A basic laboratory takes one season of work in a clear room. The work must be done by someone with Magic Theory 3+, and the room must have at least a ten foot ceiling, and 500 square feet of floor area. Walls and a flat floor are also necessary, to exclude the elements and provide a reasonable base for the lab. Such a laboratory has a bonus of +0 for all activities.
See Laboratory personalization in the Wizard's Grimorie.
It should be noted that specialties beyond the ones covered are certainly possible. Such specialties include activity areas like necromancy or self-transformation. As always, players are encouraged to write about their laboratory.
A maga may elect to improve her lab to help her work faster. In this case, the lab total bonus only works to increase the speed with which a project may be completed: her lab total must be high enough to complete the project eventually without the bonus. Improving a lab in such in way follows the same rules as for general improvement, except that the difficulty is only 3 + (2 x bonus desired).
Mediocrus has his +3 lab, and decides to improve the speed. His lab total of 12 allows him to improve it from +0 to +1 in one season (11 vs 5), and from +1 to +2 in two seasons (12 vs 7). He now tries to invent Chirurgeon's Healing Touch. His Creo is 11 and his Corpus is 10, for a basic lab total of 33. His covenant has a aura of 3, and the general quality adds another 3 for a total of 39. The speed of his lab gives him another +2, for a lab total of 41, and research time of one season. He would not, however, be able to research a level 40 spell, because his lab total without the speed bonus is not high enough.
It is possible to experiment while studying from vis. If you choose to experiment, the season's work is rolled for on the normal Extraordinary Results Table. Add a simple die and any risk bonus to the level of the source obtained (a die multiplied by the pawns of vis used). Inventive genius is not an applicable bonus to this total.
Interpreting the results on the table:
For the canonical use of "wild vis," see Hedge Magic, pages 36-37.
The term "wild vis" is a misnomer used by Hermetic magi to describe the use of high-quality ingredients in wizardry or enchantment. Before Bonisagus developed his universal Magic Theory, separate traditions would develop their own folk magic, which in turn derived from even earlier religious cosmologies. These cruder folkways did not have access to the knowledge of controlling raw and ambient vis that Hermetic Theory (and other advanced traditions of magic) grants. To work magic, early magicians used ingredients and reagents of extremely high quality, relying on the innate properties of materials rather than distilling such materials to the purest form of power, known to Hermetic magi as raw vis.
Although most common used by Hedge Wizards, Hermetic magi are also known to make use of wild vis when true vis is scarce. Because gathering wild vis does not involve distillation from a vis source such as an Aura, wild vis is more readily available than raw vis, but at the same time is far less effective.
Gathering wild vis takes a season of hunting and pecking. The area search does not need to have an Aura, but it must have sufficient natural resources in order to produce materials of rare and high quality. Each season devoted to gathering wild vis results in the accumulation (Per + Magic Theory + Intellego + Vim + aura)/3 pawns of wild vis. If the magus is gathering wild vis in a Magical Aura, he can add his Magic Sensitivity score (if any) to the total before dividing. If the magus is gathering wild vis in a Faery Aura, he can add his Faery Sight (if any) to the total before dividing. This is often a task regaled to apprentices so that the apprentices have "vis" to experiment with that does not deprive the covenant's magi of their precious resources.
Likewise, practitioners of lesser arts (such as Herbalism or Alchemy), who also possess an exceptional sight ability (such as Magic Sensitivity, Second Sight, or Faery Sight), can accumulate (Per + Herbalism/Alchemy + Sight + aura)/3 pawns of wild vis per season.
Rule of Thumb: Wild vis is 1/5th as effective as raw vis.
Wild vis is not associated with any Technique or Form (as its
use is based on knowledge predating Hermetic Theory). Thus, any pawn of wild vis can be used regardless of the Arts being employed.
Increasing spell casting rolls: Each pawn of wild vis adds +1 to your spell casting roll.
Ritual spells or increasing range, target, or duration: One pawn
of wild vis must be used per level (not magnitude) of the spell involved.
Preparation for enchantment: When using wild vis to open an enchantment, multiple the "Material and Size" total by an additional x5. Thus, enchanting a iron (base points 5) dagger (multiplier x2) would take 50 pawns of wild vis.
Learning from Wild Vis: You cannot learn either Magic Theory or the Hermetic Arts from wild vis.
Certamen: Certamen relies too greatly on theories of Hermetic Magic to utilize wild vis.
Last modified: Tues Jan 5, 1999 / Jeremiah Genest