Mage: The Awakening

Creative Thaumaturgy

Ophidimancer — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:14:32 GMT

This thread is where you should post your ideas for new spells that the published canon doesn't cover or perhaps variations of them. I will definitely strive to provide critique and ideas of my own.

Before you post, you might want to check out the the list of published spells first to see if a published spell might not do what you want to do already.

I believe someone has also saved all the work we had on the former incarnation of the forums. If whoever it was could volunteer a link, that would be great.

Let's make some magic!

Note: Let's keep everything constructive, ok? Criticism is good, as long as it's explained, but let's keep the pointless arguing to a minimum.

Here's links to some of my spells. I'll get more organized later and maybe try and get everyones'

Prescient Alacrity (Time ••••) - Act before your Initiative
Swift As Thought (Time •••••) - Make an extra Instant Action reflexively
Usurp Spell (Prime ••••) - Take control of another mage's spell
Inviolate Threshold (Fate ••••, Space •••) - Protect one's home from interlopers
Guardian's Eye (Time •) - Danger Sense
Isolate Ingested Substance (Life ••) - Keep ingested substance from interacting with the body
Contact High (Life ••) - Transfer ingested substances to touched target
Protean Flesh (Life •••••) - Become a blob of animate flesh
Inflict Agony (Mind •••••) - Cause terrible pain and incapacitate target
Reinforce Armor (Matter •••) - Strengthen the defensive capabilities of armor
Create Willpower (Mind (•••••) - Create Willpower points
Reverse Entropy (Fate ••) - Keep a room ordered and tidy
Node Link (Prime •••) - Relinquish an imbued item into a node

mage-created fetishes and spirit Influence powers

Quantumshard — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:33:41 GMT

I'm fuzzy on what exactly spirits and fetishes are capable of. The info in the book of spirits suggests that spirit's Influence powers are roughly comparable to ranks in mage arcana, and since mage-crafted fetishes do not seems as limited in scope as those created by werewolves, which often seem restricted to a single effect (i.e. dissolving a dead body)

If I'm reading things right, at spirit 5 a mage can create permanent fetishes and essence-storage items, and even making loci for personal use might be difficult, but doable. for the cost of 8 xp (regaining willpower lost to releasing the spell) and a bit of roleplaying to find a spirit, a mage can create a fetish that can use a spirit's influence for paradox-free mayhem. Unlike imbue item, he does not need other arcana or the help of other mages to create items capable of certain effects, just the appropriate spirit, easily summoned and bound.

It sounds like mages are better with fetishes then werewolves, and while it might be fun (horrible fun) how would you prevent "first mage to reach spirit 5 wins?"

For those of you who don't watch anime, look up Card Captor Sakura. Pretty standard magical girl fare, the titular character held a deck of cards, each basically a fetish. The deck held spirits with influences ranging from rank 1-2 (float, jump, dash) 3-4 (illusion, create, dream) and several of rank 5 (the four elements, time, light and darkness)

And don't get me started on her artifact staff.

What Would Impress a Legacy Founder?

AlgaeNymph — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:11:24 GMT

I want to write a backstory where my Transhuman Engineer character is apprenticed to V.V., the Legacy founder.

Yes, really. Bear with me.

...Actually, I don't have much more to say. I would like to know what a beginning character can do to impress a Legacy founder though.

Wisdom Checks for "Mass Killing"

darkfire14 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:52:48 GMT

Something came up in a game I was playing which brings questions of Wisdom checks. My Adamantine Arrow character was forced to kill a large number of people using a 16 Yard blast area for her Telekinetic Blast spell in order to save her life as she was being assaulted by a large number of thugs with guns and she had but 1 action before the thugs would put enough lead in her to to sink a ship. I rolled a HUGE number of successes on the dice (8 successes) and because my Forces was 4, the damage was lethal. It created a massive explosion that ended up blowing the hell out of a massive number of thugs, killing a good number of them on the spot, while the survivors bled to death from internal and external injuries as she fled the scene.

So the question is, when you kill a large number of people in a single attack, do you need to make Wisdom Checks for each person killed or does it count as "Mass Killing" thus requiring a single roll. The Storyteller just made me roll once (Which I got a success so I didn't lose any wisdom). Would that be the appropriate way to do it?

How long does your Mage group play at a time? or Experiance to time ratios

teloric — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:34:29 GMT

I was thinking about experience rates suggested in the core book, and I was thinking, should a group get say 4 points (recommended max) for playing 4 hours... while another group plays 8 hours and still gets those same 4 max points. At what point should more XP be awarded for long play.

Yes... I know the final decision is up to the storyteller to make.. I am just thinking general guidelines here. I want my players to feel like they are making progress... without running the power levels up too quickly.

Easing into mage

c34r34lk1ll3r — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:00:02 GMT

my group isn't very fond of mage due to a crossover game that was ran a while ago by our other ST. I have been reading up a LOT on mages and I want to have them give it a second chance. do you, as mage enthusiasts (or i'm assuming so otherwise you wouldn't be posting here), think that running a sleepwalkers game where all of the players are established citizens of the mage community?

[Homebrew] A new system for character advancement

Lokathor — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:46:48 GMT

A game writer on another forum is working on "Alternate World of Darkeness", which is based off of oWoD and Shadowrun put together. Good stuff. He proposed an advancement system that I'm attempting to adapt to nWoD.

The goals are to allow a character to regularly advance 1 or more dots per game session, without necessarily allowing a character to advance completely in the direction they intend (because that's usually an arcana to 5, which usually breaks game balance). I've already house-ruled that Stats and Skills have no cap, and I'll probably keep that change when I move to the new system. Here's what I have so far, tell me what you guys think.

Karmic Advancement
At the conclusion of every chapter, characters gain abilities in potentially unpredictable ways. No one really knows what they'll be able to grab and hold on to from their experiences. At the end of each chapter, the ST deals out a number of tarot cards for the players to bid on. Players bid on the cards with Karma tokens. Karma tokens are gained in the following ways:

Karma tokens not spent in a previous chapter are carried over.
Each player gets 2 Karma tokens automatically.
Each player can give 1 additional Karma token to another player. If they do not, they can't keep the token for themselves.

