me C ' m t l

t 8 ~ i c gand rulescluiflnriuir, rIw ~ . p

h-iimin-cways m nm P m c in a mdfy J i f f m rh,VmWuild

rhs T d m und ato fit qaur tI&m Rm -a

wi& &

W d u f ~ h ~ ~ t h c f f ~ d ~ ~ ~ o n d a b u
the erne ybu'vr nlwqm -wanted m play. Anything's posribtu!

Scoryrellcr game system designcd by Mark Rein* Hagen

Fannc~n,Alejandm Mclchr~r,Kevin A. Murphy, Adam
Tinworth and Dsvid Wcinsrcin
Development: Rill Rridaes ;mcl Jcss Heinig

Interior Art: Jasim Felix, Laildon Foss, Jeff Holt, Lcif

Jones, Matthew Mitchell, Alex S1-leikman

CAME STUDIO
0 2002 Whitc Wolf P u h l i ~ h i nInc.
~ , All rights rcscrvcd. Rcpraduction without thc written permission of thc
phlisher 1s expressly forbiclclen, except for the purposes of reviews and for blmk character sheets, which may he
rcprcducej. for pcrscwat use only. White Wolf, Vampire, Vampre the Mrryuera~lc,Vampire the Dark Ages, Mage
rhr Ascension, Hunrer rhe Reckonins,World of Darkness, and Aberrant are registered rra~lliiemaikrof White Wolf
Puhl~shing,Inc. All rights reserved. Werewolf the Apocalypse, Wraith the Oblivion, Chmgcling thc Dreaming,
Wrretioif the Wild Wcsr. Mage rhe Sorceren Cmsade, Wrai th the Grear War. Triniry. Dark Ages Vampire.
Victorian Age Vampire, Dark Ages Mag.c, and The Mace Storytellers Handhook arc madernarks of White Wolf
Puhlishing, Inc. All rights rei;crved. All characters. names, places, and rcxt hercin arc copyriehted hy White Wulf
Publishing, Inc.

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Thc mention of or refercncc to any ccmpany or ~rocfuctin these pagcs is not a chaZIcnge co the trademark or
copyright cc>nccrncd.
This h c ~ uses
~ k the supernatural for settings, characters, and themes. All mystical and supernaturalelerncnts
are frct~r~n
and mtenilecl for entertainmenr purposes cmly. T h i s l x ~ l con
k tams mature content. Reader discretion
is advised.
For a f ~ e eWhire Wolf catalog call 1-800-454-WOLF.
Check ozlt Whrte Wolf online ar
httF://www.whitt.-woIf.com, alr.gamcs.ivhitewulf, and rec.~amcs.f~.atoryseller.
PRINTED IN CANADA.
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This a >our hook.

This is t h e hook that rcsults from

decade ofhiage players and fans, frum a!]

and play up a romantic Kame, hut you srill have Spheres,

Arete, thc quest for Ascension, and all t h : ~ r, i c h ? So
what du you do if you want
play a game wherc

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and revisions,

i ."
ncatIy into the core framework of the rarnc, expands makc Mage Your own t l l i n ~ .
To that end, this hook has c!arificntions anJ upcurrent ru1t.s nr twcaks a few things to fix them.
NCIU,
[hiShook, in cunjllnctilln with you, w i l l break datcs on ruies, sure. Ir also presents alternatives to the
thcrn all again.
trsualMagepmc-difftwnt waysoflwkin~archrc~nic1e
Mage
fralnework -a
if yllu design and magical syrtcrns. More rhan just preacnring
,'"'"P'
1' Prcsenc* these ar ins~lrarions.Tl""
are
will-of ruics and seriina
1 particular filrm of
examples
of
rhinqs
you
can
dn.
in
ways rhar show you
'
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bend a lirrlero
a marc
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violence-an&hctrayal chwniclc, or you could rwcak it
you"' need in
to
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ut'rules, clarifications, s u ~ ~ e s t i o and

n s adAll right, we've tossed the GuIJen Rule nut there
vice- Indeed*rhcrearehundredsc3f &r.aFsof and tcdd you ro tness around with rules thac makc the
them. Ul timatply, howcvt.r, they arc hew p m c fun. "So ivhY," ask, "am I
for a houk that
for one reason - to remind ynu of that just rells
me to makc up
lwn ru\csr'
"prcme wideknownas
RulcRecausc rule hooks are llkc prefah kits. They con-

norhing in here is rhc "right way" to iin it. TIIIS and

pllh]lsheJ maitrials help tu do

When you want to diverge mxkedly from the

direction of puhtications, though, you may frnd yourself
in enlpry terrain. Stire, you might havc some stuff In
mind from a rcccnt movie, or perhaps you want to
hykidize some rules. That's where rhts hook comes in:
You can take a look at wavs m ttv nut thing5 you've
lvanrcd
du hut haven,t pllr dl>wnon paper.

the discard pile. You will hear a lor of people say that
soleplayinc games are not ahtlur winning or losing, hut
rhose jirtwps of players and StoryceIIers that have the PRWM BR IT
mnost fun rcallg arc "winning the game," and don't 1ct
l-he ~
~~ ~ ~ ~is ahllLlr
d bpreparedness.
~~ k
~
anyhcrdy ECII vou otherwise.
hope that uur idcas will you
nlnflt'aT games
fly, hut
rcJu
h c l ~ ) . o l 1 a n d Y o u r t r o u F e ~ i n i n Y o u r e f f ~ ) r t s t c ' t ctndistanceyourselfh~lmthehasicmcdel,youneedto
l~
storics that are fun and entertaining fur ail nf you.
pitr your ideas down in concrcre form. T h i s huok offem
Ultimately, the Sroryreller should use the r~rlesas t l ~ e~nspirationthat h e l p you set
your o l n
to015 to enhance the h n of the game for herself and thc ,-hrtlnicle jirecrions.
players, This does n r ~necessarily
t
mean wantonly ahanIn Mape more so than in orhcr games, p~eparasion

...

,,,

texthouk.. .hur it's a ride through wcmcIrous reillrns and

t h ~raduares
~
ate all Storytcllcrs with the riqht stuff.

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overrum rhrm in favor of story promess. \Vr hopc this

book will help reach Storvrellers to makc rtlesc dtclsions on their o w n as nfre11as it offers specific decisiims.

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1ike a cnntradiccion in rernrq, yes an^
- while [his h o d
hc a comFrd,cnsive
stuff?

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ew~thing,it can help ~ o i nyou

t in thedirection of many
different and interesting ideas, and it can give examples
rrf wavs to implemenr rtrose ideas. Among these pages

you'll find.. .
Chapter Oner T h e C
answers to those liurning yuesti
you've always wondered abou
had minor corrections over time. (Nobody's perfect.)
You'll find answers TO y ~ i u rquestions here as well as
some ideas on tchy t h i n e were done the way thcy werc.
Additionally, this section includes a hoatload of
oyrional rules and n ~ l e sto change around thc p ~ m cIf.
it's a rule that wotrld total
Abilities or alter the Sphe
Chapter Two: The A
many roleFlayinggames, Ma
sulrtle and ahssmct. The villain is obscured and may not
he a villain at all when viewed from lzis own perspective.
The various sources of dramatic conflict and the possiblc antagonists central to Mage's metaplut are
introduced here, nfunn with ~deasfur using them to
drive str,ries and plots.
Chapter Three: Awakening the Storyteller. Advanced advice f t ~ rStorytellers who want to spruce up
the game or who keep having problems running it.
Sectlng up in advance, advic
ways to smplify your systems mil paperwork. Motives,
thctnes, and methods. Plus a disserration a n the hasics
ofphilosophy and how you can apply that cerchral angle
to Mage.
Obviously, if you're ninning Mage you're probably
a prerry advanced Scclrytelfer already. Chapter Three's
advice covers unusual situat
when playersget our of hand and shows-you how
can
bring your game up to speed by combining advancc

planning with some

time-savin~templarer: or
parcd-down records.
Chapter Four: Avatars and Seekings, Vital to a
triage's t n a ~ i c a lrlevclopmcnt is t11c S e e k ~ na~ sort
, of

trips in astory?This chapter rellq you how and prtduces

myriad ideas for Avatars of all Essences.
Chapter Five: Alternative Settings. From fanciful
worlds of magic co spins on thc outcume of the Asccnsicln War, this chapter cnvcrs several samples of

usual chronicles.

If you've heen itching ro run a Mage gamc that'? a

space opera, or you want to play around with mages in
a fantastic setting out of comic hooks or movies, this is
the place to loak. Beforc thc World c f Darkncss hccomes passe or repetitive, browse through tl~eseideas.
Some of them r n i ~ h rspark a new direction for your
-chrc)n3clc or spawn a com~letelvnew one.
Chapter Six: A World of Magic. A Ii~ng,hard look
Darkness-and

what you want to watch out for! Ways

t o integrate other game chemes and characters. Expanding the World of Darkness to encompass othcr ideas
heyund the core of Mage.
More than just giving you some crossover ruIes,
rhc3ugl1, Chapter Six is also a toolkit - it examines
venues and how to address those issues. In some cases
they rnav not cvun he problems o r may spark new ideas.

Running a compelling, engaging Mage

game is hard work! The Storyseller you - must put a lot of thought into
what tho garnc's ahout, how rn execute
it, and which area3 of the rheme and
mood to focus upun. I t may not sccrn like
much a t first, hut it's a lor t.o juggic. Do
yourStn~teIlercharactershave
the right

mindset eel capture thc game's mood? noes Resonance really work the way your players all claim that
it does? What the heck was the development and
writing team thinking, anyway?
Lct's start small, with thc nigglin~rulcs, anti
then move up to che hiE t tme: the assumptions
behind why Mage n o t only wclrks the way that it
does, l ~ uhas
t produced the many 'huoks it has.

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panded upon, as necessary. You'll also

find answers to several othcr yuesriuns
that may have come up in the cnilrse of
a l o n g ~ r c mchronicle.
What happened to the numbers on

N inc

numbers from various

Victims of word col~nts.Mage rcvired, fur example

clocked in with 90.000 wwrds over what wc
dur
=hanging
dates, to lTooks
coulrE
print.
For reference's sakc, that's ahout equal
wrong numbers!
to an cxtra 160 pagcs ~f material ehat just couldn'r f i r
Ry the time c ~ the
f Revised edition, i t was clear
in the main hook. It's unfortunate hut it's alho 3 h w
that rhe spinp n~~mhrrs,
whilc perhap? u~I~imsically
c
~ fpl~hli,shing. Ir's up m the Jeveloper ru dccidc
flavurful, Jicin't servc tnucl~purpose yet convcrscly
whar's essential and what can bc hcld tlnril later. So
could cause problems. (Yes, people actually cnmplnined whcn a typo Ied to a clurltcated spine n i ~ m h e r if yo11 thtiuglit ~ornethingwas a t the heart of Mage
hut you didn't see it In thu hook, chances arc that it
on one printing.)
was held for a larcr release.
Perhaps mure notewnrth y, sornc Mage hor>kqOf course, with rhc rclcase 05rcvtscd books and
the Trad~tinnbonks -never had a spinc numbur, s o
updarcd
Guides, a Lrt of material has finally made i t
there was no way to fir them into anv sort of crrtnprctn press. StiI1, every rlnce in a while something
cluesn't fit Iwcause of .space (like Merits and Flaws in
This list includes all of them, including oJirions
Laws of Ascension) cir manages to sl ir thzt~ughthe
cracks into ohscurrry (like Lions of Zion, who nevet
appe;lred in the reviscd Storytellers Companion).
I'm confused by the new Paradox system.
01 Bc~lkuf Chantncs
Does Paradox always backlash? Does it always
04 Loom c ~ Fate
f
release the entire amount? The descriptions seem
05 Progenitors
contradictory.
Faradnx is a fickle forcc. Sotncrimcs it hack06 Dir.lral Wrh
lashes; sumetimcs rt w a ~ t s Scrmctirnes
.
i t ' s a hammer
07 Bcmk of Shrioiur
and snmctimes it's l i kc sandpaper againsr your skin.
08 Cl~aosFactor
Faracirlx us~tallyignites as ~ r ' rgarnered h u ~not
09 ireisrion X
alwalfs.
Figure ahot~ta one-in-ten chance that Para10BotlkofMadncss
Jox will hang cln a mage insread of hacklasl~ing
11 Ncw Wt>rldOrder
immcdiarcly. Of cnurstl, the p l a y c ~can always cpcnd

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23 Orphan's Survival Guide

Inch Nails CPF and

splrud- anyrhine:frum hookr

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of Mirr"rs
20 Syndicate

27 Spirit Ways
In too manv cases a spine numher wound up 28 Mastcrs uf the Art
being more trouble d ~ a nit was worth. They nevet
had much use ("1 need Mage \look ell!") and rhcy

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I6 Hnnztm: Stronghold of Hope

1i Boclk of Crafts
18 Book of Worlds

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Willpower to prcvent the Paradox from going off all wcll bc crm-icidcnce - the mage dues his magic and
at oncc. Ultimarely it's up to thc Starytcllcr to wavus his hands, hut the device is doing t h e work,
riccidr whether thc Paradox cxplodcs as gathcrcd o r righcl As far as pcnplc can [ell, anyway. S ~ i n i l a r la~ ,
whctl~crit hangs in the halance.
nlage tnay have special kntlrvleclge ahnut some litrleWhen Faraclux hacktashes, it's t~suallyeasiest ro known "t;lct" r)f sclenct. that he lcans cln, hut if it'c
simply fire offal1 of the Faraclox accrtmulated at once n o t widely spread and believed, rt won't appma'to be
anrl look up the resuIts in the appropriate Jamage a natural part rlf whatcnuld have happened, so it'll he
~ n rflaw
!
t a h l e ~ IF
. ~ o wua n t to run wlth more ultcer- vulgar magic o r science.
tainty in your Paradox, gnu can roll a die pool equal
When a maye does vulgar magic, he cuts louse
to the Paradux rating of the mage; each success (6 us with an effect and fites off somethinE thar clearly
rnorcj causes one point of Paradox t o discharge from violares t h e natural order. Simple. A coincidental
the pool in a backlash- (Perrnsncnt Paradox can still effect is usually much mure suhtte, though. The
dtschargc In t h ~ care,
s
but i t doesn't go away.) Take mage sets maglc tn mtltlon hut rhen weaves that
the reqults for the amount of total Paradox thar magic into the Tapestry. The magic nudges events
twcklashes; the mage stores up the rcst.

sketchy.
Vulgar and coincidental magic are described in

In brief, coincidental magic is anything that

ccluld rcasonablv have happened without the intervenrlon of magic. If a m a p rloes some mojo and a

couple of cars crash, well, they cottld'uc crashcd

and lo, his enemy was struck down.

duncnl hut hecause nn elevarnr cnuld conccivahly

just happen ro lsccnme stuck.
Vulgar magic i s angrh~ngoutside the bcjunds of
coinciclrncc. Thc mage hurls lightning from his finsteps lntu a bathroom in one city and sreps our of one
in another c i t y , it's clearly something that couldn't
have "just IlappeneJ," and ic's vulgar magic.
The hotln Jaries c3f coincidence
aren'tser, tl,oueh+ ThCCclnscnsus
What
be/lez,eis

Flaw.'
Permanent Paradox results when a character

'cality.
'
For instance, a m a ~ can,
e
its in^ Life rnaaic, ~ i v e

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violates the "laws" u i convcntlonal h ~ ~ m a nrhinpexlst. I-lcncc, vampires and othcsnqiht heastlcs
extstcncc. Why doem" thc Mastcr m f k r Pactern lurk ~n the real wi>rld.

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snore damage - hut it never goes away. It can't he

removed with Prime magic. It only gnes itway if the

Of ctlcrtsc, ynu can play around with che idca d

w h o rxactly makes up rhc Conccnsur. It's not nccessarily only humans. Mayhe spirits, animals o r cven

Permanent Paradux i q nut the wme as a permanenr Paradox Flaw. The Latter rcsults from a nasty

ancl spr-eJ.
When stepping sideways, does the Avatar Storm
cause damage from failed Spirit dice, or from a

Okay, smarty pants, so if the Consensus says

"reality is what people believe," then how come the
Consensus works? Most people don't believe that
reality is whatever they want to believe, so it
shouldn't he, right?
The C ~ n s c n ~ uis. 5a n aftereffect of the crc;lticlTIOf
thc Tellurian. Like the existence of Prirnc energy, ir's
not really suhjcct to interpretation. Frimr cnrrgy
(Quintessence) exists rn spitc tlf rhe k t thar mwt
n ~ ~ pm
c ~ p~ l don't
el
believe in it. I n some case5 there
a n things thrr just " r e m ro hc," whcrher due to
h i s t o r i c ' inertia or c ~ s r n n l ~ ~constants*
~ica~
In Mage, belief, channelecl throueh wit], create?
reality. Mages can do this consciously bccause thcy
arc Arakenrd. Sleepers du sa only on the dcrpcrr
most unconscii~uslevels, such that individual belief
amounts for tirrlc, h u t the cnllective mix of such
unconscious convictions is stronq enough rtl bind
realirv to a Prtlcular m ~ d cof h c l n ~
- co makc it
follow ce~rainrules of what is acccptahle and what i s
not. Since it is an uncilnscit~usprocess, people can't
simple wish things wcrcn't ctiffcrent (unless they're
Awakened). ln addition, many neumtic conrent. uf
c h ~ collecrivc
r
unconsca~oso f sorts might well make
their way into consensual reality, even c11ough noin his right mind wnulJ consciollsl~let such

It's Aretc + permanent Parailox. Thc Stclim

affects onlyenlightened individuals and crcationsthat is, mages and Talisman?.

So how come the Avatar Storm doesn't affect

shnpeshifeers, spirits, whar-have-potr?
The Avatar Storm i s atcracrcd ti1 strong, powerful Avatars. It's Ilke [iEhtninRstriking a magnet.
human and certainly
Shapeshifters arcn'r
Jon'[ llavc Avatars in the Mage sense (tllcv have
bur lhey part
Spiritentities, by chc
Avatars.
same rrrkcn, are
whydid
Avaar stomhappenfie a?iy
it did? It seems like a copanut to take Masters and
the Umbra out of the game.
Sotne people think the Avatar Scorrn is just a
clrlt
device that came C1ltt OfnflWheree
well,m,,ltjple
n,,~,,r
devices
off in the undeswatld. ~h~
sixth ~~~t~~~~~~
Doisseteg cnlaapsed i n
largest
disdavo f ~ o r c cin
s memory. The ~ i ~
wchi ~ ~ l

crashed and

reset. The Tradttinn strongholJ of

~ , ~ , , ~ d i , l ~ , , i , was
, ~ invaded ; I n d f c ~ ~~d
~!
thilt the ~
~
~of hcse
j
~ upon
~ dhe l
spirit
nothing happening!

pame+world sanse, rheA v a t a r

ir a
a reminder of the impend
ing Sixth AgeJArrnagedJon anrl a slap in thc face

who rhouphrt[lpt

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much as an individual's own ego will ntjt

permanent l'aratlox.

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they could meddle around w i t h cosmically de-

to

heal

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srructivc forces.
other people?
->
\
As implied in Life 3 , 'Tu
mure cnrnplex creatures,
In a theme/ mood sense, the Avatar Storm helps
co make the Umbra more isnlated and mvstt.rious. I t she can exvrt change, causing the entity tcr Krow or
,Av:
also cuts the Masters off frnm Earth. thereby chang- change 2s she desires," a maRecan heal clr injure other
ing the power dynamic of t h e game.
people (and complex animals} with Life 3.Transforming thc Pattern into something else requires Life 4.
See also the metaplot wrap-up c ~ npp. 33-75.
What's the deal with the metaplot?
It seems really hard te build a fast Effect. With
See pp. 32-35 for a discttssir~n of sll things
penalties for fast-casting, required successes and
the like, most rnages will have trouhle getting more rnetaplorty.
than one or two successes in a turn,
How are Geasa (Mage Rev pp. 298-299) supThis rule is dciihcracc; rnagcs should take timc to posed to work?
prepare, cast their Effects wisely and use brains, not
A E CFlaw
~ rcJuces the
comespon$ing
*
hrurc force. Magic turns the unlverse cln its head - Merit or Flaw. Thu potnt table, unfr,rtunatc]y, is
it is not something done quickly or Sightly! Magic is hackward (oops). So r[vou have a vcrr
geas,
not a n instant cure-all for everything. A mage can'r ir's
1 poinr - it reduces the cost a Merit or
d
rely solely on magic to f i x every ~ r o h l e m .
Flaw only slightly. because you're unlikely to break it
A mage itndet stress i s prohahly h e t t c r suited and thus unl~kelyto lose the Merit ur suffer the Flaw.
usingsorncsubtle magic tonudge events Into her I f y r ~ ~ ~ h a v e a v e r y n a s t y g ci at csa, n h c w o r t h u p t o 5
favor or splitting dice pools to get a simple per- points - it will mirigate a Merit because ynu're
sonal Effect 'hacking u p a normal action. K e a l almosr certain to lose it. Of crlurse, a geas' value can
tiranic workings will take time and cffort. 1fa magc never be mare than one less than t11e value of its
jusr has to do ~ a m c t h i n gphenomenal in one turn, corresponding Merit or Flaw.
d
that's wha.t Willpower and Quintessence expendiA rtraightfibrward example: Say that your mage I
I
rures are for. Rememher, too, t h a t if all that your has Sphere Natural: Spirit (a 5-point Merit). Then
magc wants tn do i s kill someone with vulgar magic F E ~ Ythe ch;lr;lcter has a Reas t n always lcave s small
'*
t h a t successes on the attack roll do adcl to damage sacrifice nffnnd fc)r tlw spirits whcn cating- arninnr
4
as with any other sort of atcack, so even a one- gcas, worth ahout 2 points. Thc cost of rhc Sphcrc
success fire blast can inflict si1n-t~hcfty d a r n a ~ e Natural Merit is ntlw only 3 poinrp, bur if t l ~ cmagc i
with a good shot.
ever fails to fillfill the peas, he loses the Merit.
If a Storvtcller wanrs to let rnages huild faster
As a Flaw, considcr a mage with tho Crucial J,
Effects, ir's easicst to get rid of rhe fast-casting Jiffi- ComFUncnt:
sunlieht Flaw. This Flaw is 2 points.
$4
culty penalty and t o loosen up the success chart st1 T h e magc also rakes a p a s : always cat your vcgthat one or two successes can still score useful T C S U ! ~ ~ . ctahlcs, a 1- p i n t geas. The mag= gain.<one freehie
know what was intended - that magic point for t h e Flaw, hut i f he ever fails to eat his
Nnw
:
he a demanding hut rewarding craft. If you w a n t to veggics, he suffers from the Flaw in the filtu~e.(In
;i
d
.
this case, ynutrc gctting potnts fnr .a Flaw you don't
change i t , yor~r a n ewen
suffer
unless
you
hreak
the
geas.
Pretsv
sweet.)
Um,what are the Technocracy's
Conventions,
anyway?
Can a mage change Traditions?
-,I 4
Conditionally, ~ e sA. mage whoswitches through '1. &.,-, Blast, that sidehar just didn't makc it intoMage
Revised. In brief, the Technocracy has fivc Con- diffcrcrent Traditions durinc early training gains the
.
ventions: Iteration X, cnnccmcd wich cornpurer BunlT~aditionsMerit(seep.298ofMa~e).Similsrly,;
: and material sciences; New World Order, w h i c h a mage might gain this Mcrir during the cciurse of
wnrks with stlcial engineering and information dis- play a t a cost of 14 experience points and lots of rolcttibutinn; Pru~enitors,who practice medicine; t h e playing. Thc magc gains the indoctrination and yc
Syndicate, which works with money and econom- skills nf: borh Traditions at once, which is why i t ' s
*
. $ .,t
ics; and the Void Engineers, who explorc and chart such an expensive Merit,
*
{I
unknown places and dimensions. Together they
A mage rnrght change to a wholly different Tradi4
uphold the Precepts of Damian, a set of guidelines tiun and ahandon a former one a t some poinc. The
I#
q
b
M
rn
char exhort t h e m co procecr humanity a i d e x ~ l o r c magc prohahly gains the Pmkatianary Sect Memhcr
::the cosmos.
Flaw LIT a sunilar social ~ e n s I t y .Making such a
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experience like
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"getring scligron" or s ~ i f f e r i an personality
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Jrastically ~ n c shuws
l
w h y mager so
magc isn't just le;-~rninc
a different way of r n q i c ; thc rarelv try trr srvltch twer.
character's tearing apart u,l~ath e knezu to he true
Thc mage r e r ~ i n crnte knr>wlcdgc, mundarlc
ahout the universc anJ trylng t o put sorncthin~else ahilittes and mystical hackgrounds. Rcsonancc almost certainly increases or changes as a result of
such a shifr.
A rnage's A F C ~clorsn't
C
EO tlc~wnas a result, h u t
ely that t h e rnage's Sphere knowledge
What happens when a Tradition mage i s Conr . Afrer all, a trained Hermetic magc ditioned into the Technocracy (or vice versa)?
hy o p c n i ~ l gthe appropriate gates and
Scc the rirles for changing Traditions, above:
calling the right hinding spells on angclrc powers The mngc essentially learns a new way to J o thines,
he can conjure fire, h u t if that l-lcnncric mage hut old Sp1lete knowledge i s inaccessible until the
cliscards t h a t information as useless ruhhlsh and mnge can figure ouc how tn apply the new tools. Thc
instead tries to lcarn to use intuitive rechnolc~gr; m a p " sexpcriencu isn't wholEv lost - thc maKv is
like a Snn of Ether, he must essentially rclcarn, only paying half cost to rcgaln the Spheres. after a11
from scratch, his Spheres.
- hut it's still ;1 long mad.
The hcsr way to handtc this situation is co use
Of course, such a character a l ~ r rain4
>
thc Pmbathr rules for a mage who loses a unique focus (see tionary Sect Mcrnher Flaw. Magcs jumped into the
M a ~ ep. 20%)clr wants r o learn to usc nther foci in Tcchnocrncy ;~lr~iosr
ccrtairlly a11fFt.r ;l hiyll level c ~ f
aL1LE1t1onto a uniquc tt~cus.The maqe has a couplc Conditioning (scc Guide to the Technocracy).
ot choices: hc can cast spells by "surpassing foci"
That is still better than trying to Awaken someand just forcing the magic ta work, ur he can start one from scratch, ancl i t ' s easier fur a former
learning a new f c ~ u s- the new Tradition's focuh Traditionalist to relearn cllcl Spheres than for n
set - fnr a Sphere hv rchuying his exicting dnts at n c w l ? Enlightened operative ro learn thctn, which
halfcost-.Ycs,it i s a v e y e x p e n s i v e p r u p o s i t i o a ,
worlclviews

st)

explains w h y the Technucracv places a prem~umnn

capturing and reconclitionin~Tradition majies instead of always killing thcm. (This custom alsn
eives yntl great plot hooks for "rescue out friend
hefore he's ConJirioned.")
Say, could I use those rules above for changing
my rnage's foci?
Ynu bet. You can overcome the need for a unique
h c u s and replace it with the normal focus limits of
chc Tradiriun hy paying an extra 50Yw for thc cnst of
each Sphere level in that Sphere. That strips thc
penalties for the unique fr~cusand allows the character tcl use rhe normal Tradition sct, Why would you

seemed Ii ke a good idea a t the timc." Magcs do

have special ahi lities, hut they arc ncithcr omn ipotent nor infallible.
Why aren't Technocrats and the Umbra in the
core book any more? How do you play the game
without the spirit world or the main antagonists!!?
Techni~crsts aren't supposed to he the main
antagonists any more. In early edirions they had a
verv one-dimensional "black hat" caricacurc, painting them as lurid villains against the Tradirions.
With the release of hoclks like Guide to the Technocracy, they're now playahlc as misguided humans
with their own agendas. Sincc they're n o t "thc en-

putting it in if it's so vague?

is crpnnJcd upon in Guide to the

much more pervasive and suhtle

ncw rulc uniquc to the revised edition.

Thc hasic idea b e l ~ i n dResonancc is that a rnage's
drjve3, emotions, and personal~cyall affecr her magic.

many conflicts facing mages.

The Urnhra i s indeed a large and vihrsnt realm,
3 place Thatvsf a r away from most
the rragedies

'

ir can he a n y

Similarly, Resonance is a magical "sccnt" ur son,the Urnhra presents s great vista LLI play in, truc
it's not thc srtimping ground for newly Awakened
"flav~3r."A mage's spells have that q i ~ of
t Resonance
and it's almc~staln~ays
unique. Remember whenL7arth
VacIer sensed Obi-Wan's presence on thc Death Star now have new ways trl deal with thcm. Strnilarly, rhe
in Stnr Wars? Resonance i s Iikc that - your mage sheer scope and complexity of thc Urnhra aren't
casrs a spell and quddenly hcr old cncnly recognizes redly done justice by lcaving it in two pagcs of ccxt.
T h t Umbra will have its own sourcehook, The Infiher Jut. to the Resonance.
mite Tapestry (forthcoming).
Because Resonance represents omotiun and dc' I h e Mage core hook rs, essent~ally, a primes for
?ire channuIccI through magic, it changes in response
someone
playing a new mage. Newly Awakened
to thcm. Magcs who go throueh a lot of magical stress

Can you have multiple different types of Resonance in the same category (like Entropic)?
Yes; see the optional rules, below.
Why did rnages do (random stupid thing)?
maCer arc human* too- They
mistakes. Somutimcs they do rhinps hecausc "it

..

games. This is a mistake, sight!

opmcnt ofvampire Revised, he'd always understood
"currcnr raring" to mean "rating you're currently
huving." It makes more sense t o some pruplr that
learninc more (,fa
(the
Jot) is harder

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t h a n Icarn~ngthc ruJinrcntnry basics (thc first d o t )

same "current"

clr

"new" ljcfinition for all characters

fir into its truths ahuve all.

Why are the rules on ghoul mages so harsh?
Ghouldom is a furrn of parasitic serv~tudc.A

How come hunters have the role as humanity's

Thc Dark Ages: Mage rulehook delves into this

the early 1 3'l' century - hefore rhere were the Tracliticlns as we know them or even the concert of the

Not really well. T h e idea of laws c~fthc wnrliI

influenced by the consensus of human belief isn'c

Tec hnicalty. magcs arm' t humanity's guardians.

Thcy're a next step in human p t e n t i a l , true - hur
nothing says thnt mages are required to use chat for
themselves to help and advance humanity. Orl~ers
helicve that they must usc their powers for their own
pcrronal develcrpmenr.
Hunters, on the other hand, wcre givcn their gifts
by entities with very specific goals in mind (scc the
HunterStotytellersHandbook).Theseagendasd~~n't
necessarily always mean protecting hurnaniry.. .hut

things as humans.

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impnrrancc hut don't knnw i t except in a fcw riirc Voorinass and Jodi Rlake should underscore this poin t.
cascs. In Vampire l~urnansare victims; thcy unkno1c7You cot~lcithink of hunters a? ordinary people
ingly have ~redatcrry monsters in their midst.
jilvcn extraordinary powers, while mages are extraorWerewolf [here's a very specific way rhar the corrnijs dinaryproFlr (r~lcyireAwakcned)
rxrrairrdinary
works. with delineared goor1 and evil.
pc~wcrs(magic).
Nonetheless, these garncs ccluld conceivably take
Is the Umbra the same as outer space?
place in the same world, hut onc whcrc not cvcrvNo. The G a z ~ n t l e tis extremely thin in space.
body is alwal's right. Even a wcrcu1olf's die-hard rhcluKh,so much st, that it's easy to slip hetween the
hellefs in the suPrcmacY of the natllral world aren't ruo
hl ages he p n d Mars can often slip rhmueh
necessarily corrcct in such a postmodcrn, s u h j c c t i t ~ intL, the u m b r a as if f t k sa hhallowing+still, I.llaccs in
wt~rld.O n the flip sldc, mages may find that not only the Umbra arcnqr,,isihlc from ~ ~ ~space
l ,-l<,th~
human5 ~leci~le
what's rcsI and what's nor - un-, s i , , ,
p~anrt-houndamateur astrologers
u,oul~7ve
knownspirirs may have jiisr ss much (ifnot more) say
rhc ~ ~ ~ d , ~a,arii ~ jup,~
i n rhc matter.
tclr hack in thc carly '90s!

How came rnages with fae blood or shapeshifter d ifficulty in just addrcssrng the possi hle comhinations of exist in^ powers, Mcrirs and orher atrr~hutec
kin Merits can't use Gifts or cantrips?
Bccausc rlleir supernaturalpowers donbt work within a game linc itsclf. A "complete crossover
that way. An Awakened magc doesn't have the compendium" would be encyciopcdic.
Secondly, the games havc Jiffcrent thematic
sarnc tic to the Gaia-cosm as a werewolf, nr to the
Dreaming as a changeling. She's hecome some- clemencs and assurnptions.Mage typically rcvnlvcs
thing e15c - something humanlike, vet un the around humans s t r ~ v i n gto empower and impravc
pinnacle of what it is 10he human. Such a being is themselves. Vampire, Iiy contrast, focuses iln chc
in touch with inner powers, nor with gitts from
some other heritagu.
Still, a mage can use Spheres co simulate Gifrs or
cantrips that she's seen. Underthe right
[his usage might even he coincidental ("Otllcr kinfolk c a n do this, so can I!").
M~ friend s a y s that virtual~
d are
~ ~ ~ d i abvi~ i
technomncers. 1 say
ously. Who's right?
You both are. A rechnomancer (lower case t) is
just a mage who uses techni~logyto mystical ends.
S u c h a m a p m i g h t he a V i r r ~ r a l A d e p t , a
Dreamspeaker technn-shaman, ur a Euthanacos from
the Lakshrnists. Cnnverscly, some Virtual Adepts
eschew mysticism entirely and more properly use
Enlightener1 Science.
Adding to rhc conft~sinnis rhc fact that early
edit ions sometimes ref~rrcdto Technocracy characFerS as "technomancers." This terrninolofiy has since
heen overturned - technomancers use technology
for mystic ends; tcchntlcrncs use rechnolr)gy for
nonmystical ends.
Can my mage become a vampire or werewolf
and keep his magic?
No; a maw who I x c ~ m e as vampire dies
loses
his Avatar. Werewolves are horn with their prcdisposition and mmeonedestined to hccumc a werewolf
will never Awaken as a mage hecause his soul is
alreadv part of the Gaia cosmoIo~y.
Also, Samuel Haii2hr was never a mWe* tcchnically. He simply had a magical item wjrh snme
phennmen~lmagc powers crammed into i t .
When i s White Wolf going to publish a big book
of crossover rules?
It isn" tiilicly tn happen, for several reasons.
First and fr~rcrnost is the complexity issue. Addressing every single cornl~inatlonof powers and
weaknesses i~ a nigh-impossible task. Consider the

m o n s t r o u s n a t l ~ r e o f t h enow-undcad central char.

While t h e two aren? always mutually
cxclusive, they do clash - having vampires who
suffer under the hurdcn of dr~wnward-spiraling
Humanity while their rnagcly allies brazenly kill
opponents d u e to a diffcrcnce of opinion is not
hut
~only unfair
~
t really
~ not much fun. In terms vf
hackstories
rhere's
~ ~ ~ l i ~ ~a similar
~ , prohlem - if ynu use
the Mage setting, rhen you assume t h e existence o f
the Consensus, the Tellurian and all the trappings
rhereof. Sf yuu use che Vampire setting, you assume the existence of Anrediluvians, clans and
t h c Rihlical notion of C s i n ~
and an
quite
inte~reltatinnof the Judeo-Christ~andeity. Thc
two don't mix wcll or easily. If there i s a God, rhen
snme rnages are wrong ahout fundamental axioms
of the cusmos. If there isn't, then where did varnpires come from and what's the real story hehind
them? These qucsrions require answcrs that force
a retooling of the setting.
That leads to the third problem: meshing matcrials. Each setting has certain principles that
wo~rtdrequire a lot of effort t o strip out and rework
for cornpatihility. Each one is a complete worlcl
unto itsclf and appropriately has an individual
game developer
its cumplexities. Haw
out
full crilssr,ver hootr wnuld mean
setring-apecific elements and
them
plcncricversions, often u,ithoor t,,e u+-eel.7
~n place. Furthermore, it w o ~ ~ lmean
d
that e a c l ~
g,
developer would haveto he fully fluent with
rule, convention
and historical foible of
each game line, instead of just paying attention tn
and maxtering one. That's a bit much tn ask of s
single human heing!
If you, as a SturytelIcr, want to tackle these
burdcns, you're welcome to do so ...j ust he aware of
chc scak of difficlllry yo11 porentiallv ct~nfrr~nt.
acresq.

Every ~ o o dStoryteller w h o runs garner

for any lcngth uf time is likely t o dcvelop 11er OWTI ~ I O U S C~ ~ 3 1 Thts
~ s . t s not
t o s a y t h a t if YOU JOnot mskc rrp same
specia! rules of your own t h a t vou are
somehow not a good Storyteller. It i s
more an observation that few gror~ps
are enrirely 1 OOIX~ happy with evcry
singlc rule exactly a5 we have written
activcly encourage Storytellers to change rules
thcy d o n ' t likc instead nf stcadfasrlv following
cvery t c r m In chc huok w i t h o u t q u t s t i o n and withuuc regard for consequence co their sct~rics.You

*.

suggestic>nsfor cvery sinele occasion, Rut this scc-

thatyoumapfindusefulinyourgnmes.
A couple of points clcserve special note. Attemptlng t n answer numercjus Ietters involving
disputes: hetweenScorytc.llcrs and playcrs has taught
us some lessons. First of nf!, folks, if y o u and your
~ l a ~ c r s c x n n o t along1 it i s ~ r o b a hrime
l ~ t o find
some new players- Refore you ahandon your fellow
playcrs, I ~ o w e v e rcheck
~
(Jut some of the suggcs-

:>

[ions that perplex you most. Secondly, we have

seen too many playcrs t r y tn twist rhc wording of
the Golden Rule. The Gulden R'tle i s a tol'i fc'r
Storyirllers to apply t o improve the game. l r does
not apply to F ~ ~ Y ~'vho
T S are
t h e i r StorytcElcr's rulmgs. Frankly, rf yclu c a n n o t
abide hy your Srorvrellcris rulings, you arc pruhs h l ~nor he in^ bonesr
~u'lrselforYour fciloa
~ l ~ v c iIfiyou
* really resrtcrcd your s r o r ~ t e l l r r and
your 'cl1uw plnycrs You
to ~ ' l l lsolnc
trump card out oia bcluk ro t h r i ~ win her facc. Find
a Storytcllcr whose gamc you enjoy a n J hrop
r i ~ h j r c r i nyorlrrell
~
anil urliers ro rhr nepnriviry
ycru are c r e a ~ i n g .

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are
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~ to r~c ~ u c~
e
Ilje difficulrv of mag,c. ~
~
~rs rhc
~
,
~
Mage rulcs, you m;ly spend onc Ql~inressencepoint
tc, lo\Lrer rhc target
by c,ne or rcl recluce
numl,er of threshold successes needed. A magician 1s

hc similarly limited.
Therefore, a Storyteller may wish ro a d t ~ p tthe

following suhrlr adjusrlnrnt to

llqr i,f Qu inteisence i n h e r c ~ l r o n i c l r s , When
Quinresrence
t o reduce maplcal Jifficuities,
t11c limit shoulcI be rhc highest of the rnage's Avatar
or primp Srherc
Thus if a Master
Primp mngr
never
wlrhan
soul hiit
KaincJ incredible influence over primal cncraies
a n y f i ~ y ,sllf would he
m exercise rhis poivrr
suiral>lv, A maae
level prime anJ an A varar
rat in^ of 1 woulrla llc ableAti)mace
spend up t o I Quintcse n c r points
wlrh
rrimc

1
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Magic i s a rather indefinable thing in many ways.

any real attempt tn define it
heynncl certain loose houndarier nf tradition somchow cl2etractsfrom the mystery and fantastic nature of
its supernatural feel. Nevertheless, Rarnes rnr~stby
necessity have rules, if only to prevent arguments
and prnvicl~gruundwork for s e t t l i n ~any dispurcs
w h i c l ~mighc arise among players. Mage presents vnc
of the most s u c c e ~ s f icxrtrnples
~l
nf l~lcndingan opcncndcd, i n f i n i t ~ - ~ o s s i h i I story-orientcd
it~,
magic wit11
a solid, 13alanced rules system [hat h a s ever heen
introducccl into rhe roleplaying game industry. Even
so, it is a syqtem that l:y its vcry narure encourages
evcry single Storyteiler t o adjust it here and there as
shc sceks ro rtancform her vision of the rulcs into a
mirror image of her
WortcI of Darkncsr;
paradigm. Most o f us were drawn to the idea of r n a ~ i c
a t some point in our cl~ildhoodand i t i s rrnpclrcant
never to lnsc totally t h c wonder of the child in the
face of the wisdom of are.
I t is :~lrnostas though

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a n d an Avatar salineof 4 would rcrain thc ability t o

very quick, easy systems to run combat as smoothly

expend 4 Quintessence. TIw reduction of rargct as possible in order ru avoid any disturhance t o the
numbers w.ouId still be limited to -3 frnm thc oripl- story. Other Storytellers find extremely srreamlined syrtemsa hir unsatisfying, as thcy clftcn sacrifice
nal hase difficulty.
some degree of realism or restrict the options ot
players significantly.
One uf thc crrmmon cumplaints chat StorytellEven the core Mage hook presents a few alternacrs familiar with previous editions of Mage put tivcs, sucll as the cinematic damage n p t i r ~ nt h a t
fnrrh i s thc perceived lirnicarion uf rhe Avatar allows people a small chance to soak even lethal
Storm upun users of Spirit magic. Often such indi- damage forms. This option may nnt appeal to Storvviduals too hastily ignore the powerful setting tellers who think rhar guns should he deadly. I r may,
change that brought chis alteration. Some Story- however, strike the fancy of Stnrytcller~who worry
tcllcrs may legitimatcly feel that thcy do not likc that the normal system does nor differentiare in any
chc harsh ways rhat this change discourages the way between the Spartan st i~rdinessof Stamina 5 and
more spiritual sides o f their Mage game. Othcrs rhe anemic sicklinecs of Stamina 1 when faced with
might thought fully note that ilt seems aidiculous to any source of "letha 1" Jamage. These arc t h e stjrts oi
them that any srarting werewolf character can decisions a Storyteller must rn-ake when Jcterrnining
more easily "stcp sideways" than even the most whac sort of game h e wants ro mn.
potent Master of Spirit magic.

A n y Storyteller could simply invoke the T ~ I N I I T~uA~T M G RBLLS

Under the base Mage rules as presented in t h r
Golden Rulc and do a w a y with t h e Avatar Storm
cncisely, h u t this optional rule is presented fnr corc hock, a character can score a successful hlow
thuse who wish ro prcscrvc t h e s e n c r ~ lfeel of thc and, duc to failure to Eer any succe5ses on t h e
canon sctting. The ntrrrnal Mage rules stace thar damage roll, nix pasc a threat to an opponent
~
t h a t any sucany attempt crn t h c part of a mage character t t l whatsoever. One option is t r assume
pierce the Gauntlct causes agRravuted clamage to ccssfcil blow always causes at least unc Icvcl of
f
~ o o r l l ;thc
lthc magc anJ thac this darna~eincreases thc hirhcr clamage hefore soak, regardless c ~ how
his Aretc riscs. Thc Avatar Storm Paradux option Jamage dice mav roll. Thus evcry successful strike
removes rhat clause - so t h a t characters can step presents a t least a small danger that must be soaked
i n t o rhc Umbra freely -and instead declares thar to prevent damage.
all hotch darnajic incurred by magic rolls or ParaM l T 1 ~ l m u hD A ~ A G E
lox related to thc Spirit Sphere i s aurornatic2lly GRADES
Another ~ p i o nheytind the hasic "'tninimu~n
aggrav;tred. TIle use of Spirit magic is still mi>rc
rhcAvatar Storm, damage" "11c is t o cause characters to have an
JiInEcrous than i t was prior
~
in
h s
c
i1
f i
t e
, a d automatic minimum d a m a ~haled
failcd rolls that d o nor botch, do n o t cause clarnage sc""J. A character who scorca a whopping qcven
to the mag,-. ~h~ A~~~~~Storm still retains irs successes (>TI a n attack roll prohahly hit very s ~ l potent story reason for existing yct is not so hin- idly - t h e l r l a ~ c rEalns extra damage dice, 1'llt
rhese dice might still roll very pnnrly and dn nil
J e r i n ~r o pracritivners of thc Spirit Sphere.
element5 rhat will unfold o v o ~t h e ncxt series of
Mage releases, romc ofrhem dealing s p r c ~ f i c a lwirh
l~
mages discover to skirr [he
damage
enter the Umbra wjrhout hartn - hut not witho ~ cc~nseyi~ence
~ t
or cost.

stnrrn

-7

-.

---

3 c

'

rating

-.

A minimum d3maF' grade o f o n p level of dam-

for the hasic

per three fill1 successes works
SturytelIer system. Thus, a character W ~ I O ' SA nlastcr
with knife-f~gl~ting
can almost jiuarantce scnrinn
tcllinghlowswitheverygc>adhit.Yuumir;rhrpla)with rhe mulriplicr, too, making it one for t w t ~Or
One of thr areas o f the gamc which can prove One fC'"~u'.
(Thanks to Sean Patrick Fannon, who came up
most c o n f u s ~ ni ~
s that nf cornhac. Once several
t
characters cnter a violent confruntatlon, the sheer with this perfectly scnsibIe rule Inng ago and ~ c has
n
l
long
for
ir
iu
see
the
light
oi
~
r
i
n
t
.)
a
Sroryrcl]er
h
d
d~
number of f>lcrorrruddenlV
can Frnve mind-hog~ling.Sr7mc Stnryrellets prefer
ARC

C~IBA
CHANGES
T

+.

4
-

'1
4 -

+-

.W

V
I

'8

1-

.I..~c

V 4,

t
,

I
1'

t
7

-.

I +

I ,1

, ,'j,)

,'

;I,

-:'.

.,-,.J

bq

,
I

1 . .

'

:a?

1':

:*

;idm

CHAF~~~NE:THECR~
lu F T -

.J
! +1 .

,.

'''-

b l i1.:

1 .

# -

I - ,

I-

.;

1 % -

'7

. l
,

I'

- ,. ., 11,

"

I I
<

naincs; they

exist

only to 5t;tnrl I3etween the charac-

rollcd

part of a damage dice pool activciy reducc

t]lC nctmbcI of successes of [hc damageresult. Anochcr way t o tweak the damage systcm is to assutnc
that " 1s" do not cancel out damagc successes. Thus
the ~~Jrls
of a damage ~ o ocausing
l
at least r.me lttvcl

For cinematic cornhat Rarnes, assume t h ~ any

r
char:$cter with nu name has only four health levels
(healthy, hurt -1, w ~ u n h -2,
l crippled -5 1. Your
players will mow t h r n u ~ hthe monks much marc
rapidly.

of Jamage are increased, albeit nnfy slightly.

SYNCHR@N@US
ABTL~Es

DAN@R@USDAITAGE

The normal rutes for Mage: The Ascension

incredible luck.

WeaFon might kill without arhitrarily raising all

damage levels in the game. This rule could he used
On its own or cnmhined with other 'ptinna'
age rules. Combined with other damage crptions3
combat hecomes a lot mure deadly, which can
instill more of thc l ~ o r r o that
r
is part and parcel of

The rules t o reprcscnt these syncl~rcrnoususcs of

are very simple= First, rhr Staryreller dcrermines which*hility is [hc
one. ln H~~~~~~~
case, as he TRCCS TL) evade the p l i c e chase, his activc
Al,i[ity i s ,-Iear] Drive. For Gail, who is attempring
to keep her friend fro,,, dying nffrosrbitc,
active
~
~
~is~ ~~ d, i l~ i ~ ~ d~ . ~
~
Secondly, h e Stnrytellerdecidcs if another Abil-

rules are invoked.

Hcrrnan has six dlcc for his Crafts n)ll (IntelliFt.nce

2 + Crafts 4); after r o t l i n ~hc scorcs t w o successes.

'.'

-m

lk ;I 1
I*1

", ' 1 1

I '

?$
: '#J.

-,

I u--

c,

In high-action games, you always have them: the

hordes ot knife-wicldina culristsl rohcd mystics/ Gail has seven dice (Intelligence 3 + Survival 4.3 and
a a l n e ~haho L,ns 1
tine thugs. TIley hHvcno rccti\,esa miraculous five succerscs.

m, m -S T. @ R r n L L f R S H A N D r n L
I m i r m I
,'.'t , f v d , ? ' l ~ ! 'LL/.bd,~'l
! pl'kli.~~Jfu
.. I 11
4 1 '

I ? -

20

-,I:

a#

f ,
8

Lb1..l

"'.'i1';

1'
9

I , I

.. r

'I

..

: -

I ,

'(-

Finally. [he playcrrolls t l ~ e a c t i v e A l . r ~ lrnodi~t~,

fying the rarget number appropriately. Herman is a
good driver, with a D~xrcrityof 3 and a Drive of 3.
so he rolls six dice. With the sliprery streets and
narrow rtlads, thc Stvryteller rules thar he would
norrnallv have a + 1 penalty to his difficulty. Luckily

C N E W ~ C~ G T C

the police in crsfflc.

your magic to have lots of whiz-hang-pow-sock ac-

helps to bring her friend through

cient medical knowledge.

J e s p t e her JeCi-

Core Mage a~sumesthat magic is a carefully

slowly
huiIt power that requires precise con-

W W ~ ~Is)-IARP@R%sY
GIC
Te69ST
cannot he less than -3 or more than +3, the five

clcmcnts of magic hard or cRsY to do.

rolls four dice (Intelligence 3 + Medicine 1) and

scorcs all successes. Hcr cxpericnre as an explorer

fairly large dice pools

Thcr break

- an average person w i t h
decenc professional skills has four dice - most

- .q
,

f
I -

uR,W ,

r:

1
1

2~
r

-r

:::

.-=;
11=': , *,

4
CHAFT'~R!~NCTECRA~~21
C .

I..

-.

. -.- ..-- 4
- ---' 7
!

v--

miitre:, h a v e a

"

,fif

- -

c , so most prnposiither the magc scorcs

s outright. Thcrc's n o r
a whole lot of room for variety.
Foci and Paradigms: Usc of foci and p a r a d q m s
helps to limit manes hv forcing them to use specific
tecIlnlqrles. If you say, "You c a n ' t do
if yclu c;lnlt
figure our a u,ay ttlat yoltr Cl,aTaCtt*l. WCllfld,71YC,II
mages acc<>rdingto
ta
lilni
ti, play characrersrheti
can understand and
research
A player will
a paradigmlIe can*t

Difficulty: Magical diffici~lcyratlngc ramp up as

Sphcrc. lcvcls increase. Hi~hcr-lcvelspells are naru-

<

7-i

--v
-1

J'

damage, etc-

!%UBL ~UCCSSES!

Eanlu here had rhc playen

A recent
running heroic maf2cs doing a llunt-and-destro~
a ~ a f n ~ t ~ ~ a supernatural
rious
critters who threarencd
Tradition interests - a sort of m a g c l ~hit squad.
t e have the
Since i r wt>ulJn't reallr he a ~ ~ r o p r i ato
c h ~ r a c t e r s s t u c kusing very minor effects t h ~ don't
t
score ~nuchdamage o r l l e l ~cml'ower their skills, the
m h ~ t i o nwas simple: make t h e magic more effcctivtl.
All successes were cnunred as two, sn bast. spells had
mice the rangc, twice the damage, and ro on. Thc
mage still had to score successes a ~ a i n s trhc sarnc
difficulty, sn spells wcron't easier ro cast, hut with
cvcn the bnsc 3 Arcte a mage could srilI pull off a
powerful effect without using a ritual.

~ZHWS:

ALTERNATNE
SYSTE~
~
Rx s @ ~ c

structures rely upon said roolr. A rnaee ores

thuse foci ar part and
c ~ how
t
rhe ulorks magic.
It you remove foci from t h e Fame, yott make manic a
The tollowing 5yscern itffcrs a way tu handle
lor easier. h u t you also rcnlovc any real need Ir~r
Tracfitions. (Why w o u l d Hernlctics a n d Pararlox and Resonance diffcrcntly from the ~1sua6
l3rearnspcakcr.i ~rguuovcr tuchniqt~ewhen nci thcr ~ m n system.
c
In this form, Resonance irn't nccessarily a "punishment." Rather, it's more a reflectictn of
of them has 3 rcchniyuc!)

helief

I*-' ' I

'

I,

-.
1
I'm

'

It

lJ*

;B

1
.

rally lzardrr to cast. Ifvou cinkcr with this system, you

make it easier nr hardcr for hasic spells to fire off, b u t
here sffcccs into the
''hasic spell" category. Consider, fur instance, that a mmt Y. SPHERE
vulgar Sphere 3 effcct has a base difficulty of 8 - i f
I f you want rhc magical success rolls to work
thc casrer has three d m of Arrre, that's going to he
like Skills, vou can use Arcre highest
c
drops ccr, say,
prcrty hard to pz~lloff. If t l ~ difficulty
lnwcst) Sphere ratinq Ci~r magical dice pr~ols. Of
6, rhcn a 3 Arete charactcr is practically guaranrccd ctlilrse, unlcss you c u t Arote rating$ in half, p o u l ~
to score it but may not have extra successes t o spend m i ~ h gu
t up to 15 dice (or milre).
(because Asctc dice are so scarce).
If you make magicat rolls rcvcrc from highest
Spending Successes: Rccausc it costa SLICCCSSCS Sphcrc irscd, plapcrs will always try to find ways tu
penplel causr uxtrn
u t c n ' work rhcir hcrr Spheres intu a n v pffecrr. reenrdlers of
ic's hard to make effects hcyond simple oncs that how appropriate it may hc. Still, rhis rncthnd also
the
' 1 i o w e r i i l ~ Or r e m o s i n ~ llelps esrahljsll [hat certain ,+haracrers have their
thesc limits y c make
~
ic casicr tu casc group spells, o w n signatusc "tricks." If you make it wcvk off lowe5t
long-rangc spclls, a n d spclls t h a t cause laqting
Spherc, magus will tend to rely nn effects [rum their
darnagcnvcr2narea.
hect areas and d o cnnjuncric~nalmagic only in dcspcrrn~iun(which is pretty much par for the ctlurqe).
It's supern~age!"Foci help to add a lot uf flavor
rtr mages -thcy'sc tuols thnt magcs usc because thcir

"

clnc success cnunts just as "this makes thu spclh gn."

In this variant, thc spell works a t no sxtra c t ~ ift ir
has any cuccesses; t h c successes can instcad lye applied toward thc varii~uspieces likc d u r a t ~ o n range,
,

,,,,

v ,<
-

, *

very h e f t y limit on their Aretc ratlirnir for a starting

-7,-

Onc verv suhtlc way tn incrcasc magical pnwcr i s

to rule t h a t 3 spell with any successes on the cffect
roll wnrks at no cost in successes. ln a normal cffect,

the ct~;~ractrr
nf rlle magp ~ n her
d cleeds. Tl31s cxsrnplc i s o n e way to rwcak a cnze rule tntr*rst~rncthin~
c l ~ m p l c t cJlffcrenr.
l~
Mure than any orher creatures, rnagcs affect anJ
are nf'friected by rhe reality they l i r e in. Their Ava-

tar\ ccho wlth thc rccnrds of thcir dccds and thc

naturc of t h r i r charactcrs, cxistcncc shaping and
shsycd by thcm i n turn.
There arc six different varieties of cchoes, ref l e c t i n ~the Jiffercnt spiritual paths dclurn which a
tnaec can walk, rangrng from the chill depths of
Wintcr tu the carnal tic~ghtsof Summer. the {anciful
dreams of Spring to rhc banal reality of Aurumn. the
hlack depths of Night t o the hright reaches of Day.
The further one strays from the center, the more
oxistcncc hcnds and is bent hv t l ~ cmage. Indeed,
majies ~vhcrpass hcyund the boundaries of each path
Zc;tvc [his cxisrcncc tror a higher or lower plane,
transcunding or descending from existence ;is most
mages know it.
Echoes range on a scale from 0to 10. Mages with
Echoes heyund !O poin ts are removed from the game.
Autumn: Aurumn is ancsther wcrrd for the evcryday w o r l d , tlze h a n a l reaIity despised hy
chanqclings and embraced bp Sleepers, the dull,
safc, sanc and rational world nf everyday care. It's
rhc world c l ~ a rfor
, the most part, dues not helieve i n
magic or dreams.
All mnges sa1.e the most crazy Maraucless havc
somc decree of Echoes of Autumn, which comes
with l i i ~ i in
n ~the mndern World of Darkness and its
bleak setting. Since most rnages live day t o day in
the sanc, rational world of Autumn, these echr~esdo
not have anv visih1e cfteccs (though they will in t h e
land rlf drefims).
Tuchnocrats are the furthesc up the scale, having
on average an A l ~ t u r nEcho
i~
rating of 8-10. making
unc count a5 an "Autumn Person" in the lexicon uf
changelings. Autumn Folk are creatures c ~ forder,
Eencrally clhsesseJ with minutiae and c n l J facts.
1111mc~rlesslnrl nu-ntmscnsc with no time er pat ience
for silly things like dreamscsr dragons or fairytalcs. In
fact, most believc shar such things should he exterrn~nated,especially ifthey9rcreal. Not a11 Technocrats
h ~ ~ lthis
r l ideal, but those who sre marc t~llcrantof
draguns and more fanciful things generally havc a
rattng u l less than 8.
In t h c 6-8 range arc the Modern Cynics Sclns o f Ethcr, Hollow Ones, Virtual Adcpcs and
m a n y Orphans. They believe quite strr-rn~lyin t h e
mundane world and conscqucntly are most ac h n m e
in it, it being ncithcr too crazy nor too horing for
thcir tasres.

In the 4-6 range arc the True Relievers, includin^ some memhers of t h e Celestia! Chorus, Akash~c

Brotherhuc~d,Euthanatos and many Nephand i - a t

least, the mote devout ones.
In the 2-4 range are the Mvstic Traditions- the
Vcrhena, Cult of Ecstasy, Ordcr nf Hermcs and
Dreamspeakers. T h ~ i rhclief in rnodcrn reality is
suhscantially different from chac of most of humanity, and ctmseyuently their Autumn Echo i s much
lower.
Finally, in the 0-2 range are the n ~ o r cweilwrapped Marauders. Theyye not completely mad, but
they make Forays ~ n t omadness nn a regular hasrs,
msclnessl~eingmother name for the EchoesofSpringtime, also known as t h e Land of Dreams.
Spring: This way lies madness, and wonder and
dreams. A mage whnse Autumn Echo drops helow 0
hcgins progressing along rhe path of madness, alsc~
known as Bedlam, nr Quiet or the Echoes nf Springtime. Or, as thu Hollowtrs put it, they start "living in
thctr own privatc Idaho."
Ac 1-3 paints of Spring, the mage is jusr a f ittle
h i t "out there." Minor hallucinarinns of his own
fancy fill hic reality, mixing with what he still
perceives of the "real" worlcl. Thcse changes are
small and suhtle -odd music plays, Ilrtle
voices speak to him, little [ticks of the imagination
and t h e like.
At 4-45 prints d e l ~ ~ s i ohecnme
n~
ctmmx)n. The
mage sces, hears ant1 touches c h i n ~ srhar others
cannot see and mav ignore t h i n ~ sthat sane rnages
know to exist. M ~ g e sin this crate have heen seen to
walk through walls as if they weren't there and clirnh
invisi hEe flights of stairs.
A t 7-1 0 points the mafie intetdcts with his own
fantasy world, which mav have l i t t l ~t.cr Jil with
a n v t h i n ~left insulijcctive reality. He may call pet~ple
by diffcrcnt namcs, ride invisible horses and tilt a t
windmills.
A t 11 points and heyond, the mage departs this
reahty, the spirits o f Para~loxtaking him off to his
own private fancasy worId.
The more Pararlox a mage acquires, the closer he
comes to the hrink of madness. Technncrats are
saner t h a n most and thus have a greater buffer zonc
Ilefose they fall nvcr thc edgt.. In exchange fur this
increased capacity, thcy also have an increased capacity for Paradox hacklash. Mages of more mystical
Tradi tinns don't have asfar t o slide but also don't run
the risk of having that slack snap hack rn hit them.

4-6 points of Wlnrer cause prunc~unccdchangcs

System: Mark your char,~crer'sspot on rhc Ech-plants
shrivel and die a t rhe r n a g e ' ~t r ~ u c h mlIk
,
oes c ~ Autumn/
f
Spring scalc as dictated by Tradition
sours,
and
his
voice
seems
slow
and
gravelly.
1-11s
and character concept. The Autumn1 Spring axis
prcscnce
is
a
constant,
disquieting
rcminder
of
runs horizontally, wirh Autumn TO the right and
mortality.
Spring to thc left. When you acquire a point of
Paradox, mark it under the character's spot cln the
Ar 7-10 points of Winrcr, t h e mage is so
track, marking additional Paradox to the left. When ahsorl7ed in the necrcjsis of the Tcllurian that his
your Paradox p~rolreaches I on the Echoes of Spring- prcsencc is like a sore t h a t hrings swift death, Not
time sidc of t h e scale, your characrer enters Quiet. only ilues his l m J y hecome cadavcrnus and pallicl,
If your maXc h3s a n y p i n t s of pertnancnt Para- his presence is cni-Iugh to cause headaches and
dox, mark rhem from right ctj Icft, srartlng a t t h c far panic attacks. Even the hardiest soul recognizes
right. Whun the Pctmancnt Paradox rcaches t h e the cold gaze r>f d e a t h in the rnagc's egcs. Miscar"Autumn Echo" marker, lower the character" Au- riages and suddcn illncsscs follow in thc wake of
tumn Echi-~one notch. For example. a character such a harhingcr.
with 5 points of Permanent Paradox cannot have an
At I I or murc points nf Winrcr the charactcr
Autumn Echo rating of h ~ g h c rthan 5 - he's just has become a walking scourge, s o poten[ t h a t his
too w c ~ r dfur srandard realtry - while a charactcr prcsrnce damages t h e Tellurian ircelf. Such a hewith 11 or more points of permanent Paradox is an ing hecomes a shade -sucked into the Underworld
incusahle Marauder.
KLI c t ~ n t i n u ccxiarence as a cursed wraith hcnt on
Permanent changcs to the Spring/ Autucnn axis dasrrucrion.
occur when the mage undergoes major shifts in his
Summer: In the bcliefs of the Akashic brothers,
way of thcrught ahout the world. Just as pcrmancnt your msge i s irnhalanced coward Yang and her boJy
Faradox can lower the Autumn rating, so roo can bristles wfrh the scarlet chi. In reality, flowers spring
Technocratic Conditioning raise it.
up in her fnclt~rcysand rrces hursr into bloom in her
presence. She is a messenger nf growth and life.
Mosr rnagcs, being creative forces by nature,
Winter: En rhc words of rhe Euthanaros, thtise have a srronr: rating in Summcr. It's the invcrse of
u~hostray d o w n [his p a t h are touched with Jhor, Winrcr, bringing a blossoming newncss instcad of
thc dcathataint. In t h c philosophy of chc Akashic stifling or crushing crcncivity.
Brothcrhuod, thcsc mages have an imhal:ince nf
A t 1-3 points thc Summtr Echoes arc pleasant
rhc Yin principle. In practical applicatii-In. their
to he around: rhe mage is fairly creattve, ehulIient
roirch hrings Death.
and well-adjusted. Much like a happy, satisfied huA character falls into the trip of Winter when man her ng, chc mage radiates good chcer.
obsessed with death, destruction and the frcezinc
Ar 4-6 points, t h e mage has such a strong tie to
halt of existence. Ohviuusly, the Ncphandi have a
I
iving, growing energies that her hod y scems co radiEreat dcal of this sort of Echo. S~irneEurhanatos
acc warmth and compassion. Animal5 flock to her
evidcnce it, hut they also recognize it quickly and
and
grow hcalrhy undcr hcr ministrations;
move to cure it.
peoplc find her prcsence cornforring and cheerful.
M ~ g e who
s Echo wirh Winrer's puwcr often have
T h e wcmndetl hcal more easily and suffer less pain.
a very craumatizing presence- they hringrcmindcrs
At 7-10 points, the power of Summer is nearly
of J c a t h and finality with them. Such mages can
overwhelming. People in the mage's prcscnce heeven leave a sort o f psychic stain nn an arm, callsing
come almost clrugged -arouscd, excitable, desirous.
ghosts a n ~ haunrings
l
tn ii~1Iowalong. The walls to
Evcn the simplest contact hccomcs ltke a dance of
rhe world of the dead often seem to shimmer and thin
joy or sexuality. Fe~rilitymanifests asplants, animals
around the minions of Winter.
and people all become filled with life encrgy and as
With 1-3 poinrs of Winter, the magc might seem
a tcsult tend r i fostcr
~
new children.
a little uncanny to people. Perhaps he has an unusuAt
1
1
~ 7 more
r
points thc mage's living cnergies
ally penetrating gaze Lbr seems to havc a cc~ldwind
hecome so vibrant char inert flesh cannot conrain
foltcwing in his wake.

them. The nlajic dissolves into the Tapestry, probably giving birth co a ncw Node In the area.
System: Yuur Summcrl Wintcr axis runs as a
line., much like the Spring1 Autumn axis; Sutnmcr is
on the rijihlr and Winter is on the left. Assign your
rnage's rating accurding to Traditiun and pt.rst>nal
prerl~leccic~n.
Most mages will have a Summer rating
o f 1-3 at thc s t a n ; some Verbena and cheerf~rlLifestudying stlrtr atth upbcar naturcs may rangc in che
4 or 5 area. Killer Eurhanatos, emotion-iieadencd
Ak;lshicq 2nd Technc-icracy hit mcn will tend to start
with a Winccr cchu of 1-3.
When a characrcr destroys s r ~ m e t h ~ ng a pers c m , an idca, a bclief, a movement, a creation assign one poinr of jhor I.rv marking it under the
character's spot cln the Sitmrnerl Wintcr axis. Add an
cxtra point if the character did the killing with
m a ~ i cAdditional
.
poinrs go left, toward the dead elf
Winter. I t t l ~ character's
c
J h o r reache? to or beyond
1 point of' Wintcr, thc character may wffer from
Jl~orstaintedQ u ~ c t(rull dice equal to the current
Wtnterratrng, j u s t like a Paradox hacklash,and treat
"6q" as succct;scl;toward the sevecitv of the Quiet).
Thi~
result manifest> as dangernusly a m c ~ r abehavior
l
and unwholcst~rr~c
changes to appearance and petsnnaliry. Thcsc points go away ac a rare of one dot per
dav a c long as t11~character refrains from killing or
Jestray~nganytl~ingelse.
Summer/ Wlntcr axis changes
unlv
when a charac.tcr S ~ O ~ Vdclihcrar~
F
and consistent
hehaviur in keeping wirh [he altered state.

I I L I I ~ X I I ~ Y~ . ~ ~ i <~ric~aili ~11dic1111g
t
IIIL~ster, h i r it's hard tor anythinc ro rcally
touch you. Your darkness alfecw d ~ c
rcality amund you. Milk sow. in your
presence, candles hum blue, bread fails
to rise wd cream to chum, and televisirlnrgo on thefritz.Youalsolook sort of
creep?;,causing a -1 reaction mdifier.
Yoti really don't give a damn about
anyone excepr vnurself. People Jie and
you don't care. Animals can sense this,
and Jws pawl, cars hiss, and hoses

3 points

You are cnmpEetely heanless, except

your shadow does stuff when you're

not paying artention to it. You start
looking like the classic Hallorvecn

and a seririnu~case cdthe ugEics ior a -3

reaction mdifier.

~ m ~ u norJ touch a pruprly baptizd

~nfanroranyone whn'slusc knshrivcn,
rhough anyonewith the sligl~testtcluch
of sin on him ir fair game. Vcry fcm
people mistake you fm human and y m
now have a -4 reaction mdifier unless
you covcr it up with somc WITof mapic,
5 points
You are a nighmare. You float on 'the
surfacc of the water a d children and
nthcr scnsitives go into cnnm~lsionsin
your presence. Animals give birth to
rnnnsrrmities and Shakespearean sips
and prtents ahund. You also look 11ke
thcftcndvou are, fora-5 reaction mndifier.
yozl
are a devil in humanform
6-]boints
cnmpletely unplayal~lcas a player
cllaracrer. Rut St~rytollcnmay haw
you he as twisted as they want.
You have descended ro join the Dnrk
11+
Masters rn their Lalyrtnths and
Nephandi singmgsofyourdepravtty.

E ~ e fw
s NIGFSTW DAY
Thc Echoes c~fNight and Dav reflect t h e alternative and oppouite paths o f the soul - the push
ro strivr. for the divine and rhc temptation of thc
All humans llavc a choice t o cmhrace the
darkness of N i ~ l i ar
t to resist i t s lure a n d t r e d the
difficult p a t h that leads intn t h e lirrl>t rlf Day.
Thoqe whu cunsisttncly ~ r ~ h ohiah
l d moraI stand a d s and search f o a~spiritual mcanrng to cvistence
excmplih thc spirit of Day. Pcnplc who bcrray
their own kind anJ scck scllacr only in the arms of
marcrial ctlmforts, who scli~andertheir self-awareness and 11fchr a brief periotl of mortal plcasurcs.
f l l l m the wiles o f N i ~ h t .
is that r~ft h e Ncphandi,
Night: This dark
of tcrnptatir~nand cotrnpcion, rangme horn
the
casual cruelty t o the vilesr dcpravtty.

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CHATER~ETHECR~FT

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Dav: This hricht p ~ t h1 % rhat of r h C
~ c l c s t ~ ~ l System: Xlocr III;ICCS.;. I I C I I I ~ s t ~ i ~ l t ' nlt s~ cnliyhtChr~ru\as ~\*t.llas most ot humanity. P1.iycr charnc- cnmcnt, start on thc p , ~ t hoiPnv h v nnturc. hsqiyrn a
tcrs ~ 1 1 et.ncrdlly
1
qtarr nt 2-3 plninrs of thc Echoes Day/ Nicht axis, with Day on the riekt anJNiKhr(In
thc lctt. Chnrscrcrs with a hichlv ~ ~ ~ r ~ancl
t u mora l

Yuu

yruhahly have just I d a

lifc ancl necJ to cmilc

2 pclinrc

I pulnts

5 point<

.I

11;qrcI

r1;1rt a t

little inore

As a cl~aracterstrives f o r unlinhtcnmcnr a n J
~ r c a t c rcc~nnccriontn the lut.t. and hcaury of lite,

You'rc ana\.ernrelrw. Ycw Iskr wmc

pcoplc, 1~1vrothcrs and feel had
rlhvur h s r ~ n qthc f c s vuu du,
Y o u h a trulv kind and carrnE
~nd~vrclusl.
Animals can scnct thlg
and come up to you. C ) o ~ ~ \rhe~r
~ , ~ y
tail.;, car5 purr, and 11or~c.chit ynu
upf~~rcm-rotf;.
You exude porn1cheer
and arsuch gcr a +1 rcacr~tmmrd~ficr.

thc. ch;~r,~ctcc
cnlhraces Pav furthcr. Slipping from
cnlichtenrncnt by acceptinr brutality, cruelcr and
curnpromisc caur;cs the characrcr ro tread the ~ r a \ ~ c

in y o u r prcscncc, anJ rvc.n mollern

Jcmt'ns and reiv on cr;nlcism and rrickcrrl ~ 1 1 1

d i ~ r v l v s ~ ~ttnatlo N ~ e h r .

t i t N l ~ h rYou
. don't nerd turrackrempc~rarvu'hanees
a l o n ~r h ~ ~cale.
c
Rarhcr, ir's much likc a h~ndi~rnencal cllanee of pcrsunalirv when a macc riws or i d l s
alr~n
I r.~If vtiii\c fam~liarwith Vampire. this axiS i s
sirn~lasfu Humanity, A mngc who pcrfi)rrns humane
acrr. agonirct over his dcciqinns and cc~nl;istcnrl~

chlldrcn hccclme pc>]itc . ~ n d

mindful when vou're around. Y ~ I
also have a +2 reaction modifier.
You art' il Ircin~salnr. A holy ant1
hcarifrc liel~tseems to fr~lluwvou,
even the J;~rkcstcorners srcm bright
in your presence, and ~ I I C ~ F Cwho
look upon vuu arc filled with hope
unless they're Scpl~ancii o r
similarcrcarures, In r~hiclicaw they
ju$t h i s s ant! scurlclc away. J t vou're
cli rhc richt faith, vrlu mav e\,en
cjevelop stiernata or w m e clthct
reflection ot thc powers of rooti*
Yuu also hat-c a + 3 r e a c t i ~ ~ n
rhc whrlle
modifier as a result. A t r h i ~point

THE~ U S I C
The sheer hrcsdrh of Mage's magic 5rsrem can hc ada~rnting
t h ~ nThc
~ . Sphercs
arc I ~ r t ~ a drhc
, citccrq are lousclv Jcscrzbecf, and rhc ilifficulcy adjucrments
can~ornetirncshe a little r~venvhclrnin~.
Hnrv rlclyou simplifv i t for vnurplav.
erf!Thc casiesr answer lie$betore r'ou in
your Mage: The Ascension core book

- to which you ptnhablr F a y , "I'vc wad

rliinr!" Givc tho rnaelc sysrcrns ;1 fresh

l i ~ o k see
;
rbcm a< il ~ u r ~ l kmi td t r j+vurcontrol insread
C I;
l~J a i t n t t n ~
ctlllccrion of tables, modfiierv and offthc-cnft j udemenrs.

may prrrchaw rhcTnrc Fnith3ierir.

