The Enlightened Noetic Collective
"Come friend, give up the painful illusion of individuality and join us in Unity."
Since the dawn of civilization people have banded together for everything from safety to friendship. Some say that humans are inherently social beings and that actions that have the most moral worth are those done for the greater good of the human community as a whole; that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Communalism, or the creation of intentional communities for social reasons, often drew from such collectivist thinking. During the revival of communalism in America during the early sixties, Nelson Henshaw, a college dropout who had majored in psychology and philosophy decided to establish a commune of his own.
Using the social ideals of Marx, Buddhism's illusion of Self, and the rhetoric of New Age Noetic Sciences, Henshaw cobbled together the Enlightened Noetic Collective, a community built on the principle of connecting with the World Consciousness of humanity. Founding a community on an isolated mesa in the Southwest Unisted States, Henshaw was lucky enough to attract the right mix of people to make the place survive and even prosper.
Though he didn't truly believe in his own preachings, Henshaw had the charisma to forge true converts, including his own daughter, Sophia. A by-blow from his dalliance with one of his disciples, Sophia grew up with collectivist thought almost literally with her mother's milk.
The ENC was truly a cult of personality and would have dispersed upon Henshaw's sudden death in the eighties, except that his death also triggered Sophia's Awakening onto the Mastigos Path. Returning from her Astral Journey with visions of a unified humanity, Sophia pulled the shaken community together around her. Using her newfound Mind arts, she even managed to strengthen their beliefs in Unity.
Due to the isolation of the community, Sophia was allowed to grow in power without the influence of other mages, an Apostate. She spent almost a decade strengthening her sympathetic ties to the community, both magical and mundane. When a young Mysterium mage came to the town to investigate what was suspected to be a newly forming Hallow, he was struck by the peacefulness and cooperation of the people in the little community. After staying awhile, he became entranced by the simple and earnest lifestyle of the commune. The Collective earned its first Awakened convert.
The local Consilium is just beginning to worry about The Collective and its motives. They had long dismissed it as a small cult of an isolated Apostate and expected it to die out years ago. The apparent signs of prosperity have made some councilors wonder about its longevity. They don't know that The Collective now has a handful of mage converts and that the Sleeper community no longer induces extra Paradox on Collective magic (most Mind arts) because of how ingrained the philosophy has become in their community.
Though cautious about expanding, the Collective's ultimate goal is the unification of all humanity and it has been slowly introducing subtle memes to that effect into the general populace. For the most part, the Collective tries to be persuasive instead of coercive, relying on super-enhanced Social Attributes and Skills to convert newcomers, but when all else fails or violence threatens the community, Sophia doesn't hesitate to bring the mind-numbing onslaught of the mental voices of an entire community to bear on an attacker. The Collective is a pacifist philosophy, believing that all human life is as one.
Parent Path or Order: Mastigos, but any mage that joins the commune can join the Legacy.
Nickname: Hippy
Appearance: Members of the Collective dress plainly, realizing that the need to stand out from others is a selfish motive, a left over, painful reminder of solitary existence. For the World Soul, "wearing" different bodies is separation enough.
Background: Members of the collective come from many different backgrounds, though those who profess a belief in New Age concepts find resonance with the philosophy and the dispossessed find comfort in the community. People from neighboring towns who have had an encounter with one of the charismatic Atman come away reeling with ideas of the promise of Unity. Many leave their homes soon after to join the Collective.
Organization: All members of the Collective are valued equally, truly just another expression of the One. Though no one member, even Sophia, is regarded as more important, the Atman are the inner circle of the Collective, a handful of mages who have joined the Legacy and are believed to be closer to reaching the goal of true Unity with the One. When Sophia crafted her Legacy, she took the Shadow Name, Atman, the World Soul and bestows it to all Awakened who follow her soul path. After admitting a few mages into the inner workings of the Collective, Sophia has been forced to become a healer of minds or else the Collective would have disintegrated under the combined weight of multiple mental disorders. This is also on par with Collective philosophy, though, as the pains of individuality have to be shared to be healed.