The ST deals a number of cards and any player can place the first bid. Then control is passed clockwise around the group. Each player can either bid a larger number of tokens or pass. Once all players have passed on increasing the current bid, that bidder pays the number of tokens designated and they get the bonus listed on the card. The player to the winner's left then gets to start the next bid or pass. This continues until all the cards are taken or no one wants to place any more bids. No card can be "sold" for less than 1 token.

The cards are as follows:
Minor Arcana

-	Swords	Wands	Cups	Pentacles
2	Physical Specialty	Mental Specialty	Social Specialty	Strength +1
3	Physical Merit +1	Mental Merit +1	Social Merit +1	Dexterity +1
4	Athletics +1	Academics +1	Animal Ken +1	Stamina +1
5	Drive +1	Computers +1	Empathy +1	Intelligence +1
6	Larceny +1	Medicine +1	Expression +1	Wits +1
7	Stealth +1	Politics +1	Socialize +1	Resolve +1
8	Survival +1	Science +1	Streetwise +1	Presence +1
9	Physical Skill +1	Mental Skill +1	Social Skill +1	Manipulation +1
10	Physical Skill +1	Mental Skill +1	Social Skill +1	Composure +1
Squire	Gain +1 to any Merit
Knight	Gain +1 to any Merit, or a new Merit at rank 1
Queen	Gain +1 to any skill
King	Gain +1 to any skill, or a new skill at rank 1

Major Arcana
0   Any Arcana +6xp
1   Gnosis +8xp
2   Gnosis +8xp
3   Gnosis +8xp
4   Rote Dots +1
5   Rote Dots +1
6   Rote Dots +1
7   Rote Dots +1
8   Rote Dots +1
9   Restore a Willpower
10   Restore a Willpower
11   Wisdom +1
12   Death +6xp
13   Fate +6xp
14   Forces +6xp
15   Life +6xp
16   Matter +6xp
17   Mind +6xp
18   Prime +6xp
19   Space +6xp
20   Spirit +6xp
21   Time +6xp

The actual drawing of the cards can follow one of several methods, but should probably be fairly consistent throughout a given chronicle. Remember that a Major Arcana is worth about 4 times the power that a Minor Arcana is. The bidding is very different when a +1 Int and a +1 Academics are both on the table, compared to just 1 or the other.

Commensurate Achievement: In this system the Storyteller determines whether they think that a major milestone was passed in the current chapter or not, and accordingly deals out a number of cards that are pre-selected to be either Minor or Major Arcana exclusively. The deck is simply divided and cards from only one type are dealt.

Minimum Awards: In this system, the Storyteller determines how many Major Arcana the last chapter was worth (usually 1 or 2) and then deals out cards from the combined deck until that many Major Arcana appear. There may be many Minor Arcana on the table or none at all. And as such, the number of cards to be potentially bid on may be very much higher or lower than the number of players.

Minimum Coverage: In this system, the Storyteller determines ahead of time how many cards the chapter was worth (usually 1 or 2 more than the number of players), and deals out that many cards from the combined deck. There may be several Major Arcana showing or none at all.

Newbie seeking info on which book is what

Sacheverell — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:14:57 GMT

Hey folks,

I'm making a quick visit from the Exalted forum, trying to figure out how to dip into Mage. I'm familiar with the original World of Darkness but now have a friend who keeps peeking into the new stuff.

In Exalted, the books are often categorized and then named. For example, we have:
5 Compass of Celestial Directions (covering supernatural locations)
5 Compass of Terrestrial Directions (covering worldly locations)
5 Books of Sorcery (covering artifacts, spells, inventors, gods & demons)
5 Scrolls (fallen races, heroes, kings, martial arts, rulership, etc)
6~ Manual of Exalted Power (the fatsplats)
4~ Dreams of the First Age (alternate setting with map, guidebook, locations & people)

Then they get to the specifics. You might have Compass of Celestial Directions Vol 5 - Malfeas (our version of hell) or Compass of Celestial Directions Vol 3 - Yu Shan (our version of heaven). You get the deal.

Is there any such pattern in Mage? I'm sure there is some sort, but what is it? >__< I understand the 5 types (Acanthus, Mastigos, Moros, Obrimos, Thyrsus) and 5 factions (Admantine Arrow, Guardians of the Veil, Mysterium, Silver Ladder, Free Council).

1) How would you categorize your books for a new reader? So we know the difference between a "setting book" or "faction book" or something?

2) Are the 5 faction books (Arrow, Veil, Mysterium, Ladder, Council) worth looking into for someone not interested in legends of ancient Atlantean secret societies ruling the world as God-Kings?
I'm still a bit old school, so my buddy suggested looking at Legacies for a real-world vibe for my magic. But what of these factions? Are they a mandatory feature of the game (say like a Werewolf's Auspice or Exalt's Caste) or....? Can they be used sans history (ex: the Arrow book for combat types not interested in faction history)?

3) Recommendations for Infernalists? My buddy suggested Mastigos or Thyrsus for my tastes, and so far so cool. I see there are Left-Handed Legacies along with 'normal' ones I should look into. What of the other books?

4) And is there any good book in other areas? Hunter: the Vigil (Witch Finders) was appealing (not in that I want to be a Hunter, but in how they give an outsiders view). I suspect that Belial's Brood from Vampire might be good, but other books (like Ordo Dracul stuff) seem disappointing. Changeling is bunk.

Basically I liked how the oWoD dealt with philosophy and religion, especially the darker stuff, since White Wolf often does a good job of avoiding the cliche Chaotic-Evil retards to be found elsewhere. So anything you guys recommend for a Mastigos or Thyrsus and darker stuff in Mage would be awesome. And if another book from another line might serve as inspiration, that'd be neat too.

Mage type videos

Kaewin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:42:49 GMT

Anyone have any ideas for Mage type videos? They have this kind of thread in the Changeling section and it made me think about some for other games and I wonder what people could come up with.

Mage cabal within the Royal Marines?

gothpunk — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:44:16 GMT

Hi all,

I'm storytelling a Mage: the Awakening game with a just awakened group of mages. 4 out of 5 are composed of a British Royal Marines fire team. Now - even though I suggested that they should leave the army - all of them want to stay in the organization and serve despite the fact that they haven't joined an Order nor had any formal introduction to the society of awakened. Do you think this can be managed in game? (I have problems with it out of the game, due to the fact that the fifth character is a civil scientist.) I am afraid that the regulation and the time consuming activity with the Marines makes it impossible to find enlightement and study the Arts, not talking about hiding your studies, spells and discussions from fellow soldiers, superiors.

