"Interesting rat you have."

The sounds of caf-making in the back room stop suddenly upon Guilliame's words and there is silence for a moment.

A silence that is broken when Helas says, "That is Malfos... He is my familiar. Do you have any problems with that?"

"I have great respect for familiars. I know a cat that looked very cute until it decided to eat you."

There is silence from behind the beaded curtain for a moment and then Helas appears with two, brown crockery mugs.

"Eat you?" Helas says, passing one of the mugs to Guilliame. "Tell me more."

The beverage in Guilliame's mug looks like black caf, but the cup is not warm to the touch. Helas then proceeds to mutter and make arcane gestures over his own cup while waiting for Guilliame to reply.

[OOC: Guilliame would know that Helas is using the Prestidigitation cantrip to heat (and possibly even sweeten) his own cup. Guilliame can do the same with an Arcana check against a DC of 5 (His Arcana bonus is +3).]

Do the Prestidigitation for heat: 20

"A shopkeeper had a cat protector that killed someone trying to break into his shop."

Guilliame's own Prestidigitation cantrip warms his cup to his preferred drinking temperature before he replies.

"Are you sure that was a familiar?" asks Helas curious. "Malfos would be hard pressed to kill a fly... He is getting fat and slow. In fact, I am not sure why I keep him around any longer. He is pretty useless."

Helas takes a sip of his own caf and then says, "I take it you do not have a familiar of your own? Would you like one? It is a relatively simple ritual... perhaps we could trade spells if you know one that I do not?"

[OOC: This trade might not be limited to rituals. As Helas is an alumni of the School of Occult Studies, chances are he is a Wizard. This means that, according to the rules, he and Guilliame could readily learn spells of all sorts from each other.]

"Perhaps not the familiar, but I would be interested in trading spells."

"Well then," says Helas thoughtfully. "Perhaps someone in the Watch would be interested in a protection spell. I know a spell that will provide magical protection for a prolonged period... Is that something you would be interested in, and if so, what would you be willing to give me for it?"

[OOC: Please make an Arcana check at Disadvantage for Guilliame to try to work out what spell Helas is talking about. The DC for this roll is 11.]

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Quote from Guilliame >>

12

[OOC: Guilliame has heard of this spell—it is taught at the School. It is called 'Mage Armour' and makes people who aren't wearing armour harder to hit for many hours. If this spell were applied to Guilliame, his Armour Class, without armour, would be raised to 15; currently it is 12. For the record, his Armour Class while wearing his leather armour is 14 but it is clearly obvious that he is wearing armour. Someone with the Mage Armour spell on them can look no different from someone in normal clothes, but the spell effect can also be made visible upon casting if that is required.]

OOC Would Mage armor be a standard school spell or at least available in the library?

Quote from Guilliame >>

OOC Would Mage armor be a standard school spell or at least available in the library?

[OOC: The main defensive spell taught at the School is Shield but Mage Armour is available to those who believe they might be at risk of physical attack for long periods when they won't be able to wear armour. Guilliame would likely have to approach a master of the school to be taught the spell; he likely wouldn't find it in the library.]

"I have a few spells in the book. What sort would interest you?"

"Most of my magic is utilitarian," says Helas thoughtfully. "Do you have anything that can be used to preemptively protect oneself? I do not necessarily want to hurt anyone, but these are strange times we live in."

"I have a Sleep spell. It can stop a fight before it starts."

[OOC: Hello Andrew. So sorry to hear about your dad. I hope his passing was gentle and that you, your mother and the rest of your family are doing as best you can under the circumstances.]

Helas looks very interested by Guilliame's suggestion and says, "That sounds perfect. I would be happy to trade you my knowledge of the Mage Armour spell for your knowledge of the Sleep spell." He smiles and take a sip of his caf before adding, "You said something about going to work. When will you be free to do this? Or would you prefer we gave each spell scrolls?"

[OOC: Please make an Arcana check for Guilliame.]

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Quote from Guilliame >>

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[OOC: Guilliame would be very much aware that Wizards can trade spells using spell scrolls. He has also probably done it at least once while at the School, as part of the learning process. Unlike in normal D&D, spell scrolls in this setting do not have power in their own right and can't be used to cast spells, that is more what magical foci do. However, a spell scroll will provide a Wizard the chance (an Arcana check) to learn a new spell as part of the process of copying the spell written on the scroll into their spell book. The DC for this task is 10 plus the level of the spell being transcribed. If the task fails, then the Wizard would need to talk the creator of the spell scroll for clarification before trying the task again.

As to why spell scrolls aren't commonly available in the library, that is a decision based more on economics and the need to control the knowledge of magic. This would also explain why it was so hard for Guilliame to 'learn' the Sleep spell using the resources of the School's library as he had to work out the spell based on magical principles and observations of practitioners rather than copying someone else's work.]

OOC How long would it take to prepare a spell scroll for Sleep?

Quote from Guilliame >>

OOC How long would it take to prepare a spell scroll for Sleep?

[OOC: If everything required is available, it would take two hours to successfully scribe a Sleep spell onto a spell scroll of about the same size as a page in a Wizard's spell book. The rules for this have been clarified somewhat and you can find them here.]