This is a flagrant mischaracterization of my position.
Is it? It's a bit hyperbolic, and is of course worded to make you look silly, but when you get right down to it it's not all that different from the position you take further down in this very same post.
What. No, seriously. This is the kind of effort that allows mortal sorcerers to accomplish Solar CIrcle workings. Not ex-mortal sorcerers, genuine mortal sorcerers who for some strange reason still have unboosted mortal dice pools.
Not... really? I was talking specifically about Ambition 3 Solar Circle workings, but even dropping down to Ambition 1 (thereby cutting the required successes almost in half) leaves things marginally practical at best. Let's run some numbers.
Bob the mortal sorcerer has Int 5 Occult 5, a relevant specialty, and, to be generous, we'll say that he's got another die from "superior sorcerous working tools" that are somehow applicable. Two more from the stunt, and that's 14 dice. Not too shabby. Add a success from spending willpower; that's 8 successes per roll.
And then the Means. He has the assistance of a large group of fellow Terrestrial Circle Sorcerers and several relevant divinities (+1, since they don't stack), and some incredibly rare and potent exotic components that mortals have no business getting their hands on (+2). 8 rolls at difficulty 5 (Finesse 1 + 4 from working above his level), 4 threshold successes per roll, puts him at 32 successes total. Not going to cut it. He's got a chance to squeak it in if he (somehow) manages a rank 2 stunt on every roll, or if he snags two more Means from a complementary ability and spell, but if he doesn't want a worryingly high risk of wasting a decade of everyone's all-too-short mortal lives, he should really have both. Better than I thought it would be, but still on the impractical side.
If you want to to have good chance of safely completing the most powerful feats of sorcery, you should have at least two of the following:
- A basic laboratory with an enslaved demon, combined with some mundane experience in the subject matter and a relevant spell to build off of.
- Substantially more extensive preparations, including more comprehensive equipment and supplies, exalted skill in the relevant subject, exotic reagents or extra time.
- Be an unsurpassed mathematical savant, capable of freely leveraging numerical calculations across a wide variety of fields to consistently exceed the limits of solar excellence. (5 Lore charms).
- The assistance of a supernally inspiring Solar ally, who empowers those around him to act beyond their abilities with his presence. (3 and/or 5 Presence charms)
- Be a talented generalist and skilled improviser, capable of using superhuman dexterity, speed, and clever preparation to turn events in your favor. (6 Larceny charms)
- Consistent achievement of 3-point stunts on each interval of the working.
Okay, so five of these are perfectly reasonable, but there are threeproblems with the FSSA entry.
First, "skilled improvisation, dexterity, and speed" have no business being relevant. Preparation does, sort of, but preparation is kind of assumed when you're spending weeks (minimum) on the project.
Second, that's not really what that branch of the Larceny tree seems to represent. The prerequisites are "Prepare for one big larcenous act", "Excellency, but spending future initiative instead of motes", "I know when you're bluffing", and "I cheat at cards so well it's like magic". Then you hit FSSA, which is something like "I can count on getting
spectacularly lucky once in a while".
Last, and by far most importantly, it's far and away the strongest option here. It takes a basic excellency from 11.5 successes to 20.7. That's enough to get you to Ambition 3 Solar Workings all by itself - 16.7 net successes is more than enough to get 75 successes in 5 rolls. Mind you, that's with no Means at all, Difficulty 5 (so either Finesse 3 + Celestial Circle Sorcery or Ambition 5 + Solar), no spending Willpower for an extra success, and no
stunting. It's easily stronger than any two other options on the list put together, and probably stronger than any three.