What do you think?

Casting higher mastery spells than a mage has

Chaosblade — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:01:03 GMT

I remember reading somewhere about allowing a mage to take a penalty of some sort in exchange for casting a spell of a higher mastery level than they can normally cast. Does anyone know of this rule? Where is it written?

Affecting material objects and people from within twilight

Azenogoth — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:56:55 GMT

I've seen a number of descriptions that allow a mage to see and affect objects or spirits in twilight. But can the reverse be done? Since a spirit can affect things in the material if it has a numina that allows it, can mages affect things in the material with their spells when they are in twighlight?

For instance, if my mage were to "hide" by using Ghost Gate (Death 3) or Twilight Shift (Death 4), would he be able to cast spells affecting objects in the material or zork an opponent that can't see him?

First nWoD game idea

The Heavenly Lily — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:56:44 GMT

I have not really run alot of nWoD games. Never had the chance to run or play. But recently I have been toying with this game idea that I think would be fun to play. While I have some books for Mage I do not have them all. Though I am willing to accept some things if they are explained in what they do.

The game will be set in a fictional town of Cape Dawn on the coast of Maine. A small port community that relies heavily on the sea for its survival. But it also as a small archeaological community for native american tribes and other settlements in the New England states.

During a recent dig strange stones where found bearing unknown spiral glyphs. Shortly after the stones where unearthed a storm came in off the ocean and the clouds have not gone away since. People have begun to say they are sharing the same dream like vision when they sleep. A black tower that floats in the void. Something terrible watching them. Examining the site of the exacvations they find only a few logs kept by Doctor Amber McNeil.

~Entry date 09/05/2009, Dr. McNeil~
I have been getting headaches when ever I head towards the digsite by the river. Something is there I know it. But I can't seem to shake off that something is watching me. It could just be the stress of it all. I will send Brian down to the digsite tomorrow to see what he can find. I trust Brian, he knows what he is doing.

~Entry date 09/06/2009, Dr. McNeil~
It was terrible. I had Brian go down to the digsite eariler today... I've never seen so much blood. They said it was a bear attack. A bear attack. I can't believe it. Poor Brian. I've sent the rest of the crew home. But there is something there I know it. Just one more day and I will leave.

~Entry date 09/09/2009, Dr. McNeil~
I was right all along. There was something there. I found these stones. 5 of them in all... I think. I had them moved. Strange markings, definately not native american. Strange weather patterns. It has become very cool. Cloudy for several days now.

By the 13th of September most of the townsfolk have begun to feel its effects. By the 17th everyone is having that same dream at least once a week. When the PCs arrive in the town in mid november it is very subdued. The streets are mostly empty, no cars on the roads. Shops are open but almost no one is out. Damp and cold. The weather reports say the clouds will continue to linger.

Ghouls, Wolf Blooded and Sleepwalkers

c34r34lk1ll3r — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:59:53 GMT

is there a sleep walker template for MtAw? if so what book is it in?

Familiars

wright — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:02:26 GMT

I have a player who wants a familiar, but I've never used one in game before. Any one got a kinda familiar guide or something. He wants it to be an information spirit, but what about things like bans or numina. I'm at a loss of what to create for him.

Mage Antagonists

Faust_Fenrir — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:55:45 GMT

This thread is about the other side of the game. The bad guys! Is it only Mages that can fight mages well? Have you found any other type of enemies that work well agaisnt Mages? What are your experiences with this? I wanna know for my game. I need baddies that arent just Mages or super Hunters.

Summoners

Faust_Fenrir — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:46:38 GMT

What are your opinions about them? Are you for them? Do you like the idea? Im on the fence, but am thinking of using them in the game I am STing. So, thoughts? Sway me to either side.

Question regarding a possible character flaw

Blitz787 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:21:00 GMT

So im thinking of a character idea who would have the flaw of not being able to use any weapon that is sharp (be it a sword, axe, etc) because before his awakening he was being tortured by a group of thugs that my character pissed off, they stabbed him several times and he became completly repelled at the thought of causing someone that sort of pain.

I was just wondering what that kind of a flaw would justify in the ways of a boost in stats/merits or if it even justifies anything at all.

I dont have the book so if your going to reply, it would be helpfull if you didnt reference to a specific part of any of the books. Thanks in advance.

Homebrewed Obrimos Legacy - The Vigilantheists

The Lone Gunman — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:12:20 GMT

This is a legacy I cooked up out of frustration with the lack of really interesting legacies for Obrimos mages, at least those with anything similar to what I was looking for. It's a Legacy based around Fate and Forces, and while I'm relatively happy with this draft, I still feel like it can use a ton of work to achieve the 'religion of action' feel that I want to go for, not to mention reworking the attainments. In any case, I present to this fine forum the current draft, and welcome any criticism, advice, comments and suggestions any of you may have.

The Church of Thieves: Vigilantheists

General concept: Enlightened Rogues

Quote: Stray lightning doesn’t strike at random, it strikes where it’s needed.

Overview:
   Sometimes, laws just get in the way. We see it all the time as laws that were meant to protect the innocent are corrupted into protecting those guilty of terrible crimes, or laws that were intended to give the poor a chance at a better life are twisted into filling the wallets of the wealthy. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and mages know that it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The Fallen World itself is encoded with laws that keep everyone living within trapped in a materialistic Lie that fools them into thinking that there is nothing more to the world than a miserable fight for survival.

   Mages know about these lies, and Sleepers throughout history have suspected them, say the Vigilantheists. After all, the Sleepers keep making heroes out of rebels, thieves, vigilantes and outlaws when in truth they were quite deserving of the scorn they earned for their damaging and destructive acts. Many of those rebels, thieves, vigilantes and outlaws wonder why this is so if they Awake and look back on what they have really done with their lives.

   The answer (again, according to the rogues) is that the rogues of fiction represent something that Sleepers have always wanted. They want to be assured that justice will be served and the guilty will be punished no matter who they are, that the proper medicine and food will get to the sick and starving no matter the cost, and that even the unreachable, unknowable tyrants of reality will be brought down. This is the appeal of vigilantism and crime, but too often it is an excuse to commit acts of violence or embezzlement to bring about some personal belief in superiority or greed.