6-10 points Yoir are roo cood and holy for
hc-lid, or fir lcast to hc run RS a

C~NTANNG
THE P ~ W E R

plarer character.
Yo11asccnd EroJilv into Hcaven to

hc anc of thc aneels or \vhatcver

c,rher hiehcrm,vcrs vnli hellcW in.
-

~ ; l t j nuf
~ :1 or 0.

often.

I I+

i3

T h c magic stPstcm isn't mcant to lve t h e imal

arbitrr of what a characrer can ant1 cannot do. It
e x i ~ tro~d ~ r e c charart~r
t
cro~trth.L ~ I g;lrncs
F ~ prc.fcr
chnracrcrs w h o can cach claim a ~ p c c i , ~ l rol
v'their

the. n~ouclof thc chson icle.

l a u ~ h t e rlasting. Silly games make for good intcrludcs bur don't have the staying power of a morc
serious story. Ifone player is consranrIy tryingto
off hirarre
hc
dearmy rhc ma,d for

PAR~DTG~

he flar-outimposslhle for a
maee tcl pertkrm if they lie uutside the cliaracter'i
paradigm. As Srorytcller, you havc m he careful to otl,er Flayrrs.
rccormirc when :In
isn't appropriate for rhc
Limiting
hared
lnooJs is
character's srated paradigm - but don't he tor, rcwell within ymzr rights. If you cion't !vans pop cuIrure
stricrive. The game is about clynamic beliefs; a references ur silly spells, ~Iisallowthem. Ler your
:=
Hermetic m a p is perfecrly
ofincurpomtin~
know ahead of time, Occasionally, you can
his undcrsrand~ng:of moclcrn physics tnru his spells.
hend the rules and Iet some slapstick into the mix.
Characters will usually havc a ctmtemyorary uph i n g i n g and can use that kind c\f common sense game as long as they aren't overused.
along with their magical ~ n s i g l ~ t .
IT~IN~RSPHER~S
Still, some cffeccs just don't suit a p r t i c u l a r @P~BN:
paradigm. Generally, you can qucstion a player

leven a very hose one) for why the effect works, if herwcen linear Sorcery and the nine major Spllercs.
the character lacks the appropriate Ahilitics, or if i t
A ~
i sfhere
~
~based ,
~ a set qualicl?:
presupposes somc sort of truth that isn't a c c e ~ t c d h ~Fire, Terror, Dc>minatic\n and Stealrh wi>uld be

it with True Will.

This I ~ m i tusually applies to fast-casr magic,

si~lclrthe characrer wouldn't, have cime t o direct his

since the characzer can spend the time to adapt a

magical rcchniquc. Somc groups simply don't tcach
certain skills, I~uwever.I)CI
is ncvcs going tn bc a purc
Hermetic fncur any more than Enochian will cornplerely rep1;lce Akashic ~scc.ticisrn.A character with
the appropriate Merit or a lot of dcdicatiun mav
hridEc thc gap, hut char should he Flayed illlt in the
storv. A wcll-played characrer m i ~ h create
t
a new
Tradition from a mixture of methods. Leave it to the
plaver ro decide.

Take the Minor Sphere of Fire, for insrance:

Sense Forces (Fire), Heart's Rlood ("Blond
to Flame"; can power only fire-hased effeccs)

ma .

Wonders madc from flames)

* * Control Major Forces (Fire), Rind Spirits
(fire spirits only)
4 a a 4 * T ~ a n s m u t c Major Forces (nuclear heat,
major conflagrations), Font of Paradise
(Limited t o fires; can only power fires)

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be fire), E n c h a n t Flame ( c a n create

CWPTER @NE: THEC M f f

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Thcy arc not pcrfccc. Yc~uc a n use t h i s logic 3 s

justiftcation fur r n a k i n ~Spheres easier to use.
In rhe c h n r t ynu can see t h a t all chc Spheres
lead to another and can he used casilp to hlccd over
to another. Thc enzirc iinivcrse is i n t e r c o n n e c t e d .
Nothine is separate; nilthlng 1s alone. The Spheres
R r C 13 r ~ ~ [ranslation
~ g h
of what magic really is, set
into fi~rcchy the combined discipline c ~ fmages
from the Middlc Ages (ancI. somc say, e a r l ~ c r )
onward. Fnr Storvrellers a n d players, i t ' s a guideline used trl make yi)zlr magic something c o h e r e n t
enc~ugltro hc expressed in game tcrrns r)r ah a
mvsttcal cornprixnise for a diverse group of inaecs
rrving to w t ~ r krogtther.
Lclc~k a t tlic interconnections; scc how thcy
I j m @TUB~GRI~ICAICN
~
flow together a n d aiin to clsver HI[ ( ~ Cf X ~ S ~ C ~ C C I .
All Spheres are rclated to one another i n L ~ CForces lead t o Matter, as a l l matter is an accumuway or anorhcr. T h q all do s u r n e r h i n ~viral and Inrion (if atoms being hrtcl tuguchtr hy a force.
i ~ n p n r t a n tin order to keep the irniversc muvine in Marrcr leads tn Lifc; a l l lite iis a form uf m a t t e r r h a t
the fashion we know. T h e y are inrerconnecred rome- can qcneratc irs nwn forcec. Ther arc r h a t closely
how. Each Ieads to another to another to anofhcr in intrrconnected. Some paradigms (scientific rca c l ~ a ~that
n creates our universe and our wnrlcl. By doctionism, idealistic b c l i e f ~thac rcduce cvrrything
this seastmtng, yc~uare going rn gcr some hIccdover as t u mcntal phenomena) hind thcm cvcn more
f:~ras Sphcrcs go. Nothln? in our wtjrlcl is cornplctely closely togerher. A similar relationship exists hcpure, 2nd tht. Sphcres arc hz~manclassifications.

A suitahlc Syhcsc fur a devnterl Hermetic, the

Minor Spherc o t h e has mrwe influence ovcr its
domain than just Forces hut tacks thc inherent flexibility of the grcater Sphere. Again, yrlz~should iue
discretion when designing Minor Spheres. Thest.
rulcs are d e s ~ ~ n etod cnllance play, not give playcrs
a magical toc~lto iindermine your game.
You could nlakc this opticln the clcfault fior all
rnages and use the original rime Spheres roclercrinine
conjunctional effec ts, cauntermaglc, and other houkkeeping issucs. This way, Void Enfiinccts stully t h e
Spherc o f Space-time, a Vnniloun priest might invite
thc Sphere irf Ghcdc to e n t e r her, and Wu Lung
could cntrcnch his power with the Sphcrc of Guanxi.

tween Correspondence and Time. Thc only way tct

Conjunctinns: You could decide rhar a Sphere

effects have sume %mall.a m o u n t of ;Inother Sphere

either direcrion) a t the samc rato she circlps foci. To

reduce the hotlkkseping, yclu ctluld decide that a

in them.

. .

lists llnc such sy<ternl allowing p(>utcrfulmages tcs

11sccffccrs hclonfiinfi rn o t l ~ cSr p l - ~ c ralignccl
c~
with
the same part nf the Meraphyslc Trinity 3s the

Thus, thclse with upper lcvcls of Forces mighr he

a b l c to dn somc minor things in Spiric ant1 M ~ ~ FasC T
well. The point is ro realize t h a t a Sphere doesn't
exist in isolarion. I t is inrerconnectrd ru ali the

. -f
,

chi-lracter's specialtv.
1-lurc arc somu of thc urnys you can incoworarr othcrs in a conrlnuum. Like a rainbow, one color
rcachinfi intcl annther, the Spheres reach tn and
thu flow of rhc Sphcrcs inrn your gatnc:
F~~~~ of will: with this clption,
a char;lcrer fotm one annther. As far as game mechanics go, you
mav use a SFhcrc that follows from his uwn by C ~ I aI t 1 ~ ; llessen
~ t thc numher of Sphcrcs nucdcd to
~
Your @me he+
a Willpuwer point and taking a +3 diffi- 110 scrmc of ~IIUSC U ~ Q C ~ - I C V C sotes.
CUltY8djWFrmc'lr orl his Alrrr rt>ll, A s i f hp W p r p comes a little easier with the mechanics and rules 7 .
s u ~ a s s i n ga needed focus. In this cilse Ile dcles and a llrtle more concentrated on what the stc~rp
require his nr,rmaI foci fca thc Sphorc that alluws means to the ~ ' a ~ e r s .
him to do this.

T*

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CHAP~-ER@NE:THECR~FT29
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A WORLD
W r~8u-r
S P HRES
~

PAMMX

Looking tnrcrMage pnu may rcalirc that Sphcrcs

arc nor alivavs ncctlcll. Hcck, vou may dcsiJc rliar
none of thc magical sysrcrns in thc pnmc really works
for vou or suit5 you as a S F ~ I T ~ ~That's
C ~ ~ Cp ~Tr .f c c t l y
fine, becat~scrhc game i s what you want t o makc it.
Rut mavhc vclu'rc I ~ c as
t tcl &as o n hen. C I ~vC
t l i ~can
Jrr it. Thcre arc several \xXavsto d n it tf
Ii,ok at it
as just another star. Let's look at somc of them.
One idea iq thar of cornplctcly c i n c m a r ~ cmagic.
Ynu don'r need S p l ~ c r c or
s Arctc. Watch what your
plavcrs want rn Jo and a 4 what makes rhem think
rhcv can Jn ir. Have thcin rcason through it fur 1;Cru.

ParaJox is rhe law ~,t+

the Conscnqus. 1s it nec~lccl!
I< therc 8 11'3Y to110 ~ t d t f f c r e n t l y ? T h c squestions
c
arc
cc1rnrnt.n (often uttcrcd h y ~ l a ~ cwhen
r s thcir characters arc at the wrong cntl of Reality's Boor) and

r ~ a l l ~ d e s c r va cthouphtii~lnnwct. If Parsdux doesn't

suit ! r ~ >style
~ ~ r of pTay, drop it. In Mage ir represents
thc Tapestry rcjucring whnt a m-;1gc docs hccause it
isn't ssupposcrll to happen i n n a t l ~ r e- at Icasc, not
anymtlrc. Thc wtlrld has a voicc and i t is Paradox.
Does rhc ~ ( ~ ~ reallv
1 1 1 need that voice? In ycliir
game i t might not. Paradux prevenrc charactcts Erom
trsinq r h c ~ magic
r
for everything. It's also in place m
~ i v pl;-lycrs
e
a cha\lcnge ant! acld u n a n ~ e r c dquec-

the ht~nis in rlic c h a l l c n ~ c .

tinns. After all, tnaccs know rrlativclv llctlc ahclur
Another icfcn is t o haw c v c r y t h i n ~nn AlliIiries. how, c?tactly, tcalitv polices i t s horcicrs. Wise rnages
Ynu could say that in order t o cast a firehall a magc knnw rhat human helief plavs, a key, hut how thar
has t o have detnolitions and science Ahilit~es,or in rrnn<lates intcl heings likc Wrinkle snrl Flcckman's
order to charm sornconc 1)s has to h;wc S c d ~ ~ c ~or
i o n Follv i s sr,mcrhinF: tvnrrh invc%r~gat~ng.
WitZ~ol~c
Subrcrfugc. Magic is jtsqt a [winge t h a t eives VOLT P a r ~ t l o xwhat'!:
,
ti1 <topa character from mapping his
extra J i ~ to
r do s u m c t h i n ~or a \vny to i ~ t i l i xt h ~ fm~cr'ii~nc!srartrnn a fire insteatl nf ufinq a Ilighrcst
<kill5 r h ~ at character ~ l r c a dhas
~ in a creativc way. Fu t t h a t Jnecn't meat1 vrril need it. Mavhc yr>u want
1 7 r ~ i nit~[hi5 way al t c l ~ v syuu snmc cnntml o\.cr what a ivorld n.herc. Par;qJox Joesn'r exlsr and a magc can
a ch;~ractercan iind can't Jo, d
l11eat tlic camc time snap his itnEcrs to lrchc a cigarettc. R u t whcrc's t h c
hasing i t cyn ;I star for plavcrs t n irsc.
challenge in i t ? It's rtie challenge that innkcs rhe
A Storyteller could bnsc all magic on a macci< game fun. I f you 110 chvose t o run a gnmc wirho~rr
to I ~ cT C A L I ~ tu g ~ y~111r
~ c
Arctc. SpccifieJ meanings uf maeic don't matter. Paradox ycju arc goinc t c ~
p
l
~
v
c
R
r
~
ncw
challcngc.
Erreryc~necan do anythrnq. How kntrwlcdge!lrahlcthev
arc in i t is \\*hat rnunrs. T h i s ivr.gp a magc can dcl
One pocsi hle solution is t u makc rnaglc \.cry, very
iinvthinr: within 111s k n n ~ l l e d ~ Yotl
c . coul~l5 a 1 ~that if hard t t i lcarn. Sphcrc\ dnn't just lcam rhomselve~.
a mace has an Aretc of 2, he can Jo all t11cSyht.s~lcvcl a f t c t illl; R magc has to stucjy and practice. Expcrlrxamples a t 2 and s o rln. IT. makec an casicr aarnc fnr mentarion i s yossihlc, l~trrl~avcvv~~cvcrrcally
tt~rwglir
the Storyteller and Enowns thc playctc' Ilmiratii~ns. ctf t h c r e ~ u l t sof playing 1 ~ 1 t thc
h raw forces of the
As f;lr as Arere cocs ...y (ILI don't h a v e 11.1 usc i t uni\,crse tvitl~outa n y t l ~ i n gttt hdcl yo11 b;lck? Y r ) ~ t
efther. Ir'c possible to usc clnlv Sphcrcs as the hnsis JccrLlc [hat yrru want to lcatn h r ~ wt o makc tirnc slow
tclr magic:al citccts, !nstc;lrf of l c t t i n ~Sphere<A- Jo\\zn, so you praccicc and think you have it u-vrku~l
terminr. what lcvcl nf rnakic J ~ E Ucnn do. Iet r l l c ~ n C I U ~ .YOU try it. Suddenly y o t ~arc rnor.inz at :I cowdetcrrninc how manv dice you gcr as \\fell. I nsrc;lJ Flcrcly ~liffcrcntspectl. from cvcrvonc clse. Or you try
of u s l n e rhe Arerr. Irrcl o,f dice ro ~ l c t c r m i n r to lcarn hrrw to snap your l i n ~ c r c a n dsrart a fire. Yoit
success or ~ai111rc'.ra>ll your Splierc lrvul. Varia- snap tliern.. .and RLAM! You just I ~ l c wup an entire
rrons includc Sphere + A b r I i t y , S p h e r e + Attrillurc city block.
and cvcn Sphere + RitckgrounJ. If you usc thrs
This way uf ~ l n v i n ~ c u u hc
l d fun, a< it rerains thc
merhod. rcnlernher t o adjust t h c v a l r ~ cof e;~ch same challcngc of P ~ r ~ d nbur
x shifts ir to a diifcrcnt
s u c c c s ~accnrcfinglv.
sourcc: tn resoPurion, ifnot practice. The downside is
Any form you usc is up t o you aa a Storytcllcr, You rhat
often w a n t quick prnt~fication;strctchcan h a w maetc on myrhmg you u7anr. Ir'. ft~imless. ing trut thc Mastery timc for Spheres can 1n;~kca n
freeaflorvinc. No\~odr<;lid that is hac to he based on already slc~t\rproccss Z ~ E T ? f r ~ s t r a t i n ~I t. can Iwve
rhe Spheres: no anc raid thar vou had ro hrvc Arerr ro some mernoralilc moments a s characters hutch up
do it. If viru fccl like it, manesdon't even l ~ , ~ tu
v chave thcir ctfcctl;.. ..
Avatars. Anything i.s p o ~ ~ j hwhen
l e dcal1ng with this
,\nothcsway of r u n n i n , Parailox
~
free while kerpwction o f thc gamc - jusr likc anvrhing else.
in:! the game chatlenEinK is to rnnkc it all run off

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@FTI~N:
PLAYINGwm f I R ~
A particularly perverse way ru ctlntrc~lmagic
is to makc i t too pnwerfi~l.For every Sphere rank

to mages andl or su~crnaturalbeings. One pos-

wlwn performing an extended effect or rule that

equal to the cffecr" sphere level, + 1 for wit-

intenricms. You c0t11J limit C ~ C S Ceffects to what

r l ~ erange a t which the magic can be detected.

If your prirnarv concern is t o maintain the
integrity of the setring, you might want to a h p t
the Del irii~rnfrom Werewolf: The Apocaiypse
insread of infl icting Paradox. Whenever a vulgar
magical effect I S used in front of Sleepers it
triggers fear and denial; use the effects lisred in
WerewoPf t n determine how normal peoplc rcact to the presence of a cyborg or a sheet uf

rhlng that fuels it 1s even rarer. You could ruFc that

every level of S p h e ~ eused costs a point of Quintessence. Instead nf cclnstantly casting rpells, characters
~ stuff o f magic. Mages
will have to hunt down t h raw
with Node4 will be we? powerful and increa~ethe
antagonism hetween mages and other supernatural
Reinp, since splrits and other creatures can serve as
"juicc."Human sacrifice mighc he horrifyingly cornrnon; Blood Treachery could turn into a major
conflagration hat rocks the Traditions.
What if y o u like r ~ r a d t l xbur just don't like the
way it is wriczen up? You likc the idea that doing
maElc slaps you hack in the head, hitt you wanc it co
he more flexible. That'? t ~ r to
, you. You cotlld, for
insrance, decide that Paradox hacklashes alwayscat~se
Q u ~ e t Or
. you couId rule that Paradox aIwavs manif e ~ r srhe same way: physical damage thar looks like
striated whip marks. Perhaps Paradox always hluws
uff in the form uf malevolent beings out to hurt or
annoy rhe rlffendin~mage.

If you want to UFC a more freewheeling approach ro Paradox but wvuld like some kind of
systematic guide, the Kame already has rules in
place to allow it: the magic system.
You could decide rhat when a character
accrues five or more points of Paradox thcy
crcate a magical effect thar's deleterious to tho
character. Assume that Paradox has any Spheres
it needs. Failed dice on rhe roll are rurained;
h~ltchescause the entire pool to bleed off without any detrlrncnt tn the character. In some
cases, Paradox might crinsurne the character's
own personal Quintessence to increase the severity i ~afhacklash.
To keep the characters from being ovcrwl~elrned,assr~merhat each success in a backlash
i s worth roughly half of a scandard magical sue*
cess (one success causes one health llcvel of
injury, two affect a single target, ctc.). You can
also rule that each Level of lethal damage requires two successes and each level of aggravated
damage requires three successes tcl inflict. In this
sysrcin Q u i ~ ics simply a Mind effect (~t+ith
hthet
Spheres thrown in for hobgoblins), spirits are
called using the standard rules, and Realms ate

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want to kccp that element 1. If you rcmcive thc fall of

Doissetep, you have to dccide hnw much influence
that chantry still has on magclv politics and what it's
c2oinp, now, especially if yau also don't have thc
Avarat Storm.
Hcre i s a quick checklist of three things to look
ovcr when you alter metaplars:
Changing Rules: Svrncrimes when you change
metaplot, you change rules, too. Metaplot gives a
reason for certain rules. The most visible, of course,
is the Avatar Storm- if yrlu take away that metaplot
element, you aiso probably remove the Stnrm damage effect of dealing w i t h the Umhra.
Changing History: A change to mcraplo t migl~!hr
alter the World of Darkness history for your game. If
you alter Ncw Worl~dOrdcr priorities in the '50s,
rkep may never levcrape influence to help huild
Disneyland as an experimental mini-utopia.
Changing Game Elements: C e r t a i n metaplot
elcrnenrs led tn t l ~ formation
c
or destruction of various gmups. For instance, ~f you decide thar the
Ahl-i-Ratin never finished the Well of Faith, rhen
therc was no Web to lcave vast stores of Quinrcssencc around the Middle East, which means no
reason for Technocratic invasion, which in turn
removes the impcrus fur the B a t i n ~to leave thc
Tradition Council. The Rarini need another reason
ro have gone back ttndergruunrl, or else rhey shottlJ
still he a viahlr Trailition in such a game.

CURRENT ~TNL@T WWUP

To hclp Srorytcllers who might'ue missed a haat
or rwcl, here's a short wrap-up of sorrrc. impr~rtant
points in recent Mage metaplot, what rhey did, and
why they happened.
Sixth Maelstrom hits: Xcmcs Jones, a Void
Engineer nn rhc outs, divcs tnto the Undcrwc~rld
w ~ t ah leasdev device, hoping rodetonate it later and
watch the results from a distance. (As far as he's
concerned, it's just an experiment in anocher dirnrnsion.) While he's down there, the ghostly realms
light up in war and rhe rclic uf theTrinity nukc drops
nn Enoch. Ennch impIoJcs in a giant nihil and the
powerful energiessuckdown into the Ternpcst, detnn a r i n g Xerxes' Isomh as well. This explosion,
comh~ncdwith various other catastrophes in thc
mortal world, causes so much Jestruction that a
rerrihlc storm rises in the lands crf the dead, mirrorcd
n o w fly a storm across the Gauntlet (the Avatar
Storm).
Why ic happened: Part of the transition toward
the Sixth Age. Metaplot reason t o push forward the

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T s a d ~ t i o na ~ e n d a s Plus,
.
t h e Crafts rhemsclves wcrc.
not in much of a position to survive as thc
Doissetep falls: The ancient Hermetic chantry Techni~cracy'slast surge nf Pogrom activity over21 mag.cs u7ho eschewed the unified
backing nfthc Traditions. With backs to
and nowhere to turn, thc Crafts needed m
ith alIics or died
Concoidia captured: Sick of constantly being
ignorcd anil abusecl, the Hollow One amhassador tn
he Tradition headquarters in Horizon,

Avatar Storm ant1 also thc cntl( !) of the Wraith

and inability to work together. Also a wag to clear

the way for new I c a c l c r s l ~ iin~ Mage games.
~ i ~web
i crashes:
~ ~ l ~f~~~
falls, rhe

noisseceF

chance to establish a firm ~ r e s e n c ein Horizon itself.

Wirh rhc Horizon Realms mostly cut off from Earth,
'he whole place hegins a slow process of Jisintcpra-

Why it hoppned: h4uch like the fall of Doissercp,

e way for other magcs step up to hat.
vet1 the '"security hlankct" nf having a
mage could go and just hang
out without risk of t h e Technocracy. Plus, it gives
f l t ~ rh ~~ o k sfor characters ru go visit and h n d o u t
~ e n e d t h i n ~ sthere
to look f ~ rhe
r
of the missing Primi and archrnages.
Pogrom refocused: Iteration X, r e a l i z ~ nthat
~
a t where any

why it happened: A golld

excuse to rcscr

effect of t h t massive Umbra] damage ~ o i around.

n ~
Avatar storm: ~h~ Gauntlet gains a

raaor-sllards from sllattereL{ Avatars. Maces Itave

prt7htsms crossing into the ZJrnhra ur out ansin.
LVII~it happened: First, it was a logical rcsulr of
nuclear weapons going
in [hc underworld and
DllisFeteFexpluJinE in
Umbra, Second, i t llclps
around, playersy mages are much more important

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easy refuge: no more stepping sideways to escape

Technocracy agents easily; the Umbra is a dangerous
place and I T rcquircr cfforr and hails t o rravel rhc
spirir realms.
Crafts marginalized: T h e various Crafts, mapcly
F V J L I ~ S~ ~ t h o3 ~
major
l t stake i n rhe Ascension War
or global reach, find themselves 1ncrcasinEly
rnargina]izcd. Some
on to the Traditions as
facrinnr. while others rimply fall into llisarray and
s u h s ~ ~ u e n tcll pisappear.
Why i t happened: Having t o o many Cratts, whllc
~ i v i n gthe game diversiryv
i t hardcr for nnviccs
to become focused on easily identifiable arcl.retypcs,
In some ,-asps the Crafrs ,-lcarlv ovcrlapfed

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Uninn resources are already stretched t h i n , votes tn

S C ~ I Chack the Technocratic Pojimm. T h e U n ~ o n
turn5 i t s artention to repairing internal affairs instead of c h a 5 i n ~down "reality Jeviants."
Wh? if h a ~ ~ c n u dP:d l away fr()m
focus of
T c c l ~ n o c r a t s2 s "had ~ L I a~nSd ""villains" t h e Trad ~ t i i ~ nInstead,
s.
Traclir~onalistscan ~ O C U Son more
mhIems in stories.
Blood Treachery: The Order of Hermes hegins
a quest 'to retake i t s Inst chanrries and knowledge
eacherous Ilcsuse Trerncrc, which bccamc
uampires in rl~eMiddle Ages. T l ~ ewar hogs down
quickly. though, and finally sralcmatcs as both sides
realize that netrher will give gmund uasily nr painlessly. At che end, House Tyralus (of thc Ordcr) is
revealed ~ Q C O T ~ P ~rhc
C lure
~
of quick power from
v a m ~ i " 'blood, whilc potvcrfiil eltments of the
Tremerevam~irescr~~ticflll~notcrhatthc@rdcr[)f
Hermes has hetrer t h i n ~ sto do with its time than
prop up straw villains.
Why it hapbened: Dccnusc Herme tics art. I I U ~871.
I~
Looking for easy answers ro hard pri?hlcms, the
Idcnnctics hit t)n t h e idea of going after a hidcltn,
villainous enemy. Reat UP t h e enemy and take his
~ t ~ (which
f f
is justificcl as stolen frnm the Order in

34

i-r[Aai S T ~ Y T ~ L HE A
END~K
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the fitst pIacc) and cvcrvrhinE will bc all rtght. Sadlv.

Euthanatos split: Senex, the "Old kIan" and
thin:< don't ~vorks n C ~ F I I V , and tlrc Order Icarnr; archmaRc of the Euthanamc, hirc upon a plan to
first-hand rhr frttil~rvof protracted ~ u n f l i c tin a cngacc the entire Tradition in clcansin~the cor\'ietnsm-likc sccn:lriu. The Hcrmctics want cssy. ruptcd Nocles of Earth. LYith a great convocation of
black-and-white stlluticlns, and whnr starts as nvcr- Wheel- turner^ ar Ceshc.nrsChantrv near Pluto and
~impldicntionand n lirtlc roo much enerCy horn rhc t h e Shard Rcalm of Entrupr. Irr. rh~nksthar rhr.
vourh turn~inrnncruwlc t h a c ' s p o l ~ t i c a l ll~c-rtarnan~
~
Eurhanaros can purifv rhc world\ schakras and send .
' '
healing e n e r n a c r t ~ hthc
~ planet, thcrchv overtamthr olrl-rimcts,
New Convocation: The remaining EarrhlvTra- ing thc. compcion of rhe current ARCand keepine
ditian magcq - thoce \vhn
ahout magc pnlirics, thc Whccl from d~qlndcingearlv and brinsinc an end
to all creation. (\Vhc~\l!)He calls for all Euthanaro~ h
anynray - meel a t a conroc;ltion En Lus Ancclcs.
thc old, t(l return to Ccrbcms to help in the hijly work. Snmc
Thev deciJe klpr>n a npw Council to
ant1 rhcv sctrlc 'In thcir new ct~;ll<
for the upcoming agree; somc don't.

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mtllcnnium.
\\'h: tt happened- me aradicionc Ir,<t their
Iradcrf, SII they n ~ ~ ncw
d ~uncs.
d Running &IS
pme/
stov event pivcq a

tnflucncc mac,lely
r;ncletv
take pusicinns ctf porvcr
Destruction of the World: Jusr kiddln~.

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W11iIe it may seem nt>nsensicalt o have

groups and character types that arc
"Storyteller only" (and really, rhcre's
nn such thing). somcrimes a group has
such a narrow focus that it's hard to
justify it fur playcrs. The groups presenred in The Storytellers Companion
(which ccirnes with t h c screen) are examples of such groups; these Crafts
have I l n ~ i r c dinfluence a n d often h a v e little d e s i r e
ro work their will on the outside world or take in
new recruits. It's hard for a plavcs's character to
mesh with C ~ game
P
if the character's group doesn't
rnotlvatc his participation!
Onc other gmup char survived from rhe Renaissancc (and hefort.) is prcsentcd here. Even more so
chan the Crafts in the Companion, this Froup is
insular and unlikeiy in thc cxsrclne ro participate in
magely pnl~ticking.Thus, they'rc hcst used hy Storytellers as flavor, tn provide a sense that thc TraJicions
aren'r always rhe only game arnund.

people rerurnecl to God, the Lions would return to

gather together what they could tind and record the
rcst from the elderly who still lived.

@RGNXZATI@N
The Lions of Zion have structure and tradition
that makc t h e Order of Hermes Inok flexible hy
comparison. [n keeping with the Kahhalistic tradition, only men may bc Lions. Thev must he Orthodox
Jews, and thcy can become Lions once they have
achieved the full wisdom of adulthood, general!y
around agc 40. A prospective Linn of Zion musr he
Awakcncd, a settlcd memher of the community and
prcfcrabty married. These prntectinns ensure that
only those with a strong incentive to help the community and avoid dabbling in hest-left-unused areas
don't wind up abusing the knawlcdgc of the order.
This is not to say that they do not prepare
younger generations for becoming Lions. Such wottld
hc foolish, especially since Awakenings generally do
not wait on tradition. Newly Awakcncd often arc
taught to reign in their powers and gain minor teaching while srrving in other roles for the Lions, When
a man reaches agc 40, he is taken on as a disciple hy
another Lion and taught all that Lion knows. He stso
Iregi 11s broader training in the ways of Kahhalah
( s s ~ u m i nhe~ has not already learned some on his
own, which does happen, even among the Orchodox ).

The Licrns of Zion havc a very tong and rich

tradition, one fargcly separatc from the fc~rmalnine
Tradit~ons.Technically speaking, they would he
cons~deredD~sparates- if anyone knew ahout
them. Even morc so rhan the rnsular Sisters of
Hippolyta, the Lions of Zion are sccrctivc, Internally haseJ and unlikely ttl involve rhcmsclves in
outside causer. Thev are little mare t l ~ a na myth to
The Lions of Zion, being a very small and rare
cven Tradition mages.
group, harc ly havc room for factions. Rather, a Licln's
The Lions of Zirm arc practitioncss of t h c an- "faction" rests morc ipon his dcscrjption r~fduriescient magics and formulac knt3wn as rhc Kahbalah. what he is assigned to do, or chooses to do, based on
TIley chart thcir I~istoryback ro t h c timc c ~ Moses,
f
his position among the protectors.
as protectors of thc Childrcn of Israel; rhcir pccdeThe Watchers of the Temple are young men,
cessors lcft Egypt following Moses. W h e n the
already Awakened, who arc taught first to control
Isratliter scrc!cd and hcgan building tcmplcs, the
their power, then given t h e task of guarding the
Lions took positions initially as guardians of the
Temple. They are, over timc, taught vcry minor
temples. As the Israelites became a static culture,
m a ~ i c sh, u t for the most part cheir induction into the
thc Lions siwn became priests and prophets, mnv.
order and formal training must wait. Esscntiallv, the
ing among and mixing wich thc mundane servants
Watchers are those mernhers o f the community who
of God ut'rhe time.
havc t h c fiift hut aren't y c t rcgardcd as marurc and
The L i m s have two primary duties to their people. ready cnough tn take up the full mantle of responsiThey act to preserve their historv and tcl protect their bility ns a Lion. Somc Watchers leave t o [earnmaglcal
comtimnitics. In cvrry cra rhar thc Jews faccd pcrsc- arts frtlrn othcr Traditions - sctch a rash dccision
cutinn and the sword, the Lions were rhe first ro die guarantees that the atudenr will nevcr bccomc a full
and the last to he captured of their people. When the Lion of Zion, even ifhe returns to t h e community. A

stuclcnt nrho's too impatient to wait and rnatrcr the

most ~mportantcesponsiFiliries can't he trusrucF with
lthe secrets that dctcnd rhe communirr.

PHILBSBPHY
T~ the Lions ofzion,lnagic ct,mcs from ~ ~
T h ~ r arc
e no ncnt Eirrle splintcrings of Avarars, no

thc ear< rhar received thcm.

the Keepers. Thew elder< have the disrtnction of

mcn can implement. This implerncnration doesn't

thc day-rn-ds\. activities of thc cornmunit)', f r c e i n ~ the rt~leshandcd do\vn millcnnin aEo.
the vounper Protectors to Jcal with Earper matters.

:
Thc idea that ther all live and work within the ineffe~~.PttheLi~~nsofZ~oncallu~unvt~l~armagics
temple i s anriquarcd and has ncrer reallv heen
["
dark
K a h h a l ~ his, of coursr, t h e hallmark of the
trLtc. while moqr Lions do serve a rime EuarJlng
lor thcsc dave
helping
ar rhc temple, Lions. Whetl~errheLionscrcatcdKahhalah orvicc~
of S ~ L I ~ V
that clnqclvassnriarcd trTirhi t vcrsa is dcharahlc, but t h centcrp~cce
fcW c,i
lhcm

was I o ~ in
t

IV~irIJW a r f l in Gcrmanr.

Of ct,ursc, in rhc modem

age,

idca of a

with a complcs wch of relations t h a t shtlu,a

how

rallv have important prr)pcrries.

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wriring.; such as t h c T o r a h are central ru t h e Llr~ns'

compl~cnccd.For game purposes, of course, thcg use

Many Liuns don't scparatc the Traditions into

and lust battles. Of all thc Traditions, they typically

look most tavorahly upon the Euthanatos and Order
of Herrnes. While one wo~eldrhink that the Cclestia!

until t h a t time.

common
F ~ ~~~~h~~~
~ ~ :

can be imbued

sary and rhen only rarely, nnd therefore ~ l s u a l l y except to remove

area thev are
trespassing that the Lions protect. Other Liuns are

etesmines w h y stlme suppIernents

ome out w h i l e other ones languish hy

conflict rherein. The matter is personal and in ynur

face, It's not a case of dealing with large, anony-

f i ~ 1s~
A Tc ~ L
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one nf
horror - a kov clcmcnt c-rf the
World of Darkness. Hnw scary is i r ro he hunted

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R N
@F DARKNESS
T M ~ E
A big part of thc reviscd Mage line hinges on
keeping currcnt with rhc Wurlrl of Darkness. By
fncusing upon personal thcmcs, l ~ lssing
y
rho dr:ima
inherent in human conflict and by making sure [hat

The revised Mage game assumes t h a t magic i s

best used as a subrle force and a suppEcrncnt to the
rnagc's normal skills. A spell might make it easicr
to gain moncy or foisr bad luck onto a foe, h u t it's
hest to take an active hand in d o i n g things instead
of j list relying on magic t o fix cvcrv pruhIem.
Mages are potent h u r still nor infallible: Thcv n u s t
get their hands dirty; the. can'r sit high and mighty
in sccret fortresses or spiritual realms and ~ u i d e
rhe Earth from ahovc.

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Since r n a ~ i can't
c
s ~ l l v eall prtlhlerns, magcs have
to clcal with each other as pcoplr, too. They cxn

make mistakes. They don't hat*cperfect or immacuLate view5 of what's rieht or wrunc. Thcrcfi~re.rnaeec
can and do find thernselrcs in moral dilernm;ls and
gray areas. Sornut~meswhat lonked ltke a go(d idea
rum< ottt to he thc
war: to approach things.
Plus, maees are su$ccptihletn injury, tllncss, madness
andall the infirmities ufthc human condirion. Whifc
macic can hclp avod or lessen rhe impact of snmc of
the5e rhmes, only rn~ghtyc f f c c t ~can cumplctcllv
overcome rhcsc wcakncsses, It's entirely ~ossrhleft~t
maees ro suffer from an!? numhct of human weakn e w s - which makes thcrn casier characters ro
identify wth.

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Furthermore, I\-hcnm a p nccd to work powcrfu2 spells, they must

in cclnccrt nr putsut'
'
legcndahv means. Both these mcthods help creatc
srories: the former bccaclw i t encourages tcamwc~rk
and group ptav, the larrcr hecaust it offers srunl
hc~oksas rnages look for ways tc) make their maerc

\170rk

work morc eCfcct~vclv.

HW

~ SCALE
N

Magcs can't juct i ~ n o r cpetlyle. No( only Jc:, [he

Masses form the Consensus, but indiv~tlufilpevplc
can have a profnund effect on a magc's I~fe.Unltke
vampires, whu wi13 outlii,e rhcir fricnds and familv,
and u*erewolves, w h o often become alicnarcd from
their rcla~ivcsas rhev find a special place jn sociccy,
maecv can st111 interact with humanity - and thcc
do so. Maces still have cornpanlonc. loved ones and
hatcd foes. The nasty apartment complex owner can
bc juft as complex and important a villain as an
Umhral spirit or a Technocratic neenr.
Among nrher tllinps, Mage Ramc mater~alsacsume [hat m a p <mieht have luhr, familie$ and all thc
niceties of evct\.di~y lift. to d ~ a with.
l
This aJJq
several stor)?clemcnts; dnn't think of i t as limittny,
hut rather as a w a to
~ cxplorc angle<that t c l c v i ~ i o n
and book3 have had all along. A inagc with relations
to human heinp is a mure fleshcd-nut, bclrcvahlc
characrer- and a hclievablc, fully scaliredchar;~cter
is more fun tci play.

,r J

,;

~ R T H LPYR O B L ~ S

'

Mage asurnes rhar characters take a hand in

actual, Earthly evsnto. \Vhtlc there are myriad spicir
realms ro which m a p can flee, doing st) doern't
ionyard rhc cause of rnaeea an Earth. Hsneinl our in
thc Urnhra won? stop hunger, end povertv or cause
morc Slcrprr5 ro bclievc in mapic. Milees have to do

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Why hother with consistency? Because it adds

verisimilitude. In the seal world, thlngs happen fur
reasons (usuaTly)
there arc a cause and an effect.
The cause may not he immediarely apparent and the
effect may he re~rchensihle,hut someone, sc)mewhere, had a reason, o r else some law of nature
intervened. In a game world, chis rigidity of effect
isn't always asnecessary, hut people arcaccustomed ro
looking for interlocking patters In events. I f you see
a game world where the elemcnts remain fairly consistent from session to session, y 011 don't have co
suspend your disbelief for the setring itself. It is then
easier co slide into the game and character role,
hccause you can more readily imaginc and identify
with them.

Most important of all is t h e provisic~nth;lt things

need to have some fun gamc anglc. While it's all well
and good t o explore the niceties of Mayan currency
speculatinn in 500 R.C., this sort of essay has limited
utility to t h e vast majority of games and players.
Morc effective is a brief overview followed hg a plot
hook hascd on old Mayan currcncy dug up in a ruin,
or on a reincarnated soul that has old Mayan memories and accidentally tries to use that kind of money.
The idea is to provide hooks on which t o hang
unique story ideas. Tnus, materials need to havc

color and flavor that can add to a game instead ofjust

being dry lists of facts.

Hew ~aAPPLYALLw THIS

Of course, rhis doesn't just affect Mage supplements - it affects how you create your own Mage
materials. Lf you pay actcntion to these guidcs, you'll
find a box t h a t nicely defines the current Mage
setting; as long as you color within that box, your
rnatcrial should easily fir i n t o the cxisting material.
Conversely, ynu could throw our onc of the
assumptii>ns and make your own chrvnicle with a
different spin. For instance, you might decide to
get rid o f magic as a subtle, slow furcr. and instcad
posit that your magcs can perform superhuman
fcats with little prcp work.You'll havc gunslinging
heroes and flying witches. AH you need ru do i s
apply this same rule to materials that you buy or
write and see w h a t logical extensions result. In
such a world the Akashic Rrothcrhood isn't relegated ro monasteries
its warrior-monks are like
kung f u action heroes wander in^ the carth and
doing goad deeds. This is just a minor changc to
their Tradition hook, but keeping i t in mind lets
you use all of the book's material whileonly rweakIng things a littlt. to f i t your own garnu.
And that's the important part: making it your~ame.

"Why s h u d I bum ? " he asked."M!mmnwies ofearlim

Incamutim wmc incomplete, hit 1 knew thnt I had nevw
knounsuchforce heffrre. There was snmerhin~inme that was
not I7ahncd. Thnt wm mack for the Short Path. Perhaps
Enli~htenmenrcould hc reached leaping into the fie. "
-Walres Jon Williams, "Praycrs on the Wind.''
In the gcncral carcg-ory of "fun" a ~ ae lot of qualitative variations. Some stories are thrilling. Others are
AscensionIlas challengedplayers and Sto- moving. ncspire thcsc wcighred words, don'r he fooled
tllemes embrace the into thinking that you should try to aim for deadly
ryteIIers.
naturec>f reality and individual enlighten- serioits Srorytellinfi ar rhe expense of having a good
time. A t the same rime, a good Storyteller duesn'r limit
menr. &tween the
of rhe vast
It's a hig game. Where do VLJU st:~rt?
Ineach its incamarjons,Mage: The

wants to play twice. A game works if i~ czn accomrnodate

the nlnod and tastes of the group even though they
somewhere. yClurgalnes van't
you have
from session r" sessionembrace it all riFhc away. IC'S
much better tu warm up to
The
task ofrunning a Mage game might sccm even
it with a goocI stnry. Don't be afraid that it isn't serious
more
daunting
than hefore, llut if you relax your grip
or ambitious e n t ~ u ~ The
h . goal of the game is for
on
;
m
e
x
~
c
c
t
e
dtone, ir'a actually s i m ~ l e r I. r gives a
only way
can
everjl)nc to enjoy themsrl\rcs;
Sroryteller
n
chance
to concenrrate on her story: rhe
really win a roleplay ing game.

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CIIA~TWI:T~AWAKENE~~UGG
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budrock uf the jiamc. A game's narrative is what

supports its playen, including the Statytcller. I t keeps
thc gamc tnoving along and providcs a frame o f reference whunever anybody nccds frtsh inspiration or a
quick storyline for her chrc~nicle.
The World cjf Darkness
a rcadv
metanarrat-ive in which you can put your srories. Like
any reference, you can take a%little nr as milch as you
want out of it, hut it prorides a sense of perspective and
narrative coherence. In Mage, the setting provides you
with thc tools you ncccl to cclnsrruct a story, as well as
hmks &at are ready for you to use. You have a n
unscttlcd wcjrld to work with, one that player characters
can shapc thc morncnt they cnter thc sccnc.
Mage's setting spins the game's themes into a conflict-rich setting for you to use however you wish.
Conflict is the lifeblood i f a story -not just violent
stories, hut a l l stories. Awakened life ctm be dangerous
and horrific, or it can he intensely introspective and
ccrchrat. It can he all of these things ar the same time.
We're going to talk a b u t the setting, how it Renetares
conflicr and u~hatthe underlying themes and purpose of

Sleepers: the greatest power in any Mage

ci~rt~nicle.
They detem~inethe Consensus. In thc battle for reaItty, they're the
infantry. T l x y toss tl~emselvesatthe walls
of the pcrssihle and, more often rhan not,
are cur down. Their defeats aren't always
che stuff of high adventure, hut defeat
rarely is.Thcy hackd~wnficim
theirdreams.
Mcmnrics of their greatest achievements
fadc cvcn in their own minds. They die-somctimcs in
pain and sotnetimes in surprise, hut rarely nfrcr a Irfctimc
of fulfilled aspirations or without fear.
In other words, they're rnages-or, at the very least,
they coulrI he. T l ~ cAwakencd aren't cursed with the
Spheres, born inro thcm or driven to them by a h i ~ h e r
power wirh a srrist agenda. Mages are people who,
unconsciousIy or r-tor,makc a choice to discover the real
meaning of things. Awakening comes in a flash or n
slr~w,steady stream, hut it. ncver removes the rnage's
essential humaniy. Awakening and Ascension mean
something hecause they arc human achievements.
Why dnn't more Slccpers make that choice? It
isn't as easy as it sounils. A Slecpcr can't just decide
that reality is suhjertive or that it works according ro
a set of alternative laws, then co-locate along his

thc n~ctaplolris - and whctc it's g u i n ~ Spccif~call~,

.
we'll tai k ahout the major factions of thc gamc, other
supernarural creatures and thc metaphysical confl~ct
that inundates a21 of thctn and scrves as a stoly clement
in its uwn right.

THF~ G I - ~ T~ YF

T A

The following section refers cxtcnsiveiy to

M a g : The Ascension's srnry arc. You're not ohtito use all or even part of it, h u t even if you
dr~n'c,it still serves as a useful model for how to
generate conflict-rich stories. Ir's always hetrcr ro
show something mrhcr than just talk about it.
In this case, the story arc is used to showcase
how the erne's themes are expressed through the '
piot and setting of the game. To run a good, serious,
dramatic game, you need
smries.Themeraplot
provides an initial source of inspiration but shouldn't
lirnrt your options. It's just another piece of rhe
Storytelling arsenal,
A

merry way. Awakening rcquires a n irrevocahle commitment to new beliefs couplcd with a mind willing
to investigate the unusual and sometimes, perhaps,
just ;I little destiny.

THEK I N G I )w
~ ~THE BLIND
When sormonc Awakens, he vften looks back at
his old Lifc and his friends with a combination of pity,
amuscmcnt and disprst. He secs haw flavorless his life
was anJ how empty the world is without an awareness
of what's pcxsihle. It's roo easy for maaes to treat Sleepers with contempt and in doing s r ~lose track of thcir
mundane ties. Snrnetimes a new mage fclrgets that T ~
needs to pay the hills like anybody else. After quitting a
mcaninfiless job and leaving to join her mentor, she
cliscovers that she's broke and hc~melessand that she
necds to use her magic to find a warm bed and a meal
before she plumhs d ~ depths
e
of the universe.
Thc Slccpers in her life have moved on; they don'r
really think ahout the mage anvrncrre. When she rcturns, they row uneasy. Her eccentric behavior and the
suhtlc Resonance she exudcs make it hard to kccp her
friends. hsidcs that, chances are chat she's heen inductctl into a centuries-old conqpit-acy that has lots of
dangerous work for her rn do.

Many rnages manage re recover from a temporary

sense of dislocation long enough to keep t h e ~ homes,
r
johs and immediate Parnilius, but creeping Resonance
and the mage's new perspective mean that she's
rarely satisfied with the way things used to hc. Family
members Rrow angry with her for ignoring or even
mocking their feelings. The eccentrics in the rest of
her cabal show up for meetings. If the mage tells
anyone, it can only get worsc, After all, nobody
believes in maFc any mare, du they? Still, many
mages do tell rheir immediate families about theit
lives - hut just as many drop nut of sighc and keep
their n e w lives a secret. Asiclc from a fear of public
persecution, magcs also risk their closest ctlrnpanions' safety. Ncyhandi, Technscracs and angry ~ p r i t s
may attack the mage's friends and family and stand a
good chance of finding o u t who the m a p " relatives
are if she's alreadv ralking ahout it herself.
Sleepers' nervousness and subtle disapproval may
alienate the magel driving her to society's fringes, where
she's less likely to make any close contacts. In response
she might drop out nf civil~zedsociety altogether and
become a hermit ur wanderer. Findin; a balance between Awakened and mundane life as the confltcc here.
Mages who valuc thcis freedom anddon't want to return
to rheirold, reg~rnenrcdlivcs have co find a lifestyle rhat
can support both their Sleeping friends and the new
demands of Awakened life.

Encounters with comptenc Stcepcrs w n help keep

players from i m o r i n ~or underestimating them. A lone
Arcanum scholar can learn many, Inany things with a
parahol ic microphone and a handheld camera. Inquislturs have Church funding and rightenus zeal to Rack
them up. Fortunately, most secret s~~cieties
are reluctant
to he nociccd by the authorities, since they frequently
skin the law in pursuit of the supernatural. The magc
can't tell rhem to go away, either; the Inqirisiticrn tracks
mages so that thcy can kill (or, rarely, "save") them. Thc
Arcanum makes its business thc pursuit nf~cci~lrknowiedge; their sublectsl consent is immaterial.
Government agents (such as the FRI's Special Affairs Division) are more rrouhlest~me.They are legally
sanclcioncd and often extremely idealistic (or tenacious:
SAD is known as a prtnishmenr assipment). Worse
rhev're investigating t h e mage aas a threat to domeseic
security. Much of the cirne, they're perfectly juqrified.
Aftcr all, the Awakcncd do cause their fair share of
deaths. Agents tend to put what they witness into the
frnmcwork provided by their law enforcement training;
such a perspective doesn't present flattering images of
either Tcchnt~crats("corrupt officials") or Traditionalists ("cult Icaders").
Aside from being challenging adversaries, spccially trained Sleepers provide a useful alternative
perspective. in a sense, they're a rcfincd version of
everyday attitudes - the ones that contribute to
Slecpers rcicctinq a more diverse Consensus. C m a
magc really hcsurc. that he isn't offending God by using
In addition to ahe problems of everyday life, mages his powers? Docs hc hchave like a cormpr official or a
have to confront nosy investigators and witch hunters. cult lcadcr? At what point dries a lifestyle tied to
These Sleepers are persistent and competenr; many of magical society hecume too corrupt or COO strange to
them helong to ancient conspiracies or modern govern- reconciIe with Sleeping life?
ments. A few act as the eyes and cars of grcater power;.

Thc chief antagonists of Mage are the for her methuds, would agree with her bigotry. TechAwakened themsehes. Other antagonists threacen mages for n variety of
reasons, including self-interest and a rnisunderstanding o f the rnage's nature.
Mages know what the stakes are. They
know about the possibility of Ascensian.
Despite (or even hecause 4 that iniiphr. ~ h e ~ ' vdecided
e
to appose rhr
characters. As anragonisrs, mases resonate with the
characters' own aspirations and flaws. A mystic with
a rigid paradigm struggles with Technocrats who, but

nocrats t~hcratinga m a p ' s personal cult may discover,

ro their chagrin, chat thc mind-control techniques
and
used by the sect" master eerily
resemhle the practices of rheir own Union.
Caring little for the Sleepers, a magc devoted to

h e

make a choice: to devote themselves ru their path ur

surrender and Fall.

C W E RTw@ THE
A W a E N E n !3RCKjGLE

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THEPHMNIXAND THE SPHINX

Demons rose froman ancient slt~mber.Thc Technocracy responJeJ against the most obvious elf these
with their full rnlgl~t:weapons designee! to ohliterate
their targets in e v c q climension. I h e energies released hy the cnt~flictcombined with the power that
lashed from faltering Horizon and C)ois~ete~'s
remnann, ac well as the subtler magic of ancient prophecies
and cosmic irnhniance. The result was ehc Avatar Storm,
the flight of many Masters into hermitage and the end
of the ulcl Ascension War.
Magcc on all sides uf the cnnfl i c t found these events
disturbing hut also fascinating. The mysteries of realiry
were always something that existed outslde of reality,
such as the bizarre natives of the Dcep Umhra. The
Avatar Storm hrot~ghrthe mystery homc. Magcs who
were set in their ways rejected su1ipsism in thc facc ofa
universe that, despite the power o i the Spheres, didn't
hehave according to their expecrariuns,
Ltmg prac riced hy all Traditions, technomagic
rose from heing a tnarginal Jiscipline ro taking it?
placc hcsdc thc a n c i ~ n tarchetypical
,
occult n e t h r d s th2t the TracEiticmv had favored for centuries. In
the Technacracv, field operatives and scientists heran rn d o r ~ h ta missilln that supported science h u t
opposed thc frccdom to choosc onc's bclicfs. After
all, if scicncc is the hcsc path, couldn't rhc Masses be
relied upcln to chr~oseit without being coerced? If
I I ~ J L ,JiJrl't that tnakc LIW T c c h ~ ~ n c r a c grlal
~ ' s crf
llheratlng the Sleepers a lie?
What appeared to he a disaster has actually been a
rehisth for many mages, hut ir hasn't resolved the old
prohlcms that IcJ to the Ascension War. The Sleepers
refuse to take hold of thcir own dcsrinics. Magtc has
hecn reduced to thc comforting lies of pcpilar horosct~pcs;~nclself+agmandizingamateur occultists. Faith is
suburncd into a v7caponfor grecd and discrimination.
Finally, cvcn Reason falters, as scientific efforts abanJon pure discovery to scarch for thc next marketable
I u ~ t 3 ~novelty
7,
nr managerial tool.
Some Awakened etnhsace the trend 2s the safest
path for humanity. A few assert that Sleepers never
dcserved Ascension - or that those whu did Awakened. The rlangernus sccrcrs of magic and science
aren't far those unable to rcacl~out and claim them.
Far better then to ~ e e kone's own Ascension than to
fight for rhnse whn are so obviously unwilling tn seek
their own enliqhrenment*
New idealist3 won't stand for it, They've risen from
the ashes of the Ascension War refrcshcd, scady to take
on the enemies of Ascension. In some cases, they've

rehtllecl against their former Masrers. In others, the when i t comes to drsrupting the Traditions' attelnpts tu
Masters the~nselveshave taken up the reigns of the new influence the Consensus, sincc ~lnprcdiccahiliry is a
strugglc,hcc a t last toprotnote Asccnsiiln as they scc fir. d~rcatt o tlzc perfection they believe I~csat the Time
Instcad of ctriving for unity in the face of an cnurny, they TahIe's cnnclusic~n.
strive fur lihertv: thc frccdom to bcliuvc what yo0 wish,
Agcnrs also undersrand that they helong ti) a gtohal
to do as you wish and to hound your drcarns to thc garcs conspiracy that mustsc>metimesuse underhanded means
of Asccnston.
ro ensure the safety of the Masses. Technocrats perform
- t o a point.
these duties with secret
A tirnc comcs to many agents whcn they must
The neworderpromtxed hy theTechnocr~ricUninn deciclc whcrhcr or not the measures needed cu keep the
but a t a terrible price. T l ~ world
e
has Tccl~nocracyhncrinning are consistent with their inhas to come to
been pacified, but its spirit lies on the hr.ink of de:
Iividual elrhics and hopes for humanity. It might occur
tiun. The flaw in the TechnocratI Y ' S C O ~ C Cpt ofAscc
rhen they send a supetstitionist to Rmim 101 for
.--_1:-:--.
has always been that it could hc:something dcliue
hen dley are ordcred to ped~mn
CIEILIILICII
I ing or
~nactive mind. daneerous experiments on human subjects. It might
a passive audience instead of r:
ig the Order o i occur when rhcy arc ordcrcd to d c s t r ~ Enlightened
Once this was s minority opin
l~
Reasan, often criticized for I.wing so obviously self- Science that develops outsidc af the Union's aegis or
r"
serving.Nonetheless, the Order ot Keason could always silence a Sleeperwrtli popular sntiscientific ideas. Since
reassure itcelf that it was providine humanity with the the Recka
ny Techn ocrats ha've used their new
hest tools
to ensure its safcty and that ir was f reedom t
the Technucracyrl hut they musr
...-I.. .
--- -a!clltr
1 --doing the right ching in ~ i ~ n i s h i nmaces
g
~vhohad, for n- - Im
t clrntr
~ r i t l i , iL~ r r r i i I l n l r i ~ ~ - c
r
the way, diluting
generarions, turned their hack on humanity's suffering. thc~ridcalisrn inrn just anod
kmendarion to he
Providing comfort and securisv is still a t the core c ~the
f
filcd alone with the rest.
Technocracy's beliefs, but thc h i r e t o cclntrol reality
I---.;+ahlv, they face Co
has long since ove~sh;ldowedrhe desire co inspire n
R@L
clcr and spur Enlightenment.
,,,
ro three chtngs, bust, it refers to the
Since the Rccknnin~(and, in truth, througf
ogy of thrc Technocracy. 7-1-le Unim may he
Mage: The Ascension's in-game history), it's impor- t
J to hurnanityls :security, but it i s just as
tant to d~stinguishthe Technocracy from inclivi~firal c
.. . . .. Technocrats -hut nnt to discount the responsihilir; aevorea ca p c p t u a n n g Irs own power structlrre. Inthe latter have for the actions of the former. C)ther- cjeed, tl~eyare rarely counted as separate objcctives. The
wise, Storytellers run the risk ofsimplifying the I.ole o f rechnocracy" inrcrests arc humanity's inrcrests. Were
t h e Union in the game. TLImake a conflict wir:h the it ro lose Irs positinn of preeminence, thc M a s s e ~migl~r
Technocracy mernorrrhle, it'.: important t o create an- bltmder into duvasration.
tagonistc with coherent ideals, especially since this
Control is also thc psychic Construct of Tcchnoundcrscorcs t h e questionahlu nlorality of the cratic authority. All agents feel it to an cxtcnt.When
Technocracy's act Ions.
they file a rcpurt, when rhev recclvc an order from
ahove or whcn thcy doubt that thcir superiors would
FR~NT-LM
~PERATN~S
approvc of cheir actions. they sense t t at their backs:
Low-levcl Tcchnc~rats(including the majrrrirp of thc kn~ia,led~e
that thcy could be observed, nured
characrers) generally l~elievechat the Union has and punished. When Control manifests, agcnts dishelped guide humanity to safety despite the encroach- appear in inrernal purges nr are cornmandcd toperform
inc r i r i i ~ tof rbi ntprrnarunl They work nl krrp rhr ohscurc assassinations ur pursue strange lines of rcTime Tahle running hy researching new ways to prc- search. Inscrutable orders aFpearac Cnnsm~cts
around
serve human healrh and safety. pushing ta make these the world.
innovations acccptahle to the Masses and disrupting
Finally, Cclntrd cunsisrs of senior Technocrats
arty mystic comptition c~rthreat to sccurity.
whc~have gradueced co the top of the pyramid of
Tradition mages arc cirhcr pitied because thcv rcly author~tv.They are permitred to see large portions of
nn dead-end, dangerous rnrthals tu express their inncr E ~ Trme
C
Tahle, cummand vast resources and, irnpc~rGenius, or despised because they use obscure psionic canrly, are tewarded with more fteedorn than the front
powers, luck and deccpticm tcl lead Sleepers away from line. Graduation to Control usually comes wirh the
marcrial progress. Technocrats are highly motivared realization rhar reality is rnutahle, that their ruling
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TKHNKRATS
ASANTA~NISTS
Despite the end af the old Asccnsion War,
Tradition rnages have plentv of chances to fight
Technocratic arnalpms.
First of dl, many arnnlprns do, regardless of
their own beliefs, capmrc, spy upon and kill mages
under orders from Control. Thcy also prform
unethical experimt
ncc socia11 dissidents
and camper with tt
m of thc media. The
irony i s that the age
convictio
ms are being
.
.
twisted as they do what they do for the "greater
good" that Conrrol is assumed to represent. Furthemorc, nor all amalgams silently drsapprrwe of
what they must do. For every amalgam that is in
conflict over its assignments, a t least one thinks
nothing of doing what it's told.
The Guide to the Technocracy discusses how
Technocrats deal with other mages. Usually, rhc
severity of the reprise is dircctly linked to the
rnage" ptential threat and her potenrial influence
onthe Masses. The mageneed not have opposed the
Technocracypreviously to be thesuhject ufscrudny,
capture or assassination, though doing so makes it
much more likely. Because the Pogrom has k e n
relaxed, these missions arc resolved on a case-hycase hasis and nor as a way cn uncover and destroy as
many Realiry Dcvianw as pclssihle.
Technocrats are also often a t odds with Control. They may have moral
or may simply
wish to urn
nseat thctir masters. Playir~g rene~ade
Technocr:u s can ble a refreslhing c h ange
~ of pace,
I
-LA
since it allow5
rne players to asserc nlore control
over their characters' decisions whibc maintaining the science and esp ionage t hat makes
Technocrats fun to play. Refc~ r m i n gtkleTechnuc..
racy from within is also a worthwhile goal for a
player ch:Iracter a)maIgam, but suchI characters
walk a ran38s edge. Will he*y be con!tidered trai- --.-an
- .Immoral
---I
-tors! Will -LA-.
r n r y L-11
roiruw
order
to prove
their loyalty?Srymied from within, reform-minded
Technocrats may look tomages outside the Union
to do their work for rhem.
L

<

T . E C H N ~~VCEYR % E N C ~
The Technocracy maintains its image among
its agents by presenting itself as science's advocate.
Internally, Technucrats describe thcrnselves as bleaguered scientists who must, regrettably, use
underhanded met h d s to promote the cause of
reason in the war id.
En fact, the Tcchnuctacy exism to promote its
own vision of progress over any abstract search for
knnwled~e,tht~smaintaining its influence over the
Masses. This is nhv GntroZ suppresses the truth
ahout the Consensus among its own agents. Suh-

Rather than allowing Sleepea to choose for

themselves, it crushes competing paradigms that
p w roo influential, including independent scienrific discoveries,altemativcmt.thds of ~overnment
and radical economic theories. Many of its social
and economic ccchnologies aren't bsed on scienttf~c
principlesat all hut on prernlses it itself creared
to propagare its methods of conmol.
betureen the scientific outlook and Technocracy
ideology,even if actual Technocrats consider them
rn be me and the same. Science hotrls itself up for
scrutiny and criticism. ?he Technocracy does not.

"

AGAINST
THETKHNWRACI

Not every Tradirion mage has abandoned the l i ~ h t '

against the Technocracy. Your players' cabal doesn't
,
have to, either.
Theonc rnajorchang-c that h~~curneahc~utlsecause
of the Reckoning is that the Traditions no longer define
themselves as the inheritors d ancient or marginal
beliefs. united in defense of the Technocracy. After all.
they never were able to uni te; the mythic Tenth Seat of
Concordia maywell have been a curse, as it drove mages
ro fl&r all the harder for a single, rnonolirhic magical
sociery,despite rhe JistinctivequalitirseveryTradition
paradigm givcs their methods efficacy. Ruling Tech- -and every magc -had to offer.
nocrats realize hciw precarious their positions are, so
By defining themselves as the Technocracy's oppoact n~rhlcsslyto maintain them.
sitinn, theGuncilofNinea1sofell intoan anachronisric
By ancl large, Control does not value individual position that mistakenly set them "against science" in
f r c e d o a It does nor believe that h~manityhas the right the minds of both younger mages (who hated them for
it) and many of the older Masters (who supported it).
to chmsc its ONTI destiny,
!,
The
in tmducrion of the Virtual Adepts and the Sons of
That i s whcrc the Technocracy fails.
'
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them, ergo the Council opposes sclencc.

In early 2002, this begins tochange. Mysterious

Traditional~stbe1ievcsthathum;inityc a n l i v e w i t h
tools and occult discipline -hut her Tcrhnocrar coun-

u n q , new Tradition rnagcs celebrate the right diversity. Snmc mages arc satisfted with the hueciom rhcy
dready have and pursue their own studies in sccret.
Others rencw the fight with the Teclmucracy, hoping
to wrest humanity from apathy by providing a mvsricnl
uption to thc Sl~epers.

Scrvnnts of thc Outcr Darkness, s a p ot'Descet~t-

the Tcchnocracy represents the way in which the drive

unknownv~hou~hthcy~~b~thrn~clePlumeof
The Rogue Council.
As descriM in the transmissions, these skir-

laus restricting rcligiot~sfreedom, how the work of

local faith healer is reported, and the unduc
inf uence a Technocracy -influenced think tank
has on society. The Tcclmocracy uses its media
influence to try to suppress dissent; the cahat
responds hy organizing protests, find ing evidence
too decisive to ignore or using alternative media
to disseminate the truth.
Surveillance: Cabals m y turn the tables on
H

learn abouc their plans and operations. If the Union

Violence: When a cahal discovers a threat to

-4'

,.-

n.-

into com~prinnhelievine rhar rl~ey'vefound a shortcut

to cnli~htcnment,hut once a Nephandus-ro-he enrcrs
the Caul, she makes a conscious choicc to scrvc a
degrading lie ratl~erthan the transcendent rrurh. Unless she W F ~l10m
S
Widclcrslaintc, the magc likely rejects
thc plcadmg of her own Avatar as well.
It scems likc a ridiculous, stupid choice tn Fall. Bv
itsclf, the transfcmnation of the Caul offcrs no additional power. Ncphandi usually leave Invesrments and
infcrnal sc~rccryt r ~other Infcmalists. They refuse to

evcn ;I notorinus Technocracy k i llcr or

m~ndhenclet,it takes direct action, Sleepers in the
line of fire stand an excellcnr chance of beinn
killed, hut the cabal may feel it's warranted clr
might not care, reasoning that the pTnlesare
willing roots of rhe encmy. Asidc from the riskr of
a sabotage or assassination mission, rhe cahaI has
to find a way to hide from the Technocracy's
formidable inrelligenre network.

wear such i~hviouschains; they don't become whar chey

are due to rreachcv and elahorate contracts, lnstead

they aciopt the Nephandic -philo50phv: a lit thilr, in the

end, the= must usc
Caul4
to justify.

D A ~ N ELIES
D

IN~~WLISTS, N E P ~ I ,
M@N@LKISTS
AND .EVIL ITIACES

As a group, the Nephmdi are likely to fiive new

prospects a "push." Elaborate promises of power and
cnrnplicnted Faustim IegaEcsc arc saved for rhc
unAwskened rubes w h o actually fall fcrt that kind of

EviI comes in many varieties. Not all evil m a p

are Nephzndi or even Pnfernalists, though apart

from these two types thc definition of "evil" be-

command dark forces as tools for self-discipline ur

even to counter Infemalists.
Tnfernalists arc mae,=-s (as well as Sleepers and
crcamres) who serve an evil
swpemamral power. Infcrnalisrsserve thcir masters
always
involves
according to a pact that
bartering part or all of their souls. in return they
recetve mundane and supernatural eifts. Most contracrs with a dark power end very badly for tlie
Infemalisrs. The WuaKeng (see Dragons of the
East) are Infcmalists.
Nephandi also serve malevofent
masters but
prove themselves by entering the Cauls;=hamtear apart the majicls mind, body and
hers
them, The Avatar is
Avatar, then
"'inverted" hy the process; i t seek Descent, nor
Ascension, and draws power from the Mythic
Threads of Qlippothic andrealits. If killed, rhe
Nephandus' Avatar reincarnates w i []I a
Wldderslainte, a magc who has heen campred
from hirrh by she Avatar's influence.
Demonologists are mages u~hostudy, sumcommand evil supernatural
man, hind
creatures. Thesedemons are usually c-rmpt Prirnordiial spirits, Astral a r c h e v e s of human sin or
ghosts that have nirned themselves into evil spirrrs. The Order o f Hermes and the Akashic Wu
Lung are notable dernonologists. A few of these
experts claim that such spirirs are but reflections
of "true" demons, but rhat as shadows of a primal
principle they merit study. Many demonologists
flexihiliv, hut few of tllem
have a certain
actively seek to h a m humanity. Neverthclcss,
dcmonologists inevitabIy risk summoning a spirit
they can$t banish or making a deal that risks
thcrnselves or others.
Other mages may commit grave sins against
every moral code ima~inablcwithout cvcr going to
the Cauls or serving supernatural evil, Such maEes
might he d e r a n ~ e dcensurncd
,
with Quict or simply
too ambitious to let mom1 choices stand in their
way. Voormas, Mascer of Hetekar is guilty sf horan [,,fcrnal power on
rific
but has never
anything hut equal terms.
Formorc information,see TheBmk of Madness.

target. They tortt~rchim, ruin his sc~ciallife, 11urt the

people he liives - whatever will cause the rieepest
w(rund, the most terror or the fiercest angcr. In some
casesl this is a1I it t a k ~ sto p i n a cmvcrt; the victim
" i m ~ lsurrenders
~
t o t h e Cauls. N e ~ h m J iuse the slang
t~.rmTmK ("Turn or Kill") to dcscrihc ~ ~ C relatively
S C
~ i m ~conversions.
lc
If the quarry is more taIented, they provide cnmfort
after the agony. They intrt~duccthe phiZosnphy crf
Descent to the target as a way tu deal with thc trauma
he's just experienced. Sornerimcs rhe Nepl~andicreare
elaborate scenarios where the mark can use his new,
dark knowIedgc to prevail. EnsorceIIed hocrks (such as
the Malkus Neffandrmm), seduction and material rewards reinforce his mrnmirmenl to Nephmdl ideals.
The Nephandi philosophy has a sirnplc prcmise:
"Glorifv the Strong. Dcvour rhc Weak." This is subtly
expressed at first: texts exalt selt'ishness and declare
that moral qualms arc actually whar har the magc from
further mastery of his Arts. Corn~.lassionis condicioning imposed by SIeepcrs and fearful mages who would
e r w t psychic harriers hetwcen the rnage and his Avatar. The magc lcarns magical cechniqucs that teach
him to descrq his own moral lim ~rarionsthrough
Mind effects Or vile foci-

i:

a. .I

~ G I C A!JRES
L
Nephandi literature includes remarkably effecrive magic techniques chat "prove" co ada hhler

.I

'-d

that Nephandic magic 1s superior. Spirit magic is

cspeciall y powerful, because the rotes notify the
attending entity that the summoner is heing
duped. The evil spirit does its part, executing the
summoner's commands swiftly and efficiently

and covering for mistakes that wou Id normally

entitle the entity to torturc him. MindlPrime

effects ~ e r n p o r a r i l y grant land conceal)
Qlippothic Resonance to the caster, making
Nephandic magic easier to cast.
Of course. Nephandi can mark failed prospecrs
in such a way that their magic stops working properly In this case, summoned demons tear t h r o ~ ~ g h
the fake wards and other magic fails, so that the
caster meets R very unfortunate end.

.I

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CHAFER Twe: ' I'HE AWAKENED

STRUGGLE
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THE@NYXI%.R~JR
The Nephandi don't serve a M a g e game hy
being generic cultists o r even conventionat
lnfernalists. What makes them horrific is the way
thev twist all of rhe themes of the game to their
opposites. A Nephandus is on a qwesc fnr enlightenmenr just as serious as any mage's. Nephandi
curse themseEvesforcheirweaknesses,worry about
key omens and symhols in their Seekings and
struggle with the LirEes of their Avatars. Most
Nephandi became what they are hecause they
wero looking for a higher truth. They never stop
luaking, cirhcr.
Storytellers should play up these parallels.
Nephandi have ro be twice as cautious ahout prornoring cheir own paradigms, so their awn rcvalt
against thc Consensus is oftcn so subtlc thai, on
the surface, it may appear to he a common cause
with a Traditionalist. A Nephandus and Tradition
magc may both want to free the media from Tech-

nocraric influence. The difference i s thar the

Nephandus will use this freedom ro spread harred,
either for its awn sake or to provoke a repressive
response that brecds oppression. Like the Technocracy, thc Nephandi make a hahit~fsurrnundin~
rhemselves with Sleepers who are unaware of their
own allegiance. Only a minority of these may he
actual cultists. They may he managed hp a humpkin Infemalist who's satisfied with his static
in the Path of Dcsccnt rather than by the
Nephandus himself.
One technique you can use ro porcray Nephandi
effectively is to model their behavior on players'
characters. Make their tactics for avoiding danger
and seeking enlightenment into rhe antaponisc's
own, modifying them tn include the drive to Descent. If the players realize what you've been doing
it can force rhem to take a long, hard look at their
own characters' act ion^.

