Virtue: var. (Magus)
As a Magical Affinity, but applies to all activities, magical and mundane, related to the affinity. Cost: Twice the cost of a Magical Affinity of the same nature, minus 1. Example: A Magical Affinity with Intelligo would cost +4, so a Deep Affinity with Intelligo (which would apply to all magic involving the art of Intelligo and all mundane activities involving Perception) would cost +7 (4x2-1).
Virtue +1
This virtue is only available to characters generated with random die rolls. Change the values of one characteristic pair to zero.
Virtue +1
You are a member of an organized group of criminals. You may be able to call on your fellow gang members for support in certain circumstances, with the understanding that they will occasionally ask for help from you.
Virtue +1 (Magus)
Your Parma Magica and spells of duration:sun last until midnight instead of expiring at sunrise or sundown.
Virtue +1 (Magus)
A magi with this virtue has a set of routines that they frequently use when casting spontaneous magic. As a result, the magus can convert any minor spontaneous spells they have cast as formulaic spells without having to go through the laboratory invention process. Up to three spells whose levels total 15 or less can be transcribed per season.
Virtue +2 (Companion)
You are a member of some organized and widely recognized religion. You will be accorded some respect due to your position, and will frequently be given access to information and places which normal people would be excluded from. Because of the Dominion aura which clings to priests, churches and congregations, this virtue is not available to characters with the Gift.
Virtue +2
You are the ringleader of an organized group of criminals. You will be able to call on your gang for support whenever needed. Be aware that, as leader, you are ultimately responsible for your gang's happiness, and that there are likely to be inter-gang rivalries and politics that you will need to adjudicate.
Virtue +2
You have an absolutely trustworthy servant who will stick with you through thick and thin. This could be a butler, a personal secretary, a bodyguard, a housekeeper, or any similar sort of adjutant. You and your Storyguide should create the Servant as an Ars Magica character with a maximum of 3 points in Virtues and Flaws. This would be similar to a standard Ars Magica 'Grog' character. Naturally, they should be excluded from taking the 'Servant' virtue themselves...
Virtue +2 (Companion, modern only)
At some point in the past, you learned that the fantastic actually exists, and that some magic is real. In addition to your starting skills, you receive the following:
Occult Lore (2)
Magic Theory (2)
If the character is set up as a non-standard Magi, your specialties with these skills should be something that applies to your magical tradition.
Virtue +3
You own a business which generates significant wealth for you, but which is managed by someone else. You have a yearly excess income of $30-50,000, which may be increased if you spend some months running your business yourself rather than employing a manager.
Virtue +3 (Magus)
A magi with this virtue has an intimate knowledge of exactly how their spontaneous magic works, and a flawless memory for precisely what they did when casting a spell. As a result, the magus can very quickly transcribe their spontaneous spells as formulaic spells without having to invent them in their laboratory. Up to three spells whose levels total 45 or less can be transcribed per season.
Virtue: +3
You are a trained and licensed physician. This could mean anything from Pediatrician to Neurosurgeon, so you'll need to work with your storyguide to determine your speciality. You will get 40 XP which may be spent on the following Abilities and Knowledges: First Aid, Medicine, Surgery, Pharmacology, Anatomy, Craft Drugs, Research, and Folk Ken. If you are a practicing physician, you will earn $6000 per month, but maintaining your practice will keep you from doing anything else for three months out of each year.
Virtue +4 (Magus, Modern only)
You have been educated by someone with factual knowledge of the ancient Hermetic traditions. In addition to your starting skills, you receive the following:
Hermes Lore (2)
Certamen (2)
You also get an additional 5 Experience Points in your Arts and 5 levels of spells.
Virtue +4 (Magus)
You have a vivid imagination combined with an exacting eye for detail and realism. Magi with this virtue may cast all Imagonem spells without the use of a requisite appropriate to the form of the illusion cast. This virtual also grants the benefits of the virtue Free Expression
Virtue +4 (Companion)
Your family have been blacksmiths for generations, and you began to learn your trade almost before you could walk. You gain a magic resistance equivalent to a parma equal to half your craft:blacksmith skill rounding down. Against Terram effects and faerie magic use your full skill score. It is likely that you will have a positive reputation among the farmers of your area as a powerful smith. The first of your children that you train as a blacksmith will also possess this virtue. This virtue is incompatible with the gift.