   The rogues know better though, they can see the damage those acts cause as it frays the Weave, which is the worldwide fabric of interconnections and movement that influences how everything interacts, for good or ill. It’s snarled, broken, has way too many holes and they want to clean it up, ironically with those very same methods used to damage it in the first place. Rogues can’t turn their backs on who they were, so instead they try to use the skills they once used for themselves for the betterment of the Fallen World, to bring justice where it’s needed and live up to those well meaning vagrants of folk history.

   And maybe then they can redeem themselves of the damage they once caused.

Nickname: Rogues

Parent Path or Order: Obrimos or Adamantine Arrow

Orders:
   The majority of Vigilantheists are either from or find themselves in the Adamantine Arrow. The Founder himself became an Arrow after perfecting his legacy, as he felt that the warrior culture defending reality from the dangers of the Abyss, the oppression of the Exarchs, and the many other threats could use more mages that are used to using unconventional tactics and methods. Well trained rogues often find themselves in special forces cabals or skilled mercenaries for other Arrow cabals to call upon, although their fun loving attitudes put others not familiar with the roguish attitude on edge. Also, a rogue‘s desire to be an active force of change and defend what he or she values finds a place in the Arrow, where they can do just that. One of the many issues Arrows have with the rogues however is their lack of enthusiasm with their Oaths. They simply don’t want to tie themselves down, they know what they need to do anyway.

   The Free Council attracts a fair number of rogues as well. These tend to be the more adventurous types who, while may lack the will to kill someone, has no problem stealing everything else first. As a relatively young legacy, rogues have no problem using the teche of the Free Council, and many rogues have developed new spells for the libertines to use against the Lie.

   The Mysterium could always use another thief or adventurous spelunker, and rogues are very good at that. Quite often disturbances in the weave point to some mystical artifact or another, or some bit of lore that has the potential to change things. When the Mysterium needs something to be collected and a rogue has an interest in it, they get along fine. However, more than one Mystagoge has suspected a rogue of helping himself to a few items of his collection of artifacts, and these suspicions are well founded.

   The Silver Ladder is the home for the more social rogues, as not all actions that benefit the weave need to be daring feats of larceny, but of subterfuge and politics as well. Those gifted with a silver tongue and a desire to con the Exarchs out of their power find a home in the Silver Ladder. These social rogues make up a small proportion of the total Legacy membership, as most end up preferring a hands on approach.

   The Guardians of the Veil are the Order of some rogues, but the subtle preference of the GotV often annoys those members when they find something that just absolutely has to go that happens to be under the protection of the Veil. While the ultimate goals of the GotV go well with what some rogues believe is the best way to improve the world, these rogues are often the ones finding themselves in trouble if they’re caught taking the law into their own hands, if being the key word here.

Appearance:
   Rogues dress like what anyone else would dress with unnerving precision. Unless it’s for a reason or part of some clever plan, most rogues (but not all) don’t like to stand out or have anything that’s identifiably unique about them in their everyday dress. Hidden away under these normal looking clothes however is an arsenal of weapons and hanged spells. A rogue is always well armed and is quite capable of using whatever weapons he or she carries, because a rogue never knows how the Weave will play out.

Background:
   Rogues share two things in common: a love for danger and a need to do something positive with their lives. Most rogues are criminals of every kind, though any with a history of especially violent or perverse crime are watched very, very carefully if they’re accepted at all. Those with a history of crimes against property (mostly theft and embezzlement) are the most common, followed by ‘converts’, formerly straight laced individuals learning the ropes of being a rogue. Both sets of individuals are guided by a desire to protect what they value, though rogues encourage those values to extend to something beyond the mage’s own skin.

   Not all rogues are thieves or former criminals however. On the flip side, the legacy has plenty of legitimate detectives, priests, soldiers, cops, and many other mages who didn’t start off as outlaws, but latter found it necessary to adopt a more flexible attitude on what’s allowed and what’s not to investigate and find their marks (marks being rogue slang for people or items of interest). Some rogues don’t slink in the shadows at all, but rather are adapt at bending laws on paper or changing the hearts and minds of people. It doesn’t matter how, just as long as the rogue knows what must be done and can enjoy what he does.

Organization:
   The rogues keep a loose social network between one another using a secret series of Fate based encryption spells over electronic media as a way to share information on possible marks, intelligence on other threats, updates about the weave, and perhaps most importantly a way for like minded people to talk to each other and support each other both emotionally and logistically. While this network isn’t developed enough to justify discounts on Vigilantheists contacts or equipment, it may be enough to justify their purchase at the storyteller‘s discression. Still, every rogue has his or her tasks, and while the network may be useful, it is not as large or as vast as the Free Council’s Mage.net for example. It is more useful as a way for rogues to help each other fight the good fight and not give into the temptations of power, and it’s in that respect that the network really shines.

   On the network and between rogues, there really isn’t an official system of ranking, but there is an unwritten request that rogues respect those that have more attainments mastered or have achieved something great. Other than that, the only requirement to be a fully fledged rogue is to be able to read the weave. Until then, the only rogue a potential student would and should know is his or her mentor, a relationship that remains strong thorough a rogue’s career.

Suggested Oblations: performing a minor crime without getting caught, divining the weave through stolen objects, tracking a mark for over an hour, stopping a minor crime without getting caught, performing slight of hand for half an hour, prepare hidden weapons on a person, attacking a guilty person protected by law, random acts of kindness.

Concepts: Gnostic thief, roving pickpocket, reckless assassin, magical cat burglar, daredevil, awakened vigilante, religious rogue, resolute detective, good-hearted con artist, watchful streetside magician, urban paladin, awakened terrorist, freedom fighter, outlaws, avenging angel, motorcycle priest, clever lawyer

History:
   The Vigilantheists has it’s start with a man named Connor Glenanne. Conner was a proud member of the Irish Republican Army, planting the bombs made by his mentor, Seamus O’Connell, in his fight to unite the Irish countryside under one flag after years of living on the streets and finding piece in the greater cause of reunification. Conner never questioned what he was doing until he was almost killed by a British grenade. In that moment between life and death as his soul wavered between realties, Connor saw the true extent of his actions and how they affect the world, and not for the better.

