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Re: GURPS Mage, Wizards, and Compartmentalized Mind question
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On 27 Feb 1999 01:46:10 GMT, in message <19990226204610.28253.00000304@ngol02.aol.com>,
JefWilson <jefwilson@aol.com> (== jefwilson)
praised Shub-Internet thus:
> In article <36D4B9EB.E5C73E79@cmq.com>, Daniel <idcrisis@cmq.com> writes:
>> One of these days, just for the hell of
>> it, I'm going to sit down and take the various spheres out to the
>> tenth level. ;7
> If you even do that, send me the list. It would be great to give players of
> list of: "this is what you _can't_ do."
Well, thinking of that, perhaps you might find some ideas for that in
my own revised twelve-Sphere system. It only takes them out to level
six, though, but in the modifications to the lower levels and my sixes
I'm sure you'll find a lot of stuff that they can't do... :)
The problem was, after 6, you see, you just can't find things that the
Spheres or conjunctions of them don't cover. (Except for Paradox
manipulation. Which I don't think should be allowed into them, anyway,
but if you really, really need a Prime 10, I suppose.)
Alistair
(Extracts from:) THE TWELVE SPHERES
Credits
=======
Apart from the products of my own deranged mind, parts and suggestions
for this document came from a variety of sources, principally:
Fate Sphere. Changeling 2nd.
Modifications to the Prime, Constantine Thomas
Entropy, and Fate Spheres. <c.thomas1@lancaster.ac.uk>
Modifications to Forces, Life, <blake1001@technologist.com>
and Matter Spheres.
Other modifications to Spheres. Anders Sandberg
<nv91-asa@hemul.nada.kth.se>
Largish chunks of text have been included from the descriptions of the
Spheres in Mage 2nd, as given the various changes and clarifications
made in this revision it would have been almost impossible to handle
it with references or diffs; and, besides, it's pretty useless unless
you already have Mage. If this doesn't count as 'fair use', I'm sure
someone from White Wolf will tell me so.
The Spheres
===========
1. Avatar
2. Correspondence
3. Entropy
4. Fate
5. Forces
6. Life
7. Matter
8. Mind
9. Prime
10. Spirit
11. Time
12. Umbra
Avatar
- ------
Specialties: Soulbonds, Awakening, Spirits, Binding, Gilgul
1 Sense Avatar
2 Speak with Avatar
Touch Avatar
3 Create Epiphany
Brief Awakening
Soul Link
4 Call Avatar
Bind Avatar
5 Force Awakening
Reweave Avatar
Unbind Avatar
Unmake Avatar
6 Cleanse Avatar
Fragment Avatar
Unite Avatar
(Note: for this Sphere to be particularly useful, it is assumed that
everything which is sentient has an avatar - humans, werewolves and
vampires (although theirs are different/altered), spirits, etc.)
* Sense Avatar:
-------------
At this level the mage is able to sense the presence of the Avatars of
others around him and whether they are sleeping or Awakened; the
strength of these Avatars, and the level at which they shape reality
(Avatar rating and Arete, approx.). He is also able to sense the
symbolic form of the Avatar (the form in which it manifests itself to
its mage) - studying this can give clues to the Avatar's Essence, the
mage's Nature, and for example, whether the mage is Marauder or
widderslainte.
** Speak With Avatar:
------------------
The mage can speak freely with his Avatar, or with the Avatars of
other mages.
Touch Avatar:
-------------
When used in conjunctional effects, this level of the Sphere allows
the mage to weave other effects around his Avatar - for example, wards
protecting him/it from the possibility of Gilgul or the Rebirth.
*** Create Epiphany:
----------------
This effect allows the mage temporarily to impose his state of greater
enlightenment onto another mage of lesser achievement.
Mages should take careful note that those who come to depend on this
effect are wandering away from their path to Ascension. They will find
themselves increasingly less able to attain greater understanding for
themselves.
(System: Using it, it is possible for him to temporarily increase the
Arete of another mage by <successes>/3 (but *never* above his own
Arete). Habitual users of this will find themselves increasingly
failing in their Seekings (ST control).)
Brief Awakening:
----------------
This, in theory, allows the mage to Awaken the Avatar of anyone. In
practice, however, this only permits Awakenings of very limited
duration - most Sleepers are quite heavy Sleepers, and so cease to be
Awakened in fairly short order. In practice only long-term and very
convinced Acolytes have any hope of achieving permanent Awakening by
this method.
Note, however, that even a temporary Awakening will have a profound -
and permanent - effect on a Sleeper's psyche; although she quickly
loses her ability to work True Magic, she will never see the world in
the same way ever again...
Most Sleepers simply snap under the stress of this artificial
epiphany; caution is advised to avoid producing insane mages. In
general, a degree of mental flexibility and open-mindedness help cope
successfully with this.
Soul Link:
----------
This effect enables the mage to create and to break links between
Avatars, similar to those covered by the "Twin Souls" or "Avatar
Companion" phenomena.
It is possible that use of it could prevent the Avatars of Marauders
from communicating with each other, and so break up the strange
coordination seen in so many Marauder attacks.
**** Call Avatar:
------------
Bind Avatar:
------------
This level enables the mage to summon and bind the Avatar of another
mage in a similar manner to a spirit. Or, just as usefully, bind an
Avatar-fragment created by the level 6 Sphere.
Note that a mage cannot perform magic when her Avatar is not with her;
however, the externalised Avatar can use its power itself. Avatars
that are bound into objects can be used in the manner of
fetishes. Other than the lack of magery, the mage suffers no ill
effects unless the binding of the Avatar to the mage is actually
broken.
***** Force Awakening:
----------------
The effects of this are very similar to those of Avatar 3, Brief
Awakening, save that the resultant Awakening is permanent. Similar
caution is required to avoid the production of insane mages - without
some sort of framework, the mind of the Awakenee is likely to snap
under the pressure.
The less focused a person's belief in her paradigm is, the more
successes are required to Awaken her, and the greater the deleterious
effects on her mental stability. Also, the vast majority of mages who
are forced Awake will not be able to handle it, even if they would
have been able had they been allowed to Awaken at their own rate.
Reweave Avatar:
---------------
With sufficient successes, the mage can alter the Essence, Nature,
etc. of another's avatar, create Spheres Inept, awaken Past Lives, and
so forth.
(The Nephandic rebirth is Qlippothic Avatar 5. Rumours that the NWO
use similar effects to reshape their captives in Mecha into the
Pattern essence are totally without foundation. Really.)
Unbind Avatar:
--------------
This enables a mage to snap the binding between a mage and his Avatar,
allowing the Avatar to continue on its journey. This is, essentially,
the most minor Gilgul.
Unmake Avatar:
--------------
This level of the Avatar sphere is necessary to enable a mage to
perform Gilgul. Some also argue that this is necessary in order to
completely destroy a spirit...
****** Cleanse Avatar:
---------------
This allows a mage to cleanse an Avatar of distortions it has picked
up in its incarnations - Spheres Inept, strong Past Lives, Echoes, and
so forth.
Perhaps, even, with enough successes it would be possible to undo the
Nephandic Rebirth, and cleanse the Avatar of a widderslainte or
barabbi. (Of course, in the case of a barabbi they would still be the
same person who became Nephandus in the first place, but some
Euthanatos might consider it an appropriate prelude to the Good
Death.)
Fragment Avatar:
----------------
Now the mage can divide her Avatar (or another's) into two, creating a
smaller Avatar that is Awakened and has some use of her magical
ability (but not her memories). The one created has the same Essence
and Nature as the 'parent' mage.
(System: The shard created can have Arete and Avatar ratings up to
half those of the parent mage, rounding down. The Arete and Avatar
given to the shard are deducted immediately from those of the parent
mage, with all normal effects of losing either.)
This can be useful - remember, a mind or AI created with the Mind
sphere has no soul and certainly cannot be Awakened. This allows a
mage to get around this problem - at the cost of weakening his own
Avatar.
Of course, the shard-Avatar can be bound into more or less anything,
just as a spirit can. But even an ensouled and Awake boulder is still
a boulder, and unlikely to do much.
If the shard is bound into a cloak of ephemera it becomes a
free-roaming spirit that can be manipulated with Spirit as well as
Avatar magics. The effect of this is identical to the relation between
spirits and their broods - by doing it, you create a Gaffling, or even
a Jaggling, of _you_.
(Mages with power enough to spare to create their own Incarna are
probably indistinguishable from Umbrood anyway. Mages who think they
can create Celestines have lost it totally.)
Unite Avatar:
-------------
This effect is the precise opposite of Fragment Avatar - it allows the
mage to merge two Avatars together, one of which may be her own.
(System: The Avatar rating of the gestalt is that of the two Avatars
involved added together; the Arete is the higher of the two +
1. Unless the Avatars involved are such as the shattered shards of an
Avatar left by the Embrace or a shard previously removed from another,
the mergence will have some of the nastier side-effects of vampiric
diablerie - namely, the whole will contain elements of both previous
parts. [This is mainly for when it is used on the Avatars of living
mages - highest willpower controls the gestalt, the other exists as a
subpersonality, 'voice in his head', whatever and may challenge for
control when the main is low on willpower; if the willpowers are
close, you have a split personality.])