-:

zual; their nvisted Avatars take themon hcElid~Seeking<.

A< thr dark rnirrnr nf t h c Awakened, rlwy hold ideals ~f
individual and mass Desccnc. Individual Descent is
achieved by qerving the Nephandi's masters, gradually
destroying one's sense of self to achieve a mote pcdict
union with Oblivion.
Mass Dcscenr is nnthing ICSS than rhe desecration
and destruction of thc Tcllurian, hut such a n amhip

of reality as they can, Marauders

encompass as
mnrc
lclclk inwar J, neir
heljcfs become more
convnluteil. As their Qlliet intensifies they pull Mythic
Threads into themselves, creating a chaotic mfilanae of
uccllIt theory, cst>teric science, perst>nal prejudice anJ
sheer delusion. Like any willfully blind rnage, they lose
the ahilr ty to lcarnand grow; rhinps that irtspre Seekings
in c,thur maEes are rccreatcd in the Mad One's image

niyues as the Technocracy and [he Traditions, but

toward a nihilistic paradigm.

the Dynamic arpect of [hc threefold cycle as their

madness intensifies. Snmc maces he1 ieve rhat Dpnamism (or its Earthly aspect) is sentient and pulls
Marcluders In to further ~ t own
s
bizarre agendas, hur
this has ncvcr heen provcn.

Maraudcrs arc the Dynamic idcal t a k m to excess.

p i n t c ~ denying
f
the rest of reality.
R e v emhrnly an imyc~~rant
lesson for all Awakcned: Lose touch wish the Cc~nsensusand lose the
chance a t Ascension. Although the Mamudm arc
impressive wizards or mad scientists, they ccan ncvcr
learn or grow hccaiisc thcir solipsism prevents thcm
from ever understanding anything oursidc of their own

that nwerns creative change. It is pussilxlirv wtthout

strucrure or cnd. Ry rcrreatlng into Quiet, Marauders
generate a sympathetic bond with irs c o m i c Reso.
or
nancc. Psychulog~cally,this manifests as a
hatrcd fnr the signs of exrericlr realiry rhar manage to
i ~ v r u d einto one's pelsonal universe. ltlaraudcrs act
the Dynamic urge by attacking the underFfnnings
of the Consensus wirh whatevcr rnols then warped

ing rhat this a the most authentic way to play an

Marauder in the gnng (sometimes caiied a Conflux)

perceives her mission diftercntly, but cach plots against
thc samc cxterior rargets.

Awakened charactcr.

It is true rhat most mages I?c!ieve that their personal paradigms arc the most valid way for them tu
undersrand and change the Tapcsrq, but they're per-

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11

PWING mWNBS

c c p t i v e , i n q u i s i t i ~ ~ e ~ c ~ ~ l e a ~ w e l l . ~ e ~ c ~ n ~ n d e r ~s r"anntda ~ ~ n i ~ " ~ M a r a l l d e r s h a v c t h e a d v a n t a g e ~ o f
certain myrrical
seem
he trur fiIr ~~nprtdicrahiliry,
which allows Storyrrllen to usc rhcm
many Jiffcrcnr Tmditions, Crafrsand Conventions. 1f with tncrrc regard for the chronicle's needs than for
wasn't true, rhc Nine Spheres never
have conskrency. Marauder magic and mot~vationscan
cnme into being; rnagcs wtluld have no way coc,per- chanw severs[ 'times per stor; or cvcn pcr scene.
This is easy to ahusc. First of alI, Marauders aren't
ate. Thc Marauders Ilave tost che ability to Learn from
rrthcr mrrges, from t h e Consensus and froln the myster- given resisrancc to Paradux and rule-hending Sphcres
so that the Storyrcl ter can dominate the players. Use
ies of the world.

mm
!ry I b

- .-*

m,N

the player cahal. In such cases, you should make the

Mad One sornewhar consistent so that rhe players can
acrually care about the intcrlopcr. Iltherwice, i t he-

~ WACKY
T

It's easy tn cast Marauders as comic relief,

tcl limit them to that role would he to
underplay their usefulness in a Mage chronicle,
There's nothing wrong with humor, h u t don't
overuse it unless you want to change rhe game's
core themes significantly.
The first step to creatingr a memorable Maraudet is to create a Quier char:has its own internal
Ingicand dramatic importance. One way is tti take
a common mystical or scientific paradigm and

hut

comes ton obvious that ron arc messing wit11 the

charmers' livcs as a Stnq~cllerrather than through
your nonplayer character.
For powerful Marauders, you can deflect player
frustrations ovcr an "unbcatahle" antagonist hv shiftln~
artention ti1 the environment the Mad One brings with
her. When the Howling Beanvalkcr srrides into the
chamceers' ciry, they rfon'r have to wony ahout hcr as
much as the howling arcric blizzard and intcllrgent,
vicious cave bears that surround hct. The
feel a
of reward by defeating the h4araudt.r'~Quiet
~ e asense
l
realm, while you smartly emphasize the Mad One's
power and role - as a force of nature, not a magical
sparring partner.

twist it to the poinr where irrepresentsa psychotic

brcak frorn reality. This allows player characters to

reason out the Mad One's dctusions and ~rovides
by show in^ what happens when a mage
really gets into his paradigm. Don't detail cvcry
single facet nf the Quiet; leave yourself room to let
the Marauder do something totally enigmatic if
the story demands it.
Fnr example, Herrneric mages often believe
that cosmic forces are the manifestations of an~ e l or
s gods; each celestial power musr he called
upon Ev its own esoteric names and symbols. To
turn this belief into a Marauder Quiet, take ic to
its extremes. To your Marauder, angels and gods
phvsically manifest everywhcrc,harely conrained
hy llmnipresent sigils and True Names chat are
eternally whispered by the world's winds. T o
alter reality (from its already Quiet-wracked
srate!) thc Mad One doesn't create symhols hut
erases them, freeing supcmacural powers from
their wards. Of course, the Marauder may decide
that a train full of Sleepers is a demon bound to
the tracks or that the Tokyo Stock Exchange's
activity is a magical chant that binds Angcls nf
Justice t h a t he's out ta free. ...

44

THET R A D ~ ~ N S
The Traditions are on rhe verge of renewal. The
hy death
and loss, bur rhe survivors ate stronger for it, This is a
's
vital thing ro remember about thc C ~ ~ u n c i lheirs.
Thcy arc cvrnpctcnr and drivcn and have more freedam r o pursue rhcir nwn gnals than thcv have in
decades - peahap centuries.
Still, thc n e w cra prcscnrs its own cha1lcngcs. In
"I
the shadowed corners of Earth and the Umbra, many ' 7
(though not all) Masters live in exile. Sometimes
they do so bccause nf che risk uf the Avatar Storm.
Others choose solirude hecause they feel that the
younger generation can't safely use rhe dangerous
knowlcdgc that they preserve. This isn't liinlced t u
.
mystlc Traditir~ns,cithcr. Virtual Adepts tnusc deal
with a crop of apprentices that arc split hctweun
reckless "13 3c Is@xOr~" a n J corporare inforrnatic~n
specialists, ncithcr o f whom conform to t h original
~
idcals of the Trndition. Suns uf Ether face similar
problems r e l a t i n g to t h e r a d i c a l physicists,
technomystics and postmodiem social scientists who
radical
without
1:
forming to the Tradition's crhos.
Younger rnaqes have steppcd up to Icad the Tradir i m s and have done a remarkably compctcnt job. The
new generation cspvuses a straighd~lrwanjapproach,
acknowlcdginc differences among their ranks that the f..
C~7uncilhad largely downplayed in the quest for unity.
*(,
Technnrna~icis no longer relested to the backwater of
1
r
,'
r
'
" '4 ''
magical theorv. Even rhou~g11trhere have always hem
tcc-,nomadcnl
Tnditiann]lsrs, the
-1CL..
last decade has been a difficult one, marked

Mad One as a deus ex machina only when you

ahsolorely have n o other alternative. If the Marauder
is rhc characters' enemy, don't makc her totally
baffling and unhcatahte. Otherwise, you aren't SO
much sharing a story as telling it, which undermines
the enrire pnint of roltplaying. Generally, unheata h l c o r unfathomable M a r a u d e r s should hc
er~zuun~crud
only as a consequence uf thc characters'
choices. A n y danger shcjulrl bc foreshadowed, and
other options ghc~IL1exist.
In r c c l mlcs.
~ ~Manuden
~ ~ ~
cards": characters who alternately ass~stand endanger
a

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CHAFER TWQ THE

AWAKENED ~ U G G L E

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technomagic (as opposed tu Etherite and

Virtual Acfept "mystical science") has nccurrcd only in
the last few years.
Individual tactic~ns,cabals and sects wcrc once
ignored for the Council's sake. Senior rnages feared
t h a t thc rich melange of c~ilturalfraternities, occult
specialties and prestigious cahals would undermine
the Traditions' efforts ro bring Mass Ascension. Instead, the unacktiowlcd~edsects hecamc cntannled
in secret FoIitickine; and infightillgas each cnmpeted
to becomc thc sole "face" of its Tradition on the
CounciI of Ninc.
Touc hcd rnff hy the rumored resurrection clfHey lel
Teonim, infighting between the Primi of Hrruses
lanissary and Flambeau led to rhe Destruction of
Doissetep. To keep their secrets, the Euthanacos
allowed the Jhor-mad Consanguinity of Eternal Joy
to savage the Sleeping and Awakcncd world. Thesc
were severe r~hjecrlessons - the diversity c)f the
Traditions could nor he dcnicd.
crf mystical

D w ~ ~ sIsm
S~ENGTH
After the Reckoning, i n d i v i d u a l c a h a l ~began
to do things diffcrentlv. Faction affiliations gained
new importancc; mages studied the diverse secrets
nf t t ~ s i town pasrs w i t h renewed enthusiasm.
Grtli~ndedhy this, they reached for new magic more
read]ty, as ancient metaphysics merged with cutring-edgc technology and the aggregate philosophies
of t h e large Traditicrns.
In rhc process, old conflicts were brought to a
swift resolution. The ALashic Brotherhood and
Eutl~anatosacknow!edged t h e common destiny that
led t h e m to fight and in so doing found some rough
reconciliation. The Death Mages hegan an internal
pirrgc of the Order of Herrnes. Even though they'd
done this fiefore, the assa~rlton House Janissary
represented a bold experiment. For the first timc,
the Euthanatos revealed what they had done and
the reasons for doing so. Despite the understandable finger fclt hy the Hermetics, othetmagesapplaud

abhorred. They were a varied lot:

Let's face it: The Tradititms 11sve had a rough d them
rime. The fall of Concordia and Doissetep, thc incoherent ideali~ts,scheming schr>larsand reluctant
Avatat Storm and varinus internecine struggles sages were all forced into stilted roles hy thc selfish
have takcn their toll ~3nthe Trad~ticms'collect~ve ambitions of a few and the ancient mandace d the
morale. Many mages land Mage playcrs) helieve nrtginal Prfrni.
that the era of the mystic has passed and that thc
Now the dream of unity ts gone, but so are at1 the
world would he bettcr off u n d e r the guidance of the haggagc and shady dealing that were required to
,Technocracy whilc each cabal carved out its own maintain its facade. The rcrnaining Masters are, in
furtive niche of safety. I t isn't true.
thcir i ~ w nway, just as liberated hy the loss as younger
Despite its mighty R e a l n ~ and
s t h e s rewarclship mages, Now every Tradition is fourlded on the indiof some of t h e must powcrfirl rnages ever ro l ~ a v e vidual maEc. 11e Awakened fnllow their own dream5
lived, the Council of Nine was totting from the and make the Traditions extensions of their clwn
inside. The Compact of Callias (a document offi- passions and ideals.
cially sanctioning multi-Tradition cabals) was
These are the mystics, eccentric scientists
repudiated hy the Council even though younger and occultists that the world needs. Not content
mages continued to gather across Traditional t o Iet their own affairs he managed hy others,
houndaries. Establiched chantries closed their doors rnages support their Traditions and the dream of
/ r l j newcomers. Council attenilance was sputrier thc Council by choice, nor inheritance. Some
with each nine-year cycle, W h a t was the use of a want to revisc the Council's mission to ernphasizc
1 htllion-volume occult I ihrary, Realms within rhe search for individual Ascension. Orhers want
Realms and
rncntors when each Tradition, ro throw off Technocratic hegemony, study the
preoccupied with internal concerns, refused tu wider supernatural world or explore the benefits
take advantage of s't~ern?
mystic magic holds for Sleepers. In most cases,
It'stlasytosapemat the Masters and Archrnastcrs they know t h a ~survival isn't good enuugh a n y
of rhe Council of Nine for this. The truth is that, to more. It2 timc to act, liefore the last spark of frer
promote the Councilshriginal mandatc of unity, will - of magic- is exc~scdfrom the world hy its
they were forced to toleratc circumstances that many too-cautious stewards.

their m o t ~ v c sand hunestv. It's a brutal first scep to available, hut ambitious teachers are notc)rious fur
a new culture of Tradition rnages, but perhaps a failing to rncnLion that other rncncors are available.
necessary one.
If t h c Orphan does have a choicc, prospective ruP a ~ a d o x i c a l l ~thc
,
result has not heen ro t o ~ srry to outhid each r ~ t h e r ,offering material
fragment the TraJitions hut to strenRthen [hem, incentives, swaying t h e results w ~ t hMind magic
Before, each Tradition was the political face as- and SO on. Some mentors o p t for a more low-key
surned hy ;1 co1Iecrion of distinct factions and approach, emphasizing their humility and artenpersnnalities, many of whom wczc ignorecl for rhe rton ro the pupil's needs. Somerimes they're even
sake of the Nine. Now, Traditionalists are more apt heing sincere ahout ic.
t c ~think t h a t theit association is a voluntary one,
Paradigmatic conflict also set mages against
that they have a s a y in the highest levels of Tradi- cach other. W h e n an Akasl~ic Brother casually
tirrn politics and tusticc.
mentions a Hermetic companion's true name, it
Still, it" a aaucous Ivyalry; factions and cabals may touch off an argument or duel. The Akashic
ctlrnpetc for rhc shared resrJurces of their Tndirion, thinks the true name is an amusing affectation thac

to thc chnnts of influence.

ply lack the Imagination ro extend ltheir hcliefs into

A TH@USAND
RNAL PASSIBNS
a grearcr metaphor that encompasses sorncthing
Chot>sing riivr:rs~ty, Traditionalists must suffer outside of their practices.
Finally, will and passion go hand and hand, so ir's

rarc; many places

power have cithcr bccn clairncrl

hy the Tcchnocrar vor already host acahal or chantry

,:

'

A THCBUSAND
D ~ RTCB
S&ENSIN

StilI, diversity has proven to he thc Traditions'

that's loath ro share. A few seemingly deserted Nodes
strength.
Running the gauntlet of Ascension is no
were once usecl to fuel Horizon Realms. Evcn tht,uEh
mean
feat;
mages respect each other for the simple
rhe Realms are gone, t h e cruasdians,rvazds and safefact
t
h
a
t
they
earn their gifts. They don't suffur the
remain. T h e most prized Nodes contain
beneficial
side
effects of an ancient curse, draw upon
shalfowingsthat alloweasy passage int.0 chc Umbra
a
srrpcmatursl
heritage or share in power granted
or possess unique Rmonances.

;-

Wonders,unattachedfamiliarr,honksofsycllsand fr~"above.(Wcll~must~fthemdon't*an~wa~.)The
[he like arc nfren in shorr srlpply and of uncertain have to work for cvery iota d their power, from their
ownership. nemtlcrof H~~~~ was willing attack very first Epiphany to studying the Spheres, contem~ s through
ro feed its library. OthetmaRes platinl: the mysteries of their See k ~ n and,
an enrise seer of
it
"11,
surviving
in
a
world
tha
t
seems
tu
have turned
are satisfied with snagging Talismans and manuals that
itAhak
On
this
dir;cifline.
lwlong to another mage, through trrde, legal wrangling
Based on that respccc, Tradition m a p s are willor o u t r i ~ h theft.
t
o r p h a n s can set off a brushfire of rivalry. -j-he ing to tnlerare cach othcr. Now thac s o many of the
~
~ are ~ every kmage inducted
~
into
~ a UILI~ politicald boundaries havc bccn smashed, they
honestly assess one a - ~ ~ t h e r customs.
's
Tradition i s a vit;,l asset, future leader and prodigal Can
-.q 6 L,
son, a l l rolled into
A magica[
prospectis Often, they find they have something to learn frotn
[I.
[ban one is their comrades. New theories spring up, compete and
,,soally allowed to
her rutor if

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rncrgc. Inutnbracing their J~tterenccc,thcy'vt: found

that thcv have new magic to teach and learn.

tiuns. The ivorld's hect~rninga nlorc s v ~ l eplacc.

Freethinkers are pacified w ~ t hstale entortainmcnt

clccan nf ~optllnrtrends.
In the corridors of c h a n t r i a around the world,
Disciples debate the ultimate ethos of the Tradi-

rhc sign oi rhe Sphinx-

Despite the intrigue and viuSence that

course through Awakened life, a lar~er
supemarural world beckon<the curious,
vengeful and desperate alike. The World
of Darkness crawls with smaojie magic
and mrtaphysical disharmony. Some
mages are bitterly familiar with uthcr

trust ancl i~ostilityas thcy would for ilthes Traditions. A small fract~anof Awakcned magi share in
the h e r i t a ~ eor gifts of otl-ler supernaturals and can
use a stnaII array of supernatural powets withour thc
interference of Paradox. Sumc, like certain faernuched magi, henefit from rhesc powers after
intense study. Others, such as chc lilood-drinking

thev trcat the Sleeping worlci.

The vas.t rnaj~lrity of mages rarely unco~snter
Mage games rend to have mrwe crossclvcrs than
other supernatural creatures unless they rake it upon many others. Some Sroryrellers want antagclnists with

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wide berth. More cautiuus factions quietlv arrange a dcfault setting you can rely on to crcate and maintain
for the slavc's death; inquisitive cabals try to draw stories that are a h ~ u t r n a ~ efirst.
s
out as much information as they can, then suhtly
BATTLES
ensure thar the rhrcnr is contained. Of course, thc SHADOW
The
supcmatural
protagonists ofthe other World of
Technocracy has its own methods for d c ~ l ~ nwith
g
Darkness games can ~ o v i d ground
e
for conflict wirl~out
compromised agents, s u c l ~as chemical lohoturn
gene rherapy. In the end, the irredeemable ate re- Ictting: their central themes dornimtc your chronicle.
leased from living hclndaEeand their Ilr,dies are needriest way is colimit conflicttamater~disricstru~~~e.
Local werewolves claim a N d e , pcrf;~rrnsame hizarre
marked for dirsecriun.
A minorjry of mages rakesa more llheral view. ritual lm it and turn into its bloodthirsty guardians.
-rlIcyusually
have sntne sort of historical henJ with V~mpiresare interfering w i t h a clevcr Syndicate scheme
tn llo~kr n c w people UP with credit. In rhese cases, you
world. Merjtjna ti^^
servr fne
R~~~~ has it char I
J
don't even~ need to use direct
~
conflict. kpionape,
~
influ~
encuuntrr shsprshiiters more
otller CnC' ssmes and hiah-stakes negoriation can take up the
mages, ],(I the meptings have the same a i r of mis- bulk of the storyline. YOUcan includc a carharric hunt nf

7 %

ral king's nature to the game's largcr cosmology. A

Jhnr-tainted Wonder may ert~deits undeacl custodian's
Hurnaniry over time. Freely contradict canun d IC suits
you. If you want the shards of thc Avatar Storm to
cmbcd themselves painlessly in Gamu who "step sideways" scguIarIy, do so. The shards can cause madness,

V a r ~ o u sMet i t 5 (such as Ghoul, Shaj~eclianger

Kin or Nephilim from Blood Treachery, among

others) rrpresent a special tie tu a class of
supernatural creature. [n Mage's cosmology,
characters with these Merits represent a Sink
between the self-contained mctapl~ysicalnatures uf these beings and the targcr Mythic
Threads that their presencc weavcs into the
Tapestry. The gifted mage aczs as an incermediary fierwccn thc supernatural and its Iargcr

you're tisrng the resources of both Mage anJ the other

game to enhance y ~ ) u ~ s t o rNaturally,
y.
other supernatural crcatures distrust m a p m d won't have thc samc

Resonance in tE,c Consensus.

I f the Storyreller approves, such characters
can simulate the supernatural powers of these
creatures with sphere magic as i f they were
coincidental magic, as l o n ~as these powers also
exist in human m:~thsand legends. Thc Storyteller
is che finat arhicthr of whether a riven stipcrnatural power is a part of t h e Consensusymythology.
On a h c ~ c hParadox
,
hackladles usually manifest
as the traditional banes of these creatures and
affecc the mage as i f she were the appropriate
rnvthc)logicsl: hcing - regardless of u~hctherthe
actual supernatural heing is normally affected hy
them. Such powcrs can require Mastery of a
Sphcrc or bettcr; they are reserved for thc highcst human scientific and occult achievcments.
For example, t h e Tytalus rcncgadc Scth
Cnrazon can grow fangs and claws because of his
command of Lift: magic. He's a ghoul, nncl the
Effect 1s coincidental. R o r c l ~ i nmay
~ cause sunlight to injure I~irnfora timc or prevent him from
crossing runninl: warer, however.
In aJJirion to this optional aclvanrage, different supernatural ties may have their orvn
hcnefirs and drawbacks, or the Storyteller may
simply usc the alllove svscem in all cases. Mix thc
suggestions in hiage with whatever you wish e o
usc from other ,+ourcehooksto cnmc up with a

and violence ta solve the nlystery or claim rhcir prize.

%CREE W ME SUPRNATUR~L
You can let the clisconrinuiries in the lines work for

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wider array of effecrs.

Ynu can decide on an ultimate amwer for Y m ~ r s ~ l f .
The player characters can gradually discover the truth
througll dedicated research and happenstance. This can
result in either a radicai shift in thc sctring ("This spell
ties into the sympatheric Rescmancc of all vampires, --a
e v e v h c r e . It's rime ro stop this plague."), an advan-

cWER
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tidily fit into Mage's premises, however. k t those be

rageinalacalctmffrct("WithaJropnfitsoffspring's
blood, i can destrov the mastcr vampire that's heen
vir3knce whcn thc cl~aractcrstcst thctr ahiltties versus hounding us!") or simply an answer KO a nagging yuesthc bizarre power; of their enemies withour dwelling on tion, garnering social reward5 ("You've proven that all
undead link to a cenmal demonic oversoul, Adeptus. A
thc nature of those creatures in Mage's cosmoloffy.
diqcovery like that will earn ynu the Master tutelage
Taking ir up a notch, you can place an rntifact
event from Mage in the Cossessionoiother supernatural vnu've been looking for.").
beings. It can ~ U V L~nvisibly
'
rhrough their population
Don't ovcrlook the fact that you can simply chmge
or it can affcct rhum in a way that's totally alien to their the "facts" :ihour other supernatural creatures. Mayhe
experience. If it has an effcct, it can link rhc supematu- werewolves really do tmnsmir thcir powers thtough their

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hrtc. Changclinp might hc i;llIen pagan clcrnijicxhwho

pcvsess thc hcdics of their few remaining worshipers=For

THE
FRST~ Y S T E R Y :
~ J ~ B ND
R ~ BYGQN~S
D

a twist, rupernaruml beings could k l ~ c v ethe canon~cal

urnhimd are rhe~
~
lspirilts. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~a
"facts" ahout themselves huc act~~ally
have another, hid- single sFiri has many faces. iqesrenger
urnhrond
den nature rhar only the Awakened can really disco~yer. may take on
of ~d innr raerns
they

THEC

Rcycrnd any inspiratiiln ro bc found in the other

games, Mage itself has arich cosmcdogy thar isn't always

explored to its full potential. l3ucated mages call the

rnystic chain of being the Cantinutm. Magcs study its
patterns for insighis intu the rrature i ~ tilt.
f Tellurian.
The inhabitants of thc Continuum are uncnuntable. Every g d , demon, nature s p i t and Sencling is a
part of it. It appears to have an underlying stn~cture,
but
evcry time a mnge discovers an "unbreakable" rule, a
ncw cntiry promptly breaks it. The Tapestry i s always
changing, SO it's sometimes mure irnportanr tocnnsidcr
it in terms uf its flow rather than any laws it may appear
rn have. Ln studying it, magcs cnctmnter the limits of
their knowledge. When they fight a part of the Continuum, chcir victoryrcsrson how well they can~lecipher
its mysteries as well as rhe cntityVsohvious powers.

ing the player5. Trust us on this.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

visit a Vcsbena runecrafter. To a H e r m e t ~ cof'Chorlsa

tcr, the same entity is an emanation of the Uphanim,
the One's angel-chariors. The fluid appearance
UmbmoJ ,,kc, them hard to
much less
understand, ttlough many have a "rell"
that shows
itself in every manifestation. Somctinlesthis i s as
subtle as its
patterns or the demandq it makes
of a summoner. A few Umhrood maintain one form
all the rime; others c a n louk radically diffcrcnt to
eacIz memhrr of a group thar mccts it. Everv spirit
represen c~ a particular rnetarh ysical concept.
As antagonists, Umhrrlod can he extremely
dangerous in their own spheres [,f influence, bur
chc are limi red by t h e very offices
hold
damnin over. MagiCa\rents such 2s The SRll,monic
CodP(see Lost Paths: Ahl-i-Batin and Taftani)
stare t h a t no spirit c a n
rj-- own narure.
Thus, they can lye thwarted or bound by rnanipuEating the limits of what they can do or think. This
means, however, that spirits are cxrremely cautious about sharing their secrets with magcs. Somc
scholars believe that [his ts t h e reason they change
their appearance. By appearing according rs t h e
witness' expectations, the spirit hides its ut timate
nature as hest i t can. Other magt.5 helicve that
spirirs are thc remnants uf t h c Pure C7nes"irsr
expcrience of reality: the primal Consensus that
all other witnesses modify. According to this
theory, rhc Pure Ones' initial experiences created
both the Urnhruod and Cosrnol~bgicalCrlnstants.
N o m a p ran rt*liahly hargsin wirh nr hinrl a
spirit
it5 nature. If "kil,ed,"
a llostile UmhrnoJ, simF{y refrlrms elsewhere in the
Umhra. Some spirits (typically those rclatcd to war,
honclr, consrqucnccs and thc like) are hnund n o t tu
attack the oncs who defeat thcm, bur must are ntlt.
Mages who crudely smite spirirs may only delay
thclr encmlcs.
Aside horn rhc danger of the spirit returning for
revenge, the ,-hance
that it
to its
Tuperror. AT1 k n t ~ w nUmhrood exlsc in a hierarchy.
In the Middle Umbra, qpirits representing the
Mctaphysic Trinity cooperate to promore the s t ~ c n ~ t h
of their cosmological ftlrcc. Other umhrood helong

to the Court, a hierarchy that has as many faces as the

spirits chcmscIves. Mages sornutirncs classify rhese

At the top of the spirit hierarchy arc the

gods and angels -or a t least, beings that look
like them, act like them and ate as all-powerful
as one might expect. None of them can be
summoned or bound hy magcs (though aspects
of them, as powerful Urnbrood in their own
right, often are), hut they may he called as
usual. Their powers are capable uf humbling
any mage. Some archaic gocls are, in fact,
Umbrood Lords and a little rnore reasonable to

"

to find out if this is true.

Even here is an apparent hierarchy. Reings

whose direct influence are largely limited to the
spirit worlds are somewhat less powerful than
those who represent Earthly phenomena or he-

phers and theologians.

A n ~ e l i c sand Dernonics exist in all three o f
the known Umbrae. Most of the time they residc

from a very few beings.

Celestines and gods represent the epitome of
their spheres in influence. Hyperion is the Sun.
None of them is inclined to talk to humans
except through a n intermediary, though some
crearures (notably shapeshiiters ) have mote personal relationships wirh rhem. A iew gods were

groom rcplacements is unknown.

bias6 about their encounters with the divine and you don'r want that.

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aspccts of the Court as separarc courts (such as tF~c

Eastern Court and rhc Babylonian Court).
In practical rerms, this means t h a t if a mage
ur~duly interfctes with a spirit's purpose, it can
pctlrion its superior C(F deal with the offender. The
divisiun between a lesser spirit and its supcrior is
vaguely defined. An Urnbrood Lord may bc the
aggregate of several Preccprors' metaphysical dumains; a f r c c e p t o r may he rhc conceptual
"offspring" or aspccc of its Lord. Thus, powerful
Umhrnnd cjften take any offense against their servants as a Fersonal attack
Rygones ate crcaturec chat have dtiftcd into lthc
conccptual realm as the Consensus rcjects them.
Dragons, yeti and others sometimes have more material connections w1t.h favorable local paradigms.
Bygones arc ahlc ti1 return to Earth for brief periods
if thcy are helped acruss chc Gauntlet and can maintain their material presence if they are rcgillarly
suppl~edwith Quintebsence. Withuut it, they return
ro the sprrit world. Many Bygoncr are allies or mcmbcrs of che C o u r t , especially if they complement an
Urnhrood's favored ~ i s c .

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In thc Deep Umbra, otltcasts and allens make thetr

homes. Even though it's hard to break the Dreamshell
sewrating Eartli'h spiritual realms from rile rest of thc
cosmos, many of these entities makc thy attempt. Fornmnrcly, the most successfuI intruders seem ro pose
littlc threat tn the world.
The KO Luon o r Gray are the best-known aliens
evcn Slcepers recognize them. Debate rages as to
whether or not they are forced into thcsc ~hapesin
cleference t o Sleeper folklore, choosc them to do so
or arc tfic inspirations fnr thcm. Adding to t h e
cunfi~sion,Urnbrond havc rakcn Gray manifestations regularly since t h c 1950s. Many of these spirits
perform horrible cxperimcnts on Slecpcts while they
slumber, visit thcm with messages of cosmic peace or J u bath a t the same rime. Void Enginccrs use
spccial operatives called LERMUs whu look like
chem (and are rumored t o he cngincered using Gray
genetic material), and Nephandi and Marauders have
also taken alien form for various reasons.
T h e Ka Luon themselves don'r pursue such a
cohcrcnt agcnda. They do occasionally kidnap

AGE .STOR~ELLERS
WDBOBK
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Sleepers; some of thcm return from the abductions

with an Awakened Avatar and describc thc cxperience as endlessly eirphntic, a series nf hizarre rortures
ur a hundred r h i n q in between. AsiJe from rheir
familiar sauccr-shaped craft and general appearancc, no account can agree on anyclsing consistent.
Technt~cratsare baffled by rheir sechnology and
Traditionalists have n o idea whcrher they use
technomagic ur alien mysticism. Some humans seem
tn be able to use 4:hcir dcvices by caking: a "hlack
hox" approach, n t ~ t j nwhat
~
works, what doesn't
and ulhat's danpers~us.
If the Grays d c ~use Awakcncd magic, cheyhe never
heen seen ro sufftcr Pmdox. The Sons of Ether theorize
that the Ka Luon'c craft generatc their o w n paradips.
This is certainly consistent with r e p r t s of stranded
Grays
hecorning helpIess, to the point of dy ing

and Jissolving.
Asdc h m chr. Ka Luon, dozens of other alien
species have I~CCPI~ C C O ~ ~byC the
C I Technocracy and the
Traditions. A11 nFpenr to avoid thc Horizon hy traveling
through physical s ~ i ~ c Not
c . all of them conform t l the
~
scient~ficparadigm; ;~licnsw l ~ otravel through space on
the hacks of wcsrd Fcastr or aTe propelled hy the power
c~fiinde~i~hurahlc
slgils are as often reported as those
u~hi)use spacecraft.
Aside frnm truc aliens, there are Outsiders who

USINGSENDINGS

To crcatc a Sending, usc thc standard charactcr creation rulcs, then adjust thcm for the
FOWCT ICVCI you wish. A Scn~lingalways has a
minimum "Arete" and Avatar of 3 and 3 ranks in
the Spirit Sphere. They have no Backgrounds
aside from Avatar, Dream, Past Lives and Arcane.
nor assip Merits and Flaws. Add fivc Traits
of (Dynamic) Storm-Tainted Resonance.
The hodies ofsendings are Materialized constructions: they don't take any wound penalties.
All Sendmgs have the innare (and Paradox-free)
ability to shapeshift at will, hut the process takes
a full turn. Sendings regenerate health levels by
passing through the Avatar Storm. Roll the
Sending's "Aretc" (difficulty 6) when it passes

no

through; each success regenerates a single Ievel

of lethal or hashingdarnage. Sendings are ephemera1 beings, so use the Spirit Sphere f<)r Life
Effects. They are, of coursc, ncver injurcd by the

+
-

Avatar Storm.
The effects of faradox upon a Scnding arc up
to the Storytcllcr to dccidc, bur erosion of chc
Sending's Avatar and permanent health level
loss are recommended pcnalties. They arc nnt
recommended fur use as player charactcrs.

"' 1

are exiles. Among them arc thc Ncphandi Aawadirn

Archmages and the powerful demons that maws
lircked away r i r h riem. Some servants of Primordial dead Archmace. Others arc rccogn~iahlcas iiescen
Entropy also lzave ~lorninionson the ocher side of rhe dants nf Hohgrhlins that sprang from the famous
harrier, but a part of their Realm sccps through into Quiets of 2 few mages.
Earth's Urnhrae. Fortunarely, all of these hcings arc
Sendings possess a strr3ng scnse of purpose that ' ;
unahlc ttl cross the Horizon witknur powerful, corn- comes from their original function, their new Avaplex sacrifices or or her, as yet unknrwn means. Both tars and rheir archctypc. Thcy can use Sphere rnagtc
A
the Traditions and the Technocracy study the Hosi- hut don't seem to suffer from Paradox in any fashion
weakncsscs and pursue cults that are that rnagcs can ~ e r c c i v e(like Marauders, they may
zon for
Jevorcd to bringing the Outsiders In.
just cxpcriencc ic differently). A Sending is perfectly
caFahle of passing for a human bcing if its temperaTHETHIRD
~T~YSTERY:
SENDINGS
ment allows it to. It needs no foci, hut most Sendings
Sendings (see MaP: The Ascension, F'. 2793 are have an i n t u i r i ~ eknowlcdgg of [he wav SF\lere +j
'J
the mosr recent ~ w kcncd
a
entities to appear. Most magic is srlpposed to work. Infil trators can hc
:.'
h c ~ , a nas simple Umhmod, c o m ~ c l l ~h~d Masrer~for foT their stranFepersonalities and the Stom-ToEnted
a number nf purpclses. As they ~ a s s c dthrough the R~~~~~~~~ thar surrounds them.
Avatar Storm, they merged w i t h human Avatars.
Sendines are relentless in pursuit of their goals.
These acererate soills form a w n d a s l n d c archethCY
to fulfill
urig,na]
missions,
type. then manifest according to their n e w identity. then
according
drives of their *vaar
SmdinFis haw a ~ ~ c a r e3 5d E E Y P ~'Jds*
~ ~ ~"mclns shrdr.Scndinp havehem know 10
as
. )Ca t"
and dead Masters: rhcy show no rigm nf running out accumplilh a
goal, leading maps
rhar '
,'
o i p o a i h l e idenriries. Some Sendinar may have urher the shard
them to act J
~T~main~
+ l k~ r'
origins; one rhar inaniferrs as a variety of rhunder ,.in rhemrelver, Sendiner Cross rhe Gaunrler,
*
gods is saiJ t o have cr~llectedaround rhe Avatar of a
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cullcct~ngnew shards. ScnJines use Awakencd magic

rcl cross thc Gauntlct (all have the equivalent of the
third tank of Spirit) and can he Frcvented from doing
so ti1 regenerate, hut only a handful of mages know
cnough ahour them to use this tactic.
Scndings arc excellent repoqitories of crccult knowledge hcausc of the power they draw upcm hut also make
irnpEacahle foes whcn thwarted. Undersrandlng a
Sending's motives is cn~cialif one hopes ro defeat ir,
parley or at lcast stay out of i t s way.

Mages are apt to think of themselves as a fractious

bunch, unahlc ro agree among themselves ahmrt the
simplest things, much less the ultimatc natureotreatity.
Yet chc Awakened do have wme special knowled~eof
the ulti~natcsecrets, cvcn if they're often limited hp the
inadcquacy of their own metaphors to expren them.
The quesr for truth i s more than just meditation and
research. It" sil struggle against nature, which doesn't
give up secrets easily.
The quest starts with Awakening, then the magc's
fint encounter with Paradox. The Consensus' punishment is apainful thingtobear. It feels like thedisapproval
c ~ billions,
f
and perhaps the d~sapprovalof the Tellunan
itself. Paradux is a difficult antagonist. It's an intensely
personal and occarionally itonic backlash from a universe that uses the Cunsensus' t-crnote and inlpersonal
crircria ro judge him.
s
searched for an answer to
Fc~rcenturics,m a ~ ehave
bridge the gap betwcen Paradox's impersonal standards
and its very intimate manifestations. Many arc want to
the phenomenon tutallv and blame rhcrnselvcs fur every hacklash. They see hubris in every
magical act. Ochers (such as the Technocracy) meat
Paradox as a mechsn~sticphysical quirk. Ln hnth cases,
the backlash t c n h to conform c c ~the each rnage's
expectations.

Retwcen Faradox and thc n a m e nf magical paradigms, it becomes very difficult to break nut of thc trap
of salipsisrn, T l ~ cmage l~cginsto rl~inkthat the only
trurh cxists in her own rhcories and tnvencions. Nothing outsidc herself ir; truly importans. Sometimes Quict
strikes, or the despondent mage Falls.
In bcr, Paradox is a link heswcen thc magc and the
hrger worl~i.It's a constant reminder that the Conscnsur -the heliefs and perhaps the spiritual condition of
hill~ons- is at the very center of her struggle. As it
tightens, so dnes h ~ r n ~ m i t ytaste
' s for wonder, innovation :md diversity.

[@R"SELLING
YBURPLAYERS
@N Y@WRV E R S")I ~ N

Tom: "Uh, ~ m hBob.

,
Whatetw...."
One uf the most difficult things ahour running: a
I

hey, you know, it xeeiws a l o t rriangle

~~
the's been in frhc thc game and rhc final confrontation. Meanwhile,
the characters have their o w n a p x d a s , not to menI?ackgroundof prmr characters' lives for ycms.
tian those of the players.
"Anyway, of course, trclckinfid~wnyour missingpal
Thc scction that follows explores how tn tell the

"Oh, and $id I mennon thar all nfthis rakes phce in my

fae~orice historic01 decode, the IJ40s? Cool, htth? Wanna
play Friday night?"

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C W ~ THREE
R
AWAKENING
THE STBRY~ELLER

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Intriiduction if you missed it rhe first rime.) If the

much clictaricln, though, and the Srorytellc~becomes a tyrant. Toe much left to chance, and the

ENGAGINGPLAYERS
LOO far. While strtking a bfilan.ce is
run1 even if it" Mage: The Ascension in Nevcrnoble idea, [he truth is [Ilat
have to start Never Land. T h e first key to doing SO lies in crafting

isn't g o h g to go
a

matter how caught up the Storyteller may hccomc

wirh che elegance of her story, she mursr makc corn.

Every good story has a beginning, a middle and

If you&
a great story or chronicle.

Your natural tendency IS to treat everything around

ever had a creat~vewriting class,

It's a fundamcncal plot fnrmula prcscnt tn practically 311 storics. As a writcr, i t may hc your natural
rcndencv ro fighr against formula, ro try t o create a
more organic story chat better represents reality,
hut in t r u t h , fr3rrnula is what people are cclnd itioned

suhcnnsciOus Icvel* the story you

Or

hecause marty roleplayers start nut with non-Stnrytelle~

Great Storytellers, whether tn S t ~ ~ r y t e l l games,

~ng
nnvels nr film, play uprln this hasic plot formula just

comes great responsihili ty,

Contrary to what most roleplayers think, s well- teller, h u t free her t o access a world of infinite yet
rccaLmizahle pcrssihilities. Exploiting rhe convenmanaged chroniclc can go on f ~ i r ~ c awithou
rs
tm~kin~
a sineEe die roll. T h a t is, assuming the StvrytePlcr is tiorts of form and gcnrc are what great storyre!l~ng~r
worth her title. On the c~therhand,a Storyteller that all ahnut, insofar as it is perceived as a prjpular form
lacks confidence in his ahiliry or aurhoriry can lose of entertainment.
1" the fnll~wingparagaphs, wc'll talk a hit about
an entire chronicle to ;l single die roll. This is not co
~
'
w
r r t l ein each stwe of executing t11c fimnula to the
say that
rolling is a had tlIingm M~~~
henffit
d y n u r sW3 r d Your ~ l a ~ c r s .
runrain an equal part of chance and rhoice. Ti30

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THE[BURNU

w A THBUSAND
I~ILES

WINS
~ ! +AmSKL SEP

preeenerating characters from which the plaljcrs may

pick. Frequently, this is a prohlern. Practically every

A lot of Storytellers wtll teI1 you that you have player wants to create his crwn characrer, since his
lirtle or no responsibility in assist in^ your players in character is thc 1Elrgcst sin& contributinn hc makes

creating [heir characters - that you should let them

create wharever types of characters they want and
then furce the lot into the confines of your story.
T h a t is a rertihle way tn hegin what everybody hopes
will he a mutual?y satisfying storytelling experience.
Afrer all, Storyrclling games are supposed ro be ahout
interactive entertainment, not everybody doing his
n w n thing.
One method for simplifying this process is playing the chorus. In Greek theater, plays began with a
body of chcsiians, who would
chorus, a
chant a svrt of comprehensive introdrrction to familiarize the audience with the events of the production.
This i s also called an expository sccnc - 3 littlc
snippet of the full production. This sort of thing was
used in a lor of arcs, from theater t o opera and even
symphonies. Tuday we might- call it a trailer. These
introductions to your story should includc infomation important to game play, such as the historical
period or senlng, identifying the faction or factions
which will generally he treated as the protagonists
and antagonists and teasing the players with hooks ro
gct them into the story.
Unlike the Greek chorus, you may not want to
give out the ending or crucial plot points. tn many
cases, Greek plavwrigl~tswere working with stories
the audiencc already knew. Give thc players jusr
enough information to pique their inccrcst.
Flaying the chorus, fir giving plavers a trailer of
your story or chronicle, can help players gcar their
characters toward [he types of things rhay'li he secing and doing in the game. This way, if your story is
all aholut eliminating a nest of Marauders, you won't
end u p with a pack odprett.ntious artists and academics ( r ~ rmayhe you w ~ l l after
;
ail, it's Mage).
If your story is ahuut discovering the true nature
ofrhe new hunters. you aren't going ta want a bunch
uf gung-hn ass-heaters as your
characters.
Yorr owe it to yourself and to ycrur players to give
them a peek into what your game is going to he like.
That way, whether yotr're thc hest Storyteller in the
world or rhe worsr, games w o n ' t unrnvel in the first
five minu~es.
If you have a group of players who are really into
the roEe~layingaspectof the srory, or if your chronictc
u
consider
isn'r intended tn he years Inng, y ~ might

to the story as a whole and is the way that he affects

rhe story. Bc aware of this and be sensitive to it. If you
do decide to crearc pregenerated characters, make a
hunch. Give your players a wide varicty from which
to pick. Also, leave some of the characters' qualities
open ended, Let the players dcccrmine things like
sex, physical appearance and personality. Another
option you might leave opcn is Freebie Points. Small
customizatinns i n characters will go a long way toward the players taking ownership of their characters.

ANTAGeNISTS AND CCDNFLIC'TS

Following thc b a s ~ cplot format, rhe antagonists
and conflict in the story art. the elements ovcrwhich
thc Scoryccllcr has the greatest control. Thus, these
arc the places where the Storyreller has the greatest
opportuniry ro shine and, morc ~mportantly,cngagc
rhe plavers. In other words, rounding LIPa rostcr of
cumplex a n J believable villains who motivatc the
to act is your biggest and alr times most
difficult task.
In the age of rhe si I enc screen and for some time
bef~>re,
all it took tube a villain or a tragic figure was
deformity. Give a character an eye patch, a scar, an
amprrtation or anything political correctness des c r i b e ~as a "difference" anJ you immt.diately had a n
antagonist. This is ptinciFally hecausc hcrocs wcre
classically idealized, rnaklng anyonc with a foihle,
especially a visihle one, a suspicious character.
Tnday,people like their heroes t o he a Ilir more
human, and thus so too have w e humanized evil.
Although p o ~ i ~ l films
ar
and fiction still play on
the concept of youth and beautr! as gond with agc
and ugliness as cvil, we've hecome a h i t more
TI'forgiving of our villains, although thev can ccrtainly bc Jespicahle.
7T h e key ro creating a good villain, then, may 1- ;
he in a balance hctwecn humaniz~ngand dehu- 3
*I
manizing t h e enetny. A perfect example can he d .'
faund in T i m Roth's
of Archibald
Cunningham in the film Roh Roy. Much uver-#-4 I..
CI
lookcd hccausc o f its outward sirnilariry to
Bsaelrhenrt and a lack of a hloodthirsty, nationalis,f,
tic message, Rob Ro! is a much more ~ e r s o n astory
l
-81
where the battlefield, dcspitc sumc pulse-pound- .;
ing action scenes, is ethical.
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The hero is a simple sherilf, Rob Roy McGrcgur,

THEPAYOFF

The conflict in your story is also a t the heart o f

Regardless of what types your players are, some

fundnmcntal things exist that you can du to rnaku all
three harpy.
First
foremost, thou9h [Ile
i s high a t

how i t engaf!es playcrs.

freshman-lev"

'(Irn-

hecomes a potential source of conflict as factions

v ~ elor contral d a reality ruled hy consensus.
Chapter Two 5ummari'eJ Inany Of
potential
conflicts for Mage.

, Pmgenitor'r plot to harvest research rirsue frum

\&nowing
suhjects t o srcurinn and defending an
i~nporrantmeeting of archmaws from an attack hs
an elder vampire's minions. Your external conflict

tL, y,,,, local hobhr score and trade i t I n fr,r rome

clicc. ~ ~ r],em
1 a1 lot.when ynubve
colnc to under-

rhat the only thing ycrucan control

put t h e dice down, go hack

ti)

ynursclf,

your local hohhv

Seconj, reward your playcrl for [hinking ourside the box cVcn if rhcy hrclak
in
l-herc is nnrhina more frusrrarjnf or redeclsiill, by piayers
wardinn rllan watchinl! a
A

down the opcration?Nsturallv, the characters w o u l ~ l

~h~ heaslciful t h i n g
room into a
want to &rr'-'rcct the m c c r i n ~nf the a r c h m a ~ c s 1but ahnuf ti me$when pEaycrs think their way right past
why arc t h c vampires attacking? Might
bc
plot
is that
rile
rime ro re-eva]uare
41
wi~rkingfor the prcater ~ o o dIs? i t hrrtrr ro side wit11 whatyo"
joing
],c,in
H~~~
play<
m l ..
the maae they seek
destroy or t o ('PP's'
"r
came up wirha
th;ll iseven
inteicating
!mi-,
, ., F u t e n t ~ a l l ydiabolical plots?
shan the one you originally irnagineci?If vou'rc not

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wrappcd up in your o w n self-importance, you You're a good StoryteIler, and you've worked with
can use t l ~ c s cunqeen twists t o makc the story more the players to devclop stnries that engage them.
cnjoyahlc for the players. They feel great about You've established the central premisc of your game.
thcir accom~lishrnenrand credit you with a great Mavhe it's an epic ccwfronration hctween mages and
story, an3 yclu get to tell them ahuut the conrtihu- Technocrats. Mayhe it's a power struggle a t the
tian they made later - t h a t is, if you decide co let l~i,ghestlevelsofthoTraditions.Mayheit'saconflicle
them share the ~ l o r yYou
.
mrght decide to chalk it within a single chanrry. You'vc fleshed out your
up to experience and usc what you've learned t o nunplayer characters. You've worked to invvlvc cach
cook up a story eh:+r'll really knock their socks off character in an interesting subplot. Yvu'rc made sure
thar the characters have a n achievable goal and [lie
thc next session instead.
too25 within rhe~nselvesto accomplish that ~ o a I .
Then, within 10 minutes of the start of play,
If your sroryrelling is rigid and inflcxihle, or d y w are everything goes south. I r srarrs when you temporarily
so enamored of your own story as tn make a habit of blind onc of the cl~aracrcrswith the flash from a
alienating players For the sake of pacrvin.g ycxtr c31m plor, whitc phosphorous erenadc - completely withtn
tlicfolluwingsectiun isgo~ngto~atconyoulikesandpaper. the parametvrs of the plot anJ yor~rrights as a StnrySrnrytellers have a variety of ways in which they teller. Annther player jumps in t ~ sap
r
that it's nor
Jcvclnp their stories. Some work from a puhlished- fair, and within a few scconJs everybody goes from
adventure sort of format, writing: down every dcltsil enjoying a cookout and a cnol chronicle to complete
to thc nines. Same ptefeta pick-a-path-co-sdventure chaos. Everybody takes sides and hasically, it's game
approac'ti, creating modular scenes char characters 11vrr, rrian.
can wanliur through like the I~allqnfa vast catl~c~lral.
What happened?Youivedone everything in your
O.thers have no sct storics whatsoever- they dctail pnufet to make the cxperlence enjn~ahlc.Suddenly
rhelr wotlJ and lcr thc pIaycrs Jetermine what rhcir you're the had guy.
characters want to dn.
Frequently, this pruhlem tsccurs when playen
Any o f thusc styles can he flexible and accommn- and Stc>tytellers are of mixed "pIay styles." Saying
dating t o plavcrs, depending largely on t h c hurnil~ty ptayers have differing play styles is a euphemism, of
and sense of humor possessed hy t h c Sturytel ler.
ctiurse, for all of the names we might call our fellow
Ultimately, y o u should do whatever you can ro playen. Rulcs lawyer. Monte Hnlirr. soft nilcplnycr
cast the plavcr cl~aractersin the starring roles of - thcsc are the t h i n p thar ocher roleplayers gencryour iinlitnitcd-hudgct blockbuster. No, we're not ally call o r l ~ c rpcople in rheir player group with
talk in^ ahout g i v i n ~them all R ~ n g sof Unliinited whom they clan't get glong.
Wishes and +69 Swords and honsting rheir stats to
T h e key to u n d e r ~ t a n d i nthis
~ problem and apsuch h i ~ hlevels thar the laws of physics no longer proaching it with a hit nf style i s in undcrstq< nd'~ n f i a
apply to them.
little more ahout rhc hisrory and sociology of penCreating tailorccl subplors for their cl~aracters, and-paper roleplaying.
Look into rhc characrers' histories- y ~playersdd
~ r
Pen-and-paper raleplayinE gamrs rvnlved out of
rnakc character histuries, right! It's usually not tot) tactical watgarnes. When you look at a n y old movic
difficuIr rn grah one specific Flaw or outstanding whcrc genera I s stand moving miniature battleships
event and rum it into part of the story. For Instance, actoss a table, you're looking at an ancestor ol
matccrs suddcnlYsccm more personal if the auditor roleplaying. The earliest acknowlcdgcd forerunners
who's chrcktnq over the mage's finances is actually to what we think of as roleplaying games weren't
an cdJ high-~chouladversary. Players love raking thcsc global-scale coml~atsimulations, however, but
about thcir characters and they love being the ccnrcr rather man-to-man, medieval coml~arsimulations.
of artention, so givc cach player a chance to know HisrorVbuffs had heen reenacting t h e great battles of
that you paid nttcntinn to that backstory and looked ancienc ckviltzations using similar rules, hut somefor a spccific way to implement it.
thing in the medieval aspecr srruck people- Soun
games usingrules similar to thc cornhat mechanics of
ST@R~ELL~/PLP,YR
CCDN~LICTS
wargaming for a wi$c variccy of actions were cropIt happens
of the
For weeks'
ping up everywhere. Ir was thc late 19705, and
months, vou've worked: on crafting the perfect story. pcn-and-paper r r ~ l e ~ l a y had
i n ~ taken off.

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Thc lusson that's impoztanr to get here 1s rh,qr

roleplaying games evolved from carnliat sirnulatirlns
- not improvisational rhearer. Statistics ant! dicerolling wcrc ingrained in wargames; in fact, some of
those games had you rolling d ~ c for
c practically every
decisitm you might make. A lot of these methods for
calculating chance%of success remaincd whcn attempting to speak in 01d English and drawing
imagined family crests were added to them.
From that point on, i t ' s pretty accurate to say a
lot of derivation occurred. Vampire: The Masquerade, Whire Wolf s first Stnrytelling-bed roleplaying
game, took thc focus off the mcchan~calaspects of
roleplaying in favor of pIacing cmpknsrs on ineeracrive srorytelling. Vampire hecamc an cntry poinc fnr
a new breed uf roleplayers, hut with roleplaying
games be in^ limited in audience, plenty of rhust: "old
schoal" roleplayers atiopted it as well. T h u s were rhe
first shots fired.
All o f rhis is said for Srorycelling purists -the
people whu go game sessions withoiit unpacking

their dice. Whcn vou have t h a t player w l ~ r , upens

his Crown Royal bag or. in some cases, tackle box
wherein his dice are carefully organized hv typc,
c010t+hue and special qualities, your job is to smile
and look on admiringly. It i s not your job to crack
sarcasric. If you do, you just end up looking like
somu pretentious cullege thespian w a v i n ~t h e hanncr (7f Sir Francis Bacon.
Sturytellert; chuuld understand that a lot ofplayers have a threshold fin mechanics. For these folks, if
they dun't roll Jice two or three times per hour, they
are not rolcpIaying. Tharms
OK. Thcrc's +a season that
Hollywood action flicks always start with high action before moving co character dcvcloprnent. This
gives people an easy "honk" tn srart their characters
and fnrm relations in t l ~ cheat nf harcle. Then it's a
simple matter tu move on to some character play.
Surneone almost always wants a lictle action..+so
give is [o him. Your joh is not ce "teach" peoplc thc
"'sight" way tnplay- it's to crffer them a forum for the
game elements tllev enjoy.

As a Stoqrteller you are asked to deal

with an ever-growing amount c ~ finfnrrnation and rcsponsibilitics. From the
mundane questions of what Jays and
rimes you and your troupe can game to
rhe esoteric of what Spheres are needed
to create a hlock of cheese, it is your juh
as the Storyteller to answer all of these
q~lestionsand still havc fun.

T h e Storyteller's joli starts with planning a framework for plavcrs to enjoy. This is not to say that the
Storyteller should completely flesh out the story stmtcchislfi needs to hc left for the players KO detcrminr with thcir actions and choiccs. Still, the
framework should have somc direction, stme motive
and soinc intcrcst. For some Storytcllcrs rhis is the
hardesz parc of any chrnniclcr finding the halance,
gcrting a start, starring an epic.
The first part uf any story is a n idea. This idea
could cnme from anywhere, from watching the nighrlv
new< on TV to getting junk mail to seeing sornconc
interesting on the street. Anything that gives you as
;1 person inspiration cvuld be the start of a story. It's
nut the source that maters, so much as the effect ic
has on you. Did it stop and make you wonder? Did it
scare YOU! All uf these rhings are questions chat you
ask yoursclf when stmething insp~resyou, and they
givc you a start to the n e x t step. Always carry R pen
and paper; yuu never know when s t ~ m e t h i nwill
~
strike yew. Remember, nothing is so small as rc, be
unimportant. Just hecause seeing Mrs. Johnson walking her dog clown the street is what dtd it for you docs
nor mean you had a dwtnb idea. There i s n o such
thing as a d u m b idea; for all vou know,Mrs. Johnson

Fun.
If you stuppcJ and chucklcd at tho word "hn"then
this section is for you. It is clcsigncd m givc sr~me
examples of how to simplifv, dccclnsrruct and tnake
Mage "fun" for cvcryone. Yes, tl~isincIudes yuu.
Ln this scction the yucst~msd h o w co stan a s r q and
how toconctnue on w ~ t hit will hc cnvcrcd, as well as how
to make rhe game simpler for you the Storyteller: chcaa,

comhinat~onsand orpnizatlon for you to make your g;rme

the hest you can and s i l l have time to live your life. After
aI1, it's a prne; it's supposed to k ffitn fot evtxyonc.

THREADS
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The hasis of every aame is the story. From t h t

grandiose lines of Shakespeare tcr the simp?icity of
See Spot Run, all o f these have humble hepinnings.

I.

One of t h c (rusrratiuns ot runnlnE and playing Mage is that a garnc's t n n e can run the gamut
from frecwhcclingadvcnture todecp metaphysic,
o r cmbra.cc hoth simultaneously. It's really up to
you and your group how you want vour game ro
fecl; Mage is designed to accumrnodate both

,I

One prohlcm that crops up is when one

participant wants scri~usnessand depth and ano t h e r wants backflips, bolts of fire and
swashhuckling w ~ t Contrary
.
to what you mrght
think, you can embrace hoth playing styles simuItaneuusly. T h e trick is to load your game
with potential deprh hut not to makc i t a required clement. T h e
can uncover the
carth-shattrring m~raphvsicsof it themselves or
just use it as character-building magic-habhle or
a jumping-off point for adventure.
For cxamplc, Ict's say you'vc scr a story around
n i n e artifacts that hold the cssence of the Spheres.
You read some Kabhalistic litcraturc and you've
decidcd that they actually reprcscnt thc Qlippoth:
the dominion of natural law without God's cempering mercy. Using them openr the door to the
unjust, corrupr world. They enhance S p h c ~ c
magic ro boot. The Nephandi want them, the
Technocrats want them, and sorns Masters the
characters don't trust wanr d ~ e mtoo.
Players can choose to Jelve into the secrets
nf rl~ese items, or they can just run with a
glohetrotting quest to find h e m and keep them
o u r of the hands of the had guys. You've left the
deep Easrer Egg for them to find if thcy wanr, hut
not in such a way as t o fnrce them to wax
mystical ahout evcry hit of rhe plot. Even ifnonc
of them go fnr ic, a Storyteller learns that the
things that don't get uncovered can entertain
her as much as the things that do.

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CHAPTER THW AWAKENING THE n@RYTELLER

I

is ;I Ncphanrlus t v h 0 S ~ C T ~ ~ ~ srnall
C C S s h i l ~ i r c tIln
~
certain n i ~ h t sand that clo~i?; hcr familiar. (You
never know - it cnuld happen! )
The idea that yclu gieancd from t h e inspiration
leads to the six all-i~nportantquestions: W h a t ?
Who? Where? When? Why? and H o w ! Some of
these rnighc already have answers, some map not,
hut it is Imporrant t h a t all OF them he answered t o
make a realistic story. What docs Mrs. Johnson dri
w i t h those kids hcforc thc sacrifice? Whom is shc
doing it for?Whcrcdocs shc kcep all thc eqtiipment

4 A

styles.

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-8-;
rnainta in her normal appcarance?When does she
Jo the sacrifice?Hc~wdews shc cover her tracks!The
-i six lrnportanc questions can bc applied to every part
'-7
'
u t the idea you came up with, From rnntives to
practice. They arc nne of your greatest cools in
'
I
fleQine out your idea to make it stable. Alrer all,
what wlll thc players say if you don't know when she
docs the rituals or where she does them?Rcmemher
4'
tofil t all your holes. Anything could provide a place
for a player to rake your story and rip it apart,
- h
ruining the magic. Try to think of c\w-y angle and
be prepared to handle it. If you're pruparcd heforei
hand then vou can run the ~ a m cwith ease, less
stress and a cool that makes icc sccm hot.
,
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Which leads to the next part: organization.
Once you havc your imporrant facts in order, thc .*
'.
ncxt stcp is tn Fur them into same sort of 0rJc.r. Scsp
'
one i s to make a fact sheet, a hasic Who, What,
Where, When, Why and How of your rtnry. W h o i s
<-4
this about? What is he doina there? Where is thc
game set? When is the game raking place? Why is i t
7
happening? How are the players involved?Thcsc are
5
the hasic facts of p u r story, your set-up of things to
come. It's always there for you to remernhcr; no
I
matter how much your story may twist and t u r n , you
always have an oriRinal plan to fall hack on.
Next comes the story and wherc ynu intend to
g o with it. Thc casiest raucc is an outline, a simple
breakdown nf how a story is going: to flo.rvt hased on
slime key points. Via this medium a Stury~ellercan
break down each major part of t h e story inro headerr, than hreak these headers inro subheads, cach
one heinlr a game session. Start with your chronicle
~ i t as
e the title of p u r o v e r a l o~itlinc.From t h a ~ ,
derail your firsr chapter, Roman numeral 1. Under
that arc your scction rirIes: A, R, C and 50 on.
Uniier that you have your Arahic numerals: 1, 2 , 3,
each one being a game session.
In the end, thnugh, the story irself is going to he the
work of both you and your troupe. They will he the
,
chreads that you weave inrn the tapeswy that is the story.
Fair warning: Most plans of amck go right out the 2
window within five minutes of starting a hattle (cvr a
game in this ~nstance).Dcln"t let CIIIS d i s c o u ~ a ~YOU;
e
with the outline you can take diver~encesand scill
4
, ,..rnanagc to comr back to rhc story you originally intended. Don't hccomc frustrated at the fact that rhe
,+;
d
players are not following "your gamc"; as a storytclIer - 1
you are rhere to make the game for the players. When '
your troupe isdone with its part, subtly move them hack
"q + = t o where things diverged from the outline and then
'
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continue. Nothing is cver lost if you havc notes on it.
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EDD DUNG WIZARDS

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Tlrere arc times when the players will devise

a much more interesting solution co a problem
you present than YOII anticiparcd. You should
usually let it work unless you have an overriding
plor-driven reason t o do otherwise. This rewards
players for inventiveness and gives them t11e sort
of memories good chronicles fos rer. What's herter: having them twiddle their t h ~ ~ m until
h s one
of them stumbles on the correct spelling of an
Umhrood's namc because of your clues, or I~avi i ~ gh e m use a bizarre ~rlixuf spirit intcrrogacion,
Tot-drawing and supcrcomputing to rationalize
their answer?Goingfur the latter reduces tcdium
and givcs the players a sense of conrrol over eheir
characters' actions.
Sometimes the players will comc up with
better plots than you do! A good Storyteller
knows when to bow to this and when t o adhere
to her concept of rhe plot. If a completely inaccurate hut highly entertaining interpretat inn of
the prophecy you added co the game works, let it
have some validity. Just don't takc i t t c r the point
where the players' characters are always r i ~ h t .
Your joh is to get the character5 out into the
wider world whcre tlwy don't have toral control,
where they can grow ancl learn.
In short, steal your players' ideas, h u t always
keep a hand in running things. Entertain them
while mainraining your vision of what Mage is.

CHANGING
THE S C H E ~ E
Nut all Mage games havc t.o he based in a World
of Darkness. This is vour world. Try to comc up with
ideas t h a t are diffcrenr o r quirky from what your
players would rhink of. Thc worlJ doesn? have to bc
a horzihlr; had place all the titne. T h ~ sis the world
prcwntcd hy the Mage book, but ~tdoes not have to
be the world you play in. Yor~rsertinfi cc3uld be a
space station on the edge oh the universe, for example. What role does magic play in t h a t futurc!
Whar ahout a world where magic is just as accepted
as s c i e n c e O n e whcre dinosaurs still roatn the planet!
HwL, how ahout a wvrld where r l ~ edsacl are overwhelming tlze world and your players are the last
saviors? Any and all nf thesc could he used to dcfine
your world. Makc i t fun for everyone. The kcy is that
it 1s Your World. No one can tell you what is right or
wrong, hecause you make it. It a11 comcs direcrlv

from your imaqination and is w h a t you want. Your

joh is tomake this world that you create -thisspace
in rime rhat you plan - Tun. Lot your imagination

This doesn't mean you shoulct scrve up the Master

of Helckar to the cahal wtth a nict. side of fava

heans, hut they should at least he able to thwart or

red~recthisplans. One exception would be when the
plot is meant to go in a different direction and
Vonrmas is supposed to kccr the characters focused.
A hig prohlern Srorljtellers rrln into ic lTow
ro In any cvent, the charactcrs' actions should he just as
come up with Stc,rytcller characrers and how to cot11 and meaningful as his, if n o t marc 5 0 .
kecp their intcrrclations wttll thc players straight.
CLASSTwa
It's hclrd when you arc trying co juggle fiwr to f ~ v e
These are your minor Storyteller characters, or
players and a whole host of Storyteller characters.
idevices -rhe deskclerk, the doctor, t h e cahhic,
plot
But all of this can he stjlved with a litale orgarriza-

'I

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rirn wild; vou never know where ir will rake yotr,

TANGLES
INTHE W ~ F K

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tion.~rep~neis~olooka~theStorljtelIercharaErers
tkc""""e"nlom.The~~la~hit~artsin~ourstor~and b
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incorpordte
your Srory, fraln rhe K ~ V ' Yuur players a careful n u d ~ eI'ack whcrc they
--c
lowly desk
ar
in
your
were ~ o i n These
~.
S t n ~ t e l l e r c l ~ a r a c tdon't
~ r s usuare
archenemles of your rroupc. Theti ally need 'tars nr 211- A llek'ful littlenoteon'~hcmis
I
can all bc catcgorizcd as Class Onc, Class Two or usually a11 c311e ncedr to sememher them. Thcy are rn
another
grear
snurcc
of
fun,
as
they
can
he
eacily
Class Th~cc.
you intend

hasedonwhatisgoingc~ninyourlife-Poyotlneed
FI convincing store clerk and think Old Man Roberts
wnulJ he perfect fnr the role? Use him. Therc is no
limit ro what ~ L can
I do wish these characters in
yo~lrstory. They arc as flexible 3s YOU tt-~fikethem.
When you crcatc one of these characters, remcrnlwr to make a note of any in6ormation you
rumr up v i ~ l i .Plivcrs will often need a fix of
mundane life, away from the tedium of magical
srudics. Class T W L
characzers
~
are there to provide
it. Thcre arc timcs whcn thc players will convince
themselves that a Class T w u character i s more rhan
hr seems. Sometimes you shuuld let them be right.
Don't overdo it, though - not every postal worker
is a Nephandic d ~ e .
Even if you have n o particular roles for thcrn,
recurring Class T w o characters make a story more
interesting Iiy giving characters a real community
trj Interact with. Eventually they gct t c ~know t h e
priest, the arocer and t h e heat cop
name. This
is where your characters can meet new contacts,
sraduate
allies or petty anfagonisfs -arho
t o Claw Three.

CLASS$N
These are your hic guys, [he continuing characters in your chronicle. These art. the characters that
needfc~llcharactersl~eetsandhll
histories. Itwouldn't
d o for you to havc this grcac archcncmy and nor
rcrncmher when cxactly hc built that world-destrvyin^ device or n w r r quirc rernsmhrr Lis hair or eyi.
color. Rut ntlt j i ~ ~enemies
t
need worrying ahcult.
Tnesc characters will be a constant part of your
chruniclc.Thcy arc your mu'tivaeingcharactcrs. Thcsc
are real people ro you as a Sciryceller and une of vuur
greatest chances t t i have fun.
You dr, have to bc careful not to Ict ClassOne
characters dominate your game. The players' charactcrsshou1il hc ar thc center of things; this is murc rruc
ot' Mage now than i t has ever heen.
Ler'ssay ~ 0 ~~; l1n f Tlln a
whereVoorlnas
is t h e primary antagonist. You leave hehind tracts of
his grim presence. Occasinnslly he shows up ro petform some awe-inspiring feat
necromancy. ~t
each rum he foils the characters' arrernprs m keep
him from corrupting the Tellurian; though they find
amplr tracts o l lzis plans, they can't cl~anjierhings.
He keeps the characters from even touching his
minions. You cackle t o vourselt' about how he'll

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CIASSTM

f T u q r r a r C r,3e c~,arRccets~

Let's facc ic: This sucks.

After a while, this game turns into the Vnorrnas
That depends on yoii as a Storyteller. They could
Fan Club; they know everything ahout h ~ m
and how have full-hlown character shccrs, minor ones, or just
cool he is and they can't d(1a damn thing about it- It's notus, onto again,
rl-,ic jupmdr an
a s a stonid
no fun a t all. There's nuthlnK wrong wirh a power teller. Nut everynne wanrs his archmage mentor
fantasy. but as the Storyteller, yourneecls are trutnpccl running arcrund, and i t cuuIci scriouslv screw up your
hv the players' needs. Period.
-

CWER

THREE:
AWAKEMKTHE Srte~nflm.

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gamc. Keep d ~ l in
s mzncl wlwn vou clccrcle d ~ Itvelr
e
of involvement these Storytcllet charactcrq will have.
Negatiatrng the roles of Class Three characters

Other than that, rhere aren't manv harcl and h s t

guidelines except for the following advice:
When all else is equal, the player characters are

concept and f ~ l in
l thc required Traits as the need

counterparrs. Dot for dot, player characters will be

Apprentice!"), add the rclevant details until the

character is fully fleshed. out.

ing the characters' Eives (or sanity, o r whatever) any

more than necessary for thc story.
With great power comes necessary flaws. If you

Supernatural characters need a special m e n -

nor have clans or anything .to do with Caine a t all,

and Thundcr might livc in a n Umbra totally divorcecl from the Werewolf cosmology.
If you do leavc the halance of '!eveloping thcse
characress to chc players, makc sure snmcrhing i s
always left out. That way you havc room latcr ra fill
in details vital cu your pIots.

;'-

Class T w o Storyteller characters are usually

Art, Masters of the Art, Guide to the Traditions,
Guide to she Technocracy and the Tradition anrl devised off rhc top of a Storyteller's head. They are
C o n v e n r ~ n nhooks provide guidelines for clzffcrent bimplc. and usually unstarcil. But what cJi~you do if
yclu're having an off-ntghtaand don't feel likc pull-

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through his cover?Think over anv huhris the Storyteller character might bc nurturing and hrm this
might have led to certain underdevuloped Traits.
Four ounces of pressure turns aside a thousand
pounds of force. This Tai Chi adage Fromotcs cificiency in character crearion instcad of overkill.
Instcnd of d u s i p i n g an all-around hadass, rhink
about what you want thc character to do and give her

,'

Mastcr o r you'll end irp st) grossly in flat in^ rhat

charactcr's capahilitics as t n prevent and nlin the
suspension of dishclirf.

i
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tnake a gnc~dStonlteller character in your game,

wtitc strmc shilrt notes on him. TCImake ir more
interesting, you can put these notes on index cards.

i-

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Whcn i t comcs time to pull a random Storytcllcr

character, draw a card and see whu you cume up
u ~ i t h .You'l? always have a fresh character a t your
fingtrtips, a n arena of surprise fur your players. If
thc players choosc to inscract morc w ~ t hthcsc

ways, thcy cach know the other. Now write a small

note under, above, or around that arrow about how

they know one anorher and what thcy have done

togcthcr. Now write annthcr character on the page
snmcwhc~cand rcpcat the ahnve steps. Keep doing
this, intercnnnecring the characters ro one another
with arrows. Ef it looks like it is getting ton tangled,
don't hc afraid to do it aver again in a more organized
fashion. This i s pciur reference; no one is going to tell
you h o w to do it hetter than you.

Storyteller characrers, you can make notcs on thc

index cards, adding more depth for the next rime
they encounter that character.
Class Three Storytc]lcr characters are probably
thc hardest for any Storyteller to use, hec:~use yrlu
have ro give up your visinn to incorporate tRcm as
parc of a player concept. You have a very irnportanc
joh: Make chem yours. This is not to say that you

EXAJTTNNGTHE WEAVE
It's heen stated hefore, hut it bears repeating.

Storyrcllcr characters can be done to any Ievcl that

Storyteller, trying

tn keep

your vision and ~ i v i n g

hnle-in*thc-wall nothings, that is your choice. If being a Srorvteller. What can your players get away
you wnnt them to lie just as complex us your Class with? What do you allow them to do? If YOU cornOnes, you cart do that too. But rernemher to keep plecely cur them off from deveIaping anrl making
notes on chem no matter what. If one of your players this their w o ~ l d ,rhey will become hured and u n +

'

5-

come crutches for your plnyers.

