Beyond the Expected

Welcome to Magi of Hermes. This book presents fifteen unique magi of the Order of Hermes, along with their magical creations, to be used in your saga.

Alexander of Jerbiton: A magus who spends his life exploring the deserts of North Africa, developing spells to change himself and his attendants into animals to better travel in those harsh lands.

Aurulentus of Jerbiton: This seventh son of a seventh son is deeply concerned with his family, and develops many spell effects concerned with health, fertility, and care for children as a result.

Conscientia of Bonisagus: This "lab rat" develops effects to order for other magi, to gather resources for her own research project that has yet to bear fruit.

Gwidion of Verditius: A master at magically enhancing plants, his greatest creation may be the living tree that serves as his home.

Hugh of Flambeau: A magus who relishes physical combat, and who has developed many spells and enchanted items to make him a more formidable opponent.

Julia of Ex Miscellanea: This weaver's faerie blood lets her produce enchanted cloth and clothing of the highest caliber, though she rejects her heritage and as a result is tormented by her fey ancestor — a spider prince.

Lambert of Merinita: This trader of goods and materials uses his magic to support his mercantile activities and his family, and to overcome the social handicap of his Gift.

Maris of Tytalus: A magus who lives at sea, constantly testing his magic against the raw fury of the elements, and searching beneath its waters for ancient magical sites.

Marcus of Criamon: This giant-blooded magus seeks to create living beings by combining the features of two or more existing creatures, with the minotaur as his final goal.

Persephone of Tytalus: Driven by vengeance against her pater, she and her disfigured sister use magic to enhance their network of agents, giving them a great deal of mundane influence.

Petalichus of Verditius: Spinning webs of intrigue through the use of secret Mysteries, this crafter of seemingly humble devices is as secretive, manipulative, and vindictive as his arachnid familiar implies.

Ranulf of Flambeau: This magus aims to master fire magic, developing a wide range of new spells and effects, including non-violent applications of this Art.

Scipio of Merinita: Casting his magic through music and illusion, this son of a faerie king searches for his true love despite his father's interference.

Tolides of Flambeau: The apprentice of a marched Infernalist, he is obsessed with darkness and cold as a result of the influence of demons that still surround him, waiting for him to fall.

Yestin of Jerbiton: A traveling bard, whose magic enhances his music and makes his journeys easier, even as he's plagued by a meddlesome faerie.

Rather than being "stock" characters, these magi go beyond the expected, redefining the standard for Ars Magica. From the rare to the extraordinary, they are provided with full statistics at Gauntlet and every fifteen years of their career thereafter. In addition, full descriptions are provided of their remarkable creations, both spells and enchanted items. As a result, this book can be used in two main ways.

First, it's a source of pre-generated magi of various levels of power. The characters could be used as player characters, or, more likely, as supporting cast in a saga. You could also change the names and personalities, and just use the statistics to save you the trouble of generating them yourself.

Second, it's a source of new spells and enchanted items. These can be used without using the related magus, either by having them be invented from scratch by player magi, or made the subject of Lab Texts available in your own saga.

In short, this book is a collection of magical resources for your saga, to be used as you see fit. Enjoy!