Ars MagicaTM TheThe ArtArt ofof MagicMagic Fourth Edition ChartingCharting NewNew RealmsRealms ofof Imagination™Imagination™ Ars Magica, Fourth Edition C REDITS Development, Editing, Layout, and Project Management: Jeff Tidball Development, Editing, and Layout: John Nephew Fourth Edition Design Contributions: Bill Brickman, Bob Brynildson, David Chart, Nicole Lindroos Frein, Geoffrey Grabowski, Peter Hentges, Lydia Leong, Marc Philipp Messner, John Nephew, Chris Pramas, Wade Racine, Roderick Robertson, John Snead, Jeremy Strandberg, Jeff Tidball, and Robbie Westmoreland. Original Ars Magica Design: Jonathan Tweet and Mark Rein•Hagen Contributing Authors: Shannon Appel, Bill Brickman, David Chart, Sam Chupp, Ken Cliffe, Christopher Earley, Chris Frerking, Geoffrey Grabowski, Kevin Hassall, Peter Hentges, Lydia Leong, Aaron Link, Dave P. Martin, John Nephew, Wade Racine, Mark Rein•Hagen, Carl Schnurr, John Snead, Jeremy Strandberg, Jeff Tidball, Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, and Travis Lamar Williams. Journal of Antoninus of Jerbiton: David Chart Interior Art: Dave Allsop, Neil Edwards, Josh Hoops, Eric Hotz, Janine Johnston, Alexis Liosatos, William O’Connor, Dom Reardon, John Scotello, and Jock Simpson. Cartography: Eric Hotz Wizards of the Coast Fourth Edition Developer: Wade Racine Wizards of the Coast Fourth Edition Contributions: Steve Bishop, Bob Kruger, and Jennifer Clarke Wilkes. Special Thanks: Peter Adkison, Bill Brickman, Bob Brynildson, Jerry Corrick, Woody Eblom, Lydia Leong, Clay Luther, Susann Lyon, Paul Nurnberger, and Jonathan Tweet. Playtest Coordinators: Bill Brickman, Bob Brynildson, Timothy Carroll, David Chart, Chris Daianu, Jeremiah Genest, Damelon Kimbrough, Scott Lien, Marc Philipp Messner, and Robin Steeden. Playtesters: Bill Brickman Playtesters (Philadelphia): Paul Curtis, Tamara Duran, Erik Hanson, Leonard McCain, Stephen Mulholland, and Christopher Page. Bill Brickman Playtesters (Los Angeles): Tavis Allison, St. John Colón, Ingrid de Beus, Steve Hanna, Robert Jimenez, Duncan MacClaren, and Gintaras Valiulis. Bob Brynildson Playtesters: David Appleby, Peter Hentges, Joseph Knight, Tony Lavalle, Donald Prust, Robin Sivill, and William Vos. David Chart Playtesters: Dinan Gunawardena, Adam Mosley, Mike Pitt, Helen Steele, and Chihiro Yamada. Chris Daianu Playtesters: Art Apicella, Chris Balow, Richard Brooks, and Steve Drexler. Jeremiah Genest Playtesters: Nathaniel Bennett, Ry Boltors, Charles Schafer, and H. Tyler Stewart. Damelon Kimbrough Playtesters: Robert Angeloni and Richard W. Evans, Jr. Scott Lien Playtesters: Jennifer Cain, William Cain, Mark Ford, Jason Kimnach, Tad Myers, Randy Porter, Clint Warner, and Douglas Welsh. Marc Philipp Messner Playtesters: Tanja Bader, Nina Baur, Alexander Gerber, Jochen Gutjahr, Jens Oesterle, Sabine Voëlkel, and Stefan Kreutzer. Robin Steeden Playtesters: Gordon Bowie-Reed, Michaël de Verteuil, Thomas Erskine, John Garay, Ian Hargrove, and Chris Roberts. Fans of Ars Magica discuss the game on an e-mail discussion list. To subscribe, send the command “subscribe ars-magica” (no quotes) in the body of an e-mail message to [email protected]. To subscribe to a digest version of the list, send the command “subscribe ars-magica-digest” (no quotes) to the same address. Project: Redcap archives and links to many of the fan-created Ars Magica pages on the World Wide Web. To get to Project: Redcap, point your browser at http://redcap.org. PO Box 131233 Ars Magica, Mythic Europe, Covenants, and Charting New Realms of Imagination are trademarks of Roseville, MN 55113 Trident, Inc. Wizards of the Coast is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Order of Hermes, Tremere, and Doissetep are trademarks of White Wolf, Inc. and are used with permission. E-Mail: [email protected] Copyright ©1996, 2003 Trident, Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games. All rights reserved. This special digital edition Website: www.atlas-games.com of the game is being provided as a free download. You may copy and print this document for personal use. Any other reproduction of this work by any means without written permission from the publisher is expressly prohibited. If you enjoy this game, we invite you to consider purchasing the printed edition or any of the many supplements and adventures that are available for purchase. DIGITAL EDITION • MARCH 2003 This PDF edition has no ISBN assigned. The ISBNs of the print editions of Ars Magica 4th Edition are 1-887801-55-3 (softcover) and ISBN 1-887801-56-1 (hardcover). Table of Contents Chapter I: Introduction . 4 Chapter II: Characters . 16 Chapter III: Hermetic Magic . 64 Chapter IV: Laboratory . 80 Chapter V: Spells . 102 Chapter VI: Combat . 161 Chapter VII: Storyguide. 