Suggested Oblations: Communing with another Collective member in meditation. Spreading the philosophy of Unity. Divesting oneself of the illusion of individuality.
Concepts: Commune member. Disillusioned materialist.
Attainments: Lessons learned from the Iron Watchtower convinced Sophia that all human consciousness is the expression of the same Universal Consciousness. These attainments came about in an effort to rejoin the scattered pieces of humanity. Mind is the primary Arcanum, but knowledge of Space is required as well, to strengthen sympathetic bonds to the point where masters of this Legacy are magically one person.
1st: One Mind
Prerequisites: Gnosis 3, Mind 2 (Primary), Space 1
At this level of Unity, the Collective mage learns to open his mind up to the conscious thoughts of fellow Collective mages. As per the Mind 3 effect, "Telepathy" on pg. 212, an Instant action lets a Collective mage open up a mental line of communication with any other mage that has achieved this Attainment. An "Emotional Urging" effect also fills the mage with feelings of peace and calm whenever he communes with another mage through this Attainment and allows mages to always be aware of the emotions of all other Collective members on the subconscious level. The drawback to this ability is that the mage also opens themselves up to the madnesses of other Collective members. When a mage gains this Attainment, he gains the Derangements of all other members with this Attainment as well as transmitting any Derangements he has along to the others. Joining the Collective can be quite traumatic to the unprepared mage, which is why Sophia and the Atman try to groom potential candidates very thoroughly before admitting them to the ranks of the Atman.
2nd: One Heart
Prerequisites: Gnosis 5, Mind 3
Achieving this level of Unity allows a mage to tap into deeper levels of her fellow mages' consciousness. Mages with this Attainment can reflexively "borrow" the Virtue or Vice of any mage that has at least attained "One Mind" for the purposes of regaining Willpower. The mage can only use this the same number of times she would normally be allowed, though, once per scene for Vices and once per session for Virtues. The drawback of this Attainment is that anytime a mage that has attained at least "One Mind" makes a degeneration roll, the mage that has attained "One Heart" is also forced to make a degeneration roll. Fortunately, she only has to roll as if she committed a sin equal to her current Wisdom rating, no matter what level of sin the offending mage committed.
Optional Arcanum: Space 3
With Space 3, mages of the Collective can transfer Willpower to each other at will. It takes an Instant action to mentally contact another mage to request the Willpower, and most Collective mages give permission (it is impossible to take the Willpower against the donating mage's will). Successes on a Composure+Empathy+Mind roll gives the maximum amount of Willpower a mage can recieve in a given 24-hour period.
3rd: One Soul
Prerequisites: Gnosis 7, Mind 4, Prime 1
Mastering the Unity lays bare the very souls of the Collective to the mage. The sympathetic connections between members of the Collective has become so strong at this point that a mage can even make use of another mage's knowledge of the Arcanum. After taking an Instant action to establish a connection with a network of fellow Collective mages, a mage who has Attained "One Soul" can act as the primary caster in a Teamwork spellcasting action. A Composure+Empathy+Mind roll determines how many mages the Master can network in a scene and only mages who have attained "One Mind" can be a part of this gestalt. The benefit is that since the spell relies on the Imago of the primary caster, the contributing mages are allowed to use the dicepool for the Rote, whether or not they know the Rote and the primary caster can access the Arcana levels of all contributing mages even if she doesn't possess the knowledge herself. The drawback is that while a mage's Arcana are being used, he cannot cast any spells himself.
Optional Arcanum: Prime 3
With Prime 3, a Collective mage can transfer Mana as she used to be able to transfer Willpower.
As per the spell 'Goetic Inversion' (see pg. 107 of Intruders: Encounters with the Abyss), the Black Hats use this spell to dispel virtue, crush morality, and soften the Tapestry of the Fallen World for their masters. With Mind 4, a Black Hat may use this spell on a willing target, which isn't all that difficult given the options an Adept of Mind has to dupe the unwary.