   As he walked in the heavens, St. Peter showed him how his zealous crusade had not only wrecked lives on both sides of the conflict, but had fed the great evil that threatened to consume all. Connor dropped to his knees and wept upon this sight, and wrote his name into the Aether with his tears of regret and sorrow. Before he could ask St. Peter what God wanted him to do with his newfound knowledge, he awoke inside a makeshift hospital next to his mentor who had pulled him to safety during the British counterattack. Connor disappeared soon after from the IRA, never telling his mentor anything of his visions other than an heartfelt plea to stop to stop the violence. He latter found himself among his Awakened brothers and sisters in the pentacle. He took up the name Dismas, after the thief who was crucified alongside Jesus that repented his sins before he died.

   Although Dismas was frustrated by the order’s reluctance to help sort out the mess in Ireland, helping to destroy the entities feeding on the chaos and death did help Dismas accept his new life. His Cabal was made up primarily of Mysterium and Arrow mages that concerned themselves primarily in the ancient threats sleeping away under the emerald isle, and while Dismas was proud of what his cabal was doing, his heart still sank every time he heard of the violence still occurring in the places he once called home. This was only compounded by the fact that he was uneasy with the fact that his skills formed from a lifetime of stealing to survive and latter killing in the name of unification was proving to be just so damn useful to his cabal. Was this part of god’s plan for him, he wondered?

   One of the answers he needed came to him in the form of a whimsical Acanthus that aided Dismas and his cabal on a particular mission. Lady Peacock didn’t grace the Cabal with her presence for long, but the founder of the People of the Hour left an impression on the confused Obrimos. At this time, her Legacy was just starting to spread with it’s message of living and enjoying the moment while also working to improve the moment as well. Dismas was intrigued by her and her legacy and even took lesions in Fate from her. The Lady herself was glad that she was making such an impression on the theurgist, but she saw that her Legacy couldn’t provide him with a true, definitive goal that seemed to lie at the core of the Obrimos Path. She encouraged Dimas to find his own way to improve the world, but to never forget to have fun. Without it, she warned, he would never truly value what he was trying to save.

   The other answer Dismas needed came about on a quiet Friday evening when the theurgist was making his way to a pub. On the way there, a young kid bumped into him and attempted to steal his wallet. Having done the same thing himself as a youth, Dismas caught the young lad in mid-act, but he made no effort to punish the lad and instead started talking to him. With a little Fate magic to get the ball rolling, the two became friends, and the young thief eventually showed Dismas his makeshift home, a pathetic little alcove hidden away in the city with a shelf proudly displaying some of the items the kid had lifted over time. Dismas, on a whim, cast interconnections to see how the items connected to each other, and this was the start of his studies into the weave.

   It was the stolen money that intrigued Dismas the most, but all of the stolen items had an important story to tell him. People rarely consider the history of the money they carry, but coins can be decades old as they pass from one owner to another without a second thought. The items once belonged to people and now formed connections with the young boy that stole them, who himself had connections to other people. While the revelation that everything is connected is nothing new to any practitioner of Fate, Dismas took it a step further as he investigated how actions influenced these connections. He nicknamed this the Weave, and through his studies of Fate and applying his experience with Forces into it, he saw how the world was a Newtonian machine in may respects. Actions have reactions and consequences ripple outward unless acted upon by an outside force (and even that has reactions). He saw the world as an Ornery constantly in motion with the gears of Fate and Forces responsible for keeping things moving, maintained by mages such as himself alongside other things with their own god-given tasks.

   And he saw how this machine, this weave ,was broken.

   Both the mundane actions of man and the activities of the supernatural shred and tear this delicate motion of connections, threatening souls and destines alike. How could he read this weave and determine where and how to act? Through the connections inherent in money and other worldly goods. And what actions would he take to fix the weave and acquire the items he needed to divine it’s motions? By hook and by crook, through the same methods he once deplored. He was a thief and a killer, but he had found how he could use those skills to improve the world at large, to defend what he valued. He then thought of the advice the acanthus gave him once and applied it to his new beliefs, to enjoy the justice and happiness he would bring while not taking pleasure in other acts that would make him into a monster. It would be a fine line he knew between madness and failure, but it was the path he knew he was destined to take.

   And so, Dismas shaped his soul and became the first Vigilantheist. By the time he had formed the first attainment, he had taken the young boy under his wing to try to give him a life free from the suffering he had endured until now, all the while keeping him ignorant of the crimes he committed out of necessity. The boy never Awoke, but he soon married and became a loving father to a happy family, and the rogue watched from the shadows for any danger to them. By the time the second attainment was formed, the rogue had attracted a number of likeminded individuals, thieves, con artists, contract killers, crooked lawyers and corrupt cops that had all Awoken to the Golden Watchtower and sought to do something right with their lives.

   As Vigilantheism found new followers, the Legacy as a whole took on a darker turn. These rogues knew how evil men (awakened, normal, inhuman…it doesn‘t matter) could escape the supposed justice of the law, if they were even caught at all, and so they took up arms in a quiet war against these wicked people. The rogues tracked them through the weave, quite literally following the money to find and bring justice to them. Sometimes, the marks were left alive, minus everything they ever owned, but most of the time they were sent to God in a bloody, violent fashion. Dismas himself was adamant about avoiding collateral damage, and not just to keep the veil intact. All deaths affect the weave in some way, and unnecessary death and taking too much only aggregates the damage, and their’s the unavoidable fact that any Vigilantheist could become a monster if he or she goes too far.

   Dismas’s teachings helped shape the rogues into a somewhat respectable, if heavily suspected, legacy that has proven it’s worth time and again despite a very spotty record. Dismas himself remains an elusive figure as he tracks down his own marks, but rumors persist that he’s looking for someone specific, most likely his mentor or those he knew in his past life. His legacy persists however, to take action where others do nothing and to ensure the motions of the heavens and the earth, by hook or by crook.

The Church of the Thief, the Liar, and the Assassin.

