Size of laboratory:

Hermetic magi tend to use the Ancient Roman measurement of area to compare the size of their laboratories. The standard unit of size for a laboratory is 10 square ped (1 pace by 1 pace). This is the area dedicated to magical research, but will include books, lab notes, vis, etc. Laboratories can be any shape and even have internal rooms, but should be a continuous space (i.e. you can't have bits of lab space dotted around a covenant).

 

Size	Area	Space	Season of covenant
Minimum	40 sq ped (2 paces x 2 paces)	4
Small	90 sq ped (3 paces x 3 paces)	9	Spring
Medium	160 sq ped (4 paces x 4 paces)	16	Summer
Large	250 sq ped (5 paces x 5 paces)	25	Autumn, mainly senior magi
Maximum	360 sq ped (6 paces x 6 paces)	36	Winter, but only senior magi

 

Using Vis:

 

The maximum amount of vis that can be used in a single season is determined by the area of the laboratory. So, in a medium laboratory you could employ no more than 16 pawns of vis in a single season (assuming you had the arts to use that many in the first place).

 

Creating a basic laboratory:

 

The shell of the laboratory, with no fittings, acts as a -10 laboratory.  To improve upon this the magus will need to spend some time and money.

 

To improve a lab to standard quality (+0) the magus must purchase basic equipment. There are 10 standard elements that make up a functional lab, and these take up units of space within the laboratory. Note: that the space used is not specifically the size of the item installed, but often the space around an item to be able to use and store it properly. E.g. an astrolabe needs a table where astrological charts can be spread out for the horoscope.

 

Equipment	Cost (Byzantine folles)	Dex + Craft to make	Units of space required	Affect on Quality
Focus wand	Varies	6+	0	+1
Fireplace	25	5+	1	+1
Copper cauldron	30	6+	1	+1
Wooden workbench	10	2+	1	+1
Bookshelves	15	3+	1	+1
Simple glassware	20	4+	1	+1
Simple pottery	20	4+	1	+1
Simple metal stands	20	4+	1	+1
Scriptorium	30	6+	1	+1
Copper Astrolabe	10	6+	1	+1

 

Over the course of a single season a maga can install and organise as many elements in their laboratory as they have Int + Magic Theory. This season may include creating a focus wand as well as arranging several other elements of their laboratory.

 

Basic Focus Wands:

 

A focus wand is a laboratory device used to help manipulate the magics wielded during spell research or when using raw vis. The wand can be made of any material, but most magi prefer using ones made of wood (often holly, yew, or willow), bone (or ivory) or metal (copper, bronze or silver are common). Prices for such vary depending on the material used. It is worth noting that whilst it is always referred to as a wand, a few magi prefer to use other forms (e.g. a dagger, a staff, etc).

 

To create a focus wand requires one season (as part of organising the lab) and a pawn of vim vis. This takes place in the laboratory where it will be used and is a form of attunement not dissimilar to that of a talisman. The focus wand is required for the laboratory to be used for magical study and forms an arcane connection to the magus who created it. Note: Verditius magi often take great pride in the design and construction of their focus wands, despite the fact that few will ever see them, though some eventually create one as a talisman.

 

General improvements to a laboratory:

 

Having outfitted a basic laboratory a maga might decide to make further improvements to the quality of her lab. The maximum quality bonus that a lab can have is limited, naturally, by the size of the laboratory space. It also requires considerable knowledge of magic theory to gain the full benefits of a high quality laboratory. The maximum bonus a magus can add to lab activities is up to half their magic theory. Therefore a magus with magic theory of 6 can gain no more than +3 to their lab activities, even if the quality of the lab was +5.