Legacy: Explorers of the Beyond Parent Order: Mysterium. Parent Path: Open to all paths, since everyone can become fascinated with some strange beast or supernatural creature. As long as you're a member of the Mysterium, you can join them. Nicknames: Teratologists, Goodalls These Mysterium members are those who like to poke their noses where they do not belong, who seek out the monsters of the night to research them and chronicle their comings and goings. They record powers and weaknesses, habits and natures, as well as political systems and social groupings and gatherings. This is, naturally, extremely dangerous. Very few monsters like having wizards snooping around and learning their secrets, and so the members of this legacy either stay very well hidden, train themselves to be diplomatic enough to have open dialogue, or they become very adept at pretending to be one of the monsters themselves. Usuallu they do all three things, one after the other as their skill increases. While other mages might think them insane, as they tromp over to the local Vampires and join their clubs and covenants and participate in their meetings and their hunts, the Explorers themselves believe they are doing a vital task. After all, these beings are inherently magical, and yet they exist within the Fallen World. Knowing more about them, their powers and their beliefs give a priceless insight into the nature of magic and the occult in the world today. There is also the inescapable fact that when hostilities erupt, when any monster attacks the magical society, the Teratologists will have the inside scoop on what sort of powers it might have and how to defeat it. This alone makes the Legacy much respected by the Arrow and the Guardians, though the latter Order worries incessantly that the Explorers risk exposing occult secrets to their new "friends". 1st Attainment: Chameleon Observer Prerequisites: Gnosis 3, Academics 2, Occult 3, Mind 2 To be able to get close to their subjects of study, and to be able to gain the trust of the Terata once she initiates first contact, the first attainment cloaks the presence of the Explorer from the minds of one type of supernatural creature, as well as makes her more appealing and likable when they finally meet. If she wants to apply this ability to a type of supernatural group, she needs an Occult speciality in them to match ('Vampires' to blend in with the Kindred, 'Changelings' to use it against the Lost, etc) This works as Incognito presence and First Impression, both of them always active with a potency equal to twice the Explorers Mind dots. But they only work on one type of supernatural critter at a time, and the group it works with can be changed by doing a day-long ritual to re-align the Explorers habits and methods to her new field of study. Optional Arcanum: Prime 2 If she also has Prime 2, the Teratologist automatically cloaks her aura so that it looks like that of whatever it is she is studying right now. Only by using an aura-perceiving power with more successes than her ranking in Prime is it possible to see that this is not her real aura. In this manner even vampires with Auspex and Prometheans with Sensorium can be fooled into thinking you are one of them.
2nd Attainment: Assuming the Shape Prerequisites: Gnosis 5, Subterfuge 3, Mind 3 Not all creatures are willing to talk with outsiders, even polite ones, and many a time the most private secrets are impossible to penetrate for someone who is not one of the fold. The second attainment therefore allows the Explorer to mask their appearance through an Impostor effect, looking exactly like a regular member of whatever supernatural species she is currently attuned to. This can only affect a number of targets equal to her Mind dots, unless she reaches Mind 4, at which point this becomes an Area effect. At that point, use the Area affecting chart, with a number of factors equal to the mind dots. Use Advanced Area Affecting at Mind 5. Any creature falling under this effect can roll Composure + Power Stat (Blood Potency, Primal Urge, Azoth or Wyrd), and if they get more successes than the Mind dots of the Teratologist they are not affected at all. Protections from mind-control powers protect against this attainment, and the next one. It should be noted that the Explorer cannot change her personal looks in any way except for assuming the new features of the race. She cannot change gender, or size, only apply whatever changes the switch in species would entail. Charading as a Vampire could add pale skin and fangs, but would not add any extra height, while masquerading as a werewolf could create the illusion of shape-shifting but could not make her look any older or younger than she normally is. She would look merely like herself as if she had become a werewolf, or a vampire, or whatever she is pretending to be. Nothing else about her changes. Changing the type of disguise from one type of Terata to another requires the same ritual as the first attinment, and indeed both attainments are always aimed at the same type of critter. One ritual changes both attainments at the same time. She cannot assume a form if she does not know about it. If she does not know that Nosferatu exist she cannot pretend to be one. If she has never read about or seen Darklings, she cannot apply the illusion that she herself belongs to that Seeming. But as long as she knows that a type of beast exists, she can choose to appear as that type, choosing Clan, Seeming, Kith, Auspice and Lineage when she first activates this power. Changing one of these requires the ritual re-activation, just like when switching which template you're mimicking. Optional Arcanum: Prime 3 Sometimes it's necessary to present some material props to your disguise. Sometimes you need a fetish, or a type of ornament or item of clothing to fit in with the natives. If she also has Prime 3, the Teratologist can create fitting accountrements for her current assumed role, whether it be a fake Fetish wand or changeling Token, or just an armband she has seen that all the other vampires are wearing. This works like the Prime spell Phantasm, with all the limitations of that spell, and can only be used to make something that would fit her current disguise. She can have a number of phantasm-items at any one time equal to her dots in Prime. They last as long as she is in contact with them, or up to one hour after she lets go of them, or until she wills them out of existence.