Some factions of the Celestial Chorus say that this effect is a
wonderful thing, and the means eventually to reunite the scattered
Avatars of mages once again into the Pure Ones, and finally into the
One.
Most others say that this effect is considerably less wonderful than
that, and quite possibly evil in nature (despite its not being
Qlippothic) - no more than the magely equivalent of Diablerie.
Nonetheless, most agree that it can be useful for reconstructing the
shattered Avatars of those who have undergone Gilgul or the vampiric
Embrace... or even creating a single strong avatar from the
chipped-off shards of those of a number of mages.
Mages who think they can merge an Incarna or Celestine into themselves
in this way have, again, lost it totally. A harsh lesson in who gets
to be dominant soon follows.
Correspondence
- --------------
Specialties: Conjuration, Scrying, Warding, Teleportation, Opening
1 Immediate Spatial Perceptions
2 Correspondence Perceptions
Touch Space
3 Shift Through Space
Seal Gate
Co-locality Perception
4 Conjoin Localities
Co-locate Self
5 Mutate Localities
Co-location
6 Alter Dimensionality
Wide-Area Effects
* Immediate Spatial Perceptions:
------------------------------
At this stage, the mage gains a keen understanding of how objects and
space relate. She can intuitively sense distances between objects,
find true north (or any other direction) and sense things in her
immediate vicinity without using the normal five senses. This new
sense also allows her to detect spatial instabilities, warps, and
wormholes.
** Correspondence Perceptions:
---------------------------
The mage may now extend her senses beyond her immediate vicinity to
distant or hidden locations. Any of the senses can expand this
way. However, most mages feel that such magical perceptions thin the
barriers between the two points in space, creating a weakness in the
Tapestry (like those a rank one effect can spot).
Touch Space:
------------
Luckily, the mage may also re-work the fabric of space, reinforcing
the Tapestry and creating a barrier to hinder scrying or the opening
of actual rifts. This works like countermagic, deducting successes for
each success.
In conjunction with Pattern 2 (rank 2 of any pattern Sphere), the mage
may also grasp small items - house cat-sized or smaller - and pull
them through the Tapestry, conjuring them from "nowhere".
*** Shift Through Space:
--------------------
The mage now gains the strength to make a small rent in the Tapestry,
so small that only the mage herself - and whatever she holds or
carries - may slip through before it seals.
Working with the other Spheres, a mage may also grasp items governed
by the Pattern magics and slide them through space, performing
levitation and telekinesis.
Seal Gate:
----------
She may also seal such rents or prevent them from opening, though the
greater the rift, the more difficult the feat.
Co-locality Perception:
-----------------------
At this level, a mage also learns to sense multiple locations at once,
perceiving the various scenes as several ghostly landscapes
overlapping one another.
**** Conjoin Localities:
-------------------
The Adept may now create larger rents in the Tapestry to transport
other beings and large objects and forces. With enough successes
(10+), she may even force the rent wide enough to make a permanent
gateway.
Co-locate Self:
---------------
The mage may now manifest physically in multiple locations at once,
though she should also use Mind 1 if she wants to think effectively in
all of them, and Life 2 if she wants her multiple selves to perform
separate actions.
***** Mutate Localities:
------------------
A Master of Correspondence learns how to distort space. She can affect
distances and sizes around her, stretching them and thinking them to
fit her needs. In scientific terms, the mass of objects cannot be
changed, but their volumes and dimensions are like potter's clay.
This power is limited by the topology of the affected object - a
doughnut could be distorted into a cup by this, for example, but it
would remain an object containing a single hole.
Co-location:
------------
She may also stack locations on top of one another in a bizarre
landscape of multiple forms or connect a variety of items together. At
this point, the Master's perceptions are so wildly expanded that her
mundane perceptions may be enhanced beyond the normal human maximum.
****** Alter Dimensionality:
---------------------
This enables the mage to play with the dimensional characteristics of
a given area of space - an ordinary room with three spatial dimensions
could be made four- or five- dimensional, or compressed down to two
dimensions. Dimensions can also be compressed, expanded, or twisted to
suit the mage. Wonderful for mazes, or those who want to create rooms
that don't just *look* like an Escher painting.
Using conjunctional effects with Matter and Life, objects can be
affected - spheres made into hyperspheres or collapsed into circles,
people made two-dimensional, etc...)
Wide-Area Effects:
------------------
By skilful use of co-locative magic, the mage now becomes able to
spread an effect over more than one target; for example, a Avatar
3/Correspondence 6 effect could be used to temporarily Awaken a large
crowd, or even an entire city with sufficient successes.
Entropy
- -------
Specialties: Order, Chaos, Destruction
1 Sense Strengths & Weaknesses
Sense Order & Disorder
2 Control Randomness in Closed Systems
3 Diffuse Energy/Contain Energy
Decay Matter/Preserve Matter
Control Randomness in Open Systems
4 Wither Life/Preserve Life
Control Randomness in Organisational Systems
5 Decay Thought/Preserve Thought
Reverse Entropy
6 Control Randomness in Abstract Systems
Chaos Theory
* Sense Strengths & Weaknesses:
-----------------------------
Disciples of Entropy learn to examine each thing and discern its
strengths and weaknesses, examining what it is and what it does.
Sense Order & Disorder:
-----------------------
Sense Order and Disorder allos the mage to sense the amount of
disorder in a system, and to see which parts of the system are the
most ordered and which are the most disordered.
Given this knowledge, the mage can sense if a lock has some defect, or
if a gun will misfire. Chance, however, is a fickle thing. These
insights are not perfect, just advanced.
The ability to judge certainties and likelihoods is quite
useful. Pressure points and opportunities become obvious to one who
knows their patterns. This may not have any dramatic effects, but once
you understand an enemy's strengths and weaknesses, it doesn't take
Sun Tzu to determine a combat strategy or Lucretia Borgia to figure
out a subterfuge.
General: Control Randomness
- ---------------------------
Now that the the workings of chance have been studied, the dominoes of
probability may be pushed. Disciples learn control over probability by
studying where it concentrates. Phenomena as diverse as card
shuffling, dice rolling, market fluctuations, traffic jams, lost mail
and roulette wheels teach the mage to identify order in chaos, chaos
in order and the paths of probability.
This gives the mage amazing, yet subtle control over hundreds of small
events. He can control whom a waiter will serve first, who picks the
shortest straw, who wins a coin toss or finds the one bullet in a
chamber, etc. He can determine the outcome of any event which would
normally be random. Once he discerns which apparently random events
are in fact predetermined, he can then manipulate other eventualities
to his own ends.
(In my metaphysics, some events are guided by destiny, but most are
left to random chance. The more an event is destined - for example,
the fate of a mage with a high Destiny - the less affectable it and
the objects involved in it are by Entropy.)
(System: add the Destiny of the involved party to the difficulty?)
There's a limit to this control; the greater the probability he tries
to affect, the more difficult the act becomes. Determining a coin-toss
is simple magic. Determining the toss of the same coin 100 times in
succession becomes correspondingly more difficult. Hexing a pack of
cards to deal a royal flush is in the realm of possibility, but
ordering a shuffled deck such that each comes out as if it had never
been shuffled is a miracle probably not worth the bother.
At first, the mage may only control randomness in Closed Systems:
** Control Randomness in Closed Systems:
-------------------------------------
A Closed System is one in which there is a definite, finite
probability of an event occurring, as a result of the isolation of the
system from external influences. Tossing a coin creates one of the
most basic Closed Systems - there is a one in two chance that the coin
will land heads or tails. Other examples include the shuffling of a
pack of cards, and a game of Russian Roulette - in the latter, there
is a one in six chance that the firing chamber of the revolver will
contain the bullet (which the Mage can affect).
If disorder was increased in a system where two dice were rolled
thousands of times, it is possible that no consecutive roll will be
the same. Similarly, if a pack of playing cards (arranged in order of
suit and number) was taken and shuffled once, it would appear as if it
had been shuffled hundreds of times. If disorder was decreased in the
systems described above, rolling the two dice would always resulted in
the same number, even if rolled several thousand times. In the pack of
cards example, the deck could be shuffled a thousand times but there
would still be only one or two cards displaced if the disorder was
decreased.
*** Diffuse Energy / Contain Energy:
--------------------------------
Decay Matter / Preserve Matter:
-------------------------------
Inanimate objects and tangible forces, as Patterns of order, are the
most subject to the forces of Entropy. Machines are especially
susceptible to this phenomena. Clocks wind down, engines break,
warranties expire and all things eventually fray and decay.
A Disciple of Entropy can "fix" this deterioration, causing new
television sets to blow a fuse while old junker cars mysteriously
still run years after they should have fallen apart. Rocks may also be
caused to erode and teapots to chip and shatter, but as Entropy is a
slow and gradual process, the only things which can be affected
instantly are those, such as machines, which have thousands of
intricate moving parts.