 

Equipment	Cost (Byzantine solidi)	Dex + Craft To make	Units of space required	Affect on Quality
Large fireplace	12	9+	2	+0.2
Ornate fireplace	24	18+	2	+0.4
Large bronze cauldron	6	9+	1	+0.1
Large iron cauldron	12	15+	1	+0.2
Ornate silver cauldron	30	24+	1	+0.5
Superior workbench	18	12+	2	+0.3
Inlaid workbench	30	21+	2	+0.5
Large bookshelves	12	6+	2	+0.2
Inlaid bookshelves	18	12+	2	+0.3
Quality glassware	6	9+	1	+0.1
Ornate glassware	12	15+	1	+0.2
Quality pottery	6	6+	1	+0.1
Ornate pottery	12	12+	1	+0.2
Complex metal stands	6	9+	1	+0.1
Ornate metal stands	18	18+	1	+0.3
Superior scriptorium	6	9+	1	+0.1
Inlaid scriptorium	24	21+	1	+0.4
Bronze astrolabe	6	9+	1	+0.1
Bronze armillary Sphere	30	21+	2	+0.5

 

Basic laboratory items are assumed to be replaced by the first quality item you buy of that type; so it's assumed you throw away (or sell) the simple glassware when you obtain some quality glass. Duplicate items do not have cumulative bonuses.

 

In addition to replacing basic items, a magus may wish to obtain additional, personalised equipment to improve the general quality of the laboratory. Some examples are given below:

                                                                                                                                        

Equipment	Cost (Byzantine solidi)	Dex + Craft To make	Units of space required	Affect on Quality
Animal pens/cages	12	6+	2	+0.2
Complex water clock	24	21+	1	+0.4
Complicated still	18	18+	1	+0.3
Engraved iron chains	6	9+	1	+0.1
Fine iron tool set	12	12+	1	+0.2
Finely carved wooden abacus	12	12+	1	+0.2
Finely woven wall tapestries	12	15+	1	+0.2
Fitted forge	18	12+	2	+0.3
Inlaid summoning circle	12	9+	2	+0.2
Large divinatory orb	12	12+	1	+0.2
Large framed mirror	18	18+	1	+0.3
Life-like carved statues	12	15+	1	+0.2
Metal storage chests	12	12+	1	+0.2
Necromancer's workbench	24	18+	2	+0.4
Ornamental Altar	24	21+	1	+0.4
Ornate silver dagger	18	18+	1	+0.3
Precise silver scales	24	21+	1	+0.4
Scrying pool	12	12+	2	+0.2
Silver lanterns	12	15+	1	+0.2
Torture equipment	12	9+	2	+0.2

 

Over a season a maga can install new facilities at a rate of 0.1 for each point of Int + Magic Theory they possess. So with an Int + Magic Theory of 8, you can install and attune up to +0.8 improvements in a single season.

 

Improved Focus Wands:

 

In addition to obtaining better facilities, the magus can also attempt to create a superior focus wand, allowing them finer control over the untamed magics they seek to experiment with.

 

A superior focus wand is created in the same way as an enchantment. This can be done as a limited enchantment (though you would have to create a new one from scratch if you ever wanted to further improve on it), or as a fully invested device. Treat the enchantment as a Rego Vim spell, with every magnitude of effect providing +0.1 to the lab quality. You can never have more than one focus wand, so the effects are not cumulative. If you have fully invested the item, you can enchant more than one effect (e.g. if you later develop a larger lab total), but only the greater enchantment grants the bonus. The usual material and size restrictions to the amount of vis that may be placed in the item apply as with any other enchanted device.

 

Specialisations to a laboratory:

 

As well as improving the general quality of a laboratory, a magus can also specialise the laboratory to provide a bonus in one particular art or activity. This gives a cumulative bonus to general improvements but also takes up units of space, so it may leave you with less space for items that grant a general bonus. However, it is a good option if you are a specialist or simply have some spare room in your laboratory. Where appropriate the specialisation bonus applies in addition to any general lab bonus. Remember though, the maximum bonus a magus can add to lab activities is up to half his magic theory.

 

Art specialisations

A maga specialises her lab with 'paraphernalia'; rare and magical items which have a strong sympathy with a particular art. These can sometimes be bought (usually from other wizards), but more usually are found during stories and adventures. There is no limit to the variety of forms that paraphernalia can take, and it is left to the storyguide and troupe to determine what is appropriate. Over a season a maga can install new facilities at a rate of 0.1 for each point of Int + Magic Theory they possess.