3rd Attainment: Monkey See, Monkey Do Prerequisites: Gnosis 7, Subterfuge 4, Mind 4 The toughest part of pretending to belong to a different type of magical society is emulating their magical powers. While some clever lies and creative spellwork can go a long way, it is easy to make a mistake due to a lack of insight, something which has caused many an Explorer harm over the years. The third attainment therefore allows her to instill an hallucination into the minds of others, making them believe they saw her perform such magical acts as their species is known for doing. This works much like the spell "Hallucination", and it works on a number of targets at a time equal to her dots in Mind, or as an area of effect at Mind 5. She can activate this power any time she casts a spell, making the activation and power itself seem and feel exactly like the type of power the species she's masquerading like utilized. She can even activate it when she isn't performing a spell, and so make it look like she is doing 'magic' even though she isn't producing any actual result. This is more risky, of course. There are strict limits to this power: She cannot mimic a power unless she knows that this type of monster is actually capable of such a power, even if it is not exactly alike. If she does not know whether vampires can or cannot turn themselves into a gaseous shape, she could not make vampires hallucinate that she had such a power. And, of course, she can only affect the type creature she is currently impersonating with this hallucination. She could not make a werewolf believe she had vampiric powers, nor could she target vampires unless she was currently attuned to vampires and pretending to be one. As with the previous attainment, anyone becoming affected can roll to resist. The dice pool is Resolve + Power stat, and they need more successes than the Mind dots of the mage to not be affected. Optional Arcanum: Prime 4 Some monsters can summon animals, while some expect their fellows to kill humans on a regular basis to prove themselves. This sort of thing can be very troublesome for a researcher trying to infiltrate them, but if the Explorer has Prime 4 she can make such entities out of thin air. This works like the Prime 5 spell 'Marionette', with all the limits of that spell. She can make a number of false creatures at any one time equal to her Prime dots, and they appear anywhere within visual range. She might have them walk out of a nearby alley, or come running around the corner. She can only "summon" animals if she knows that the creature she is currently impersonating can do this. Creating jumans requires Prime 5 thought, and it should be noted that any humans created will act as naturally as possible, with the Explorer having little to no control over them, unless she is impersonating a creature which has such control (a vampire which can hypnotize victims, for instance, could easily get her own human marionettes under control). This ability can be turned off at will, of course, and these phantasmal creatures last a maximum of one hour after being created.
Scelstus Legacy: The Wretched
The attainments of the Faithless give the Scelestus an increasing ability to corrode the moral fiber of those around them. The outcome of these attainments is often unpredictable, but that’s the point. Control can come after a target has emptied their lives of all other ties, if the Scelestus even wants to control them.
Attainments
1st: The Persistence of Loss
Prerequisites: Gnosis 3, Mind 2, Space 1, Empathy 2
One of the most powerful protections against mistreatment of others is the empathy people feel for their friends and families. By severing these ties, one of the most fundamental barriers to abuse is removed. Who is to say what might happen when a disgruntled husband no longer feels affection for his nagging wife -- it will be anything but pleasant, however.