Control Randomness in Open Systems:
-----------------------------------
This ability works in the same manner as the second rank 'Control
Randomness', save that at this rank the mage is able to affect Open
Systems:
An Open System is one where probability is being continually affected
by variable outside influences - however, the mage cannot affect the
chance of a specific event occurring. Instead, he can flood a system
with chaos (or reduce its effect in a system), making it generally
more or less random in its operation. The mage has little control over
exactly how this randomness will manifest itself. For example, a mage
being chased over an unstable wooden bridge can use Entropy to affect
the Open System that is the chance of the bridge collapsing. By
manipulating the probabilities of this happening, the mage can cause
the bridge to collapse just when the people chasing him are about
halfway across.
Increasing disorder in an open system (such as the operation of a
machine) could result in computer crashes, circuit breakers tripping
for no reason (while others fail to trip when they should causing
power surges), corruption of computer data, and so on.
Decreasing disorder in a machine would make it work more efficiently
and more predictably -- circuit breakers trip when they should,
back-doors into computer systems become inaccessible, phone exchanges
route their calls to the correct destinations, and so on.
**** Wither Life / Preserve Life:
----------------------------
The Effects of Entropy, order and probability are far more complex
when dealing with living organisms, due to living beings' complex and
self-corrective nature. If a robot overtaxes itself and stresses its
workings, it runs down until someone repairs it. A man who overtaxes
himself will heal given time and care, and may even grow stronger.
Adepts of Entropy study how life forms begin, mature, wither, and
die. They also observe the hundreds of factors which affect the course
of life, from the effects of heredity to the stresses of evolution and
growth. The Adept learns how to influence the random factors of life,
giving her immense power either to destroy it or affect its
development.
These Arts affect probability, not Life Patterns themselves.
Control Randomness in Organisational Systems:
---------------------------------------------
This ability works in the same manner as the second rank 'Control
Randomness', save that at this rank the mage is able to affect
Organisational Systems:
An Organisation is a peculiar system in that it combines elements of
both Closed and Open Systems. An 'Organisation' is here defined as a
collection of individual components that interact in a complex manner
- - thus bureaucracies, society and even the human body are
Organisations. They are meta-organisms, comprising many individual
entities (sometimes millions). In all Organisations, there is a rigid
framework in which it operates - the hierarchy of employees, the daily
routine, etc. - which makes it a Closed System. However, anything can
happen within that framework as the organisation interacts with the
outside world - employees can arrive late or call in sick, rival
companies can put in a take-over bid, a new contract can be signed,
wars can start and so on - which makes it akin to an Open System. As
such, Organisations are more difficult to magically affect, but once a
mage has a foothold, the rewards and the possibilities are endless.
Increasing disorder in (for example) a busy restaurant could result in
tables never being served by waiters, cooks calling in sick on busy
days, health inspectors arriving, customers complaining, waiters
tripping up while carrying food etc. Decreasing disorder may result in
tables always being served as soon as they are taken by customers,
employees calling in on time, and everything generally running like
clockwork.
***** Decay Thought / Preserve Thought:
---------------------------------
Masters of Entropy expand their control over reality by studying the
ways in which ideas change over time. The effects of the natural order
of things on objects are fairly clear and indisputable, but the fact
that chaos affects intelligent thought seems farfetched. Yet
everything which is organised is subject to the laws which govern
order and chaos, be it the structure of a molecule of an organised
body of knowledge.
Where the Masters of Mind rudely subject the minds of others to their
own will, however, masters of Entropy merely point out things that
will strike a person a particular way and let his thoughts follow the
natural progression to other possibilities.
Masters of Entropy who specialise in chaos can shatter a person's
worldview simply by making a few weird comments (or can at least
confuse him), while those specialising in order can present logical
arguments which can advance a person's conscious or subconscious
thoughts to some higher (or at least different) set of ideas.
Reverse Entropy:
----------------
This rank also permits the mage to reverse entropy - effectively
'rewinding' an event through time [although time still passes in the
normal way.] With this, the mage could cause the ink in inky water to
return into a drop of ink, a cloud of smoke to diffuse back into the
smoke grenade, and so forth. It causes disorder to evolve back into
order, contrary to the normal state of existence.)
****** Control Randomness in Abstract Systems:
---------------------------------------
This rank of Entropy is similar to ranks 2, 3, and 4 in that it allows
the mage to affect the order and disorder in systems; however it
allows the mage to affect any system, even those which are normally
outside of change. Now the mage can affect the organisation of such
things as abstract ideas, time, space, and magic itself.
Chaos Theory:
-------------
This rank of gives the mage control over systems containing /billions/
of variables - a good example of this is the infamous Butterfly
Effect. In Chaos Theory, the final outcome of an event can be
radically changed by the slightest alteration of its starting
conditions. At this level, the mage is actually aware of precisely
what must be done to guide the system into the desired outcome. This
allows him, for example, to control the weather or affect events in
the future by modifying their starting conditions.
Fate
- ----
Specialities: Fate, Blessings, Curses
1 Sense Fate & Fortune
Detect Link
2 Augury
Concealment
Examine Web
3 Affect Predictable Patterns
Affect Links
4 Affect Life
Speed/Slow Destiny
5 Affect Thought
Geas/Ban
6 ???
* Sense Fate & Fortune:
---------------------
The Disciple of Fate begins to sense the current of Destiny, and can
discern what is significant and what is not, and what is true or
untrue.
Given this knowledge, the mage can pick a lucky horse, choose the
original between two identical items, or see who is doomed in an
upcoming battle. Fate, however, is fickle. These insights, as those of
Entropy, are not perfect.
Detect Link:
------------
Detect Link enables the mage to find the connections between
things. For example, a cuddly toy is connected to a particular child,
or a packet of drugs is connected to both a local dealer (the
supplier) and a street rat (the buyer). Note that this does not allow
the mage to determine *how* the things are connected; it only allows
him to sense the connection itself.
Successes Effect
1 Sense connection to mage only.
2 Sense connection to those mage knows.
3 Sense connection to object.
4 Sense connection to total stranger.
5 Sense connection to concept.
** Augury:
-------
Augury allows you to sense an object or person's destiny more
specifically than the general sense. Unlike Time 2, this is not
specific sight of the possible future, merely a symbolic indication of
the direction the force of destiny is pushing in.
Concealment:
------------
Concealment allows the mage to ward someone against either the
detection of their destiny - or even if they have one at all -, or the
connections that they have with others. It is common for powerful
mages to use this to avoid being linked with their plots. (If a mage
uses it on himself, links between him and an object are concealed not
only when he is analysed with Fate 1/2 but also when the object is.)
Examine Web:
------------
Examine Web allows the mage to examine the web of connections about a
target in a more specific way - this could allow the mage, for
example, to discover the possible outcomes of an event, or the
possible influences on an individual... Of course, the mage may easily
miss connections by being too specific, or be overwhelmed by useless
information if he isn't specific enough.
*** Affect Predictable Patterns:
----------------------------
A Disciple of Fate may curse or bless an object (a Matter or Forces
pattern), or lay a Destiny upon it. Using a conjunctional effect with
Matter 2, or Forces 2/4, the mage may imbue a physical object,
affecting the course of its destiny and of those who come in contact
with it. A blessed locket may take a bullet intended for its wearer,
though he may later die a glorious death in battle. Time 2 allows more
of a say in such events, but even then, they may not be certain.
Affect Links:
-------------
Affect Links permits the mage to forge or break the connections
between things, such as those he detected with the first rank. These
links are those of sympathy and contagion which may be used with
Correspondence, in addition to being traceable with Fate 1 and 2.
**** Affect Life:
------------
With this, an Adept of Fate can weave a potent spell over a living
being's Destiny, blessing or cursing him and his line. Other Spheres
may be woven into such a charm, creating hereditary magical gifts or
flamboyant curses. These Arts affect fate, not Life Patterns
themselves.
Speed / Slow Destiny:
---------------------
This rank allows the mage to direct the forces of destiny toward or
away from the target. While the actual flow of time does not alter,
destined events in the target's future may be brought to occur sooner
or later than they otherwise would have.
The caster has no or little control over the outcome, unless he has
previously used another Fate effect to alter the target's
destiny. Even if this is the case, that may not necessarily be the
destiny that is brought to pass or prevented, if the target has
another stronger destiny.
***** Affect Thought:
---------------
Masters of Fate may affect thoughts as Disciples can objects and
Adepts living beings. This supreme magic directs the force of Wyrd
into a mental concept, creating a "happy thought" or "cursed idea",
which brings Fate or Fortune to bear on those who concentrate upon it,
possibly extinguishing or exalting the thought. This may lead to
paradigm shifts, new faiths, or insanity.