 

All paraphernalia contains raw vis appropriate to the art of the specialisation and takes up 1 unit of space in a laboratory. The table below can also be used as a rule of thumb when deciding whether an item found on an adventure could be used to specialise a lab.

 

Item	Vis content	Bonus
Minor	1-3 pawns	+0.25
Major	4-6 pawns	+0.5
Focal	7+ pawns	+1

 

Variety is the spice of laboratory life, so duplicated items do not grant specialisation bonuses. The storyguide and troupe will determine when an item is a duplicate or not.

 

Activity specialisations

It is also possible to use the paraphernalia described above to specialise a laboratory for specific activities. Items containing Vim vis can always be used to specialise laboratories in this way, though other techniques and forms may apply at the discretion of the storyguide and the troupe. These tend to gives bonuses which are more limited in application than many art bonuses, but have the advantage of the magus being able to more than one form of vis to work towards the bonus.

 

Minor and major magical foci can be used to generate other possible specialisations. The types of vis that can build towards bonuses in such specialisations are up to the storyguide and the troupe. Some examples are given below.

 

Specialisation	Application	Suggested vis type(s)
Familiar	Binding or enchanting a familiar	Vim, Tech + Form of familiar
Extracting Vis	Bonus to vis extraction	Vim, Creo
Longevity	Creating a longevity ritual	Vim, Creo, Corpus
Talisman	Enchanting your personal talisman	Vim, Form of talisman
Healing spells	Inventing healing spells	Vim, Creo, Corpus
Necromancy	Inventing necromancy spells	Vim, Corpus, Mentem
Self-transformation	Inventing spells to turn into animals	Vim, Muto, Corpus
Poisons	Inventing spells to create poisons	Vim, Perdo, Aquam

 

Covenant Laboratories

 

Ioanna's Laboratory: +2 general, +1 mentem specialisation

 

Size: Large (25) [7 free]

Equipment:	Space used	Bonus
Large fireplace	(2)	+0.2
Large iron cauldron	(1)	+0.2
Superior workbench	(2)	+0.3
Large bookshelves	(2)	+0.2
Quality glassware	(1)	+0.1
Quality pottery	(1)	+0.1
Complex metal stands	(1)	+0.1
Superior scriptorium	(1)	+0.1
Bronze Astrolabe	(1)	+0.1
Finely woven wall tapestries	(1)	+0.2
Inlaid summoning circle	(2)	+0.2
Focus Wand:	(0)	+0.2

[General Bonus = +2.0]

[Space used = 15]

Paraphernalia	Space used	Vis contained	Bonus to Mentem
Ghost's shroud	(1)	2 Me	+0.25
Violet Amethyst	(1)	1 Me	+0.25
Black Lion's Mane	(1)	4 Me	+0.5

[Mentem bonus = +1.0]

[Space used = 3]

 

Hristo's Laboratory: +2 general, +1 self-transformation specialisation

 

Size: Large (25) [8 free]

Equipment:	Space used	Bonus
Large fireplace	(2)	+0.2
Large iron cauldron	(1)	+0.2
Superior workbench	(2)	+0.3
Large bookshelves	(2)	+0.2
Quality glassware	(1)	+0.1
Quality pottery	(1)	+0.1
Complex metal stands	(1)	+0.1
Superior scriptorium	(1)	+0.1
Bronze Astrolabe	(1)	+0.1
Engraved iron chains	(1)	+0.1
Life-like carved statues	(1)	+0.2
Focus Wand:	(0)	+0.3

[General Bonus = +2.0]

[Space used = 14]

Paraphernalia	Space used	Vis contained	Bonus to Self-transform'
Shamanic totem	(1)	5 Mu	+0.5
Bones of a tomb phantom	(1)	2 Co	+0.25
Ghoul corpse	(1)	3 Co	+0.25

[Self-transformation bonus = +1.0]

[Space used = 3]

 Turris Curis: +0 general

 

Size: Large (25)

Equipment:	Space used	Bonus
Fireplace	1
Copper cauldron