With a successful roll of Manipulation + Socialize + Mind - target’s Composure, this attainment severs an emotional bond between two people. If the mage has space 2, she may literally degrade the sympathetic connection between the targets by a number of degrees equal to the successes.
Optional Arcanum: Death 1
If the mage also has Death 1, she can inspect the souls of those she encounters as per the Death 1 Soul Marks spell (p. 135).
2nd: Leaving Hope
The corrosion of mankind’s morality is an inherent part of existence. The mage, in service to the Rescinded Vow, speeds this process up. By manipulating a target’s sense of morality, the target becomes much more likely to degenerate from previously desensitized actions.
The mage rolls Manipulation + Empathy + Mind - target’s Composure. For the duration of the attainment’s affect (1 day), the target becomes subject to morality degeneration for sins up to their current morality + 2. Leaving Hope does not affect the target’s actual morality, merely the sins against which the target may degenerate.
Optional Arcanum: Life 3
If the mage also has Life 3, she can alter her appearance as per the Life 3 Two Faces spell (p. 188). She must physically touch the characteristic to be changed, molding it into the desired configuration.
3rd: The Way Out is Through
Prerequisites: Gnosis 7, Mind 4
Knowing the most significant aspects of someone’s psyche makes manipulation much easier. This attainment allows the mage to read through the target’s memories to pick out their desires and goals, their virtue, vice and character flaws.
The mage must succeed on a contested roll of Presence + Empathy + Mind against the target’s Composure + Gnosis. If the mage does so, she can read through the target’s subconscious as per the Mind 4 Read the Depths spell (p. 215).
Optional Arcanum: Life 4
If the mage also has Life 4, she may more directly manipulate the base instincts of another person. By succeeding on a contested roll of Presence + Intimidation + Life versus the target’s Resolve + Gnosis. If the mage succeeds, she can control the target’s responses as per the Life 4 Trigger the Lizard Brain spell (p. 191).
Crabbadon:First Attainment: Thread of Oil
Crabbadon:Optional Attainment: Thread of Shadow
Crabbadon:Third attainment: Thread of Steel
Crabbadon:I might put sympathy back in for thread of silk.
YithianHistorian:Scelstus Legacy: The Wretched
YithianHistorian:1st: The Persistence of Loss
Tamers of Radiation
(A Left-Handed Legacy)
In some sort of crude sense which no vulgarity, no humor, no overstatement can quite extinguish, the physicists have known sin; and this is a knowledge which they cannot lose
Robert Oppenheimer
Human science has opened doors it cannot easily close again. Though we have as a species always used and altered our environment in many ways, we have never before changed the nature of reality in such ways as the recent century has allowed. The power of the atom was unleashed, and with the wash of radioactivity spreading across the globe a new element was introduced to the world. True, all things in nature are slightly radioactive, but like a persistent noise this background static was normal and therefore invisible to us. Now, however, radiation of a new kind exists, emanating from unnatural and humanly created substances in powerful reactors. And as with all elements, even the new ones require someone to Tame them.
Parent Path: Obrimos
Nickname: The Radiant, the Physicicsts, the Unclean. Derogatory: Nukulars, radiators
Orders: The need to know, understand and control a force inimical to life itself is virtually unknown outside the Free Council and the Mysterium. These factions respectively embrace sleeper advances and all sorts of knowledge, no matter how detrimental. And though these orders are the only ones where the Radiant ever find a home, they are still shunned and feared. Few ever find acceptance. It has been rumoured that a few Arrows have dabbled in this Legacy, seeking the 'ultimate weapon' to use against the foes of the Awakened, but so far this remains a rumour.
Appearance: Due to their work with hazardous materials, most Unclean look weak and diseased to varying degrees. Many have suffered from cancer, either before or after their Awakening, a condition which often leaves physical marks. Burns, hair loss, tumor-marks and other signs of damage are all too common. The frazzled and obsessive mentality can also shine through from time to time.
Suggested Oblations: Meditating while exposed to some sort of non-visible radiation (using a cellphone, sitting in front of a microwave oven in use, etc), getting a sunburn, building a digital timer, repairing a nuclear reactor, using a piece of radioactive material as a magical tool (the sticks utilized in learning institutions are usually safe enough for this usage).
