Homebrew Legacies: Yours, Mine, and the World's

Ophidimancer:

Wouldn't Life be a more appropriate primary Arcanum for the Berserks?

Absolutely.

Arguably, it would. I had it that way in a previous edit, in fact.

Life can shift creatures' forms and blend their features. On the other hand, considering the whole killing the creature to gain its power angle, Death fits rather well. Death has spells that do something somewhat similar in the base book, though on objects and not living things. (Destroy an object to get a ghostly version of it, and so on.)

That, combined with the fact that this makes the legacy fit a Moros so well, lead me to swap it out.

The legacy, rather obviously, is intended to have the traditional powers. Forces can be used to explain the strength as well as the fire thing. Death or Life could explain the shape shifting. Matter is the obvious choice for the resistance to blades, though I could see Life or even Death working to cover that. (The latter by using degradation/decay as an explanation. The former would just be armor.) This happens to be the version I liked best.

Now that I'm thinking about it again, I might redo it as Death/Forces, with Life as the optional attainment. That way, all berserks get the general abilities that were attributed to them in the sagas (resistant to fire, strong, tough, hard to cut), while only some get the more rare/legendary things like an animal form (by studying Life.) The affinity, they would still get, but not a dramatic change of form, unless they learn Life.

Hmm, need to play with that, actually.

"Rage" isn't possible through death. It's almost certainly a variant of the spell trigger the lizard brain.

This is not a usual Legacy, I've included some novel effects. Also, it's quite a bit more powerful than your usual Legacy(Forge Destiny at 3rd Attainement). But - they have no optional Arcana, some weaknesses and rely on Destiny merit to do most of their stuff - which is a limited resource. Still, I'm not sure I balanced this correctly(I'm not even sure whether it's too powerful or not powerful enough). Also, the first Attainments is kinda lackluster - it's simply armor, which is quite useful, but maybe a bit boring. So, opinions?

Weavers of Destiny

Mages have realised for ages that there were great heroes among them - those fated for greater triumphs, greater deeds, greater victories. The threads of destiny were woven into their very pattern, allowing them to do what others can only dreamed of.

As such it was perhaps only natural that this power could be used somehow, taken and subverted beyond what it normally does.

It was two hundred years ago that a mage - now known as Wishmaster - became heavily involved in the life of Changelings. He was enamoured with their power to twist fate and destiny but he was unable to replicate those effects with his Awakened magic alone. It was then that he recognised a curious fact - the strands of destiny that the Lost weaved into pacts were eerily similar to those that surrounded himself.

With time and effort, he learned to bind those strands to do his bidding and the Legacy was born.

The Legacy has went through its up and downs but one thing remained constant - those who joined the Weavers were always destined to do great things and they knew it. As such it is perhaps only natural that the Legacy tends to attract those who are very arrogant, the kind of people who consider themselves the center of the universe.

Parent Path or Order: Any. Destiny merit is the only requirement to join.

Nickname: Genies when you have to be polite, but usually it's "Dicks".

Appearance: As should only seem natural for those who assume they are of paramount importance, the Weavers tend to dress lavishly. Top-of-the-line fashionable clothes that cost more than an average car are common. Any sort of plain or normal clothing is subject for scorn among the Weavers.

Background: Those chosen by destiny are usually those who've had to overcome hardships in their life. People who have risen above their stations, who have survived against all odds - those are common. However, destiny is fickle, and virtually anyone can be chosen. As that's the only real requirement to join the Legacy

Organization: This Legacy does not have much of an organization. It's members usually see themselves as the most important people in the world and such an outlook does not lend itself well to helping each other.

Suggested oblations: Grand speeches, learning about events that changed the world, socializing with VIPs.

Concepts: Anyone who's arrogant enough to presume that the universe revolves around him.

Attainments: Attainments of the Weavers are more powerful than normal, but they pay a steep price for such a gift. When one presumes that he is of paramount importance, the cosmos recognises such a fact.

When the Weavers try to use any magic to disguise themselves, to become hidden or stealthy, halve the succeses(rounded down; 1 success spells fail to work). Thus, for example, the Incognito Presence spell of 5 succeses, is only as potent as a 2 success spell. When others cast such spells upon the Weavers, this is still in effect - halve their succeses.

Special: The Weavers cannot have the Occultation merit. If a mage with Occultation tries to become a member, the merit is irretrievably lost forever. Destiny of at least 2 dots is required to join the Legacy.

1st Attainment: Hero's Protection.
Prerequisites: Gnosis 3, Fate 2(Primary).
One cannot fulfill their destiny if one is dead. This is a simple truth that the Weavers have learned to recognise. The mages gains a permanent Fortune's Protection spell with a rating equal to his Fate dots.

With Fate 3, the mage begins to learn to weave his Destiny to a certain effect. He may grant such a protection to his allies, by investing a dot of his Destiny merit. The mage's Destiny merit is temporarily lowered by one for each such effect.

Note that the mage's bonus dice from Destiny are not spent by doing such a thing. He may at any time recall the protection as a reflexive action - this automatically restores his Destiny merit to it's original status and grants him the unspent bonus dice. In a similar way, the mage can use "spent" Destiny dots to grant such protection. This also applies to further Attainments.

2nd Attainment: The Pact
Prerequisites: Gnosis 5, Fate 3(Primary).
The mage learns how to bind his own Destiny into others for his benefit in a faux-pact. The mage promises certain services for a certain time. So long as he fulfills those services, the mage gains one mana per day. Note that this spell does not by itself fulfill whatever is promised. If the mage promises someone great strength, he better have a knowledge of Life to do it. If he promises riches, he should get ready to acquire them or give them away. The mage lowers his Destiny by one for each such pact - those dots come back once the pact is ended or broken. Creating a pact is an instant action, breaking it is reflexive.

The pact has to have an ongoing benefit for the recipient to grant mana. If the mage promises great intelligence then a one scene long casting of Augment the Mind is not enough - it has to last throughout the entirety of the pact.

After estabilishing the pact, the mage has 24 hours to provide the stated benefit. If he fails to do so, he is considered under the effect of Great Curse for 24 hours(if he breaks the pact somewhere down the line, this happens as well).

This spell also provides an additional benefit - once per day, the mage can cast a spell with no mana cost, so long as it is directly related to fulfilling the terms of the pact(so, if the mage promises someone great skill with computers, he can cast Gain Skill on him with no mana cost once per 24 hours).

