jeremiah Genest (discussion > and characteristics of the Magic Realm) I remember being puzzled by this, but interested. I think I didn't agree with the authors' interpretation of Magic, and that kind of colored my opinion of it. I adored the artwork, that I remember vividly. Sorry I can't remember much else, though. > Bonisagus Redux: Magic Theory Revised, by Erik Dahl (ideas for > modifying the magic system) (I'm especially interested in rules > that make healing and creation magic somehow less rigidly > constrained by vis and ritual requirements). This article was designed to redesign the magic system so that I could determine the effects of a spell in my game without having to refer to the guidelines. I had some ideas for using vis and rituals, and I came up with some mystery Virtues for Bonisagus, Guernicus, Mercere and Verditius, who I imagined being fairly close. Many of these ideas made their way (much altered) into True Lineages. As far as creation and healing magic being less constrained, well, I did discuss that, but I'm not sure how useful it will be for you in a Fifth Edition game. Perhaps it would give you ideas? > Advancing Hermetic Theory Without Unbalancing Your Game, by Tyler > Larson (researching discoveries) I was a big advocate of these rules when they came out. I remember being completely convinced by his arguments for revamping the experimental system, and pleased with his suggestions for doing so. > The Hermetic University, by Niall Christie (rules for university > covenants and group study) I liked this article too, though I didn't get a chance to use it. > Deus ex Magica, by Erik Dahl (natural and pious magic, two paths > for pious magi) (Is this made obsolete by Divine, or still useful ?) You might look at the first half of that article, which deals with Natural Magic, and that isn't addressed at all in The Divine. > Towards a New Learning Model, by Sean Michael Winslow (revising > Abilities for mystae and breakthroughs) D'oh, I don't remember this article, I'm afraid. > The Magic of the Founders, by David Chart (Mercurian magic and > mastering spells) (Is this made obsolete by new mercurian virtues > in 5th ed rulebook, or still useful ?) The ideas about the Founders and how they used magic are a fascinating read. I was quite inspired by that article. > The Miraculous World, by Adam Bank and Jeremiah Genest (studies of > the Lyceum for Empirical Metaphysics) I'm a little hazy on this one as well. :/ > I would also be quite grateful if someone could give me some info > about the new rules for the hybrid divine/hermetic magic and the > pure non-Hermetic divine magic traditions in RoP: Divine, and on > the quasi-mystae paths of power (forest magic ?) that I've fuzzily > heard may be found in the Rhine Tribunal book. It looks like others have addressed these questions, but let me know if I can add anything. And hey, I highly recommend the Hermes' Portal 1223/2005-1224/2006 swimsuit calendar. Fully illustrated, provocatively (but tastefully) posed Hermetic magae of historical significance, and there's also a bunch of story hooks and fun ideas spread throughout. It has holidays, saints' days, and even red-letter dates in the Order, all in an astrological format, from Aries (March-April) to Pisces (February-March). If I recall correctly, Myth October is Diedne, and it includes an idea for one of her spontaneous healing rituals. (I'm sure that I'd encourage you to get it even if I wasn't one of the contributors.)
Edited 10/9/2005 12:44 am ET by ErikTDahl
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