Concepts: Science teacher, power plant worker, physicicst, bomb survivor, cancer patient, radiation victim, military engineer, government inspector, emergency doctor.
Radioactivity has been known for over a century now, but its full potential wasn't truly recognized until the atomic bomb was revealed to the world. Suddenly the threat of atmoic war became a possibility in the minds of the populace, and as it grew there were those who felt this new force of destruction needed to be controlled in some manner. Thusly arose a new Elemental Tamer legacy, focusing on taming the virulent and cancerous emanantions mankind had unleashed. Today, the threat has largely disappeared from the mainstream meadia, yet the lack of attention does not mean the problem is gone. Reactors and power plants still dot the landscape, as does hidden bombs and missiles. And so the Physicists know that they have a place in the world.
On the other hand, there is a saying about playing with fire, and few mages ever heed the wisdom in such warnings. Radioactivity falls under the practice of Unmaking, for it is a purely destructive force in the world of man. His machines may harness and contain it, but at its heart every such installation is powered by the energies of death itself. This is the occult value the Tamers see in the element they bind themselves to: The death of all life. The force which corrupts, inflicts and destroys, cancerous and lethal in even the smallest of dosages. Even years later, the sickness may strike. It is a silent, odourless and invisible stalker. Many mages also see it as the token symbol of what Hubris can achieve, even amongst sleepers.
This posits something of a problem for the Tamers, for their task is to tame the physical representation of malignant death itself. And even though their initial goal was to act as safeguards and damage control, the process also enables them to use this energy themselves, in most cases with deadly consequences. This willingness to embrace and become destruction is what makes this Legacy left-handed, as every walker along the path dedicates himself to forces humans were never meant to contain in the bodies. It is a path of madness inescapable, but there are always those who feel the necessity. They might have lived in Cellafield, they might have lived through the Cuba Crisis, or they might simply have worked with dangerous materials some time in their life, but they all feel the pressing urge to control this external force. It is, usually, a road paved with good intentions.
In the end, though the Legacy is a young one and has a very small number of adherents, the potential for death and devastation it offers up is so great that it is shunned and feared wherever it shows up. Even the some of the other Elemental Tamers are hesitant to embrace their new 'brethren', wishing to see how they fare first. But like the other Tamers, the physicicsts keep close ties to the sleeper communities which spawned them. Whether they operate as safety inspectors, ecological watchdogs or simply college professors, they are almost always involved in the politics and procedures surrounding radiation and its hazards. This is perhaps the only reason why they have been accepted as a fellow Elemental grouping, which has allowed them to survive.
As mages, the Unclean themselves are usually occupied with either protecting others from the evil they themselves have suffered or wrestling with the studies and dangers of toxic materials. To do this they are driven to understand this evil, and so they divide their time between fighting and learning.
1st: Mastery of the lesser Frequencies
Prerequisites: Gnosis 3, Forces 2 (Primary), Science 3
What few people realize is that the only thing separating gamma radiation from visible light or simple heat is nothing more than the wavelength. It's all electromagnetic energy, and so as they begin their studies into radioactivity the Unclean begin by learning to tame the harmless and everyday manifestations of their element. By performing a simple action they can increase or decrease the radiation levels in the are, making it hotter, colder, lighter or darker. This functions like «Control Heat» and «Control Light», with a potency equal to his dots in Forces.
In addition to this, the Physicicst gains the power to see actually harmful radioactive energies (Gamma, Alpha and Beta radiation) just like she can see visible light, having it manifest to his senses like a wholly new colour. Many members find this unsettling when they first learn the Attainment, but grow to accept it in time.
2nd: Radiation Suit
Prerequisites: Gnosis 5, Forces 3
When dedicating your life to the study and mastery of the most irreversibly deadly substances known to man, an ounce of prevention is better than a ton of corrections later on. By bending harmful energies to their will, the Unclean can keep themselves safe from the unseen light which would normally burn them and warp their patterns.