174 Chapter VIII: Saga. 193 Chapter IX: Covenants . 202 Chapter X: Mythic Europe . 212 Chapter XI: Realms . 238 Chapter XII: Bestiary . 246 Appendix I: Latin Glossary . 261 Appendix II: Conversion Notes . 262 Character Sheets . 263 Virtue and Flaw Index . 267 Spell Index. 268 General Index . 269 ChapterChapter II IntroductionIntroduction pass our other time in labor and study of the Holy Bible. Extracts from the Journal of There is great wisdom in such simplicity, as St. Bernard says. I, William, write this with my own hand. Adelard wrote Antoninus of Jerbiton, formerly the above with my help. I wanted the opening of this book William of York to not be marred by my poor Latin. he third day of Advent, in the year of our Lord eleven he Feast of St. Hugh, in the year of our Lord eleven hun- Thundred and ninety nine. Tdred and ninety nine. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the holy Virgin In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the holy Virgin Mary, and Ailred of blessed memory. Mary, and Ailred of blessed memory. Fulk of Cîteaux visited the monastery today, and the May the God of Majesty who has watched over my life abbot summoned me to a conversation with him. He want- watch over the pen with which I write it, lest I stumble in ed to read my book, and I brought it to him. He asked me the retelling. I am William, called of York for I was born in many questions about my studies, and my life as a monk. He seemed happy, but I do not understand what he wanted. that city, and I am an oblate at the monastery of Rievaulx. I came into this world of suffering in the year of our Lord he Feast of the Circumcision, in the year of our Lord eleven hundred and eighty six, and it pleased God to take Ttwelve hundred. my mother to Him at my birth. In my eighth year my father died, and my uncle gave me as an oblate to the monastery, May the Lord Jesus Christ, the holy Virgin Mary, blessed where I have lived since. I shall take my vows as a monk Bernard, and Ailred of holy memory have mercy upon me and guard my soul. next Easter, and never leave the monastery thereafter. I have left the monastery. Fulk of Cîteaux, who is nei- I was given the book in which I record my life by Fulk ther Fulk nor of Cîteaux, came for me and took me away. I of Cîteaux, a monk of our Order. He has visited this am sitting by the fire in a camp, surrounded by men of war, monastery many times, and is much in conference with the and Julia who is Fulk is watching me write from the other abbot. He has shown a great interest in me, and I do not side of the fire. I would leave, but I have nowhere to go. believe Geoffrey’s suggestion that his interest stems from a Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison. mortal sin. I believe that Geoffrey will be a bad monk and bring scandal to our Order, but God alone shall judge. I shall tell the story of these days calmly. Fulk who is Julia came to the monastery on the Feast of the Innocents. The abbot gave Fulk permission to grant me this book, He went to see the abbot, and I was summoned to speak to and required that I obey his command to record my life. The them again. Fulk asked me more questions, and then stared monastic day is unchanging as the eternal God is unchang- at me as if he could look into my soul. Perhaps he could. ing: we pray seven times per day, as the psalmist says, and When I returned to the novices they were all whispering 4 CHAPTER IINTRODUCTION 5 about me, and Geoffrey said wicked things about Fulk. His I am sitting in my room, which is lit by a fire which imagination fell far short of the truth. never goes out. The worm which never perishes will come for me when I sleep, for this is an unholy place, surely cut off Yesterday I was summoned again to the abbot, and Fulk from the love of God. was with him once more. The abbot seemed distracted, and told me that I was to leave the monastery and go with Fulk It does not look like the mouth of Hell. It is a stone to his home. I was shocked, because the abbot has always manor house, well built around three sides of a courtyard, preached firmly that monks must stay in their monasteries. I the fourth side closed by a wall with a gate in it. Two towers began to protest, but he stopped me, telling me that I was rise from the rear corners, and there are people busy within sworn to obedience. I left, but it was not true. I have not it. It even looks something like a monastery, but without a taken my vows yet. I could have disobeyed him and chapel. There is no chapel, and no church in the village. remained. Instead I left. Truly, all those here are lost, and I am among them. Fulk spoke to me before I left the abbot, and told me When we arrived it was clear that Julia had come home, that we would leave before dawn.