~NT~!@,LAW.A~R~

players.

soluticln t n this is a flowchsrr. It's extremely simple

to make and manipulate and takes little to no time
to maintain. Exnrnplcs can he found i n Magc

~~~h is part of a cr,mplete

T@ USE~ ~ T A ~ E S R Y

Chronicles T and in C h i c a ~ oby Night for Vampire: The Masquerade.

the characrers. If it paints only one way, only one of

the characters knows the other. I f it points both

to tile

end, a

for review,

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AWAXENMG
THE W B R ~ L L E R 77
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It's Saturciav night and cvervonc 11~sg;lrhcrcd a t loser liku vclu!" says h,lari;i, who's comt t o the Kame
Johnny's house for a gatne crf Mage. Evcryonc came from a lousy d a y a t work. C h r i s was picked over h e r
armed with pcncils, paper and dice. Well, nor every- fnr a job she rccently applied fur. She doesn'r Itkc
one. o n e or rwo pinyers alw;lys forgct ti) h r ~ n f ti h c wllere she. works now and thereY:: bcen a hit of
proper equipment. Alwavs have extra papcr, penci IS, tension ever since.
dice an hand - and more than une cclrc book is nicc
Turning bright red, C h t ~ sstands up and snipes,
as well!
"Ynu did that bccausc 1 yot thc joh and ynu didn't.
Evcr~onesits down at t h e ral-rlc and pulls out Nice r t l scc wc're gvnna get petty over the Fame, too,
prttrnade characters. Thc players all preparc to gct Mar."
i n t o characrcr and look to johnny, their chosen
" W h a t ? 1 did nor!" says Maria, hut as a StorvScorytellet, for the game to hcgin.
tcllcr, Johnny's not so cure.
This is t h e hardcst part c ~ any
f
gamen ~ r a r t i n g
HolJ it right rherc. The w l ~ o l c itnpsrtiality
Preludes, if you choosc to run t l ~ e r ncan
, help. TFlcrc issuc rs raised and v o i ~all a r e just trying to play a
is always t h e question of who rtb start with. Luc~ka t all fame. Even if yo11 t h ~ n kthat Maria might have
your players and choosc the one w k ~ thas
~ the easicst overstepped, you shoultl nor call her o u t (In it in
character ro integrate with everyone else'5, R c~fjc'c front ot everyone else. Fructraticm is causccl by hurt,
shop baristn o r a gac staricln attendant, whnevcr will a n d hurc causes more frustration. You have rhrcc
best get them all connected.
c h o ~ c c sac this point. One is ti) tell them to cotll i t
c with the s t o r y , and then privately talk
Johnny looks to Maria, who is play in^ Reth, a ancE m c ~ on
t
o
each
of
them a t the cnd of the scssion. Two is t o
HcllEow One who works a t a boukstclre. He cluscribes
call
the
session
right ther~'
and chcn hecause you d o
the hookstore shc works in: tackv, chccsy, f;~rnily
not
feel
that
rhuv
can
get
alting. Finally, you can
oriented, with a coffee chop in the hack. Hc then
ignure
rhcir
hickcring
a
d
movc IILI t o the next
proceeds to ask what she is doing today. Shc tclts him
chnractcr.
Most
o
f
these
squahhlcs
arc calls for
she 1s worklna t h e regtsccs, horccl off her butt, in rhc
artcntian;
when
people
realize
they
a
r e n ' t gctting
little green smock t h a t makes her want rn puke.
it,
'they
usually
stup.
Johnny then turns to Chris.
Still, there are sonic occasions whcse you want tci
The second hardest past of g c t t i n ~startccl: what
to do vncc youhe begun. By prcfcrcncc, you should intcrvencrighr away. AnythinKt h a t makes the player
try KO get your hardex character ru connect first. If (not the c haractcr) uncumfortablc rcprcscnts an area
l step In. Thcsc.
consist of:
you can do this you haw an easicr trip cclssting wherc yt~irn c e ~ to
throuRh the first session.
Scriuus or Persistent Arguments: T w o
Chris plays Luthor, an ccccnrric Son o f Ether tn m a y hnvr J i k r e n c e s that are serious enough to
short panrs and rainbow-colored suspentlers. Luthor disrupt the game every time, all the rime. They may
walks into the storc, goggling the place through his havc a rnasslve argument that rcsults in one player
ducr-taped, plastic-fmrneil glasses. look in^ fur a I > c l r k leaving, The subjecr of t h e argurncnt may be none of
on asrrtlphysics, he walks up tci the cash rcgistcr to your business, hut the effect on yclur player cast tnvst
definitely is.
ask the attending cashicr.
Ln t h i s cast., lay i t on t h e linc for rkc people
Don't feel uncomf~~rrable
using clut-of-c haraccer
information tu smooth rnatccrs ovcr, Due to t11c involvecl. Lcr [hem know thar whatever rhcir disdifficl~lryof g a t h e r ~ n gcharacters cogcther w i t h no agreement is, it ends a t t h c gamine tablc. You might
ti) ask one or 170th c~ft h e n to rake a break. If
pwr, this may he necessary to help avt>iJ thc c c c l i ~ ~ nhave
~
r d lose mil people, ~t might he Ivsr tn
of small talk ant1 first iznprcssions. If you wish ti3 rake you c:ln a f f ~ ~ to
give
them h o t h titne off, h u t if you can't ...y tlu have
the burden off t h e player and declare szlch nn actiiin
lr
r t ~
make. Rcfore you decide to ask
for him, it is cornplecely fine and says nothing lcss of s ~ l i f f ~ c uchoice
one of the players t o sake a hiatus, let t h c m hoth
you as a Storytcllcr.
"Ma'am, 1511 touking for a copy of Steven know t h a t you'll have to Ict onc of them jio until
Harvklng's thcorics on space-time. Can you hclp things are settled, the11 ~ i v cthem some time to
me?" Chris says in character, with s nas;~l voice and figure it o u t for themselves.
a few snorts hctwuen syflahlrs.
* Hocging the SpocIighc: Snmetime? vcrtt'll have
t turn and rakes up considerPlaying Beth, Maria polishcs her nails and a player who talks o t ~of
coollv lunks the nercl over. "Why would I h ~ l pFI ably mure timu than the rest r7f your Froup. En this

situation, switch focus t o another player, preferably

nnc who gcncrally isn't as vocal as the test. If t h e
proh1t.m pcrsists, tcll thc whole group that you want
every player to have an cqual voice. Ask them to help

ations ate normal social gaffes, there ate some

inchdonts thaccross thc line, such as out-of-character
~ c x u a lharassment and bullying, or situations ingame that onc of the participant i s n ' ~romfi>rtatrle
with. You shcruld akvays emphasize that the players
havc cl~oright not tcr participate in any in-game
activity rhat they dnn'c feel comfortable with. Discuss these boundaries ahead of time. Tell players ro
ask the group if they're not surc.
In cases of blatantly abusive behavior, show rhe
player tlzc door and ralk to the person she was
harassing about whecher or not she shot~lclhe alInwed 'hack. Yuu may want tn do rhis privately in case
h e feels prcssurcJ onc way or the othcr by the rest of
the group. 01 course, if you can't tolerate it a t all,
then she cloesn't get ra come hack, no matter the
wishes ol rhe other players.
In casc of a n in-characrer boundary violatian,
v top the scene and explain your gamc's policy about
suhjecr matter. If thc player docsn't gct ~c or the
incitlent was had enough to upscr ( r a t h e r than
rncrely annoy) another player, proceed with the
steps nhove.
Cheating: Onc warning, thcn one discus5ion. If that doesn't cut it, o u r thc door shc goes. If
t h e player docsn't trust you, then what are you
doing playing with h c r ? It's n o t as if there's money
riding o n this.

WPTION:

I HE RUNNER

If you anticipate ustng a cnmplcx antagonist or a Stotytcllcr charactcr who will he

around most of thc cimc, you might want tn ask
a player if shc wants t o rake t h e job over for
you. The Runner (also called t h e Devil's Advocate) plays a major Srorytelle~character
after heing given some coaching about the
character's role and bchaviur. Set a few definite litnits as to what the Runner can and can't
clo w ~ t hthe character.
You'll be g i v ~ n gaway some secrets t o the
Runner; make sure you trusr her to keep them
roherself. You should also trust her to see that
she, like you, is chere to help entertain che
otherplayers. The advanrage to having a Runner is that she can give a Storyteller character
her full attention. Your Class O n e character
will rea!ly come t o lifc if it's undcr chc control
of a good Runner.
Using a Runner alters play halance. As we've
stated, if all t h i n ~ sare equal, player characters
are moTe powerful than Storyteller characters.
Since a Runner can pay full atcention t o the
character she's running, she can make full use of
its capabiliries. This makes an antagonist much
marc frightening. Remcmbcr ro adjust character
power accordingly.

New roleplayers and wallflower players are alThey usually just nerd some
kind of support and to he informed that they are free
to do what they want ro do. Spcncl a lictlc tirnc
helping them; they z~suallydevelop on their own
with just a little push.
ADV-NlURErrJ EVERY ~ U G
Conrad makes a little squeak and finally speaks.
Johnny turns to Marc, who is pIaying Randall, a II 1I rn going to ercler a cup of cuf(ee?"
Drcamspeaker who happens to work in the cnffce
Johnny chuckles and smiles a t Conrad. "What
shop in rhe hack of d ~ ehookstorc. Coincidence? kind of coffee you want? And don't you shink vou
Ycah, hut this rs Mage, remember!
should ask Randall in character?'
"So, what are you doing, Marc?"
Conrad (playing a Euthanatos mage named
Marc goes on ta describe the making of a vanilla Bruce) blushes and plays with his paper a little. I-Ie
latte and serves i t to the yuppie cotrple he was looks up, and then hack drlwn, speaking tn his paper.
waiting un it.]ohnny turns t o Conrad, the caffeine- He does his hest to hold his voice in a fast, jittery
addicted Eurhanatos, and asks if he wants a cup. tone. "Canthaveactiplernoccaexpresso?"
Conrad looks around confuscd and doesn't seem ro
Marc and Johnny both smile at Conrad.
know what to do. He looks at the now-sseaming pair
Marc says, "Would you like whipped cream o n
of Maria an3 Chris and the expeccanr Marc and
chat sir?" i n a drab and obviously bored tone.
breaks into a cold sweat.
ways hard to deal with.

-*

'1

C W E R THRH:
AWALENING Tm n8RViU.fR

79

I:':::.

;I { 1

- --7
" ~ ' c s ~ ~ c ; Inw
q lnvrc
! ' ' ul' Erucc'c spccdy jirtcr~ncq.;
cumcc out, thankc tu encuuraecmcnt.
Johnny cxplalnc ro ConraJhow Rrucc. y e t 5 his
mLl
down, He tllvn
hack n, Maria
and Chris,
alrht,nch stclving, Fcem t c l have
calmed down.
[hen, ,vhcn lvc left - you ,,.crc hcinE a
carhicr,m~ ~ , ~ , k ~~~i~
i ~ ~
turning
ro
chriq.u:,nj
vou
tr\.rnc find
<,fa hclok

"okay

j u l l ~ ~ nthcn
v
dc\crthc~ rt~cpacssgc ut' titllc:
Randail lookine bured b e h ~ n dthc cnuntcr, jucr trvine tu eet rkc clay nvcr wirh; Brucc coming up ro the
counrrr every five minuter lor a rchll; and Lsthnr
scarchine thtoueh the ~cicncc~ c c c ~ rand
i n not real!\.
i~n~Elnc
nuhill he is lookinc hir -bur gettine enraprurrd by the purc knowledge around him. Meanwhile,

btari:~i s ~ h r ~ nher
g hesr to be polite and enioy hessclf
unilcr thc tvatchful ere of her boss.
by S t c ~ c nHawk~nrr."
Johnnv rhcn decides it IS rime t c ~brine a lirtlc
inti1
thc came. Having ourl~nedthis game
When a s
~
qlvitcheFhertvccn
~
~
~
~IWo pstties
]
] rni~eic
~
~

Rorh Chris and Maria nciJ their arrccment and p''''ersbIaria's character drops rhc bonk sale ?hen-a<just
ycltlIer
contin,lc
ro
rincine up, starinc at the hIctdinam:tn on thc carpet.
them is talking and ht~rhInok a w r y .
'4s a StorytcIIcr, rnt>fr ~~ncr~rnfi~rtahle
filcnccr C h r ! ~11cciJcs that hi<chnracrcr ES tcm enraprurccl in
"Docs iinvone notice rhc man as I run r t l

"No. they lonk at yntr hrnny. It's almost like the

upset i f they are confu~cd.It'f nut yoiar tault. It ~ n d c
tllc rcst of ~ I I C
scnTc ro you. J u s t r;lkc rhc time fu tbxrlaln l ~ ~ r l ~ o um;ln
r on the flnvr rlocsn's exlqt t ( ~
pcuplc in hcrc," say\ Jrlhnnr.
Conr:~rllooks coniuscd 2nd turns to the rest of

h ~ icn ~ l e xcards, loakinc for r t l r n e t l ~ i nr ~ n t l c t r n .Hc inc ahcrc in shock. while Randall is jumping the
draws card thiIt say5 '"short, Fat, ,qngry, RRdlv counrcr. Chrif decidcf that ~n one of thc rare ~ n L')resecd."fhis snlrnJsIlkc the rctft'Cr manaccr t;,r Ttanccc when h e wa. looking up. Luthur n u t i c c ~

M A ~ ~chnracrcr.
I'F

"'RETEII!

It explntn!: whv

she h ; ~ r c . bher

Are w e havine a pruhlcrn hcrc!!'saVs

I$.

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Clncc again, Jullnnv i~llowsuse of out-of-charscii~fi~rmationin an in-charictcr ~ntcracriun.

thing to keep a watch on ;\a a Storvtcller. Xiakc sure

vt>lcc,rumlnc to Chris. r l a ~ i f i c
Rcth, Marja ~ c ~ i n anit
t s ~ ; l y s , "Sir! think yLlu can
ftnd rt ~nciur wicncc sccrion. uvcr thcrc."
Chris smllcF uut c7f
in chararrer
turn! to Msti;llscharacter, Reth. "Thank v ~ m,~'am."
~ u
hc <arcand ~ + ; l l kOR'
s to f ~ n dh ~ hook.
r
stnrvtrllcr charactcrF help dr;lt: your plavrrf
hack tD
land ofp[av. sl+r, cives
a rllsnce rc,

Johnnv rhen goes nn to de\crihe t ~ the

i
plnrcrg
thnr thr. ~ ~ r ~ i ~ Ir)clk
n c l c like k n ~ f ecuts and that rhc
victim i s hlccdin:: to death on rhc carpet. J r ~ h n n ~
lcwkwruund to ~ C .rvhnt
C
folks arc coing to do.
T i m i n ~is always hard rn a enme session. 11's
nut casv to create a sense o i urccncv i~hc.rutsrjmcrlwnzr rhat I F nnthine mtwc then a Ci~mcnrc ~ VUUT
f
trn~rln~itrO
n .n e ivav r o d o rhir ir r o add a srop-

that whcn yctu i~llou.out-of-character infi~rrnarivntu

lie E I C C ~in c;lrnc., ~t doesn't reveal ~ecrett;vtlu o r rhe
plavcrs \\*ant to keep. Lca him Dv with it in rhis

hnvc some fun.

11
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tcr

cilrnflott*cr-blucw i t . bfarin, vour cliaractrr rccoen l t c ~this as your miln;lg~r."

bIariablinks a cnuplc c,trirne<and EuIps35 shc 15
suJJcnly ~ucketlback into character.

muffled,

*f.

k ~ n d a l jump
l
rhc counter.

I F -

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ITAGE
STORTELLERSF~ANDBBBK
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time to Li(i something. O t h e r things that can help

are increasin~the speed nf your speech and increasing your tone t o make it sound itrgenr. Little
tc~uchcslike this add life t o an NPC. One thing co
watch for i s everyone rrying to talk a t once and
getting confused. W h e n you start 11urrierE scenes
like this, t u r n t o a player and ask him what he i!:
clotrig. Do this by working around the tal3le; estahlish a r o t a t ~ n nt o keep order.
Johnny turns to Mana and asks what shc ~sdomg.

morning and hc is calling it a night. They look

disappointed hut agree that it's late and 5tart packing
up rheir sruff. Johnny pulls Maria and Chris aside and
confirms t21ar they will he okay wit11 one another,
and then sends cveryonc home.
Leave your
hanging a t the end "f the
night. If you do, they'll be back for rnorc and be morc
cxcitcd bccausc of it. Tcasing is a way to incrcase thc
fun of the gamc for ellcryone and incrcasc t h c cxciccment ahout it.

well Conrad is doing.

Conrad gets three successes. Johnny explains
that hc is slnwing the blood flow hut he can't quite
cover all the wounds a t once- tl1ey are everywhere.
even heneath his jeans, bleeding alI over the lace.
Chris asks if anyonehas noticed rhe guy yet. Johnnv

Storyteller you haw the right t o call thr! game at

any rime for any reason. If you jusc dnn't scc tt
working out, if you don't feel likc Storytelling, clr if
you think the gamc is going nowhcre, fccl free to
givc ir a rest. You dnn't owu thc Rig Purplc Rook

Hyperhiotic Spray his character just mvcntcd: his

Life focus.
"1 bet we'll all
up Paradox for this elTcnrually. '* Chtis says our of character.

Call the game o f f for any reason you feel like. bur
always tell your players why you're doing it. Keep In
mind [hat this project is half theirs.

Our-or-cl~aracrercomments arc going to hap-

don't let it @vcI%'helm Your Eamc. The hest u7aY do

t h ~ is
s ignore it.
Inok. You are nn a mission herc. Stick to it.
Johnny tells
hrcathing. Conrad looks worried and asks if he c a n
do cm-Johnny tells
lvan'r do any euodf
blood. Conrad, loukmn sliE!lltl~d i r a ~ ~ o i n r e dsays
,
OK. Maria decides rllat her character 1s going to leal'
Johnny "vs her
and run lruc and
mannger looks on inshock as Maria leaps the
flutjr* whu arc now 311
LU joirl ~ 1 WJUP
1 ~
on
gathered around ahadlywoundcd man. The manager
pulls i ~ uhis
t cell ~ h r r n eand dials 9 11.
Conrad decides he 1s going tr~CPRanYwaYit's what his character would Jn. jnhnny tclIs them as
[@

arc ga{-level

who have Ascended?Realisri-

so and so. Itys harLler

to put down a
story ,
a t its end. You want
stay in your wclrlL] of ,
wondcr. Rut ic has co be done evenrually. Every story has
an end; without that end, you'll see whatwas c~ncegreat
Jetenorate into nothing. No one wants to watch his
hope of making
go down the m b s in
great again. It's best just to end it than watch it suffer
through a rehash of a rehash ofa rehash.

,hen ic is

.,
,IhL.
'

1:4. :':
I,&-:
::.
1
.-5

CHAPTERTHREE:
AWSWING THE RQR'TTELLER
81

' l

In rulcplaying you uften see two modes of

rht7ught. Onc i s chat game mechanics - t h e Jicvrolling, ruler-lovin~:part r l f thc game - is the mosr
important thing. Orhers prefer story cleveloprnent,
total imtncssion i n their characrer and action that's
more dramatically appropriate th3n inrernnllg cnnstsecnr. A:: with anything: else in the hohhy, it 811
comes down to what the playets and Storyteller
want i n thcir garnc.

T H CHINE
~
Mechanics are thc rules of any system. Sometimes they're what tnakc thmgs fair, or at Ieasc
interesting. Dice 2nd charts are almost like ctnhlcrns
of an officc; a Storyteller can easilv point a t thcrn and
say, "Thosc're the rules." But mechanics serve another purpnse. They bring the characters' exploits to
the tahlt.. Mnst pct~plccan't cnnllp snipe tar,oers at
500 yards nr do hnckflips, and nobody turns stonc to
flesh. Mage gives yncl the guidclincs co dn h i s and a
thouhand other things. Properly presented, game
mecllanics s p r k thc irna~inarion.Used correctly,
the rules aren't a crushing structure preventing players from m i n e , hut a sclectinn o f options that they
can usc to help their characters act. Rules can let

their imaginations run free. This is a huge advanrage

for any game, the reason many Storytellers stick to
the rules. Creativity requircs bravery. Collective
Story~ellin~
requires respect for the croup. Rtiles
engender bravery hv giving a player a clear structure
and reasonable expectarions of his chances of'succesq. They promote rerpect by present in^ all players
with the same structure. Even when the rules lead to
sclrne idiotic ctmclusinn, thc plavers know that thcy
could have been screwed too!
There are disadvantages. Mechanics can also
h a l t the flow of creativity. Wren a player realizes he
can do a particular thing hc might hc reluctant to
think nutsidc of that lirtlc hox. H c might view t h a t
Trait as all he can do. Afrer this comes frustration
hecause he wanted tn do scmething else hut felt he
couldn't hecause of the rules. There is a l s t ~thc issue
of rules lawyers: plavcrs w h o will nrguc over the
supposed phrasing and inrcnc of a parricular rule,
The Storytullcr system has a fairly sirnpls corc
mechanic. When you're trying co inviolvc ncw players in the game, teach them this f i r s t . The ctwc
mcchanic (roll dice pool versus a difficulty numher)
is easy for a player tn ~mderstand.giving him more
time to develop a character and contrihute ~ I Jthe
scory. If yciu have a c e ~ t a i namount of trust in your

--

61

luosc with game mechanics, but rhe n~echsnicsilrc

nichnut significantly slowing play. This might involve changing your mind or even (briefly) rcdoing
the action that caused the spat. As InnR as you don't
take too much time, rhis isn't the cnJ of thc world.
Good players are usually trying co keep the game

exactly that: urhatcver they want.

So which is bcttcr? Neither and borh. A comhination of the t w o scems to work the best in most
gamcs. Use the rules to hold t l ~ story
c
togcthex; don't
buther with ri~leruntil you or thc players decm i t

pl;lycrs, you can cvcn let thcm take the Initiative

Whenever things look like rhcy might boil down

The Gulrlen Rule is thcre to assure y u t ~that you

can modify oor ignc~reany aspecc af the game thac

~ Y I N GIT

$N

mfTABLE

deservc a shut. Use chc Jice. Rules can he

uscd ro crnphasizc an inflexible aspect of your sct=@RY: WHERE
THE ANGST
ring. For examplc, in the core setting a rnagc can't
Story is the other h a l t of the equation. It's the perform vulgar magic without accruing Paradox. If
creative explosion thar takes place w h e n you have this is one of ynur rules, makc sure the players know
a gruup of players and a Storytcllcr all doing t l ~ c i r it. When thc tillesaren't needed, tlon't use them, h u t

IS

.,

, ,

,' '

.'.- I ,-

sptnning a web, making a creation that is fragile

bur beautiful to watch.
The disadvantages to rhis viewpoint, though, are

rhc attention nf thcptnyersfor thcrcstofthe cveninK.

If you have a good rclatinnship with ynur players,
tllev+ll cakeup snmc [he slack
you cnmpose
yourself. Otherurise,you always havethe
to fall
I~ackon. The story-hasecl scructrirc plays fast and

rhc palpahle tension a critical roll generates can

hciRhtcn thc cxperiencc of

C@N@UERING
FATE

this can be
rime y o u introduce chnracter clenrh
without flinching. Mayhc this is the time to have a
new Storyteller character arrivc and provide the
critical clue that half an h o u r of Percertion + h i e rnlls

acquire-

If you Jecidt. tti let the story dominate, the will know them, which is a big bunus. The big
pIarjcrs will he aware of it and will know that what disadvantage is the fact t h a t it takes so long. Yuu are
happens to the cha~actersis your choicc, nor an going to make a lot uf mistakes i n that time penod
arbitrary result of a dice roll. When you take this and they are grling to be uncamfnrtahle and emharapproach, ask your players about the direction rhev rassing. But it's okay, because ynu come out a Fetter
want to rake their cl~asactcrsin. Respect this in your Story teller in t h e end.
\
rulings; if a stray hullet kills a character who was just
W h a t ifyou don'c]lave
or rears to reach
short of his dramatic p m k and yuu make stury-hased your
the finer points? W h a t if you need ro
r ~ l m g st, h pIaycr
~
will blame YOU for interrupting his make it dLlwn and Jirry
itbs gotta he here and
character arc - and he'll he right.
now? The second tvay is to make clues extremely
Finally, if you do adjust or ignore the rulcs (even simple. Most plavers can't miss clues whcn rhcy arc
your r u k s ) for thc snkc of the story, decide whether being slammed against their heads-This is the cqulva-

w t l i c h unes you changed! With some groups, you can w a n t to be Storyteller for your group anymore. If you
c>pcnlvdiscusx sctlry needs and resolve things with are forced to d o this for long, and ynur group is
the playcrs. If you like, yiju can mix different ap. showing no hope of imprnving, you may wanr to do
prt~achcsas wcll, using frcrrfotm discussion for most onc of two things: find a new group, o r step down
of the action and saving impartial dice rr>lls for from Stnvtelling. It's harsh, hut if they don't seem to
criticat scenes.
improve, there isn't much you can do. You signed up
as Storytellor for thcse folks, nor t r ~gi\-e yourself a
KEPING THE GAIT I-~VTNG:
USINGA
massive coronary from the stress cif trying tn get them
CATTLE PRBD QN YBUR PLAYERS
t o do solncthing rlghr. Always keep in mind that if
Every Stnrytcllerfaces it, dreads ~tand hopes i t you aren't having fun, evcn as a SturytelIer, then
doesn't come up. H u t ntr rnatccr how hard y o u try, what is the point of doing it?
the players keep missing t h e uhvious clue t h a t is
As final note, be careful not to insult anyone.
flurtcrinn i n front of their facc. It's enough t o ~t won't do you any p o d to insult thc players yuu
make a good Storyteller scream and question him- arc [wing cfl entertain. Push their limits md have
self. The unc~x-nforrablesilence is there and wai ring some faith in their ability. Storytellers insult their
in rhe darkness for us all. Thc question is, how JO players by
they are stupid. YCIUT
are I
you avoid st?
real people. Keep ir simple hut not simplistic. Push
Thc hest way is truly rhc hardcst and 10n.gesc to your players with some carefully placed"hig words."
do: trial and ermr. Go through scvcral garnc scs- They'll learn and Stotyteklingfor them in thefilture
srons and warch and learn what your players gct and will hecomc easier. Ar the same timu, don" treat
w h a t they don't. It may not sound like a lot of hclp. them as, though they are stupid for not knowing
hut it's hetter then lust repcacing the prnhlem over something. We are not all equal in ducation. Keep
and over. This I i a ~t h e benefit of you heing more ttlat irl rairlcl d i e n e x t tirue (vile nf your players
c ~ ~ n f i d e nwhcn
t
Storytelling for your group. You stumbles over something.

I3

- -,

WINE
AND FINEDINING
WhXY@LJRGAIlT,
The Storytcllcr is looking for a way to of papet says, trying m talk over a noisy air conditioner a n d e a t i n g pizza and drinking Mountain Dew.
Why?!I mean, Mountain Dew i s as f ~ n ae soft drink
as any and pizza, while a common pnint of cantention [some players never learn that pineapple doesn't
,
a l l right. Buti~clcsn't
W h y nor think of atmosphere?Too helong on a baked g ~ o d ! )tastes
just sit at a table in a l ~ ~ dthis
l get
~ old? Why not take t h c story to all five senses
l i t room, s t r a i n ~ n gro read what a piece and stimulate thc mind?

spruce up his game. He's exhausted his

verhal descriptions nf t h e e n v i r o n m e n t
h u t still rvnnts to add a ltttle some-

I ,d: .

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4:
.

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~.

C W E R THREE:
AWAKENIN: THE STQRYTELLER 85

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One ul the mo5t difficult things for a Stoyrcller

PL~YINGTEWQRD
BACLWARD

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Rack in Thc L)av, Whlrc 'rVoli games afrcn

li5red their ivritcrs' mus~calinsp~rariuns:a solid
\yiu cive [hem r o r ~ rvision without dcstrov~ngor
collccrion of C n t h and Industrial m u m most
confur;inc thcm! They car a picture is worth n thuuofccn suircd rhcir castes. T h ~ Ted
s to an unfortusand ivorilc, ;rnd nclacrI F this m~cr
than when vnu xrc
narc aswmpriun: The World of Parkncw was a
rryinq to rcll !'our ~ I B Y L ' T Chtw- wmerhing Ennk~.
place 1%-ltha eargorlc on c\,cn. stwf and the
Thc key is to keep i t cimylc. Thnurrh you hclicve
~ I F ~ C TnfF Mrrcv nn PI-ery srereo.
your somcthinE is tvcrrth a11 rhousand n i rl~occwortls,
The scttlnc is mrwr cl~vesscthan that; ravcrr;,
rutle boys rind js;: mus~cianswalk dorsn rhc
\VnrlJ of Darkness' hrtikcn rtrcctc In abilut the
sarnc pmprlrticlns as t h c do
~ in our wzdd. Ultlsimple. Al thnuch 1O-dtillar rr.r,rrl\ are yrelrn., thev arc
match, t l ~ crnuqlcal comFovtIon of rhe rerrln: i c
In vvrlr hands. UECthe m~rsic vou and yc~ur
plavers like and dnn't ~nflicra n r sclun& thar
;tnvone ahsolutclv dcspisec.
Hcrc are a fen. common nfavsco Frtnr: sor~nci
likclv it wtll he rrnder~rood.
into the came:
Another kcv i s zlqin:: things thar arc cornmirn tcr
The theme song: P ~ c kstlmcrhing that
vililr plavcr~. Th~scan hc ditfcrcnt depcnd~ncon
rcprc5tnts the mood c ~ thc
t game a%;1 whule and
F I ~ Yit 31. the I-cElnn~nr:
ut tach scsqion. This can
help f o c l ~ sthe group on thc came, but don't
m a ~ harc as compatcd to your avcracc American.
1 1 ~ ~t oc ~t
n in 51lenccclrplav i t TOO In~tdlv yclu'll
who ha5 ncvcr huard of the dish. Keep ~t relevant to
PC$ l~oreilwirh it.
yuur ylavcrr. If t h e y don't undcrsrantl. it'f Ioar on
Charactr'r theme< (motifs): Y o u can a c w
ciatc ccsti-linp~c.cc>
\\-it11 ccrrnin charactcr~.The
drcaJ \'ar~rmasi~;~ccornpanicilbv t l ~ vopeninCof
h I o z ~ r t ' ~Aeqrrirm.
.
M f i n ~svundrracks
i~
play w h ~ l c
an Clt;~kuVirtual Adcpr codcs reality*
notclne and t l ~ yamc.
c
It just meansrhi~tthey hi~vcn'r
L~rcatirmthemes: Similsrlr.. yuu can a=ociare certain rongE and mixcs with partici~lar
placcc- Nielltclub'i arc rhc cmicqt, h u t crnptv
I;trc.etsand the u-il~lcrnes~hacc
thetr own ~ o u n d \ .
hlnkc ~ u r cvau v3n. t h i ~for r e ~ u l a tlocations,
orhcr\t.ice you'll get a smartnv plagcr Gaylng.
Listen~neis illrcfidv one of thc mrlct common!\,
"Slipknot ncajn! Hand rnc thc wlvcr hullct~,
used ccnqor In snleplaring. All of the Storvrcllcr'c
Dt~ciplc."
tl~otr~hrs
:and idc9q ant3 stirry come nut in words. .All
General mood music: Rernc.rnt>crthat thc
of thc player ~nttractionccomeour in word^. S o ~ v h ~ l t players can always rake thines in anew direction.
mnrc c l c ~you nerd! hf usic t f n grcat ~ v a vto <tart. T a k c
Kecp scrrnc rnus~cl>nndyf o r unant~c~pared
actlon
thc rrmc to t h ~ n kof r ~ h a t ' cplanncLl for your ~ a m c Fcenes, journeys a n d romantic inrcrlw&s.
at~arcvcninc and chocwr n suiralylc piccr t o play in
A
rhc i.ack.n~lind. If rou*re kellnc rcallr crrarlvr., qa
t h t r r ~ ~vclur
~ h CDc or h4F3s anJ pr~tnn music timed tc,
play t h r t ~ ~ cspccif~c
h
stvrr crcntc. Sound cffccts can thcirch;~rscrarsarc mc>rr;~l.
h,Eust larl:c rccor'l chains
make F l a a~ I~trlemore inrcnsc -a eunshnt corninc 5cll rot~nJ-cffcctsCDc; yntl Can find clrhcr snmplc'i
out ~i noivhcre can shack rlavcrs into rcali- in^ that 115ingfllc-<harine scrviccs.

VIST~N

Teuct-1

Sight is another goc.rd way 5 0 add arrno~phereto

T r ~ u c his anorher oft-ignotcd idea rhat Storytellvour rarnc. Instead of sitting under a ceiling fixture ers c a n use to make rheir games intcrcsting. The
srnrlng at charactcr shccts, give them something snme tablecloth that you used to ~tirnr~late
ehc playmore. If you are in a tense and frighten tng part c ~ywur
f
ers\rision can he cxyloited f i the
~ texture of its
game, why not dim the lights! If there i5 a storm going fabric: something coarse for the hem of an ascetic's
on,tlickcr the lights on and off. Cover the tahlc in a rohc, or something smooth and soft for thc dress of
colored taldeclorh that you think suits the mood of that society deh the dapper Etherice is wooing. If
the game for that evening. If che playcrs arc at a fancy can, adjust heat and humidity where you play. If i t is
dinner, set out some candlcs. You can also wear t h e middle of summer in your game and nnhody
clothes and accessories chat fic thc mood or represenr minds, turn off rhe air conditioner. Let the howsc get
a Class Onc charactcr. Givc the players something to hot; let your troupe fcel what it is like outside in this
look ar inscead of condemning them ro stare a t their weather. Let's say thcy arc crckkjng around thc hay nu.
dice anrl charactcr shects.
There are few things nasrier then feeling hot and
This lasc point is absolutely viral. W~thuutcyc sticky all the time; a hint of the temperature rlr
contact anti facial expressions, zhe players will ncvcr humidity the characters experience can brtng i t to
really learn to assume a natural in-character voice ar life. You should provide only a tiny hint; don't bake
bond with the g o u p . Even online games urually have or freeze rhc playcrs, and sray mindful of any physical
some sort ofvisual support, such as character icons or conditions (like asrhrna) rhat might he aggravared by
neb pages. Don't sell your group sl~ort;even wearing the change.
a hnc can help direcr the plnyers'nttenrion up to you.
Another good way co imp1.crncnt touch is to
From there, voir can ~ u i d ethem to each other.
mike up tlummies of the objects (such as wtapons
Even R single pmp, used as a centerpiece, can a n J foci) ehac rhev carry. If they have pistols, give
transform a kitchen talile into a part of the game. them toy guns. If they hare swords, give them plastic
When you set i t up, it creates a break from the or wooden swords. Never take these props outs~dea
cvcryday and suEgests the tone of the setting A private play area and never do anything physically
s them. But if a piaver h a s a real-lifp
simple earthenware goblet can get rhe players rhink- ~ ~ i g o r o uwith
representation elf what her charactcr has, it can make
ing about your A.D. 1200 game.
a worlcl of diffcrcncc. You'lI notc playcrs gesturing
S~LL
and fidgeting with their props - and you can even
Sine11 is a sense t h a t roleplayers often overlook. takc rhosc as charactcr actions in play.
despite the fact that aromatl~erapvwcnt through a
hugc ruvlval and you can obtain alrnoct any smrll in TASTE
Although not the most important apect of most
any firm. W h y not ~ i v your
e
players something that
will tickle their noses?If they walk into a room where games, it can he an influend way for the StorvteEltr t u
a deaJ bndv has rested fur months, it's ~ o i n to
g stink. givc her players an interesting pmc. Using t a m drxsn't
achef, huta hitof~ookin~~killcanhel~.
,So \\-hip I I someth~ng
~
that can IT closed quickly Gut rcq~~ircyoutobc
will give players a n honest idea of what ir smrlIs like. Make fods that suit the m o d -ifvourplnyers are going
Aplastjc bag with snme moldy hreacl, a littlu dirt. and ti7 R fancy dinner, rhere is nothing stoppine you from
strme water mixed together might do thc trick. Blood tnaking nice folxl, and it doesn't have to he a large
usually snjells like Iron. If you havc rhc tirne, find amount. Ef you and your troupe don't have a Ton of cash,
some rusty nails and havc your playe~ssmell thcrn. jt~stmake hors d'neuvtes. If you want to go all out, r d e r
It" sr.ot something ynu're g1un.g to want to do cvcry cater in^, make a formal meal. Tell them to sray in
timu you come across snrnething dcad, hut srncll is character the entire dinner and [hey and you will he
strongly linked tn memory. Oncc you cxpose the amazed at what happens whilc rhcy arc caring. It rnakcs
a chips, roo. Gaming isa socjal
players to it, they will cotnc hack to the sensarion a nice changefrom ~ i a and
experienceand
so
i~eating.
Even ifyou ahandon the game
whcn the event pops up again.
for
the
f~>cxl,
you're
at
least
doing something cnjoyablc.
Makc sure t h a t whatever you decide on i s saniAgain,
make
sure
that
what
you
scwe won't conflict wi th
tary, not too strong and Joesn't provoke any allergies.
the
players'
tastes
or
cause
;my
h
id allergies.
Ger the gri-rup's permission as well. Many peoplc
react stmngly to scents - or just feel sillr tak~nga
whiff from a plastic b a ~ .

No, wc aren'r :cring t t 3 tell you to go on a diet

or e a t \>our broccoli, hut the food vou choose
d n e make
~
a difference in the type of game vou"t
going ~ C Fcnt1 up with-

~ l a li
v ;IIW t h e :tl-ruvc i c roo much ot ;a pain, rlrtjp
it. A y1avt.r could fccl stupirl I ~ n n d l j nn~ ptnp or
miEhr prefer ti\ keep objects lrom compromisinr hrs
vision of the sertlng.

THE@NEWGHT CHR@NICLE

So you h m a~ hunch of your friends corning

down for rhc wcckcnd, and rclu thouehr it might hc
f r ~ rn
n tun a gamc o r ~ V G ' ORut
.
yo11know for a fact that
bricks on your shoulJers! When vtiur eves start
they a r c nor going ti) havc time for an enrirechroniclc.
Rutrering?Wlien rhc players start g c r r i n ~hirchv
What do pou c101
when ~ O Lmk
I
for that Dodge roll l Nutrition i s
often a factor.
You're rhznk~ngto v~i~irself,
"It's ~ r n p c l s s ~ co
hl~
tcfl a qrc:~tr'tcitv monr nreht!" It*<Jonc all the tirnc.
The k ~ n dof junk food people tend to cat
during a Kame is heavy on scarchv carl~nhydmtcs .A m o v ~ ccornprcsscs a stunr lnro t w o or three houn.
A t ~ l t ' v ~ s sl ~hn ( miehr
~
chop a gory llown into an
and w n a r - The body rnetaholire~t h ~ sas hlotid
hnur or cvcn a half huur. Even among rhcsc. fcwm~id
surar reIativel? rap~dlv,causinq a trclclst In your
mtldcrn rnetli:q there srand our scvcrab exprrienccs
energy level. Unft~rtunatclv.this r ~ p i dprcicecs
that, even in so chclrt A tlmt., stjll convcv ripp pin^
RIFO;I~]c'I\I's
that cncrp to leave as q~~lclcly
as ic
tales. In rhiq section wc'll d15cu>sa few of thew anrl
arrived, Icaving thc burning byprrroducr of lacttc
how rhcy can be used in your rlncdnight chronicle, as
a c i d in its ivakc. Your hcacl throbs, yo11 feel tired
~ r c l:I<
l a few crjmmi-rn prolrltms vclu are ltkclc to run
and sore - ~ n mu'll
d
bc damncd 1f you have to
Into
1v111lc
osc.cutlnC this new cxpertcncc.
dcscrlhe vaur rnag~cal cffcct m derail to rhc
I~asrnrJacross the table!
The first thing for rml detcrrninc is thc direction
Try addinc: rvhole rains. nuts and vcptahles
in which you want the camc to pi). There are many
c~pticinsfor this: acorneclic i c c l ~ n gpossibly
,
horror,or
to ternpcr rhc cffect. Tlwy pnlride a m o r e consistent energy level o v e r timc. You don'c have to
mavbc even .;orneth~ngmore rsa~liltional.Rctc-rrcvciu
takc another 5tcp you nccd to dccide what r o u want
give up the junk complccclv - jusc remember
thar too much i< gotnq to affect your pcrfilr
vour player< to rake hrme from this. The mood ic
rnancc a t the table.
amporrant. I t ' q like planninc a party; it's not much
h l n vnur Flavcrq 8re trnrcd oi~tof rheir rnindc a t a
hirthclnr party. So dr)inEthe sarnc 01' same ol' in t h i c
14t ti113 F C ~ I I IV ~O I I ,I\L" ' ' I - i k ~ i ~ i , j n 1 c~!~thril
s ~ c u i ~ r i nt 5na hi311 idoa. Lkcidc what suit<your poup
rvrrnilertul awrlcf nf ~mmcrcivcrnlepl.ay~n:.'"
and thc. mooil vou arc gr>lnCfor he>t an~lpc) 1 ~ 1 tI[.h
Make the players pay.
Once \ . ~ l uhave th13 down vou ncc~lto rlccide
Ynu can either do ~'[luck 'tL'le, F'aY'"E
bnrn a a\lich rcchnlqllrV o L l arc golns ro ilr to wt the ston
fond (or psilpc) fund, or rotate responsi2.iliry ra a
circlc tn a !imirecl amount of n m c . Two optiun~
different person tach game. In [he case of P ~ ~ F S ,arc to condense rime
sm:lll ccals.
make surc that rhe final oivncrship of rhese items i s
Crlndensed t i m c i c whcsc rclu take a larrc
csrablished Fcfi~rchancl.You don't have the right tcl
chroniclc, virncrhine rhat would rakc months to
clcrnancl rhar rl~cplaycrs contrihutc f i n a n c i a l l y ro
110, a n d m ~ k c
i t <pan onc game session. You fircr
mcrst ~lurnbcinwnthe s t i ~ r vR litrlc. Ycne can't pet all
rhc >ul~tlclticsYOU want. Dcqcr~ptlontakcc crmc,
You knoiv those times at [he end nf rhc
~ a m whcn
c
rou fcct you're carryinr a sack h ~ lof
l

Next cut nut rlrne plarcr~spend travclinrf unlers

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rnrchr h n n ~thcir own props or rakc thc ~ n i r i a t j v c

it plavs an impsrrrnnt part in the ~ t c w +Instead
.
of
and p l a n a meal for rhc croup. Make sure thar t h ~ ih
r
Jc*crihing hnw long it cakcs to g r t wmcaherc, 13s
dnnu trccly; rot) many g m u p have playcrc nr Storywhat rl:~r.crs ItaJ r t ~Jo to pct ~ornru,hcrc,ju.t tell
rcllcrr who al~vayshrmc thesnacks i i r r h e d e c u n ~ t ~ o n .
thcm thrv cot ro w h c r c rher were going.
In thc cnil. these occasional extras shouldn't he
T h e n remuvc all thc ~~nnccecsary
cltrtrcr. One
emphasi:cd a t thc expensc nf convent~onalcame
tvav i~yrem;lclc characters. You dotl'r hnvc to sFcnd

simple fact is, they are nor needed all rhe rime, or
even at all. Dice are there to add an air ofprehability
t o the game and make things fair.
Wirh dice, the Storyteller doesn't have t o makc
a call on whether a
can or cannot do something. I t allows all
to feel they are gerring a
fair shot a t doing whatever rhey want. Rut there are
cases in almost cvery chronicle where dice are not
wants his
a necessary part of the game. If R
character to hreak a stick from a hranch and h e has
Strength 4, does he really nced to roll to break the
stick off? No. Dice often degrade the imagery and
cinematography of an act. That heart-hrcaking Insrant whcre a mage pulls hack his mighty arms,
ripping the stick free from the hranch, would have
heen completely lost wtch the ilull tllucl of dice in
rhe hackground.
Can rhis he done and sciU hc fair! Sure, h u t the
One of the most beautiful parts of the Srnryteller Sroryteller has to be careful about it. StnrytelIurs
svstem is that i t is centered on the s t o q - n o t charts, need to set firm thoughts in their minds about what
not dice, ROt CUIES,
bur on the s t ~ r y What
.
does this can and cannor he done with ccrrain stars. What can
mean ro gnu as a StnryrelIer? It means vou can run a a player do wich Strength 41 Ifa magc has Time 3, can
Bame with no dice or rules. At this point you are she see whar happened five minutes ago?Once you
saying "Rut 1 liwc my dice!" and huegin# have these standards set, you have to rrick to thcrn.
them close to your chest like a newborn hahr. The

half the night making a characrer - just get ~othe

Slav~ng.Annthcr rncthod 1s to give a little extra
leeway on what works or not; avoiciing the argument over whar Sphere ir takes to do what thing
will save tons (7f time. Overall, rhis method has the
advantage of giving players a fun Rame with lots of
k ~ c k s ,allowing cveryone co hranch o u t nf their
normal rncsde of doing things. It's like a whirlwind
uwrld tnur.
The other way is m set small goals. Use cstabup rhc action in the
1ishc.d characters and
middle of something, Establish a simplc goal for the
party to complete, 3s in a standard murder mystery.
Your group's personal goal is to figure it all out. This
sounds simple becaure rt 1s. For a unc-night game it's
all you really nccd.

CHAPTER THRH:
AW/UM

THE S T ~ B R ~ L L E R

89

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;ird

C'ons~stenc~
1s yllur warchword het-c. Makv surc
thatwhnteverparametersyousetforagivenrating
- say, StrenEth 4 - remain consisrent from game

A
estirnaror already exists: Thc core rulcs
notc that any time your dice pool excee Js [he

to vour d o o r s t c ~a n d ptcferabl~c l i ~i t all w ~ t ha

smile. I s i t h a r d ? Y e s , i t i s o n e n f t h e h a r d e s t t h i n ~ s
to do. But it has re he done ro keep thc game going.
One of the reasons you will hear veteran StoryteIlE'c3iW
and on about how
game must go
is bccause they cIing to the cnncept. NO macter how

Once you'vc csrablished that you'rc at1 I~aving

fun, you shoi~ldstick to thc most hasic rules. Y ~ N I

kills the imagrry in a player's head. With freeform

It i s perf&ctIy acceptable Just rfl say vullr characrcr
did a roundhurtse kick thar spun the guy's !lead
around on his shoulders.

that if you Rive someone grief for doing snmcthing,

sure that if sc7meoncelsc d(les it stlE catches
gfiefroo, non*tshawyourfriendsfavnrit,sm, even if
yo11 happen to like someone hetter than si~meonc

shoulders. The Storyteller has to dccide if a n act

~~l~
~ 1 , D~
~ ~unto
~ :
as you wt,uld have
will work. There are nu dice to decide for him. T h e [helm dc, rlnro
~~k, a look
yrlur acticlns.
~ t o r y r e l l ehas
r
keer ev~rythinfiin ~ r o ~ o r t i o n t cwC>uld
~
you really wanr yrlur character killed fL>rno
thc stars of the characters. If nor, the fairness is reason? wouldyou
to be cold over and over and
lost. All of this is the Storytellcr'b responsibility. over
are wrong!
yourself he confused hv thinking that just hecause a
player is playing an evil pcrson in game that she i s
evil in rcal life. A character is just a sheet nf paper
and a figment of imagination i n the end. A person is

, ,

m m

executicmsr firr t h e playcrs. I r moans being rhc Law

where rhere is none. I t also means catching a lot of
crap hecause
don't see it your way. I t means
you are going to have tc) deal with every psnhlem,
every idea and every rhouRhc that the
bring

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Rule Five: A Fame is a game. Don't let the

ftelings and hcat o f the game leave the tahle. If
someone is a n ~ r vtake
,
rile time to ask him urhv while
evcrrjone i5 ar the table. Dnn'c Ict grudges ahcn~trhc
game get carried hevond thc door. It onIy causes
morc problems.

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AGE !~~@RYTELL-ERSHAND^^

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R l ~ l cSrx: Nil one is hclilnJ to play here. If a plaver

decides Ite doesn't wanr to plav anymore, dun't bugrtldgc him. Mavhc hc isn't having fun, mayhe rhe
,grr>i~p
just isn'r wnrking our, ancl mayhe he has other
tllings to do. Any way you Book at, it's his right.
Rule Scvcn: Rcal lifc comes first. no matter
what, The game is just a game; don't Ict it stop you
from paying hills, don't let ir hreak u p romances, and
don't let it get in your way. Yclur lifc is f a r morc
important rhcn the game will ever hc. Rcal l i f e rs
pcrmancnr; a game i s trans1tm-y.
Rule Eighr: You signed up tcl do the ioh, so dl1 it.
You signed up to entertain these folk<.That means
it's ynur job to provide the hest fun ynil can fix them
for as long as you think you can. Give tf~ernyour Ipest
and they wrll rlo the same for you.
R l ~ l cNine: Listening is the key t o any job. Listen
t n what your players want, listen ttj ytwrself when
yvu talk to rhern, listen to every-thing. Lisrening can

save you tons of problems in thc cnd. Being attentive

to yourself and players is the kcy to being a really
g n t d Storyteller.
Rutc Tcn: If it isn't fun, don't do it. I f you're
not cnjny ing yourself, if ir i~nor fun for you, d u n ' t
d o it. Fun i s the name of the garnc. Whcn ir stops
hcing so, sroy doing i t . Yes, your players depend on
you, but YOU are nor suppoqed ro he miserable fur
thcir sakes. Tell rhem h o w you feel ancl h c ~ wyo11
think i t might he better for someonc else t o be
Storyteller chis time around.
Keep in mind in rhe end thar rhis a11 corncs rIown
m you. You are a person; you do what you want. No
o n e can tell you differently. If you want this all to end
new, chat is your right. No onC is petfect, not even
y o u - if this is what you're aiming fur, yuu're aiming
tc~ohigh. Aim tor fun if nothing else - fitn is whar
games are all ahout.

1-

Mage is sometimes referred to ac "the flicrs herween ways of rhinking and perceiving the
gaming Fl~ilosoFlier'sgame." R u t hciw w o r l d ? Such conflicts in the realm of ideas provide
tnany people actually add a little phi- thematic hackdrops f o r the conflicts hetwc.cn charPosophy r t their
~
chronicles? Whilea hll acrers, or perhaps rhe realm of idear might prove to
examinatiiin o f philos~lphyis beyond he susceptible to the direct manipulation c d a
the scope of this hoc~k,it's not impos- skillful mage?
sihlc to add a primer for Sturytellers.
Storytellers may also bc reluctant to constrain
C r e a t i n g a compelling chronicle is a rhemcelves within a single pI~ilosnrl~y,
feeling that
terrific chsllenpr: Devisina robusr and a "rational1*interpretation restricts creariviry. On
intricate pluts, crcating multifaceted characters, rle- 'the contrary, philosuphy is in many ways the practice of questioning, from the Socratic methocl rn
ve[uping a n intcrcsting setting, e ~ t a h t i s h i nmood
~
a n d t h e m e - t h e ~ e s r c c o n c e r n s f o r ~ n ~ t r o u p e t h a t the r a d i c a l d o u b t of Descartes, t o t o d a y ' s
w;lntf tn enioy 3 vivid chronicle. There are many posrmaclernisrn. T h e depth and scopc of such ideas
l~
a chronicle and we hope w i l l
sourccs of inspiratinn in literature, f~lrn,music and can ~ r c a t rnrich
the fine arts, hut few Storytellers fullv cxplarc thc spark new ideas snd raise new questions fur your
I?ossihilities in the classical world of ideas, the study rrnupc and your chronicle.
o f philosophy.
SGCMTES, PLAT@AND AN~TOTLE
M a n y peuplc prcsume that the concepts and
PHILSBPHER S = $ R ~ S
beliefs derelnped i n a Mage chronicle are incnm- THE
AND
ARIST~TLE'S
SCIENCE
parihle with ccrntcmporary or ancient philosophy
Philosophy as. n practice n~iginatedin ancient
when i n fact most conceptions of magic arc historically crounded in particular philosophies or Greece (philosophy means "lnvc uf wisdom" in anrnccaphys~cs. It can hc s u r p r i s i n ~to lcarn how cient Greek). A cIass of prufcssional advisors and
deeply inreftwined the maEical, thc mystic and thinkers, known as the sophists, made their living
'the philosophical have hcen throughout hlstory. providing counsel to che ruling class and teaching
The dchatcs of contemporary philosophy can also thc children of the wealthy. While variccl, thc domihe R lively sourcc uC inspi ratinn for a chronicle - nant thcmcs in the thoughts of the sophrsts were
w h a t are the conflicrs between mages if not con- pragmatism and polirics. Ironicallv, the supllists are

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Ar~sri)tlc.JIJ not arrrcc thar thc irltrn. arc apprehenJcd directly h\*rllcintcllcct thrr~ughcontcmplar~im.
Mc a r ~ u c dthat rhc forms are leamcci by cxpricnce the intcIIect can comc to undcrSclcrate5 is ofrcn tho~rghtof as the "father of rhar 1~t;oh~crvnr~un
stand
general
principles
h h i n d specific circurnaanccs
phr lo~rsyhe."cven thouEbhc lcfr no ivri trcn rvc7rb
and
rhat
thc
true
natrlre
of anv given thine could Ile
his own behind. He 1s known vnIy through the work<
a~ccrtnine~l.
Thc
Grcek
wort1
for this "tntc" narure is
of fl;ltcit his st~t~lcnt,
The "5clcri1tic" method is a
trEos.
Unltkc
rntrdcm
phys~cs.
Aricrc3tlc undcrsrn~d
technique of reasoning that uqts rcpctitive questionmotion
ntrt
as
;
F
mathemarical
abstraction
lhur razhvr as
ing of ltcrmr to uncover hidden crrntradictlc~nsand
fulfillment
of
tclns,
or
naturc.
T
h
i
n
~
s
eqpec~allv
,
livine
diffcrcnccs In sha~lcsof rncanlnp. Phc moct f a m ~ r ~ ~ ~ ;
thina,
scck
ro
hrl~ill
rhclr
telos.
In
rl115
rr.,lv
of
syeakinq,
cx;~mplrofrhc Socraticmerhod is in Ruok I o f PIatil's
f acorn is ro prducc an rlak, Thc rock iaIls
AepwhFrc, in which r l ~ rdcpictcJ
~l
Socratw us in^ the rhc tcIm t ~an
hccause
irc
tctus
wcruW hawe it In 8 luwct, heavier placc
rncthud trm answer the quc~tinn"What I< Justiccl"
rhan
w;lrer
or
air,
ivhicl~qeek ti? r ~ w .4~1srntIc
,
~vrc~re
Thc S u c r ~ t i cmcthod i s rvcll-wiretl to more mvstical
cxtcn~i~c.l~uftheancimtclcmcnt:.ofEarth.
Warcr..4ir
c h a r ; ~ ~ t e Wlta
~ s . sl~oulc!hc more c~mccrncd1 ~ 1 t h
shades o i rncaninrr. than ;I mace, whclrc vcar w f i r d ~ and Firc. Ari~turlc'sscicncc hccamc thc b;tsi5 for 311
scientific catcgnruation frrr more than a tt~ousandvcars,
can shape rcnl~tv.'
rlaro is a l s i ~Fcnutvn for his the~mf
nffclrms. In Plato's ;qnd his rclcolilgical thcr~riccbecame shc h i s uf thc
of ~ I c h c m v ,astrr3lcrcy and ~tthcrrnnercal
unllt.nt;~ncEinc,a itmn is the unchanginc, a r ~ l i c t ~ ~ ~ c"scicncer;"
nl
uvcnce of a ~ i v c nt h ~ n Evcwrhing
~.
ha< a corrc.spond- practiccq. I n t c y r a t r n ~thcsc 1dca5 intc~your chroncclt.
an11 a d i\rcrcitv clt ideas
IRC itam, which is rhc pcrfcct nature oi the rhinc. For can provide hicrorical nct~nc.r<
esamplc, PEam talkctl ahtrr tht. tom of Man (Human- - your rrn~lpccoulJ ;Itrc.myr to rcvivc Arrtorlc's ~ c i itv), the r.sr;cncc of whrch di~ttn~uiqhcd
m ~ n
fmrn ence, which had .I plilce for macic!
gnimals. Even humhlc clbjects haw forms,such ;IS the T U D ~ Q AND
N S ~RACTITIOWG
film of ;I Chatr. He used rhc aIIcgon. c ~ the
f ci1c.c ro
T
H
R
~
K
I
T
M
H
f ~ I D D AGES
L ~ cspln~nrnetnphuric;lllv the rcIari~1~5hip
of thc fimn to
THE
AGE
GF
THE
I
%
I
L
@BPHER
the ubjccts in the cvcr\.dny ~vt>tlcl.He likened the
Ari~totlc'~
rhc)ueht so influcnced the thinkers of rhc
chanpcablc ohjccrs nf ordinan' cxpcstcnccq tu ~hado~r's
,"
on the ~-ii1I
of c : ~ v ccast by tlw reit1 object., thc fnrms. Roman Empire and the Xicdt~val,or " C l ~ s i c ~ lp-ienrd,
rhnt
hc
came
to
k
k
n
o
i
n
5lmplv
a<
"The
!'h'hilo~opher."
T h c toms could net I>cseen w ~ t hthe .senwsut rnanipulated physicatly l ~\ver~.p~rreanci
t
~tnchan~rng.accesstble Thc Cath~dicChurch official tv cndowd Aristotlc'c 5cir
cd logic. The Medieval p n t d is the
onlv I-rv rile ~nrcllcct.Knowled~ct i t rhc fimnr can he ence ant! h ~ptxctrcc
orizitl
c
l
i
minv
rrt
orlr
ic4c.a~nf rnnqic in rhetml and in
gatned h.reflectlun and 11sc lnrellecr - it docs nut
prACttCc'the
cla<s~ca\
m;lge< i f antiquity wcrc. nll k ~ m
require Jircct expcsicncc. Somccc\ntcmplmn. philuwnf
this
P
~
I
L
~
The
.
practice4
14 alchcrnv and asrrcrlnw
phcn ccunrend rhat nll suhscy~rcntphilo~ophvi c an
wcrc
tc.rmeJ
hcienccs
an4
nccclrdc~l
a%rnricll tcqpect as tl~c
cxtenJed arnlment with Plate. The thcorv of innnscian
practicec~imedicinc.
Such
maeical
concept5w the law. of
(and histoncallv did!) inform and ins~iremaws (if all
svmpnthv
and
rhc
p
w
e
r
o
f
name5
vrve thcir incpir,luon
l>ackwound>.Mrwt wcstcrn iduas uf chaneclc4s pcrit.cto
the
concept
ot
relor.
T
~
C
J
S
C
I
V
Cpmcticcc
~ ~ and lens
thin arise from intcrprct:~rionsof thc Pl;~tonrcf~irrns.
all
rhared
In
rl~r
richncsq
c
d
Ansrurlc'~
~tulcoln~ical
sciwhich arc rt~ctnccl~us
usunllv a.crtihttrcd ril I'lato's ctincncc.
which
rcail~lv
crnhraccil
them.
Irnayine
the
tact with Persian mysc~cim.(You'll rlorc that forms
pwihilirie~cifa
chrtmicle
In
w
h
i
c
h
w
e
n
c
c
and
mdeicarc
them~clvccd ~ o wup in stlrc Mage ac Partcms, rhc
in harmonv with C ~ R Canother. Pc)rhap~mcmlwrs tlivour
zln~lcrly~ne
~ h a p of
e ~all F~TCCF.
h1;attcr and L~fc.)
tnluyc
will arrctnpt to n1.c cnnrpe.rcrin:nut ion<of scicncc
.4ristt1rIc dlcageed with h ~turor.
s
Platc~,un a meat
to
nppncc
mrdcrnity !
many thincs. Aricrtrtlc 1s \vdc~,-reC~r~t'L1
i ltht'fa:athcr
~
of
scicnce ancf l o ~ i cAF
. s11ch.ir may qccm thin Aristotlc'~ R ~ S S M ~
C ~ I
L
~
~
P
~
ideas would be adversarial to theories ofmaeic. In actual
The Rcnit5rance was a priod rlch In dcac and
hrctc~nl,tlrisrotle'c scicncc infurmcd rhc "~cience"
of
philort~phv. Moqr Icamcd men wcre \ t u c p d in rhc
rnacic, and fit can easily pnlvirjc a rveal th of idear to add
Glacs~catt r ~ ~ l ~ t iand
o n , h ~ n r sof mtdcrn thlnkinq i d
to vour chronicle.
~cicnccwere crncrErng. Oncc agatn. ~t I< not nfrcn
Ilc\~

kntwn not tor their w v n thiaurht> hilt In tilt

thinkcrs who must

Srrcrates. Pinto and Arls~otlc.
works of t h e

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~ AS TE
O R Y E L LHANDBBQL
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realized how much the rhilos~~phv

of thc Renaissance ~YSTICISITI,
THE
was involvcd with the mystical nr thr magical, nor i s it
philosophers, sficnciscs and the nealy+emerging
nftcn understood how manv of chest cfincc~ts
still ~ F F ~ proup
Y
of psych.olonists arrcmptd rn consmlct VSrems
today. Sir Isaac Newton, rhe father of ~Ilysics,practiced
proh]cms of rnndernp~liInsoyhyastroIogy and a!chemy.
to create first principlcs and rational sysrems.
The "Renaissance Man" - thc idcal blending d
heof [he great debacesin philcxc,phyis over the
schoImhip, martial prowess, mercantile success and pnsihility of a *,,
ideas.
,i n i s mcmq wprillr evericnurtlv rnanncrs in a pcrscrn - is ccrrainl y juct as inter- ,,,,?*; s L l c ~idern wLllrl lX thoseLhat
a
has prior to
csrcd in thc mystical and rhe mechanical. A mage is in
,qerienfe
lanwage Lr, teaching, ~~~~i~~ ahnut
.
many ways an attempt t c ~mtrrur this - the mage must [he, pi& is,
akinrt,aw.ening, orrememhrinE,
m;uld
prrinrcc live in a scientific world, while at thc samc tirnc
h, acccrrnpljhcd by reflecticmwih+heinrellcct; it
having a ftrm helicf and education m mystical practices.
no exprience (similar
fnmns).
The kcy to i n t c p t i n g Renaissancc thinking into
Irnmanuel:Kant believed that ethics and perception
your chronicle is to stress chemes of inccrconncction
melted In a fiM categories, H~ dividedall [houg.ht
and metaphor. Renaissance thinking d ~ dnut make as into varic,us kinds and
thar whik any wcific
manv Jisrinctirms hctwcen scicnccs - physics and
my ar-sc frvm cxFerrence, the categor,es
chemistry were nfrrn interrt.lated, for example. Out of thouEllcand perception which -are used co make sense of
[his excitine blend d new7and old &as arave Mdem ,v,i,e
0 ~h (time
and mth being examf~cs~.
think in^, rrnhodied in rhr works of such thinkers as
resulred in an ed,ic haredupon a
a
Machiavclli and Desca~tcs.
pun', categorical im~erativc-"Act nnEy such that y o i ~ r C
Renaissance thinking i h covercd in much greater action could hc wi]Icd tu hccomc a universal law, tvithrltrt
detail in Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade.
conm~cliction."From this basis, Kant thendeduced many
principles of cthic, such as ''Tell the mth" - that
~@DRNIs~
SARTING AT ~
Ts
E
principle can easily h willcd to be universal Iaw.
Rcnf Descarres ir t h o i ~ ~of
h tas the fnunJer of the
G,nesFonLiinaly
a lie,,,ifmde
a univena, law,
modern tracjit ion 16rl~ilos~~phy,
with its clnphasis on undermines all speech. (if every thin^ is lies, and known
msthemar~csam1 the sc~entificmethod. In A Discouise
ire lin, then no one mlv
anvrhing,wrKanr,)
on Method, Descartes offers the most famous proof of
cxistcncc, Cclgito e r p ess. "I rhink, therefore I am."

,,,

narnVs

:=-

--

nir

M d e m phi loswhv is the nalne aprlied tn the kinds

of thinkinE rhat emerged from thu nt~ti~rns
of radical
douht, mathematical law m d univcrsal principles. To
create i1 L'lJmh-n"
Ithe 18thcentury was the 11eyday)
theme for yourchtoniclc, cmpha~izclaws. w u l a r i r ~2nd
sysrem. T h e nKdemP
~
~
~
~ in search
)
~
ol"first principler." such as the copiro, fmm which they
could logicallydeduce thc entirety of the world in a Lwdy
d laws. Mcdern philosophy is mathcmaticall~~
prccisr
and stresses ~hservationand science, h u t that Ales not
mean it cannot he integrated into a Mage cchronicIe.
Perhaps there are mathematically precise *'lawsvof magic
awaitmg diwovery, Perhaps a!l c)fmathcmatics IS merely
a way of naming rhe universe that then hinds i t to obey
the Iaws that arc so "disct~vered."
were a n v t h i n ~
that could he knilwn
First
for cercain. that was beyonddouht. The senses could not
us with any assissance, because senses are fallihle, yet the new science was based on ohsewation,
reptition and experiment. How can these tensions hc
rcconci led ?

crcarcd a list ofidcas,

and SzOrics which
so
~ in thu
P lIUrnan
~
~
~as ~he
often
psycl,e
fixnlres
d a ncollecrivc unconsciwr" - which
of exists c,urslde CRChind i v i ~ u a l but
forms and
Integrating such hrady conccprs incoyour cl~ronicIe -can be a challenge hut is often very rewarding. Using 'J
psychological arckctypes ~oinform and flesh out characcers is common in fiction and film ancl shows up
already on the character sheer.
The tensions hetween sciencc, which stressed ohservation and experiment, and notions of the a priori
Fh
become eVOR more p r ~ l t l ~ i t i nu~heri
~ ~ drht rechniques of
analytic phi tosoyhy arc tumcd on phif osophy itself. In
the end, the concept of radical douht ("Question every- ,
thing!") came todominate, and theclream ofthe modem

'

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4**7

CHAPTER THE.
I

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AWNENINTHE S~BRTTELL~R

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age uiphilnsi~Fl~v
- 213 i d c n t i ~and explain rhc first
principles oi the univcme from which a11 clw can hc
clersved - tvas never achieved.
Following the Universe
A mage who seeks first prtnctples IS a seeker, a
quester, one who follilws the mcm c~k-citedpat11 tn
Ascension: unc who y uestinns existence, struggles to
definc morality and seeks nn ~~ndersranding
of why the

Fur example, a Irnstmn~lcrnrcsptlnse to the iamnus

"I chink therefnre I am" WOIIIJ

he to ask cluestionc such

as, how cln you know that yo11think?14ow is the acr of

t.hmkinF:perceived? W h y does thinking require a
thinkcr! Could rhinkinfi just "happcn'\without any
pcrson thinking? When thoughts arc apparentIy your
own, could they just be something imposed from the
outsille, received as though they wvre radio waves from
cosmos works the way that ~rdoes, Such a m a p tries to some other sourcc?
In a general sense, postmcdern philosophy can he
derermine fundamental
that unJer1ie existthought
has an cra nf questions with f ~ answers.
w
Tl~e
encc but assigns them s mrrrsl weight. In thist;asl~illnthe
construction
of
systems
is
no
longer
the
phiinsnpl~er's
m a g isn't only an explr~rerImt also a sptrrtvallsr and a
pasrimc, but rathcr the destn~ctionulsysterns. N ierzsche
seeker of hunlan ideals.
called
it "philosnphiiing air11a hammer'' inT~uilight
({the
Arc thcrc really a priori? Can a magc9 witlt his
Idols.
I
n
other
places,
Nietzschc
call?
upon
che
p11ilosr1mystical insight, show w h a t science could nut - the
phcrs of the future, who wcm~ldfollow h~m,
to "rcvalucall
cxistcncc of tirst and final principles?
valucs" and "overcome rE.lcmclvcs." 1 1 e philosopher of
NIIH~
AND
thc f u m e would lw free of all system and crror from the
The pclstmodcrn era in pT~ilostlphyarosc frntn the part, woulcl have cscged these traditions and Ilrnitations
application of ruthless criticism t c ~the pnrjects and and ct~uldcreate his c~nmin~crp~ctations.
This heeclnm is
syftums c ~modem
f
philnsc~pl~y.
In posrmcdern ph~loso+ nor always felt as liktarion, he thought. It can he a
phy, thestructuresofgmrnrnw and thought char infi~rmed terrible,i>pprt.ssivefreedom according to Nietzschu- hc
all prcviouq philosophy are called info sharprquestinn. cr~nst~lcrs
a mcarure of a person's s t r e n p l ~to bc the
The pracrice d philosophy itself is taken to task and "nim~herof lics one requires in ordcr tn I~ve."
f ~ ~ u nwanting.
d

P@smam

A Tertihle Burden of Magic

Mages see themselves as empowered, given the
choice to change rhe world in their images. Yet to
Nietzsche, even mages rnlght not be supermen. A mage
who finds himself constrained ro former systems Traditions - has failed to rlvetcume predetcrmi ned
thought. N ~ e t a c h eexhc~rtshis readers m think for
themselves, to c~verrhrowthe dogma of Church and
science and instead smash down all that rs held
unassailahly tnle and correct. Certainly rnagcs engage
in this search for personal levels of truth. Indeed, a mage
learns early that the mulciverse is far from what he's
always thought it to hc.
The question then becomes, how does the mare use
this knorvlcdge? Does he seek to place it in rhe context
of "what has comc hefore"? Many modern m a p still
cling ti3 the trappings of cheir mundane lives. Conversely, the rnageq who mosr cschcwecl thc rnatcrial
wclrlcl in pursuit of ephemeral truths arc now gone, lost
tcr the reaches cd the Umbra. ShouId rnages seek truth
beyond the evidence of the mundane world. or should
they look frjr thcir mths among the rubhlc of the
marcrial world when rhey have rhr0a.n down thc prcconceptions of the Awakened community?

P H I L @ ~ P HMYSCIENCE
P A R ~ D I G AND
~ ~ ~ PS R A ~ I ~ N E R S
Postmodem thinking callidcd with the sciences
and resulted in the philosophy of science emerging as a
distinct school of rhozlghr. The philosophy of scrence
attempts to analyze the scientific methud Itself and
evaluate the "truth" of scientific propositions and principles. David Hume expressccl a skepticism for the laws
of science, in particular the laws of cause ancl cffcct and
the presumption of regularity.
In his view, just hecarlsc thc cr~nrose ycstcrday
morn~ngand the mnrning before, and soon, chat pmvides
no cause for it tu dn m ~ ~ ai no
n undersrancfing of why
it happens nor a guarantee of continuaticm. To contra5t
a counreresampie, each morning, after sunrise, Hilrnc
feecis his Jog. From the doR's point elf view, this has
happened each morning and is just 25 regular as the
sunrise, but there can he nopresumpritrn of regularity nor
underseanding of the cause. In this view, prim obscrvntinn docs not provtdc any guarantee of future hchaviur.
Rut what ahour science, which is hased on cAservation
and cxpcrimcnt?What a h u t scientific laws?
The philosophy of science atrernpcs tn resolvc these
questions m d provide hetter explanations. Tntc tn
postmodern tradition, it may raisc mnsc questions than
it answers. Thomas Kuhn examined c h a n p in science

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I* .

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in hisrory and challenged the notron d progress that

pervades scientific development. In his view, sciunce
does nor make steady proLTess over time as more rcsearch is donc, but rather progresses over time in sudden
bursts -shifting from one interrelated set of idcas and
explanations to asuccessor ser of idcas and explanations
suddenly and sometimes with great controversy, I-Ic
calls chese interrelated sets c~t'ideasand ptinciplcs "paradigmsl'and refers to the successionof one paradigm after
another as "parailim shift."
For example, in the Renaissance and early mi.rdern
era, hcfcire the isolation of all the elements, a suhstance
known as phlaEiston was theorized to account for thc
properties of arr necessary to support a fire (oxygen was
m k n i ~ w n )Phlo~iston
.
was a propetty of air, which was
not y ~ understocxl
t
to Re a mixture of gases. When a
candIe would not l i ~ h trhe
, air arotlnd it was said to bc
"de-phlo~isticared."Thistheory was dominant formany
year$and was quite sophisticated -thcrc. were schemes
for mearuring phlog- sto on, anti it was able to predict a
great many behaviors.
When later thinkers began to conceive of air as a
mixture id gases, with oxygen as a componenr among
rhcm responsible for burning, and to conceive of h u m rng as a chemical reaction (oxidation) instead of a
filndamental elemental property of the element of fire,
these thcories were immediately rcjccccd hy the majarity of tl-tc scientists of the day. Even after PriestEey
established a serics nf esperirncnts that "prrwed" that
his interprctatton was valid, thc phlogiston thcurists
sought to rnodlf~their norion of phlogtston to accommodate the new experimenr.
In chis case rhe paradims were as follows: Under
phlogisron theory, air was thought of as unified and
having many changeable propcrtics. Under oxygen
thcory, air is conceived as a mixture of gases with
individual prc>pcrttcschat do not changc hut can sccm
to changc as thc mixtt~rcchangcs (canillcs will nor hum
if there 1s not enough oxygen present).
Thc succession ofparadigms always seems like progtess
once it occurs, but the fact is that there is no single,
unified progrea frclmphlugiston tooxygen.7kephlogiston