Geas / Ban:
-----------
By the use of conjunctional effects to provide suitable consequences,
the Master of Fate may afflict a being with a Geas (a compulsion to
undertake some task) or Ban (a forbidding from doing something).
****** ???
Forces
- ------
(Oh, gods, the Forces sphere. After much trouble and strife, I have
for the moment withdrawn from the unequal struggle of finding a
paradigm-invariant way of dividing forces into two blocks, in favour
of just describing them as 'higher' and 'lower' forces. Pick your own
definitions - the magnitude division from Mage 2nd, the lesser/major
forces division from Mage 1st, divide concrete from abstract forces,
or whatever...
It might well vary between paradigms anyway?)
Specialties: Elements (any or all), Technology, Physics, Weather
1 Perceive Forces
2 Control Lower Forces
3 Spawn Lower Forces
Transmute Lower Forces
4 Control Higher Forces
5 Solidify Forces
Spawn Higher Forces
Transmute Higher Forces
6 Create Forces
Quicken Forces
Wide-Area Forces
* Perceive Forces:
----------------
The mage discerns the movements of energy. By identifying their
Patterns, she can perceive all types of energy flows, sensing
wavelengths far beyond the limited range of visible light and sonic
frequencies upon which normal mortals rely. The mage may see anything
from infrared light to x-rays to gravity waves. Even in the absence of
such positive forces, some mages have learned how to perceive colours
in darkness, sense stillness and hear volumes from silence.
** Control Lower Forces:
---------------------
*** Spawn Lower Forces:
-------------------
Transmute Lower Forces:
-----------------------
**** Control Higher Forces:
----------------------
***** Solidify Forces:
----------------
The Master of Forces can imbue patterns with of force with
characteristics normally associated with Matter patterns. One
characteristic of Forces is that, while powerful and destructive, the
are also easily diverted and destroyed. A Master can 'solidify' a
pattern of forces, making it stable and lasting. Such forces can
power perpetual motion machines without resorting to a mage
continuously regenerating the Pattern, or be used to fashion barriers,
weapons, and tools.
Some forces are naturally solidified, such as gravity.
Spawn Higher Forces:
--------------------
Transmute Higher Forces:
------------------------
****** Create Forces:
--------------
The Archmaster of Forces may create entirely new varieties of forces
(e.g. sound that travels in a vacuum, fire that freezes, magnetism
that works on plastic, etc.)
Quicken Forces:
---------------
The Archmaster may also imbue Forces patterns with some of the
characteristics normally associated with Life patterns. Alternately,
the master may set up a trickle of Quintessence (requiring Prime 2)
into a Forces pattern. Such 'quickened' patterns have some of the
characteristics of living things.
Some forces are naturally quickened, such as fire.
With a conjunctional Mind effect, such 'entities' can be programmed to
move, react, assimilate other patterns and even reproduce themselves.
It is even possible for a spirit (usually one aspected to forces) to
inhabit such a 'body.'
Wide-Area Forces:
-----------------
The mage learns to act as a catalyst for larger forces, rather than
influencing them directly. This allows him to create or influence
phenomena for miles around - while Forces 3 may conjure a hurricane,
Forces 6 can conjure a storm front across a continent.
Life
- ----
Specialties: Shapeshifting, Disease, Healing, Improvement, Cloning,
Creation
1 Sense Life
2 Alter Simple Patterns
Influence Self
3 Alter Self
Influence Life
Transform Simple Patterns
Create Simple Patterns
4 Alter Complex Patterns
Transform Self
5 Transform Complex Patterns
Create Complex Patterns
Perfect Metamorphosis
6 ???
Perfectly Metamorphose Other
* Sense Life:
-----------
The mage begins his study by identifying Patterns of Life. By reading
these Patterns, he can learn a lot about a life form - its age, its
sex, and every aspect of its health. With this awareness, the mage can
also sense different forms of life nearby.
** Alter Simple Patterns:
----------------------
Life manipulation begins with the simplest living Patterns. A mystic
can alter the structure of basic life forms now, from microscopic
viruses and bacteria to creatures as complex as insects and shellfish
(as a good rule of thumb, any invertebrate is considered a simple Life
Pattern). All plant life, from algae to sequoia trees, possess Life
Patterns simple enough for the mage to manipulate.
The mage can only influence these simple Patterns at this level; he
can heal simple creatures or kill them, cause crabs to sprout extra
legs, trees to bear fruit or bees to release the pheromones which
signal a swarm. Whatever he does, the creatures themselves remain what
they always were - he can mutate them, but not transform them.
Influence Self:
---------------
The mage also begins to understand the most complex Patterns of Life,
beginning with the one most familiar to him, his own. At this stage,
he may only affect the normal processes of his own pattern (such as
healing, but by no means limited to that) - slowing or hastening them,
adjusting them relative to each other (altering hormone levels or
nerve impulses, for example), or even initiating them or stopping them
entirely, or make instant corrections or disruptions to his pattern,
to heal or to harm.
*** Alter Self:
-----------
At this rank, the mage can alter his own Pattern, making subtle
improvements and variations as he did with simple Patterns at Life
2. He cannot substantially change what he is, but can change his
gender or appearance or physically modify his body to grow claws, fur,
gills, etc.
Influence Life:
---------------
The mystic begins to understand other more complex organisms now, and
may influence the patterns of other beings as he did himself at the
previous rank.
Transform Simple Patterns:
--------------------------
Create Simple Patterns:
-----------------------
Simple Patterns are now his to command; he may turn them inside-out,
change one into another or even create them entirely from other
Patterns, through conjunctional effects involving Forces, Matter, or
Prime. The mage can change wildfire into wildflowers, glass grapes
into living fruit or the Platonic ideal butterfly into its living
counterpart.
Unfortunately, any life form he creates has no mind beyond what it
held before. However, for simple life forms, especially plants, this
fault is virtually irrelevant. Even creatures such as crabs or insects
can be imbued with some instinctive reflexes that serve for
intelligence in the absence of a true mind.
**** Alter Complex Patterns:
-----------------------
A mage who reaches this rank can change the structure of any complex
Life Patterns, including those of other sentient beings. As with Life
2, the creatures subjected to this magic still retain their original
form, but radical variations on that basic form are still possible.
Transform Self:
---------------
A Life Adept can alter her form to resemble another living being of
approximately the same size and mass. She may become a deer, but not a
mouse. Special abilities - water breathing, flight, etc. - do not
carry over at this level without additional Life effects, and moving
around in the new form will take getting used to.
More naturalistic Traditions compensate for this shortcoming by
working instinct into the basic form. A mystic risks losing her mind
entirely this way, however. Some have found themselves trapped in the
shape of panthers or dolphins, and have only freed themselves when
they encountered something which reminded them of what they truly
were.
***** Transform Complex Patterns:
---------------------------
A Master of Life can transform others as she transformed herself at
the previous rank. At this level, she can attain any form she desires
and alter others the same way.
This carries its own problems. A higher being transformed into a lower
one tends to trade intelligence for survival instincts, while a lower
life form changed into a higher one has similar problems. Getting such
creatures to stand on two legs, let alone speak, requires a long
period of instruction or a conjunctional effect with Mind 3.
Perfect Metamorphosis:
----------------------
The perfect metamorphosis a Master achieves has no such problems. A
mage who shapeshifts at this level carries her mind and Arts with
her. Whatever she becomes, that form is as natural as the one she was
born into.
Create Complex Patterns:
------------------------
At this level, the mage also gains a most unique power, which some
might hold as divine: He can weave a new Pattern to create any life
form, even a human body, using conjunctional magic to translate it
from energy, matter, or pure Quintessence with the appropriate rank of
Forces, Matter or Prime. Unfortunately, the life form created has no
mind or soul beyond the base material or the Resonance it carries.
Consequently, many mages prefer to create a new being out of Prime
Force, certain that it possesses no mind or soul beyond what the
mystic gives it. This might seem pointless, but mages have found
various uses for such soulless shells. Some create new forms of life
merely to study how new "improvements" might effect their living
bodies, while others imbue these soulless lifeforms with preprogrammed
reactions that mimic instinctual intelligence.
Empty husks make ideal resting places for spirits and astral forms as
well. Most spirits can manifest in an empty body (or even possess
occupied bodies) and interact with the physical world. A mage who
helps an Umbrood across this way can demand favours and expect to get
them.
Masters of both the Life and Mind Spheres can untether their psyches
and create new bodies for their own astral forms to fill, while those
adept at Avatar have devised a form of life insurance which involves
reincarnating in new bodies when the old ones die. Such mages often
leave a long trail of different identities behind them, attaining a
degree of immortality.
****** ???
Perfectly Metamorphose Other:
-----------------------------
The mage may now apply the perfect metamorphosis available to the
Masters of Life to other individuals.