   When compared to other legacies, the Vigilantheists are quite unique. They do not rally behind the myth of Atlantis, nor do they claim a historical linage (despite the fact that there have been eerily similar legacies in the past, with the same basic ideals and even attainments), and they do not resemble the complicated subcultures of some Legacies. Rather, Vigilantheism is a religion, a worship of action and defiance against the Lie. The specifics vary from rogue to rogue, but the core tenants of the faith hold true throughout this church of thieves, liars, and assassins, uniting them behind a common goal. This is not a casual belief, but an active faith that is practiced on a daily basis. Follow the faith, and your soul shall become a stray bolt of divine lightning that will strike wherever it is needed. Betray the faith, and your end shall be swift, extremely painful, and inevitable.

   The core of this Legacy revolves around one simple fact, this world matters. This isn’t to say that rogues don’t actively look for ways to ascend, ways to trigger awakenings, or anything involving the supernal, they just make it a point to never turn a blind eye to the troubles of the world they live in. They believe that God (or the Oracle, or whatever divine presence runs things) has given them a purpose, a reason for the enlightenment that mages enjoy, and that is to improve or defend the Fallen World or whatever it is that the Mage values. Just as importantly, they argue, God (or the Oracle, or whatever divine presence runs things) wants them to enjoy what they value, for that is the only way they can truly appreciate what they defend. The Fallen World may still be a prison for the souls of mankind, but for the foreseeable future, it’s the only home humanity has, and it’s infested with crooks and corrupted souls of every type from every social class that endanger friends, loved ones, and more lives than a rogue cares to think about.

   The rogues should know, they were once one a part of that. These reformed criminals have seen evil in action long before they ever knew about the Lie as they struggled in the muck. Somehow, in some way, they found the light of God, but were thrown right back in right after writing their name on some tower or another. Often, the men and women of the Legacy felt rejected, perhaps because of what they were or still are. Why would God let a thief steal a bit of his fire after everything he’s done in his past? Every day, they are tempted to use their newfound knowledge to their own ends, and quite often they indulge, but still they feel empty. They need purpose, they need to do something, something that’s really and truly right.

   That’s when most theurgists go out to find something like the Vigilantheists, though many believe that the Legacy finds them first. They may be right. In either case, the Vigilantheists were formed as a way to use these temptations to finally achieve their respective destinies and make piece with their pasts. They do this by teaching that imperfection can be useful. What a rogue did before he or she awakened may have been deplorable, but there are still lesions that can be learned, lessons that can be used to perform acts that helps improve the world, not harm it. To fulfill their full potential, a rogue has to accept who he was and who he is now, and only then is he truly ready to become what he wants to be. And while a rogue may never fully redeem himself of his past sins, that’s no reason to not try at all.

   Hit men, burglars, mobsters, counterfeiters, thieves, con men, corrupt professionals of every kind and more have all found a new purpose in the Church of the Thief, the Liar, and the Assassin. With the teachings of Dismas as their guide and their fellow rogues to give one another strength and guidance, the Vigilantheists have turned against their former lives with the skills they’ve retained from before. It’s a contradiction that leaves a bloody wake of broken and ruined enemies as the rogues seek not just redemption for themselves, but to save others so they can live the lives they were truly destined to lead: a life without destiny, a life without the tyranny of the Exarchs and evil beings of every and any kind to quash their dreams and potential. They want to do this, and they will, by killing the supporters of the Lie and Injustice wherever they find them.

The Motion of Fortune
   Action without restraint however is extremely dangerous to the safety of the people the rogues are trying to protect, not to mention the rogues themselves and the Awakened society they are a part of. As such, the Vigilantheists follow a code of conduct to tone down their behavior, although any rogue will tell you it’s more like a set of guidelines to keeping the heat off of you as you go about your business. The majority of the Code consists of common sense rules that aim to limit the damage rogues do when they perform their holy work. Don’t kill sleepers (needlessly), never take more than you need (unless the target is a mark), keep property damage to a minimum (often ignored), so on. Most rogues follow the Code diligently, only ignoring it when necessary or when it’s simply impractical to do so, and the Legacy recognizes this and works to quietly sweep necessary infractions under the rug, if they are ever brought up in the first place. There are a few tenets of the Code that no rouge breaks unless they go too far off the deep end, and there is never a shortage of stories among the Vigilantheists of rogues that are hunted down for almost unspeakable acts of violence and destruction.

   To help judge their own actions and the actions of others, the Legacy has discovered a phenomena that has become their greatest tool in their constant quest to make the world better for all. They call it the Weave, a complex fabric of motion and destinies generated by the connections between people and their actions. It is a combination of Newtonian physics and fortune telling that helps rogues determine how people are connected and how they affect one another‘s destinies. Often, rogues use money to determine connections as it changes hands very rapidly, and they often attain it through pick pocking or other minor acts of larceny, to keep their skills sharp. Through the Weave, rogues can determine if anyone is causing a negative effect on other peoples destinies, such as selling them drugs for example, find the bastard, and then make sure he won’t sell again.

   How the rogues accomplish this has given them a reputation as being little better then the villains they are trying to stop. The Legacy quite simply fights fire with fire, or rather crime with criminal acts. Rogues steal from, blackmail, and manipulate their marks through brutal and subversive means in order to stop them, paying the law (either mortal or the Lex Magica) little heed when doing so, but as they say, the ends justify the means. Other rogues go for a more permanent approach with their marks, most only doing so when necessary (or when the mark is just that evil) and others with alarming consistently. In short, rogues fall to the same skills they had from before they Awoke, but only now try to use those skills in a positive manner.

   The Weave is an invaluable source of information, but it’s importance really shines when a rouge learns to manipulate it through his attainments. Through modification of his own soul, a rogue can negate variables, alter odds in his favor, and even grant himself incredible fortune. A trained rogue becomes a lethal weapon and a catalyst of change, but it’s with faith and discipline that a rogue can turn his talents to a positive end. They are often described as ‘stray bolts of lightning’, striking down evil men without warning and causing great fires of change regardless of whatever is in their way. The great challenge for the Legacy however is to make sure that they do not cause more evil than what they stop, a challenge that more than a few has failed to do. Many more rise to take up the challenge however, using the skills that once made them like the men they now hunt to make the Fallen World a slightly better place to live.