scientists had lven progressing - they were devising
cxperianents ro further their understanding and had h e n
able to make ver). accurate predict Ions ahui~tthe ahility
of air to support flame. Tu arrive at uxyeen theory
required rhat all their previous ideas be discarded and
reworked. This is not the traditional notion of prugrcss
that the sciences havc portrayed over the ajies.
A Mage chronicle can easily hnd inspiration in
paradigm shift. In many ways, rnages operate in a

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CHAPTER THREE:
AWLIXOIIIM;
THE %BRYTRLR

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difftrcnt paradigm than thosc around them - thev

literally have a different reality. Tht conflict nf the
paradigms which admit of magic and thasc that do
trrlt can he an overarching theme of your chronicle,
as with the Ascension War, or it can he more personal -- perhaps a singlc character itndergoes a
p a r a d i p shift. It could bc as simple as an Awakening
or as complex as changing Tradition affiliations.
Cheating Consequence
Mages have s built-in interest in the philouphy
of science. Sons of Ether, in particular. want rcl show
that scicncc is more than rote, hut all mages want
p e ~ p l em l~reakout of rhc assumptit~nrhnt one thinr
aucornatically causes another set thing. Indeetl,
their very rnaEical p w c r s , mapes can do things chat
work fclrother people. Perform a rite, it crcatcs
some
effect- hzlt ifsomeone else doesit, it
it has sc,me
doesn't work.
a
cffecr-llut jfsomconc
else mixesit, it doesn't work,
In thc ahsence of any r3th~rfactOr, onc c a n only
assume that the causes are different if the effects ;Ire
different! Mages
causes them
he so
different that they can do dvnamic maEic when c~ther

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people can't.

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NARRATIVE.

hILBsQPHY
L
~

RELUMS~,

PHYSICS,ETC.

Contemporary philasuphy is very diverse. Some

refcrtv it as the post-postmodem era; others such as
have m n o ~ ~ n c ethat
d philosophy is
Richard
J&+ In this view, the traditional questions of phiI ~ S O P~ Y"What is truth!", "What is GOO^?"- are
only unanswerable, they turn 011t to have heen

mistaken questions. Philasnphp is n o lclnger conccmcd with rhe truth - the conccpt is irrelevane,
nor very inreresting. Rorty says "in this envirenmerit, t h e is no Philosophy wirh a capital P-thcrc
i w n l ~little !J ~ h i I n s n ~ h y''philosophyv
."
is now
conceived of as seeing how "things, in the AroaJest

,I

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Ry rhu sane token, magcs have an inrerest in

showing thar possibility exists. You can't proe~erhat
the sun w1l1corn.cu p tomorrow; you can nnly s11ow hy
induction that iris likely to follow the same pattern
that has heen uhscrved for your life. Similarly, you
can't prove that you can't do magic; you can only
show t h a t it's unlikely mwork, since it never worked
heforc - rifihr up until a mage hlows that away hy
doing sr~mething spectacular.

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possible sense of che term, hang togcthcr. in the

hroadeqt pnssihle sense of the term."
Other philasophers have responded to thc =ha!p h l l l ) s ~ ) p hin~ the
lenge by a c t e m ~ c i nto
~
study o f narrative scructwc, tn make the logic of
narrative the hasis for ratinnaliq as a whole. Still
a hasis for
more have turned ro physics to
understanding. Our age is a very llynamic time in
FhilusoFhy,which can readily be reflected in aMage
chronicle.
The Philosophy of philosophy
Since Rony'r philusophy is reductionirt in the
extreme, it's sziited for characters who want to challenge the norion of cxistcnce a t its most fundamental
Ievcl. Everything thar a m a p senses-even with the

made ru believe that rhcy'rr pcoplc, in a giant fake

cosmos or computer simulation.
For mager ~nreracringwirh this sort of philmop l ~ y , the struggle then becomes clne of motivarion. lf
tt~ete'sno teal way to discern "existence" or "self,"
why hother doing anything? Following Rorty's train
o f thought, rnages may decide t h a t since i t ' s functionplly ~rnpi.lss~hlc
tn t ~ 1 1the
~ t s ~ n ~ (e as d thuq to
arrive a t the "truths" of existence), they should
instead concern themselves with 11nw things work in

zhan waste their time

a r ~ u i nrhe
~ metaphysical conscqucnccs of people
not really being people, they might as well assume
that people chink and exist and go from there. By
as sum in^ thar thc w o ~ l dworks in one concrctc,
scnslhlc way, the mage clvercornes the pralysis:ofnot
having identity or meaning and can then clevclnp a
system of working within that hallitcination - even
if it's nothing mare than a n elaborate program t h a t
the ~ndividual'sdeluded into thinking. PI~ilosnphy
comes full circle.

what they perceive. Rathcr

C@NCLUSI@NS
SUGGESTEDREADING

SugEesrcdreadinp,faphilosophers:
The Storv of Philosophy, Will Uurant
Reprrblic;Plate
Ethics, Aristotlc

Bevond Good and Evil, Friedrich Niutzschc.

Virtue, Alasdair Macintyrc
The Smcrure uf Scienrific Revolutions, Thc~masK~thn
After Philocr~ph?,cornpiiation of essavs
After

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"The dance w u over.

~
The veils were all dropped. The
cascarlc of epiphanies hadceased. The inner w(~iccwas mutc ,
and that cuac fine, i~ had given her more rhun tnotqh tefic~re
out fir herself. "
-Tnm Rohhins, Skinny Legs and AII

Onc of the most importam facers c ~ fany

Mage chronicle is the development of a
characrer's mystical limrlerstanding, represenred in t h e game thrrlugh the Arete
Trait. A character's Avatar acts as guiclc,
motivatc~rancl taskmaster on this quest,
which requires the Avatar tc, have a personslity and agenda all its own. Since the
SrorytelIer is ulcirnately respansihle for
strucrlzringa character's Seeking and tailoring them to
both the player's expectatinns and the Avatar's gc~als,

both of these facets of the game require greater attcntion than was given rhcm in Mag: The Ascension.
This chapter contams infomation on how to huilcl a
cl~aracter'sAvatar, !law tn portray the Avatar in a

-'

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chronicle, st~meyxmsibilitiesmwhat the A v a t a r t n ~ ilq~

and what goats an Avatar rntght pursue. The latter half ' '.
of the chapter discusses Seekings in grcat dctail: how tcl
run thcm, when to run rhern, their effect on Resonance
'
and what a successfiilll (or failed) Seeking translates to
for the player and hcr character.
'

11
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C~~~!%UR:AVATARSANOSEE~MG
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All rnages have Awakened Avatars, It's

magcs began questioning the workings of their

own minds, their Avatars gained (or asscrtccl)
more dircct consciousness. Mystical histories in
H new (or even a n experienced Storyche Far East, for what it's worth, seem to indicate
tePles), that's a little like saying that more "modcrn" Avatars long hefore such were
flipping a switch nlrns on a light - rrue disct~vereclin W c s t c r n Eurnpc.. 1t seems as rhough
as history progresses, Avatars secrned more ahle in a sense, hut nor w r y informative.
The quesrion, then, is "whar is a n nr w i l l i n ~- to rake direct and noticcable action
Avatar?" Thc Avatar is a part of the in their charges' livcs, evcn to the pciint of rnanlmage, perhaFs a facet of her srrul o r her mind (if festine physically a t rimes. In r h r w a k e of the
indeed those two c h i n ~ sarc separate). Thc Avatar Reckonlnp, this has (as mentinned on page 139 of
has its own consciousness and its o w n agendas, and Mage) hecome increasingly unusual - perhaps
those ~ o a l may
s or may nor coincide ncarly wirh rhe the same forces that kccp magcs on this side o f the
mage's own plans for her Bik, Thc Avarar can affect Gauntlet prevent their Avatars from ass urn in^
the mage in a numhcr of ways - giving her advice corporeal form? When Avarars do manifest physieither direct1y or in the form of subtlc hints, helping cally, they do not sccm affected by Paradox or
her in rimcs of p e a t stress and guitling her CVI Unbelief. Is h i s because Avatars, as a part of a
journeys of self-discovery called Seekings. Avatars rnagc, are "rooted" In consensual realirv, or healso seem to retain memories from one incarnation cause Avatars are far cnough removed from that
to anuther, and these incarnations dun? nnocessar- reality so as not to be hurt by it? T h a r question is
ily follow any sort of logical progressron. An simply another way of phrasing the original one:
American-horn Akashic Brother might scc visicrns What rs the Avatar?
of Iifc as a monk in t rnperial China, while a P r o ~ e n i Somc wages speak of the Prime, o~ the "Furc
t(lr might find herself dreaming of treating cyc Ones," and claim that each Avaear is a shard of this
distlrderh in rhe Middle East. even though shc hcr- primal enerEy of the univcrsc. T h c details vary, of
sclf has nu Arahic ancestry.
course, and have throughout history. In the 15th
The ~lriginsof the Avatar are unknown to mud- century, magi spnkc of thc "Daemon," and thcir
ern rnages. The end of d ~ Asccnsicln
c
War and the counterparts in the C)rder of Reawn saw ancicnt
destructinn of many of the H o m c t i c chantries where philrlsophors or guardian angcls. T h i s discrepancy
thenries on the marter were stored rncant that younger ctmtinues today - a C h a r ~ s t e rr n i ~ h tspcak of the
rnaEes don't Eet the same answcrs ahour che Avatar's Avatar hcrnfi an angel nr perhaps even a spark of the
rnle and function thnt ~ I ~ epredcccssorsd~d.
tr
Even in Divine itseef, while a Verbena might talk of thc
0 t h Tradit~rlns,
~ ~
speculation on the rrue nasurc nf Wyck. At its heart, chough, thc only one undeniable
the Avarar scems to 17arre fallen I7y thc waysiclc for t r u r h ahout Avatars is that they exist - even rhc
thc timc k i n g ax rnages concentrate marc on sur- Technocracy, try as it might, cannot deny the urgings
and visions tllar drive its members to greater heights
vival and cop in^ wirh the inoclcrn nc~rld.
nf
inspiration.
Hiqtorical rccords, in the form of written arWhat is thc Avatar? No one knows, and the
chives or oral traditions, Jnn't seem ru speak of
Avatars as dircct presences in thc livcs of the Ramc would he greatly lessened wcrc we to provide
Awakened until the Middlc Ages. Cerrainly, Ro- a definitive answer crn the subject. Perhaps an
mans had a similar idea of the ~ e n i t l s the
, Greeks A v a t a r is a n aggregarc of a given mage's past life
t h e daimon and the N e ~ ~ l a t o n i sthe
t s ochema, h u t expcricnce - this would explain why Avatars in
unrlge.5 nf the timc did n o t seem to interact wtth general have grown more powerful over the past
them in the same way as did their later Medieval centuries. Perhaps thc Avatar is indeeJ a shard of
counterparts. Reforc thc Middle Ages, magcs a greater whole, a literal piece of the divine e n seemed to master thcir arts hy pure will and h y trusted to a magc, as cvidenced by t h e fact that
learning from masters rathur t h a n hy receiving while mageq' souls can linger :ls ghosts aftcr death,
guidance from spiritual sources. One theory ho!Js their Avatars d o not seem to du so. Whatever thc
f
m a t t e r , rnages have been struggling for
t h a t as ncW ideas ahnut the soul tcxhc hnld and truth c ~ rhe
what allows them to pcrform magic. It
says as much on paRe 138 ofMage. Bur to

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ST~RYTELLERS
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centuries to learn t h e truth of the Avatar, and

ncithcs ancient rnyscicisti~nor cutting-edge scientific theory has Jecicled t h e marter. Perhaps i t isn't
the answer that is irnpcvtanr, SO much as ask in^ the
questiun.. . .

All magcs, regardless of wl~echeror not thcy

possess thc Avatar Background, do possess an Awakened Avatar. The pnssibilities for how any A'iven
'
Avatar might manifest are IireraIly endless. Detailing a ch:~ractes's Avatar requires input from the
player, interpretation from the Storyteller and constant communication and feedback from both.

B ~ M THE
G AVATAR
Rcforc play even begins (although it's never too
latc!), the player and rhe Storyteller should consider
the followtng quescions:
What is the character's Essence? White
Avatars can cake nearly any form and pursue limitless agendas, the first step toward determining
anything ahrlut an Avatar is to dccidc u n zts Essence. The irnpurtance ot Esscncc in portraying the
Avatar is discussed bcIow. In thc early stagcs of
character creation, thc playcr should decide upon
his character's Essvncc and then work with thc
Storytrller ro determine what rhis choice means in
terms ctf thc rnagc's development. Dynamic Avarars, for example, arc fc~rcesuf change, hut ''change"
is a vaEue term. I t can refer t o unchcckcd ( o r cven
cnntrnllcd) growth or rampant dcstructiun. Perhaps a mage with a Dynamic Avatar has been a
rigidly contrnIled person all his lift - will rhc
Awakening of his Avatar drivc hcr insanc?Essence
is a very important decision - don't let the player
make this chuicc lightly.
Stotytcllcrs may notice llpon read in^ the descriptions of thc four Essences, helaw, that the goals
uf Avatars nfdiffcrcnt Essenccs might overlap somewhat. For example, consider an Avatar that wishes
hcr Akashic magc ro restructure her Tradition in
the wake of the Reckoning. T h a t Avatar might Ile
Dynamic, try in^ to change the current chaos. I t
might he Pattern, in that it i~ try in^ to rcpair
something already cxtant. It might he Quesring,
seeing the Tradition as one stcp in a larger goal of
unifying all mages. The Avatar mi& cvcn he Prirnr~rdial,acting as a kind of represcntativc for the
Akashic Record. If t h e Tradition isn't rchuilt, the
Record will likew~sefade.

'

As written, the Avarar B:~ckpro~in~l

cletermines only how much Quintessence a mage can
harness and channel. Tht. strength c ~ one's
f
Avatar might alsn determine h o w much past life
experience i t has to draw on, how much contact
it is willing lor ahlc) to have with the mage and
how direct that contact is, haul flcxihle the
nlage's paradigm i s (if the mage 1s d r a w ~ n gon
centuries of magical experience, it only makes
scnse that his worldview is a little less rigid) and
perhaps even whether or not a given effect is
vulgar o r coincidental.
Guide t o the Traditions incIudes severat
other Rackpmunds t h a t might tie in to a
character's Avatar. Past Lives is Frohahlv the
must o h i o u s , since a maEe with this Rackground
is simply accessing information fmm his Avatar.
Likewise, an Avatar mighr show up in a mage's
Demesne a great deal more easily than in her
"real life." A mag-e with access to a Nodc or a
Sanctum might find that her Avatar contacts
her more frequently in her place of power, and
more than one rnage's Familiar has delivered
"rnessajies" firm the hieher seIf. A Blessing, too,
might he a gift conferred from the Avatar itself.
A mage who fits into a Legend rnight find that
her Avatar takes up a role in the story-ur helps
her cement hcr own.
When t~ikingany of these Backgrounds, the
player should consider how they play into the
character's mystic path and how h e y will i n t e r *
act with her Avatar. Thc Storytcllcr, then, is
responsible for making sure chat these little details remain consistent and that t h e Avatar
notices any changus in these othct Backgrounds.
One of rhe biggest hurdles to clear in running or
pEaying Mage 1s the inherent strangeness of the
Avatar - i s it part of the soul, or a separare
entity? By tying it in to other facets of thc
chaacrer, ihc Sroryreller can make rhc Avatar
seem less a h s t ~ a c and
t
more an integral part of
the character's magic.

This kind of overlap simply means that the player

lv
how the Avatar and its goals
should c ~ c a ~ deflne
interact tn form the rnage's mmvsric path. If rhe player
wishes to let you decide how this all fits together,
that's fine. The Avatar can easily remain entirely in

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angel, the Holy Spirit, cl~vinevi.stuns .an4 so ki>rth.

Mages with truly suhtle Avatars might nor nonce
them at all - thcy get urgings m d deas, yes, httt
Mow much contact has the mage already had chose come frnm the rnage's own mind, not some
with her Avatar? This questinn might lie h r ~ t "jiuicling spin t."
How does the mape feel about her Avatar?
resolvcd afret playing through t h e character's PreNot
all
Avarats are henicn. Nor all are comforting.
lude, since thc Awakening almost always includcs
samc contact with t h e Avatar. Has thc Avatar Surnc. have ditccc, dcrnanding a ~ e n d n sand don't
spoken with the character? If so, h o w l Verha!ly, in h a v e time to coddle their mages. Some arc so potent
the form of an anonymous caller? A voice in chc t h a t their hosts can't handle the raw power they
~nage'shead? An unsigned letter! A conversaticln in cnminancl and go mad or shut them o u t completely.
an Internet chat room? Or has the rnage actually Some Avatars choose forms of contact rhar are
ceen her Avatar, perhaps in a dream or even a vivid, horrifying to their rnages. On the ocher hand, many
tterrifyine visitation? Some Avatars even take physi- Avatars knoztp rhe valuc of subtlety and also know
cal form and might enter a mage1slife in any role in rhat the curiosity and wilI it takes t r l Awaken
which thcy can cha tlenge and teach her -a friend, Frovides a key to motivating the magc. The player
a 117vcr, cvcn a rival or an enemy. As a gcnctal rule, and t h c Storyteller shnulcl decide I-tow the mage
rnages with Ic)w or no Avatar rarings (as in the Eccls ahout her higher self - is i t a cherished
Rackgruund ) don't get v e ~ yclear messages from t c a c l ~ e r ?A closc friend? A supernatural being or
their Avatars; perhaps thcir higher selves ilre younE s t m e unexplainable phcnumennn! A nighrmare
~7rthey are nnr dcvtlring much arcention t o the incarnatu? Or does the maRe have no reason to
magex f o r whatevcr reason. M ~ ~ h ratings
er
in the st~spuctshe cvcn has an Avatar?
Background indicate an Avarar thar is able and
Has the character experienced a Seeking?
willing. to make direct cnnract with the magc. T h e Awakening usually confers c7nc t t ~t h r e e points
Whcthur thc Avatar chooses tn do so is mclther of Arete. This typicdly means t h a t a Mage characmatter. As Stcrrytcller, you should Rauge how ap- ter hcgins with her Arete score as d e t e r m i n e d hy
propriate i t is to the character for t h c Avatar to normal c h a ~ a c t e rcreation and is assumed not to
make and maintain contact and, more importantlv, have i ~ n d c r ~ o her
n e first Seeking. Thrs isn't ncccsd
how apprnpriace it is to the playcr. For an incxperi- sarily t h e case. Especially if rile A v a t a r is
enccd playcr, a talkative nr helpful Avatar call be a ~ a r t i c u l a r lporent,
~
the mage mar; altcady have
godsend {see bclow for more suggcsrinns on using hcen taken on sitch a journey, If so, decicic upon
the Avatar in play).
the resulr together with the playcr. You should
* What form does the Avatar take? This topic Jetall w h a t happened during t h e Seeking so t h a t
is discussed in more detail bclnw, but an Avatar's clements cjf this first expedition i n t o enlightenform is dcterrnincd hy its Essence and by whar wot~ld ment c a n s h o w u p d u r i n g f u t u r e l e s s o n s .
rnorivare rhe character. Thar means rhar nor all Additionally, this will certainly color how a mage
Dreamspeakers are guided hy animal toroms and nut views hcr Avatar. If rhc first Sccking was a dismal
all Technocrats see their Avatars in terms of rnach- failurc, the magc might ferl inadequate and weak,
ernatical formulae, What ahnut a technu h m a n and fear or even resent hc-s Avatar's lessons. If t h e
Dreamspeaker who hears voices ~ u i d i n ghim in the Seeking was successful, qhc mieht h e thankful and
murtnur o f thc cro~vdson the sulway, or ;l V o ~ d eager to learn - or shc m i g h t he haughty and
Enginccr exploring rhe seas to wl-lom cnlightcn- proud, feeling that she necdb no further instruc.
m e n t 1s a mnnstrous sea creature rhat he must catch tion. Sec Seckings, below, for more information.
and idenr~fy?
What does the Avatar wish to teach the
How does the mage see the Avatar? T h a t is, mage? This is really more for t h e StorytelIer than
what does the character think thost voices in her the playcr, althouqh if the playcr has input regardhear1 really rcprcsent? As with most jargon in Mage, lng hcr character's rnysric path, thc Srorytcllcr
d all mcans listen. All Avatars have a
"Avatar" is hardly a vnivcrsaIly used tcrm. A C h r ~ s - s h i - ~ ~ lby
rian magc m ~ g h rnot bclleve for one intrrnenr rhat lesson (or rnanp Bessnns) tn teach. What waits at the
what <he does i~ "magic" - she accomF!ishcs whar end of an Avatar's final riddle. few mages ate qualishe does hy the I r ~ v cof Guci, nor hcr nwn wbll. What fled to say. power is one Fosr;ihi!iry, hut as evcn tht'
then is rhe "Avatar?" She might see it in terms of an yollngest tnagc has power beyond thc ken o f Sleepthc hand5 of rhc Sturytcllcr; this allc~wsrhc player
and chc character to undergo the quest for mvstic
understanding rogerher.

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e n , this sccms somewhat trite. Perhaps t h e rnagc, an A v a t a r of a aiven Essence might he trying to I
upon learning rhe lessun ofche Avatar, is alIoweJ ti1 tuach a magc and coward which Spheres this r n ~ ~ h t

pages 96-10]

of Mage: The Ascension for examplcs). The Avatar might WISII tu rectify rhis kind
nf deep-seated flaw, thus making the magc a lnorc
complctc pcrson (and opening her up to greatest
heights nf cnlightcnmcnt). On t h e other hand, the
Avatar mtght nor even recowi:e the m a s ' s personalitv flaws as wmething it has any husiness
try lng to fix* Some examples of what a given Avatar
might try rn teach a mace are detailed helnw.

the world a betser place"

and changethingsbv
improvmg them- Once a
goal has hccn
comFletrd (or nears comFlction), they set thcir rnaEcs
Onto other tasks. This is m o ~ common
t
of low- t o
m,d-powered Avatars; the mage has cf-mtrul in such
cases, and all the Avatar can do is grant hints.
Mare powerful Dvnamic Avatars, however, arc
ofren nor so benevnlent. T h e i r
change almost

Avatar that spent a lifetime with a Hermetic m a s

who eventually bucarnc ;1 chantry leader is going to
have vcry diffurenr vtews of m a ~ i cthan one t h a t
spent a few short years wich a Cultist who hurncd
hjmself out. The player mrght havc some idcas on

tions at once,they learn ro keep pace by nor falling

+
inro the swirl of cneru and ideas that roils in the
higher self (represented by proficiency i n several
different Spheres). OtheTs learn ro direct thew
Avatars somewhat, applying all of c h c ~ cr u n s ~ d e r - ,
,

mure ~ n f i ~ r m a t ~ o n .
tices, cn free hersclf froin material possessions, ns

IXSCRIBING
THE AVATAR
Eacli of the bur Esscnces has certain rlemenrs
a n d descriptors common to ir. The Storyteller

do not stand for

~ 1
never
to zlnjerstandall too well
[hat(Ine
should look as t h i s advice as exactly that. Players take
cl,e Variables
account and
somecan (an4 often do) come up with Jcscriptions of rimes [he
their characters' Avatars t h a t p u t an entirely new
spin on t h u Essence and t h e cntire mage-Avatar or discuss might find his Dvnamic Avatar pushing
r e l a t i i ~ n s h i ~Thar
.
kind of creativity i s 'tn 1,c cn- him in miwe and murc dlrect manners, until finally
couragsd; it's critical to playing W e . A player
is fi,rcej react.
who spends t i m c a n d e n e r g y J e t a i l i n g her
When desirningand portraying a Dynamic Avacharacter's Avatar docsnk twifh t r l h ~ a rthat the rar, the Storyteller should rernernher t h a t these
Storvteller has done the w o ~ kfor her - and per- Avatars shun consistency. They rarely appear in the
haps developed something completely out of tune

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103

~ U R AVATARS
:
AND SEEKING

CWER
,

same form twice, although they might keep a cnnsistent theme (so rhat the rnages recognize them).
Dcpendinl
how enligllrenud
mage is, rbere
forms might be secognizablc ( a n Avatar might take

with the Flayer's charncter concept.

Below are n l ~ ~ e r t i o fnosr t h e aFF'earances and
manners of Avatars from each of t h e four Essences.
T h e Storyteller will also finJ s u ~ g c s t i o n son w h a t

lrn;&;i\
r

thc i ~ ) r ~of'nthe milee's frlcuds o r family, I?ut ncver

the same petson r w ~ c e )or marc abstract (the Avatar communicates through st~und,but nor a l w a y ~
spccch, and certainly never In the same voicc). Of
all of the Essences, Dvnamics are the most likcty tcr
guidc their rnages through hints and urges rather
than direct conversation. Whccher char's hecause
they'd rather a magc makc her own way or hecause
they lust can't focus enough to provide concrete aid
is a question no one has yclitc nnswesed vet. (For
Storyrcllcrs who ilon't mind a little "cross-training," the Book of the Wyld for Werewolf: The
Apucalypsc has h o l r l e gocrJ suggrbt i u i l b I;t

~IIL<ITIIII-

rating the kind nf chaos that Dynamic Avatars

represent into your games. Just remember. it's not a
Mage hook, so hc prcparcd for some cosmology that
doesn't cltlite fit.)
Somc possihilitics fora Dynamic Avatar include:
A song, image, equariun or some other idea
that just won't leave the character's head unril she
acts on it somehow.
The spirit or image of a revolutionary; this
can hc a n y o n e whu challenged the established order - Charles Darwin, Pahlo Picasso, Susan B.

Anrhoily. Rosa Parks, L o u ~ sPastcur, Karl Marx,

Billie Holiday, ctc. It docsn'r cvcn have t o be
someune especially fnmnus. If thc character had a
favoritc teacher or relative who was a sort of "black
shccy,'%cr Avarar m i ~ hcake
t on that person's form

for recognition's sake.

A sudden changc of weathcr or othcr conditinn
outside the rnage's ctlntrcd. Maybe evcryone starts
speaking hackward when her A ~ a t a rwants her to
take notice of some thin^ ( ~ e sthis
, can he difficult to
tell from a Paradux flaw).
Pattern Avatars: Not just for Technocrats
anymore, t l ~ t .Pattcm Esscncc eithcr emhraccs the
status quo ur wishes to huild something new. Whereas
n Dynamic Avatar ofren doesn'c care sa much what
changes. as long as sotncthing is different, a Pattern
Avat:~rdoesn't n e c e s ~ a r i !have
~
anything against
changc as long as it knows whar it's getting. Theseforc. Fatturn Avatars tend to encourage their rnages
to plan, continually, acting onty when all necessary
factors arc in place and thc margin for e m r is negfigible. Ofcoursc, if the mages waited for theirAvatassl
approval, they woulJ never get anything done.

'

DMICE X ~ P L EGAGEC R E S S N ~
Gage is a Son of Ether who specializes in
physics. His style of magic, unlike many of his
Traditrnn, is comprised l a r ~ e l yof theory and
mathematics rather than gadgetry. He docsnlt
have the patience to put things together, hut he
docs enjoy the challenge t ~ ffiguring our how
they'll work in the field.
G a ~ e ' Avatarnever
s
visits him directly. Since
Gage cries to he so'hno-nonsense," he'd probably
either get annoyed by or scarcd of a flaming pillar
ur same such manifestacton. Recause Gage 1s so
interested in harmonics and the physics of sound,
his Avatar visits him in the form of vibrationand
an rldd humming sound which gets louder if
' Gage i s "supposed" ru Icarn something from a
given situation. If Gagc ever keys in co the fact

given mage might feel Jrawn; an Avatar that wishes

t u fix existing flaw5 might g l ~ i d eitc mage toward
Entropy and Time, while one that wishes to build
new, flawless creations would narurallv foclls on the
Pattern Spheres (Forces, Life and Matter).
For the most part, these Avatars keep the same
form from manifestation to rnanifestat~on.Thcy are
Frohahly the most likely ta appear physically tu
h e i r mage, jusl: ro give him sumerhing concrete to

'

everything has a spiritual resonance as well

as a physical onc (i.e., his player decides that
he'll learn the S p ~ r iSphe~e),
t
Gage's Avatar will
take a more direct hand in his development.

perfecting himself.
Some possibilities for Pattern Avatars include:
The image of a great architect or Ieader, or
simply a person with whom the mage acsociatec

that

atelriIi~ycrr p r u ~ t . iun.
c~
An idealized versinn of rhe mage herself, perA
haps overtly si~pernaturalolden en-skinned, luminous,

for the mast part, only when one goal 113s heen

Marne is a Verbena wirch whose Awakening

showcd her life as an ongoing, interconnected
thing, rather than a hudge-pndge of independent beings. Since then, shc has strived to
recapture the clarity of thought that she fclt in
thar moment, k n n w i n ~rhar if she can, she'll he
ahle to repair or rebuild anything, curing disease
or injury, recreating extinct species -the possibilities are lim~t!ess.
Her Avatar showed her thc hase simplicity
of all life during her Awakening in hopes of
giving Marne a foundation upon which tu huild.
That simpticity praved cot3 much to grasp, so
her Avatar is nuw trying tn push her toward
thar epiphany again, in smaller stages. Her
Avatar takcs the form of a tree (opting for .a
simple, sturdy form) and always appears l-ry growing from a seed to a sapling to afull-grown plant
in seconds. I t plans to help Marne gain a broad
basc of knowledge so rhar she"l1 see that each
"Sphere'Ys mere1y a d iffcrcnr lens rhrough
which to see the world.

completed. Somc Pat tern Avatan focus uu gualh i r ~

smaller p i e c ~ (improve
s
the neighbr~rhood,then oust
t h c baneful spirits, then build the new community
cuntcr) while others choose one partici~larobjective
that requires constant wnrk (defend the negghborhood and make sure it doesn't fall into Jisrcpair).
Pattern Avatars aren't agents of stagnation, howcvcr. They wish tn see the world perfected. If
sorncthin~is damaged, corrupted o r even not working ar
efficiency, they'll attempt to tmprove it.
That ~ncludesthe mage.
Pattern Avatars want perfecrion of mind, body
and soul fnr their c harges. Their lessons and Seckfngs
tarEet the most ohviousdamagingflaws in acharacter's
makeup first and work duwn to the more suhtle stuff.
Of coiarse, the definition of "flaw" might not he
sarncthing that the mage sees as detrimental. Even if
he might not hc able
the mage is aware of a
or wilting co fix ir. His Avatar bcncfits from lifetimes
~ F e x ~ e r ~ e and
n c egrcatcr perspective, of course, hut
of being human is being flawed. That conflictperfection versus humanity - is central to the Pattern Avatar. Magcs at the center of this conflict

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who exudes knowIedEe.

Questing Avatars: In a cense, all Avatars are
Qt~csting.Each has a goal for its mage and pushes [he
mage toward thc realization of rhat goal. In the case
ol Dynamic, Pattern and Primordial Avatars, t h e
goal is usually atrainable (even if reaching the goal
takes the rest of t h e mage's life). Questing Avatars
chnnse p a l s that the mage couldn't reach in a hundred liferimcs.
For Quesring A v a t a r s , the yucsr itself is the
irnportanr th ~ n gAfter
.
al I, a mage rvhc~is constantly
man nr woman

that thc mnge recognizes as such - allows thc m a p

ro hecome involvcd in adventures that rclarc only
FeriFheraily ro his Avatar's ongoing journcy.

Qt~rsringrn~gcsalmtwt always barn the Correspondcnce Sphere, and many also lean tnward Timc.
I t can he tempting, after all, rL3 look ahcad and see if
the quest is ever hrought to a S U C C ~ S S ~ conclusion.
LI~
The quest cvnlres over time, 'though, and 5 0 Ionkine
ahcad might nlercly confuse the marc. sending him
off down anorher road to his
- which suits rhe

just aocr ,=hehorizon.

rhat chaserrhe mare - if

some orher lofty, hut material, goal). In truth, thc

Avatar wants him tcl ascend to the stace of grace and F
7
holiness rhat fincling thc Grail would require. Thrs
TY
W
ILL^
@U.ESTING
B
~
L
E
hind of spiritual perfection might never hc a t r a i n Tyronc WilIiams Awakened voung - so
able. but thc Grail itsclf is- after all, i t ' s happened
young,
cven he doesn't remember a timc that he
hcforc! Thcrcforc, the quesr i s put in terms that lthc
cnuldn't
do magic. He" s street Lid and over the
magc can underqtand.
years has hacked out a moderately comfortable
The Questing Avatar might appear as a companexistence. Hc cven has his own litrle hicley-hole.
ion on thc clucst - a sidekick, a fellow traveler or
in the hascmcnc of a downtown hui Id i ng, where
even a rival looking for the same thing. It rnighr
he can be safe and warm. Hc doesn't feel camappcar as t l ~ cgoal irsclf, t h c Whlte Rahhit leading
plete rherc, rhough, bccausc he knt~wshis parents
thc m a p dccpcr and dccper intn Wcmderland. The
are out therc somcwhcre.
I
Avatar might jucc goad che m a g e from rhc sidelines,
Ty\
A
w
a
r
has
rtl
change
forms
pretty
ofren
urging hitn on towarcl his goal without ever comin~:
to keep up with a ten-year-old mind. Sometimes
forward, or it might appear as the instigator of rhe
cartoon charactors work all right; other tlmes it
entirc quest. These Avatars often rake on multiple
has to look likc a cop or a truant officer t o ger Ty
furrns clr change form over time as the quest evolves
to
keep moving. Even rhough it knows thnt Tyls
- if the mage begins ta resent seeing his Avatar as s
parents
are dead, i t hasn't let him figure that out
Voice From On High shoving him down a path,
-ir doesn't wanr him co stop se-archingfc~r
a true
perhaps a hcaut~ful,half-sccn woman at the end of
home.
Meanwhile,
Ty
learns
more
anJ
more
thar ~ a r h
rnighr be n mote tempting lure.
ahout h i s city and about life nn the streets. There
Tku q u c s ~ u i ~chailjie
kl
uver ~ i l i wfor
, LIIU Illage,
are worlds to explore, and his Avarar is afraid
at Icast. Especially if thc magc is growing frustrated
that if he ever discnvers the m t t h ahout his
with his apparent lack of progress toward the gclal,
parents, he'll he too distraught to care anymore.
tho Avatar might urge him to rake on a task that hc
d
can ctrmplete, something that he can look hack on as >
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THE
AVATAR
INPLAY

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Once the Storytcllcr and rhc layer have come

t o terms on what the Avatar lonks likc, how it
behaves and what i t s goats for rhe mage are (cven if
this coming tu terms cr.rnsisrsof the player saying "I
trust you t c handle
~
it'"), the Storyteller still has the
task of playing the Avatar during the gamc. This is
R more trying task than it mtght irnrnc~liatelyseem.
7-00 much Avatar interactir~ncan fcc.1 invasive the Avatar is not meant to he a constant voice in
the mage's hcad (unless the mnge's concept and
Traits rcflect that). Likewise, it shouldn" lbe a
guardian angel, pull in^ the mage out of trouble
cvery session or warning her ofcian~er.If no thin^
else, the mage won't learn anything unless sho'r
allowed to walk her own pach.
Somc interaction with the Avatar, however, is
necessary to remind the characrer (and the player)
chat she is a mage. Like it or not, rhc Awakeninn
brings with it responsibility, and mages who retrcat
into mundane cxistcncc tcnd to lase t l ~ c i powers
r
as
thcir Avatars hccomc dormant -pcrhaps ncxr rimc
they will incarnate in somconc worthyc7ithcir attcntien. Striking rhis balance betwccn smothering thc
plaver in hints and leaving the player wonclering,
"Does my character have an Avatar?" is one of the
Stcvyteller's many duties.
When runnine Avatars, keep the follouping in
mind:
The Avatar is a facet of the character. That
means that the player should have as much say as she
desires in the Avatar's presentation. Of coutse, as
Storyteller, you may fccl free tn decide that the
character simply misinterpreted what the Avatar
truly wanted - Iwt heware of stealing such an integral part of the player's characccr o u t f r t m under her.
lf rhc p I ~ y r r d r c i r f t~hsa t her Pattern-Essence Avatar
always appears in the fnrm of Da Vinci'~drawing of
the idealized Vetrurlinn Man, it" perfectly acceptable
for that Avarar rt, change form after rhc. mage completes a Seeking and learns whatcver great truth the
Avatar was rrying to teach her hy taking that form. It
is not acceptable, howcvcr, for the Avatar to change
forms suddenly j u ~ cbecause t l ~ Sruryteller
c
has some
dislike for Da Vinci. Respect the pIaycrns vistnn nf
thc character and the Avatar.
Don't he heavy-handed. With rarc excepriuns. Avatars do not lead their mages around by the
noses and rarely tell them what to do directly. The
Avatar can use any nurnher of rnoiivational rnet11ods un t h e mape (set: helow), but simply showing up

and saying, "Do this," is prohahly nor the best

choice. Suhtlery is t h e kcy, iC for no other reason
chan it can let the ~Layersdrivet h e story. Consider:
An Avatar Rranrs her mare a symbolic dream. YOU,
as Storyteller, know what the symholism means: the
burning skull is supposed rn represent another mage
the cabal recently met and the fact that it's laughing maniacally means that this mage is tripping
down the primrose parh toward becoming a Marauder. Thc player interprets this symholism
differently - she sees the burning skull and thinks
of one of the other members of her own cabal. Now
[he mage wonders what rhe Avarar was trying to reil
her a h o u r hcr reammatc-is hc goingcrazy?SelEing
nut to the NeFhandi? Falling into Quiet? The Storyteller is then f a c e d w i t h the choice o f
"straightening the player out," which prohahly involves the Avatar showing rip and ssying, "No,
rhar's n o t what 1 meant" (which makes bnrh Storyreller and pIayer seem a lirtle foolish), or taking this
new plotline and running with it. Reing willing rn
adapt one's lot lines i s important for Storytelling
in general, hut especially so when dealing with
beings as subtle and mysterious as Avatars.
Know the characters' Avatars. That is, know
what they want, what they Ionk like and what ther
can do. No two Avatars are exactly alike, and having
a handle on each <me'sattitude and capab~litiesaids
immensely in playing them consistently. Why is
consistency a good thing? Because you don't want
the playcrs to feel like they havea IittIe versionof thc
Storytcllcr riding around with them all the cimc, T h e
Avatar should have its nurndistinct "voicc," cven if
it never l ~ t e r a l lspeaks.
~
If during une session the
Avarars are dispensing advice tight and left and in
the next they're all silent hut sucldenly Fans Quintcssencc as needed, the entire notion o f the Avatar
seems random and weak.
O n t h a t suhject, remember that the exact narure and function of the Avatar isn't something
that any rnagc can nail down precisely. We've left
many things abrlut the Avatar unexplained. That's
deliherate. As Srorytcllcr, you don't necessarily
havc t o come up with a grand explanation for what
chc Avatar is and what its ultimate goal might he,
hut having a general idea i s a good start. Is that
Avatar simply a construct nf the mage's own consciousness? Many Techhocrats seem ru think so. Is
ir a guide or a rotcrn that in effect "possesses" the
mage for the duration of her life? Is it a "shard nf rhe
Prime" that reincarnates separately from the mage's
sc~ul?Is it a airar~lianangel ar some other spirit

entity that exists apart from t h e mage? Mage supports a11 of these theories to varying degrees, hur the
truth is that it's your game.
Keep the Avatar mysterious, T h e moment the
players feel like the Avarar is just one more power
their characters can call on, one more resource to he
exhausted during the game,the potential impact of
the Avatar as a gu~dtngforce i s gone. The ahove
advice mentiuns t o keep rhe Avatar consistent, but
that's not thc samc thing as making it predictable. Thc
advice the Avatar giver can he maddeningly vague,

or misleading, o r quite hclpful. The Avatar might be

unavailable for comment for long periods of time, c ~
it might never make itsclf seen directly. The Avatar
might take the role of a character's lover or friend, or
it rntght rntltivatr the mage by scaring thc hell out of
her. 1f the Storyteller knows what the Avatar wants.
she wit1 find i c easier to play those goals more suhtly.

BEN^ $F 'IHE AVATAR

With all of this in mind, what can the Avatar do
for rhe mace during a story? After all, in game terms.
the only benefit of having the Avatar Background is
that it allows the mage a greater pvtcnr~alpool of
Quintessence, and even this benefit fades if the mage
learns the Prime Sphere. The Avatar Background
does also serve as a yardstick t o deremine how
involved in the rnage's life the Avatar is. This level
uf involvement does not. hy itself, indicate the
Avatar's pvwer level; just as a two-dot Mentor might
he an extremely [earned mage who cither doesn't
have the time or the inclination to devote much of
his energy to a student, a low-level Avatar might h e
an extremely
being that simply has nther
priorities than e n l i ~ h t e n i nthe
~ character.
(The Storyteller may ask, "Doles that mean it's
possible to raise the Avatar Background racing if said
Avatar rakcs morc of an intcrcsr for w h ~ t c v c rreasiln!" The answer: Sure. As wlth raisin^ any Trait,
the Sroryteller needs to approve the increase, and
the impetus for the increase needs t o he explained in
thc chronictc.)
As mentioned on page 119 o f Mage: The Ascension, the Avatar Rackgroundis gamc benefits
mav change hased on t h e "slant" t h e Avatar takes
in agiven Fame ( t h a t i s , what the Storyteller needs
the Avarar to be). Relow are some suggestions for
w h a t the Avatar c a n do f o r a mage. These are
optional; a player can't demand that his Avatar
drivc off Paradox spirits for him jr~srbecause such
is mentioned here.

Advice. Prehahly the most un~versalbenefic

an Avatar can Erant, and arguably its true purpose,
advice can rake any numbcr of forms. A few have
alrcadv hecn mentioned -prophetic dreams, stthtle
hints and so forth. T h e Stc~rytcPlcrshould keep in
mind that Avatars are not omniscicnt, however.
They can't offer infnlliblc advicc on every topic
(yet another reason why it's so important to knnuv
what a character's Avatar wants and i s capahle of
doing). Avatars, in general, can offer advice about
magic, usually in hopes of allowing the mage to
expand his paradigm and think outside the provert bial box. I f a mage always uses a deck of cards to
focus his Entropy magic, for example, perhaps the
Avatar might guide him toward using another randomizing device-dice, a coin ureven just randomly
drawing sornrthing from his pocket. This kind of
challenge to a mage's way of thinking might eventually lead t o a Seeking (or ir might ~ o a dthe mage
into attempting something too f a r outside his para.
digm and gaining Paratlnx).
Keep in mind, too, what previous incarnations
the Avatar has experienced, as ic can givc the mage

information based on these events, coo. The Past

Lives BackgrotlncS provides a system for this, but for
Storytellers who wish to keep things cqirnple (or for
those who don't have access to Guide to the Traditions), assume that an Avatar can grant zrs mage
access tu any Ahility it mifiht havc come acmss in
any previous incarnation. Of course, it won't neces*
sarily allow the mage to keep this knowtedge very
IonF:-perhaps onlya split second, enough to induce
inspiration - bur this night he enough.
Warnings. Occasi~mally,thc Avatar might
warn a mage who faces direct danger. If another willworker is targeting the character from afar via a
Correspon Jcnce effect, for instance, the mage's Avatar might grant thc character :I warning, eithcr in thc
form of a portent or more directly. Likcwisc, if thc
mage encouncers someone dangerous - antlthcr
mage, perhaps, ur some other supernatural being the Avatar might find a way to put thc mage "on
alert.'' Again, remember that Avatars aren't infallihle and can unly warn rnagcs of dangers they
themselves canperccivc. If the mage hecomes rel~ant
cln thc Avatar's warnings. the Avatar will almost
certainly cease to give them-the Avatar's functinn
i s LO guide che mage, not acr as nursemaid.
Affect spirits. tf the Avatar IS a sort uf spiritual
guide, i t only makes sense that it can affcct othcr
spirits in various ways. At the StoryaclIcr's cliscrc-

CthFER ~ U F OAVATARS
UR:
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to teach the magc tu te;~chhetseli. Phis can h e

ti-ustmting ru the Stc~rytcllcrtrying tu portray t h i s
kmd of insrruction in a Fame.
The principle thing to rcmernher when crying
to figure ejut how to push a mage toward enlighccna
menr h.as already been s t a t e d and r e s t a t e d
throtlghout this chapter: Know the character. Thar
includcs rhe Avatar. This does not mean that the
player has to havc cvcry step of her chnracter's
nlystical path planned out ahead of rime; i t only
means that thc playcr should go into as much derail
a2~cluther character and her character's rejatir~n.
ship with her Avarar 2s yossihlt.. T h c hetter you
know the character - w h a t actions shc takes in
given sttrtations, what her "knee-jerk" responses are
and st1 fort11- the more easily you can lead her into
realizatiun. This rncans, of course, you must knuw
the player as wcll. Consider the cxamplc ahovc,
concerning t h c dream ahnur thc hurning skull. The
Sroryteller inrEht feel that the "hurning skull" is
nhvicrusly an itnage for a given character; thc plaver
(and rhcrefnre her mace) doeqn'r see it rhat way.
Symbolism is grcat, hut remember rhat symholtsm
has to he interpreted. Be flex~blc,and don't be
afraid to give more concrete hinrs if t h c player just
isn't getting it (yuu might call for an Intelligence +
En~grnasroll clr something similar, of cortrse).
Remember, too, t h a t must rnagcs carry baggage
from their societies. Each of thc TrsJitions has it!:
clwn t a k e on why magic works, what t h e Avatar
truly is, w h a t Asccnsion means and so forth. The
S t o r y r ~ l l r rmust decide if tlze Avatar feels rhat a
given rnagc's ideas ahnur these mctaphysica1 phenclmcna are crrmpatible w i t h what the Avatar wants
to tcach. Rcmemhcr, Avatars don't necessarily rcincarnate along T r a d i t i u n n l lines. It's enrirely
pc>srihle for a Verbena tci have an A v a t a r rhat once
graced a memher of the Order uf Reasr~n.Part of the
prclccss of cnlightenmcnt might well hc unlearning
some harmfill or myopic ideas rhat the magc learnecl
cluring hcr train in^.
Does that mean rhat e v e v Avarar rushes its
magc agatnst her Tradition? Not at all. The Traditions have long hlstorics of lcarning and thcary, and
much (-if
that can bc helpful in the quest for enlightenment. An Avatar might very well p s h a mage ro
!T~WATING
grow mow involved wich her Tradition, t h the Avatar
The stated p a l of the Avatar is r o ~ r i d the
e magc k e l s it would be bcncficial.
to enligl~tcnment.The Avatar can't simply prcsent
Sn how do yoti, as Storyteller, filter the lessr~ns
the SeCreTS of rhc universe as a gift, however - ir through the lens of the Avatar? Ask yourself the
docsn't work that way. Thc mage has tocam Iler r ~ e h t f o l l o w ~ nquesttons:
~
to Ascension. That rncans the Avatar must find ways

tion, a player m r g h ~nd~1the cha'acter's Av;\tar rl\tInE

to attempts to interact with spirit5 (not i n c l u d i n ~
Arcte rolls to affect thcm directly, of course). In
really dire circumstances, a powerful Avatar might
hc able to drive away ccrtain kinds uf spirits. Wllilc
it is possihle for an Avatar to d e c t a Paradox spirit,
Avatars usually wonk, ss it detracrs frnm a mace's
accountability f i x her actions.
I Use magical effects, The Avatar knows what
the rn3g.c knaws, ant1 that rncans i r has access t o the
rnage's Spheres. However, taking control of a mage's
mystical workings i s often extremely d a r n a g i n ~to the
m a p , and the mage can learn n t i t h i n ~if snrnethinc
C ~ S P
i~
cnn trolling her magic. Sometimes. though, an
Avatar might silhtly use effects such as Ring of
Truth, Watch the Weavingor Divinations if z t feels
that thc magc needs tn know thc infrmnatiun t h u s
i m p r t e d and hasn't thought to activate the cffccts
herselt. (Thiq allows for spuntanetlus fla~hcsr l f insight to ser players on the right track.) If Avatars arc
c;lpahle nf using the more ostentatious manifestations of magic, thcy don" seem willing tcl dn so.
Indeed, why would an Avatar seek ti1 hrinl: down
ParaJrlx on tl-rc rnagef
Manifestation. As mentioned ahcwc, Avatars
sccm much less willing m manifest in the f l c s l ~in
modern times than in ccntt~siespast. Thc Avatar
Storm seems tn hlol-k such attempts m u c h of the
time. Pnwerful Avatars can and do manifesr, though
(and, of course, if thc. Scorytcllcr wtshcs to sratc
that Avatars may arpear physically ac will, Avatar
Storm or no, she IS free to do st)). An Avatar's
rcasons for manifesting vary greatly. Someti mcs
one appears ro have a facc-to-face conversarion
with the rnlljie, for rhe purpose ofseltting hcr srraight
nn a pfirticular topic or posing a direct question (the
most carnrncln reason h r Pattern Avatars). A Dynamic Avatar might appear to challcngc a mage's
status q u o , shake up her lifc, and ger hcr cmt uf
whatever r u r she might have fallen into. A Qucsring Avatar appears ro lead a magc nn a new pach,
either by luring her or driving her. And the rnysrerious Prirnordinl Avatars, when they do appear,
strike fear and wondcr into the hcarts uf their
charges.

me SRAm

* What does the Avatat wish the rnage to learn?

Probably thc most irn~ort;~nt
question. Perhaps a
Vcrlwna magc wich a Pynam ic Avatar is SCI afraid of
clcath that shc retreats from any conflict. The Avatar
fccls rhat shc needs tu learn that all life is eternally
In chaor and that the only true wav to livc is tn
Fwcrrrnc part of that. ? h a t Avatar will takc very
different stops towaril reaching. the character that
lesson than, s a y , a Primordial Avatar would. Try to
state the lesson rhat the mage needs to learn in a
coi~pleofsimple sentences, hut don't lose the spirit of
the lesson fur the letter.
How challenging is the lesson? Thar is, how
ohtusc or ahstrxt a conccFt is the Avatat trying tn
reach the rnage?Somerime5 the Avarar merely wants
a m a p to lcarn sotncthing factual - rhc history of a
particular pl;lcc or person, fior instance. Otllcr rimes,
rhe Avr-rtsr wisher; the magc. to comc rti a kind rjf
conceptual breakthrough -Prime magic is not a
?impre functirrn of Mind magic but has its rlwn rules
a n d y m l i r i p q . F ESP thv p l a y ~ r 'p~a ~ t:qrrinnx in thv
game m dcrcrrninc how much timc and cnergy nccds
to be dcvr~tedto this Icsson. If IC'S particularly d i f i cult, aprrtrach it in stages rather than trying to push
the nlaEc (and her player) into a morass nf ccrcbral
function all at once. As a ~eneralrule, ifthe lesqon is
complux enough rhar you have rruitble describing it
in onc ilr twrl scntcnccs, ~r probably needs co be
broken down into ~WI-I or mure lcs.~ons.
Is there a game mechanic associated with the
lesson? Avatars prod m a ~ e toward
s
realizations that
changc thvir entire worldviews. A mage who experiences an cpiphanv might usc ~t as an impetus to
learn or raise an Ability or evcn a Sphere. The
Verbena in the example above, whcn she comes to
rcalizc that t h e chaos of life will claim her evenrually, might well decide that only by perceiving that
cllat~scan she stay one step ahead of it. The player
miglltdecidc that translates into adesire tn buy dots
in Mcdicinc, Empathy, Alertness, Perception, Entropy, Titnc or Life. From the very beginning, rhc
Sturytcllcr should consider what Traits, if any, thc
Flager may raise upim sucrcssfi~lunderstanding of
a n Avaiar's lesson.
often
This wtlrks in reverse, roo - if a
ry3ies rhay qhr wants her player to learn the third dot
of Life, consider what the characrer needs co learn
bcfore rhat particular level of expertise can bc
achicvcd. Try tn present challenges trorn the Avatar
thar would lead t r ~thc character coming to t h a t level
of skill. This makes the progression down the mystic

'

parhmucI~murcrcalan~lconcrctcthansi~nplyam;ls~tl~eAvararmi~htwclEinvol~~casolo~ameor"hlz~e+
hooking" session.
l n g the experience points ancl trading them in.
A lesson might come to an cnJ abruptly when a
Once you've figured out what the Avatar is
trying to reach the rnage, you need to decide how i t maEe figures it out -the Avatar might rcward the
will go ahouc rhc task. Every Avatar has different magc wit11 a fluqh of achievement and moment of
l~
a point of temporary
and many nf clarity (and ~ r o h a h restore
methods of cuntact and
these have b e e n d~scussedin the t e x t already (the Willpower, to boot). On thc athcr hand, Questing
rnosrcornrnon methods are surnrnarizcd in rhc handy and Primnrdial Avatars don't like to convey rhe
sidebar entitled "Helping Hands"). Rcrncmher to feeling o f finality or cnrnpletion. N o matter how
bc patient during this proccss - rhe instruction much one learns, stilI more mysteries await. In some
will likely take place concizrrcntly with other cases, learning one lesson only reveals Inore potenplotlines in the chronicle, and youshouldn't dev.r>tc tial challcnaes. In the context of the game, however,
too much time to one character during normal play. there should always be some rcward for figuring o u t
An especially challenging or invcllvecl lessr-~nfrom an Avatar" chalIenee, he it an extra expericncc*

an Avatar uses to contact and euide a mage:

Conversation.The Avatar enters into Jirecc discussion with the mage. Usually this i s done
in a Socratic fash~on:The Avatar asks questions
and responds to the rnage's answers with more

quickly become a signal for the mage -something

impo~tantis happen in^ here.
Visions. Sc~meAvatars grant their mages
visions and portents while the rnage is awake,

friends or valued students, giving suggestions and

cnncrcte h ~ n t srarhcr than riddlcs. Any type of
Avatar might use this method, but Pattern and
Ptin~orclialEssence Avazars arc the most 1ikely to
spcak dircctly with chcir charges.
Dreams. Drcam sequences are useful hccause they allow you to present infomation in the
form of allegories and syrnhols, which means that
~ O Laren't
I
tying yourselfdown to specific inteprerations. If a cha tacter has the Demesne Background
or a high enough Mind Sphere to alter facets of his
dreams, this method alInws for a great deal of sclfdiscovery in the form of an allegorical dialogue
herween magc and Avatar (remember not to spend
tnn much time with one character, c3r else the resr
uf the troupe may grow hored). Avatars of 311
Essences oftcn use dreams to tnstrtlct their mages.
Sipals. In a situation in which there's a
lesson to hc learnecl, a n Avatar may tap the magc

voice might grow sfightly m o w sibilant when shc

speaks to the mage. Some Avatars are more overt,
especially if the character possesses Backjirounds
like Legcnd or Past Lives. In such cases the visions
often play into thcse Trarts - a mage who cmhodirs Saint Gcorgc. might see a dragon's tail
disappear inco a huilding that her Avarar knows
hi~usesgreat evil (and the
for great
deeds). Questing Avatars make frequent use of
rhcse sorrs ofvisions.
Adversity. Avatars don't have to piay nice.
At times rhey can he downright hostile t o cheir
rnagcs, especially if they feel that the magc just
isn't g e r r i n ~it. Thc Avatar might use any of the
a h o v e rnecl~ods of contacc hut rake o n an
adversarial rule. In the dream, che mage is assailed
by A terrifying windstorm and must fight her way
nut. The buzzing sound in her hcad grows so loud
that she must scream to deaden it. The Avatar

Trait. Thc road t

and conf~wing,but t11c scory should hc undcrstand- until i t ' s too late. If the Barahbus dies heforc the
able, and figuring c~uta challenge should always Avatar is fully corruprcd, the Avatar "escapes"
have its perks.
(which is one rcason why the Euthanatos are 50
carcful not to let Nephandi get away).

AVATAR
C@~LICATI@NS~-T~AMuDERs
The Avatar i s not omnipotent. Ir is not omniscient. I t has a great deal of control oVcr the mage,
hut [hat
is not
A~~~~~
can bc

nt.

or even destroyed=rradition

corrupredl

exactly causes mages to go from "sim~le"

insanity tn the reality-skewingchanscommon to the
Marauders isn't really confirmed. Since a h o ~ l rthe

N f f HANDICAVATARS

of evil.

Pattern Avatars, on the orher hand, don" t a k e

1 1 e trip through the Caul, during which the rnage's

soul is inverted and her magical understancling

usually very deep and vcry involvcJ, with a strict set

v f rules and very little room for fluctuation. Such

w h y m a p lose their powcrs if thcy ever

forces in the world, and translating chose forces into

' '

(this

IS

and still subject

to

his will.

dci their best to make sure their hr>srsdiehe60t-e that

t ~ m c ,hut many Avatars hccnrne cnnfilsed hy the

Nephandi can hc found in The Book of Madness.

I:.:-:
4
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:*
C H A P T ~ R ~ ~ A V A T A R S A N D S ~ ~ K 113
I N G S;l[J
'

.-5

7 7

ilieG,
~ i l , ai ~ ~ cis
rhinK. yes,fhc
on trr tvhatcver rc.lvard p~rnlslland hic soul
mcnr might await. Rut thr Avaear flies Irec. back t o
rnlFhr houseit until ~t
whatcvc7
in,-arn;lreqin ;l human being and, p n s s l ~ l y , Al\.akcn~.
Unlccs, c,fcautr;e, sumc vem pnWcrfulmace tear5
rhr. Avatar twt I.r rhc rclots and ~hredsrt.
G ~ l g ~isl lIISC.C~as a punishment rn thc TraJi tions
(or i t was in rhc past; m w t of rhc mass cspalllc of
dnrnc i t \la\-e dtwppearc~l).It i3 ividelv anil crrrrcctlr

try tr> rchahil~rarerhcm. That in mnd, c17enwhen

C'llE'll is a pnssibil lty. F'rclFunfntr ~ C nC ~ ~ ~ l ~ i t i ~ ~ n .
In r l w p;~st,traitors to rhc Coclncil of N ~ n hacc
e
hccn suhjcclted to rhc G i l ~ u ltire. Thc drcisinn i s
n3muxt always met with srridunt c~ppositinn.5 0 ir
clc7ecnat happen o f t e n . Master< of spirit from any
Tradirrtln arc often looked ar askance. Aftcr all. a
M a ~ t c so f Forces might he able t o dislnteprare the
hod\-, and a Master of hdintl can drivc ;I mare horclescly insanc. Rut 3 master of Fpirtr can teat his soul

Fv the rtmts.

t~tit

r;ltinE. Thc victim r n z r ~ tbc phyqicallv prcqcnt for rhe

cffcct rts work (~vhichrequires rercra~ninqR powerful
m;ice for a< long a< i t rakcs for her poul to be tom out
not an casv fcat, cons~drringmoqt mace< would
snmcr dic th:in under~cir h ~ ntc).
s
Pcrft~rrnin~
rhe titc chanty5 thc mage lorcvur.

more po~vcrfijlw ~ t hcach succes~iveIncamarlon.

%KINGS
When docs a seek in^ occur? In game rcrrnq, it
ccincretr ilnd ahstracr. T h e ~~ltirnarc
tclilt
nccurs
when the laver has accumvlatcJ cnrrueh
i s the Seekine. fr~ritdeterminecivhcther
csp~rit'nc~'
tu raisc the ch~r:~ctrr'~
Atcte (prtrr1dc.J
:a mace i s rcadr: t c ~ascend to thc nr.~r
vou arcn"turine thc hcrctical n ~ l c scc
; the r ~ d c b ~ r ) .
Evvel of cnnsciousncss. Any numhcr of

tion - i s the mace tcaclv?

A Seeking rlucs not occur if rhc , 4 \ ~ 1 t a fccls
t
the
Seekings arc onr of the most difficult fnccts of ma:c is not ready. Does that mean a mapc can't
Mage to run, hecause t h c ~arc of necessity hichlr init iatc a Scuking! Not at all. Marcs of manv Tradit ions ~ 1 1on vision-quests, whether bv drurs,
rublcccivc. Hmv can a Sturyteller prcscnt .rrnhijlicalEv w h a t a m a e c must Icarn, hut in :IR meditatltm, orclcal or inrcnse studv. and anr of t h c ~ e
under~tandahlccnougl~f ~ d ~ i tthat
> n the pla~ercom- cxpcricnccs can hccomr a Scckinc. Sornc P\v:~tars
prchendr a n J can ruspc,nd a< rhc clraracrer? Yet hare no qualms ahour eidiny s msce un a \.i*~onS c c k i n ~ sw e ahtulutt'lv 1ntcgr:11141 a ~ h a r ~ ' t ~ ' rYLIC'SI
' 5 that clncen't hzvc rhepussi!iilfcvnfcnlighrenin~
dcvelnprnc.nt and pnwrcss dinvn her ~ > w nrnysric thc m:wc ( a t Icast, not tn n cle~rccrhar shc gninq
path. Th~swcrlon pruvitlcs surecstions, ~uiclelincs Arrrc); othcrr; arcsnrnewhat less strict and 2\+ill allotv
an "inkorrn;ll"vision-quc~tto hccomc a tnrc Scckjnq.
and hint. fur tunninp Seekincs.
All Avarnrf can ~nitinrcScekings of thcir i\t\wnac-

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7 corcl. The lower a magc's Avatar rating, though, the

more likely it is that she'll have to take matters inco
N
hcr own hands to hecume enlightened.

Seekings are supyc)sed to he tests, and yau

canfailtests.RutSeekingshappenonlywhen

TRI-~R-NGS
Certain cvcnts can act as catalysts for Seekings.

doesn't happen?

optional rulc, u*csuggest this;

Waive thc experience cost.

Ycs, you rcacl that ~ight.Don't c h a r ~ cthe

F1~ycr
:q r h i n g tn gn nn a Srcking. 1.cr rhr playrr

gea for a Sccking.

Exposure tn metaphysical o r rnaaical forces far
hcvoncE the m a p ' s ken can atst) catapult hcr into a
voyage of discclvcry, If thc magc has never secn the

ever shc likes.

failure (see p. 12 1). Make sure the player underthat she's ntlt getting any hrcaks Seekings are free nf charge, but successfully ctmpleting the Seeking land therefnrc gaining
Arete) i s s t i l l chc player" p~oblern.

hi^ optinn

seem

first. Trust us - after one

the storyteller
has

unbalancing

be truly
say, y
32

freedom

player

pitiless hecause

at

Seekingin which

e x p c r i f n c ~poinrs fnr t h i ~ ? "she

, wrln't bc in
any hurry to gn on anorher unless she" realty
ready for it.
- --

Scckings can also h e rewards for lessons well

learned. An Avatar that presents a series o f "simple"
tcsts might be leading up to a Seeking. If that's the
casc, take note of what troubled the character
(and thc player) t h e most during the learning
p r ~ c e anand rcvisic chose lessons during the Seekin^. This shows that the Avatar ( a n d r h c

&

Seekings can happen in any nurnherof ways. The

character rnighr fall asleep or sink into mediracion,

CHAVT~R~UR:AVATARSAND~EKIKS
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Storyrellerl i s paying actcntion to what the charact" l ~ r n c dand allowing her t o use that
knowledge in her ongoing d e v e ~ ~ ~ ~ m e n t *

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I15

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only t o awakcn in rhe "c~them,orld'*of the Seeking.

Or the character might not norice the transbtcon

from normal Pifc to chc Seeking - indeed, the Seeking sccms to take
cntirclr in ordinary, physical
reality. Anything symbolic is highly subtle, and any
actions the mage takcs have their normal consequences an the world.
A numhcr ofpossibilities exist for the logistics of
thc Seeking. They are in largc part dependent on the
magc's Essence, bur as usual thcsc. possibilities arc
exactly that - possibilities.
Dynamic Seekings usually result in the rnage's
body vanishing i n t o t h e Seeking. T h e mage knows
t h a t she is on an otherworldly qucst right from thc
start (even if she doesn't know exactly w h a t chc
~ o a of
l t h e q u e s t i s ) . Dynamic Avatars are usually
too flamboyant to conceal Seekings in everyclay
lifc and wouIi1 rather retreat into the odd "pcickct
realm" of the Seeking so as to avoid damaging rhe
mage or t h e world,
Pattern Avatars, nn the other hand, want thc
mage t o he able to apply what she [earns in the
Seeking directly to her life. Therefore,their Seekings,
whilc still heavy in svmholism, rend to he almost
ind istinguishahlc from "rcal 1ife." Pattern Avatars
aren't ahove presenting a mage with a Seeking whilc
she is still awake and going ahout her normal routines, just ti1 shuw that her actinns and epiphanies

l ~ a v can effec~on evcryching she does.

Primordial Seekings tend toward the archcrypal - rhe passage through chambers, facing
Guardians, the Hero's Journey and so forth. Primordial Avatars favor mindscapes and vision-quests hut
usually don't bother movrng or transforming the
mage's body; they rcalize that the flesh is ffceting. A
Primordial Sceking is often tcrrify ing and Iargcr than
lifc, and there's nn mistaking i r for anything crthcr
than what it ir.
Questing Avatars are unpredicrahle in their
tests, and Seekings arc no exception. A Questing
Avatar might "stop time" (from thc maEc's perspective) so that the Seeking rakes place tn the hlink of
an eye. I t might lure the mage down a dark alley,
into a strange new city thar spirals off inro the
Seeking, or it might adopt a more traditional, archetypal method of vision-que5t. Whatever the
method, the Questing Avatar makes sure the magc
knows t h a t the journey does not end with the
Seeking - it simply cl~anyesa bic.
Once hcgun, a Sccking cannot usually he interrupted. Even i f the Seeking takes place in the normal,
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physical world as clpposcd tn a rnmdscape, the Avatar didnk torher crying to clarify it, you might consider
incorporates anything that happens to the mage into granting her an Intelligence roll (probably paired
the framework of thc journey. Affecting a mage with E n i ~ m a s )to figitre it out - unless, of cclurse,
while on a Seeking would almost assuredly rcquirc you arc using the heretical rulo, in which case all
mastery of t h e Spirit Sphere, and probably h i ~ h hers are off.
levcls of Mind and Prime as well.
Many Seekings feature Giiardians, either as representarions of the rnage's own fears or inequities,
or as rnanifestatiuns of the lessons the A v a t a r wishes
In running aseeking, it is important to establish t h e mage 'to !earn. The nexr secrion, "The Long
the "setting" earIy on. I f [he Seeking takes place in bath," discusses Guardians and challenges in mure
the marerial world, this is simple enough. If, how- detail, hut in set tin^: up the initial framework of the
ever, t h e character's Avatar pulls her from an Seeking, it's often effective to give the character
otherwise normal dream into n strange and rerrifying (and the player) some hint of what's to cclme. A