Matter
- ------
Specialties: Transmutation, Shaping, Conjuration, Complex Patterns
1 Matter Perceptions
2 Alter Form
3 Basic Transmutation
4 Complex Transmutation / Quilted Forms
5 Alter Properties
Pattern Dissociation
6 Quicken Matter
* Matter Perceptions:
-------------------
The Disciple of Matter begins by recognising the various Patterns of
Matter, including the underlying structures that give objects their
shapes and physical properties. With these perceptions, she can detect
things hidden from normal senses. In addition to sensing the
composition and properties of Matter, the Disciple can discern
structures hidden within structures; material no longer forms a
barrier to her senses.
** Alter Form:
-----------
At the second rank of Matter, the mage can overpower the rigid
Patterns of reality. By selectively altering different aspects of an
object's Pattern, he can change its shape however he desires -
compressing it to increase its density and decrease its volume while
retaining the same weight, inflating it so as to decrease its density
and increase the volume, or temporarily changing the state so that
solids become liquids or liquids become gas. Permanent changes in
state require Rank 5. Note that changing the state with Matter in no
way affects the actual temperature of the material.
A mage who understands this rank may sculpt matter into any shape she
pleases, limited only by the physical properties of the materials she
uses. Broken items may also be repaired seamlessly, if she has the
mundane knowledge to do so.
Note that when articles are created from the ether, those which
contain highly energetic elements will require conjunctional
effects. Radioactive elements and other highly energy-containing
compounds such as explosives will require a conjunctional Forces
effect to supply that aspect of the pattern (for example, creating
matched plutonium spheres for an atom bomb will require Forces
_6_. Similarly, producing a black hole (a great recycler of patterns)
will require Entropy. Simply producing organic materials, OTOH, does
not require Life.)
*** Basic Transmutation:
--------------------
The mage may transmute one substance into another, without changing
its shape, temperature, or basic state - milk into cream, mahogany
into oak, water to acid, or lead into gold. The more radical the
transmutation, the more successes the spell requires. It's easier to
change water into wine (one success) than into sulphuric acid (three),
and more complicated to turn stones into bread (three successes) than
sourdough into rye (one).
With an understanding of Prime and the other Pattern magics, a mage
may use conjunctional effects to transform items governed by Forces,
Life or Prime into basic Patterns of Matter, including changing living
beings into stone or spinning moonlight into thread. With Prime 2, she
may harness the ether to create (or uncreate with Prime 4) any
/simple, basic/ thing composed of /one common homogenous substance/. A
quartz boulder shaped vaguely like a woman is possible, but a dainty
china shepherdess is not. With difficulty, a stick of plastique could
be conjured (but not the detonator). A bowlful of oatmeal or even
blueberry pancakes could be made to appear, but not a baroque wedding
cake. The more rare and/or complex a given substance, the more
difficult it is to create from pure ether. It's easier to create glass
than diamonds and simpler to make flour than bread. Elaborate
creations must wait until rank 4.
Making things hotter or colder than they were originally, or to change
one substance into another with a higher or lower potential energy,
requires a conjunctional effect with Forces, though Matter alone can
change ice into ice cream or boiling water into hot soup. Transmuting
solids into liquids or liquids into gas requires either Matter 2 or
the use of Forces 3/Prime 2 (or some mundane means) to boil or freeze
the affected substance.
**** Complex Transmutation / Quilted Forms:
--------------------------------------
Adepts of Matter may now perform radical changes to physical materials
and craft complex and intricate items involving several common
substances or one or two rare ones. Any sort of regular matter may be
changed into any other - though as with rank 2, the more radical the
transformation, the more difficult the feat.
With conjunctional effects, the Patterns of Life, Forces or Prime
itself may be transmuted into Matter, allowing mages to turn pumpkins
into gilded coaches, lightning bolts into swords, or the
Quintessential ether into master keys. Complex organic creations are
also possible, including silk ballgowns, roast chickens and Persian
rugs.
***** Alter Properties:
-----------------
At this pinnacle of understanding, Masters of Matter may create new
substances which do not exist in nature by taking existing materials
and altering their physical properties, such as boiling and melting
points, density, ductility, transparency, viscosity, refractive index,
etc.
All the substances of legends and comic books are possible with this
level of magic. Masters build castles with paper-thin walls and wear
clothes of indestructible armour that feel softer than silk and weigh
less than a feather.
Pattern Dissociation:
---------------------
A sorcerer may even make one object immaterial to some other
substance, creating bullets which can phase through armour and robots
which may walk through walls, leaving the walls intact. This may even
be extended to energies and living creatures using conjunctional
effects.
****** Quicken Matter:
---------------
The Archmaster may also imbue Matter patterns with some of the
characteristics normally associated with Life patterns. Alternately,
the Archmaster may set up a trickle of Quintessence (requiring Prime
2) into a Forces pattern. Such 'quickened' patterns have some of the
characteristics of living things. This enables the mage to produce
pseudoalive, self-repairing, self-sustaining, or self-reshaping
materials such as 'living metal' or 'bioplastic'.
Mind
- ----
Specialties: Communication, Illusion, Self-Empowerment, Astral Travel
1 Sense Thoughts, Emotions & Resonance
Empower Self
Conditionals
2 Read Surface Thoughts
Affect Resonance
Mental Impulse
Mental Shield
3 Mental Link
Walk Among Dreams
4 Control Surface Mind
Astral Travel
5 Control Deep Mind
Create Intelligence
The Country of the Mind
6 Forge Psyche
Untether
* Sense Thoughts, Emotions & Resonance:
-------------------------------------
The mage begins to sense the thoughts and emotions in the air around
her. She cannot yet read these thoughts, but can sense their strength
and intensity, and somewhat of their general nature. This is not a
true look at the soul (that requires Spirit 1 and/or Avatar 1), but at
the shell of emotional radiance that surrounds it.
The mage may also read the psychic impressions left on objects. At
this stage, she cannot read any actual thoughts or images, but can
sense "goof" or "bad vibes" from an object or place. This includes the
Resonance attached to Tass or the aura of a Quintessential wellspring
at a Node or Juncture. Without Prime 1, she can't tell how strong such
energies may be, but she'll be able to understand the best uses for
such Quintessence.
Empower Self:
-------------
At this level, the mage learns to master his own mind. As the mage
explores the powers of his mind, he learns to develop eidetic
memory. amazing computational speed, a type of multi-tasking brain
function, mind-over-body control of their autonomic responses, and
many other such things.
The Mind initiate also learns to influence her dreams and shield
herself from the inevitable mental barrage of others' thoughts and
emotions. With work, she can hide her aura and shield her thoughts
from casual observation - though determined and perceptive mages and
other beings may still be able to read them.
Conditionals:
-------------
The mage may create conditional, or contingency, effects in his
spells. For example, a suspended animation spell could have a Sleeping
Beauty clause, ending it at the kiss of a prince, or a fire spell
could be set to trigger when a door was opened. This requires the
appropriate Spheres to sense the triggering condition. Other magical
effects could also be worked into the program as subroutines, to use
the Virtual Adept terminology.
By setting certain things in place - "This wall will turn to fire when
someone leans on it, a [Correspondence 1/Life 1]/Mind 1/[Matter
3/Forces 3] effect (the first set of square brackets are the sensory
half, Mind 1 for the conditional, and the second set produce the
result)" - entire artificial systems of magic ("Words of Power" and so
forth) can be created with "clap on/clap off" functions, making
reliable static magic that anyone with the appropriate keys and access
to the weavings can access. To keep such stored magic from being
stolen by enemies, many mages have used Matter and/or Life to tie
these to heirlooms and/or bloodlines, leaving their descendants a
legacy of magical abilities. Eventually, of course, the magic is used
up or the heirlooms are lost, so nothing lasts forever. Such
"contingent" effects can be detected with the first rank of Mind or
Entropy, though it takes Mind 2 to truly fathom the effect's nature,
and the full set of Spheres used to completely understand the effect's
effects.
(System: setting up a conditional effect requires at least three magic
rolls - for the sensory effect(s) that will trigger the conditional,
one for the conditional itself, and for the effects that will be
triggered by the conditional.)
** Read Surface Thoughts:
----------------------
The mage learns not only how to recognise thoughts, but how to read
them. Two mages of this same rank can also form a primitive mental
link by dropping their shields and reading each other's surface minds.
Affect Resonance:
-----------------
She can read memories "attached" to objects by others' minds (basic
psychometry) and scan surface thoughts from unshielded minds. The
greater the emotional content, the louder the "volume" and the easier
it is to read such impressions. She can leave those same psychic
impressions on objects or places intentionally, too, "creating"
resonance.
Mental Impulse:
---------------
The mage can also send such thoughts and emotions out ("looking
daggers" or "blowing kisses") until they find their target. Complex
thoughts cannot be sent this way, but single words, images, or
emotional impulses can be easily beamed into an unshielded being's
subconscious mind. Such suggestions are much more insidious, and can
often be more effective, than direct communication.
Mental Shield:
--------------
The mage may also create more elaborate shields in her mind and
disguise the colour of her aura, or erect a complex mental "window
dressing" to fool other mentalists into underestimating or ignoring
her. She can also control her dreams to some extent, though many
aspects still lie beyond her influence.