Virtue +7
For some reason, you simply do not age! While this does mean that you will never die a natural death, it does not mean that you are immune from harm. You can still be injured or killed as if you were a normal person, but you do have some advantages: When recovering from non-fatal wounds you may ignore any recovery roll that results in a worsening of your condition.
Flaw -1 (Magus)
Your parens worked you to death in the lab, and shorted your training in spells to make up for the gift of a more extensive knowledge of Magic Theory than most get. Your starting Magic Theory is 5 instead of 4, but take 50 fewer spell levels. Taking this flaw a second time increases your starting Magic Theory to 6, but you get no starting spells. One of your priorities once you exit apprenticeship will be to learn or invent spells; thankfully your higher Magic Theory may help you with this.
Flaw -1
While others may run from fearful situations, you stand locked in fright. You remain frozen until you can roll a successful Bravery check of 6+, or until you are physically moved or shoved by another. A successful melee strike will also free you from your paralysis.
Flaw -1
While not as life-threatening as the "Old" flaw, being very young has its own set of disadvantages. If you take this flaw, your starting age will be 18 years minus a simple die. Your starting experience points will need to be adjusted accordingly. You will also need to work with the storyguide to determine your relationship with your parents or guardians.
Flaw -2
You hear noises and see shadows in the night that others are too careless to notice. Make basic perception rolls normally, but if you don't succeed by +6 assume that what you notice is dangerous.
Flaw -2
In addition to the flaw Deep Sleeper, you talk loudly and copiously in your sleep. You also listen to, and react to, anyone talking back to you. While sleeping you have a +6 personality trait of gullible, obedient, loose lipped or something similar. People near you can order you to turn over, talk you into nightmares, or converse with you on subjects that you normally wouldn't discuss. Magi, while sleeping, lack the concentration to cast spells.
Flaw -2
This is a modernized version of the flaw from Wizard's Grimoire pg 66:
You have the clothing and mannerisms of your opposite gender, and expect to be treated as such. This is not a delusion, nor does it necessarily mean that your character is homosexual. Transvestites suffer a social interaction penalty with most NPCs, however modern cosmetics and clothing have made it easier to alter your appearance. If you chose to do so, a Disguise score of 3 or better will allow the character to pass casual examination. Careful inspection will reveal your status as per the standard rules for disguises (ArsM 55). If an NPC is initially aware that your character is a transvestite, the penalty to social skills will range from -1 to -3. If they get to know you as your professed gender, and then later discover that you are a transvestite, this could be -6 or higher depending on the situation (Storyguide discretion).
Flaw -3
You are old! Your starting age is 50 minus your Stamina plus a simple die. It is quite likely that you'll have to make some aging rolls during character creation, and you may start with a couple of age based afflictions. On the other hand, you'll get quite a few starting experience points.
Flaw -3 (Magus)
You are especially close to the magical condition known as Wizard's Twilight. When you botch any spell you must roll a simple die in addition to the botch roll. On a 10, you enter Twilight.
Flaw -6
Your heart has been mystically removed from your body and placed into a container by some powerful supernatural entity. This does give you some protection from harm (For example the Pe:Co spell Clenching Fist of the Crushed Heart will have no effect on you), but it has some serious drawbacks. You have no pulse, for one thing, and since it's hardly practical to carry around your disembodied heart everywhere you go, you have to leave it somewhere and hope that nobody comes across it. A successful In:Co spell of Level 10 or better will reveal your condition to the caster in addition to whatever other information they were looking for. Any damage done to your heart will kill you instantly, and it is a powerful Arcane Connection to the rest of you.
Flaw -7
In the modern world, the Gift is a very rare thing. Unfortunately, trained Magi are even rarer. You have the Gift, and have the potential of becoming a Magus, but you have never learned how. You start the game as a Magus, but with no spells, no arts, and none of the Magus starting skills (Scribe Latin, Magic Theory & Parma Magica). In order to gain access and control over your gift, you will need to find a qualified teacher (see Ars4 pg 100 for details) and serve some form of apprenticeship. Over time, this flaw will be replaced with appropriate flaws of equal value based on your training, education, experiences and the peculiarities of your particular teacher. Your storyguide will help work out the details.
Flaw -8
Exactly what it sounds like. Everybody is traveling toward their final destination on the long road of life. Your road is much shorter, you're much further along, traveling much faster without any brakes. To simulate the progressive nature of the disease, an aging roll will be made every three months of game time. Longevity potions will have no effect on the roll. Obviously, this flaw is incompatible with the virtue "Immortal."