Note that Destiny is fickle. The Pact has to require some time and sacrifice on the part of the mage. If he simply promises a dollar every day to his ally, the Pact simply fails to take effect - it's not important enough to warrant binding the threads of fate.

3rd Attainment: Weave Destiny
Prerequisites: Gnosis 7, Fate 4(Primary)
The mage learns to Weave his own Destiny similarly to the Forge Destiny spell. He may invest his Destiny merit as successes on a Forge Destiny spell - on a 1:2 basis. Thus, a mage could invest 3 dots of the Destiny merit to gain the benefit of a six-success Forge Destiny spell. So long as the Destiny dots are invested in this way, the spell remains active on the mage. He may recall those dots as a reflexive action.

TheNate:

That, combined with the fact that this makes the legacy fit a Moros so well, lead me to swap it out.

I really think they fit better as a Thyrsus Legacy with Life Primary.

Ophidimancer:

TheNate:

That, combined with the fact that this makes the legacy fit a Moros so well, lead me to swap it out.

I really think they fit better as a Thyrsus Legacy with Life Primary.

I think Moros would work too. But a life primary for sure.

Lankin:

Tamers of Radiation

This is one of the coolest tamer legacies I have seen.

I will post my old ones when I get to the computer that has the files.

EXEMPLARS

When a mage Awakens, his soul is led trough the Path most in tune with it. Among other things this forges a particular sympathy for the Ruling Arcana of the Supernal Realm that lies at the end of the chosen Path. These Arcana are, from then on, the armor, tools and weapons of choice of that mage; the ones whose learning comes easier and the ones whose use becomes as natural as breathing.

But sometimes a mage feels the calling not from a Path or a Realm but from one of the very blocks that make up the universe, an Arcanum. Is for these focused (some will say, obsessed) souls that the way of the Exemplars exist.

Exemplars are more than a Legacy; they are a tradition as old as the watchtowers themselves, maybe even older. Trough all recorded history, here and there; some mages felt the calling and wore the mantle of the Exemplar. They never were lots of them, it takes a really special type of person to achieve the focus necessary to became one of the Titans, but stories about their deeds became the stuff of legends and are told even now to apprentices by their masters as both a source of awe… and a warning.

In all their god-like power, truth is, Exemplars are crippled beings. They suffer from the same drawbacks as any specialist but taken to dramatic levels. Their focus puts them aside and robs them from one of the advantages of the Awakened as a whole: flexibility. That said you don’t want to cross in the path of an Exemplar of Forces in a war.  

The use of magic distances the Awakened from the rest of humanity, Exemplars go one step further. Even masters of Arcana can just start to understand the way an Exemplar sees the world and the strange ways he relates to it.

But not all are drawbacks, specialization has its bonuses. Titans seem to be able to use the most destructive an outlandish effects of their chosen Arcanum almost without fear of attracting paradoxes, and weave the Patterns it governs with an ease that scares the hell out of any other mage save, perhaps, the Archmages and Oracles. It is said that when they die their crude physical shells disappear and they become living and sentient concepts on their own, nothing less than a god, possibly even more than that.

When a soul has decided to become one of the Titans he retires to a Hallow and dreams. He then starts an awesome travel trough the deepest reaches of Astral space until he arrives to his destination: the abodes of the Aeons.

In order to become a living embodiment of an Arcanum the supplicant mage must beg for the favor of the Aeon who rules over it. This is never easy or free. Aeons are alien beings but their demanding is usually very straightforward, advance their Arcanum influence in the mortal realm. The specific way in which this advancement manifest differ from Aeon to Aeon and the quest these capricious gods can demand from its petitioners are almost limitless in their variety.

If the Exemplar wannabe and the Aeon reach an agreement, the god splinter a small fragment from its essence, and fuses that shard of primordial power with the soul of the mage. This is incredibly painful, as the Aeon´s shard burns away the connection from one of his former Ruling Arcana to fuel the other. As a side effect of this, the nimbus of the mage (now altered to represent his new focus) starts to show as a betraying sign of his internal change. Some scholars from the Mysterium speculate that this favor is just another manifestation of the power of the Aeons known as Auctoritas Arcanum. Anyway, every time the mage wants to get another Attainment he must make that pilgrimage again and renew their vows before his Aeon master.

Exemplars are as close to an Archmage as any mage can get before truly ascending to that mythical state, at least in their chosen field of expertise. Mages that want to know more about a particular Arcanum can try to find one of these powerful experts. As long as the mage leads the conversation to the topic of obsession of the Titan, everything will be fine, though sometimes is difficult to the less enlightened minds to follow the reasoning and the leaps of logic of these strange individuals. Exemplars make for good teachers, after all spreading knowledge about their Arcana is part of the deal they have with the Aeons, though an inquisitive mage is advised to compare the potential benefits with the sure drawbacks of such a relationship.

Parent Path: Any, though depends on Arcana.

Nickname: Titans (like the parents of the gods in Greek mythology)

Appearance: The nimbuses of Titans take on a primordial appearance and usually bleed trough more than those of other mages. This is scary at best. To look at an Exemplar of Space is like looking at the Infinite and feel that void looking back at you. An exemplar or Forces is a being crowned by fire, his voice like thunder. And is difficult to keep your calm when Death itself come calling for you, clothed in darkness and leaving entropy in his wake.

Background: Exemplars are a varied lot. Nobody could pick some mage in a crowd and tell he or she is going to become an Exemplar. They come from all ways of life, from every Path and Order and from every way of understanding how magic and the Arcana interact with the world. They all share one common trait, though. They specialize and focus his studies on one Arcanum over the others. At first it’s just a matter of preference, they find it easier or more appealing or simply they can find more applications for it than for others. Soon it becomes his more used Arcanum and day by day the obsession grows, almost unnoticed. By the time he takes the decision of becoming an Exemplar he probably has already set aside the rest of their Arcana except for Conjunctional concerns.

Organization:  As was already said, Exemplars are unique; they are one in a billion. As such they don´t have any organization or internal hierarchy of their own. In fact, as they advance in their understanding of their chosen Arcana, they tend to forgo even Order and Consilii matters. As a side note, when a Titan reaches the second Attainment people stop to acknowledge his Path and simply refer to him by his specialty. One is not a Mastigos anymore; one is an Exemplar of Mind.