*** Mental Link:
------------
The mage can now establish a clear link between her own mind and the
minds of others. She can use this link for telepathic communications -
or invasions.
The ability to project thoughts and images into another's mind allows
a mystic to project false perceptions. At this rank, the mage has full
command of perceptual illusions. Some teach means of projecting
psychic disturbances into a subject's mind. These psychic assault take
many forms, but their end goal is to turn the victim into a mental
vegetable.
Walk Among Dreams:
------------------
The mage may now contact the minds of other dreamers in her sleep and
begin to explore the Dream Realms. While waking, she may also use her
abilities to enter the dreaming consciousness of others, though such
trips are risky. Some Sleepers have particularly rich dream lives, and
even a mage who enters one may be at the dreamer's mercy. A number of
spiritual entities also lair in dreams, and may be very territorial.
**** Control Surface Mind:
---------------------
A Mind Adept can actually take over another person's mind and occupy
his body for her own ends. His thoughts, should she will it, are not
his own, but hers. Once this invasion has begun, she may control her
victim directly, cure or cause insanity, change his memories or set up
posthypnotic suggestions. The mage can overlay her subject's aura with
another of a completely different colour and pattern. The victim may
slowly recover as the deep mind reasserts the true memories, but the
subject's Demeanour is usually irrevocably altered.
Astral Travel:
--------------
The Adept can also leave her dreams behind and make excursions into
the astral reaches.
***** Control Deep Mind:
------------------
A Master of Mind rules not only his own mind, but other minds as well,
both mortal and spirit. Through this power, he may invade not only the
surface mind, but the underlying deep mind as well, completely
rewriting the personality until the thoughts which compose the psyche
bear no resemblance to anything that existed before, utterly changing
the person's nature. The only integral part of the being which the
mage may not touch is the Avatar and its memories of past lives, for
to perform this requires also the Sphere of Avatar.
The mage may also divorce a psyche from the body, switch minds between
subjects and merge, copy or transfer the entire sum of a person's
memories and knowledge from one body to another. His powers allow him
to increase a subject's intelligence and wits to genius levels (5
dots) and may begin to increase his own beyond that.
Create Intelligence:
--------------------
The greatest power of a Master of Mind, however, is the ability to
create conscious thought. A master may create another thinking,
rational mind where none existed before, expanding its intelligence
and knowledge however she likes.
However, at this rank the mind created is only an /intelligence/, not
a /sentience/. It has a full measure of reason and logic (both
deductive and inductive), but lacks innate creativity, emotional
response (as part of this, it cannot possess a personality - only a
*simulation* of a personality, at best), and self-awareness. It cannot
grow beyond its initial constraints.
The Country of the Mind:
------------------------
to be written, based on Greg Bear's _Queen of Angels_...
****** Forge Psyche:
-------------
The Archmaster of Mind may finally create true sentience. He may
create a sentient mind, with creativity, emotions, a personality,
self-awareness, and the ability to grow and change like any other
sentient being.
Computers and other inanimate objects - as well as the empty shells
created by Masters of Life - may be given true sentience without
granting them a soul (that would require the Avatar sphere). When such
creatures are destroyed, however, their psyches tend to die with them
as well.
Untether:
---------
Complete astral existence is possible for the Archmaster of Mind. He
may still return to the body - his, another's, or any manufactured one
- - but need not. By using a conjunctional Spirit 4 effect, he may cloak
his astral form in ephemera, and take on a new existence as a spirit.
This astral travel may even allow a skilled mage to pass through the
Vulgate entirely and reach the Epiphamies.
Prime
- -----
Specialties: Channeling, Perceptions, Filling Patterns, Draining
Patterns, Ley-Lines
1 Aetheric Senses
Affect Own Quintessence
Use Tass
2 Weave Odyllic Force
Fuel Pattern
3 Affect Free Quintessence
Crystallise Tass
Minor Artificery (Weave Charm)
Linking
4 Affect Bound Quintessence
Enchant Item
Grand Artificery (Create Talisman)
Unweaving
5 Alter Flow
Infuse Relic
Make Perpetual
6 Multiple Streams
(Note: I use a modified terminology. Rather than 'Raw' and 'Free'
Quintessence, I define it as either 'Bound', or 'Free'. Bound
Quintessence is tied up in Patterns and the forms of things (or space,
or time, or whatever). Free Quintessence is that which isn't in
Patterns - it flows through living beings, along ley-lines, exists as
the background foam from which mages draw the energies for Pattern
magic, pools at Nodes and crystallises as Tass.)
* Aetheric Senses:
----------------
At this rank of the Sphere, the mage gains perceptions of basic
Quintessential energy - the nodes where it collects or wells up, the
ley lines and dragon paths which traverse the globe between them, the
Tass in which it crystallises, and the ebbs and flows which mark the
Junctures, the times of greatest magic. He may also notice creatures
and objects charged with arcane energy, although he will need Mind,
Spirit or Avatar to perceive their particular aurae and souls,
assuming that they possess them.
Perceptions of Prime vary from mage to mage. Some see it as a clear,
pure light or a shining matrix of white energy. Others perceive it as
a dark and primal force, and see a matrix of black against grey. Yet
others claim that it is a distinct colour, neither black nor white,
while some hear it as the music of the Spheres or describe it as a
tingle of magery in the air or a current flowing around them.
Affect Own Quintessence:
------------------------
This first rank also teaches the mage the essential art of being able
to sense and affect the Quintessence of his own Pattern - being able
to tell the depth and fullness of the well of free Quintessence within
him, the strength of the flow through his Pattern; being able to make
himself a receptacle into which free Quintessence may be poured; and,
if need should be, being able to devour his own bound Pattern for its
Quintessence.
Use Tass:
---------
In addition, at the first rank the mage may use Tass by converting it
directly to free Quintessence for use in his magery; however, without
the third rank he still cannot channel it directly into his own or
another pattern, but can only use it to empower his workings.
** Weave Odyllic Force:
--------------------
The mage of the second rank attains some control over the shifting
patterns of Prime force and essential energy. She can divert small
streams to flow differently through the cosmos or reweave them to
create Platonic ideals, items composed solely of Prime and visible to
those with arcane senses.
Fuel Pattern:
-------------
Such items exist in the aetheric, spiritual, and astral planes all at
once. When the mage conceives of an object, it takes on some degree of
solidity. By placing a framework of bound Quintessence around his
concept (and in the case of Life patterns, setting up a flow of free
Quintessence through the object), the mage may make it real -
transform it into a physical form. Creating things /ex nihilo/,
therefore, obviously requires the second rank of Prime. However,
simple modification, healing or repair of existing patterns does not
require it, as this is done by altering the pattern directly with the
Pattern spheres.
*** Affect Free Quintessence:
-------------------------
At rare sites (Nodes) and on rare days (Junctures), primal force
focuses into Primal energy. The resulting flow is free Quintessence
and is necessary for mages and their magic: particularly in the
creation of realms and arcane devices.
At this rank, the mage is able to manipulate this which is not bound
in Patterns; most notably to tap reservoirs of free Quintessence and
is able to either channel this Quintessence into another pattern or
realm, or to store it within his own, although it should be noted that
it only allows Quintessence to be transferred from one established
pattern into another pattern.
Crystallise Tass:
-----------------
The mage who has mastered this rank may also recrystallise Tass into
other forms that that in which it is found, or even crystallise out
free Quintessence which he possesses as new Tass.
Minor Artificery (Weave Charm):
-------------------------------
This allows the mage to bind Prime within objects, creating single-use
magical objects such as potions, candles, holy water, magic bullets,
etc., etc.
Linking:
--------
The mage may also attempt to interweave his magical effects with those
of other mages, working together towards a single end - making
difficult effects easier to enact, or enable the casting of more
powerful effects than any could manage alone.
(System: add up the total successes of all the co-operating mages,
then subtract 1 success for every mage involved in the procedure to
represent the losses involved.)
**** Affect Bound Quintessence:
--------------------------
A mage of the fourth rank finally learns how to affect the bound
Quintessence within all Patterns. By extracting it, he may affect a
pattern's incarnation in reality. Each shard of inanimate matter and
each spark of energy has Prime stored within; without Prime in its
pattern, that matter or energy ceases to exist.
Those who know enough about Matter or Forces can use conjunctional
effects to alter the amount of Prime stored in various parts of these
patterns, thereby 'dissolving' different aspects or properties of the
energy or matter. A sorcerer could make solids become insubstantial,
cause a magnet to have only one pole, remove a chemical's ability to
form nuclear bonds with other chemicals (this process would, for
example, make an acid unable to corrode), or cause objects to lose
their mass yet remain solid. While pattern mageries alone can do the
same thing, extracting a target's bound Quintessence is a direct and
"easy" way to alter it.
Enchant Item:
-------------
The mage can also add bound Quintessence to a pattern over and above
its natural state; this is known as /enchanting/ and object, and makes
it more *real* - generally more resistant to magic, decay, and
dissipation, and able to affect other patterns more effectively. Note
that only Matter and some Forces patterns can be enchanted; living
patterns cannot. Items can even be created in an already enchanted
state.