cavern, it's crucial to establish a n y salient details mage with a Pattern Essence, for instance, whose
right off the hat.
Avatar wishes her to overcome her overdependence
Anything that you mention should be impor- on her mentor might begin a Seeking by showing
tant. As in a dream, any detail is significanr. When t h e mage a funeral processinn. She knows somenne
a character enters a new "ronm'Ywwhateverform chat is dead hut won't find nut it's her menrot until she's
ruum takcs}, instcad of describing what the character asked to give the eulogy. A Dynamic Avatar trying
what is important to the Seeking. t o accomplish t h e sarnc thing will likely hegin che
p e ~ c e ~ v edescrlhr.
s,
If che player asks for Jescriptions ofclther objects in Seekina with the mentor still alive, just s c ~it can
the room, give her that description, but on a Seeking show the mage how quickly the mcnror might Ilc
an Avatar ntirrnally doesn" distract t h e mage. The taken from hcr.
actual challc.ngc of the Seeking should he enough
(unless, of course, that challenge is to pluck the
significant from a llcvy of distractionc).
Once the Seeking has begun and the mage has
Also like a dream, a Seeking shot~ldhave a set zaken her first steps into the cavern, or down the
of "rulesJ' that remain in forcc during the quesr road, or into the water or wharevcr the imagery uf the
(note that Dynamic Avatars like ro change the Seeking demands ...what then? The Stc~rytelleris
mles withnur notice). If the character can fly or thcn responsible for showing the player a challenge
breathe water while in the Seeking, give the player symbolic ofa quest for e n l i ~ h t e n m e n tone
, which the
an npportunity to figure chat n u t earlv on. Cause player can resolve. but not easily, and which leads t h e
and effect should he fairly clear w ~ t h ~the
n Sceking. character to an Epiphany.
After all, a Seeking is a concrete representation of
Not an easy task, that.
a journey toward enlightenment. If it grows too
cerebral, the player will become lost and won't have CHALLrnGS
any rsal chance of success.
The "meat" of the Seeking is the challenge.
A Inage who has been t-m Seekings bcfore might Befixe we hegin discussion d archetypes and chamrecognize ~Lemerltsand facets nf the quest. Dy+ hcrs and guardians and symbol ism, let's b o k a t what
namic and Qucsring Avatars often crcatc Seckings kinds of challenges are appropriate to Seekings.
chat hear no resemblance to previous ones, and any
A Sceking r a n incorporate more than one chalAvatar that feels irsmage is qtagnating might change lengc, of course, especially if the mage is attempting
things around a bit. A mage who acts only on to attain a high level of Arete. If you do choose to
assumytlon during e Seeking is likely to bc cnn- design a Seeking with mulriple obstacles, chev shr~uld
f o u t d e d in fairly short order - a major part of anv Frclhably build upun each other rather rhan 311 he on
Seeking is. questionine what the mace thinks she a different topic (of course, if the mage has a Dy,
knows. As Storyteller, you shouId decide w h a t sym- namic Essence, at1 bets are off).
holic elrrnents rcyrcsent what concepts, characters
Where to find inspiration for the challenge I
or tests and keep chern consistent within the Seek- Start with t h e character, naturally. I f the character
ing. If a chasacrer is in danger of failing the Seeking has had Scckings hefore, what did she have the most
hccausc the player misinrerpreted a symbol and

trrruhle wirh? What Icssons has her Avatar hccn

Remember that the Avatar wants the mage

grow stronger, bur it wants her to earn it. Therefore,

Avatars uf thr sarnc Essences might choose simir rheir mages, but the challenge is
and foremost by what the mnge needs
re, includina a list of prwcnrtal chalan exercise in futility, as every
rg Seeking shouIll he 11 i ~ h l ypersonalizerl t c j thc mage in question (sce the end of this
chaptcr for fcu~rexamplc See kings, one for a m8ge i ~ f
cach Essence).

portanr thing

tcl

mnernber when

make the chnllengcs conally. Sume players might hc ahle ttl

ng is

to

handle philosophical cl iscourses and more cerebral

pursuits in Seekin~s,but most are going to he hored
Since Seekings~~sually
comeat the endofa story,
look hack over the events of that stoty for pivotal and frustrated by such chines. That docsn't mean yau
to make a Sccking into a batrle - enlighccnmoments in the character's life (this is whp t ~ k i n have
~
ment shouldn't necessarilv come in the form of "slay
the dmgon, collect the Arctc" - h u t thc chaltenge
should have concrete elerncnts that t l ~ cplayer and
the character can Iacch onto.
where symbolism cnm@5into play- Any

blueprint for how to hest their enctnics.

Look to thc character's pasr as well. If the character has Flaws or Adversa rial Rackgrounds that

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~ ~ ~can
~ ~spark many
kings. Decide what the mage m c d s to
learn, page through such a lrook lor search thc Weh
mholism or drcarn interpretation) and
ges and syrnhols that appcal to you and
are appropriate to thc character and her Avatar's
Essence (see the sidebar for symbols especially appropriatc to the four Essences).
Translating the challenge into symt.lol~cterms
's a11 rcry well to say t h a t a magc
thar his focus for Timc magic - 111s
watch - is t~lcirnarclyholding h i m

e cimc wirh it. It's anatherrhing

n t norion into tcrms t h a t the
erstand and nvercome without heing too obtuse or too simplistic. The nature of t h e
o f his mythical hcntagc in a Seeking.
sYrnh(~ts
and the cha llengc depends on the Avarar.
Remember, too, that rhc c h a l l e n ~ eyou Jevise
In
this
instance,
we'll sav the mace i n qucsrinn has
can't he insurmountable (unlcss the Avatar is truly
;I Questing Essence. How will rhe mage's Avacar
saclist~cor feels rhc need to put the mage in hcr
place). Think af at lcast three ways that t h e ctlarac- prcsent a challenge t o rnakc the magc realize that
cnulJ overcome the challenge. Ideally, rhr he is holding onto the pasc a t the expcnsc of his
characccr should bc able rn t l s r m ~ g i c ,mundane Own prowess'
look in^ to the sidebar, we find that t ~ n eof the
knowlcdjic (that is, Abilities) or simple logic to hcat
listed
bymbuIs for the quest in^ Avatar is "Ios~ ohthe challenge, unless, of cr,usse, the pclint of [hc
challenge is rcj use one method to the exclusion of jects." What if the challenge involves finding the
ntherq. Thc sleepwalker in the example above, for watch! The mage could try to rcmemher where he
instance, Irtnbahly isn't going to
if
the Scekina" '"round rules" is
. bv
. left i t ,
using magic.

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RcIolv are some examples of symI>olsrhat fir

mystical development.
In rhc above rxample, we chose to break the
about havinF: three methods around a challenge, hecause part Rf rhe
of
excr,-ise is to
solvc
the prcrhlem through the use of magic. Ifthe
playcr came up with a method of finding the watch
thardidn? involvemagic yet srill hclped him reached
the desired conclusiun (the watch is a limiting foct~s
forsuch rnneical workinss), rhc character would still

especially wcll with the four Essences and che

nlnc Tradi tir~ns.Don'r feel constrained hy this
list; just because fire is listed under Dynamic
dnesn't mean a Pattern Avatar won't use it Ialthough it m i ~ h mean
t
something different).

ESSENCES
'ynarnic: F1re7
wlndv

and forests,

buildings, constructtan

water, wells, smoke

not to make things so consistenr and present an

entirely new set-up for each Seekine, cornpletc wirh
new symholism and new goals.

Questing: Lanterns, paths and roadsqyehicles, hircls. ghosts, lost objects

C ~ B E R
rn
S GUARDIANS

TRAD~BNS
* Akashic Brotherhood: Water, wind, silence, weapons

f t ~ l l ycnlighteneJ. Thar's

hody, dance, butterflies

Dreamspeakers:Drums,smoke,

all very well and makes for

a nice flructural hase for Seekings, hut it isn't

faraway

voices, thunder

leading down, rhnsts

Hollow Ones: Angels, hircls, anything
black, Eravestones

- -'

has gone lwfore is often a good idea, if for no other

Order of

reason than i t reminds rhe player what the charncter learned).

The "chambcrs"structurc isn? ccccssarily bad
cir inappropriate. Primordial Avatars sccm tn favor
chis sysrcrn, in fact. Thc traditional structure rs
that the magc enters t h e Sccking and must pass

language, items c ~ power

f
(wands, scepters)
Sons of Ether: Lightnin~,technology,
locks and keys, rnols
Verbena: Plants* predatclrs*the M(>on+
blood
illusions, cables and rope

that hc can't, all t l ~ emnemonics in the world won't

help him. He could try scc~uringthe rcrcm, but pcrhaps thc %eking takes lace In a vast mansion- hc
cm't possibly search it all. If he uses T i m e magic tu
l ~ t e n l l ysee where he left the watch. he could find
it ...bur that involves realizing that he doesn't need
thc watch to perform such magic. This is a fairly
~irnpleexample oT the sort of challenge an Avatar
its mape on a Seeking, hut i r illustrates
might

comcs to a charnbcr shc has not yct scen, and

thcrcin lics h e r challenge.

IJ"; i

perspective, yes, bur ir makes some assumprions on

the parr of the character. Nor all maces view the
Avatar and Seekings thc same way. In fact, the
progressive realisatton of enlightenment is a fairly
ncw way to understand mystic prowess -z~ntil the
15th century, magic wa~oftenassumed to tskc place

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C H A P T E R ~ U R : A V A T ~ A N D S E E K I N C S 119
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il!umination. Snmc m a p nccd t o scc
S c e k i n ~ sespecially
,
thc cnrlicr unec, in rcrrns thcy
can understand, and progressinn through runnels
and cl~arnhersm~ghitdistract or frtghccn rhcrn to rhc
point that rhcv won't learn whatcvcr thc Avatar is
trying cn teach chcm. Magcs that arc rnrrrc stccped in
mystic tratlition (most Trarlition mages, especially
Hcrmerics) o r that are famil~arrvith the concept of
vision-qucsts (Pr~arnspeakers,Cultists and most
Akasl~ics)~ n i ~ h
actually
t
feet morc cc~mf~irrahle
in
rhe "traditirwal" c1r;lrnhcr-style Seeking, simply Ilecausc i t allows thcmro know whcn somcehingrnystical
is happeninS. Of ciiurse, an Avatar might ~lccidcto
rhrc~wsuch a magc into a difkrcnt style olSccking lor
cxactlv that rcason.
The Gtmrdian i s a garckcepcrof sc~rts,keeping a n
amhitinz~smagc from gtaspin~:lthc sccrc-cs of Ascen<inn rut) won. In ;~ctktaIity,of course., thc Guardian is
R f i l ~of
~ the
t mape's Avatar. Written treatises on rhc
suhject of Sccking and enlightenment speak of the
Guardian as a hcaslt, a soldicr, a shadowv rcplica of
thc mggc hrrsclf - in truth, it varies in appcarancc
as much as the Avatar. Not all rnagcs cvcn have neetl
uf a Guardian in a ScckinE;a magc rnrlst he awarr of
thc nature of a Sccking hcfore she c;ln attempt to
ascend too
Guardians cannot actually hurt magus llur can
certainly restrain them. Thcv c~frcna c t as taciiltators inr rhe challenges or guidcs during a Seeking; in
the example ahove, rhe mage ~ c a r c h i n gfor his
grandfather's watch in a manslon might see thc
Guardian in t h e fnrm of a butler. A maKc in a morc
tradirional Sceking - climhing intn a cavern and
passine through the chambers - mipht see thc
Guard~anin the same form her Avatar takes, or
might scc a figure that shc assnciarcs w ~ t hauthority
or command.

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~ E R C ~ T I I THE
N GCHALLENGE
In designing a Secking, thc Storyteller must
decide n u t only how a magc m i ~ h overcnme
t
3 challenge. hut what thc point of t h e cha61enFc is (which
IS actually rnclrc important). The player rni$xt. and
pnhahly will, dc\lisc a rncans of besting the chaEIenge that thc S t ~ ~ r ~ t e lnever
l e r cnnsidcrcd. I f thar
rnc;ans of gerrinp anwind rhc challenge carnplctelv
cnnrraclicts thc point ol the cxcrclse, [Ire mapc still
miehr fail the Scckine.
Takc, for instance, the cxamylc. ahove with rhc
mace scarchina fiir his grandfarher's w a t c h . T h e
point of the challenge is for rhc maec to rcali:~that

hi> vicw oiT~mc.1s I~rnltcdand iilztmatcly not czrnclu,

civc to further learning. It is not necessarily meant to
makc him reatirc chat hc Jucsn't need a torus (if thc
magc figurcs that out, terrific, h u t tl~at'sa fairly
~mportanrIcsson and hu Avatar wants to takc cnlightcnment in slowerscages). Sousinqmagic without
h ~ rfocus to find his focuq is the ideal merhod uf
completiny the Sccking - ir will hedrfficult, hut not
irnp~ssihfc,and shuultl l ~ e l phim rcali:c Ilaw limited

hts rnaElcal pi~rvicwi s .

Suppost t h e plavcr dccidcs that rhc character
will use CorrcsFondcncc or Mijttcr magic to find thc
wgtch? Rot11 wc>ulJwork well in the situation. W l ~ a t
shrli~ldthe Stc>rytrller lo?
The question thcn is, dues using s diffcrcnt
S ~ h e r to
e find theTimc focus convey the lesson thc
Avatar wants the mace t o learn? T h c answer, ;is
w i t h so many other th tngs in Mage, is, 'Yt clcpcnJs."
What f i ~ u sdocs the magc usc for Matter? If thac
focus is something like a series of jicstures, then
sin^ Matter (a Sphetc for which the mage ha< a
very jicnetal, wictcly uscful focus) to find thc watch
shcruld verv handily tcach t h e msge that his narrnw
Time focus has ro go. If, hourcvcr, t h e mage musc
w31k around knocking on walls t c ~focus his Marrcr
maqic, thc Avatar prohahly isn't pleased - t t ~ c
mace rs us in^ a ttrnc-consuming, narrow fi~cllsID
find ;t delicate, narrow fc~cus. When d e c i d i n ~
whcther or not a novel method of s~llvinfirhc
challcngc actuaIly rcstllves the seek in^, look at the
a p ~ r iof
t the challcnRc vver rl-tcletter. (Incidentallv,
explain that rhili i s the case to rhe plnver, so chat he
will n o t fccl cheated if afrcr succee~lingin a challenge hc hils the Secking.1

Scckings have two possihlc endings: succcss or

failure. Within those two possitrfltties are many permumtions. Success carries rewards boch ohvirsus and
subtle, and failurc can scar a mage for n,ccks. Either

le:~vcsthc m;lEe chanced.

succss
If the maEe resolvcs the challenge and learns
what the Avatar wishes her to Icam (determining
rhis will prohahly require some in-charactct discussion with thc Avatar), thc m a ~ e ' sArcw score
increases hy one. Hcr command ovcr reality irselfhal:
illst increased hy 10"b (just in casc you forgot hrw
mnrncnrous Seekings reallv are). Thls hrinEs wlrh ~t
an Epiphany, a realizat~onahout the nature nf the
univcrsc, u w a l l v t ~ c dto thc challcngc sct forth hv

DICEVS.ROLEPLAYING
INSEEKINGS
boten in Seekines ( w l ~ l c hhappens with a great
Jcal of r e ~ u l a r i t for
~ , s m ~ ereason) decides to
jump it. The player rolls Dexterity + Athletics
and botches. Thc Seeking ends unsuccc.ssfu!ly.
T h e end.
Or consider this: The challenge sees the
rnage, in a
arena, fighting against a
monster of a man in black armor. Thc player

Any close friend of the mage will notice a change

in atritude after a n Epiphany (acrually, friends will
notice a failure, ton helow),The mage's dc-

up, and then looks a t the SteryceIler as rhough

daring hcr to contradict such dramaric, exciting roleplay ing. The Seeking end? successfully.
Thc end.

Epiphany may ald rhe character in ~mprovingSphcre

racings (although thc usual rimc reyirirernentsshortld
still applv).

meanor lifts considetabtyv Even if she isn't happy

se, she is confident and ready to face the challenges
of the mundane wnrtd. Since most SeekinR challenrres involve overcoming flaws intrrnsic co the
character, in all likelihood the mage strides fort11

"

ralker. Neither makes any particular sense.

pedorm most fean, llnlesr they have

somc especial significance to thc Seeking.
If an action is to he resolvcd by rolcplaying,
make sure to tailor it to the character and the
may he socially inept, hut his
player. A
cl~araccermight have Charisma 5 and Expression 4. Likewise, a player might h a v e an

must fomr face to (ace with some fairly ingrained

ideas ahnut himself, things thac he wasn't aware
cr~uldhe different. The player is likely faced with
some fairly uncornfortahlc choices regarding the
character and his concept. A l l growth causes pain,
after all, and many mages s h y away from the suffering involved in development.

isn'rfairro theplaycr. Seekings are about choice,

and reducing them TI, a s e ~ i e ofdic

s
rolls removes
any choice from the martcr.

comj~!acency ancl hubris.

W h a t happens when a Seeking ends! If the

Seeking ends successfully, the character experiences Epiphany, as descrihed above. If she fails,
the characterprohablv becomes depressed fur some
cirnc, perhaps even losing a dew points of temporary Willpower. Either way, n n o n e comes through
a Seeking unchanged.
The most ctlrnmon change in a rnage after a
Seeking, successfi~lnr not, i s in Rcsonance. As mentioned in Chapter One, Resonance changes in
response to strona emotion associated with magic
and the way rhe characrcr employs it. The success nr
failure of a Seeking almost always changes Resnnance. In what way the change takes effect is largely
d c ~ e n d e non
t the specifics of the Seeking.
If the Se~kingwas successfuf, the character psobably gains Rcsonance. This isn't ncccssarily the samc
type o f Resrjnance the character alrcady has; a mage
w r t h the Dynamic Resonance Wrathful who undergacs a Seeking in which hc visualizes his anger as a
wild heast to be tamed might very well gain a dot of
Static R e ~ o n a n c e(possibly wirh t h c Focirsed Resonance Trait).

If the magc failed the Seeking, hc might well losc

Resonance. 1t the mage in the ahovt. example killed
his anger-heast rather than trying to control it, his
Dynamic Resonance might Cadc. It's more cornman
for Resonance t r ~changc in rhc wake uf a failetl
Seeking, however; perhaps chc Wrathful Resonance
changes to Frustrated or some thin^ similar.
No jiarnc system is included for the gain, loss or
transition of Resonance Traits because this change
is entirely u p to thc Storyteller and player. If hoth
parties think it approprtate thac the mape's Resonance remains a t its pre-SeckinE levcls, tlzat's
fine. Keep in mind, however, chat as mages grow in
pnwer, thcir Resonance grows as well. The most
powerfu! rnapes have Resonance Traits of all three
types, meaning thar rhe mystical "fingerprints"
they leave hc11ind are complex and layereJ, making them even more distinct. After all, any mage
might h a v e a R u r n i n g (Dvnamic) Resonance, but
~f thac Burning is also tinged with Death (Entropic) and is Incense (Static), t h e magc is muck
e a s ~ e to
r track down.

CHAFER WWR:
AVATARS AND -TWGS

123

1,

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SAI-~PLE
SEEKINGS

hclplcsrl\- and rcal~rc.that Ili, rlnlv chnncc. for sur+

v i w l is co srop ahc h r ~ d e cfrum ct~ll;~psinq.
Rclow are four sarnplc Scckin~s.clnc ftrr each
Gagc jumps In hts c:qr and e ~ ~ rhtn s eneinc, all thc
Es~cncc,ucinR the c x m p l c character%from the diiiu,kiie f~icusin!:Jircctlv on the vttwtricm tearlnc tllc
hridce apart. He rca1i-c~that the vibrations come In
<rage< and reasons that rf hc can create furce cri the
same strength ~ P Inpposltc
I
arnplrtude, it wrll cancel
orit the iorcc ivrcck~ngthc hr~~ler
(ye<, t 1 1 ~is a
sfhtrs. Thew examples tvurk hclr tl1c5c ctlaracccrs ant1
.~ornervhacInosc inrc~rctatinnot physics. bur i t ' s
can provide some d~rcutionfor StonrtcI lrrq In nccd nf
also a game. Deal with ~ r ) G
. l m c i n e up at rhe cables
supporr\nc rhrs P r i d ~ chc
, \h:~keshrc hcnd and <tarn<
his c3r into the sidc of tkc briJgc. Scvcri~loi tlic
cablcs snap rv~rha rcsciund~neItrmnK, and the hrr~lec
stabili:ec for a mtjmcnr. Ti~c
orher rnoror~ctctacc h ~ r
A D Y W l c m!llPLE
the
end
iif
the
Frtllgc.
clnc
of
them s t o p ~ ~ nco
: p~ve
THE
CBLLABSING
B R J ~
G
a
~
a
c
ricle.
Cage Cressner, thc Son c>f Ether character
rn rlic sound oi a horn hchinct
G a ~ wakes
e
mentioned on pact 105, unclereocs his first Scckins- successful, rrlll raise his A~~~~frnnl 3 ro4 him. Hr's ntlarlc nvcr the hri~lre,hut driving very

fru~tratcdhr the fact rhar while Gaec is an uxperr "'irk rod{'Starvtelles notes: In rlic above examplc, the
in harmonics and i s thrt~rericaIlvcapahlc of clirectjnq
forces
and FcrrrnJt o great plat*cr o r ~ ~ l n a ltried
l v ro L I ~ CG:~gc'>~ 1 ~ 1 1 ~3 1C ~ ~ L I L ! S
effccr, he regiments himscli
so cnrcfuflv
[hat hc - nnalvsiq - ro dctcrminc what ~ V B Sh a ~ p c n i n l ~ .
iFn'r livinr rip
his
Hi5 Avatar wants Thc Avatar responded hr uppine the antc; innoccnt pcnpje ~ o u I ddic if he hef~tntcrlt c mrich.
~
him to Icarn to appreciate [he
qpnntancThrs
cssentinlly
amounred
t
o
a
~
c
c
o
n
d
c
h
~
n c cn
,
ity bllt knL~ll*6[hat his scientific t>utlorrk rnlchT
signal
that
Gage
I
V
O
~
I
~
fa11
L
!
thc
St.c.kinl:
it'
he
kept
hin Jcr that, ahcrcfr7tc,
thr stc,rsrc]lcr jcciJcs
's
fortun;ltt.Pt.,
tllat un thisSeeklnR,rhc A v a r a r \vilI
hirn in J to hi5 kisr~al tactics. G ; F ~ cplaver,
tonk
the
hint
and
did
cometl~ing
prettr
crazy by
drr-ur-dic.sit~laticln- hc c;an either break free
qc~entificstanclarcls, F r ~ tu ~ e dhi. wentiiic kno\vP-

the hridKe hegin r o crack.

Gage tops rhc car and ~ e r riut,
s
look in^ at tlir
dnmanc
;Inal\.zlna i c r,rh hclrh his mundanr
kntr,,,lduE d rhrsicrand his maelcsl unLiersrandine
of Forccs and Matter. ttc realizes chat the bridge 15
tc:lrrng itself in half due tu fuultv c n g i n e c r i n ~- the
~vinclhit bt ~n R CCTTBIR U*RV and the briAgc s~rnplr
I~ucklccl.C a g c ' ~Avatar docqn't let him spend ton
mwh
r,i,nklnr. The hrijeP hrcher
G~~~ir
ncarlt thrown n\,er thc siklc. Other cars on thc hrldec
s k ~ dand pcoylc begin to hcrcam. Gaqe look3 ;~buut
concrete

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an

~ A ESFORYELLERSHAND-K

124

the vibration was part nf the Seuklng.

a riot of Dsnamlc R c ~ n
tl411cc ( 1 ~ 1 t hthe Sjlrmtnwoicc Rcqclnancc T r a ~ t ) .
Thc entlrc Scukinr: 1 5 resolvccl with ncl d i c ,rt
~ a11
(the only action where Jice might h:lve hecn tnvtjluc~ltvas rhc Fr~rccce f f c c ~ s a ~ tch e bricSct., and
the S r u r ~ ~ e l lwiselr
er
deciiietl nt~rt o r i k l i a i.~ilaie
t10r-1to GNISC

-I

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r a i w G a ~ c ' Forces
s
r:~tinyaftcr thiq. or pzrrchace a
ilur ~ r Entropy,
f
sincc pinpclintln~thc cxact l o c a -

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A PATERN E ~ P L FTHE
Srem

ina the tree, thu n e e iaelf and c\7t'nthe dazecr. She

Vcrhcna mace5 lcsrn rhe L ~ f eSphere as a mat- realizes tn onc moment of clarity that all c~ft h e
trr nf E O L I T ~ Cand
,
Marne \iVclls, the characrcr cnercy i s the same hut musr he handlcd drffcrentlv
rnenticrncd nn pact 105, i q no cxccpcion. Her Awak- (as ei-idcnccd by the hurn nn hcr hand). Shc I t t s thc
v thc house to tcnd ttj
cning shnn-erl hcr that Lifc i~cveryrvhcrc and trce burn and limps her ~ a tnto
inhrrcnrlv simple, hut sincc then she's fallcn into her zround.
Sterytellet notes: As the point hetr ir to recoethe trap of \-ltlwlnc Lifc as rhc rmlr Sphcrc wr~rth
knnwinc. En particular. she spurns thc other Par- ni:e the value and power of all of rE~e Pattern
tcrn Sphcrcr n? worthlcw (in largc part because Spheres, the S c e k i n ~i 5 Largclr in rhe player's hands.
shc'r had ~ A Lcxpcrience>
I
with thc'(3rdernf Htrmes The Storyteller sets up the thunder~rtlrrnro l ~ a v c
- R
anJ thc Son4 t,f Ethcr, the two TraJitions t h a t clear svmhnls for Fnrccs - thc liehtning and thc
comrntinl~c.pou\t. t h c ~ cSphcrcs). Her P l v ~ t a r fire it crcaces. Msrnclq plaver, y l a v ~ nn ~ c e l yinto
rhe character's wew clf rhc Forces Splierc, rrics rn
fin~E5this unac~epr~rhlc el.ert' l i v i n g r h l n ~1s
madc up of Matter (rnocrlv \r.arcrj and is Jcpon- " f i x ' h r h n t the litrhtninc docs (usinc Life 2). The
dcnt on Fnrccq for wtt-ival. Rcftrrc Marne can Storvrellcr allows hct a roll, which fail%.Thc player
i ~ n d c s ~ r a nrhc
d true s~rnplicrrv o t realrtv, she must rhcn dccidcs she \rill frrctfs on the liehtn tne and try
.*
rcc thc link bcrtrccn the Fartern Spheres. There- to ward it off usinp Prime magic nnlv (thc plarcr
fore, hcr Avatar pullc hcr inrcl a Sccking to ccach knows quitc well that hlnrne doesn't have t h e exhcr t h i s lesson. It' \ I I C C C F ~ ~ LMI a~ ,r t i c xv11E gain l ~ c t pcrtiw to Jo this hut rcasclns thst Marnc. hasn't
figured that our vet). This cirne, the Srnrvteller
t h i r ~ ldot c\i Arcto.
k
hlsrne'+Avatar wnirq unr~lher coven holds an doesn't h o t h e r ~ v i t hthe magtc roll, hut doex ~ s the
nuttlnrv ritual. Ac Mnmr and thc othrr witchcs plaver t o r i ~ l lStamina so that Marnc can remain
~ her.
dancc ~ ~ n d cthe
r hlcjon. rhe rkv clouds cll-er and standing as rfle I ~ c h t n i nhits
Irnprcwed anti cowcd hy the pain thc I~ehtnine
thunttcr rurnhlcs in thc Jimncc. Thc othcr mernhets
ot hcr c-oven conrlnue dsnclnp, but Mntnr stops and cauccs, Marnc's plaver hits nn s question. Since
look<trp ar t h u storm a< lichtnine danccs acror5 rhe Uarnc has uscJ Lifc and Primc t o rcad a livine
'
I
'~
befvrc, perhaps the lighrninr and
sky. Ncarbv. she sees ;l trce sprint rtp frcm the ground h c i n ~ "aura"
the tire havc similar sicnatures of poser? She ,
in ~cciinJs- hcr .4vat;lt i q ncar.
A< Mame rvstchcs, liehrn~nelance\ down and focuses on chew forces "sine Prime and discoven
<trike<thcc.rr~tm~l
next to her. The earth iq sccrrchcd, rhst thcy do indeed ~ i v eilfl cnercv, cren in a
hut thc ram qucnchcq the fire. Mamc ruali:es that rnaeical scnsc. This leads Marne to her Ep~phanv
<he ic s t n n J i n ~in thc middle of a n open spacc in 3 - much likc what she .aa during her Awakenine,
lichtnint~.;romni,cam~~~nean
iron Jagcer (hcratllarnc, .<he realiees that c v e r v r h i n ~ ,Forces, Mattcr and
*
which chc rtccs 10 ~LICLIF Prime), ant1 trcg~nsto gmrv Life included, arc the same at heart I that i s , thev
ncr\+ouc.She Iciokq rviqtfi~llyto~vatdthe huuse, to arc all compc~scdof Quinltesscncc).
The Storyteller decides that chi< is very $irnilar
which hcr cnvcnmgrcs h a w alrcadu retreated, rhe
to what thc Avatar wanted blame to realize; rhc
ritual cnmylcrc..
Lirrhtninc striker;again. thiq time splittine a tree witch just went ahout it in an unexpected wav (usinc
(nor hcr Araiar-ttcc) In rwo. Marnc grows anew and Prime as a kind of "hticlgc"hctrr+ccnL~feand Fnrccs).
runs IF 'the hurninq tree, dices hcr palm with hcr MamcsucceedsanJgalnsadr~tofArere,hutalsoa
athzmc :and tries to rcctifv thc darnarc done. Shc dot of Dvnarnic Resonance (Rrtrning) as ;1 reminder
hr
to J
drip5 hcr hlclocl (her I ~ ~ ifnr
i s L~fc.)
ontu the hurninq of chc pntvcr of Fntces, Thc ~ I a v c rr n ~ ~ choose
rake
Marnc's
Prime
rat
in^,
huv
a
dot
of
Forces
or
2."
trunk and calls upon hcr Lifc m a ~ i cto heal it. A ~ a i n
possibly
cvcn
raisc
the
characrer's
Stamin3
(sincc
l i ~ h r n r n eEanccr. down, hut chr raircs her athamc up
and trips trr jiround the Ilt.htnine so ~r can't do anv she was "tcstcd" h r the lighrnina).
"
clarnaee. Thc Iichcninq bolt scr~kesher dagger an3 A P R ~ ~ @ R D uE
L X ~ L ETHE
C B ~ I ~9 e'N
~ h fccls
c unimaglnahlc hear and p i n . S h e f d l s to her
Dr. hlarcus Jackscln's tctrifyint Avatar, the
. q " u.,t ,
ktree~biiasrnvscnnscltwr;and f(~cn'ir.s
her will rhrouch
hoadcd, kvrrymanlike f l y r e , Jecidc5 that rhe time
the athamc a t rhc cncrgv cnmincfrorn the l i g h t n i n ~ .
has come for Marcus to realize his ilestiny and quiet
In thst niclrncnr, chc ir struck xrirh the .cimilariry t r f
Ik
the storm in thc lanSs ofthr dead. For this to harptn
thc cncrm 14he Ilghtninc, that of the frre consumlj

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Ile needs to rnastcr lthc S p l r ~Spherc.

t
Thc puwer.
ful Avatar waits until Marcus slecps and then
pulls him into a Seeking. If succesrful, Marcus wlEl
gain a fifth dot of Arete. The Avatar has no
intention of making this easy, however. Marcuc
stilI cufferb frvm nightmares and horrible feelings
of g z ~ i l r regarding his sister's d e a t h (he and his
clster were both shot, but he s~trvivedthe experience becausc his A v a t a r saved him. He feels as
thc-rugh he should have protccrecl his sisrer). His
Avatar recognizes that until Marcus quells his
rlwn spiritual prohlcins, he c a n n o t h r ~ n gpeace to
t h c lands of tkc dead.
Marcus finds I~imsclfwalking on a road and
cumes to a crosrroads. He could go forward, take
a path tcn cirher the left or right, or go hark.
Marcus has learned in his time as a mage ncvct t o
take for granted what hc sees and looks around
more carefully. Off rhe path a ways, he discnvcrs
a cliurch with a graveyard. He leaves the road
and wanders intn the churchyard.
Oncc there, he drqcovcrs an open grave with
a coffin in i t . A pilc of carth wirh a shovel stuck
in ir sirs ncarhy. Marcus grabs the shovel, but
something feels wrnnfi - he realizes that S ~ L '
ghost of the dcceased I~ngers,prohably I-recause
thc body hasn't receivcd rhc proper burial. Marcus
is lcarncd enough to perfurm this kind of rite (hc
is a professor of thanatolomlr), hut s c ~ m e r l ~ i n ~
fccls wrong. T l ~ churchdoors
c
arc wtde open, h u t
no one secms in actendancc. Marcus sccs the
shc>vsl down and entcrs the church.
Inside, hc crosses himsclf and sits doum to

the sacrament of confessinn, where he admies his

douhc In his own ahilities and his g ~ i I aver
t
not
he in^: able to save his slster. The "pr~est"ahsolves
him and assigns him I ~ t spenance - "Help the

Marcus leavcs the church and

the
burial ritc, laying the
to rest. He then clitnhs
back up the hill and cnnrintles down the path,
straight ahead. In thc distance he sees srorm
clouds gathering mcl knows his true destiny awaits.
Storyteller notes: This is a more "class~cat"
Seeking, rife w ~ t hs y r n h ~ l u mthe
, "chamber" strructurt: common to Prrmordial Avatars. As it hegins,
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Marcus approaches a crossroads - a fairlv obvious

svmhol of choicc. Marcus' plaver is smart enough to
look around and sees tkc church. The Stnrytel ler has
uscd relieiuus motifs o f t m wtth Marcus hefore, 5 0 the
player ducidus Marcus had better investigate. He
rhernh~repasses the first chamber - not going forw a d until he is sr~rcof what's behind him.
The open grave is a symbol of unfinished Ilusiness, rcprcsenting Marcus' rihscssinn and guilt over
He can*t put it to rest w ~ t h n u twnrking
h ~ sister.
s
11c must enter the
r h r o u ~ hi r firsc, which is
church (a symhol for admitting that hc necds help
co nvercorne his pasr). Leaving chc grave i s the
second chamber.
Inside rhc church, Marcus' player Falters a hit;
the idea of roing to cnnfession doesn't occur tu Irirn.
Marcus sits Jown ti> pray, and the Storyteller decides
that he needs tn show the player that rime is a factor
(hence the setting sun). Finally, the player hits on
the noricln o f cnntession and enrers the booth. The
player and the Storyteller roleplay Marcus' confession and hisAvararls advice; this is the th ird chamber
(and the most important challenge in the Seeking).
Marc115 leaves and puts the ghclst to rest, again
syrnholic of coming to terms with his guilt over his
sister. The fourth chamher complctc, Marcus ascends the hill (symbolic of his own return tci l ~ f from
e
the jaws ofdeath) and cr~ntinuesdown the path {tlte
fifth chamber). Marcus gains a dot c7f Arete and a dot
of Sratic Resonance (with the Trait Ccnterecl).

fourth dot of A ~ e t c )Ty's

,
Avatar is p i n g ro prcscnt
him w i ~ ah number of temptations that he must avoid
in favor of reaching for a goal.
The seek in^ begins as T y walks down the ciry
strect. A car passes him; thc pcoplc it carries look
nddlv familiar. The car gets to the end o f rhc block
hrfnre Ty realizes that they coulcl he his parents. H c
hegins to follow, using Conespi~ndencemagic tcj
weave in and our of the crowds un the siclcwalk, hut
can't seem tu catch up.
As Ty passes a dcli, hc sees Doc, his friend arlcl
h>rmer mentor, standing outside cat in^ a sandwich.
Hr waves Ty o v e to
~ him. T y looks wistfully a t rhe car
disappearing in the distance h u t dcc1dc.s that he
wants ro see Doc more and crosses the street to share
the sandwich and chat. The car carrying his parcncs
disappears ( ~ e the
r Imrizun, and when T
y reachcs
rhc dcli, he does not see Doc. He findsonly a hagwirh
a sandwich, and a note - "Mayhe next tirnc."
Crying, Ty sits dl1u.n to eat the sandwich. HC
discovcra thar tlzc sandwich tastes the same as usual,
that Doc (who disappeared into rhc Umbra some
monrhs ago) is srill gone, and cverything is pretty
much the same as always.
StoryteIler notes: Thc lesston that Ty's Avatar
wants him to learn is that every thin^ c h n n ~ e sand
cvcneually decays, hut ont ti nu all^ following his goal
kccps his perspcct ive fresh and his spirit invigclrated.
Since his Avarar usually uses hisparentsas a "carrot"
to ctmvincc Tv to pursuc cnlightcnmcnt, the Storyteller decides that giving Ty a clear look at them will
AQU~N
EX~~PLEI
G
inducc thc player to follow nn matrcr what.
ENDW THE REBAD
When Ty secs his former mcntor, howcvcr, thc
Thc young Orphan, Ty William5 (firsc men+ player states that Ty will run over to join him. The
tioned o n pagc 107), unrlergc~eshis first seek in^ after Stnrytcller makes surc tr'r dcsctihc thc car getting
several rni~nthsof game play. The Starytcller has farther away, hut the
is resnlute. This is a n
noticed that as the chronicle has prngsesscd, Ty has example t ~ cnmplacencv
f
-Ty has chosen the f~qrnilrriacle rrierlda will1 the other characters and has nut iarc~verhis quest. H e fails the Seeking and gains a dot
been activciy searching filr his parcnts; this makcs nf S t a t i c Resonance ( w i t h rhe Comfortable Trair) a s
his Avatar very nervous. The Storytcllcr d c c d c s thar a rccult.
on the Seeking (which, if succcssful, will p a n t Ty a

TH

mGAS A

WHY T@P L ~ Y

vacation, their Monday night fonthafl and thcir

unrewarding livcp of Jcht slsvcry. No nnc offcrcd
them any concrete proof t h a t faith in something
greater than oneself is a Ile. These t h i n ~ swere
The Asccnsion War is at an end. and
simply easrer "truthr" tcl live than the struggle to
the Traditions, last bastion of hope for a
find meaning, the search for hope and the assertion
hctter world, have heen vanquished.The
chat the indiviJua1 is nor powerless and incenseUmbra, physical reflection ofhurnanity's
quenrial. A l r l ~ n u ~thh e Technocracy may have
s ~ i r i t u a lhe1 iefs, is nt3w essentially seve x ~ l n i t c dthis w e a k n e s s a n d helped w r e n c h
ereci from all hut thosespititual hcings in whole or in
humanity's birthright our of irs hand5, ir was hupatr native to ir. All hur a handful crf M a ~ r c r sarc
manrty itself chat cast that birthright aside for the
dead, miss in^ or ~rnreachable.Even t h e most clptiultimately empty visiun that the Technocracy ufiuistic of Tradit ionalists now cuncudus that any kind
fcrcd. Tlkc Consensus rhos? mcdincsity.
of Great Ascensinn is beyond reach. Everywhere onc
Tliar said, howcvcr, the only choicc thc TradiInoks is apathy. The bland faces of a human race
rlons
have, the only choice they havc ever had, is
wl~cisctime is up and whose chanccs havc passcd
to
keep
fighting and keep trying t o aid those
stare hack at the Awakened, the tangihlc rcmirtderof
people
w
h o have denied t h e Traditions' vision
their faililrc.. The Reckoning has come and thc Tcchand.
in
many
ways, sentenced thosc mvstics to t h e
nocracy stands triumphant atop a wtlrld in ashes.
ncarly insurrnountablc odds they now facc. Why!
RulIshit.
Rccausc Mage i s not a game about taking the eaFy
Anyone who buvs into that i s unworthy r ~ fthe road. It i~ not a Tame ahout t h e "hipness" of
uniqi~eand amazing gifts nf che Awakening. T h e
nihilism. Mage is a game about hope and about
Traditic~nshave heell fighting a losing hattic for
helping oneself and others to realize a fantasric
five centuries. It's nothing new to thcrn. Suddenly
p ~ j t e n t i a char
l
lies dormant within all of us. Magcs
the enemy iiccrccs t h a t che struggle is at an cncl, ancl aren't some kind of Jping hreed, living o u t their
t h e Traditions arc rclicvcd of all respc?nsibilitr;?
fins1 d;q+s in desperation and fear; they are
Sr~ddenlyit" "ton late1' to dn anything about i t ? humanity's line in the sand, the courageous few
Ages have tnded heiorc. Chsntrir?i have becn lost
whn are nilling t o hlecd in order to ilndo the
before. Scthacks have trcen suffered befuclrc. Yet
damage wroughr by the self-destructive disl~elicf
none of these 11as ever beft~reheen t h e Sole Decidnf t l ~ c i fellnws.
r
They are t h e uncs struggling, c v e n
in^ Factor of whether or not t h e Traditions should now, i n thesc "final hours," t c ~give sight t o t h e
continue rn borhcr. Yes, perhaps the events ul' blind. In a world wl~crchelttlf d c f ~ n e reality,
s
anyrecent years have heen among the greatest blnmrs
thing elsc wuuld he a g r t , ~v ~i o I ~ t i ~omf the sacred
ever inflicted upon theTraJitions. One wozild havc resyotls ihilitics confcrrcd hy t h e Awakening.
to he a foc~lnot tn sec thar the clestructinn of
This is a time filled with a c a t potential f i ~ trh e
Dotssecey, for examplc, WAS a wound ac least as
Traditions. T h e Techntscracy finds i t s pc-rwersgrowgrievous as anything sinct. the hccrayal of Heylel
Teonirn. Rut, as with tltc fall of t h e First Cabal, ing increasingly stacic, c ~ s t r a t e dby rts own success
and beginninn to rcaliye the terrible consequences
thcrc is a powcrfut, Important and, ultimately, necofgetring what you wish for. 2t ha? fallen prey to the
escary lesson t o hc learned here.
titanic hubris that laid the Order of Hcrmes low in
For too l(mg the Traditions hnve looked on the
the tvnkc of Mistril(lce. Like the nascent Ordcr of
Technocracy as thcir Great Enemy. While the TechReason, someone has to he thcre t n pick up thc
nocratic Union ic -a potent threat to all tho Tfi~cF~tiuns pieces when the dominant paradigm crumhles Lrnhold dear, ir is nn morc responcihle for the Rcckon13c.r i t s own pondernu:: rvcighc. W1jilv i t wc~uldhe
ing rhan the Traditinns themselves. The Createst
simplc for thc Traditions tr) throw in the towel and
foe of the Traditions ts not, and ncver has heen, buy inro the "end i s nrghn fr>lderrll that is hcinR
anyone hut the people the Traditions have spent
hantlsecl about I7y cvcqcrne w l ~ othinks he knows
the past five I-lundred years trying to help. Nci onc
anything ahout [he Reckoning, the truth is that rhe
made the Sleepers stnp believing in t h e cxistencc of
War for Reality is a ncvor-ending conflict with its
anything more important rhan their two weeks c>C
o w n chh a n d flow. For too long t h e Tradition5 have

,?I@[

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GUTTERPUNK G m e )

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fclr ;~nclacted as rhouch [hey rnrsscd thcir O n e Rie: viduals, what's thc p i n ' t ! Thc f l R W In this argument
Chance. and rhe timc h a < come to p t ~ tsuch foolish is to be fill~nclin thc p r o v ~ n c i a lanJ cssentiallv
a n d self-dcfcfitinc a t t i r u d c s a w a v . T h e Xlcdicval t.tt.iv thst the ~vorlcl~ s g n i toend
n ~ within
Tcchncrcriicv'r. lic I: cctrnin~ararr a t t h c scams, and n gencratic~n.
if sotnconc ~ s n ' tthtrc to put a better ~+iqion
hcfvrr

11% Jra~cinsand h i ~ h
rowers, ROF t h e \'erhcna their
13rclad ; ~ n dtrackles ~ o t 1 d of
5 old, rhere arc ncwcr,
different dreams to offct,the d r e m s of rr*iscrTraJr-

hcfL>rc that. The p l n r i~ that rhc n;lrLrre ofrnarticis

I
\protean thing, It mo\-cs in tlmc 10 rhe prcz.allinK
,ttitudcs of aqcs and pEaccs, Eycn ttld;ly, in rhlc ace
u
t~onsthat h a w h e n through hell an9 w a r their of intcrct>nncction,whar i< c,insiderstl coincidence
-3c
scarc R S p r w f of what thcg have endn~edin thc in Grand Ccntral Starbon 15 declrlcdlv ~lifierent
namc i ~yrincipic~
f
and ideals.
than ~ r l ~vou
a r can gvt nivnv with in Ran~kiikor thc
Where t o h c ~ i nin rhis uphill hattlt. t o win thc Auftralian nutback. a s it hat a l t v a ~ 5bccn. Sn ~f
h c x t ~and mind%of rhe Slccpclrs? Hrlw does one mapic I( nor f;.liIln~cvcsvwhere in thc csacl came
ciruntcsact ccnturie5 nf contditioning [hat have r w v , whv do cven rhc Awakcncd ~ratrnchlymainhcatcn rhc indir~rlaalinto ruhrnisrlon and cnrnpli tain that rhc skr ir falling! The cncy .lnsrer to that
:incc l Thc fir.[ thinq ro remember is that the i s t h a t thc Awakened are puopic, roo, and 3s subjccr ;
;
A w ~ k c r l ~ ri>
l cnot 3 license to i l ~ m i n i ~ More
m . than to Eractrris, paraniria anJ ap\caluptic scncatitin~lnncc, the Awakened have come to view their aFiIi- i ~ 3ms anvone elw. Whcncver a century ~ l r a wto a
tics RI an cntit lerncnt to c ~ n t r u lthcir fello~rmrn clusc. end-of-the-IVIVIC~
propaeandi~~ c c ~ ~ r an c s and ivurncn, and, cvcrv rime, such actitudcs h a v e Fenr. Whenever some Ereat earrhyuakc o r other
h e n the Ju\vniall of cmpircs. The Tradition5 should natliral disaster strike<, doorncavcrq arc al\~-a\,snn z
not he scckinc tarcplace the Technocracv but i;houlJ t h c scene, encourarmnr: others t o preparc for the ~
Jet'~
instcad cndcavor r o cxcise I ~ u r n a n i t nccd
~ ' ~ ti1 be Raprurc. All magcs cvcr.r.whcrc h:~vc~ C I Ffclt.
controlled. A Eibcratcd human qplrlt 16 worth infl- withrn thetr very qouls,t11c Jcath rhroc$ of an cra.
nicelv more than crnc ohcdient out of fear, rntc O r As aln-sy5, the c a r r i m cmtvs have ccrme clown from
~
know that t h i g is the
ignnsancc. The Technocracy i~ now l e a r n ~ n gt h i ~ theit p e r c h e ~t r ~Q ccvervrmc
ivay the ~vnrldcnds. I-It12v rerv uncnl~ghtcnccl.
Icssr~nthc hat3 wav.
The dangers rnngcr nvcd ro he lot~kinero now
Thr hnrdurt pnrr r i l l nor hc purring away
tlloughtc of n ~ l c .Inifccd, c n c o t r r a g i n ~people to arc not supernatural In origin. Rather, perhaps it is ,
open thrir cvcs tn the cp;lrk oi cliv~nitrwithin more accr~rate tci qay that r h c ~are nor drrccrl?
t'v,
tl~cmcclvcsand to acccpr rhc prtvi teces and $uric< s~rpcrnatural. ZVhilr the :roxrFlne pnwcr of the
inherent in IrccJam I.; yrthshlr the rntjst difficult Yephancli and thc terrible peril5 (if rhc Avatar
task of all. Since rime our ~i
mint{, Slcepers haye Storm. for csarnple, are thrcarc to nll .'i~+r:~kcne~l b
heen condiri~lncSrn belicvt. thar only a rsrc few everrrvhcrc, they arc just srmprorns. Confruntrd
rcnylc have what it takcs to mnkc a tliffcrcnce and 1~1ththc prtlwiny rcalirarinn thar I c c l i n ~nnythinc
t o 1.c comcc~ncitnportant. Most jiener;lllv assume simply tcadc ro pain, fcnr and Jisappointmcnt, pcopEc
that t h r r are ntir nvrnhcrrd among ihox k r and, draw hack i m i ~ i e~ h ~ r n s anrl
~ ~ Jarc
v ~ s[ i t feel not11:$ hr their hcIlef, mxkc ir so. The penicccncc 0 6 this ing AT all. The average person t t d a v hi15 little more J
idpa has maJc rhc mass Ascencion clihurnmity nirrh in rhc anairuf free r i m than moct i~ncicnrl~untcra n i~n~crcc~hilitv
and is what has hrtlrrpht rhc world ~ a r l i e r e r rdid hut con.z~Jcrablvmore srrerc and hat
The r
torhebrink 0 f J i ~ a c t e r .h!o<t maecs awumc thcre is lccs in the t v w of a n y k i d of ~pia~rualitc.
matcria!ism
of
~11c
modern
~vnrld
h
n
nor
~
r
c
s
~
l
t
c din T.
not unc>llCht l m e Ictt to rcttlrn tn tlre tried-and-[rue
a
more
rernrdinc
l
i
f
e
but
inqtcad
in
one
that
is
morr
lnr-huJ 0 1 winninc hark onc I.clie\-rr nr 3 rime. It
1je:,, I
7 r r ,'
htcomes 3 car&-22 that foccer~a zcnau c~fcIcspa~r cornfnttahlc R ~ L !bcrcit u t JiCiicllFt rlr impurtant
and futilit\,.After all. i f there's no hope ulA\r.aken- qucsr1un.i. a life in which it is far easicr simplr. t o go
~.
pcrirplc tcril for c;~ui;cs uf
ine [he tvclrld all at once and tucl fcw grain<o f cand thrrr~tnhthc r n n r ~ c r n Most
-!I.'..
t
n
~
C
C
ancP
J
pcvr.tuate
a cvcle of everd11t.lan~tq
value
lctt ~n the hourclaw tci makc a dent in the paradigm
'
x ~ r v human hcinrs hecr~mr
uf arathv by rcvc-alinE rhc r r u t l ~to F L ' ~ p l ~as 1nJ1- ~ r t ~ n ~ n ~ c n r n p linc which
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those who don'r

and runaways who garher hcneath thc crnpty ligllt

They need to hecome teachers

clothing lints and miracle stain removers h a t

produce, consume and long for without really un-

magic and, Fcrhaps, the world i tsclf riepends uptln

teaching the h a c e ~ of
t snuls how to fly. R u t hope i s

ctl

The Tradit~onshavc more frtcnds than rhcy

It falh tu the Awakened in general, then, and to

despair a t the t h o u g l ~of

t living o u t the Fame hland
and unfeeling path his father took and i s o n rhc

w o ~ ~ seek
l d co rernakc all rh~njisin cheir own

lifc he had wanced, rather than taking the safe road.

Tra~litionronfliccs erode the strong hasc on wh tch co

rnigllt have heen savcd arc lost instcad. Thc Tradi-

thc Traditions that have ultimately

tiecl the hands of the Awakened as thc High Mythic
Age ctum'tded arnunil thein.
Mages of varinus Traditions will tell you ahuut
the p n ~ n s t a k i ncfforts
~
they've expended in the
pursuit of frceing spirits and eIev;atina mindc, hut
~ l r v i o u s lhnsn'r
~
hern mough. Inspiring jus+ one

to a Sleeper so firm1 y cntrcnchcd in t h e current

paradigm invites the a t t e n t i o n s of thu Tcchnocracy, does i t ncit?The Technocracy is everywhere,
w a i t i n g a n d watch in^ for just ilmc Disciple to s c ~ e w
up and tip her hand, so t h a t it can fall on her like a
p>lckof \VLI~VCS and rcar her to shreds. If you bclicvc
that. I h a w a h r i d g ~iin Rrooklyn to sell you.

who

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Thc Technucracy is made u p uf peopie: real,

flawed p e c ~ ~ lweh o happen to he Awakened just
I~ke,well, just like any orher Awakened being.
They don't actuaIly have spies in your closer and
they aren't monitoring you through the hot dogs
you jusc picked up a t rhe supermarket. Why would
they! Their propaganda is so wctl dcvelnped that
everyone hcljeves ir. Far hettcr t r ~h a v e your encrnics think that yotl are everywhere than to actually
have to expend thc effort t o du so, for they will he
timid when thcy shortlcl act boldly and will flinch a t
the merest suggestion of your prescncc. An enemy
cowcd into sul~missiunand inactivity is of much

deadly weakness. The Tecl~nocracyshould know

[hat; it exploited that fact oncc to Errat effect. To
the ~ e c l ~ n o c r a cnorhing
y,
is as confclundin~a s a
variable that fails tc? rnect cxpcctations. A courageous, undaunted and scrong-wiilcd N i n e Mystic
Traditions is ahour the last rhing t h c Techn~lcratic
Union expects while the world is falling apart and
nvne nf its vauntec1 statistics, axioms or thctwetlcal
rnodcts; can makc tho Rcckc~ningconform t o thew
desired cunclusivns. This i s can he the Traditions'
finest hour. There are worse things to he than t h e
wild card with nothing left to lose. That is ~ r e c i s e l y
the sort of enemv the Technucracy is n o t ready to
fight right now.
Proviclcd the magcs of the Traditions gt.t i t in
their m i n ~ l sto come this far, what next? Once one
has Icfr bchind pride and abandoned fear, onc can
sec clearlv jusc h o w much remains co he donc.
Horizon was a grand experiment in what could
have heen, hilt it was, in many ways, a narcissi?;tic
vision of t h c T r a d i c i ~ n s ' ~ e r f c wvrlcl.
ct
Thcrc is n o
uasy way to admit it, hut that will never he tkc
world thc Slecpers want. I f I C were, there would be

no World of Darkness

tn begin with. Magic has

changed. The world has changed. P e t l ~ a ~its i s
time for t h e Traditions to e v o l v e as welt. Rcar in
mind, this is not an endorscmont tcl leave rhe Old
Ways hchind and to crick out (mu's selection of
foci w i t h laptops, v ~ n y cl l o t h i n g and the like. I t is
f Traditions
instead an invitation for members c ~all
(Vittual Adepts and other progressively minded
sorts included) tc) develop a perspective that is
perhaps slightly more Slccpcr-friendly. Nobody
wants co have his lifc hlccl nut a t the Ilase of the
Wnrld Tree to providc a hnunriful harvest, nor
docs anyone w a n t grim-faccd wizards in high t o w -

older one) can attcsr t o t h c futility of thar cuursc of

action, small ways can begin to broaden thc pcrspecrive of one's nearest and dearest. Sometimes all
it takes i s the suggesrion olidcas the individual has

never pondered hefore. S o t n ~ t i m e seven a supposd l y "enltghtened" mage will he surprised to hear
the very un-Sleeper a t t ~ t u d eheld
s
by people rhe has
knr>tvn her whole life and considers t o hc very
grounded and mundane. Evctyonc desires to he free;
some just have thc benefit nf seeing the
to that
frcedorn much more clearly. The Awakencd necd to
dcmonstratc to these perllrle who trust them t h a t
thc way thcv clffer t s not just different, I ~ u rbetter.
Most pcoplc arc so thc~rnughlyw o u n d up in the idea
that everyone's life follc~ws(or should follow) One
True Set Pattern t h a t they are, a t lcasr initially,
opposed to any i d e o l o ~thar rocks the huat. Try
convincing a third- ene era ti on steel worker w ~ s h20
years of experience under his helr that he is imprisvneJ hy a system t h a t made a sIavc nf not only
himself bur of his father and his
and
you are likely to create nothing mure t h a n hitterness and confusion. Cauticm and decorum are

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v1.w wclrth mcnriuning. I r ' h lar h c t t c ~CLF bring 111c

rcqi~itctlin r211s n~r'r~r
Jelicate process. Fcas c ~ tlzc
f
unknown and the dangers i ~ ~ h e r ein
n ta Ieay of faith truth t o one minr1 at a time than tn let crne'sli~htdie
are what kcep most Sleepers asleep. Engcndcsing unnoticccl in the shadows. Tl-ic nobility of a scru~gle
more fear is only a r t to dsivc a n u n - Awakcnccl mind is not i n victory hut in the struggle itself. In the end,
it'$ the fieht that matters. Mage is not a Storytelling
deeper under.
Thnse of t h e younger generation, already jaded Game of Survivalist Despetat~on.It is rhe sroty o f a
hv t h e crushing wcight of thc World of Darkness, number nf courageous men and women who are
are ofrsn mvrc rrceptivc tn t h c asrounding prornise fighting againsc what the rest 06 us consider to he
of the Awakening. Traditionalists who have an true and imrnutahlc hccausc they knnw thcrc is a
opportunity to interact with y o u ~ hhave ;I Rrear worthier life, wairing for those with the s t r c n ~ t h ,
opportliniry to carry a light into the darkness. A che resourcefi~lnessand the will ro reach out and
ynuthfi~lmind i s nearly always readier tc.r accept make it a reality.
While yriu can play Mage fcir t h a t aura of
radical or unconvent~onalicieas than one set in its
ways. I t i5 certainly not uncornmun fcir young people inevirahlt duom, it really goes against the sense of
in the World nf Darkness 'LO dclve into mysticism, hope in which the came was creatcd. Yes, the
ivhethcr rhat rncans picking up a hunk nn witch- Traditions havc h e n hackcd into t h c ccsrner and
most of what has been said here is a trifle
craft or
around with a Ouija hoard witla a
few friends. For manv it iz a lark. and those surts roo oprirnisric, but what's the alternative? I-Iide
"grow out" of that "phase." hut how many might be and cower while the planet rrumhlcs around you?
encouraged ro remain and, indeed, expand their Once y o u have seen, it*s too late to wish ycrurseIf
undersmndtn~,givcn FI tutor ur cvrn just Rn c~lder ?;ighclcss oncc mow. Oncc your hcart has Fccn
friend who h a s been where these vourhs might onc opcncd to how much is wrong wirh t h e tvnrld, whar
dav go? Certain mystic practices are best kept from can you do, other than to trv to make it right? Few
children and young adults, bur norhing conrrihures actually imagine themselves in she role of protectt o altering the Fcrceptrnns of the w t ~ r l dyulte like ing and saving others, hut being a m a p 1s a destiny
broadening rl-te perspective of the generaticln thar that, in many ways, choose^ you, rather than the
will he running ic in 20 years. Naturally, this phi- n t h r r way around. Whcn the moment comes to
losophy stretches heyond I~ell,book and candle and accept destiny and makc a stand for t h e salvation
has value for members o f all Traditions. A n y tal- of all, mages are precisely t h e sort of pcoplc whcl
ented younE hackcr, instcad of pulling out her don't turn away and pretcnd it's not rhcir problem.
p i e r c i n ~ar age 22 and h ~ d r n gher tattoos beneath a T h a t ' s why they're Awakened.
Ir~ng-sleevedhlouse, cnu Id, wi rh the proper cncourThc hlls of Dnissetep and Horizon, the deaths
apcmcnt, he a valued friend t o the Traditions and of Portlnos and tho other Masters, even the Reckontheir causc, even if she ncver truly Awakens. Thc ing itself- you can take these as an aclmonishrnent
trick is in d e m t ~ n s t r a t i nthat
~ theTraJitionsl IifestvIc against pride and evidence nf the terrible cosc of
of ncjncnnforrnity not only U ' C I T ~ S17ut RISCI CCI~IIPIC'Strying. Or ynu can look to she exanlplus set forth,
w ~ r ha sence of aclvent~rreand fulfilltnent alr~cnt thc mistakes that have bccn madc and t l ~ cprices
from a liferime uf "playing it s t r a i g l ~ t ' h i dI ~ u v i n ~thar come have been w ~ l l ~ ntog pay and see them as
into rhe very svstem that is eating thc human spirit ;r qnusce of inspiration and resolve. More than 500
alive. In the end. no lifc of corpilrate cervitude or years ago, disparate practitioners of a thousand
meeting the expectations of others can compare to mystic artscanle to tugether in the mutual pursuitof
c ~ af survival. Tile mission u t thar First Cabal was a
being one pair of hand< laying t l ~ uf~~unciattnn
rnorc warrhwhile wclrld. Fortunarely for the TraJi- crucible, a testament ro their ability c o r h ~ n k act
,
tinnq. enough youth qucstinn the "way thinS<are." and be heroes as nnc. While the mission failed and
seekinr our newcr or older ways uf thinkina and the promise died in the womh, Hcy l c l sent a powerliving, that every Tradiri~innlistcuulJ have I-tis (111 rnpsqsgr h a t Itw, fur too long, gcmc unhecdccl.
hantls full wirh freeing those younfi spirlrs crying As hc brought Poissetep dozvn around himself in
nut h r frrlcclivn.
flarnt.5, Master Porthos echocc! t h a t rncssage; we
N o amkwnt of c n ~ ~ eor
r tvvcrr prtssclyri~ingwill stand as unc and fall as one and owc the world more
twist thc world hack into shape rrvcrnight, and it t h a n we have givcn i t , and everything we take from
may ncvcr
hut it's lwtter than hiding in fcar i t ~11311he accounted for in rime. T h e Traditinnc
from the Sleeper<, t h e Tcchnucracy and anyone havc paid what they owe and paid for ir in blond.

Nurv they >tam1 ilt R C ~ ( I S S ~ O Aa~nSd h n ~ the

c oppor- hope's flame h i ~ r n sI ~ i ~ l ~ rivhcn
c s t despair threatronrrv t o 11c;lr rhc voices rhnr c o u n w t t11c.m acrosc cns to cllnsirrnc rhc Iifiht. blaycs a r c human antt
tirnc ;lnd rracedv, from beyclncl death ~tselk',t o choose fccl p s i n ;lnd fear as nnuhody c l w , but it's p r c c i s e l ~
Unirv and ttr mcct rvl~flt~\*cs
cnmey cn rhc w;~kcof hccausc rhcy a r c human that t h c r have rhc capacthc R c c k o n i n r tnficrhcr, wirh hra\,c.ry and compas- ity t c i give of themselves and t t ~d f e r for thc
smn. If rhcv d o n o t , i f rhev clloc~se to skulk in rcdutnprion of 311. T h e anrld I S clur rhcre, waiting
shac!n\vs and n \ w i t rhc end, lthcn thcv are d e s c r v i n ~ for scimeone to s t a n ~ lhcfore t h e tcmpcsr and .sav, -of i v l l a t c v ~ rtcrtihle tntc comes fur them, for tllev "NOmore."
havc provcn chat rhcy were ncvcr really Awakened
In Mage, that sclmconc crwlcl Zlc vr~u.
n t all. A w a k c n r n ~i~ a h o u t asserting contr~dorrcr
unc.'~c ~ u ~lifc
n and r a k i n ~rrsponsil.~litv kir onc's
&USED
nrvn acricrns. Better t o rlic on your f t c t than ro I ~ v c
A Inr tlfdehatc has occurred about the changes tcl
on yc~urk nccs.
chc rnctaplur esrafil~sl~ed
in Mage Revised. People
Ant! 50 u7cc ~ m cfull circle, hack
the grim clrrc~ticmcda lot of things. A ct>urIc of rI1ings some
reality that is thc 1Vorld of Dsrkncss. Sacrifices peop[c outriEht hated.
milst he made and ~ o o d
p e o ~ l ewi81 fall beneath the
~h~ ohjeEtivc ofthis fjrsC
not t.lract as
rerritrlc jaws of t h c R c c k c r n i n ~before 911 is said and
apoloR!, for
you Lltdnltlike a t , a u c ~ a E e
drrnc. I t was called the Ascen~icln\'17ar fnr i1 rcason. Revised.
beginning ,,f
heen ctnnLlardsinre
While t h a t epic conflict is not rrulr over. not any the Storgtcllcr
[hat if you saw snmcthing vtlll
hrrrtch of t h e i m a e i n ~ i o ntherc
,
i s n t w a Iull is this d i d n V rlike, vou didn" have t ~ , it. wc hl,ye
tide of hlnoclshcd a n d a scrtling ofthe dust during a rcsrnnsihiliry thar
as
Srorytcllcr can
a h i c h dl A\vakcncil, Traditionalist. Tcchnocrar ,viscl,~.
it is.
and othrrrvise, have a chance t o look ar what has
hcen done in the name ofhumanitv an' '0 alollJer t,,
inlm
ifrhcrc is a llerrer solution. Can the ~ ~ i o rIlc
l d saved both
at this poinr! Whn knows? Rut rherc i s no excuse
nor t o a t least make rhc arrempr. T h i s is t h e rtmc to
fllrcc new lleacnii and to rouse the dormant seed c ~ f
wclndcr t h a t rests, slnmherinp, in evcry <nu[. Hclri- ,, ccnring
in
nga,npr a
whose
i u n 1v.5 a rleas*nt Jrcam, o n e fr(jm which t h e jefenSc
lirernl. l n a
it
Traditions have now ~~*ukcn.
:r pnmc nf makc-prc- pncrry \crsus s t l e n c e , subjectivc ar;lin<t (,hjrctend. The real worhl is pray w1tl1Jislrclicf a n d <at& rive.
heart i r \,a tl,c *scensic,n war,tile
hcncath rhc weight of its c~wn~ o r r ~ Doisscrcp
w.
was ulrim;l
a,,stmcr.
.
a poisuncrl ncst of intrigue and palittcking uf t h e
tviitct w r t . It u ~ ac t l o t l ~of trcachcry that had
rtrmecl i t s back on t h e U,C>CS id O C ~ I and
~ ~ Sexisted
only t o ~nclulgcthe self-serving fantaricc o f a le\v
Martcrs mil their toatlicq. Whrlc the Itrss of lrfc
from those two c h a n t r ~ c s\\'ax c;lrastroyhic ancl rF~e
J ~ I C T of w h a t t h c v rcprcsentcd was a vicic3us h l r w to
tllc T r a J i r i c ~ n srnayhc
,
they arc uIr~m;at.t:lyhcttcr off
for it. With fuw ~trclngholJ. left off-world ond n o a n y t h i n g to say and thc whole af Wcstcrn htstorv as
safc or reliahtc w a v of accessing them, thc Tradi- w c kntw it u,crul~lhave never halppenctl. So roo was
t ~ u n cmust turn thcir attentions t o what ~ C I C S on i t w i t h G e o r ~ eOrivcll's experience in tho S p l n i c h
aromlcl rhcm Instcad of fleeing rru Cind ccrrnftvt In a R.cvoluti(>n. Had i t nor hecn for Orivcll's hitter
reality rnurc trr their Itkinlr. l'crhap.; thc Avatar
Storm isn'r a ~ u n i s h m e n rhut a w:rmlng - dcill
wit11 what is on your siJc nnrl h c a l thc w u ~ ~ n di nq thc
spirirs c ~ your
f
own p~r)plc:onlv then u ~ i l lthcir
liccn for tE~cccruragco~~s
contrihutinn of black Amen11~1~cs
and drcam5 hc (]pen tc' you a ~ a i n .
Yes, t h e tvorld has ~jrrt~e
to hcll. Rut herois111
movcmcnr TO challcnEcand refine
no c i v i l
"
rrulv tljrives onlv ~n rllc most tryinlr c l t timcc, and

B~Y@ND
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Amc.r~ca'3corllm~tmcr~t
tcb its high ideal? ut suctal
justice and lcgal cyuality.
Thc grcrcatest of ideas were forged in the fire nf
sclch scalicies. A11 of this took FEace outside the
context of a Storytelling game, hnwevcr. In Mage,

thrtlugh the technocraric sorb+

~strl;ilf this I-rravc new world of t h e m ?
M a ~ Revised
e
picks up at a significantlv differcnr pi>intthan whcrc previousMage books left off, a
phenomenon that jarred a lot of players. Think of it
ways to lruncl~
holes

objectionable sung to the next chorus (for those of us

old enough to havc had rccoril players.. .). The point
THEHUBR~SQF W a ~ m
is char the song's not over. In fact, from one point of
The A r c h m a w shnuld have seen it comin~. view, it's hardly hegun. As rnages, the
charOut in theirrockut3imonsions, h c n d i n ~patchcs acrerr are perfectly capahle of spinning that record
nf raw crcartcsn to thctr w ~ l l rhc
, Archmagcs should backward and revealing the hiJJcn message in time
have realizccl that it was only a matter of time hcfore rv rick up where they left off. Sure, i t might take a
jean commercials and pure crcdi t transactions and couple hundrecl years to find the right line a ~ a i nhut
,
the unimafi~nativescsundlutes and unoriginal fict~on ic's a risk that rnagcs are willing to take. They have to.

But rhey didn't - hccnuse they'd long clcrached SURVMNG& ~ A G E D ~ > $ N

knnw i t w a s going to he easy. Nuhody said that there

Unl ikc its pscdccessors, Mage Revised starts off

reality's doors were

tcl

the

f:lntastic.

e
Nut in ivory
They its hartles a ~ fought,

~ O W C T S where

allowed themselves rt) he disrracred frlthe

lm
greater ancient s a p s contemplate the nature oftheTe1lurian
of two cvlls. Instead af recognizing the p h i l n s ~ ~ ~ l l i c aand
l rewrite t h c cnding to World War I before tea.
train wreck tc, cflme, they concentrated on the pllyri- M a g t ' ~might be forcer1 to face the T e c h n ~ c t a c yon its

thernsclves and rhcir immediate own rsrI.ns nc)w, hut that does nor mean rnages arc
impotent. Vulgar magic is harder to perform. That
foes - not to mcnticln thcir habitual prejt~rlicet5,ward t l ~ e i r~ d e o l u ~ i cbrcthrcn
al
in sorcerous circles, docsnk mean the hattlc IS lost.
a faction that could havc hccn their grcatcst ally
Coincidental magic, while considered "selling
against rhc corningdisastcr. It lcft them numh ru the out" by nlany wanna-hc Oracles, is a very potent
ally. In fact, it may t7c the last, best hope rnageshavt:
cal conflict bctwcen

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well havc bccn tltc hu'hris nf milyes chat seemingly

ended any hopes of restoring a n age of wc~nder.
So Armageddon's here. The only question now
is, what are
ro do nhour it?Will you stutter
; ~ n dutter the same magical catch phrases that wnrkecj
for dccaclcs llefore! Will you hide your head undt.r a
rock and p r e t c n d y o u c a n still dream atornlc

Moreover, coincidental magic is a ereat selling

stlo1 fi)r Sleepers. It plants within their minds the
n o t ~ u nthat rcaliry is nut exacrly whac i r sccms. This
m a y h e the vcry mcthrid successfi~lrnages usc to
indoctrinate n c r a c o l y t r ~eventually
.
buildine;a base
nf h e l d rhnr ycrmirq t h r ~to work thcir wi~nders
again and do larger hattlc against a reality that is
increasingly static.

shapecharges inm existence fur y o u r defense while

an NWO goon tears you to ribbons with machine
gun fire? O r will vou think like Socrares and find

N o t only that, hut coincidental magic is just

plain wickcd. Any rum-bitsrage magician can pull off
flash with smoke and mirrors. It's important ru re-

memher that everythina a mage does, no matter haw understand a culture rhat speak< alrnnsc entrrcly in
rn~nisculc,undermines reality itself. The key for computer jargon.
ns co undcrstand
mages i n the post-wonder
N c ~ wmore t t ~ a never cr~inciclcntalrnaaic takes
that rhe Ascension W a r is nor over. In a vcry real! the Technocrat's gun, places it to her head and pulls
way, i t ' s beginning ;1l1 over again. Thc T o c h n o ~ r a c ~the trigger. Mages arc uniquuly enabled to use the
has won a very important bactle, lulting tile masses enerny'5 tooIs- [Kc natural sciences, the philosophy
Into the helief rhat sciencc is the way nf t h e furure. uf causation, cvcn the Interner - to speak more
Bur even as thc Union attempn to adapt all rhe clearly than the Union itself through these tuclls.
wtmders of which mages are capahle to technology in
'S N I G H T ~ ~?A I ~
the 2 1 s t century, they're h q i n n i n ~ro hit the firsr BISW K
fight a war for
Mages
of
the p q t - w u n d e r
bumps. The first evidence rhar man i s rejecting the
Ascensitm
on
two
f
r
~
~
n
t
~
.
technocratic paradigm may he that some elderly
pcopEc arc no longer ahlc to adapt t o the speed a t
First and forcrntlst, thnugh it may nut he scxy,
which tcrhnology is aJvancing. Sure, kids horn into rnagcs must indnctrina te the masses if the Ascension
the world today and technophlles can easily run any War is ever to ger back into Fear. This means going
kind of elecrronic device , p l u ~ p i nin~ cables and grass-routs - thinking outstde the box. Isn't t h a t
finding funcrinns on unfamiliar proqrarns that look supposed ro he where rnages are a t their I~cst?
and work similarly to what they already undcrstand.
The saying gcws that it gt~ndbook can start a
Rur jump a generation back, and
who were movement. I t ccrcainly worked for Thomas Parne,
cornplcteEy cninpctent when thc first television te+ Marx and Engeb and L, Ron Hubbard. One simple,
mote controls surfaccd are having trou hle running unglarnornus way in which mages can indoctrinate
VCRs, stand ing around cttrsing at ATMs and finding n e w believers to thcir paradigm is throuEh the use of
'that it is more difficult on a n almost hourly hasis t c ~ a l ~ r t l ccan of worms called thc World Wide Weh.

E x i ~ ~ ~ n t i I,C~~ ClI I~C Ss i11s

~ t~h a t i r e c:lnnot knl,rv lor
ccrtnin
rhasc
t
t
l
i
n
~
s
that
lie beyond our pcrccpcines in t h e mid- 181104, rhe Technocracy h:)~
struaeled t u keep rl~istcchnolo~yundcr its con- tion. At thc samc time, hc~wt.vcr,~ t ' shccn shuwn
trol. As computcrq hccamc mure prevalent :I ccnturv t h a t ntl two pcvplc pcrcci\.e a n y civcn ctfcnr in
latcr, thiq ilrcarn turned intn a nightmarc for thc prccisclv t h e samc way. Thiq hiis fiivcn rlsc t o rhc
Union. Magcs s e i ~ c dconrrnl of tE~cDig1 tnl Wch a % notirln thar m u c h of o u r experience is ~z~bjertivc,
a n expanding realitv. and Virtual A ~ l c p t strans- and chat sincc no rlnc pcrson's perceprinn can he
formed i t into a chaotic electronic plarcrrnuncl i ~ r r pmvcn a n y rnorc real th;m another, ill1 expert.