Suggested Oblations: Being in presence of a powerful natural* manifestation of the Arcanum (a storm for Forces, a casino for Fate, and so on. Try to be original and balanced, some Arcana are all present as Space or Time, so use your imagination to find an appropriate representation. In any case, the Storyteller has the last word about what constitutes a “powerful natural manifestation”), meditate about how your Arcanum relates to the others and the place of it in the universe, teaching Rotes or Spells to others from that Arcanum, create a new Rote or devise a new Spell for the appropriate Arcanum.

*As opposed to supernatural not artificial.

ATTAINMENTS

The Attainments of the Titans allow them to channel their Arcanum of choice with awesome ease, while crippling them in anything else. To be able to become an Exemplar, a mage should already have a powerful connection to that concept, that means that a mage can only became an Exemplar of one of their Path Ruling Arcana.

1st: Obsessive Focus

Prerequisites: Gnosis 3, Chosen Arcanum 3, Resolve 3

The mage focused study start to give him benefits. Increasing his proficiency in his chosen Arcanum becomes even easier than before. From then on the mage can buy new dots in it at a cost of New Dots x 5 and buy Rotes from that Arcanum at half their normal cost. Also, the mage Gnosis is considered to be one dot lower per dot in his chosen Arcanum to determine the Base Paradox Dice Pool for spells from that Arcanum.

Drawback: The focus of the mage on one Arcanum makes the advancement in others harder. The mage, subsequently, buys new dots of his other Path Ruling Arcanum as if it were Common (new dots x 7). It is still considered Ruling with respect to everything else. What's more, he must set aside 1 experience point every time experience points are awarded to put toward the purchase of a new dot in the Arcanum (this is 1 point at the end of each chapter, and another point every time a Story ends as well). The exaggerated nimbus of the mage makes him scary an uncomfortable to be with. He suffers from a penalty to all social rolls except Intimidation equal to half his Arcanum dots, rounded up. He can add the same penalty as a bonus to Intimidation, though.

2^nd: In Body and Soul

Prerequisites: Gnosis 5, Chosen Arcanum 4

The mage can increase his connection to his chosen Arcanum by virtue of his Watchtower at the expense of cutting forever the connection to the other Ruling aspect of their Realm.

After gaining this Attainment the mage can spend one Instant Action to apply the 8 again rule to a number of rolls involving his Arcanum equal to his Gnosis for the rest of the scene.

Moreover, the mage´s dots in his Arcanum are considered to be one dot higher to determine the Factors (including access to Advanced charts) and other effects for which his Arcanum dots could be important (like the protection from a Shielding spell) but don’t give him access to advanced Spells.

Drawback: The connection to the other Arcanum of his Path is perpetually broken, it is now considered at all effects just another Common Arcanum (so he needs to expend one additional mana to cast improvised spells from that Arcanum and cannot reach 5 dots in it without appropriate teaching). A Soul Stone from an Exemplar works in a different way since he reaches this point. The Soul Stone no longer gives bonuses to the previous Ruling Arcanum when used to create a Demesne and the other minor benefits associated with that part of his former Path are forever gone.

3^rd: Embodiment of Concept

Prerequisites: Gnosis 7, Chosen Arcanum 5

Spells from the Arcanum embodied by the Exemplar are easy to weave and control. The mage can consider a certain number of spells from that Arcanum as if they were just one in respect to the maximum amount he can maintain active or even to his Spell Tolerance. This amount is equal to 1/3 of his Gnosis (rounded down).

In addition to this, every time the Titan expends mana to ease the passage of a Vulgar spell from his Arcanum, and the Paradox pool is reduced to less than zero, the spell is considered Covert. It can still be unraveled by Disbelief, though.

Drawback: Increasing any Arcanum, other than the one the Exemplar is focused on is extremely complicated. The maximum level he can reach without an appropriate teacher in any of his Common Arcana (including his former Ruling) is now 3, rising them above that level is expensive (the fourth and the fifth dot are bought as if they were Inferior). Also, the mage patterns are so intermingled with those of his Arcanum that it´s easy to scrutinize him trough the Mage Sight associated with it. When doing so, add 3 dots to his Gnosis to determine the Aura Modifier (p.76 of Mage: the Awakening)

Hey, feel free to swap her out. I don't mind. Make it a Thyrsus, or Moros with Life. You could even swap out Death for Spirit without changing too much.

Epimetheus:

"Rage" isn't possible through death.

Angry ghosts are a genre staple, so, while I do see where you are coming from, I disagree with the notion that Death cannot trigger rage. It's a matter of method. Both Life and Mind can activate the state directly, while Spirit and Death would have to trigger it indirectly through the Influences of their charges.

I like it using Death. Several of you liked it better using Life. That's cool. It's food for thought either way.

By the by, I liked the mimic legacy. It amuses me.

Another concept what needs some tweaking:
(For one thing, I'd like to add water walking. I was thinking of dropping Prime for Forces to do that.)

Shinobi    
    Order: Hard to say, really. Guardians like to sneak, but the Ninjas were a revolutionary faction, so Free Council actually fits fairly well, too.
    Path: Mastigos seems a good fit, but it should be open to all

    
    1st: Kage no Kage
    Reqs: Gnosis 3, Death 2, Mind 2, Athletics 1, Stealth 1- The ninja may conceal an object magically against witness. This item needn't be concealed in any fashion, but it cannot be obviously readied or in use. The image is a little uncertain, and the mind corrects it without noticing. To maintain the concealment, the ninja must remain in physical contact with the object. They may conceal one item per dot of Gnosis.
    
    This counts as a concealed extraordinary mental effect for purposes of detecting or penetrating, but the shadow nature applies a die penalty of one per level of attainment to the resisted roll, should one be allowed. (Mental Shield would permit Mind + Gnosis) The potency of the effect is equal to the ninja's Death.

        Optional Prime 2 : The ninja may conceal the casting of a spell with the effect. Essentially, this allows the ninja to conceal spells as with Spells Cloaks (pg70, Tome of the Mysteries), but with the added limitation that it, too, can be penetrated with mental defenses, as per cocealing an object. The ninja need not maintain any sort of contact to a concealed spell. Their is no mana cost for this.
        
    2nd: Kage no Bushi - Reqs: Gnosis 5, Mind 3, Death 3, Stealth 3
        The mage may cloak his form in Shadow, and become virtually invisible and difficult to see. His movements become silent and deadly, as he has partial substance. The ninja partially blends his substance with shadow.  This requires an extended meditation action. Any form of meditation may be rolled once a round, but the mage must achieve a Waking Meditation to activate this power. Activation of the power is an instant mental action, but only possible for a mind that has meditated to Waking Meditation or deeper.
        