Unless the enchantment is fixed (a matter for the fifth rank and Make
Perpetual), it will slowly dissipate; the excess bound Quintessence
within the item is in an unstable state, and it will seek to leak away
over time. Also, the enchantments of items not specially protected
against such can generally be unwoven quite easily.
(Those Adepts of Prime who think enchanting everything in the Chantry
just in case - the "I smite thee with the Sacred Teapot of Kali!"
syndrome - should ask themselves if they really want to receive
aggravated damage by tripping over the coffee table...)
(Systems: Both dissolving parts of patterns and enchanting patterns
are conjunctional effects requiring the first level of the Pattern
sphere in question.)
Grand Artificery (Create Talisman):
-----------------------------------
This allows the mage to produce permanent, re-usable magical objects,
talismans.
Unweaving:
----------
Mages with the fourth level of Prime can also attempt to unweave
standing magical effects (such as wards, and things Made Perpetual,
which depend upon bound Quintessence.)
***** Alter Flow:
-----------
Masters of Prime delve into truly advanced theories. Such mages can
alter established flows of Quintessence, such as ley-lines or those
flows through living patterns.
Living beings interact with Quintessence in a unique manner. Their
Quintessence is not all stored in their patterns, but runs
continuously through them. By damming this flow, the mage can
extinguish the spark of life within the creature.
Infuse Relic:
-------------
This will allow the mage to create living Talismans from body parts,
etc.
Make Perpetual:
---------------
Finally, by diverting or establishing a flow of Quintessence into a
suitable effect or a realm, the mage may make them run for eternity or
until disrupted, without need for a mage's attention.
****** Multiple Streams:
-----------------
Although Multitasking (Mind 1) still only permits the mage to produce
a single magical effect, however many mundane things he may be doing
simultaneously, this level enables the mage to split the flow of
Quintessence through his Pattern - thus enabling him to manipulate
more than one thing magically simultaneously.
(System: i.e., the mage can use this to split his Arete for magic in
the exact same way as he may split his dice pool for other actions. Of
course, if the mage wants to do anything else at the same time,
Multitasking must be used as well - and if he needs to manipulate more
than one set of foci at once, the usual limits on what he's physically
capable of also apply.)
Spirit
- ------
Specialties: Spirit Dealings, Possessions, Rousing
1 Spirit Sight
2 Call Spirit
Touch Spirit
3 Rouse & Lull Spirit
Channel Spirit
4 Forge Ephemera
Transephemeration
Materialise Spirit
5 Bind Spirit
Exorcism
6 Call Lord or Celestine
Forge Spirit
* Spirit Sight:
-------------
The Spirit initiate can see auras, ghosts, and spirits (although not
those on the other side of the Gauntlet without Umbra 1), especially
those her own Avatar is most attuned to through Resonance. Some mages
are better at seeing wraiths and the Dead, others at seeing the
spirits of Nature. All spirit-mages can sense these, but each person
seems to have an easier time dealing with creatures on the same
spiritual wavelength.
The Disciple of Spirit can also discern an item that has spirit
essence, like a Garou fetish or an awakened object or location (see
below).
** Call Spirit:
------------
At this rank, the mage is able to make his voice heard to spirits,
even across the Gauntlet. He may use this ability to call or speak to
any spirit known to him, or even put out a general cattle call to any
spirits nearby. At this level, attendance is optional, but most
spirits will show up, if only out of curiosity or annoyance.
Touch Spirit:
-------------
The mage now gains the ability to touch spirits and ephemeral objecs
he can see (this ability is obviously of more use in the Umbra than in
the physical world, but using it there requires Umbra 2/3). He can
pick up a fetish stick dropped by a Garou, push a spirit out of a
room, or even hit one over the head.
*** Rouse & Lull Spirit:
--------------------
The mage gains the power to rouse spirits at this rank. According to
many philosophies, most spirits are asleep. Rousing is like calling,
simply louder, and will rouse not only those spirits who have been
quiescent for a long time, but those who have never awakened
before. Depending on the mage's diplomatic skills, the spirit may be
anywhere from curious to furious.
The mage may also use this same magic to lull an awakened spirit, such
as one residing in a fetish, though the more powerful the spirit, the
more difficult it is to put back to sleep.
Channel Spirit:
---------------
A brave (or foolish) shaman may also channel a spirit's powers through
herself. This shuts out any other magic she might do while the Umbrood
possesses her, though she can access its Charms, speak with its voice,
and perform feats of incredible physical prowess. Regaining control is
sometimes a problem, though - many spirits enjoy riding mortal
'horses' and must be forced out through contested Willpower rolls or
exorcism.
**** Forge Ephemera:
---------------
An Adept of Spirit gains a divine power, for he may now take ephemera,
the substance of Spirit, reweave it in whatever fashion he desires,
repair it, or rip it asunder. (Using conjunctional effects with the
appropriate Pattern sphere.)
Using conjunctional effects with Matter or Forces and Prime 2 allows
the mage to create short-lived items out of ephemera. These creations
must be created as if they were material items, and fade away when the
effect's duration ends. Until then, such items are as strong as any
"real" object would be. With Life conjunctionals, he may use this to
heal spirits' Power.
Transephemeration:
------------------
Transephemeration is also possible for the mage at this rank. The mage
may convert any material item into ephemera, allowing him to take it
to the Umbra, or vice versa.
Materialise Spirit:
-------------------
With an effect similar to transephemeration, it is possible for a
Spirit Adept to force a spirit to appear in the material world -
whether or not it possesses a Charm which would ordinarily allow this.
***** Bind Spirit:
------------
The Master may now compel spirits to appear and bind them into
obedience. The Umbrood may also be forced into objects to create
fetishes and talens, which use their powers at the behest of the mage
who trapped them. Such trinkets often have a single use only, based
upon the nature of the spirit that was bound. The more powerful the
spirit, the more successes it takes to bind them. Few will stand still
for this...
This sort of magic is of course considered very antisocial in the
spirit world. Mages who do this too often tend to get a reputation.
Exorcism:
---------
This power allows a mage to force a possessing Umbrood out of someone,
effectively reversing the rank 4 'Channel Spirit'.
****** Call Lord or Celestine:
-----------------------
The Archmasters of Spirit remember how to call the gods. With this
Sphere rank, the greatest and most distant spirits - Celestines,
Incarna, the nameless things beyond the Horizon, etc. - can be
contacted, channeled, or even summoned. While many of these things are
possible at lower levels of expertise, the Archmaster may use them
from any side of the Gauntlet and may, to a degree, compel a powerful
being to come forth.
Losing such a contest of wills is perilous to say the least, even if
you're an Archmaster.
Forge Spirit:
-------------
The greatest power of the Archmaster is the ability to create new
spirit entities, in much the same way as a master of Life may create
new material forms of life. Of course, as with that creation, the
entities created have neither mind nor soul beyond that which is given
to them (using a conjuctional effect with the Mind and/or Avatar
spheres).
Time
- ----
Specialties: Perceptions, Conjunctional Uses, Travel, Temporal Control
1 Time Sense
2 Past Sight
Future Sight
3 Time Contraction
Time Dilation
Temporal Wards
4 Time Determinism
5 Future Travel
Time Immunity
6 Past Travel
Absolute Shifts
* Time Sense:
-----------
The mage begins to develop a rudimentary awareness of Time's true
nature, and gains the precise internal clock essential to performing
more complex Time magic. She also detects certain time-based phenomena
that periodically shift through reality. She can intuitively sense the
approach of such disturbances and "feel" where in dimensional space
the phenomena will appear.
Most such effects are small ripples which either speed or slow time
relative to the space outside. A few are referred to as "skips", small
rifts which lead forward in time, but some may actually be "loops",
rifts into the past. It's generally considered unwise to simply step
through either one, and by the time the mage has taken the time to
peer through time to see when the rift leads, time has passed and the
rift has sealed.
At this level, mages may also detect temporal phenomena weaker than
actual rifts. The spots where a Master steps forward in time or sends
something forward, display a distinct irregularity in the flow of the
continuum, while places which have been used to scry the future - or
will be used for scrying the past - display a twist in the ribbon of
time.
** Past Sight:
-----------
Future Sight:
-------------
The mage can now shift her perceptions forward or backward in
time. Postcognition tends to require more successes to perform, but
its results are certain (or at least considered so by
most). Precognition is less difficult to enact, but the futures
foreseen - especially far futures - tend to be inaccurate.
Most mages believe the future is constantly changing. Anytime a mage
looks foward, he simply foresees the most probable future. This
creates a self-fulfilling prophecy - or defeats the vision's
purpose. Through the act of foreseeing the future, the future may be
changed. If a mage predicts the manner of his own death, he can then
avoid that circumstance. This very phenomenon makes the future
unknowable - although Fate Masters have their own thoughts on the
subject.
