Conversion

Immortal and Unchanging

The unchanging nature of the immortal means that while temporary changes are possible, they fade unless bound by magic. If a change is caused by a magical effect with a duration longer than Momentary, recovery or fading does not begin until the effect expires.

As a guideline, once the cause ends, no unbound, temporary change lasts beyond a season — after a season all trace will have faded. If a whole season passes, then simply assume that wounds and scars fade completely — no die roll is needed.

Any Temporary, Unbound Change will Fade Completely over a Season.

An immortal with a body may be wounded, and if the wound is deep enough (beyond Incapacitated), he can die. If he is wounded but does not die, then his wounds will always heal. In game terms, if you need to monitor wounds over a short period, then make a Recovery Roll for every wound once per week (regardless of severity), and no wound worsens — a wound can only remain stable or improve. Since the immortal cannot get drastically worse, the normal stress roll becomes a simple roll.

If a whole season passes, just assume that all wounds fade completely; this includes regenerating crushed or severed limbs. (Recovery from wounds is detailed on ArM5, page 179, and summarized below.)

Recovery Total: Simple Die + Stamina + Medic's Chirurgy or Medicine Score + Magical Aid

Roll to Recover from Incapacity at Sunrise and Sunset: If the Recovery Roll is 9+, all Incapacitating Wounds Improve to Heavy Wounds, other- wise the Immortal Remains Stable but Incapacitated.

Roll to Recover from Light, Medium, and Heavy Wounds Once per Week: Improve if Recovery Total is 10+ (Light Wounds), 12+ (Medium Wounds), 15+ (Heavy Wounds), Otherwise an Immortal's Wound is Stable (+3 Bonus to Future Rolls)

A ghost may be wounded by other ghosts, but its wounds disappear within a day (see Chapter 8: Hermetic Spirit Magic, Ghosts in Ars Magica). An Aspect of a Daimon may be wounded if it takes bodily form, but can be discarded at will — the Daimon cannot be killed by bodily wounds to an Aspect.

Mental changes, such as those inflicted by spells or powers, recover similarly. Other spells can be compared across guidelines, or an approximation can be used. If the speed of recovery matters, compare the effect with wound-causing magics, rate the loss on the wound scale, and make recovery rolls as above.

If a whole season passes, assume all trace fades without rolling.

Recover from Mental Changes as a Comparable Physical Wound.

See the accompanying table.

Might damage, such as from Perdo Vim magics equivalent to Demon's Eternal Oblivion, only results in temporary Might loss if the spirit is not utterly destroyed — full Might recovers by the next day.

The sacrifice or drain of Might Score caused by Mystery rites or rituals is a permanent loss, although methods exist to improve Might Score. For example, a Living Ghost may sacrifice Might Score points to replace vis in spells, but may increase his Might Score later by repeating his Transformation of the Living Ghost ritual.

Spell GL	Heal as	Perdo Corpus Effect	Perdo Mentem Effect
3	Light Wound		Remove minor detail of memory.
4	Light Wound		Remove important detail of memory. Diminish mental capability.
5	Light Wound	Inflict Light Wound.
10	Medium Wound		Remove minor memory. Reduce all mental capabilities.
15	Medium Wound	Cripple a limb.
15	Heavy Wound	Destroy minor sense.	Remove a major memory, or all emotions. Drive insane.
20	Heavy Wound	Destroy a major sense.
20	Incapacitating	Incapacitating Wound. Destroy or sever a limb.
25	Incapacitating		Leave a mindless husk.
30	Dead	Kill a person.

The following notes discuss converting characters from Fourth Edition's The Mysteries to The Mysteries Revised Edition.

Follow the guidelines in ArM5, on page 223, on converting characters. Use your judgment to re-balance points spent on Virtues, but note that The Mysteries Revised Edition places much more emphasis on stories paying for Initiations rather than Flaw points, and so converted characters will be much more Flawed than comparable The Mysteries Revised Edition characters. When converting, you may wish to drop some of the extra Flaws acquired as Ordeals for Fourth Edition The Mysteries.

Abilities

Outer Mysteries are no longer "Magical Affinity" Abilities. You may place experience from removed Abilities into (Mystery Cult) Lore, Magic Theory, or similar Abilities. Some new Virtues use (Realm) Lores, so you may wish to spread points into those Abilities.

Non-Mystae Virtues and Flaws

Cabal Legacy is retained, Sorcerous Music becomes Performance Magic (Music), Sacred Architecture becomes Hermetic Architecture. Mastery Virtues are replaced by Mastery special abilities; see ArM5, page 87. Magi with these Virtues should add the relevant Mastery special ability to all Formulaic spells they know, adding one Mastery Level for each Ability added. Many lineages and cults refer to Virtues and Flaws from Fourth Edition supplements, and you should simply pick the closest ArM5 equivalent.

Magical Methods

Ceremonial Magic can be found on ArM5, page 83; sympathetic magic can be found on ArM5, page 84.

The Mysteries Revised Edition divides Mystery magics into informal schools rather than formal mystae magics. You should look at the style of character as well as the names of the Virtues.

Alchemy

Hermetic Alchemy, Vulgar Alchemy, and Philosophic Alchemy have direct equivalents. You may wish to include Potent Magic or Magical Focus for Muto Terram (Minor). A magus with The Elixir should replace this with the Virtues Lesser Elixir and Great Elixir together.

Astrology

Replace Hermetic Astrology with Planetary Magic, and keep Celestial Magic. Hermetic Inception has no equivalent. Astral Magic is most nearly equivalent to Periapts, but is very different. Divinatory aspects are covered by Divination (Astrology).

Magical Imagination

Magical Imagination is replaced by the Ability Art of Memory (that requires no Virtue) and either the Virtue Potent Magic (Dream) or Minor Magical Focus (Dream). Oneiromancy becomes Dream Magic and Greater Dream Magic. Dream Interpreter becomes Hermetic Dream Interpreter — a variant of Hermetic Divination.

Augury is replaced by Hermetic Divination, a separate Mystery Magic; multiple Divination methods share one Divination Ability. Inscription on the Soul is now part of spirit magic.

Theurgy

Hermetic theurgy and thaumaturgy become Hermetic theurgy. Thaumaturgists may wish to add Hermetic synthemata or ascendancy. Parhedros is a variant name of spirit familiar (spirit magic). Ars Notoria has no equivalent, however Names of Power and Invocation Magic call upon the powers.

Spirit magic is new, gathering magics for non-Daimon spirits. Potent Magic and Potent spells are new; Mystery Cults often favor these specialist magics, as magi may only have one Magical Focus. Numerology and Geometry are new, and work together with Architecture to form the school of Arithmetic.