        While this ability is active, the ninja may use shadows as a connection between Twilight and material. For purposes of this ability, any shadow is a connection that the ninja may look, reach, or walk through to interact or moniter the other side. The ninja can see through such gaps, and may extend only a hand through, if preferred. Effectively, this is a cross between Reaching and Ghost Gate. Shadows cast by the ninja or his clothing and equipment is part of the transformation, and cannot be used.
        
        The identity and presence of the ninja loses some of its substance, as well. This grants an effect similar to Incognito Presence, but also lowers the ninja's Presence by 2, to a minimum of 0. If the ninja has a Presence of 0, they automatically fail any Presence rolls attempted. The potency of this effect is equal to the ninja's Mind.
        
        Optional Prime 3:
        The ninja may adjust his aura with little more than a thought. An instant mental action is all that is required. This can affect nature or emotional aura, as preferred. Certain adjustments are easy, and require no roll. Examples are muting the entire aura, adjusting apparent nature to sleepwalker or sleeper, displaying no emotion. Anything more complex requires a success per change to be made on a Presence + Subterfuge roll. Any of the "simple" changes count as one.
        
    3rd: Bushi no Kage - Reqs: Gnosis 7, Death 4, Subterfuge 3
        The mage may conjure animate illusions of any subject, himself included, that have full colors and dimensions. To do this, the mage must see a reflection or shadow of the target. The ninja then must place the image on an object in sensory range. This is all handled as a single instant action. These illusions are the images only. Any substance is entirely that of the object they cloak. The ninja may create a number of images up to his ranks in Death.
        
        Target factors may be added to create multiple images. Otherwise only a single object can be created at once. Size factors are required as normal. The size of the image must be equal to or no more than two sizes larger than the object supporting it.
        
        Duration is a day, but sunlight dispels the illusion if the object is brought fully into the sun. The illusion is not dispelled by light that also casts a shadow. The object cannot cast a shadow, though a second llusion could be attached to rectify this.
        
        A picture, whether photograph, painting, or digital image, is already a shadow of an object, but a weak one. The ninja may create an illusion from such an image, but the medium always produces flaws. Although the magic improves things, there is a direct correlation between image and illusion quality. Digital images have subtle jagged edges on every curve, due to pixelation. A painting will produce an illusion that appears painted. A creased photograph will create an oddly creased object, and so on. These can be subtle, as the magic does improve the image. A metal fitting on an illusion generated from a painted source will appear as metal paint, or possibly as painted metal, but never as true metal. Such are the perils of pulling a shadow from a shadow.
        
    Optional Prime 4- As above, but the mage may add substance to the illusions by spending a mana when conjuring. The action is performed as before, but a mana is spent granting substance. No mooring or other substance is needed. This follows the effects of Phantasmal Weapon.
    
    Using the rote "Marionette," the ninja may animate any of the images created. This is not part of this attainment, but it does work on the illusions so created. Using Marionette to cause the images to attack requires a concentration action. The ninja may attack with any or all of the images, but only one body per concentration action can use the mage's full die pool. All others in range use a chance die.




So, Tom:

tom2957:

2nd Attainment: The Pact
Prerequisites: Gnosis 5, Fate 3(Primary).
The mage learns how to bind his own Destiny into others for his benefit in a faux-pact. The mage promises certain services for a certain time. So long as he fulfills those services, the mage gains one mana per day. Note that this spell does not by itself fulfill whatever is promised. If the mage promises someone great strength, he better have a knowledge of Life to do it. If he promises riches, he should get ready to acquire them or give them away. The mage lowers his Destiny by one for each such pact - those dots come back once the pact is ended or broken. Creating a pact is an instant action, breaking it is reflexive.

I'm thinking that this attainment could be better if it represented a sworn oath. That way, the character could hold an extra oath per level of Destiny. Spending an hour making legitimate progress towards fulfilling an oath could grant a mana or willpower, and any completely fulfilled, yet ongoing, pact could possibly grant a bonus, as well. I like the idea that, upon completion, the Destiny dot returns, though the pact remains until its conclusion. That certainly beefs up the Fate oaths considerably.

The oaths could act as Virtue/Vice or flaws, granting the bonus any time supporting the oath affected the mage to some degree or other. Alternately, the oath could simply grant its benefits at the conclusion. The effort could be rewarded in similar manner and amount.

Breaking your word should label the character an Oath-Breaker. Probably also, it should cost the invested dots. That's pretty nasty, sure, but it sounds appropriate.


I don't like the Forge Destiny (self-only) third attainment much, though. It seems a bit much, letting them redefine themselves that easily. I think it feels like the first two attainments are the mage's attempts to control forces greater than himself, and then this allows them to redefine them. That sounds more like a mythical 4th attainment to me.

Maybe Destroy Bindings made particularly easy would be more appropriate. (Reflexive, say?) That would allow the mage to shrug off many forms of external control. It would also allow them to free others of their own choosing. That seems to fit the whole, "my way or no way" theme rather well.

Just musing, here. The idea is interesting, but it needs some tweakage.

Too much Magistos love... Need more...anything else really...

**Goes off to write a Moros legacy**

Ok, Moros then:

The Crest of Radiance

"Beauty is the highest truth and the only immortal, immutable force."

Those who Awaken on the Moros Path come to a realization of the impermanent nature of all things.  All that arises also passes away in the eyes of those who walk the Path of Doom.  For some this revelation causes them to discard any clinging to permanence and to disdain the quest for immortality as foolish.  Others instead begin to view the phenomena of the world as flawed and search instead for something true and immutable behind the facade of the reality.  For some this is Honor, for others it is Faith or Love.  For thinkers and artists that follow the philosophy of aesthetics, Beauty is the greatest truth.  It is the ineffable quality that breathes life and spirit, the pneuma as the Greeks called it, or the khu portion of the soul for Egyptians, into the world which we percieve.

For these philosophers of Beauty, or Aestheticians, art is the highest calling as it brings the purity of beauty into a world that is otherwise impure, tainted with its own inevitable demise.  Each Aesthetician chooses the artform through which he or she expresses this immortal ideal.  Some choose to paint, searching for beauty in the canvas, while others find  it by sculpting life into dead stone.  Jewelers also hear the call of the Aesthetician and craft the finest treasures of the art world.  Aestheticum masters tend to be conservative, and so only take as apprentices those artists who work in such traditional media, but there are stories of a few cabals of avant garde spirit artists who work in such media as electronic arts and photography.