Mages commonly use this magic with conjunctional effects. Entropy 1
allows a mage with future sight to view multiple probabilities or
possible futures. She may add Entropy 4 as a conjunctional effect to
affect the probability of one being fulfilled. The most probable
futures are the easiest to pick, and the least likely the most
difficult.
Most mages also mix Correspondence 2 with this rank of Time, because
by itself, this rank only allows a mage to look forward or backwards
into the past of her current location. With Correspondence 2, she may
scry out any time and any place in the world.
*** Time Contraction:
-----------------
Time Dilation:
--------------
The mage can now exert her will over the passage of time, causing it
to accelerate or slow as she desires. Mystics often describe these
effects as 'contracting' or 'dilating' time, referring to the length
of each moment in time. Thus, contracting time around a waterfall
makes it appear to flow more slowly to an outside observer; near the
waterfall, each moment does not last as long and less water
flows. Conversely, by dilating time around the waterfall, more water
flows during each segment of time. While the observer perceives these
moments to pass normally, he will see more water flow during each
moment. Working this magic conjunctionally with Correspondence 3, a
mage can allow a moving object to go at any speed without gaining
additional momentum.
Temporal Wards:
---------------
As with Correspondence, at this rank a mage may thicken the walls of
time around some particular instant, making an action that much more
difficult to discern from the future (or foresee from the past), and
preventing time travellers from arriving then as well. Each success a
mage gets on this sort of magic subtracts from a future (or past)
success of some other mage to spy on the mage's present doings. Some
sorcerers cloak themselves in a wall of thickened time, preventing
other mages from locating their future whereabouts.
**** Time Determinism:
-----------------
The mage is now able to cause absolute shifts in time, rather than
simply adjusting the rate at which time passes. He can take a field of
time and freeze it; a falling arrow may be stopped mid-flight or a man
placed in a field of suspended animation.
This is a powerful effect when used in conjunction with other magics,
as the mage can choose the moment in time which 'triggers' the magical
time bomb. Some long-dead Masters of Time have left the world a legacy
of magical Effects that occur even after the mage's death. Such
'hanging' effects are the type of time-based phenomenon that mages
with /Time Sense/ can intuitively detect, although it takes Time 2 to
truly fathom the effect's nature, and the full set of Spheres used to
completely understand the effect's effects.
***** Future Travel:
--------------
At Master-level knowledge, the mage can do more that determine the
timing of events; he can shift objects through time. The mage actually
plucks something out of the flow of time and repositions it at some
other point along the time stream. The new position could be seconds
or centuries away from the field's original place in time.
Masters say such effects are "anchored", or firmly linked to their
point of origin. A ripple exists in the time-stream at the point of
their disappearance until their reappearance. This forms a continuous
thread which the Master can pull at any time she sees fit. For
example, a mage who sent her house forwards into the future to keep it
from being destroyed by a war succeeded in pushing it forward fifty
years. Five years after the original magic, the war ends, so she
grasps the ribbon and pulls the building back out of the time-stream
prematurely. She may also do the same with herself, moving forward
through the not possible but actual future, until she finds a point in
the time-stream when she decides to disembark.
Even anchored future travel is not without its risks; such Arts are
obviously vulgar, and any Disciple of Time can recognise an anchored
Time effect and gauge the time when it will come due, while a Master
can reach into the time-stream and pull out another traveler.
Time Immunity:
--------------
Masters can also immunise themselves from time. Figuratively speaking,
the Master simply steps laterally out of the current temporal flow. He
can maintain his immunity only so long, but during his "time" outside
of time he perceives the world as a statuesque collection of still
images that he may manipulate as he pleases. As a conjunctional effect
with Life or Matter, he may take other creatures and objects 'out of
time' as well, and may even abandon them in the frozen moment. It
seems such a state cannot last forever, and subjectively the creatures
appear only moments later, but some reappear dead of old age, having
passed hundreds of years in a timeless hell.
****** Past Travel:
------------
Theoretically, it is possible for a mage to use the same anchored
effect that allows her to travel forwards in time to travel back into
the past. Unfortunately, the problems with causality make this
impossible. However, the Archmasters of Time have found ways to get
around this problem...
(System: left to the individual ST. The 'hanging Paradox' one in
Horizon:tSoH will no doubt work for most STs, but I prefer my own
version of the laws of time and I'm sure I won't be the only one...)
Absolute Shifts:
----------------
The mage is now able to make absolute changes in time, rather than
being restricted to relative changes. Instead of simply changing the
rate at which time flows, he is able to 'rewind' time, undoing events
as he goes.
(System: I needn't tell anyone how unspeakably vulgar this is. Wrinkle
*will* be pissed.)
Umbra
- -----
Specialties: Dimensional Science, Umbral Travel, Realm Construction
1 Umbra Sense
Gauntlet Sense
Gauntlet Warding
2 Manipulate Gauntlet
Plumb the Deep Umbra
3 Step Sideways
Seal Breach
Gauntlet Warding
4 Rend Gauntlet
Forge Bridge
5 Outward Journeys
Forge Realm
Seal Outer Gate
Horizon Warding
6 ???
Open Outer Gate
* Umbra Sense:
------------
The Umbra initiate gains the ability to sense the Penumbra around her,
along with everything in it - most clearly in areas where the Gauntlet
is thin.
Gauntlet Sense:
---------------
Gauntlet Warding:
-----------------
The mage can also "read" the strength of the local Gauntlet, testing
it for weaknesses, or set up wards across it to alert him about
breaches.
** Manipulate Gauntlet:
--------------------
The mage may now use his power to thin the Gauntlet, making it easier
for spirits to cross over into the physical world and manifest,
assuming that they have the Charms to do so. He may also strengthen
the barrier, making it harder for spirits to enter the physical world
- - a useful effect for mages who've called up something they shouldn't
have.
If the mage knows Spirit 2, 'Touch Spirit', he may use it in
conjunction with this to touch spirits and ephemera on the other side
of the Gauntlet.
Plumb the Deep Umbra:
---------------------
At this level, the mage may extend his senses beyond the Penumbra, and
may probe the deep like a 'mystic astronomer'. Thus, with appropriate
magic he may make contact with denizens of far Realms...
*** Step Sideways:
--------------
A mage may now make a temporary hole in the Gauntlet, allowing himself
to enter the Umbra, a feat called "stepping sideways" by the
garou. The mage's body and (usually) clothing are translated into
ephemera, the stuff of spirit, but will possess a certain glow which
the more aware denizens of the spirit realm will recognise as
belonging to a living being. At this level, any action he takes
against an Umbrood creature, physical or otherwise, will be felt. Once
in the Penumbra, a mage can go anywhere she likes, up to the borders
which mark the Horizon between the Near and Deep Umbrae.
Possessions, however, are more difficult to translate - they require
Spirit 4, 'Transephemeration'.
This also allows the mage to enter Realms from the Umbra, and to leave
Realms.
Seal Breach:
------------
Gauntlet Warding:
-----------------
The mage can also repair breaches in the Gauntlet, and reinforce the
barrier's fabric to make it that much harder to tear, or set up wards
across the Gauntlet to alert him about breaches.
**** Rend Gauntlet:
--------------
The mage may now rip the fabric of the Gauntlet asunder and he - and
anyone else who wants to, mortal or spirit - can travel through
without difficulty. This is, of course, highly vulgar; most polite
(and sensible) mages will seal the breach after they and their friends
pass into the Umbra.
Forge Bridge:
------------
The mage is now able to weave a permanent bridge between two realms,
allowing near-instantaneous travel between the two.
***** Outward Journeys:
-----------------
The Master may also use his power to break free from the Horizon and
explore the Far Realms. No longer must he rely on the tenuous
connections within Domains to travel to the Outer Realms. The mage is
able to traverse the Deep Umbra, surviving its ravages for short
periods, while he speeds through it towards his chosen
destination. Masters of Spirit are said to spend years at a time on
their outward journeys, charting the Tellurian and studying the
denizens of other Realms.
Forge Realm:
------------
The Adept of Spirit can also shape the base fabric of the Umbra in
such a way as to create Horizon Realms or Umbral Domains.
Seal Outer Gate:
----------------
Horizon Warding:
----------------
The mage can also repair breaches in the Horizon, and reinforce the
barrier's fabric to make it that much harder to tear, or set up wards
across the Horizon to alert him about breaches.
****** ???
Open Outer Gate:
----------------
The mage may now rip the fabric of the Horizon as he was able to rip
the fabric of the Gauntlet with Spirit 4, creating a gate into the
Umbra from Outside. This is not only highly vulgar, but extremely
dangerous, due to the nature of many denizens of the Deep Umbra.
- --
Computational Thaumaturge, Deus Machinarum. -- Cerebrate of the Silicon Swarm.
e-mail: avatar-sig@arkane.demon.co.uk WWW: http://www.arkane.demon.co.uk/
"I will not have captives of one sex guarded by members of the opposite sex."
-- #84, The Evil Overlord List
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