Induction: Sinners out of saints, saints out of sinners
   Vigilantheists look for those theurgists with a criminal history or a willingness to do what it takes to help make the Fallen World a better place. Quite often rogues consult the weave to find potential students, but sometimes fate helps students find the legacy without the assistance of magic. When a student meets a teacher, the basic tenets of Vigilantheism are laid out and explained in a simple manner, just to make sure the student knows what he’s getting into. The rogues assume that anyone interested in joining was probably going to take matters into his own hands anyway, so they’re there to make sure the damage is minimized. If the student remains committed, the elder rogue will start to teach the student any skills he lacks. For those lacking a background in larceny, lessons in lock picking, pick pocketing, breaking and entering follow. For those who are familiar with the underground, the lessons focus on acceptable social behavior so that the potential rogue knows how to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

   Once all that is done, the lessons in magic begin. A rogue is not considered a full Vigilantheist until he identifies a mark with his first attainment, determines that mark’s impact on the weave, and decides on an appropriate course of action. Contrary to the rogues bloody reputation, destruction of the mark is generally frowned upon (unless the guy is just that evil and slippery, in which case the legacy is all for the guy getting whacked, weave or not). As stated above, theft and blackmail are preferred. Sometimes though, a rogue decides for whatever reason to leave the mark be and try to minimize the damage instead. This plan often backfires, but it works just enough to keep the rogues from going all the way all the time.

1st Attainment: Reading the Lightning
Prerequisites: Gnosis 3, Fate 2 (Primary), Forces 1, Investigation 2
   The rogues describe the weave as the interaction between objects and actions, primarily those caused by people. Some call it Karma, others consider it an odd mix of quantum mechanics and Newtonian motion with a bit of string theory, but the fact remains that everything is connected and actions have effects. Rogues can see this weave through this attainment, which works along the lines of Interconnections. The sight is always active (with the equivalent potency of one success), but a rogue needs to spend an instant action in order to gain successes equal to that rogues dots in Fate to properly divine the connections and form a more definitive picture. Additionally, a rogue can use the weave to streamline his own actions through an effect similar to Quantum Flux. As the weave is equal parts Fate and Forces interacting, this attainment can be used with any action like the spell itself.

2nd Attainment: Striking as the Stray Bolt
Prerequisites: Gnosis 5, Fate 4, Subterfuge 2
   The rogues liken themselves as defenders and avengers, stray bolts of lightning that strike the men and women (and other things) that would do harm to the weave and to the people. As such, the second attainment focuses a Rogue’s control of the weave to an exceptionally powerful level of control. With the reflexive spending of a point of mana, a rogue can give his next roll the rote quality, as per the spell Probable Cause. Additionally, a rogue can alter the weave to either help or hinder a target, using an effect similar to either Monkey’s Paw to hinder a target, or Lucky Coin to help. An activation roll is required for the effect (Wits + Subterfuge + Fate), with successes capped at the number of dots in Fate.

Optional Arcanum: Forces 3, Larceny 2
   Lightning only creates thunder after it strikes, and the same applies to rogues with a decent knowledge of Forces. Rogues with Forces 3 can use the weave to suppress their sounds in a style similar to Sound Mastery, upon a roll of Wits + Larceny + Forces to activate and determine the weave‘s potency in sound manipulation.

3rd Attainment- Stealing the Thunder
Prerequisites: Gnosis 7, Fate 4, Subterfuge 3
   At this level of a rogue’s development of his own soul, he is now able to grant his allies the same incredible fortune he enjoys. By spending a mana, he can grant someone within a number of tens of yards equal to his Gnosis the rote quality to his next roll.
   This is just a side benefit however to the real power of this attainment. Similar to the spell Fortune’s Fool, a rogue can store his failed action rolls for use against his targets, with the expenditure with a willpower point. Once spent, this point cannot be restored until the failure is spent or the mote of fate is purged by the next lunar week. He can store a number of failures equal to his resolve and then use them with the expenditure of a mana point to aggravate the weave enough to interfere with the target’s action to the point of an automatic failure. This action is at instant speed an thus takes up a turn of action, in which the mage can do little more than move his speed and maintain his defense.

Optional Arcanum: Forces 5, Stealth 2
   The weave, when mastered, can affect the way light itself interacts around an object or a mage. With a successful Wits + Stealth + Forces roll and a point of mana, a rogue can wrap himself in the weave and effectively replicate Complete Invisibility, with a potency equal to the activation successes limited by the mage’s dots in Forces.

Legacy Talk

Obsidian Pharaoh — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:59:34 GMT

This thread is for the purpose of generally discussing canon Legacies in Mage: the Awakening; your opinions on them, your favourites, how your characters interact with them and which ones they joined themselves, etc.

I'll start first; my favourite Legacies of all time are the:
1. Scions of God: Ascetic Spirit-tamers who seek to transcend mortal existence to become Spirits themselves, or "Holy Guardian Angels" in their own words. This Thearch-only Legacy is unbelievably awesome by virtue of the the whole Holy Guardian Angel thing. The ideas for it are infinite, and all awesome - barring the sample character, whom I didn't really care for much. Also their third Attainment is just incredibly cool.
2. Tamers of the Cave: All the other Tamers got the boring generic elements but the Saints got the very esoteric element of Void or Ether, or as I like to call it "the element of Awesome". Their extended philosophy might be kinda crazy and suicidal for most people, but their core belief - finding hope where there is none - easily makes up for that. Their Attainments are also very visually impressive; the Etheric Mirror is one of my favourite ideas ever. The actual Attainments themselves might not be as powerful as other Legacies', but it's hard to go wrong with free Twilight entry and mental illusions.
3. Wraiths of Epochs: Contrary to what most people might think, the Atavists don't hate technology, they just hate the fact it makes everyone so lazy by making their chores easier to do. Basically "a hard-earned living is the best". They look to past times when men were forced to use their brains as well as their hands to get the job done, when the wonders of the world were still to be discovered and everything had a certain novelty to it. Anyone who likes "the classics" is certain to agree with this Moros/ Mysterium Legacy's philosophy. As for their Attainments, they are some of the most powerful ones available. Their second one makes you basically immune to toxins and virtually unneeding of sustenance, including air! Permanently! The optional part of the Attainment makes the Atavist's Pattern affected by Death (at 1 dot higher) instead of Life, which has infinite possibilities. Their third Attainment allows you to pull any item from the past as a solid Phantasm. Searching inside an Atlantean temple and get attacked by a 10-foot guardian statue? Easy. Just conjure a cannon from WWII and you're good to go.
4. Celestial Masters: Stary-eyed traveling astronomers with the nickname 'Stargazers', an awesome history and the ability to transmute matter and energy as they see fit. Need I say more?