The roots of this Legacy stretch back to Ancient Egypt, when artisan sorcerers would craft glorious works in order to immortalize their god-kings, the Pharoahs.  Their craft, called Sakhu (or Glorifications), were meant to feed and clothe the soul of the Pharoah, perfecting and preserving it for all eternity with the accoutrements of the Pharoah's divine status and the luxury to which the god-king had become accustomed to in life.  The name of this legacy comes from the crest of ostrich feathers that was often used to depict the radiant halo that denoted a godlike being in Egyptian art.

Though regarded as a calling for those who were artistically and spiritually inclined, the Crest of Radiance didn't really become a higher Calling until long after the dynasties of the pharoahs had fallen.  Without the pharoah to glorify, the Sakhmu languished under the rule of the Persians, who conquered Egypt in 343 BC.  Preserved as a persecuted and secretive art, the role of priestly artisan all but disappeared.  This was the state of affairs when Alexander the Great overthrew the Persian rulers and established Alexandria.

Presided over by Ptolemy, Alexandria became a city known for its lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, and its Royal Library.  As a center of learning and erudition, Alexandria attracted philosophers and learned men (and women, lest we forget Hypatia) from all over the known world.  A number of these philosophers were mages seeking the knowledge gathered in the Great Library.  The actual founder of this Legacy and his works have been lost to history, but it is known that he was an artist and a philosopher of a serious mien.  It was in Alexandria that he first encountered the all but lost art of the Sakhmu.  Inspired by their dedication and artistry, he took up the rites and craft of the ancient priesthood and combined their simple devotion with a philosophical dialectic built on the purity of Beauty.  In the tradition of the Greek philosopers, this artist established a small school and started passing on his knowledge to apprentices.  The Crest of Radiance was born.

Parent Path or Order:  Moros, though there are other art-inspired Legacies based on the other Paths.  With their academic bent, Artisans usually find themselves well suited for life in the Mysterium.  Silver Ladder cabals that are particularly feudal often feel a need for the presence of a High Artisan at their courts.

Nickname:  High Artisans, Aestheticians or Sakhmu (archaic), Pygmalions (derogatory)

Appearance:  Members of the Crest of Radiance generally wear the continually abstracted gaze of the prodigy artist and the fervent philosopher.  They also tend to carry the tools of their respective crafts often being daubed in paint, covered in stone dust, or bearing small cuts from a jeweler's tools.

Background: Aestheticians are artists first and foremost.  Most High artisans ae recruited from schools for the fine arts, but some are initiated into this legacy after catching the eye of a master artisan through a piece of work.  The Sakhmu tend to be traditionalists by nature, but they are not dogmatically so, their ruthlessly philosophical bent generally prevents them from stagnating into any one particular definition of Beauty.  A potential student of a Master Artisan will be courted through a series of philosophical discussions about the nature of Beauty as well as being required to display a portfolio of his or her artwork.

Organization:  Based on the traditional model of Greek pedagogy, Crest masters seek out accomplished artists to tutor in their ways.  Any mage versed in art or philosophy (Academics: Art or Philosophy) will usually know of a Crest master in the region.  The Crest of Radiance is a little more hierarchical than most Legacies, tending to extablish schools in regions where artists and philosophers proliferate.  Notable schools have been established in New York, New England, England, Venice, and Alexandria, where the legacy has recovered much of the art that was lost when the city was sacked.  There is also a noted school of High artisans in Shanghai, though there is debate about whether that school traces its lineage to Alexandria or whether its founders were the Artisans that crafted the terra-cotta warriors for Qin Shi Huangdi, first emperor of China.

Unless it is for a favored pupil or the master's own child, High Artisans generally do not bond to their students sympathetically to teach them their Attainments.  They generally establish a philosophical dialectic that teaches a student to craft their own soul to follow the path of the Sakhmu.  While this does slow down the advancement process for potential students, it does allow for one master to teach a number of students without a heavy Willpower cost.

Suggested Oblations:  Creating art.  Meditating on the nature of Beauty.

Attainments:  Dedication to art and the creation of beauty invests the creations of High Artisans with an eerie life of their own.  The inspiration and the ecstasy of appreciating beauty bridges the gap between the material and the spiritual realms, giving meaning to the mundane by finding the spark of divine Beauty in clay, paint, or stone.  The use of any of a High Artisan's attainments requires the presence of a masterpiece of the Artisans creation.  The creation of a masterpiece entails an extended Intelligence+Crafts roll with a target number of at least 25.  Excess successes may improve the effectiveness of the attainments.  A High Artisan can only sustain one awakened masterpiece per point of Gnosis, but rarely do Artisans create more than one.

1st: Awakening the Khu

Prerequisites: Gnosis 3, Spirit 2 (Primary), Prime 1, Crafts 3

The first step to becoming a master Artisan is to learn to be able to see the divine Beauty in one's own work.  These meditations resonate with the latent spiritual side of a masterwork and cause it to vibrate in response. While in the presence of a masterwork, the Artisan will benefit from a Coaxing the Spirits effect that adds one die per dot of Spirit the Artisan possesses to all Crafts rolls made in the presence of the masterwork.  Each 5 successes worked into the masterwork in excess of the required 25 adds another die to this effect.  In addition, a passive Lesser Spirit Summons begins to emanate from the Artisan's masterwork that summons three types of spirits:  spirits of Beauty, spirits of Inspiration, and spirits of the specific medium or form that the Artisan works in.

Optional Arcanum: Prime 2

If the High Artisan also possesses Prime 2, being in the presence of the masterpiece allows her to perform another Oblation, like a legacy Oblation, meditating to restore Mana.  This allows a High Artisan to perform three Oblations in a day, one for her Path, one for the Legacy, and another that requires the presence of a masterpiece.