rruc.
thetr whlms. So much fi3r ~ c r f c c torder. In tht. enccs rnttlit he reIat~i-ct~
posz-\voncIt.r pcriocl, thc Tcchnrlcrars rnan;lzccl tu
Rclativisrn and su2,jc.ctiriry as e x ~ r c ~ s cindpupuseal t h e LS~gitalWcl, rhri~ught l ~ cf;>qadc of thc Ear c~mlturc h a v e wrenkei! havclc o n b ~ l t l ~
Intcrner. r h c r c c l ~ n n l t ~ ~ i cc; cl l u i v ~lcnr of the conventivnal rv~sdorn i~niSthc nnemes of society
Gauntlet. A cconsumer-fricndl~markctplacc for over the past hundred years, cvcn calling into qucsthe Syndicate's ~vhitcwashingut ~lvhalt:aticrn, r t ~ c tion thc circutnsranccs ro which pcrrplc attribute a
I n t c m c t i s largclv l7clicved 21nrmlcs~lwt h e Uniirn, c:uisal relxtionsl~ip.In simple terms, rnitnv c ~ ithe
par'ticul~rlvatter i r succeeded in trapping s t m e of wc~ricl's oldest and rntbst respectal~le i n s t ~ t t r t ~ o n s
rhe P i ~ i t a Web's
l
morr ccm~picuc\uscitixns from ( ~ c l i ~ i nscicncc,
c t c . ) purport, "If 'A' i s true ant\
n,
rcttrrnirrg to rhic reality.
'Ryj~true thcn 'C' must. fihlow." Exisrcnrinlism calls
Nonethclcss, cvcn rhc "'hnrmlcss" Inccrner can i n t o question ivhctl~crthere ever xvas an "A" ro
he urctl as a tclol t o l o ~ ~ s cthe
n grip of tllc mi~crcs' hcctn w r h and, if xi>,asks whcther anv c~fu~ can ever
foe. While thc u n ~ t l ~ h i s t ~ c a rmagc
e d rn~ghr~ u c = understand it.
cecJ unlv in drawing all thc abrunr: kind uf:ttrention
Exi*tentiaIisrn helped to break dorvn manv uf the
tcl himself or, \ttorcc, do more ~l:qrn:~gc
to thc crcd- tra~liricmnlviews uf t h e cosmos. For gorrd o r for ill,
ihilityot'theTr;zilitionr;,sav\~gm~~stics,particularlv
hcpan humans clown a lone road tnward cithcr A$forivard-thinkin!: A~lcpts,will find it caqy ro a d a p c c l l ~ i n no r Arinagcd~lon,dcpcnrl inc a n w h i m you
all manner of clcctrt~nicmedia to thcis hid~ling. ask. Itwasa sti~rnt~l~nqI~luck
fivrtl~csc~entific
method,
C)n t h e orhcr hand, a wcll-designed ctlmpilrcr t ~ u g 3 qr~ppincstnnc for rhtoreaical phvsics :tnd, most
n r wcll-executcd hack can shake rhe avcracc imporrant tcl rn;lKcs, the first p i n t of drscovcrysincc
percon's fnirh in thy infnllihlc Itght rlf thc rnonrror tht. institutional~zationof rational rhnught rhar inand any system that is dcpcnJent on sclph~stis;~tcJdicated liumans micht havc influcncr r-rvcr cvents
nctwr>rks. "Good-hyc!"
rhry thought thcy were only clhsenlinc.
Rcccnt pnlit~calattacks and attctnpt!: t ~ 3place
T h a t is w l ~ ymngcc c;ln still tlo tnagic rn an
further restrtctinn cln Internet cuntcnr are c ~ i d c n c c cnvlrclnmcnt that is i n c r ~ a s i n ~hostile
lv
t o their a r t
thar some in the Technocracy scc thc filohi~lcnm- and w h y coincidentaI m;lcic is so w r y irnpcm-anr in
purer network f ~ ivl~at
t
~t could ~ C C ( I ~ T I Cif nnt a achicving the gnalc of thc Asccn5ion W a r . Sa ivhile
new realtry for clc~.ianrslike thc V ~ r t u a Aclcpts,
l
a t rherc are not as many magcs leaping unfettered
t h r rerv least a I~otheJfor thc p r n l i k r ~ ~ l oof
n from one skyqcrapcr tcl anothcr, thcrc are still ununsafe thoup,ht. For rhc niost part, Z~owevcr,the Awakened peoplt'clirnhiny: raJ1 build i n ~ with
s their
threat of this rnt'Clii~~n
f c ~ r~ c cxyression
h
has cirhcr !>arc hands.
sliFpcc! hcloiv Tcchnocraric radar or is conc~dcrcd
I f magcs wish to restore \vondcr tr, the world a t
inconsequential.
any point in the future, it is throuEh thc cJucation
On the c~pyorirelcnrl o f the cpecrrum i s thc of thc m a w s and t h e skillful use of coinciJencal
apprcyviare application of c~inciclcntalmagic - a magic thar they must lay t h e f~lundnrinn lwlief.
mrvr dircct wily to 111~1iictr1narc
new I ~ c l ~ c v c r r ,\Vhilc s ~ i l lcapnhlc of r p u T ~ s reffects. magcs musr
crcn if not vulgar one. While fcw pri>plc h c l ~ c v u lcsm to lire bv their wirs hefore cheir will rind.
a n r b o J y can Icap t:~ll huilJines in a s i ~ ~ hot~ncl,
~lt'
ubhcn rhc time cnmcs. dr;rw Paradox only under the
coinciilcntal r n a c ~ cis a considcmhlv 11;~derrnrcct t h r c : ~ of
t certain dcach.
for the Technocracy t o cltinin:~tc.This is s o largely
Thouch their nurnher?; mnv he limitcd, mages
hecavsc of the c x i < t c n r ~rno\*cmcnt
~t
of phtlost,- still have the potuntta! c o bc ttlc ultimatc power in
phy and its all-too-rmprjrrsnt partncr, suhjcctivism. thc \VorlL1 of LSnrkncsh. If thcy usc t t zvisel~.
Eves

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c111cc

clcvcl~tpinr:t11c first illt'tercnct. t.n-

".

'I'-,

so in grancl heroic ( r w anriheratc) fashion.

Perhaps the easiest wav to alter rhe Maae setting

e this
is tcl adjust the genre of your setting. As s ~ m y l as
souhds, it can go a Iring way to coloring t h e rnoclcls
and plots cf your chronirIe. As presented, Mage lies
somewl~erehetween "reaIistic" and "cincmattc," occasionally hitting rhe "high fantasy" area. The
followinf: arc ideas an how to shift thc crnphasis
toward one polc clr the other.

High-

soc~etyparties with A-1istcelehritics, cxt~ticlocations

and exciting cornhat will prnhahly hc cclmmanrlace
as thc PCs wnrk to avert Armageddon just in rhc nick
of time. Cinematic games arc BIG. They're rhe kind

on

hlc screen (only hettur).

In Cinematic games, characters can soak l e t h a l

R~LIS~C

the things anyone else zn his profcsslc>n dnes.

For Realisric games, characters cannot soak !ethal or aggravarcd damage wirhnur the use of Life
magic. M a ~ i ?;ho111J
c
fticus heavily om extendcd ritu31s (usually perfilrmell in a character's sancrum) and

a t e Merit for frcc.

HIGH~

In a High Fantasy garnr., limits pretty much go

out the windolv. Players
to Hell and hack,

Castinr
much hardpr ( + 2 or hither to difficulry), ifnt)t irnpossihle. Any characrer who plans to
carrv a flrcarm around should pri~hahlyhe required to
have the Certification backarilund ( 5 The
~
Bitter
Road). S t c ~ r y t e l l e rwhn
~ use Merits and Flaws may
also wish ro limit w h i c h Merits and Flaws are considered ncceptahle.

,.haracran leadarm

I.

battle the Prince

ing it has a face) OT alter t h vcry
~ course of human
history. The sky is thu limit here. Anything from
World War 111to an cpic ctlsmic battle to prevent the
CmfmATc
destruction
of the multiverse is fair game.
In a Cinematic setting, the characters are a c r i o n
In High Fantasy gatnes, charactcrs may w may

spiracics, crime

lord5 and terrc,rist4

as 3

~ i m e s s e s treat
,
all effects as coincidental. Smrytcll-

matrcr of

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@PTIBNAL RULE:EXTRAS

Extras Roll Initiative as a Group: Rather

than roll Initiative for each Extra, the Storyteller
rolls a single lnitiative die for the entire group and
adds it to the group's Base Initiative. At thc.
'
Stc~ryteller'sdiscretion, large ~ r o u p of
s Extras (six
or more) may he broken up into srnal ler groups ( o f
three or four), each with its own Initiative die.
Extras Don't Need Full Stats: Extras are
these to fight and don't need a complete character
sheet do it. ~h~ folluwing can give you a tnugil
idea of the stars different opponents might possess.
Weak Opponents
In Cinematic games, these characters are callcd
~
i 7huEs,
~ strEct
~
d~
~A~~~~~~ [ , h~
Extras (or "Mook~"- see also Chaprer Three).
Rase Initiative: 4, four dice in any rulevant
T h e rules for these characters are designed to allon1
Tnols,~
~3
l
l
rapid, exciting comhat between the player characCompetent Opponents
sera and any numher of Extras.
Professional Legbreakers, Trained Bodyguards,
Extras Havc Only Four HcilEthLcveTs: Extras
Men in Black
l~avefour health levels (hcaltby, hurt -1, wounded
Rase Initiative: 5, five dice in any relevant
-2, crippled -5). If knocked below Incapacitand
cornhat
pools, Wilipr~wcr4
by 'hash~ngdamage, thc Exrra is unconscious; if
Elite
Opponents
knocked helow Incapacitated hy LthaE or aggraProfessional
Assassins, SWATTeams, Trained r
vared damage, the Extra is instantly killed.
Mercenaries
Extras Don't Havc Specialrics: Extras lack
B~SC
Initiative: 6, six dice in any relevant
declication necessary to specialize in a chosen
combat pools, Willpower 6
{ield the way player characters can.

Whcn using Cinematic or High Fantasy games,

Storytellers may find it useful f o r the tone and
mood ifcharacters don't get bogged down in gritty,
life-or-death struRRIesevery time they have to
Fight someone, especialFy nameless, exrendable
anragoni~tswhose sole purpose ir to lose a fight and
makd the heroes look p o d . Tense, drawndout fiRhts
are best saved for the really important anragon~stc.
[ n i p Montoya can cur down palace guards 'ti1 the
C ~ W S
c r m c hnmc and nor hrrak s swrar. lr's not
until hu faces Count Rugcn that his Iifc is rcally in

css may clc5irc t o iy1-c c1i:lr:nctcrs :~cJci~r

10n:4lJots to
spend on Sphcres. 9s well as un suitable RackgruuncIs

such as Avatar, Blessing, Destiny and Wonder. An-

Magic has heen around f o r as long as

human beings have had the ability m

imagine and reason. Although mosr of

the Traditions are less than a rnillcnnium ulJ, their roots g~7hack scvcrai
thousand years. Every age has its alliantes of willwurkcrs, and a reastln always

th

~ nlike
r ~risete, Sphcrcs and I'X~CTI 11~1Il~ocvcr.
Stnrytellers who use Mcrits ancl Flaw5 may wish ta
provide char:~czcrs with additional freebie points

Rome or t l ~ eWild W C Sshould

~
he like, then hy all
means usc it. This c h ~ p t eirs meant to sov vide idcas,
not limitations.

PREHTST~RY

Magic and willworking is far, far nldcr rhan

ri t~ializedmagic syscems. Mystics and warriors have
exists for a group of m a w tcj work always heen around to dcal w i t h the hidden world of
tngerher. T h e f o I l o w i n ~rerresent only spirits and rnonsccrs. The Stone Age undouhtcclly
a satnpl~ngof pt~ssiblchistoricaI s e t t i n ~ for
s a Mage saw the firsF wi]lworkers, The lack of such things 35
chronicle. I t is hy no mcans meant tcl he exhausr~re, written language, metalwarking.
scinor is it the final word on whar a Mage chronicle set cncP naturallylimit pclssihlr.
h u t dlcrets
durina thcsc ~cric)dsmight he like. if' you have your still a wide variety c>E potential magical styles in
own vision of w h a t rhc uriIlworkcrs of Ancient such a setting. Shnmanicm
s p i r ~ tmagic arc, of

~
~

animal's strungths and abilities in exchange for thc

proper sacrificcs. Somc cven learn to take on the

Werewolf: The Apocalypse may wish ro adapt the

systcm of G~ftsfor use as a magic system, with each

form of the spirit an~lnalsrhcv channel. Herbalists, mysrical ciffcct having to lie learncd individually
llealers and seers learn how to create powerful concoctions out of rclots, herbs and other sacred
mareriaIs. The first artificers learn the secrets of

from the spirirs.

THEG L ~ R Y R e m ~

and thc shifting of thc moon.

--

Animism: Original rum at^ hclic.f+ wcrc vcrv marc r r t i n e ~ lmysteries. Or1 the other hand, thcir
animisr in narttre, and thts outlook continues to mapic may be just as potent as anyone clw's [perhaps
inilucncc parts of rhc culct~rewell into thu Imperial morc so, given that there's Iittlc chance of ir ever
pcric>d. All things, living and dead, are inhahtrecl, hy being v111~:ir).
numino, u r spirits. Every building, every
every
m Eastern Mystery Cults: As Roman power
weapon, cvery aspect of nature has itsntdmen. House- expands and trnde brings clifferent culrurcs into crinh o l ~ lshrines honor those numina who guard r l ~ e tact witheach other, s c v e r ~religions
l
and cult,'F frnm
family lands and inhabit areas ni the humc. Each Grccce, Egypr and Asia are expclrtcd throughout thc
fanlily has its own numcn, called a ~ e n i u s ,which empirc. T h e Romans eagerly adapt Greck cusmms in
restrlcs in thc eldest malc of the householtl. The an effurt ro bccurnc morc civilized (rhe Greeks ncirer
honoring ofone's ancesrors i s an act of respect to thc seem t o get past vicwing the Romans as upstart
family genius. Even the Rdrnan gods are simply Rrcat wannabes, which is partially responsi'hle for the emand powerfi~lnumtna. Jupirer is the numen of the pire splitting In two at scveral p i n t s ) . This Icads to
hcavcns ancl the storm';, J u n c ~of the night sky and of several Grcck culrli spreallinn into Italy, Gaul and
wclmcn, Vulcan tlffire and volcanoes. Certatn ephem- elsewhere. Among them are the Bacchantes, woreral quaZicies alsci have their own numina, such as shipers nf Dionysus, god of wine, fertiIity and madncss,
Fortma (luck) and Vcritus (truth). A Rnrnan ani- WIIOSC rituals rangc from drunken nrgics to claborare
mist magc can work powerful effects bv calling upon c c r e r n ~ ~ n i ~ncorporating
es
Greek-style plays. Female
thu numen associated wirh whar hc wishes t o effect. Dionysian cult+, callcd Maenads, evcn engage in
The Etruscan Arts: T h e original rulers of rititalizeil rnurcler. Orphic cults, such as the Eleus~nian
Rome (until thc Lat~nsrevolted and in tun1 con- Mystcrics, also find t l ~ e t rw9p across the empire.
qumrd thcrn), the Etruscans had a rather scrrrnl: l~ionysianrnagesrypically favor Life, Mind andTitnc
Cascinariun with thc afterlife. They devoted ;I great cffccts, whiIe Orp111c mnges tend to focus un Entropy
and Spirit magics.
deal of time and effort tmvnrd appeasing the s p ~ r i t of
s
the dead (who ~f displcasecl w v ~ ~ l d h n urhr
nt livin~ar
Anothcr mystery reltaian impc~rtedfrom the
even crawl o u t of thcir graves), resulting in a t h m - Grccks was t h a t uf Hermes-Trismcgistus, a synough knowledge ol spirttualisln and n e c r o m ~ n t i c cretic deity created hy merging EIerrnes with the
rituals. I n addition, the arts of divinatinn were also Egyptian ecid T h o t h ( b o t l ~WCTL' ~ C ) C ~of
S magic and
ascribed to the Etruscans. Rnrnan divinetion tvpi- learning}. Thc Romans simply merged Hcrmcs with
callv focuses on rhe inrcrprcting of onlens (the rhcir god of travelers and merchants, Mercurv. Ry
activities of birds and orllcr animals, as well as thc rhe start of the Roman empire, thc Thricc-Grefit
actions and activities of inctividual people), astrnl- Hermcs' filllowt.rs have fi~rmeda com~nuniryof
ogy and the exmnination o i cntsails from ritually rntcllectuals and mystical philosoyhers dcvoltcd to
slaughtered animal?. Roman diviners range from the study of riti~alizedrnaglc. Cu It members somecnmnlnn street ruagicla113 to I l ~ q i e r ~ aaJr.i*.ors
l
itnJ rime vasv in rheir apprrlnch t ~ rhe
r
magic arch. S(lrnt.
are capable crf wielding :I pot~redulinfluence over dclve I n t o the ancient magic?;of Egypt and Rahylon,
lncal societv. The E t n ~ s c n nArts foci~sprimnri l y on while uthcrs focus nn more temporal pnwcr. Scvcral
Enttopv, Spirit and Time magic.
rnercl~antguilds are also Mercury cults, often fi>cusStreet Magicians: E k l n ~out a living rhrnugh- ing theis magical rituals on the areas at+finance,
travel and political influence.
c u t the cities and towns uC the Empire are an cclcctic
cvllcction of folk wizarrls, wise wotnen and sorccrersEmpr1an cults also pmve popular, with some
for-hirc who sell their craft to atlynne mecrtnr their evcn finding their way into thc Koman Republic.
prices. These srreut m a ~ i c i a n spractice a variery of The most famous i s the cu1t of Isic. Originally urormystic arts, inclttding divlnarion, weather magic, shiFFcd hy the Egyptians as a gcdcless of magrc and
numina appcascment and hcrhalism. Strt'ct magi- rhc mother uf Egyptian civiEization, t h e Grccks cucians alsti trade in curscs and good-luck charms, opted lsia (her Egyyrian name i s Esct) ancl hcgan
offering to twist and tweak the attcntions uf Furtuna a~sociatingher wirh Hcra, Demeter and Aphrodite.
fnr rhcir clients. Snme even hnrsnw the trappings of H ~ r ethe c u l t Jivergcs into keveral hranchcs. Sumc
assl3rted mystery cults. Srorytrllrrr may, ~ f r h e vwish, emphasize Isis 3 s a fcrtiliry guddecs, focusing on Lift
restrict strcct magicians to the pnwcrs o f SCITCPT)',
rnapics. O r h r r sects incorporate the gad Osiris into
l e a v i n ~tthc arr of the Spheres to those who Jeal with thetr tcachings, hccominE underworld cults who fo@

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ence ur even hecume prol;titution cults (both focusing

on M ~ n dmagic). A few may even hold rnce to Isis'

Collcgium - rend toward the vulgar, although

more subtle applications o f cnltghzened medicine,
cnginccring and reasoning are cuincidcntal.
Infernalism: RI ack magic iseternal, and Rome

is yuite pclplllar with its celebratory orgies. As a s i p

of devr~tiun,Cyhele's priests oiten sastratc thctnselves in order to emulate the goddess's lost consort,
Artis. The worship nf Mithras, an ancient Middle
Eastern cod of war, fire and the morning sun, was
spread into Asia Minor and the Middle East hy the

slaws. Srorytellerrj familiar with Vampire: The

Masquerade may know ofrhe dark legacy attriburcd
to C i l r t l ~ aThis
~ ~ . legacy may or may not be true in
y o u r pamc Ithis is Mage, after all, not Vampire). If
i t is truc, inkrnalisrs who survived the city's fall
may have s e t up new cults in Iberia, Grucce or

pers are Iegionn.aires attracted to the ideals of martial

hrorhrrhood ( n o women allowed). Mirhras' ahilitv
to protcct fiishIlowcrs from evil sorcery and magic i5
also appcnling. Awakcncd followers of Mithras frequently ~ O C I I F vn F O ~ C P~S n dPrime, and are often
quite skilled a t countermagic.
Christianity: Originally a facticln of Judaism,

hlotldy forms of rnag~c,r e y u ~ r i n anumerous human

sacrjfiecs. T l ~ writer
c
H.P. Lovecrnfsc~~nnected
thc
eoddess Cyhele with his elder
Shuh-Niggurath.
Perhaps lzer cult is really a front for one of t h c
earlier Ncphandi scccs. Sce The Book of Madness

tuuched hy the HoIy Spirit, just as t h c original

Apostles were Jurlnfi Penrecost.

spiritual rlr historical descendants. Gruups such as

the Order of Hermes. Icerativn X and the C u l t of

Archimcdcs, Pythagorasand Imhutep, Severalscc r e t i v c acadcnlies cxlst ro reach these secrets tll

from more informarion on m t d e r n bctinns that

trice their rnots to this period. In addition, Dead

cus on Spirit magic. Others orient on political influ-

for tnorc ideas on infcrnalism.

Readers may nore t h a t , c~iitsicle o f the Cul-

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StmilaracademicsexistinGreece,E~yptandGaul. rerial on the Etruscans.

These sacrcd arts - called Ars Przclartls hy the

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The madness of Emperors like CaliguIa and

Nerunearly drove the empire incv ruin. It was aftcr
Nero" death rhat a group of enliyhrened sages put
into motion a plan to stabilize thc throne and see
ro it that the ernpirc would aiways prospcr. By the
year 852 Ah Urhe Condita (After thc FoullunJatirm
rrf the City; AD 98), they wcrc ready. The new
emperor. Trajan, was thcir hand-picked candidate,
for his new role. Thanks ti) Hippncratic
medicine, Tralan llvsd a long and hunlzhy life, and
under his leade~shipthe empirc was strcnerhened
and transformed. The Collegium Przcepri grew
and prospered. The wnrshipcrlMirhraswas cnctruraged among the Icgions. Tradc flc>uris21cdand the
empire grew. Each Emperor frlllrwing Trajnn was
also selecred and trained, allou~inerhe crnpire to
continue its scal~legrowth.
The ycar is now 1493 AUC (ahout AD 740).
The Germans and Cclts are long conquered and
Romanized. The Persians havc been absorbed, as
has the Gupca Empire in India. Few armies can
stand against Roman cannons, pneumaric hallisrae
and nuskers. Once conquered, nctv suhjecrs are
offered c i tizenship provided they ndopt Roman
1 language and cusrtlms. Srcamwagons carry goc~ds
throtrghaut thc empire, traveling cnncretc roads
that stretch to t h e ctlrncrs i ~ the
f civilizetl world.
Roman steamships circle Africa and cross thc At.!antic, traveling to India and the colonics in
Atlantis (the Americas). Rorna, with her pneumatic subways, towerlng concrctr buildings and
cuiturally diverse population, is the city hy which
311 othcrs are judged. n ~ i iss a civiltzecl ancl nrderlv
empire. The cltrc arc. well educated; the crjmrnon
people know thcir place.
Rehind all of this stands the secret socicty
k n o w n as t h c P:FX R o r n a n a . E n l i g h t e n c r I
willworkers devotcd to the preservation of thc
peace and stahillty of Rome, they haw spcnt
1 hunJreds nf years shcyhurding the empirc. It IS
imder their guidance t h a t philosophy and Icarning have pruspered. The Colleeium Przccyci
1 oversees thc advancement of e n ~ i n u e s i n
and
~ Ars
Prxcepti. Its members design and forge the weapons and to(11~that allow thc crnpire tcl grow, and
design t h e wonders rhar makc irs cirier rhe envy o f
the known world. The Circle of Hippncrates sees to
the health of the ernpirc's citizens. Alchemical
p n t i o n s halancc the hody's humors, leading to

long Iife and ~ O C ~ health.

L!
Similar potions see tn
thc health uf animaIs and crops, making it possible to fced Rome's population. T h e Mithrair
Guard i s the Pax Romana's military arm. T l ~ r o u g h
t h e cult of Mirhras, it influcnccs the empire's
legitins and helps keep it safc from witchcraft anrl
other deviltry. Thc Ul_vssran Guild travels t h c
oceans in mighty stc;lmships, seeking new lands
for cnnyucsc and colonization. The merchant
houses of thc C u l t of Mercurv see tn the empire's
financial wcll bcing. Massive ritual?, focusecl
through thc system of roads, help bind t h e ernpirc
together. The Watchers of Fortune pracrice thu
Etruscan Arts a t rhe hel~estof the Pax Romann
and the Ernp~re.They w a t c h ancl interpret omens
and read the fate of rhe Empire in chc st;lrs and i n
enrra ils, cpntrinfi horh rlangcrs and oppnrtunities
t h a t lie on the horizon. Born out of the cult of
Vesra, the Keepers of the Sacred Flame are R o m e ' ~
spiritual guardians. As part of thcir duties to
ensurc that thc numina are appeased, they act a<
I m p e r ~ a Ispies, secret policc and assassins. After
all, what are carruption and rebellion if n o t acts
of disrespect toward thc Imprrial Genius.
The r a x Rnmana has created a Weh o f Law,
hinding the empire and its h m t h e r l ~ o o dtightly
together. T h e Weh ties its sacred temples cugether,
allow in^ them to sharc harh mysrical energy and
cnmmunications. At thc center of this grcat web
sit thc subtle meml~ersof thc Pax Romana's Inner
Circle. Memhership in thc Inner Circle is hy invic ~ r i o nonly and rcyulrcs initiation intn rhc secret
rnycteriec 13f Khwaia al-Akhar.
As Roman hegcmnny threatens to engulf thcworld, scveral mystical societies atrcmpt: rn fight
hack. Thcy rcalizc that their magical styles ancl
philocophics will Jic o u t if the Roman juggernaut
i~ left unchcckcd. Slowly, and with great cfforr, an
alliancc of w~lIwnrkerskr~ownas the Council ot
Nine Mystic Trad irinns is formed. The Celtic Aided.
last heirs co wisdom of the druids. Thc VaIdaermen,
Nr~rscandGermanic runecrafters.Tht.Chnkmavanti,
Htndu healer5 and holy warriors. a h c Tafthni, thc
P r r \ i ~ nmaqtcrs of the djinn. The Messianic Voices,
members of thc o u tlarved and undergmund Church
uf Christ. Greece p~oduceshorh the mystic philosoyhcrs and seers of heCuIt of Bacchus and the
necromantic mystics of the P o m e ~ n n a t eDerne.
Leadrng rhis alliance are che Order of Hermes-

Trismcgistur and the ChrIdren of Isis, twin heirs to

The Other Side of the Coin
thc mystical lore of Egypt and Greece.
Affairs in China are Jeliherately left vague in
This setting takes the beg inn in^ of the As- this setting su char Stnrytellers may custornizt:
cension War and moves i t forward t n the Roman things tto thcir liking. Chinese history may havc
Empirc. The Pax Rornana replaces the Ordcr of heen left unaltered k7y events in the west. Ifso, then
Reason, and the Council of Nine includes a very the T'sang Dynascy is growing crinupt and will
different rosrer. Beyond this, concepts remain soon hc in a period of rehellion and war. On the
the same. Sturytellers interested in this setting orher hand, the Wu Lung may havc mirnickcd the
>hnuld find Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade t o be Pax Romana's succcss. Fcrhaps during the ll-rrec
very useful, Haw this Ascension War plays u u r Kingdoms period the Dragon Wizards groorncd
shou Id depend largely un t h e player characters' their owncandidate for the throne. Under thisnew
actions. Chronicles in t h i s scttinfi can take many dynasty, various Chinese artificer wets have heen
forms. Characters can be members of t h e C u u n - a bsorhed into the Wu Lung and Legalism has comc
ctl of Nine workinr t o preserve t h e i r c u l t ~ ~ r e shack inco Fashion. Under a strict Icgalisr
and hcltefs o r they can he agents of thc Pax meritocracy, Korea, Viccnan, Tiher and Mongolia
Rornana dedicated ro prcscrving the cafety and have been suhlugated and the Lung Dynasty workr
sccuricy of rhc Roman Empire. Alternarively, to huiId a war machine to rival or surpass that of the
the characters may bc from some third party, Roman barhar~ans.In such a sctting, thc Akashic
such as a n alliance of North American medicine Brnthcrhorrd may he forced co form its own Counworkers, a group uf Incan priests or a collection c i l with other Middle Kingdom factions.
d Russian mystics try in^ t o prevenr thcir home
nations from he in^: conquered.

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THETHREE
~ G

D B ~ S

tt.11 ro thc M i n ~ s r n rur nvr. Finally, Str~ryrellcrs

may
decidc to usc the Scourge system from Mage: The
those
Sorcerers Crusade, with
mPrcr who "dlL,ld rhe traditio,lal chinere

~ i c the
h c n l l ~ ~ of
s c the HXI Dynasty, China
enters the Thrcc Kingdoms pcriod. This is a rime of
romance and heroism, in which struggles to rcunitc anil
rhosc who arc
the empire play out bcsidc stories of fatnily dramil.
Whcthcr rhe charnctrrs engage in lerendary hartles,
dive headfirst into the realn~aof political treachery
The story of King Arthur and his ancient kineor simply struggle to ~ u i d eand prclrecc their famillcs
clom i s more myth than fact, hur that in no way
during these interesting times. what rhey do is the
tlcrracts from its ability to play host to ;I Mage
stuff of epic storyteIlin5 They arc cxcrnplars of Chichronicle. Countless books have been written ahout
nese virtues. Martial anid civic skill. Personal fidelity
Camclot and its legend (Green Knight Publishing
and filial piery. Even political rurhlcssness.
even makcs a complctc roleplayin: game a b v i ~ tit
Even Awakener1 mcictv is not immune to thesc calleJ King Arthtrr Pendragon), and those who know
interesting rimes. For the first time since i2in
forwad
and hackward sl,cruld haveno
Shihuang unired them in 221 BC, the Wu Lung ~ i o
trouble adapting it to Mage. C)n the other hand, crne
not have a single emperor under which t o scrvc. The can easily adapt Camclr~tto fit with Mage razher
" ' ~ ~ n Wi"r"
dlsarra~.
members than vice vena. The folluwinr: presents possiblu
attclnpting to recstahlish separatc Ministries of W~rrks
vcrsir7ns of Camelot, each bawd (in a different
under ~ I I C Wci, WUanrl Shu Kingdoms. Each faction faction's paradiEm. Tlsc first thrcc arc based on rhe
helieves its chosen kingJim should found China's three predaminanr
Traditions
next dynasty, and whar hegins as a war of words narc with stmc of thc more mainstream theories and
rapidly escalates into cutthroat political,martial and
inturpretatir)ns clf the Camelnt legencl. The fuurth is
magical batcles. As the 13ra~nnWizards s y u ~ l ~ hand
le
a change uf pace huilt arounri the Technucracy'~
fight, other mages attempt to use the sittlatinn to
predecessor. The final two arc the product nf rhc
their uwn a d r a n t a ~ e T
. h e Aksshic Shi Rm try ro
own raped mind.
play trhc Wu Lung iact ions against each uthrr in the
Celestial
Chorus: Here Camelot is a Celtic
hope of regaining rhc influcncc tllcir ancestors lclst
Christian kingdi3m. Arthur and his knights are deduring rhe Warril~gStates era. Tauist swordsrncn
vorcd servants of G t d , with their legendary srrcngrh
wanclcr the land, sccklng spirittlal and mystical refinemenr through the c11alPenge of cumhat, while and skill of arms flowing from their faich. Tl-te ~ i & ' s
animist pricsts and shamans I ~ a t t t eagainst rhe roEtle advisor, Merlin, 14 a priest anJ I~olyman. Ifhe seems
spirits and demons who seek dark amusementsduring odd, psrl~apsit is hcsause he hails from rhc lands nf
the dying Roman Empire (Rvzantiurn or Egypt).
this chaotic time. Even the Taoist sorcerers w h c ~lead
Characters in this setting are miracle workers, and
the remains of the Yellow Turbans wait for the
oppurtunity to t r y to reestablish rheir Tauist utopias. whcther they hc knights, priects, notrIeu~omenur
even virtuous peasants, their supernatural powers are
With the Ministry uf Works in confusiun, the
of
louclled hv GL,d
laws of magic are up in
air. ~ o r m a l l y any
, ma:.
( Awakcncd). The pnwer nf thcir faith cn;~hlesthem
who rcgistcrs with the Ministry finds his willworking
ro defend Camelot from the savage Picts, rhe hcaconsensual, regardless of 111s paradigm, and rhosc
then Saxons and even the demonic forccs of thc
who refi~rero register find their magics always to he
Morgnnn.
vulgar. But the Storyteller has several opriuns. One
m Order of Hermes: Fur t h e Herrnetics. Artorius
is t h a t any character who registers n i r h anv of the
three rival Ministries has fulL~lledhis obligations to is a Rnmanized Rrir~inand an initiate of the Cult of
Heaven anJ finds his magic coinciJencs1. C3r perhaps Mcrcury. He surrounds hi~nselfwith felIow cultists,
a character finds his rnagrc ctlincid~ntalonly within all vcterans of rhc Icgions or descended from the
rhc kingdom whilsc Mlnistv hc l ~ a ssuhmitrcd to. families of former officers and ncrblernen. Mcrlin is a
Alternatively. Heaven may recognize none of thc powcrfill Hermetic magus, responsible f ~ j ir n i t i a t i n ~
Mlnistr~es,resuIting in all magic lleinc vulpar. A Artorius (as well a s h i s father hefcire him) into the
fourth option is that, in this tirnc o f c l ~ a ~ lnn
s , magic tnystcries of Thi~th,Mcrmcs and Mercury (Storytellis vulcar, regardless of wl~cthcrthe magc has .suhrnit- ers may even have "Mcrlin" he Merinita, fc~rure

Cm&@T

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pcllirical rcftsrrncrs), thc Explorators (sailors, traders a n d m i s s i o n a r i e s ) a n d t h e H i g h Guild

(merchanrs,
and p r r u n s ofrhe sciences).
This Order of Rcasm bepins a crusade
magicians

Dark
nnc of the
perids for a Mage chronicle,
d i m m i n gof
the Myrhic Age, when magic still spvke of raw might
and power hut WAS incrcasin~lyheing pushed to the
In respnnse ru thesc attacks. mystical faction<
rnarrins of rile worIcl hy rhe Church. Rather than
from around che world m i t e to fnrm rhe Ui>l~ncil
nf
provide you wlth a short list of ideas for such B rich
Nine
Mystical Traditions. The Cauncil's early si~ca whole book for it. Dark
period, we've
cesses inspire hope, hut i t is only fleet in^. A mc~nher
Ages: Mage presents a completc setting for playing
nf thc Council's First Cahal hetrays the vther memearly 13"1-centun.willworkcrs, each with hit own
hers Itn the Ordcr of Rcason (thmc cvcnts arc fully
uniyuc (non-Sphere) magics.
detailed in The Fragile Path: Testaments of the
In this time, ancient, fragmented traditions he- First Cab.rl).The TraitoT.s own
the
gin tn coalcscc, to stand tugether against the waning Solificatr alchemist5 gubld, quickly collapses in on
of che Old Wayr, Thcse Mystic Fellnwships hint at
itself. T h e Council will not he whole again for anthe Nine Mystic Traditions to come. From the Order
four hundreil
of Hermcs, t h c Messianic Voices and Ahl-i-Batin ro
Mage chronicles set during this pcriod offer
thc Old Faith, thc Spirit-Talkers and Valdaerrncn,
both players and Storytellers npportunitics t o shape
there w izards starch the forgotten curners of rhc
1
the face of t h e Ascension War, While Mage: The
wt>rlclfor lost sccrets t h a t may cmpower them to push
Sorcerers Crusade deals primarily with the period
hack tE~cweight of a monolirhic worlclv~ewwith no
after the Conventions and Traditinns have hcen
room for supernatural wonders.
formcd, your own chronicle need not he 5o limited.
Players can rake the roles of faction founders, either
as rhe likcs of Nightsi1ade, Shzar and Star-of-Eagles
(nr their Order of Reason counterparts) cjr as mcmThc cham and destruction resulting from t h e hers o f thc dclcgarions who attend the Conventic~n
Order r ~Hcrmes'
f
Massassa War against the vampiric of t h e W h i t e Tower, t h e first and sccond M i s t r i d ~ c
Hc>useTrcmcre, the heginning of the Inquisition and Convocations, and the Grand Convocation n t Horhc Rlack LJeatb eventually inspires onc group of rimn. Players a d Sturytclkrs ,nay even enjoy rile
magcs to take acticm. Fur every action, there is a n idea o f their own characters raking the places of che
inevitahlc r c x t i o n . Thus begins the Ascension War. hismrical founders. One could easily huild an entire
M a p : The Sorcerers crusade
covers this time Tradition chronicle around rhe characters1 first
~ wurld to bring ,
in great detail. The hisrory sections of Guide meeting a t Mistridgc, t r a v e l ~ nthe
representatives
to
the
second
Convucatlon,
harto the Technocracyand Guide to the Traditions
also discus$ this era. For those w h o clo not possess t ! i n ~t h e Order of Reason a t Mistridgo, helping to
Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade,consider the follow- huild Horizon and the political maneuverings of t h ~
Grand Cunvocstiun. Once thar is done, the chancing t o hc a hrief p r ~ m e r .
rers can~become
cabals.
lf ,
1325 rhe~
~
inspired
~
by
f [heir~early ~
~nnr af~the first
, Tradition
~
~
the
characrers
actually
are
the
Tradiriun
fr)undcn
rhe orderof H
~ form ~en
~
~
,
vicrories
iphrcncd ph iloqolrhers ""d leaders* they may wish mcrcatc new characters
a 11 iance c>f artificers and
~ r c t i n n s repre- f h i a
each k i n I i
sh r a r
from
E~~~~~ (as
rs
'J
the Middle East, China and Mali). Included 3s a Mentor). A l t e m a r i v e l ~if the ~ l a ~ ePortray
dulcparions. perhaps the
rllir alliance are [he ~
~
~
i
f
i mernherr
~
~ o f the
~ founders'
~
and alc-,cmists), rhc cabal
~
h (crth(,l
~ ir hnly
~ warrinis~ andhpriesrs),
~
Ctlesrial M a s ~ c (astronurners,
r~
astrologers a n d
makers), rhe Corlans (doctors, surgeons, and
alists), the Craftmasuns (architects, rcachcrs and Fi'" cabal

THE~ C

~ S IW
@A
NR ~

(1325-1478)

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W H A T ~ I G K HAVE
T
&N:

Somc sccts strive to ctnhoclv t I ~ virtucs

c
of Hinduism, becoming divine champions of their faith.
Othcrs filcus nn living in harmony with thedharrna
of t h e universe Isomet~rnesreferred to as the
Grudgingly accepted, t h ~ Cuuncil
s
remains stable Grcar Wheel) or on cornplcrc withdrawal from
for the next fivc hundred years, surviving evcn t l ~ c the material world. Many Inasrcr chc secrets of
Life and Mind magic, harnessing the Spheres for
fa11 of one Traditirrn.
Frnm Europc comes the Order of the Three use in war, hcating and self-ccmtroI.
Expanded hy the Wu Lung to bring all mages of
Circles. T h e Tradi~iimhases much of irs willwclrking
on the common ground of ritual magic, including Asia under their cnliehtened influence, the MinisHermetic hzch magic, Christian KaMalism and try of Works ?[rives to prewrve the orcler of All
Pagan-based mystic rites. 0rgani:l.J tnuch like an T11inr;rs Under Heaven. Irs rnagicsl1 paradi~rnfoancicnt mystcrv ccrlr, many nf the Order's chantries ruse> on thc cnnccpts of celestial order and the
r f place within t h c T c n Thnuhavc a religious focus and often use fronts such as u n d c r ~ t a n d i n ~ rone's
Wiccan covens, Masonic lodgcs and monastic re- sand ThinRs.Ry mastering thosc skills necessary to
I treats to recruit ncw initiates. The greater thc adv;tnce wirhin the Magic Rureaucracy, one gains
levels t ~ thc
f
Sacrc~fMysteries that are revealcd ro a grcarcr undcrstancling c~f130th his pfacr and thc
a n CMcr rnemher, thr greater the mvstica? power place of utherr within the Celestial Hierarchy.
shc lcarns to tmtrt'rl. The Order has clashed w t d ~ From this un~ferstanrlingcumcs the power (and
several ot the other Traditions over the centuries, rcspnnsihility) of heing ahlc to command and orgac
Thousand Things. Events of thc pasr
especially during rhc peric~dsuf European colonial- nize t l ~ Ten
century havc not been kind to the Ministrv of
ism. Claiming rhat their jurisdiction i ~ c Ellropean
r
affairs gnve them t h e mandate ro move inti1 any Wi~rks,and some within the Cr~uncilfear t h a t the
area Eumpeans had settled, mcmhers of the Orders Tradition may he in danger of collapse.
ircated chantrics all over thc world.
Originally centered in thc Inca Empire, memThe lVcb of Faith represents the Middle Enst. bers of thc Cathedral of [he Sun scc thernsclves as
Built around rhc. Ahlai-Ratin, the Weh of Faitlz thc spiritual guides and guardians of the South
avoids much of the wc~tstof t l ~ cAscension War American people. Originally known as the Temple
until the aftermath nf thc Great War. The Web is nf the Sun, thc Tradition has taken on stronc
almost torn asundcr as the Ahl-i-Ratin move t r ~ Carhslic overtones during the past few centuries.
lcave the Council. Others within t h c Tradition Their willworking i s sccn as a hu1y carling and a
convince the Batini rhar their h t e lies with the direct nucprowth of their faith. Spirit magic is
Council and nor apart from zt. Memhcrs of t h e often a pritnary frlcus, includtng exorcism, spirituR'eh hrlieve that mystical knnwledEe cornec from alism and the surnrnnning nf anerls.
n greater understanding of both the Word of
Replacing the fallen B r o t h e r h o ~ xof
l d ~ Jage
Allah, as dictated in the Qur'an, and of thc wtjrld uar, t h e Rata'a is t h e youngest Tradition. Its
,4Ihah has crcarcd, including rhc spis~tual,wotld of magic draws upan Voudoun and other syncretisthe Umhta. Ciirrespandence and Prime magics tic faiths fo~rndin the Caribbean and surrounding
are very ctmmon, and the Tsaclition has even areas. Each rnemhcr of the T r a d ~ r i o nhas a pashared i t s secrets of tying wadespread chantries tron Loa ( h e r Avatar) w h o POSSCSSCS chc mage
together, allowing t h e m to sharc the lnvsrical and qranrs hcr a portion ot irs power. Rata'a
power drawn from nodes.
frequently I~ecomedecply marained in thcir cornRepresenting Inciia i s the Asthikn. Creatccl to nsunities, either as spiritual advisors clr sccrct
preserve Ind I a's mysrical hcritagt fro111 nutsidc masters, and many havc esrahlishcd chantries in
invasion, the Relievers arc an alliancc of holy North Arncrica c i t ~ e s .
t men,warriors, hcalers and mystics. Asrhika magic
The L o d ~ ruf the Gray Squ~ri-el,an alliancc of
tncuses on t h e artainmcno of a divine state. I l u w medicine workers, ~incerepresented the Awakthis i s accomplished varics within the Tradition. ened of North America. Whittled Jnwn hy discasc
When the Council i s formed, nunierous pro~ o s a l son the makeup of the Traditions are put
forrh, One of these is t l ~ corganization of the Nine
Traditions along geographic and cultural lines.

I
I

nenr wirh unli2:linr ,rccunir. Llkz rhr. LUJKP-J

up Ily crthcr TrsJiticms. Totlay the Lodge f ~ ~ c u son
c s t h c Gray Squirrel, the Dreamsingers were battcred
the c~lntinent'sAmerican Indian pnpulatinn, hoth and nl~nnstbroken hy Eumpean colonialism. They
on gavcrnmcnr rcscrvations a n d in urban areas. work tit protect and revitalize their culture and to
L o d ~ crncmhers believe themselves to have hecn keep the sacred songs from passing into oblivion so
called hv the spirits, performmg ~ h u i ~r i l l w n r k i n ~t h a t the rvorld will nnr come to a n end.
by calling upon and comrnantfit~gor hatpining
Storytellers rvho wish to uce this ser of alcerna.
with the spirits that reside within :111 things. Some rive Trad~tionsin their chronicle will find hooks
within the Lrrdgc advocate leaving thc Council, such as Guide to the Traditions, Dragons of the
seeing many of the ocher Tradit~onsas Iitrle better East, Dead Magic. Dead Magic 2 and Sorcerer to
than evll sorcerers.
be useful.
I
T h e Sons of Zimhahule trace their routs to t h e
This represents only one of hundreds of pose
.African city of Great Zlmhahwe. The Tradition is sihlc alternative Traditions. Storytcllcrs could
divrded hetween urhan and rural anemhers, with change only a single Tradirion, such as replacing
the former focusing on politics, scholnrsh ip and the Akashic Rrorhcrhood with the Wu Lung, or
ritual magic and thc latter focusing on healing, having t21e Ngclma nr Taftani take the place of the
local hisccq and sprritualvim. Both factions sec Stllifrcati. Another possihi tity is that thcrc never
themselves as having a duty to learn as much as was an Order of Reason. By t h c time t h e Technopossihlc in clrder to develop a greacer understand- cratic Union forms in 'the 19th century, many o l
i n g o f t l ~ ew~irld\ mysteries and secrets. These the groups who would havc hrtndecl t h e Tradisecrets Erant power to those who know them and tions may have faded into history. I( SO, then
should ncvcr hc zllnwcd to fade from memory. A perhaps it falls tn groups 1ikc t h e Knights Templar,
Son's (or Datrghter's) first and greatest teacher is thc Wu Lung, t h e Rata'a, the Lions of Zion, chc
rhe ancestor spirit (his Avatar) who calls him tcl Cult of Osirls and others to form the Council of
,service and teaches him the first mvstcrics.
Nine. Finally, mayhe there are no Traditions ar
The Australian Dxeanuingers b c l ~ c v ethem- all. Pethaps instead of a Council chc Grand Cnnselves to hc t l ~ guardians
c
of the Dreamtime and its vocation crcatos an assemhly or parliament, with
creatures, as well as the keepers of thc wtlrld's represenrarives sent from every faction, large and
future. When their ancestors sang d r h e Dreamtime, small. In place ~ 3 Traditions
f
ate dozens of Crafts,
these scrngs were passed from facher ro son as with the vatinus subaruups within each Tradition
songlines (sacred sonjis tied to holy sites). Using (House Tytalus, T h c Fifth World Tribe, the
rhe k n r ~ w l e d ~nf
e these sacred stings, t h e Balamoh, the Gulden Dragons, etc.) existing a3
IJrcarnsingers arc aMc to subtly (and sumctimcs independent factions alongside nroups Iikc the
not so suhcly) alter rcalirp and travcrsc t h e conti- Ngoma and W u Lung.

THE
AGE GFWSCDN
( 1 7AND
~ ~1 8CENTURIES)
~ ~

Thc Age of Reason is often looked trpon as an

agc of scicnrific progress, laying the grt~undworkfi,r

religiotu beliefs. Indeccl, logic and reason are seen

as divine fiifts, given by Cod st, that man might usc
the industrial and political revolutions that fal* them to improve thc iwrld arnund him.
lowerl. T h i s is only part oh r h e piccure, T h c
The line betwccn science and ritual magic is
Enl~ghrcnmcntis an agc of contradist~ons,and the ~ o m e t i m efuzzy
~
in this era, ~ a t u r a FhilosoFhcrs
l
lines I~erwecn1~11acadvances the ideals of the Order such as S i r Isaac Ncwcon
and
of Rcason versus what advances the idcals of the Kahhalism in aclditiun tu physics and astronomy,
Council of Ninc are n u t always SO clear-cut. The Marhematics is a tool toffard greater
first modern toralitarian r c ~ i m e sexist sidc by sidc I n g o f the universe, including [Ile realins of magic
with lufiical philosnphers espousing the rights elf ;InJ the Umbra. Classic hermeticism tIlrives, inthe individual. Sornc. of thc* biggest scicnt~iicad- flUencing the JevcloFmrnt of Wicca.The Order of
vances are made hy m m with rxrrernriy drvour Hermes and the Cclesrial Chorus thrive in this

.
[I. ,..
2:.

15 1

CHAPTERFWC A L T ~ N A T V ESEITNGS
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L I - H , ~tap
~ intu tlze movement, using such rkincs as
puctry,
Rnmantic
philosuphy, fencing and social
in~taliarrrcvolurionaVp~licicsandeventually~ives
revt~lution
a
s
Gareway
Arts fur Pa.
111s lifc in the cause of Greek independence. Thcsc
and other artists provide inspiration for cuuntless
an advncatc of wc-rmen'ssuffrage. 1-or4 Byron i s a c t i v c

THEP ~ e m fHEAN
f PLAGUE
-

Mary ShelIev, Frankenstern (The Modrrn

KINGLUDD
Reactinn to powing indusrrialization also
hrings ahour the Rritish Luddite movement.
Upset with both lower factory waces and what
thrv see as the much rhoddier yualitv of p o d s
prc~ducedby faccories, traditional craftsmen form
gangs af masked vigilantes in order to get redress
for their grievances. Oridnally content with
simply smashing factory machinery a r n i ~ h t the
,
mnvelncnt quickly turns vicl'tenr. Several British
mages hopc ti) use the movement to rheir advantagc, slowing the Industrial Revolution or even
stopping ir all rogether. Mcmllcrs of ehe Herd
metic Housc VerSitius, all of thcm nlastcs
craftsmen, are especiaIlv sympatl~cticto the
I,uddites, as are many Verbena.
Onc nf the rnpsreries of the Luddites is how
thcy got thcir name. Popular legend of the titnc
had the Luddztes following a man known as Ned
Ludd, given the title of General or King. Little if
any evidence supports thc existcnce of such a
person, in t h e rual world, at least. St~rytcllcrs
wishing ro run chronicles in pre-Victorian England rnay wish fur their players to tnect the
legendary King Ludd. Ludd rnighc he a Hermetic
magus of House Verdicius, or perhaps a mcmhcr
sf the Cult csf Ecstasy hoping to start his own
hction within thcTradition. Mayhe he's n Vcrhena trying to destroy the factorics hccause they
arc killing the Fair Folk. M;tyhc Ltsdd is onc of
the Fair Fnlk {orsome other sort of spirir - the
ghost of a factotv worker killed rln the jnh,
How aliout one of the s u t r i v i n ~
Crattrnacons spoking revenge against the Order
nf Rearon? O r a Marauder! For a real rwist, Eiow
ahout an Akashic rrying to tear dntvn the illusion of industrial progress?
A

Fete with thcir own. In this atmosphere, feu: stop

ro u*onder if, just hecause they can C ~ L Iscrrnething,
it means thcy should. I t is unclear whether thc first
creatic~nsare inspired l>y Mary Shelley's novel of
gothic horrcrr or by the experiments of Galvanni
and Volta (meaning it's something we leave for
Storvtellers to decide in their own games), hut as
t h e years g o hv, a growing ntlmher of humanoid
constructs make thcmsclvcs knr~tvnamong supernatural circlcs.
Born fium rain enlighrcncd science, these creatures come to bc known as Prornerheans, or the
C h ~ l d s e nof Prometheus, named not for thc Greck
God h u t for Mary Shelley's "rnndcrn Promctheus,"
Frankcnstcin ( t h e scientist, not the mrrnster). The
t w o rnost commrln types of Prometheans are resurrcctinnists, conrtructed ntlt crf body parts taken from
rcccntly Jecensed cadavers, and alchemical harnunculi, grown in vats from chemicals and proteins.
Whilu many of these beings arc rhc crearions of
Cosi;~ns,others arc tho work nf Artificer Body-Forgcrs (precursors to the modern I t e r a t i o n X
R i ~ M e c ~ l a n l crnetl~ocl)
c
anJ evvn mcclically and
nlchernicallv minded Hcrmcrics. Not e v c y cnnsrruct
of rhc period is biological, either. Artificers conrinuc
FO huild clockwark servants and companions, Tome
of whom can pass for 11um;tn.
h h n y uf these Promcthcan crmstructs rurn
against their creatnrs. Sotnu creators rcjcct t h u i r
crcarions, finding thcm roo flawed in appearance,
mind o r spirit. Otkers abuse thcir n e w crentiuns.
never considering that chc offspring n f tllcir genitis might object t u hcing a slave. Paradux strikcs
down many n wouId-he mucicrn Prometheus, clther in the form of fatal lahoratorv a c c i d e n t s ar

,p

newborn cunstructs flying into berserk. murderous of Herrnes, Celestial Chorus and Cult of Ecstasy
rages. A few s c ~ c n t i s t sand wizards cvcn repent, mnst f r e q u e n t l y offer s a n c t u a r y t o thosc
only reslrzing t h e Iluhris nf attempting co create P r t ~ m e t h e a n whn
seek it. A rhomechean who studs
life from norhilnRafter looking upon rheir artificial ies the Hermetic Art often does so w ~ t hthe intent
children, who could never exist ~nnacure. Regard- of tapping into the Yame strength of will that
less o f t h e cause, t h e effect is a plague of man-made enabled her own creation, improving and refining. : :
monsters roaming rhe dark corners of Europe and herself as shc refincs her w ~ l lanJ her soul. A
Plrnerica. M a n y w i t h i n what remains of the Order Prclmcthcan among the CcIesrial Cllorus is often
;
of Reason wtlrk tn destroy these creatures, seeing drawn tl-rere hy the Christian k~nclnessof a Ghorist h c m as pcrvcrsii>ns of science and il dangerous ter w h o ministers to hi~l;t,tinclit~ga cleeIier purClvse
threat t o plihlic safety (several Pmmetheans are In t h e call in^ (2f his newfound faith. Thev often
murderers, after all). Memhers of t h e Celestial becornc skillcd theologians pondcring the nature
Chorus, thc Vcrbcna and thc Euthanatu!: also hunt of life and the w u l or devnccd monster hunters,
the Prtimctkeans, viewing thcm as ahominations believing that God has placecl chcm on this earth 1:
against God and naturc.
to d n hattle w i t h creatures n o rnurcal m a n bhould J
. n Ecstatic Promethean rypically
Nor all rneerines with the Prilmetheans are havc to ~ C C A
however. Some Prnmerheans do not tries to expericncc as much of lifc 3s possible,
rchcl against thcir creatnrs, c t ~ n t i n u i n gt n serve ~ a i n i an greater
~
understancling of humanity and
"
[hem as qervantr. ;lnc{even apprentices. A few may hirnsclf through sensation and consciousness exeven develop bond5 similar to those of a real pansion. A f ~ wR T C C V C * ~ i ~ l l c tu
d the
parcnr and child. Among the renegades, some Drcamspeakcrs. learning to speak with the spirits
hecnrne friends and a l l ~ e os f T r a d ~ t ~ urnagcs,
n
even of modern science and artificial creations.
-I?;..
going as far as t o sturFy t h e mrstlcal asrs. The O r d e r

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SE~TNGS 15 5
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Eurtlpc Iwct~mcst w o raclizallv Jitftrcnr worlds

in this em. On one side is the Wesr. Grcat Rritain
is the greatest nation on Earth. She sits a t the head
Storytellers w h o allow
to crcarc
of a world-spanning empire and is a center of sciPrumechean cl~aracrersm a y wish to consider the
cncc, tcchnolngy and learning. Francc rivals Britain
follr>wingguidelines.
as a regional power, and Paris is ctinsidered the
Attributes: Pr~lrnetheancharsctcrs gct a
pinnaclc of culture, fashion and art. The newly
pool of 16 points to spend o n Attributes. Each
formed Germany cagcrly supports scicncc and eduArtrihutc raring starcs a t 1. This is higher than
canon, hoping to harness the power of technology
average, aas Psc~metheansare often consrructcd
for political and military strength. On che other
to hc in some way superior to mundane humans.
side lies the Near East. Although Russia is a wilrlcl
Abilities: Pmmcthean characters have a
pt1wt.r and a rival of Rritain, thc natiun is an wachpot11 of I8 points to spend on AhiIities. Each
ronism. I n a n age of constitutional monarchies and
Ability rating starts at zcm. Ahilities may not
republics, Russi;l is an ahsolute monarchy in t h e
be raised above 3 without the use of freehie
same vein as Louis XIV's 17th-centurv Francc.
points. T l ~ i sis l o w c r t h a n a v e r a g e , as
Outside uf a minnrity of educated aristocrats and
Prometheans often lack much crf the life expecity dwellers, the Tsar rules over an crnpirc of
ricnce mundanu humans possess.
iilitcratc prasants and horsc nomacle. The Rslkans,
Backgruunds: Pron~ctheancharacters start
including S c r h ~ aRnmantn
,
and R i ~ l ~ a r iare
a . a powwirh only 5 dots' worth ot Backgmuncls. As with
der
kct:
nf
~irnrnering
racial
nnJ
pc~litical
hatreds;
Ahilities, this is tu represent the lower level of
thcst!
rcgions'
populatiuns
are
much
like
rhoae
of
experience with human society.
Russia i n education and literacy.
W illpowcr: Promethean characters hegin
In America, the concept of Manifest Destiny
with a Willpcriver rating of 3, the same as averhas Icd to thc conquest of much of the continent
age humans (yes, mages are unusually wilIful
while Europcnn imrnigranrs - f i r s t Irish and Gerf nd ivicTuals ).
mans fleeing famine and failed tevulurions, fo1lowt.d
Freebies: Promethean characters have a
by cr~unrlessEasretn and Snurhern European cthnic
total uf 11 freebie points to spend on raising
grnups fleeing tyranny and poverty -swell castern
Traits and purchasingsuit.abIc McricsanJ Flaws
cities. T h e Civil War end5 slavery, leading to a
( i n c l u d ~ n gseveral of the more oiitrageous
minor diaspora c)f Illack Americans our o f the sourhones), and on rhe purch:~scuf Sorcery Paths or
ern states and tnto the west. Major cities look ro
P s y c h ~ cPowers.
Europe, cspvcially London and Paris, for rhcir culThesc guidelines deal with "munrlane"
tural cues. To the north, rhc modern state elf Canada
P r o m c t h c a n s . If the S t o r v t e l l e r wishes,
h c ~ i n rs t takc
~
shape, although not without diffic~zlPrornerllean characters whu have been apprcntics (including arrneJ rehellion in Manitoha). France
ticed to magcs or cnli~htcnedscientists may
makes a failed atrcrnpt to turn MPxicr) into a puppet
instead he full-fledged Sorcerers (or Advanccd
statc, leaving the reformer Rcnitn JuRrez in pL\wrr.
Scicnrists). Promcthcan Surccrcrs h a w cr srrartThc natiun cnds the ccntury as a dictarorship undcr
ing Willpower o f 5 and possess 5 Jots t.u spend
General Dla:. South America sees its share of pain
on S o r c e r y P a t h s or Psychic Powers.
and prusperirv. The empire of Rratil is the last
(Prometheans cannot he Awakened, for thcy
nation tn aholish slavery, cvcn hccoming the ternhave n o Avatars. )
pnrary home rrf Confederarc plantcrs seekina to
hold on to their dead lifestyle in t h c wako of
America's civil war. Argentina, Brazil and Chilc
prosper econumically, hut at t h e same cilnc thc
Paracuayiln War and the War of lrhc Pacific bring
The Victorian Age is a contracliction. Prngress violcncc and dcath.
Japan hegins a rahid n~odcrn~zation,
quickly
and wtlndergcr side hy side with warand irnpcri it I 'ism.
adopting
rn~litary,
financial,
inclustrial
and
etlucashncc
into its owll, while mystjcism
tion
systems
patterned
after
thosc
of
Europe.
China,
flourishes. public mnrality h,des private
i t Y , A ~ [hu
J end (,fthe o r d e r ,,fncason
the h~1rniliarc.dhv t h e Opium War, suffers one nf rhe
hlc7cxliest cnlrl wars on Earth 3s the T'ar P'ing
alrimarc defcitt c>frhr Traditions.

P~erhffn w LI W C T E R S

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Rcbcllion causes the Jeadi of 20 rn~llionpeople. travel the globe, foElnwing Chinese imm~jirantsto
Thc Frcnch csrahlish colonies in indochina as the foreign shores. Rv the cnJ of rhc c e n t they
~ ~ hack
~
Rritish establ~shtheir o w n in Malaysia. Zn the the Roxer Uprisin~,hopmg to rlrivc the EurnPcans
out of China. Thcplanfails n ~ i s c r a h lIcavinE
~,
many
tnlnny cri the Rritish Crown ( i t was forrncrIy tun by Akashics hitter and discouragccl. There are signs t ~ f
t h e Rritish East Inclta Company). Although much hope. Thc LI-Hai take on come Arner~cansruclents.
of the nation i s run hy ;-1 Rritish viceroy, several hoping to use the ph i losophy of transcende~itaI 15rn as
kingdoms rcrnain unJcr the control uf their own a gatcway to Do.
royal familiec.
For thc Cetcsrial Chc>rusi r is a timc of division.
The 0ttom:ln Empire is s dying pnwer, pri~rped On one side are Western Choristers, hoping tci use
up hy rhe Rritish, who hope to use it as a check Imperialism to hrtng Christian civ~lizariontu the
against Russian expanstiin into the Middle Easr. heathens elf Africa and Asia. On the nthcr are those
A l t h n u ~ hofficially parr crF the Otcoman Empire, Choristers native to areas in Africa and Asia who are
Egypt is a Rritish possession in all h u t name. Russia, itnrIerstanclshlv not thrilled with the idea uf seeinc
rather than attempt to claim colonies in Africa or then narions and cultures wallowed up and dethe Pac~fic,simply conyucrs many of her Central stroyed. The Victorian Era is a time of deeply held
Asian neighl~ors.Roth Persia and Afghanistan he- falth, giving its members renewed conviction through
come targets of Britich and Russian inrcrfcrcnce. In the unccrtrlinty and strife.
South Africa. Cecil Rhodes attempts to hring all of
European Ecstatics are stilt heady from thc Rnsouthern Africa under British conrrol, setting up mantic period and continue tn seek ways to rhrivc in
his own personal fiefclom in Rhodesia a n d t ~ i n to
g this new csa. Many delve into mystery cults and
engincer wars w i t h the Dutch Afrikaners. T h e sccrct societies, and some even form their own small
Muhcli Icatls an army of Muslim wani~lrcin revolt groups, promising d ~ esecrets of Indian, Persian or
against the Rritish in t h e Sudan, and t h e Congo Chinese mysticism. M~anwhilt.,American Indian.
hecorncs a site of unimaginable hurchery as the Chinese and Indian rnemhers of the Cult of Ecstasy,
Belgian king's mcrccnaries ant! overseers stoup t o like their countrymen from orher Traditions, tiike
a n y level, no matter how hriital, to strip as much part in thc struggle against European Imperialism.
wealth as Fclssih!o out of the colony. Australia, The Dreamspeakers are similarly divided. Those
ironically, 1s rathcr similar to t h s United States in rnemhers drawn from European and American srjcithis
having: a Wild Wcsr atmosphere, corn- ety (rapidly finding tt~ernselvesa disliked rn~noriry
plete with weaFthv ranchers andnatives being driven within the Tradirion) find places as ~ ~ i r i t u a l i sand
ts
from their land at gunpoint.
mediums. Tlrr remainder of thc Tradition rtrugelcs
Science and mysticism exist slde hv sidc d u r i n ~ fr, maintain its way of life in a ch;lnEing wnrld. Frnm ,
'
thc Victurian Era. Sciencc brines steam ships, elec- the Sioux Nation to the Ccmgcr and from Haiti to
ttomagnutic turhinca, telephones and rev~~lvers.Afghanistan, they struggle alongside their people.
Mycticisrn hcings spirit mediums, the Otder of the
Aftcr the Sepoy RebeIlion, t h e Chflkravanti
" '/
GnlJen Dawn ancl the Voodoo Queen of New O r - faction of t h e Euthanatos ic ready to withdraw from
Icans. To the Victorian mindset, "magic" and psychic the Council of Ninc. The decimation of the thugpowers arc just thinfis science hasn't found a way t o gee sect in India only further weakens the Trad~rinn.
explain yet. Not to say that they aren't real. After Memhcrs c ~ thc
f Ttadition find ways ti) carry on.
all, wmc. prirnirivc man sccing a rifle for the first Many liecomc invnlved in politics and medicine.
timc miqht think it was magic, ton. Still, there are Others hecnme traveling gamblers. The Order of J
frauds, cimrnen and nehes ilnsavory types w l ~ otry to EEermes makes few f r ~ c n d cEuring
s
this period. Some
pass rhem~c.1vc.snff as possessor$ of great mysteries, rnagcs even whisper that Jack che Ripper is one of "
srr clnc must he wary.
thc Herrnctics' own and that the Order ptotccts f
The Traditions have their ups and downs during him. The Ordcr finds groups such as the Freemasons 7%
this pcricd, and the dividing line hetween European and the Ortler of rhe Golilen Dawn ro hc furrile
,
Traditicmal~stsand other rnaEes around thc glnhc rccruiting gmunds.
-'l
The Verhrna find thcrnselves in the midst of ' '
17ecomesmure and more prnnvunced:. For the A kash~c
I' Rrotherhoud, i t i s mvsc certainly s had time. Euro- several internal struggles in this period. The Vicropean Irnperialisrn has finally brought the Ascension rian Era sees the first significant numbers nf urban
' 11
War to their doorstep. Memhcrs u t the Brotherhood Verhcna, mush ro the displeasure of the t r n d i t ~ o n a l l ~ 4

wakc of thc Sepuy Rebellion, India hcconles a

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J I I T I ~ ,I I ~t l m
F c of conflict.

THE
TECHNOCRATIC
UNI~N

-I,

hope to brine nttr minds lohear lrpon

~robiemsof human socict?
c0nsrrL4cra hrfl"e nelr
I L T I Tfrom
~~
the rrrnnants o f rhc old. It 5oon became clcor
that certain nf i r a nor
~ run.^ ~ c ' e safe
~ e for drrcitsrirrn in rhe
n e w p u p e n hlr r for rcln radical for rcnIit> .
- Warren E l l i q , Plnnctny
The C3rller oTRe;lr;vn i%clend; Ion2 live the Technocrntlc CTn~rm.In 1851. thc Enli~hrenedScicnrlsts
of t l ~ cwcrrcrn world eather nr rhc. Grand Espljsiticln
in Lontlun. Within the Crg~talPalace, un~1c.trhc
patr\maec i.rt 'Prince .c\lhcrr. consart 10 QUCC~I
Victoria, rhc Tcchnt>cr~ric
Union i c born.Thcv arc
frrrrncd with high i~lcals:Rrin!: pcacc and stshllity TO
Er~rcrpeanJthen the~vclrEJ.Ule ~ c l c n c c mtcchnol+
~!
oql+to create patatlisc on Earth. Trulv, r i l e ro;ld to
hell i s pnued 1 ~ 1 t hthe best of inrcntions.
In order to allapt to the ncn~andchanging\vortJ,
thcUnion hasabnnJonc~lthe ourdatcd Conrcnt~onc
ft

Enc~t~eers
~OCII!: trn thc rran>rnlsxirm of cncrey In all
ot ir, forms, including chc scltncr ofclcctrodvnarn~cs
:rnJ the u.;c nf Pumjnifrrcrui u]lerto rransmjr ]ichr.
Exrlnrnrnrs
ro
comer>of

nlc

,vrJrl~,
l,,c~~ ah bc,,in
m,,,dPm scienrijic
cxylr~rarirrnof the plancts. Thc Intcrnatinnal Rrc-lthcrhclrd nf Mcchanici~n.~
hcllcrrc~rhc univcrw ;~ncF
cvcr).th~nrin ~tto he a machinc, u h ~ c can
h therefore
bc impro\.ccf nqrh rhc prorcr cn~inpcrinc.They are
cncrnccri and morhemnticl~n<.as ~ r e l as
l surceirns
ancl social ~cientistr;.Invisible Exchctlucr fun& the
Union, knuwinc that mvncv is what drives not only
prnqrcss a n ~ l~nvcntlrlnbur all of hurn;an sncrctv 3%
well. Ftnallv, rhc Lightkecpcrs arc thc lighthouqe
rhnt sh~ncc;1 beacon of light into 3 \~*otlJ
ut lonorancc, the lantern which uncover<the qecrcts l ~ i ~ l d e n
in r l ~ cdarkness, and chc torch which I i u r n q thc
monster< 111rkin~
in thc niehr.
Fur more un tht Victc>t~an
Era, src Guide to the

from thc arhcs oftllc old. Each Ccrnvcntitin cont;iln<

WHAT
l f l [ ~ H HAVE
T
h:
THE
~ I M S P R YFSWORDS
"Lord Dnsh~cscjodhc rlnmncd!" c ~ i c drhc ~ r n ~ ! t n gflipocd a perm? tn the cIrit-cr, rcho lashed rhc horres and
corringc c'ns i t shuddcrcd t o n halt on the a,hhIV
C( I s t r ~ ' ~ t .

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c n n t ~ n u ~thc.
d itc!l-rlrc.rsctl man, cmilin~wickedl>.Hs

153

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The mcrt beside rhe tn[I flay btrildrnR uas fttll of

cool u r ~ c and
~ t kcmors. Porh mcn srtmd out like moths tn
the ~n:ns[i~hz.
Thr~tras nor the hesr 3idc of town, cznd the
men wrrc. clearly sl~rrnrn~nfi.
"Had 1 knorrn I'd scr ~ o i on
r shrs t n w 1'rl ccrfaznly
hn4.c h o r t y h t my ~ i 5 t f rf ~ ~ m
C O ~ U I ~ F .Shtr has
reccnrlp h6cn sonz-erredfrcm hrr heathen path and is In
nerd 4 the ,!prlrinncr o/ an honest man rif thr cloth.

.,

"CI)T~ Hcnstrid~c.vntd

n r ~thc dc~*iI."
said the

"Or are you?" ElencrriJRcreplfcd uirhnlcl h l i n k ~ n ~ .

"Or arc ~ r cn!l indced! IYrhat think ?uu She hnq ~n
5rrrrc for trs at *hiS Entc hour!" 'askedthE mr~nk."Perhapr anorher rour rtl pro tcc t the foul r p ~ y of
t tennlJ7"
Iicnsrridgc olmosr crtrscr! hrdt helrl himself hnck.
hntl hren ~1t.o?cars since
seen a deccnt ~ s s r p ~
mpnrv and nor romc pcrrl; banishrnE of morlcp
nfipnritlons or chnrc after a duchess' cat, ~h~~man
,d (517 rlqth rhc Innks o i 30 had se2n tuarr , joufhr
rlcn~)nspIflvcd card< lL'i$h[hem af1c.yntard r r r l t ]

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ITIAGES T O R ~ L L ~ RHS A N D B ~ ~ K

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war that he was not tircd c ~ f11. Of Intc, t

seemed to hae~etired v j hhrrn.
" I hcrrr this is about rhr mlcrders. Abo~dt the
Spring-heeled Jack and arcane scribbling3 :sand trlhnr
not," Henstrrdgc replied without raising his eyes.
"Perhaps they'll bring in the Drtectiete, +,en ,"
replied the monk.
"DlllAhtfidl, hear his health if ooniv
improPJed since
faU, " Henstridfie's
tuns we^^contained. He'd never wish harm on hrsf e [ E O P I j S , hilt
the "Dutectiue," ns they all caIIed him, euos a bow. Had
~t not been for snuff, the IorrI u50r.rid haere ru
off cornpleielY. A man without trices is no

>

4,

the Ministry whar 11 is.

Palace and north of Parliament and Westrn~nsttlr

Ahhey, the Ministry of Swards i s hidrlen hy wards
r11at a1 low only those Inoking for it TO find it. It is
?air! that once past the door to the Ministry, reality
beco~nesthin,and spacu ceascs to be relevant.
What lies within is divided nor into floor and

They encfred the btlildtng and walk

wmrlrn d<lor. For n moment Henstridge p
etchinfi on the diior rcad "Ministry of Swords. "
"Shall w e ~o i11, rhen?'hsked the monk.
"The Ministrv of Swords" rakes Mage out of i t s
dorn (Numbers) and the Ministry's budget office
postmodern context and places it In the imagined
Victorian England of scientific mrnancc, a precursor to scicnce fiction and tevisinuist pulp. In
Ministry, players take iln the role5 id agents of an
occult hurcau within thc Rritish guvcrnrncnz cl~ar
whu protecr the rnyal family, Acts, who work as
is dedicated rcr thc ptntect.ion of the Empire against
all aupcrnatural threats.
Unlike Rarhlwne's Skeleton Keys
nocratrc Ivory T O WtC
h a~t followed (see Guide to
risk
the Technocracy), the Mintstry has exisred long
At the top of the chain rlf command i s the
enough ro l~ndcrscand its place in t h e natural
nrder. Moreover, the sccrccy surroundi
I istry of Swords and i r s covert nature freed it from
much of the Continental inflt~enccin Fl~~losophicaI chinking that nlade thc structure of England's
o w n gllvcrnment cuch n breeding grt>zrnd t o r
Virginia Wife from Numbers. These names are also
Unionist thought.
The Ministry of Swilrils, in one
athcr, has rxisrcd sincc t h e reign of Queen
Elizabeth I, apparently heginning with a sea
