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This Covenants is not a new edition of the old manual. Although it has a chapter expanding the covenant creation system, the rest of the content was previously found in other books like The Wizard’s Grimoire, or it’s completely new.
In case you want to know more about the covenant concept and its origins, I recommend you to read my previous review.
Contents
Chapter One. Introduction (2 pages)
This chapter summarizes all information about covenants that is found in the core book, and gives some advice about how to smoothly run a covenant.
The Fifth Edition covenant creation system is both simple and brilliant. Instead of asking “how is the covenant?” the question is now “which stories and benefits can we get from the covenant?”
In this new system, the players decide the covenant power level, which gives build points to expend in resources: enchanted items, laboratories, laboratory texts, library, money, specialists and vis. After that they have to choose Boons and Hooks. Boons are things that make the covenant better, and Hooks are features that lead to stories. Both can be major (3 points), minor (1) or free, and no covenant can start with more Boon points than Hooks.
Chapter Two. Boons and Hooks (24 pages)
The original Boons and Hooks list found in the core book is greatly expanded in this chapter, with more than two hundred options. They all fall in six categories: site, fortifications, resources, residents, external relations and surroundings. Let me give you a couple of examples.
“Missing expedition” is a minor surrounding hook. Many years ago a group of magi tried to set up a covenant in the same area, but they vanished. Clues to their fate may emerge, and whatever happened to them might threaten or recur.
“Hedge tradition” is a major external relations boon. A local tradition of minor practitioners of magic has fallen under the control of the covenant. They have mystical abilities, and can provide useful information and perform minor magic to aid the covenant.
The chapter ends with eighteen typical covenant situations, with a list of their Hooks and Boons.
Chapter Three. Governance (12 pages)
Ruling the covenant is one of the magi’s main duties. The chapter discusses the typical forms of governance (democracy, hierarchy, anarchy…), the council meeting and how to create the charter of the covenant.
New rules are provided to manage the covenfolk’s loyalty. Prevailing Loyalty measures how loyal are the covenant members to the magi, and may be increased or decreased because of several actions and events. For example, physical punishments will make the grogs unhappier, while rewards and Mentem magic can improve their attitude.
Chapter Four. Covenfolk (14 pages)
This chapter talks about those who live in the covenant supporting the magi. Instead of being only specialists bought with build points, the book encourages the players to flesh out this people. Many examples of typical and not so typical covenfolk are given, and also some advice about how to make them interesting.
Five pages are devoted to a more original premise: magical alternatives to covenfolk. Using spells and magic objects the magi can try to live alone. For example, there’s a spell to milk cattle and a magical oven.
Chapter Five. Wealth & Poverty (16 pages)
In all Sagas I have been involved there’s a player who enjoys managing the covenant’s mundane resources. Covenants finally provides him with the best tools to do it.
Income is measured in Mythic Pounds. A normal covenant gets 100 pounds per year from one source or 80 pounds from two different sources. This can be changed with Boons and Hooks.
There are fourteen sources of income: agriculture, charity, crime, fishing, forestry, hospitality, livestock, manufacturing, mining, money lending, service, toll gathering, trade and wizardry. They all have pros and cons. For example, animal herding is less labour intensive than arable crops and you can use more marginal land, but animals are smelly and noise and there’s the risk of animal pestilence.
Expenditure must also be calculated. There are nine categories: buildings, consumables, inflation, laboratories, provisions, tithes, wages, weapons and armor and writing materials. The book gives advice about how cost saving, and lists the typical sundry expenses (a visiting Redcap, the construction of a new lab).
The system is not that complicated, but I think it needs a devoted player. Of course it’s completely optional, although it may add a new complexity layer to any Saga.
Chapter Six. Vis Sources (12 pages)
If you lack the imagination to design vis sources, this chapter is perfect for you: three sources are provided for each Hermetic Art.
Chapter Seven. Library (19 pages)
Another chapter full of useful information and new rules, with everything you wanted to know about books: their manufacture, the writing materials, more suggestions about their quality and even a great section about the Hermetic book cycle.
The authors also provide two spell lists, one for scribe artisans and another for librarians. Finally there are two pages listing alternatives to books.
Chapter Eight. Sanctum (3 pages)
The personal living space for the magus gets two pages plus a nice map with a typical example. The chapter’s main concern is how to defend the sanctum with both mundane and magical resources.
Chapter Nine. Laboratory (19 pages)
The last chapter starts describing how laboratories are, the principles of labwork and life in the laboratory, including non standard routines: working overtime will grant a bonus to the lab total, but a decrease in the living conditions modifier.
Then we get the new laboratory personalization rules. Laboratories are treated like characters, with eight characteristics: size, refinement, general quality, upkeep, safety, warping, health and aesthetics. They are all adjusted with virtues and flaws, which can be structural, outfitting and supernatural. For example, a poorly insulated lab (minor structure flaw) gives a -1 to Safety and a -1 to Aesthetics. Many virtues and flaws give a bonus to a specific Hermetic Art.
More things in Chapter Nine: laboratory specializations, typical features, common magic items, a list of spells and some examples.
Appendix. Play Aids (14 pages)
A typical Covenant Charter plus record sheets for the covenant, the library, the laboratories, the vis and the yearly summary.
Conclusions
This book is both awesome and a bit intimidating. It perfectly accomplishes the goal to describe the main covenant features, giving tons of useful ideas. Of course there’s a small drawback: there’s maybe too much, so the players will have to select which rules they want to apply.
The best thing about Covenants is that many new features are related to story seeds. The source of income, the acquisition of a new book or the personalization of a laboratory can be the starting point of many stories.
Therefore, this is one of the best Ars Magica Fifth Edition books, and an invaluable companion to any Saga.
