Although we try to get everything right the first time, problems and typos have a way of slipping into everyone's publications. Ars Magica is no different. This document is a list of known mistakes in the first printing of the fourth edition. All of these problems are corrected in the second printing, along with a few typographical errors that are not mentioned here. (You can tell what printing you have by looking at the bottom of the credits page.)
The generic Ease Factor Chart is missing from this page.
| Ease Factor Chart | |
| Difficulty of Task | Target Number |
| Very Easy | 3 |
| Average | 6 |
| Difficult | 9 |
| Very Tough | 12 |
| Extremely Difficult | 15 |
The various magus templates list the ability Hermes Lore, which no longer exists in the fourth edition. All instances of Hermes Lore should be replaced with Organisation Lore (Order of Hermes).
The description for the +1 Virtue Strong Writer is incorrect. It should read:
No example specialities are listed for Leadership. Possible example specialities include magi, mercenaries, bandits, armies, intimidation, and grogs.
The fourth bulleted item in the list of things that non-ritual spells can accomplish should be deleted. (The one that begins "They cannot have a duration...").
In first full paragraph on this page, readers are referred to "the table below." That table is actually on page 71.
The text alternately refers to a Waiting Spell and Watching Spell. These instances should be changed to Watching Ward, which is still found on page 160.
The spells Beast of Outlandish Size, Growth of the Creeping Things, The Immaculate Beast, The Beast Remade, and Steed of Vengeance should have the vis-boosted duration of Permanent, rather than Instant.
Flames of Sculpted Ice should have a Terram requisite instead of an Aquam requisite.
Veil of Invisibility should have the range Touch/Reach rather than Reach/Touch. [Misprint]
In the example under "Writing Tractatus," Ball of Abysmal Flame should be referred to as a seventh magnitude spell.
In the second paragraph under "Repair," the figure "300 silvers" should be replaced with "10 pounds of silver."
In the "Supplies" section, each instance of "3500 silvers" should be replaced with "500 pounds of silver."
In the "Income" section, each instance of "350 silvers" should be replaced with "50 pounds of silver" and the instance of "325" silvers should be replaced with "25 pounds of silver."
In the "Hermetic Books" section, the cost of summae should be clarified to read "summae cost twice the sum of Quality and level."
Grand Tribunals occur every 33 years, rather than every 28 years.
The entire section on Regiones should be replaced with the following, to make it agree with the Regiones material in Færies.
Regiones
Occasionally, within very special supernatural areas, special types of auras arise. These may exist within larger domains or by themselves, and may be of any type of aura. They are called Regiones (singular Regio, "realm"). Unlike other auras, Regiones form self-contained worlds unique to the realm that they are aligned with. Regiones have aura ratings from 1 to 10, which affect supernatural powers just like other aura ratings. The only concrete mechanical difference is that vis use in Regiones other than magical is dangerous - double the botch dice in such environments.
Regiones consist of several levels of aura, layered one on top of another in order of increasing power; the lowest level is connected to the mundane world. To picture this phenomenon, imagine the contour lines of a hill on a map. Each line, from the bottom to the top, is like an aura rating within the Regio. The mundane world is like the flat land surrounding the hill. And, just as contour lines encompass smaller areas towards the top, so levels of higher aura rating tend to occupy less space than those beneath.
The aura levels of a Regio occupy space, much as contour lines represent height on a map. In reality, a hill occupies three dimensions, but the map compresses it into a flat image. Likewise, each level of a Regio is a different supernatural dimension, but all coexist in the same mundane location. The illustration demonstrates this pictorially.
There's nothing to distinguish Regiones from other auras, until one realises that varying levels of reality exist on the same spot. A Regio level that is more attuned to its realm has a higher aura rating, and so looks different from the rest. Lower levels appear only slightly changed from the mundane world, while higher levels tend to acquire many of the characteristics of their native realms.
Regiones have inhabitants, just like other areas of supernatural aura. These beings tend to cluster on specific levels, though they can cross level boundaries freely. The higher one travels in the Regio, the stranger and more supernaturally aligned its inhabitants become.
Entering and Leaving Regiones
When physically crossing the boundary of a Regio, travellers disappear from the ordinary world and enter supernatural realms. There are three methods of entering Regiones: being lead, voluntarily entering, and getting lost.
Any being directly connected to the realm associated with a Regio can automatically lead up to a dozen mortals or magi into that Regio. Færies can lead mortals into færie Regiones, angels and people with True Faith can lead people into divine Regiones, demons and people who have sold their souls can lead people into infernal Regiones, and magical beasts can lead mortals into magic Regiones.
Voluntarily entering Regiones involves seeing the next level of the Regio and then entering it. Once a level has been seen it may automatically be entered. Only characters with some sort of special perception may see into Regiones. Second Sight and Magic Sensitivity both allow characters to see into magic Regiones. Sense Holiness & Unholiness allows characters to see into both divine and infernal Regiones. Færie Sight (a +1 Virtue described in the Færies supplement) allows characters to see into færie Regiones. To see a level, roll a stress die + Perception + the appropriate talent against an ease factor of 5 + (2 x the difference between the level you are on and the level you are trying to see). For example, the ease factor for trying to see from a level 4 Regio into a level 1 (or vice versa) would be 5 + (2 x 3) = 11. Modifiers for local conditions or for specific dates and holidays can change the ease factor by as much as +/- 10. Carrying an object associated with the realm can subtract up to five from the ease factor.
Magi can cast level 20 InVi spells to see into Regiones. A different spell must be learned for each of the four types of Regiones. Many alchemists and herbalists know how to make salves and potions which allow users to temporarily see into Regiones. Anyone who can enter a Regio can also take along up to a dozen others with them.
Beings who become lost near a Regio boundary may roll to see if they enter (or leave) accidentally, even if they cannot normally see in. The ease factor is the same, but only Perception is added to the stress roll.
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