2nd: Ushabti

Prerequisites:  Gnosis 5, Spirit 3, Academics: Aesthetics

As a mage follows the path of a High Artisan further, she is required to specialize in the field of philosophy that deals with the nature and meaning of Beauty.  Ruminations and meditations in this field further awaken the spiritual power represented by a HIgh Artisan's masterpiece, creating an Ushabti, Egyptian for effigy, or symbol that has a presence in the other worlds.  A Rouse Spirit effect awakens the slumbering spirit of an Artisan's masterpiece.  This spirit starts out at Rank 1 with Power equal to the mage's Willpower, Finesse equal to the mage's Spirit rank, and Resistance equal to the mage's Gnosis.  Every 5 successes above the requisite 25 that the High Artisan scored in creating her masterpiece adds one to the awakened spirit's Rank and two to its dots of Influence.  The spirit's primary Influence is Beauty and its secondary Influence is over whatever art form it embodies.  This spirit awakens naturally predisposed to being friendly to the mage that created it.  The default duration for this effect is one lunar month, after which the spirit falls back into Slumber, but the Artisan can commune with the masterpiece again anytime, taking an Instant action, to reset this duration.

In addition, the Artisan's masterpiece now emanates a passive Greater Spirit Summons effect which summons conceptual spirits from the Shadow.  Only Beauty spirits, Inspiration spirits, and spirits of the masterpiece's artform are summoned.  Particularly powerful Ushabti (with 15 or more extra successes) have been known to be able to convince lesser spirits to merge with them, adding to their power and giving them access to Numina.

Optional Arcanum: Prime 3

Knowledge of Prime allows a High Artisan to Channel Mana into and out of her masterpiece.  The artwork can hold up to the Artisan's Prime rating in Mana.  While the spirit cannot use this Mana, it does find holding Mana resonating with its creator's resonance comforting.

3rd: Awakening the Ka

Prerequisites:  Gnosis 7, Spirit 4

Achieving this attainment allows a High Artisan to activate the Ka, the "body" of her masterpiece, to recieve its Khu, or "shining soul", and truly bridge the gap between the spiritual and the physical.  A Create Fetish effect allows the awakened spirit of an Artisan's masterpiece to express itself in the material realm.  The Rouse Spirit effect is now of indefinite duration, meaning that a Master Artisan's works will retain their sentience even after the mage herself has passed away.  If she reaches higher ranks of Spirit, many a Master Artisan will use Shape Spirit to give her masterpiece the Animate Numen, which allows the spirit to use its "body", or Ka, to move around and explore the world.

Optional Arcanum: Prime 4

At this level of Prime, a High Artisan is able to channel Mana and Essence to and from her masterpieces reflexively, converting them on a one for one basis.  Also any magics imparted into her masterpiece through the use of a separate Imbue Item spell can be activated by the inhabiting spirit as if they were Numina, though this doesn't mitigate the Mana cost.  Though they are taught not to, many Master Artisans cannot help but bond their masterpieces to themselves in a familiar bond.  This is generally frowned upon as it is viewed as trying to constrain Beauty itself.

You need only ask.
(This is largely incomplete, mind, but Moros. Enjoy.)

  Death Speakers
    This is a dark and morbid legacy. It is not, however, a Left-Handed legacy, as it seeks to understand death, and to ensure the most is learned from it. They study the effects of Death to learn the secrets of the past and future. Those that have passed the veil have access to knowledge and perspective the living lack. This legacy taps that insight.
    
    1. Dark Words
        Death 2, Time 2 (Primary)
        This attainment allows a mage to create a Death Bottle. This device looks disturbingly similar to a soul jar, which lead to wars over the centuries. It is not, however.
        This device can store a dieing person's final breath. This is the mysterious "Fifth wind." The power in this wind is remarkable, but difficult to harness.
        The bottle may only hold one breath at a time. Opening it to catch another releases any inside. This effect is lasting, however, so the mage may prepare as many bottles as he wishes.  They must be airtight containers, though clay and wax is sufficient. This power does nothing to render them more durable.
        
        Besides allowing the creation of this bottle, the attainment alows a mage to use a version of Forensic Gaze to see a subject's cause of death. Unlike Forensic Gaze, however, the mage also learns about other things that were threatening the life of the subject. If used on the living, this functions a bit differently, showing the most likely causes of death present on a person. If they are certain to die within a day per dot of Time, that cause stands out especially. Since it could occur over various ranges of time, only general impressions are felt.
        
        Optional Fate 2
        The mage can see what is fated to kill a living subject, and any curses (which includes returning as a ghost) a dead subject may have uttered.
        
    2. Dark Speach
        Death 3, Time 3
        The mage may call on a dead body or ghost to tell what it knows. The moment of its death is always revealed, inlcuding a moment or two after it. With each success, another powerful and influential memory is revealed.
        This costs a mana, unless the mage has that body's final breath in a death bottle.
        
        With mana and its final breath, the mage may empower a body to watch over an area. It can't move, but it will report anything it "sees." This lasts until dispeled or the skull decomposes suficiently to render the eye sockets broken. This can take months to milennia, depending on environment. Matter magic can be used to reinforce, however.
        
        Optional Space 2
        The mage may see the fetters of a ghost when using this power. Each requires additional success, but images of why they are important accompany the image of the fetter.
        
        
    3. Dark World
        Death 4, Time 4
        The mage can call on the fifth wind stored in a death bottle for a couple of things.
        First use is that the mage may store death-aspected essence in a death bottle. This essense may be retrieved with this attainment. This is appropriate for feeding death spirits or ghosts. The mage may store a breath inside or not, and it does not affect this use.

        The second use is that the mage may release breath stored in the bottle to retrieve a prophecy from Stygia. This works much like the Dream merit, except the messages are audible whispers instead of images. The messages are frequently more death-oriented than Dream or Daimon reveals, and are often more direct.

        The mage rolls Composure + Occult + Death to activate either power. Each success is either a transferred essence, or an answer sought.
        
        On exceptional success, the mage may receive a full vision, allowing an extra roll for details.

        Optional Fate 4
        The mage may inhale a final-breath to utter a death curse on a subject, per the Fate spell Curse. At Fate 5, this can upgrade to Great Curse. (or something)

My first attempt at a Legacy, so...
Legacy: Tamers of Rain

Parent Order: None. This Legacy originated outside the Orders

Parent Path: Mastigos or Thyrsus

Nicknames: Bleeding Hearts, Tearmongers, Therapists

Catharsis: an experience or feeling of spiritual release and purification brought about by an intense emotional experience.

Long before modern-day psychologists and psychiatrists came to be, ancient playwrights knew how light and free a person feels after such an experience inspired by a truly moving play. As time went on, people withdrew from their emotions, plays became less emotionally inviting, and as one approaches the present day humanity begins to value stoicism while their bottled-up emotions fracture psyches never meant to be so…so mechanical, so cold.