With this Attainment, the Radiant becomes immune to radiation and to becoming irradiated, as per the spell «Stay the invisible fires», page 109 of the Free Council book. He could handle plutonium with his bare hands, but should take care to wash his hands before interacting with other people. He is also not protected from secondary effects, like the lethal heat produced within a nuclear reactor, so there are still hazards he needs to take into effect. But apart from this, the Tamer need never more fear the harmful energies he has mastered. This, of course, can lead to him becoming rather cavalier about the dangers involved in his studies, while some have grown contemtuous of people who do not possess this sort of immunity.
By making the human pattern react as if it had been exposed to radiation, the Unclean can inflict bashing damage with a simple touch attack, rolling the highest of Dexterity and Strength + Brawl + Life – Defense (but not armor). This manifests as sunburn and flaking skin at first, but if it carries over into lethal damage it grows into full radiation burns and possibly even cancerous skin tumours. During a grapple, the Physicicst can choose to inflict this automatically without spending an action on it, rolling Life as a reflexive action and inflicting 1 bashing per success. This last effect costs 1 mana to activate though, but lasts until contact is broken.
3rd: I am Become Death
Prerequisites: Gnosis 7, Forces 4
As they reach the pinnacle of their studies, the Radiants finally learn how to unleash the firey doom of radioactive poisoning upon their targets. They now gain the ability to blast their enemies with an onslaught of pure and harmful radiation, as per the «Invisible Fire» spell (Free Council, page 110). He takes a standard action to roll Intelligence + Science + Forces, inflicting one point of Lethal damage per success on the hapless target. If he spends one point of mana, this damage is Aggravated, as the flesh mutates and the organs liquefy within the doomed body. This attainment, more than anything else, has helped to cement the Legacy as a bunch of dangerous lunatics who need to be avoided at all costs.
By mastering the harmful nature of radiation the Unclean can also gain control over how human flesh reacts to that same phenomenon. If he has Life 4, the Unclean can inflict radiation sickness and other similar side-effects of exposure on any person he encounters. He rolls Resolve + Medicine + Life, and the more successes he gains the more negative the illness he manages to inflict. At 1 and 2, the result can be queasiness, vertigo and spontaneous nosebleeds. At 3 and 4 it can result in vomiting, sores and possibly sterility. At 5 or more successes, the victim is stricken with some form of cancer, which grows more malignant and harmful with each extra success.
Ophidimancer: Crabbadon:First Attainment: Thread of Oil This is an automatic, reflexive counterspell against any and all spells cast on the Unraveller's Pattern? If so, I'd increase the prerequisites by some, because this is very powerful. You've taken Counterspell Prime and made it into a more powerful and cheaper version of Magic Shield. Attainments can be powerful, yes, but this is pretty amped up, which is ok, but it should be a little harder to get.
Ophidimancer: Crabbadon:Optional Attainment: Thread of Shadow Can this roll only be made once, or can it be made Extended? If the first, then there's the problem that Extended cast Wards will be impossible to sneak through while Instant cast will sometimes not exist to the Unraveller. Did you mean to say that this attainment can break a Ban? If this can be cumulatively rolled over multiple turns, it's way way too powerful, Wards may as well not exist fot this Legacy. What I would suggest is to let it be cumulatively rolled maybe . . once a minute? . . but reduce the dice pool to two, or even one component. Have it just be their Stealth or Manipulation + Stealth.
Ophidimancer: Crabbadon:Third attainment: Thread of Steel Hmm . . I would try to make this an upgradeable ability somehow and not just automatically ignore all levels of Mage Armor. Something like . . the Unraveller can ignore up to her Stealth or Prime rating in Mage Armor? Up to Prime might be a good idea. I think there's precedent of some sort in AA, but I didn't check. Actually, if it's up to Prime then it's already pretty much all mage armour - I'm not really sure this is too powerful for a third attainment. Crabbadon:I might put sympathy back in for thread of silk. I think that's probably a good idea. Being an Unraveller should make it easier to assassinate mages, but not this easy.
Ophidimancer:Is there a specific mechanical effect you had in mind for this? Do the people simply regard each other as emotional stranger forever after?