Covenant Dowry v1
This is based on a house rule posted by Troy at Atlas Forums. It has been amended and interpreted to suit my own style of ArM storytelling, keeping the mechanics close to the original. A newer version of Covenant Dowry has been more radically modified.
Covenant Dowry
It is quite reasonable, for a young magus joining a covenant, to bring some kind of contribution to the covenant resources. This is similar to the system of dowry in marriage. When young magi found a new Spring covenant from scratch, this kind of contribution is essential. They need to get the resources from somewhere.
In practice, the resources can come from anywhere. They can be a gradudation gift from the parens, the house, or the Alma Mater. They may have been earned in an adventure, possible just after gauntlet or during the gauntlet itself. The player should be free to narrate the background as they see fit.
For the sake of game balance, the Dowry represents the player’s individual influence on the covenant design. It is intended that the player design the Dowry to be useful for their own magus. Yet, the Dowry is not intended as personal possessions. In character, every magus is expected to bring a Gift of roughly this level of value, and it should be used for the common good. There is some scope for negotiation and bartering here, if the troupe enjoys this kind of roleplay.
The system
New Magi receive a number points to buy starting resources, nine points is suggested, but this may be adjusted for individual sagas. These points are spent using a pyramid scale (level 1 is 1pt, 2 is 3pt, 3 is 6p).
Gift Categories
- Personnel (Grogs, Specialist)
- Wealth (Silver, Equipment)
- Magic (Vis, Enchantments)
- Writings (Books, Lab Text)
Personnel
| Level | Grogs | Specialist | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1x Shield Grog | No Specialist | |
| 1 | 2x Shield Grog | 1x Specialist | |
| 2 | 5x Shield Grog | 3x Specialist | |
| 3 | 10x Shield Grog | 6x Specialist | |
| Special | 1x well equipped Shield Grog | 1x Specialist | both with close ties to the Magus such as family or childhood best friend |
Wealth
| Level | Silver | Equipment |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 5 lb Silver, Lock Box | Standard Equipment, Cart w/ Horse |
| 1 | 15 lbs Silver, Lock Box | 1x Excellent +1 Item, Small Wagon w/ Horses |
| 2 | 30 lbs Silver, Lock Box | 3x Excellent +1 Item, Wagon w/ Horses, Riding Horse |
| 3 | 50 lbs Silver, Lock Box | 6x Excellent +1 Item, Wagon w/ Horses, 2x Riding Horse |
| Special | 15 lbs Silver (normally in the form jewelry) | Excellent +1 Clothing and 1x Excellent +2 Item |
Magic
| Level | Vis | Item |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1x Pawn Vis | No Enchantments |
| 1 | 5x Pawn Vis | 30 levels charged items (Max 10 level) |
| 2 | 15x Pawn Vis | 50 levels charged items (Max 20 level) |
| 3 | 30x Pawn Vis | 75 levels charged items (Max 30 level) |
| Special | 5x Pawn Vis | One lesser enchanted item (up to level 30) |
Writing
| Level | Books | Lab Text | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | No books | 1 Lab Text (up to level 20) | |
| 1 | 1x Summa (26 total) | 50 levels of Lab Text (Tablets take Double) | |
| 2 | 2x Summa (26 and 28 total) | 150 levels of Lab Text (Tablets take Double) | |
| 3 | 3x Summa (26, 28, and 30 total) | 300 levels of Lab Text (Tablets take Double) | |
| Special | 1x Summa (31 total) | - | Original house rule had 35 total |
Intermediary version (v2alpha)
| Category | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grogs | None | 2x Shield Grog | 4x Shield Grogs (one trained group) | 8x Shield Grogs (two trained groups) | See below |
| Specialists | None | 2x Specialist or 1x teacher (ability 5) | 2x specialists + 1x teacher (ability 6) | 3x Specialists + 2x teacher (ability 6) | BP 10/24/42 |
| Wealth | £5 Silver | £40 Silver, Lock Box, 1x Excellent +1 Item, Cart w/Horse | £100 Silver, Lock Box, 3x Excellent +1 Item, Wagon w/ Horses, Riding Horse | £200 Silver, Lock Box, 6x Excellent +1 Item, Wagon w/ Horses, 2x Riding Horse | |
| Vis | 1x Pawn Vis | 10x Pawn Vis + 30 levels charged items (Max 10 level) | 30x Pawn Vis + 50 levels charged items (Max 20 level) | 50x Pawn Vis + 75 levels charged items (Max 30 level) | BP 2+/6+/10+ |
| Items | None | 25 levels | 50 levels (max 30 per effect) | 80 levels (max 40 per effect) | BP 10/20/32 |
| Books | No books | Tractatus Q11 | 1x Summa (28 total) | 2x Summa (27, and 30 total) | BP 11/28/57 |
| Lab Texts | 1 Lab Text (up to level 20) | 60 levels of Lab Text (Tablets take Double) | 160 levels of Lab Text (Tablets take Double) | 300 levels of Lab Text (Tablets take Double) | BP (4) 12/32/60 |
Personnel Grogs and specialists have normal/average loyalty. At tier +2 one person is particularly loyal (as a childhood friend), and at tier +3 two persons are so loyal.
Specialists The ability cap is both for primary ability and for the teaching+Com total.