Background: Tamer of Rain legend has it that the developer of this Legacy was a Greek playwright and poet…albeit not a particularly skilled one, and so both his real name and his shadowname are lost to the mists of time. He was continually frustrated at his inability to induce tears, though he was more than skilled at the art of producing yawns.

This frustration was directly responsible for his Awakening at the Watchtower of the Iron Gauntlet, an event that left him shaken and emotionally battered, but ultimately purified. He wished to share this sensation with those viewing his plays, but he quickly realized that his work was not striking the right chords. His newfound ability to sense emotions gave him insight into what stirred particular feelings, and so he spent quite a bit of time studying plays by more popular and effective playwrights, gauging the emotional response against each scene and the overall story. In this way he gradually began to understand what he hadn’t before: people crave the emotional release they see in plays.

Eventually, he began to push at people as they watched the plays of others, his own work forgotten and discarded. Little emotional nudges here and there, making them feel this emotion or that more strongly. He hoped to gently push them to the emotional brink and let them take that final step.

Sadly, he was an impatient man. After several people ended up refusing to submit to an emotional release, he began pushing harder at their minds. The first few he successfully forced into catharsis, but his success made him overproud, and he neglected the care and finesse necessary to guide them along the narrow path to release. Their fragile psyches couldn’t withstand the callous stress, and broke beneath his touch.

He spent the next few years in exile, mastering the skill of patience and studying the minds of others. In this time he met several other mages, but he distanced himself from them when he discovered their hierarchy and the constant infighting amongst the Orders.

Eventually he returned to his home village, a changed man in temperament and spirit, his studies having etched the first changes of this Legacy into his soul.

Organization: These Tamers can only be considered organized in the loosest definition of the term. They are clustered in two-person groups consisting of the Master and the Apprentice, though this is only one of the two forms of Hierarchy they accept. Each Apprentice is deferential to their Master alone, viewing all other practitioners of this Legacy – Master or Apprentice – as equals, with one major exception: the Grand Ones. This is a rank held only by the most accomplished Tamers, and then only by election, held once yearly.

Treating another Tamer of Rain with disrespect is an offense the equivalent of slapping them with a glove, and demands a duel of emotional control or the Duel Arcane, whichever is most feasible or preferable.

Suggested Oblations: Submitting to a psychoanalysis, engaging in an S&M scene, confessing sins in a church, meditative breathing, acting out an emotional play

Concepts: Psychoanalyst, counselor, Master/slave, priest, “listener”

Attainments: These attainments came about as a result of that ancient Greek playwright and his quest to release humanity’s emotions from psychic chains.

1^st: The Heart’s Truth

Prerequisites: Gnosis 3, Mind 2, Empathy 2

The Tamer gains the ability to influence emotions, as per the Emotional Urging spell (Mind 2, M:tA pg. 207), rolling Manipulation + Empathy + Mind vs. the target’s Composure + Gnosis. The Tamer must make eye contact with the target to begin the effort, and must maintain eye contact – blinking is allowed – for every turn thereafter that he wishes to enforce the emotion. Once he ceases concentrating, the emotion lasts for one scene/hour, unless the target comes in contact with something else that forces them to feel a different emotion at a similar strength. Example: Torgo makes Lila feel extremely happy, but within the next hour she witnesses her entire family gunned down and eaten by a pack of cannibals, and no longer feels quite so happy.

The Tamer of Rain also gains the ability to see emotional auras by concentrating slightly. This ability can be turned on and off at will, and has an indefinite duration when activated.

Optional: Matter 2

Water is the symbolic expression of emotion, constantly moving through the world and our bodies. If the Tamer of Rain also knows Matter 2, he may use Shape Liquid as the spell (M:tA, pg. 196), rolling Dexterity + Occult + Matter, and the duration is Concentration.

2^nd: The Heart’s Desire

Prerequisites: Gnosis 5, Mind 3, Empathy 3

The Tamer no longer needs to make eye contact with the target to affect them with Emotional Urging, but must be able to speak and make himself understood to the target. To this end the Tamer gains a permanent Universal Language effect.

In addition, if the Tamer manages to strengthen any powerful, negative emotion such as fear, anger, jealousy, or sadness in a target for ten minutes, requiring the Tamer to actively concentrate and either maintain eye contact or speak constantly, then the target must make a derangement roll using their current Morality. If it fails, the target temporarily gains a derangement appropriate to the specified emotion. If it succeeds, the target must then make a Resolve + Composure roll, with success meaning that nothing happens and the Tamer cannot attempt to induce a cathartic release in the target again for 24 hours.

If the Resolve + Composure roll fails, however, the target experiences a cathartic release, and is treated as stunned for the remainder of the scene as s/he weeps and screams or simply sits quietly, literally too stunned to move or do much of anything. At the end of the scene the target gains a bonus to degeneration rolls equal to the Tamer of Rain’s Mind dots.

Optional: Life 3

If the Tamer of Rain also has Life 3, he may – instead of an emotional cleansing – purge the target’s body of poisons and toxins or diseases with an effect similar to the Purify Bodies and Banish Plague spells (M:tA, pg. 183 and 185, respectively). He must choose whether to cleanse a disease or a toxin/poison/drug, and whichever he selects he cannot perform the other on the same target for 24 hours, meaning that he could cure three different people of disease, but if one of them was poisoned as well, he couldn’t also remove it in the same 24-hour period. This costs 1 point of Mana, and is considered to be automatically successful.

3^rd: The Heart’s Chains

Prerequisites: Gnosis 7, Mind 4, Manipulation 3, Presence 3, Empathy 4

A Tamer of Rain that has achieved this attainment no longer needs to speak to the target, nor must he maintain eye contact. The target cannot be affected through a scrying window; the target must be within normal sensory range. The target need not even be aware of the Tamer’s presence for the Tamer to affect the target.