Of course there are other Legacies I find interesting but these are the coolest IMHO. On a side note, I'd just like to say the Silver Ladder has cooler Legacies than the other Orders. On another side note, I play a Moros of the Silver Ladder who strangely doesn't belong to any of the above mentioned Legacies. It's due to a non-congruence of philosophies. He was almost a Scion of God but ended up a Tamer of Shadows (fan-made Legacy...by me!), which pissed off his mentor for an entire week. XD

Curious to hear the fine people of this forum's opinions ;)

Ice and cold. Which arcana?

Howlin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:27:48 GMT

My first instinct would be to use the unmaking or fraying practices of the Forces Arcana to handle making something (or someone) cold, destroying the heat. But then I recalled that in the Atlantean cosmology we have a similar situation with shadows, which are governed by the Death arcana rather than being represented by an absence of light. There are some arguments to be had for the Matter arcana, on the simple grounds of its ability to transmute liquids into solids ought to be able to transmute water into ice (though that seems like an overly hamfisted way of doing it, akin to swatting a fly with a sledge hammer).

Have we got any official ruling on where control over cold falls, or is this one of those effects where there are multiple ways of pulling it off with different arcana?

Spirits being a little...silly.

Faust_Fenrir — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:11:16 GMT

It seems to me the current scale for spirits is a little silly in the way that they arent really a threat untill about Rank 5, then they hit Rank 6 and they can do whatever they want. Also, Numen is a little unrefined. A dots system would be best applied here for at least making spirits or familiars. I propose a House rule of Rank being like Gnosis, Primale Urge, ect. ect. Thoughts?

Magic Trap - How to?

Jonnaias — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:51:15 GMT

If I wanted to make a "trap" spell that set lose its effect when eg. someone stepped on a chosen spot, how should I do it?

I just know there are a great deal of ways, but let's hear some of your ideas.

[Campaign Idea] nMage Japan

pointman2k — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:39:52 GMT

Hey guys,

I've just recently sorta-kinda wrapped up my Boston-based chronicle for Mage: the Awakening. Still, my GM brain seems to be in some sort of zombie state of activity, and I find myself thinking of another concept.

Right now, I'm considering running a campaign set in Modern Day Japan, specifically, Tokyo.

To muddy the waters a bit, I've got the following setup:

Players are all assume to be relatively experienced Mages who have awakened some time ago. (+25 experience).

The campaign proper is set in Japan. Though due to the differing cultures, there are three major power blocs:

The Consilium - Based in Kyoto (another prefecture, but one that was the former Imperial Captial of Japan), and dominated by the Silver Ladder and Adamantine Arrow Orders, the Consilium is mainly composed of the old money families, and samurai families of old. They also have the lion's share of temples under their sway.

The Free Council - Not one to throw their lot with the rigid traditionalists of the Consilium, the Free Council is by far the most popular (and populous) of the factions, home to so many bizzare and disparate Cabals that range from Biker Gangs, to Tokyo University Robotics students, to a Cosplay Troupe and a Suicide Pact.

The Seers of the Throne - Control most of Tokyo's big business, and government divisions, including the police. They also have a hand in most of the corrupt politicians and some Yakuza gangsters, as well as a few Temples of their own.

Tokyo has always been a tense place for Mages, but the central crisis that has the mages concerned is the fact that for the past year there have been no Japanese Awakenings whatsoever. This is a strange phenomenon that has everyone at arms, and all three groups don't have an answer. Meanwhile, foreign Mages are smelling blood in the water, and are angling to try and get into the action while the Japanese Mages are essentially vulnerable.

And this is where the players come in to help find an answer, and hopefully obtain a solution to this slow death of the Mage population.

---

Themes include:

Old vs. New, Fear of the Future, Diminishing Population, Chaos of Unrestricted Progress, Stagnation of Outmoded Systems, Corruption.

Inspirations for this game include:

Old Boy (the korean movie version), Battle Royale, Persona 3, Kara no Kyoukai, Perfect Blue, Paranoia Agent.

Ultimately the game will focus on the strange, macabre World of Darkness in Japan, where twisted subcultures, bizarre sociological norms and alien psychologies are scrutinized under the flickering florescent lights of the local Konbini store.

---

So, what do you guys think? I'm looking for any suggestions or ideas that I can also include. It's not meant to be a totally hardcore Political campaign, and will have the occasional light moments.

Cult of the Doomsday Clock question

Shaitan40too — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:51:12 GMT

Ok so, I just read the section on these buggers after people talking about them in the Legacy thread, and I have a question, or 4.

About their "destroying time" spell they like to use, assume the following scenario:

John Doe is at his house at 11:00pm on Thursday, he is with 4 people:
Jane Doe
Bill Smith
Lucy Jones
and Ted Conner

Now, a Doomsday Clocker decides to wipe that event from the time stream so noone can scry on it. He finds John Doe and has an object of sympathetic significance to the time in question (doesn't really matter what for the example, just something to boost him on the sympathy chart). And ooga-booga, a waggling of fingers and zap, the event is gone from time scrying. Now the way I read this is that it is utterly destroyed and unable to be reconstructed. No memory of the event is lost by the participants, everything is just fine, but you simply can't scry on the event anymore.

Now here is my main question....does this mean that if at a later date, another mage comes along and gets a hold of say....Lucy Jones, and attempts to scry on her using the parameters "Lucy Jones at 11:00pm on Thursday", they would find nothing? Because from the wording I can't tell if it means that any attempts to scry on the original target ( John Doe ) will fail, or if any attempts to scry on the event in question (what happened at 11:00pm on Thursday) will fail, no matter what other direction you might go through to scry upon that event.

Can someone clarify this for me? Because the comments from other posters about making a Legacy directly opposed to these guys sounds totally awesome, but given how that particular spell works on destroying events in time scrying, I don't see how you could "combat" their effects on the Universe, other than to just find them and wipe them out.