The Tamer of Rain can now make the target relive the most traumatic experience within their past through a combination of Hallucination and Read the Depths. The Tamer does not glean any information from Read the Depths with this attainment, instead setting it on a sort of pre-determined autopilot. It digs through the target’s memories until it finds what is considered the worst, no matter how repressed it is, though a Mental Shield can inhibit the effort. This requires the Tamer to concentrate on the target, and roll a contested Presence + Empathy + Mind vs. Resolve + Gnosis. The Tamer must exceed the target’s resistance roll by 5 successes to locate the requisite memory, and his roll is penalized by the presence of a Mental Shield. The Tamer may spend 1 Mana to obviate the contested roll, but must still overcome any Mental Shield using Presence + Empathy + Mind; obviously, if there is no Mental Shield, then the Tamer needn’t overcome it. This process takes one hour, during which time the Tamer would be well-advised to restrain the target.

The Tamer does not learn what the memory is, as once the memory is identified the Hallucination activates. The target can attempt to resist it with Resolve + Composure – Tamer’s dots in Mind. Success means that the Hallucination effect fails, and the process must be restarted. Failure means that the target succumbs to the Hallucination and relives the memory in vivid detail for the next hour. The Tamer of Rain may spend 1 Mana to extend this duration by 1 hour, and so long as the total duration does not lapse he may continue spending Mana to extend the duration. Note that this is an exception to the normal rules regarding spell factors.

Each hour that the target is forced to relive the memory, they must make a Resolve + Composure roll which may be modified by situational factors: target was willing (-2), target is maintained in a sensory deprivation chamber (-4), target is drugged/drunk (+2), target is exhausted (-3)

If the target is unconscious, the Tamer’s use of this ability merely makes them dream. There is no mechanical result for this effect.

If the target achieves enough successes on their Resolve + Composure roll to overcome the Tamer of Rain’s Mind dots, they face the following hour with only meaningless images at the corner of their vision and whispers on the wind. They must make another roll at the beginning of each hour to try and break free for that hour, -1 for each cumulative hour.

If they fail the roll, however, they are forced to relive their worst memory. This is a hell beyond reasoning, and requires the Tamer to roll for degeneration unless a) their Wisdom is 4 or below or b) they discuss it with the target beforehand and attain permission. The target gains a minor derangement – or a pre-existing derangement is upgraded to serious, if it’s appropriate to the relived memory – that lasts for one day, after which the target gains a bonus to degeneration rolls equal to the Tamer’s dots in Mind for a period of 1 week as the experience leaves them a little more…flexible.

In addition, if the target was a Sleeper, this additional flexibility lends itself to a greater acceptance of magic, meaning that if the Sleeper witnesses magic, they add only 1 die to the Paradox roll, rather than the usual 2. This increased acceptance of magic lasts for one day.

Optional: Space 2, Time 3

If the Tamer of Rain has Space 2 and Time 3, he may choose – with the expenditure of a point of Mana – to make the target witness the memory from an external perspective instead of making them relive the memory. An additional target factor allows the Tamer to include himself, and is usually used as a gentler therapeutic tool than the reliving. Consistent use of this spell permits the target to improve their Morality trait (Wisdom, Harmony, Humanity, etc) at a reduced cost: 2x new dots.

Optional: Forces 4

If the Tamer of Rain has Forces 4, he may use a Change Weather effect, but only to make a brief – 1-hour duration – rainstorm, replete with thunder and lightning. This requires a Presence + Occult + Forces roll, and is subject to the same penalties as the spell (M:tA, pg. 172)

askariknight: Your limitations, such as eye contact make some sense, but I'm just not feeling it.

1st Attainment:
I'm thinking that, especially given the discussion given before, that it makes more sense to require an Expression roll that induces the Emotional Urging. In other words, the legacy enhances natural ability with artistic expression to supernatural degrees. Roll Manipulation + Expression + Mind. Penalties for linguistic and cultural barriers would accrue, as well as targets. The action would determine the time required.

2nd Attainment
I'm thinking that the penalties for cultural or linguistic differences fade, as the manipulation becomes more ephemeral. Manipulation + Empathy + Mind, reflexively, to induce a strong emotion in an area. (One could, at this level of skill with mind, simply cast an area of effect Emotional Urging, for a mana.) The attainment may only be activated in the presence of a source of the emotion in question. Often, this simply follows an activation of the first attainment, as it creates a scene that generates an emotion.

I'd keep the duration concentration and the cathartic release as stated, as well as the optional effect.

3rd Attainment
Hmm. What to say? I don't really follow the rain connection for the third attainment. Thoughts on this?

TheNate:

3rd Attainment
Hmm. What to say? I don't really follow the rain connection for the third attainment. Thoughts on this?

The rain connection had to do with the literal expression of a Tamer of Rain. The way I wrote it was the metaphoric expression of a Tamer of Rain: that of an instigator of repressed emotions. Actually being able to summon a rainstorm out of a clear day, for instance. Rain is also a symbolic representation of release, which is what the Tamer typically does.

TheNate:

2nd Attainment
I'm thinking that the penalties for cultural or linguistic differences fade, as the manipulation becomes more ephemeral. Manipulation + Empathy + Mind, reflexively, to induce a strong emotion in an area. (One could, at this level of skill with mind, simply cast an area of effect Emotional Urging, for a mana.) The attainment may only be activated in the presence of a source of the emotion in question. Often, this simply follows an activation of the first attainment, as it creates a scene that generates an emotion.

I didn't want the area of emotional urging, because while the creator started out as a playwright, he began to drift more toward specific people. The Legacy is all about 1-on-1 or 2-on-1 sessions, not unlike an actual therapist. Perhaps I should add an Academics requirement of 2 and Academic Skill Specialty: Psychology to the first Attainment. Your idea is has merit, but it departs from the original concept.
Of course...that's often how Legacies diverge. The apprentice could start out with the first Attainment, but as they become more experienced and skilled, they learn they don't want the same level of involvement as their mentor possesses, and so they break off from the mentor and create their own second Attainment at Gnosis 6.

TheNate:

1st Attainment:
I'm thinking that, especially given the discussion given before, that it makes more sense to require an Expression roll that induces the Emotional Urging. In other words, the legacy enhances natural ability with artistic expression to supernatural degrees. Roll Manipulation + Expression + Mind. Penalties for linguistic and cultural barriers would accrue, as well as targets. The action would determine the time required.

Perhaps Empathy was too hasty...it doesn't fit the creator's background, lol. I definitely admit that Expression is a much better option, so I'll change that. Penalties for cultural barriers makes sense, but language isn't as important...it does make a sort of sense, but I think it'd be more of a roleplaying issue. After all, unless the mage subdues the target, he's going to have a hell of a time ensuring the subject maintains eye-contact if he can't communicate the matter.