captain t h o u g h t t o I y c anc of che Queen's par-

light ufiiav

amours. EnElanJ, a hotbed of svpernat11raI

chronicle. For much m e r c information on thc
activity s i n c e beforc the time of Christ, has
World uf Darkness during this peric?d, sec Victoalwavs hcrn aware of thc inherent bcnefits of its
rian Age: Vampire.
nature and also of t h e dangers therein, hut has

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S ~ T ~ N G S 159

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From [hen on, Kaun Peru, not just in body. H e

that acccpteJ rheirparadigrn and rreaced those, his consciousness bloomed. It sprang beyond its

Then thcv came. The one ulith she sash across her

"Hnh-hah," Kavn ~osped. "You're one of them.

Kavn ran. Nr ran thmugh the hack aIIies heruleen the
magc freaks. ill mL..D~
,,f [hose
colonial hoz,els, dazed hy a mish-mash of cIcctric lights hem! ill me! Ism[ired
and the ather~vnrldl~
glow nfnn enormuus wIlship r~tlcr"Oh, on rhr conrrary, rn? friend," said the man,
head, powered solei? hp shose he soughr to cscapc . It was "1 here to
away from all
[his,
"ilte
n gian r eye Soeming above him, detailing every moz8e
K ~ Pcotdd
J ~see that the man zvas tellina the truth.

on,

Kmln tensed up. Here it comes, he thought. The

pitch.
The sell. Or worse v e t , the knife.
remembered what the man had said. Ee~erl~body
did I t
The
old man rxtcnded his clnsed hand and r~j~cned
it
was brnadcasr rhroufh eeelery voxcom nnd prqcctor in
human space. "Cenve this dend wnrld and its dead ideas

Kavn hadn't fully understood the words, hut the seed hand and pipped the stone in hrs palm, wmpping the
his mind tintil the dav thar Knvn's psessure suit cords around the hand wirh his other hand. Then he
brlrshed his hand at the back of his hend as if to snss aura?
ruptured. He tvas cleaning the vector thrnsters on thc

grew rn

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n lcnqh of hair that wasn't prcsenc.

The old man smiled.

"If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it

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stern of h i s brother' r light freighter lruh~nhis atomizer

mnlfirnctinned nnd arc the t ) ~ ~ ' ~ sdre~sing
t(re
between his
wrrrt and armpit with an ominor~shlss. Kavn Emye$ for
brcath and irrtted a hushed p r q r r . and as quickb as rhe

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cnclinn with the conquest uf thc F U ~ ~ sI vT~ t c m ant1

,
found fiirthcr prtlyrcsslcin impvssihlc. In short, t t
lackcd the crt.arivirr and itnnginarion rn power ttw
next ecncration of ,cpacc cxpluratrcrn, just heynnd
thc p a s p of Earrh, in the Local Clusrer, lay untold
rcsnurces.
The drcamcrs w h o might casrv humanity
snJc?'Xazn asked.
to
the
n
e
x
t
lc\,cl through sornc invention of rl~cnrcti"Oh, don'^ ulorp, rn? hov. IV'c'll nll he safc," said
caE
physics
had cirher I.rccn -;Inin, comprcitniscd o r
rhe man in the zuhitc srlir as the earth hexan to closc hehind
euilcd
17). the dictators of this tirnc, our OIL!
friends on
rhcm.
the
siilc
of
rcason.
f11e
Technocracy
had
finally
"\Vt-Imme to NCW Horizon. "
achieved its goal of ~nakincrcaliry safe klr mmkind.
En H nutshell, "WilEworlJ~"is a ~~ccu2atit.c-ficIn r l ~ cproccss, thouch, t l ~ c vliuilt n ~ a f c t yzrlnc f i ~ r
r i m scrting fur Mage. 1Vrllwurldq cxplnres the
thrir u n k n o u - i n ~c h a r ~ c s and
,
the numher of thcir
oft-aqkcd bur ~cltlom-answcrcdquestion, "What
cl~arficsrhcn grcw ouc uf prt~portion to t ht. rcscrurccs
wclulrl happcn i f m:lges won rhe Ascension War!"
within thc zone.
Would rhcYh e n e f ~from
t
thc universal emancipation
The Exrh diud from its population's canccrrlus
of 1~~1m;rnir~"s
minds, or wntll~lt l ~ t ' r ehe other, unhahit
of concumpriinn. Froom tlierc, thc lines of sopply
fcrrccccn cnnscqucnccs!
llcgan t o collapse, along wit11 the lines of cornmuniA thoussnd year9 in the future, thc rnechnnisrn of
carion, until a11 that was lcfr were a h r . ~ a ~ f a t c d
Teclinocracv-dnm~natedreality proi~nc!ti1 an a hsocrhnnieq scruEglingrhroufih s tosriblc d9rL age. Dis+
lurc halt. Humanity cnscsed a new cIark i ~ in~whtch
c
eascs Inng thuufihr dead rctusnecl and hope was Imt.
cvcn t h e cvcryday wonders of thc mndcrn ivorlcl ,
I t sccmctl that thc rulc
humanity \rrould cncl not
space travel ancl the Itkc, hccnme imposqihle. Sciw i t h a scream, but \\,it11 a 11-l~imper.
ence had mapped as m t ~ c hof reality a s i r cnuld,
Thcn Dante stcppcd out of tht Virtual Web.

The man rn white m u d ~ humming

a
norse rhnt tumcd
into snmcthin~cnrircIy different. With that the carrh
npenrd tcp without fanfare, and rhc tuto of them climhcd
down n FOIIJrnarhlc .~rarrcase.
" W e r e are urc going? How can I he rure 1"l he

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T w o camps quicklv Jcvc.lsl?cd. One, lcrl 11s

tnernhcrs ol the Order o f I-Icrmes and the Cult of
Earth, hluc-green monitur'; Ecstasy, said t h a t thcse were merely thc growing
rhe dead networks
g l o w 4 with his image. On Titan, a rwil-h~mdrud- pains oihumaniry and that, in time, enough of rhc
mercr-tall holographic
t,frhe maEp.arms f01c1cc1, l i a m s ~ ilone
e
hv t h r T e c h m l c r a c ~cuuld he rrvened.
proclaimeli a new age. Science had tailed, he r ~ d d The athcr. led hy the Euthanatos and the Akashicr,
was utilitarian. They saw that humanity's resources
humanity. It was timc t o givc magic ;I chance.
~ out of
our of rhr wodurork.For a time, were SO lirniod rhai humans W O U ~run
Maecs
c~~nsiumahle
resources
heforr
hreakine,
through
m
had Frerrrveil
it was i]ifficlllt to tpll those
thcir arrs t h r t ~ u ~ h orhc
u t centuries from thosf who rhe Lncal Cluster.
o( m a p was callccl t t ~deterhail only recently Awakened. Magus, sorcerers and
A gent
I
swing vote.
AwakencJ e x - s l e r ~ c r swalked hand in hand mine thc face of millions. It was all ~ I the
into a new age, one where the n e x t step in human The Euthanatos and Akashics knew they could count
history was Ascension. And Asccnd man did. Frcrrn [In the Verhena and she l-l[~IlowOnes tn side with
onc corner of rhe solar system ru another, humans them, hut ther still needed another partner to hold
were using their magical aptitudc ri-~the hest acl+ a simple majority. The surprise came when a number
t
vantage. I t was ss rhough the world had nevcr seen of Orrler mernhers balled r h e ~ cauqe.
the light heforc and was only new digginc out nf
So arnse the new bureaucracy of the TratFjttr~n
the cave t u find i t .
Council. Convinced nf thc desperate problems of the
Inco this time m ~ r c h e dwhat was left of the N ~ n c limited supply of Quintesscnce, the various magical
Tradirion~.Dante 11:td envisioned a brave new world urdcrs -alrvnvs elttist since their inception - rook
of universal emancipation and Awakening, anc in charKeof the situation. They reculaccd magic and set
which humans ernhraced both t c c l ~ n o l eand
~ ~ rhe up tlleir own p l i c i n g opcratiol~sto carry humanity
csclteric as mtlans of manipulating Quintessence, hut safely and carcfwlly intu a Brave New World.
the Tradition5 were uninterested. At least, thar's
The dcrrirus nf the Convcnrions had hccn lefr
how t h e stow is told now. In truth, the Traclitions hehind, hut n o t the
quandaties or human
werc fascinated by the notion of o n l i ~ h t e n t n1111~ ~ fai]inEs.As humanity juincd sirnrlc manics to the
mans thenand forcvcr more. Thev quickly discovurt.d remnants of science ro reach out across t h e stars, thc
rwu significant obstacles to achieving Dante's vi- Traditions took the same stance as the dictators
sion. For one thing, the psychic bureaucracy c ~ fthe befurc thcrn had: Only hr c t ~ n t r o l l i nhuman
~
destiny
Conventions was still in place. Whilc many people and carefully urdcring rheir limited resources could
learned to use VCF,? simple, coincidental magical the Tra$ltions survi\,r - and make sure that their
effects, thev still relied on technoloav as thc focus of own Masters staved on top.
wonder. Hrlmans weren't ready to ernhrace AwakenNOW,our arnonp; the scars, all humans have s
ing on thc same level as thc mages.
littlc Flir of chat potenrial. Evcryclnc knows a trick
More significantly, rhough, the new Council of or two about magic. Rut those w h o really Awaken
Nine made a starcling cliscovery. AS more peuple arc competition. Thel; suck up the Fc~werfulhut
hecamc cmpowered with the ahility t r l do simple limitcJ forces of Qutncesscnce
and threaten the
magic, it became milre difficult for Tradition mager cilreful srnhi]ity of the h t u r r . Magicq.
j usr
to work m n ~ i cflexibly hv force of their will. I t was dyiny.,,it's limited, and ir's going to run out if it's
first apparent whcnResonance became less personal, not used carefully.
tying the magic more to the Tradition than to the
WilIwatld Rutes: If you w a n t to run a Willwnrlcl
indivi~ualmage. Then rhc further a mage trlccf
chruniclc, you
reflect thc paucity of magic
wotk outside her parsdip), the less effect her magic j,
[he ,-hanec i n hum;ln
thrt,uKh
of
haill and when maser o i different Traditions tricd ro coursu. F~~starten, ~~i~~~~~~~~~i, i Lmrc. and
work togetllct they noticed thrir magics either in
commodity. ~~d~~ just donut c x j s t
flux cwdlminished. It was alrnust as thc>uahthey wcrc ,,,,pt
in
of
rightly cunrrollcd by
ccrmpcting for Quintessuncc.
rhe T r s d l t ~ u nCouncil. T ~ S isS thc most valuahle
A serinus dcl~atcbegan hrcw inRamonr! thc Coun+ trarElnE=hir in the cosmos.
cil. If Qt~intesst.nccwas indeed limircd, jusc as other
Any magc can still Jcj Awakencd magic, of
narural resources, what was hc ~1onc.I
coursc, hut can only wilrk effects strictlv within his
Ijiltlte Frojccre~lh i n ~ s c lacrtlqs
i
the communlcaticln channels of every culunv in human space. O n

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own paradigm- T r y ~ n gto "stretch" beyond rhat or

lcarn other rnerhods guarantees failure - thcre's
juqt n o t enough magical strength left :topower such
already skctchy effects. Mngcs don't suffer Paradox
any more, llitt thev rlo hecnrne faticrrrcd as they work
magic. Each cffcct carrccs clne lcvel of un.;oakablc
traching damace.
AII human< arc snrrcercrs. Build them with the
Sorcerer rules; anvnne can Iearn little static tricks,
trtm seeins
of the filrure t o tinker in^ with
spaceship engines t o tnake thcrn gn faster.

"HROnrrrgh yough?" was all "Bully" Srnkeron

c n ~ ~monaffc.
ld
They were the last words he wc~ttdspeak.
"Try to fi,pruse that ottr in r h nexr
~ l i f t , kemnsahe,"

Cotton rcjdi~7d.
He drew a l o n pistnl
~
from his s tde , its burrel scored
with markings roo ancient lo be remcmhered. He pointed
i r nr the dismembercd Slnglelon and pullcrI the tri~ger
and hcll came o ~ t t .There wasn't much "BuII?" left to
speak of.
?71c Old West. The setting of many epic tales o f
good Y S . evil. If there's ant: Arncrtcan film and
literary Fcnre rhat i s mow likely to he remembered in
300 years, i t ' q t h e Western. So whatrvnuld it mean to
Ahignil let our u shriek as the man in bluck uralked take maces into thc last frontier?
t h r o a ~ hshe. swinfiing d o r ~ r s .Thc bar tuos packed, and
The American Wcst cluring thc mid to late 1800s
when the man ulalked i n , the /)layer piano stopped is the literal staging
for the r~~etaphorical ;
I
play ingnnd fizle tables full o f grirzled ~amhlersturned ro conflict t h a t m a p would encounter in the 20th 1
mecl 111s g a x .
ccnturv. The tcrri tury is a vast and uncxFlored coun"Ya'll may know uiha 1 am hut fur those of ya who try fil1cd with "savages" and t h e things that orhcrs
don't, I'm D ~ r c hSinkeron. Must people call me 'BII!~?~.
' wuulcl strive to takc frum them. On the morning after
If you'd like to walk our of here alive, ?lo~Yl
give up the t h e Lndustrial Revnlution in thc United States, setman I'm lookingfor. He's Artis Cotton, a n ' the Tnjuns tiers arc pushing incn rhis territory with all rheir
-4
call him 'White Ruffale. "'
might, endangering the natives and their precious
The room ~rjnssilent. Thtn a mun in a ion^ conr stood ways of lilt. The stage is set fnr a full-nn conflicr
between rhe indigenous parad~gmsand, whucIse, the
up adjustrnfihi5 spcccfcEes.
thef
"Look here, Sin~leton,"the man said,shozclingoffa Conventions - hut that" sanly a smgT1 part i ~
*
shining silver badge pruned on she bxeasr of o f ~ sjacket, story. If rhe nexr century is one in which thc Techneatly rrmcroIed undrr the edfir of h i 5 r r m . "Thlx town nocracy is to conquer, faith in che unseen must bc
don' know1 nothin' ahout no white buffalo nor no Artis squelched not merely from the savages - who can
Cotton, so why don ? ?oic take yoztr trail-stinkingcarcass just as easiIy he put ro their end on thc wrong side of
bark vur and freshen up before you come inro a fine a rifle -hut from the beliefs nf North America's new
resident aliens. If the Technocrats wish rhc United
estahlrsh-"
A sudden spout of blood erupted from the sheriffs States to be their hully pulpit, they're goinfi to have
spike righr through the mages.
mortth and nose as BullVput his six-ptns back into their to strike the
Maces
and
Unionists
alikc kncw that America
holssexs. There had been no sorhnd, but the sheriff fell
was
going
tu
be
someplace
great. They flocked ro the
clean in half,
Ccrlonies.
Arnhitious
predecessors
nf the modern
''There was no need to kiEl rhat man," said a eharacSyndicate
came
because
of
the
laisse:-foire
capitaltcr from the lop r)f n rickery ser of stairs. He was lean and
ism,
w
h
~
l
e
idcalistic
H
c
s
~
n
e
t
i
c
rook
s
rhe
risk
because
.
clenn-%havenand wrrre a poncho over his rrauellngclothes.
of
thc
climate
of
ideas.
In
some
cases
t
h
e
y
iought
side
"Yoti didn't even hate a fifiht with him."
"Cotton! Too had YOM showed up so soon. I was by side cc~rnplcrelyunaware of one anothcr, singlclookin' fnrtua~dto hatfin' my fill of the locals. Oh, fine rnindedly pursuing dreams t h a t could nrrt have hcen
crtizuns ahm sure, but whar ~ 1 1 t h[heir ~ t t t l n . <in rite way more different from une xnc~thcr.
The American Wcsc has evoIved heyond a
of rhc railroad-"
simple
historical setting. I t has hccomc irs own
Ecer~thinjiujenl n little sirleways and S i n ~ l c r o n
rnythoc, i t s o w n religxon. Wild Bill FIickock, Doc ' and Cotton rverr otr rside ihe vtew of normal follcs . The
~ p i r itore
t
offSin,qIcton's left arm firsr and then ripped H o l l i d r y , A n n i e Oakley and Crazy Horse are i t s
hcrocs. Thc OK Corral and t h e Alamo are irs
ont his ronEue.
11allnwt.d nrrrt~nd.The clime novcl writerr of the
''Yo~rshr,uldn't talk s o much, " Corton said, djrcshl?
19th century were its f ~ r s tapostles. Muvies like - 1
lit ci~arcttrin his mr~rrth."Yi~rr'ruon my rnnqe nosv."
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The Mapifrcsn~Seven, Unfr~~jilr-cnand llin;~nfi stanJ1n2ICICHI paracli~rnbin favclr oCEuro-Amcrican

Soddles beep the faith a l ~ v e This
.
larger-than-life hcrcmon\..
sctrinc i s rhc perfect home f u r Mage.
The mclrr prccalcnt Traditionc. ~wthinthe Wild
The WilJ Wcst is, ar I ~ heart,
F
scrics ut'clilturc West settlnq ilrc rhc CcEcst~alChtlnls, Cult oiEcstasu.
clashes, Narivc natlonf ~rrugelcto rnalntaln rhttr I~rcainspcakers, Eurhanstt~,Osdrr uf Hermcs and
indcpcndcncc. Rancherc battle with farmers ovcr 1'c.sl~ena.Althauefl t l ~ cChon~sqrercntvpc of thc fire

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[and rights, and thrn shccp and cattle ranchcrs battle and hrim~tclncprcachcr holds true herc. rr 1s not thc
rach clthct over rhc samc soil. At the start o f t h ~onlr: o n e w ~ t h i nthcsettine. h4ore than onr Chorister
ccnrurr the land ir Inrccly un5poiled ;mil syarsolv has ftJund his c;~llingar ;I travelinf ~ u n f i ~ l ~ troatncr,
inhabitetl. After the Civil War, !lard5 of new ~rnmi- ing tllc Wesr a1nn.c whichcvcr par11 Gcn1 rakes h ~ m ,
pranrs m r v e w i h rile r a i t r ~ 'an' rc~cgraph r ~ c h t i nwrnngs
~
ant! protecting the innocent. Thc
tnllr~rvinr:heh~ntlthem. It's c ~ t r c m e l re ; w to tTdnS- Cult of E c f r ~ s v~ ~ C J C I L K C not
' ~ only nattt-e shamans bur
~ 1 s t )rravclln~:
rrlcts ant1 wriren (even O'icar Wildc
post clncmnxc cct o f c u l t t l r ~
C ~ ~ I S ~ C S -Asccnq~vn
~ ~ C
War - i ~ p n nthis srttrne. The Drerrnsprak~rcr i r r l ~ rnlerccl rhc W c c t ) , ilnd even gunfighters who scck
3 5 rhcir way uf life comcs t o a n rnd,Thcir nnric~n~
arc mystical cnl~chrcnrncntthrr~uptlrhc adscnal~neru5h
conquered, rheir fami lies hcrcled onto rcscrvatir,ns. that comcs trtrm purrin:: ycwr Iifr. on tho Iinc. The
Wlrilc mcmbrtq c~trhcorher Tradirlnns suffcr l c ~ s
rnalnrllty of L)rcamspc;lkcr5 arc traditional fharnan5.
indeccf, huch r h i n ~ sas fatth and folk hcltcfq remain hut r~thcr*arc ivartion choqen and prtitcctcd t.rv thc
strong, and cncroaclr~ng"civil!:a~i.cln"hrinpc tvlth i t 'ipirirs. or rvcn rechnosh;~m;lnswhn rrnnqf~irrnEilnx
bel~eiq-sternsthat mafie5 from Eurt>pcand Iiack E,qst and riflcs intu powertu b tcri~hes.Thnrc who doubt rht.
are :~lrt.adyaclapting to- mnrt rccnr,rni:c t h taming
~
pus.;ihilitv c~fL3ream5peaker gunqltnrrcrs nccJ onlv
of rhe Wcsr for what i t i5: the steady cruqiun of lone- look at Sarn Raimi's The Q ~ u c kand rhc D c d .

Western Euchanatus are a mixed bunch. LJocturs

up rhc spnrr of gimfighring, enhancing their sflecd

and reflexes with cIockwr,rk h ~ n n i c s .&sculyians
\>ring modern rncdicinc to the frontier, as we11 as
caprwe and study native an~mals(including rhc
Herrnctics find thcsparsely inhabited West to he rhe legendary Texas ptcrndactyP and t h e dreaded
perfect place ti1 escape the turmclil of Eastern indus- jackalope). Analytical Reckoners sce to the installcrialization. Othcrs arrive with the evcr-increasing mcnr of telegraph lines, bringing with them portable
civilization, h r i n ~ i nwith
~ [hem mystery cults such analytical engines so they can send Jetailed reports
ns rhc Order of the Golden Dawn and the Enligllt. t o Reckoners back E m . Electrodync Engineers ],ring
cncd Scjciety ot the Weeping Moon.
Verhena their elcctriralIy pc~wesedtrwls and inventions with
arc laracly farmers ancl ranchrrs, coming wesr with thcm, hoping to detnunstrate the power of etecrricity
Irish and German settlers. Isotatecl homesteads pro- in the suhjueation of nature. The vast expanses nf
vidc uxccllent klcarions for chancsies, and many o f Iand also provide excellent resting grounds for some
rhcir trar!ltional remedies work just as weII aa "mod- of the Union's mote dangerous inventions.
ern" medicine.
The rules for t h e Wild West arc fairly simple.
Firr any of thcse groups, magic shoulcl he large lp Characters are just as they are in mn~lernMage. The
c c ~ i n c ~ d e n tunless
~I,
i t ' s rompletcly ovcr the toy. Paradox for vulgar effects is one lcss. Christian miracle
Drc:imspcaker and Ecstatic slinman magic will he working, folk magic, shamanism and Infernalism are
rntire coincidental amtjng their own people than considcrcd coinciclental alrnost ~ v e r ~ w h e r as
e , arc
among setrlcrs, w l ~ i l cHermctic magic will work hest suitahIy suhtle effecrs or the kind of things o n e might
among fcllow i n i t ~ a t e sto thc secrct mysteries. Al- see happen in a dime novel (which means that, yes,
rhuugll rhc Aka~hicqaren't comn~onplacc in the yoit can get away with cool gun effecrs). H c m e t i c
West, rhey are thcrc. Many Li-Hai comc with the ritual magic as well ar Aksshic and other Asian arts
Chinese miners and railroad wnrkers, acting as folk require sanctums or the prescnce uf people whu
herucs fcor the u~andcringstmr of the MidJIe King- h c l ~ e v cin the paradigm (such as the mect.inEplace of
Jnm. A few might even adapt ~unfightin~
to the a secrct societv or within San FranciscolsChinatown).
principles of LJo. Akzshic players can draw inspira- Storytrllers mav decide to allow the more believable
tion from the classic television show Kung Fu as wclt martial arts effects tu he coincidental, however. Tllc
asfrcl~ntnorercccntmovieslikcShan~hn~
Noon (which Gauntlet is thinner in thc W c s ~ .The r;ltii~gis 7
wnrks just as well h ~ r[he Wu L u n ~ )Although
.
the within large ciries {Chicagcl,San Francisco), h within
Ahl-i-Ratin are all hur unknown In this area, this most settlements, 5 along must frontier traits, 4 in
period marks une of the times when the Batini rnlrsr the wilderness and 2 in and around pclwerful nodes.
act as peacemakers and diplnmats among the Trndi- Shallowings are also present, c~fcenin deserts, deep
tions. This includes such tliings as travc3ing t h c Wild mine shafts or lonely mountain passes. Bur beware.
t
and t
i t i
t n
i
t f
~ Theswest's urnbra is given IU violirtt 2nd nightmars
into cnmmnn causes, against eirher infernali~rr.Ma- irh storms in which rhe spirit landscape bends and
twists, mixing t h e ShaJtlwEands, the Penumbra, t11c
raiulers or the Tecl~noctacy.
Union have their own rc;tsons Astral Planc and wnrse rugions togerh.rrr into a sin&
Mcmhers of
for being in the setting. The Black Cryars(somctirncs chaotic labyrinth. Somctlmec;these ctnrms evcn bleed
2nd stlrgcnns t r ~ v r ltht. r ~ g i o nalongside dark-clad
gunslingers who have no fear if rleath and .camhlers
w h o r r w t in Fortllnc t n sce them though. Many

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i s really heating up. Tradition

rnages ensconce themselves in the new colIegcs and
terrlturirs out west - Euthanatos deal out sixshootin' jusricc, Vcrhena are schoolterrchcrs who
secretly teach nld herhology and rites to the new
generation, and Order of I-lcrrnes rnages infiltrate
slmilar groups like the Masons and thus infltlcnce
courts and dnctors.

CHAPTERFWE:ALTERWWE
SETITEK;s
"

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the Ascension War

Expbrarors come as rurveyurr and mapmakrrs, turthering the tam in^ of the West hy J i s c n v e r i n ~every
hidden nook and cranny. Thc lnvisihlc Exchequers
finance thc railroads a n d mines, build hailks and
ensure that all the fincries of civilization are a v a ~ l able upon t h e frontier. Mcchnnician engineers
nvcnec rhc consrruction of railroacls and rest their
Iatcst firearm d c s i ~ n sSome
.
Rodp+Forgcrseven take

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Rulld your character5 tor this scrtlne as you

wtrultI normal Mage characters, hur ohvic~usly
the Virtual Acleprs clon't yet exist. Ahl-i-Batin
might still show up but t h e s c t t i n ~is prctry far
afield f i ~ trhcm. On the o t h c t hand, yrlu can
casilv fit all kinds of Mage stcreotvpes into thc
setring: Akashic Brothers taking inspiration From
the old Ktnne Fu show. Dreamspeaker shamans
end Celestld Chorus parishioners huildinn new
c ~ t ~ ~ c . e sa
bringin. the W c r out west.

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WHAT
~ ~ G HAVE
H T BEN*

ALTERWE

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TKHNKRACI~

In Mage, the hattlc between the Traditions

and the Tcchnncracy is suppiased to be one of
moral grayness. Neithcr siclc is 10O0/a right nor
100'h wrong. Instead tiley reprcscnt thc eternal
debate h e w c c n Pcrschnal Freedom (che Traclitions) and Public Rcspvnsihilitg (thc Uniunl.
Each side has its pros and its cons, mn
id both rend
to work hcst when Ealanced with the other.
Wirhnut rcspnnsiblltty, freedom hccomes selfishncss and che world gner; tu hell as people care
only ahvur thcmselves. Without frccdom, responsibility hecorncs p-raternalisrn, locking clae
world In a prison "fur its own good." Roth sides in
the Ascension War llaveCiriitc~1dangerc~usl~
close
tn their had sides. The Technocracy especially
hccnmc incrensinglr
over the last
half of the 20th century. NRW,in t h e wake of rhc
Rcckon~ng.,the Union has hecn givcn onc lasr
chancc ti> sct things right.
What if rhev'rl never needed that chancc in
the first place? Whar if the Union had mana ~ e tdr l find rhc righr halance between personal
tteednm a n J public rcsponsihili t y ? Consider
the fiollowing pnsqihilities.
First, therc have heen two perio~lsin shc
Union's history when a faction devored to irpholding the Rruup's hiKhcr i~lcalswas forced out.
I t c1c)esn't have ti, I7e that way. Whar if thc
Craftmasons had won their war with thc High
Guild?Could ttwy havc rcformecl the Order o f
Ressrm Into a hrcc devoted t t ~i m p r o v i n ~the
lives nf the ponr and downtrncIclcn? I f so,could
this new Ordcr have crcatccl successful rfemocratic ruvt>lurionsin France and the rest of Europe?
And could thes rcsist thc tcmptarion of creating
a worldwide dicrgtarrhip of thc prolctariar. bc.
c o ~ n i n gjust as paternalistic as thc Technricratic
Union w a s ?

\Yrhat i f the U r t ~ p i a nw~ ~ t h ~rhr

n Elcctro~lvne R~blc.Whilc most of his money gclcs tn pay ')if
Enginc.cr<,rhc AnaEvtlcal Rcckoncrs and othcr 6 ~ varlurrq
crcd tors, he has onc creditor arha Icrs h~rn

such a n ~ ~ ~ r l J . ' C nt il ~~lcU

d t o p ~ a nUntirn 5ur171vethe
samc trap rhat clnimcd the r c ~ lTechnocracy, or

nfnrtlJ~r t u r n tntt) a Jystt~pla?

Finally, what if thc Tcchnocrncv rcallv and trulv
arc rhc E C ~ C ) ELIVFI
~
Nu A~~ttlchthon
mach~nccult, nn
NWO Iirainwa~hlne,no ham-hanJuJ c11il pltlt5 for
~vorlJclrm~nnriunthat cvcn Dr. noom would curn
down. T h ~ cUnitm i s the only thinq st~nJinr:lieriveen rhc linm;~nr;1ci8and the ultimate ciatkness. I t
work< r n inlprtwc hum:~nlife ~ v h ~scctctlv
lc
protectin: the world from 11111rc~crons
vampires, mm-catinc
uerehtast,. allen p ~ ~ yarositcs
~ ~ hi ld Infcmali~c
~
maw< rvho rcnllv do want to turn rhc world into a
livinq hell.
Tl~c+c
;*rej u ~ ta f t t v examples of possil.1~varistiom within rhr. Union. T t ~ r vliun't cvcn 3 7 tnto
t h i n ~ hlikc diffrrcnt Conventions clefccrin: rn the
fr a d ~ r i o n(trv
~ tcl ~rnayinethc SvnJicatc and lterarion X sitring on the Cuunctl uf hlinr), cn.mp!ctcI!*
Jtffcrcnt Glnvcntions, a cinglc Convent ion rnaklnl:
I Z ~the enrltc Unltnn or noTechnocrafic Unionat all.

THE& I S C K C H ~ N CQPR~SEWTY
SPHERE

larch on TO t l l ~ qmvutcrious Ktrah al-Alacir.

Rv 1500 tllc Order of Rcason'~Jtcarn has been
suborned. Instcad of Jevcloping an vrl2erlv s o c i c ~
'h;~cc.don the sprcad of r:~rion;~l
~ c i c n c cioIl~winethe
Order's l e d , thc carlv, e;ls\. qprcacl of a rnvsticnl
cljstcm of scicnce sparks thc imagination crf humanirr. Evcrvhody wllr)" a n ~ h o d vwants t n h c a sciencict
In rhc cxcirin~Renaissancc.and no 'topic kbarreJ hut ~nsreadof iorrninc C I I I ~ F , C ~ I ~ L I Cand
C clrcantzatinns t h a t shut d o ~ v n' ' c h o d ~ l~~c ~ c ~ cncr ' ~' ' I U OUI
I
cxpcrrmenrcrs !t71ch trinec theurics, thc public g(xc
wild for mad scicncc. T11ecra:ier the idc-3,rhc hcrrcr.
Rv 1650 thc OrJcr OF Rcast~ncxiqtr tlnly as n
small muvemcnt of hvperconscri*atiw scienrists who

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hclievc rhnc onlv ration;ll examination of dircctlv

CI~~SCTV
~henornena
C~
can he taken ax truth. The rcxt
~ithe worid. mcanu'hilc, happilv accepts intuition,
induction and thc idea of r n r ~ r a h l escicncc.
Thc Rcnaisqancc and the Inductrial Rcvolucion spark some of humanity's stranscst creations. Wl~ile
ma55 praducticm and faccorlcq take off, rher
nvt olllr cars hut klts br people r i ) makc rhcir o w n 'ph
transports
It\.hr~tIcar-t-oats. car-hclicoprers and

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Hnrnmgrrn~on the fltfid inPtrtq

rcronencs ~ T ~ I TI .q n d ~ ~B~B(ICLLI
~i.
hendrn,n rnctal. So h l d~c n l , hut n small hnssle. He'd ilj,.enturers
h n ~ vto PIIII o ~ t tthe slomp+ and the hearer, reshape t h e
sullth Amcric:ln5hamnnism to thc world and
dtrct find thdn tr? t i t hflmmfr Into P[flcc Onr'P more. lnrejyate rhcsc inttl rrrblication5r,irncntal llcalrh
,
fl hcrtcr J c q i f l . - - b r l r he wasn't one u f rhc hif!h- and psl,cho[oEv. Cclnrran,to rhc lrjca
Oh.
,jnI?
clbscrthand-ml,$~ht~ E n ~ i n c c r ( .to Come 1(/J tclrh a nett1 and
and dcdilcjhlc phrnomcnfl having murit, rhc
C; ,+ .
more ~ c l r n b l espncc enginc.
Enliphrcncd among humanltv tnanac~trl foster rhc
StctirIenI? thr
h~dEsheddcred. P~tshinr:ntrav
[hat mtlrality
cthlcs,social prueramminc
Jrom rhc cnqine, ..lin(iretr~ mnclc his clrfi?
3hc smai! ant] scsyonsihiIitv are
scrrnrificnIlv baserl. HI,cnckpit. Pirates? T ~ IC S~ S to
C Alpha Ccntavri! h'ohodu
manity, while far from pcrfcct, ha> far Icsq tl,fcrancp A ulcluld piratc. in thc middle of tht Sphere - ~tnleqsrhc:
for rlrc csccsscs squnlid lnJustrial n.t,rkinF1-cl3w J
rr'ercn'r phatcr at all, hltr uwe afrtr snmcrhin~clsc.
condrtions.
.qndrc.tc,rrirnerl his head sIirrh.I[ rtlttnrd I he p n ~ r e n ~ ~ r In I 870, ChrlsrophcrR i ~ ctrmFlclcs
~ ~ ~ ~ l ~
c o r n p ~ r ~ m ~ bltr
n t s hrr
, rnvsreriolrs fln~~rnwlc.r,
tihn'd paid first prorcltvpc ErhcricalEngine. In the tra Jltion
in L ~ I - n n cdidn'r
e,
cmcr~c.
ihi h r t i~istorirrlm i n id r r i ~ n c ihc
, immediarelr
IY'irh o o4rsc i4ndr.r his h i e a ~ hAndrnv
,
dccirlcd hr'd appl ics ir ro a vuhiclc h j d r a n d , for rhc (irarime
.
, #,
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Iwsr hatst to rnflketio tcvth one cn~einctsnIt+eand tv togcr since chc Joomcd cspcditions c~fthc C e l e ~ t l a Ma<111 sorneu~hereS U ~ C T .i 3 l d t u~htlw! He'd h~71-eLO hcad
tcrs In the early Kcna~ssancc,iw penetrates the uppcr
4'
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outqidt the Sph?rc.-and who kncrt, ufhnr trras 01t.tshcrc! atmusphcrc and make<hi\ wa\+intospace. MIS launch
3c
R~ 1460, (;utcnhurc has finisheJ his mtn-ahlc polnt, at C:lpc Canavctral, FlclriJa, hccomes some:4**' '
ttlpc yr~ntrnypress iin~lha:, printed his Gutcnhcrc

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(nrq ant1
cjling 'ria
women tlock tn the area, where they esrahlisl~s nevx
"ether admirristration" tn sturly tl~esc.~lcvelopinents
and hegin mankind's missions t t ~the stars. These
Etherical Engineers hecoine the heroes of humaniry,
glorio~~sly
rtsing up to spacc.
y
It is now 1920. Clockworks h a v e given w ~ to
voltaic relavs. and the new Tesla Junction allows
the construction of autnmnta that run not on stcam
or rlnckwork tensinn hur nn elccrriciry, etl~erical

v1hr:ltions and hrcladcast pciwes! Christclpher

Riscncchi. the hrillianr inventnr and Icader, has
recently died, I ~ uhiq
t dream o f a great empire o f m a n
stretching across the stars has just hegun. The so+
called "Riscocchian Copsnsperiry Spl~ere"is a union
nf thc colonies on many widespread planers rhruucrhour ncar space.
Rut spacc isn't poaccfuful. Bcsides rhc cl~hrrratc
brass and stecl sl~ipsthat cniise thc spacclancs, thrre
are alien creatures, rraitors t n h u m a n i t y ancl Things
char
come from other cl~mensinnl;.I-laving left
rhc. safety of Earth's craille, htimans must now grow
11avt.b

I I gc
~ a c p e c i ~
anti
~ cr~ntvrrdw i t h rhr L ~ A Q of~ a~ ~ F
htisrile universe. With Science as a beacon rn one
hand and Hope in the othrr, they will prevail!
If you usc c i ~ cBiscocchian Cclprospcrity Sphere
sctting, y ~ ~ u ' rplaying
e
a game of g l a m t ~ r o z ~ s
clcctropunk space upera with Mage- Sure, it's far
afield from 'the original settinp, but it's not i m p s siblt. and ~t's a lot of fun. Here's what you neecl to

do ....

Your main characters are nlages - probably

Etherical Engineers (Matter) who include s ~ t c hdiverse groups as Void Riders (Dimcns~nnalScicncc),
Virtual Pioneers (Cotrespondcncc) and Tcsla Designers (Eorccs). In essence, the Echericat Engineers
are the Tradition council, and the subgroups arc likc
the Traditions, each with a specialty. Since they all
agree on rhc idea 13fmgstically enlightened sciencc as
a par:~digm,rhniigk, tl-lcr; get along aholbr as w ~ l as
l
the Technocratic Cnnvenrinns in the curc setting.
The Etlicrical Engineer groups have the advantaEe
that h e i r science ESlargely co~nci~Eental
-everyone
uqes it. If an ErhericaI Engineer modifies a space ship.

- "7

"7

ALTERNATIVE
R~CK~NINGS'

Mystically oriented rna~iciansare rate but not

unheard of. As a modern mage in thc core game
mighr use c e l l phones and cars while also using h i c
Spheres, a mystic in this setting will use the <,dcihnll
electrorunk sclcnce of the setting in addition to
Sphere magic. The Orclcr of I-lerrnes wciutd still
havc a minrlr presence. Eutl~anatoshave vanished
and hecome an underground o r ~ a n i z a r i o nin ccmjuncrinn with the Ah[-i-Ratin; they helieve that
their positron is morally superior tcl the "ethical
calcultls" of t h e Echcrical Engineers, and they work
as secret agcnrs In society, eliminating dangerous
people or ideas and carefully pruninrz thc brancl~es

Withnut a doubt, thc RcckoninR shook up thc

M a p setting- What happens if the reckon in^ hap~ e n r dJificrcntly?W h a t if this cataclysmic event
happened in some other tiinc.period?Or if its impact
was differrnt?
Consider what might have happened if the monster that rampaged acrnrs India had awakened much
earlier. What if it had awakened in 10th-century
Europe? Without nuclear weapons, the Order of
Hcnnes may he forced to rcsort to exrrernely dangerous and desrruccivc magics CLJ stor it. The easiest way
may he t u try dropping a cunwt on it. This may take

throwhacks and divcrgents wha trv tn speak to rhe

supposed, intelligence r?f all devices.
Technocrats a-lre vcry banal scient~stswho

tropical regions.

thcir human sarrificcs k ~ p the

t sun from going uut.

can see. Thcirscicncc lacks luster and flash, and t l ~ i t s faction of mages trying ro hring hack the sun w i t h
~ t ' soften Paracloxical; without truc inspiration, sci- mass hurnan sacrificcs?
ence can't puasihly work, as cveryone knows!

,F!

huilJ them like spirits nr bygones, though. Etherical demic after WWI killed milliims. What if all t h c ~ e
bodies dead from war and plajiuc rose up to rake

Engineers might use ethcr shockwave cannons or

TcsZa arc guns t o fight such menaces.
On tile
of inhabired space, oucslJe
the Sphere, are those lItlmans whu'vc rcl;ec'tcdt I ~ e
ethical calculus of the Engineers -the danffcrt>uqIy
insane and deranged, N c ~ h a n d iMarauders,
,
Cultisrs
uf Ecstasy w h c ~live only fc~r lea sure, Verbena who
belteve that technology is an ahominatinn. Thcsc
raid orher sllips in pirate a t colonies c~ccasionall~
tacks, and rehcl ~nsurgencies sornctimes haypen.
Heroes m ~ ~ try
h c to convince thcm of the crror of
their wavs or g o with rheir a l i e n a l l ~ e sto stor a
tersnrisr

,#-J

revenge upon the living? If your players arc fans of

N i ~ h tof the Living Dead and other zomhlc rncnties,
chcy n i g h t enjoy ruch a setting, eithcr as mystcrinus
horror or a 5 splxtterp~lnk.
Whar if rhe Reckoning gave rise t o superhurnans?
The trigger event for Aberrant's Nova Age is very
clocc ro the same time as thc Reckoning. I-low would
the Technocracy react to Novas? Wr>uld mages he
ablc rn pas$ themselves rrtf as s u ~ e r h u m a n s ?
What if, instead of the Avatar Storm, much of
rhe Tradition Ecadership fell to InfcmaZisrn? Perhaps
the despeiaticm of fighting n losina hatrle for so long

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finally caught up tu them and rIley sold thcir \ ~ > u lin

s
the name of revenge. If so, rhen perhaps after thcy
killed much of the Union's leadership, the damncd

crcatlvzrv LA its fans to deslrc tn prlnt the thousands

r i c ~ n cand the Tcchnucracy work tngethcr tcl savc

i~nmcrseinagc plllycrs who rravt.1 the Digttal

Flna]l,., what if
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Ten-do P o p . Perhaps thev could dare the werewolf~~~k~~~~~ dcstrrrsc~~~~~h IwIJ RIue Caverns nr share A q u i e t dinner arnp
survive in
umbra,
Mo~ihund& Smirch cowcrs in thc pcnthousc restauranr known as The Vicw as they cnjoy a rna~nificenr
vista of clze city beneath. Whatever thc SroryteIler

High Unlbra representing the icIcal of [he

French fry. They might visit chc dead trapped in rhc
L~~ Umbra, Each of rhcsedivisions

of scurles the fans enacr every J a y on rhc. chats.

Nflnethelcss, rherc is nothing tn prevent Storytellers

and varied. Within OUT w t d d are morc diversity and

he e x ~ l f l r e d
wonder
RnVone could ever accumplish in a lifetime. From the painted boats of thc

along, hut doing scl suhjecrs [hem to tllc snmerimes with hlasf tone on cold cnmputer screens heswccn
drastically different laws th;,t govern the realities of hircsof delivered pizza. Even within the mure "civithese Orher Places.
Iized" natlons, various groups preserve the old ways
through rIevt>tion and care. MaEic i s like a livinR
NEWBRE~~N
thing, thriving nn rhe beliefs and dreams of senThe Digital WchFresents numerous rcalmr which ticnce.
merge the mystery tit the spirit wotld with thc rech-4nywherc chat thc conscience of the people is
nulogy of varicius scientific rnages. As such they s ~ i f f i c i e n tpl ~o ~ ~ e r fto
i ~sway
l
thc world's supposedly
contain realms formatted from thc ran* t c c h n o s ~ i r i t nl>jcctive
tr?ward sheir subjective desires is a
stuff uf rllc Weh into the various pipe dreams and place where rht.laws
or magic may change.
iantasics of programmer rnages and h r > l n ~ r a p h i artc
In Mage terms such an area can he considered a local
ists. Stor~rcllcrsfamtltiir with Whitc Wtblf s online Faradicm. T h e core Mage rules already state that the
chats might evcn clecldc that on11nccnvrronments presence nf more than 100 peoplc who helicvt. in rhe
such as New Firemen (found at t ~ t t p : I i ~ ~ w . ~ h samc
i t ~ ' -paradigm as [he mage mav allow samc v u l p r
rvnlf.com) arc real within thc D i ~ i t a lWch. W h i t c effects to hc considered coincidental if no
Wuif has roo much respect fur rhe independenr wirnerses arc
m conrradlcr [hem. Having

. -

that many peoplc aqrcc about anyrhinfi can he difficult, but when a c r o u ~has
~ a E H T ~ C degree of
cr~mmonalityi r hecomes far easicr. Everynne growi t ~ cup in the same rnwn, for example, is likely to
share many of the same scorier, legends, knowledge
uTsrrecr names and possibly such rhines as relicious
beliefs. On a latgcr scale, m;lnv rowns in thc satnc
area of the world may share a cr~lruralhond that
unitcs all of their citizenry in religious dogma, moraf
consecluencc, educational differences or perhaps fcarful supcrstiticrns. An arca of larye size sharing many
people with a specific focus on the worklngs of rhe
un~verser n ~ g h form
t
a regional paradigm.
What
this rncans for a mage is up to
individual Stor;tcller. S ~ l m eStorytellers may feel
that the acat ity itnposed hg the mass of Sleepers ~ r h n
have come t o helievc instinctively in the scicnrific
pr~nclplesput fc~rthby tl-te Tecl~nocracyi s so firmly
entrcnchecl that real-life
are indeed standard
factors throughout their individual World nf Darkncss games. In such a game, anywhcrc in the world
that a mngc works magic. whcthcr in downtc~wnN e w
York nr in the Outhack of Australia, the effect wi tl hc
limited only hv hcr power anJ the presence or allsence oiSleepers. T h u universal natural order taught
hr; Western science hecomes the rrue face of reality,
w i t h m a ~ i releaated
c
t c l heinpcitheran artifact nf t h c
pa3r or an alternative reality ~ n \ ~ a s r vroc ours. This
choice ir not necessarily had, as it accentwares thc
victory of the Technocracy over thc more mystical
Traditions I7y hard-coding it into the rules.
The cxamFlu from the core rulehonk and i t s
I o o s u n ~ nof~ the honds of
reality for rnagcc.
with large K s o u ~of
s like-minded acolytes mav inspire
uthcr Stotytcllerc to cxplore the idea of regional
Faradigtns for thcir games. Ir makes sense that the
v a r i o u ~Trailitinns c r t magic have hrlcl t n their peneraFhical nreas for reasons heyoncl mere creature
comfr~rz.Each Tradition sprang from a certain ctllture and might feel a bond with its origins, but it is
easy 10 guess that t h r r r is morp to it than this a l o n e
T h e very culture t h a t serves as the wellspring crf a
Tradition also offers rhc will of its pcople toward
~ t r e n g t h e n i n gthe p r a J i g r n practiced by that Traditton. Wlthin eastern Asia, for cxample, the Akashic
Rrotl>esE~oodfinds ready succor In the ease wich
which people accept and understand philosophies
t h e brothers must spend years explaining ti? Western
counterparts. Is it so hard to hclieve that the sheer
vnlumc of helieti thar rcsnnatc with the Akashic
would ernpourer thcir practice o f magic?

- , -.

This teqc~nanccwith locales can go hcynnd the 1

morralc w h o inhabit thcm. The woricl is composed nf
pattcrns stemming from ancrent Mythic Threads
t h a t stretch bsck into thc rnivts of time. Spirits in
cvrrv rock and piece cif wood I ~ a v eexisted for cunruries. The vcry land ahsorhs the hcliefs of its peuple.
Even an arheist might feel the holy aura which
radiates from an ntd church, once carved from pagan
rock hut now endowed with centuries of faithful
Christian reverence. A practitioner frilrn the Celestial Chorus ccrtainlv could d r a u ~more easily upon
the divine from within the walls of a
that has
4.
hecome sanctified beyond merc scriprural declara.
tion. For rhe Ahl-i#Batin such laces havc cven
hecome singular points upon a much larger latticcwork of power known as the Web of Faith. W irhin
the Web's confines the Suhtle Ones are more potent
if only due to their ries to t h c faith that florvs r l ~ r o u ~ h
the mystic traces between the holy sites anchoring it.
Do not suppose that choosing ro use re~iclnal
paradigm rules invaiidates the Technocracy, how.
evcr. It is ntl coincidence that things like lahor
camps, factclry rtlwns, lwsiness districts, medical "research triangles" and demilirarized zones exist. Same
citizens of thc World c.7f Darkness lrvc thcir entire
lives in a few hlocks, traveling only from rhcir con*
dominium t o thcir work cubicle to the nvcrpr~ced
supermarket rhey pass o n the first floor crn thc way TO

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the elevator. Entirc cities have cprung up aror~nrl

single inciustrics or thcir related husinesses, from
high-tech Silicon Valley to the Syndicate wet dream
of Las Vegas. For an example of how thoroughly
these places can hecorne contrtllted hy a sindc way of , ,
life, one need only fonk to thc failed srecl plants nf ' '
P i t t s b u r ~ hand Allentown or the rapped-out mines
of West Virginia. T?w lore of t e c h n o i o ~can
~ still
seep into humanity and become it5 hloocl, such thar
it alters ncarly ever)? thought and if removecl leaves
a h r e n hwk.
In places where things have gone rcrribfy wrong rhe Nephind i are mas. povrrfl~l.The rotting carpsi
of a mining town might inspire in Ne~hanclithe s ~ m e
rwisted glcc at thc tnrmcnt n i Creaticln they find in
rhc trihal killings in Rwanda, thc rampant AIDS- '
filled sex pits o f ThallanJ and the transirion of
:ealotr; into rhe G r u ~ a d e s .Visirors to Holocaust
sitcs in Europe ottcn rcporr a dccp sense of haunltin~
felt to the very hone when they stepped into the
laces where once the Nazis fired up ovcnr or gassed , '
victims hv zhe hundreds. I t is ironic that such places
arc nil-spcrts to the liars whn claim thc Holocaust

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Resonance: Rcg~onsarc as filled with Resonancti as partbcular events or nhjccts are; onc might
consider them even more so. Magic mesh in^ w i t h
RULES RKIBNS
the Resonance of a place may gain a -1 bilnus t o the
In game terms the general effcct of a local or Jifficulty nutnher for success, whilc that which
rcji~onatparadigm is to alter the way that magic defies the nacural order of thc arca rnny gain a +1
works. A Srt,rytelIer sho~llddecide how dsasrically
ro tllc roll necessary. When using regional
she wanrs these changes to affect hct game and
rules in I ~ e rgame, a Stnrpteller should
should he cure that she is re pared tn incorporate conslcler t h e Resonance of t h c place separately from
those changes in a way that makes her stories stron- [hat the mage and have both of them modify the
gerrathcrrhan compromising t~~cplapers'suspt.nsiun difficulty of Arere rolls. Thus rt is Cossih[e that an
of helicf, On the luwest cnd of the scale 15 h i r i n g area may
likc Resonance and
ama~e
who ir
the effects of rcgionnl paradigm tcl changes i r ~dilri- htnder a magc
is ntlt. Holy miracles performed
culty numbcrs. At the orhcr cncl of the spectrutn, a hy chorister magicin Rome that fir with its C a t l ~ o Storytcllcr may wish t o allow minor physical filter- Iic hc.ritage are more likely to succeed. Rites held In
atinns of rcalitv without prilpcr magic use. such as chc lmrcriaI city tapping inro t h c sacrificial magic
allowing martial artists in the East ro leap furthcr ,fMithraisln are prohahly going to t.le more powerthan they might in t h c Wcst. This sectirm offers fill as well. A Nephandus defilcr trying tc, destroy a
some guidelines frnr chanyes In thc rules thar m e dcvoutsoul w i t h r n S t . peter's Basilica isn't likely to
might wish to include In a regional paracligtn.
have much luck, however, while a thuggee assassin
Acolytes: A largcptoporrion r ~ f r h einhabitant5 elf t h c Eurhanarns might bu walking depth in the
of a t i w n or nation whose culture is strtlngly sup- streets clf Calcutta.
porrivc of the paradigln of a mageVsTmd irian miell t
The
changes up to this point llave been
auromatically hc treated as act~lytcsfor magical
subrle and
rn changea game severely
purpc~ses.This would mean that t h ~ ydid not count hut
a strong fcRional flavor to t h e mix. Some
as Sleeper witnesses and that having more rhan 100 Storyrellers
wish to stop there. Others may
05 them present would potentially allow vulgar wish to venture filrthcr and truly explore the idea
effects that fit within their helicfs to bc considered
culturesarenltjust different in thoughtly
what tu i n ;l dvnamlf world, they ctlu,d alter rhc very fahrif
coincidental. Rcttcr yet, if p r c ~ ~ e r raughc
dt3, they miahr even he able to help pertc~pmmagic
of reality around thcrn, seernina extraordinary cn
by "acting in concert'' or rendering aid in rituals. outclders.Even Scotytcllers whoJo not wish to adopt
AJditionall~, a maW might Jiscnver that P V ~ P I the
~ fc~llr,wingrulcsaspart of their regional paradigms
possess rhc mundanc knc~wledgeshe requires tcl hc may incluJc chcm in their Fame5 as cxamp[cs of
able ro enact magic that demands i n f o r r n a t i ~ ~urn thinp that cnuld lye acllieved with magic rather than
skills shc dncs nor possess. Perhaps one of the hest n ; q t ~ rresults
~!
of a iocalized reality.
henefits i s thc fact that citizens of a region thac
~
~
~~~~~l~~
~
s t s n~ ~ sas
divider
~
of l
SuCForts a m a g e ' ~paradigm may nor he of any
the spirt[ rcaIm horn t h e physical world. Its prescnce
tn h ~ cncmics.
s
Tcchnocrilts chnsing Er~rhaniltns
~~~h~~~~~~~l,y far, hut certainly the
rudely surprised a t t h e Union has seen to if that the Gauntlet llas grown
maEes into Calcutta may
sheer puwer o f cults they consider archaic and
than rvcr. -r-hcconnectinns of
to
backward in thinking. Storyrellers shouIJ he carc- the
grow tenuously weak in inodcrn times,
fuI tc' c u n ~ i d c rchar some regions might n o t
,hV potnt
we often fear those
mainsrccifically h d r any of t h e main Traditions,
rain them or are jarred with ccrror at accidentally
might even st[rF'rise magcs who expect rheir aid. A tediccoverjng them for ourselves. True helieverq are
Celestial Chorister iirivinl into Amich country with oftm seen madmen and lealors hv
soci111s gun, radto, cell phone and clcctronic COPY of [he r r y , <r,mrrlmrs cvpn hy nrganisatinns that purport r o
R1h1cmay tliscover that the br licfs of thnsr arcrun~l represent
divine. -rlsolSthat miehc open
him arc dirfercnr e n o u ~ l from
l
his that they are of pathways to
;Ire rainted by
lirtle help beyond their mundane friendliness. On ,, (hick
dangers hecome obscured lTy
t h c other hand, the Amish rpiriru~litymight prtlve the lieh and [heir
lost i n the
visionbeneficial rn a n r e a m s ~ c a k c rwit11 a fairly StrfJnE .,ieS who miEht once have hrlefly rrrucl,ed heaven
bulicf in rhe i~lrimaredomininn of Gaia.

ncrer occurrccE, for what trrlc.power do the Ncphandi

scrvc I ~ u that
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instead arc cilnsumccl with angst so strime it turns

rhc fanciful utopia of h;~llucinogcns into thcrapv
sessions in hell, whitc IJEA agcncs liarnmcr down
dciclrs find harass rhc innocent with increasing i m p nity 3s thcy wage a war fnr o u r suuls. Ncvetthcl.css,
the spitit worlJ in Mage i s rhere, it is real and i r is
~c'wcrful. Spirits hcvnnd count slurnlrcr fitfullti in
evctyrhing amund us, and it takcs imly rhc \vhiff of
thc proper m a ~ i ctn a t least cause them ru turn in
their slccp.
The Gauntlet can he affcctcd two diffcrcnt
ways hv r e ~ i o n n lp a r a d i ~ mrulcs. Thc simplcft and
most common I V ~ V t s for i r to he r a i d or lowered hy
the inhctcnt hclirf or dishclicf in thc sp~ritualby
the pupulacc. Downtown New Yurk City mav have
a Gauntlet rhf 8 or 9, while do\vntnrvn Port-auPrincc, Haiti is likcly to have a Gauntlct rating of
6 or 7 . In nations likc Japan i t is possihlc that rhc
c t l n t i n u i n ~religious heliefs are halanced enough
with t h e intense industrialization thnt the Gauntlct
rnrinas remain those normally stated o n page 209 nf
M a ~ e :T h e Ascension. If a r c ~ i u nha< a strklngcr
Jcgrtle of l~clicfin spirituality, the Stvrvtcllcr mtcht
universally dccidc rhat a l l G a i ~ n c l e ratines
t
wirhin
that region are uric polnt Inwer, rvhilc a heavily
ttcknolvgical arua might cause a l l Gnunrlct ratings
ti1 he clnt poinr higher. Given t h a t the chart alreativ
takes the relativc population density anJ \\,ilderncss of :tn area into accounr, 2nd is prohahlv already
s h r e d roward an American point of vicw, a Storyteller r n ~ g h chouse
t
r r ~ r o n s i d ~ r r h c c h a~ IrI ~C United
Statcs standard. This m ~ e h tmean crlrnpnrin~the
sclativc spiritual hcliefs of other r c ~ i o n st o t h a t
standard. Rewarc making judgmcnr calls like t h i s
without considering the tccl ings of your players and
thc hiaqes vou may hrinE to the tahle. Such rulcs
cc~nsirierationsshoulr! not bc turncd intn excuscs t c ~
practicc racism or naticmalism and should only hc
u ~ e dto irnprt.r\-cthc unique flavor of an area as hcfi ts
i t s role in your ctorics.
d , to
Antlthvr, sorncwhat more ~ o r n ~ l i c a r cway
I~andlcthc Gauntlet with rcspcct tn re.gional paradigm is co have i r Ructuaec accord in^ to ccrtain
\~;triahIcs.If ;I p a r a d i ~ mis vcrv csrahlcsl~edas dominant zvith~nan arcil, it might influeucc the Gauntlcr
hcyrrn~lsinlplv h u n g thick or thin. Pcrhilps s p ~ r i t s
whu are suppi>rtiveof thc rtrs t itv o f t h e parad i ~ r are
n
given casicr acccss while rhose who arc ilisruptive
atefurrhesdissuadcd from participation in chc physical realm. It rniehr sccrn t h a t rhis is a!ready covered
hy Resonance, hur it goes hcyond that. A Hermetic

magc trying to summon a l i ~ h r n i n gs p ~ r i in

t China
midlt find the Gauntlec is chinner cwcrall. Imagine,
ho\vcver, il t h a t magc aetcmpted t ~ 1summun the
ghost of a dcad pcrrnn. HL'is wrrnundcd hy ncutturc
w i t h a l o n ~histclry of hcliuf in anccsrnr spirits.
While i t r n i ~ hstill
t
be easier to sumrnnn a IightninE
spirit in rhc morc mythic realm of rhc East, summ o n i n ~anccstnr qpir~tscou!J. Pie almort rrivially
easy for thasc who have rhu sklT1. In c~rdcrt o
this
ruIc to wclrk. a Storvtellcr should apply "n incrcasc
or deduclti.c~nto thc Gauntlet ratinv of citl~crone or
twopvints based uponwhethcr t h e Gauntlet cjtthat
area would commvnty hc resrcd in thac manncr. In
a sense thc. Gauntlot has weakcncd due nl the
l
rtpctirivc m o v i n ~of ccrcain types c ~ cphemcra
through its veil; it is Iikelv to rcmain strongcr in
areas In rihich i t is rarclv tested.
Time: While pcthaps mtwc confilsinq to consider it IS also p ~ ~ w i bthat
l ~ 'a rccinnal paradigm could
affect the way t h a t time flows or is vicwecj. In thc
t i m c l track4
~ ~ ~ (rf the deserts o f t I ~ cMiJcllc East one
might more easilv peer hencerh the sands into thc
past. Pcrhays t h i s was an inspiri~ticlntnearly Ecstatics,
or rnayl3e theit long prcscnce enco~~raeecZ
the dcscrr's
rncmoty. In the humid f;>rcstcof India a mage rnrght
discover that t h e frcnctic pursuit of I I ~ Pis quick and
his spells fade anray faster as t l ~ c yare srlaked Into the
living lanclscapc. T h e lewon of the cyclc is laid SO
hare here rhat n n c can imagine E~~rhanatos
Masters
h r i n ~ i n gthcir studcncs to irnmcrse rI~crnselvcsin it.
Stan~Eingupon rhe ncwost piece of rock in the world,
just c;rst nut of t h e volcanucs ilf Hawaii and ~onlerltly
t h e sca, a magc might find his spells morc enduring,
fillccl w i t h t h e energies of c r e a r i u n . W h ; ~ r
Drcamspeakcr ct-~ultlnot \va,tch t h e spirit$11Ffirt.and
wascr iEancc forcvcr?The Stvrytcller c a n casily represent thesc sorts of regional paradigm chilnEes hy
reyi~iringonr. c)r trvo fcwcr nr rncvt' successes for
duratiiin ur hy moving up or down onc timc span on
thc Tirnc Line5 chart.
Correspondence: A strong paradigm might alter
the way that connectic~nsand ciistanccr r\.ork for
rnaqic. In In~lia,cvcn t h e shailon o i a n Untr~ucliahlu
~ , it is nclt hart1 co
is said to CFITTI~u n c l e a n l i n c ~ and
imaginc E u t l ~ a n i ~ t oexrending
s
thcir touch t c ~inclurlu thcir shadows. In the mounrain.c 0i14si,1,cach
valIcy can seem likc its own litttc world of peace.
Akashics find ir easy t o strengthen thc riarural harriers againsr intrusion, perhaps even coinctdenta2ly
diffcrcntiating betivccn the razrcous who stir avaIanchcr into motion and rhc mcrk whn may safvlv

I".*'-..
CHAPTER
FIVE ALT~NATVE
~ N G S 173
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p a s s i i ~ r utheir ~ccluclcclrealms. In garilc rerms, a

vacuous face c ~ fthe shining starlet it show<. Trans-

hclicfs. Cars in real lifr dn n u t cornrnonly explode in

by only one o r two lines on the Correspondcnce

Altcsnacivcly, Paradox may he less furgiving of

tate ropersclnify che regions they are tryingtoportray

voking magic to find one's way during a storm in the

RermuJa Triangle r n i ~ h be
t considered paradoxical
in those n~ysrcriouswaters. Trying to bring good Tuck
throu~hEntropy while wear in^ a color that locals
consiclcr decidedly unlucky may bring even worse
misforrune to the mage tryin: to flaunt what thep see
as natural law. Failure to apologize tn the spirit of a
bison caught coincidentally using magic to hunt
might bring retrihuttnn from a tribal lancl chat stilt
respects the ancient ways.
In addition to making Paradox morc or less
forgivingin its idea of what is coincidenral and what

The first thing a Stnryteller shoulJ prcihahIy

Paradox resonare with the regional paradigm. Sorne-

Paradox: Pc~ssit~lv
no part of Mage is more open
customizatiun than the forccs of Paradox. By i t s
vcry nature it is both irc~ncladi n ics perperual vigilance and scem1ng1y somewhat fickle in its spccific
manifestation. Certainly ~t is easy ro imagine any
Paradox that is enfi~rccdhy a spirit heing shared try
the nature of the p ~ n i s h i ncTeature,
~
hur elFen
nonsentient forces have R special feel or taste tu
them. Additionally, some rcgirlns may acccptccrrarn
actions as coincidental while nthers trcat them as
to

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uusly healing a tragic, hut genetic, dcfcct will he

coincidental. I n rhe strccts of Asia, shattering even
a very thick brick wall with a punch c m ~ l he
J igmreri
as anexample elf incredible martial arts skill, nanccrs

of certain trihal Arcas arc routinely expcctcd to walk

across hot coals without damagc. Causing an entire
ship to vanish in chc Rcrmucla Trinnglc would onlv
add ro the reputation nf rhe place.

valves and sensitive joints and bearings. Dangerous

botches with Life effects in Calcutta might causc t h e
mace to become rerrihly ill wirh one uf rhe d~seases
t h a t rage chroueh the overcrowded c i t y . The
Himalayas might punish a maEe whose hiihr~scauses
him to launch fireballs a t rhe nearby villagers by
raining a n avalanche upon his head. These sorts of
Paradox rnanifescations add ro rhe fccl of a locale

that some other Paradox creates.

parndiyrn, it is pwhahlv best to introcZucc it in a very

are unrnistakahlv wrong to the eyes of the typical

modern Westerner. In the default game this can bc
devastating hut pcrhaps a hir nonsensical and non
sequitur. Givcn the flavor of a region, it is easy tn
turn these tragic and overhearing events intn cric
demonstrations of thc myths that form thc n r i ~ i n of
s
the Traclir~~>ns.
If a Hennctic mage hotchcs hc>rribIy
in thc Lands of Faith, have a rain of hoilinE bhlood fall
upon him. causing t h o s e u n ~ o a k a h l e a ~ ~ a a v apolncs
ted
ufdamage the rules say he is supposed to takc. If your
Dreamspeaker loses control over her Spirit effect
while visiting Haiti, have her soul wrencherd out of

small area wich a special explanation. Perhaps a tiny

village in Asia is a training ground for Akashic
Brothers; rhey have wovcn magic intn rhe air that
allows magnificenr leaps only within their temple's
walls. Mayhe thc curing praycrs mu5r occur while
touching a specific saint's rclics. Certainly there is
nothing wrong with introducing powerful magic into
the game - it is Mage, afccr all - hut rnaklng sure
that effecrs do nor secm sensclcss or overly cornmcln
helps precerve the majesty of the game.

deemed d a n ~ e r o uhy
s military intelligence. Wichin a

trees in a village in China. Perhaps negative effects

A t first prisoners faced metal fences and heavy

as well. In Asiaspeaking 111 uf an ancestor might cause some curse to hefall securiry and were subject ro long interrogations and

might become commllnrlace

nmmallr attends magic. Further, it may cause players

rn he]as
their ~hi]iticsarc entirely undependable and they may wonder why they rvatked so American
hard to make sure they were carnl~le of crrtarn l'i~hway 832 didn" go

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cozy streets or returned

t ~ 1tcll ; 1 ! ~ ~ 1 it
1 t since

1947. Magcs and magical creatures venturing into such an

Unfortunately for rhe Technocracy, their cx-

'c

re~ularlyA S clockwork. The hay is never in short

supply anti thc c r ~ w sare fat and profitable when the
trucks come fur them as wcll. The local supermarket

still ]lave a single church h i l t at ~ r conception

s
by i t s
nriginnl inhahitants. The aged reverend died a fcw
yearr ago of a sudden heart attack, and certainly the

and the works o f Louis E'Amous.

SZccpytown is thc placc that magic ancl mysricisrn furgot. For almost 60 years its citizens have

thacof a secure Technocratic Lab, ~ i v i n ga difficulty

9 m Spirit effects and requiring a t least five successes
in clrtler tc)
them off. Every CunesponJence
effect that reaches hevLlnd the boundaries of the

earen, breathcd and Zivccl nothing hut small-town

ihu experiment rhe Technocracy
had in mind. Deparrment X set
ttl create the
Supersleeper, a nornlal persun without even rhe
mamorv of thc mythic fiarhagc thc Uniun has spent
SO long trying to stamp 011t o f reality. Here are found
~ e o ~ofl such
e
~ l a ~ lloetcal
l l ~ bent that the very
America. This was

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Ftirthermure, the town's Gauntlet rating rivals

Town in any u7ayrrquiras rwo additional successcn ro

enact. unless ic uses a techn4,10Ricalct,mmunicarinn
syqrenl in its cryeration. Even then ir is suhjecr to
tapping or tracing at the hands of Department X.

paradox
appearas odd interference in the line,
o r pussihIy as powerful weather disturbances such as

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tornadoes. Time cffccts are cxtremelv difficult when

used in any effort to pierce hackward hcyond 1947.
T t t a t any cffurt that invt~lvcstargct ~ l a t e sprior tu
1947 as two categories more Jifficult.
Wt~rscyce, Rygclnes and rlthcr supernatural heings arc c o m ~ l c t c l ybeyond the ken of rhc Sleepyrown
citizens. Even a werewolf nr a vamptrc will suffcr
Paradox as though he were a mage should hc exhibit
any magical capabilities in {runt of a Slcepytown
resident. It i s possihle t h a r e v e n t h e representation of
a mythic creature sc~ttlrlsuffer - T-shirts hearing
pictures nf dragons might inexplicably hegin to fade,
while pentagrams slowly transform into World War
I1 war medals. Whether this last defense is part of rhc
paradigm or an cffect engineered by powerful
technomagic i s up to t h e individual Storyseller.
Thc Technocrats of Department X havc high
huPes fur the p r ~ j c c t ~xpectantly
,
awaiczng r k s!ow
~
death of rl-~cfirst generation of citizens and contin-

ued mental evulution of their subjects. The r n t ~ h a p ~

that confron tccl thc single VirmaI Adcpr-led Tradition attack that Jisc~lvcrcdand attempred ro breach
che town's outer security soctned t o satlsfy superiors
who reacl the repc~rts.Neverthelecs, operators of t h e
expurimcnlt arc cnnccrned t h a t fitture difficulties to
facc rhc project may prove insurmountable. Shoutd
rhe world
continue to ernw a t too rapid a
pace rlwy may lose rhe ability to isolate the town and
havc to end thc psojcctpremarurely. Even should rhe
project last l ~ n t l completion,
l
psychoIogicaT technicians are unsure how thcy will prcserve their wcirk
w l ~ c nthe citizens c~fSleepytown are faced rvitl~a
world chat defies the hiscnry they have heen spoonfed. So far the only proposed solution is the rcsidcnt
Void Engineer" suggest ion chat perhaps Slcepy town
citizens couEd he cran~~lanced
tn new colonits when
the space program advances to t h a t s t q e , thus left
disconnected with any ev~denceof thexr duping.

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Movies trust the audience tu p u t some of

their assumptions d reality aside so that
they can tell their srory, p e t t y much In
the way a Storvteller expects her players
5 0 get into the concepts hehind Mage, a
name where u5uspension ofdisheliep can
take more rhan
meaning, for

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clcscrihc the Hcsmetic conracc tlac characters must

~ c Int touch with as chc Archangel Gallrie! as chillingly portrayed hy Christopher Watken in The
Pruphucy , the play crs will know that the guy i s creepy.
TI" disadvantage is chat, for this e v c ~ c a t i o nto
work, ever)7nnc must h a w secn [he movie you're
calking ahout. It dousn't matter that Tnnv Leung's

short, accepting a new paradigm.

Filrns arc great as references in a game sessron;

~ l a n n c da n ~ t h r n g .

ange! flick," the presence of movies a t rhc gaming

table i s undeniable.

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As mentioned above, movies arc very usefill for into the spiral, and you can have two very real and
c~minguFwirhnonrlnyercharactersinanychrnnicle,
disturbing Rsrabbi Cultists uf Ecstasy, Since you
cithcr if yc~uplan it heforehand or must cumc up with c a n always refer to tltc mc~vie,i r ' ~easier to kccp
marcrial on rhe fly. The bigger adoanrage of using track uf rhe lirrle derails.

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PR@TAG~NTSTS
Movies, as wcll as roleflaying games, arc ahout
struygline against somethins harrcning
to
It can range fronl a ctluF\e p i r a g tr, keep a
r c l a t ~ o n s h working
i~
to a group of soldiers in search
of fcllow snlilier lost hehind enemy lines, or at]
urisuspccring wnrnan savtng humanity horn rhe rhrear
nf rohnts frrlm the future. In movies, characters are
a1 ways doinqsornerhing, and ~ r should
,
rhe characters
in your game.
The p~ohlcmin giving characters rh~ngsto do,
using cinema's example, is that there are very few
m~lviesahcrut a R r c r ~ofclraracters
~p
like aMage cabal;
most of them fi~cuson two or three protagonists who
carry most of the plot on thcErchoulders.Aliens is not
ahout a team of space marines on a I7ug hunt, it's
a h o t ~ tRipley confronting the aliens fur the second
time; Reservois Dugs and Ronin come close to bcing
enscrn2.llt. movies, hut sooner or later the focus shifts
to twcl or three characters.

Cl~closinga ch:rracter in your game as a pmragonist is unfair t o the other playcss, h u t it's not
unthinkable if you plan a series nf shi~rtchronicles,
each h a d around one or two characters with the
rert as s~~pportinj!
cast. All in the group must agree to
this and respect each nrher's turn in rhe spotlight.
This approac21 doesn't require as much planning
as it nccds cotlperation. A normal chronicle sh~fts
focus from character tocharacter, following the model
of a TV scrics inctead of a movie, which flows aruund

This doesn't mean that you can't use movies to

plan the flow of a Mage chronicle. In t l ~ ecase of
~articularlycinernatrc ctorfcs, the hasic film strucm e fits like a glove, hecause that is more or less what
every@"' is expecting-

rHETHEmE
One of the techniques of scriptwriting is to start
from the core and ~o outward. You must first d e c ~ d e
what \ ; O L I ~chrcmicle is ahout, not so much in terms of
plot hut of a central theme. Some exarnplt.~are the
fulfillment of a prophccy (Dune), love triumphs abnve
a11 I Ladyhawke 1, friendship anct sacrifice {Lord of the
Rings: FelIowship of the Ring), etc. The central thcme
I S the point that you, as a StorytelIer, want trr get

firmlv in mind, you can come u~ with plot elements

in the middle of a session and still have it Iirok like
you planned for them heforehanci.
In The Insider's Gutde to Writing for Screen and
Teie~lisron,author Ron Tobias proposes the fc7llowing
themes as rhc most common in frlm ancl television:
I. Quest nr Se.arch
2. Adventurc
3. Chase or Persecution
4. RCXU'
5. Escape

6. Revenge
7. Riddle or Eninma

a single character's growth. After all, rherc is a limit

to what can hc cxplorcd in a rwo-hour movie, as
opposed to a wholc scason on TV.
chronicle means that the
Playing a pr~~ragunist
main character will get most of t h e game time and
the hesr honkr while t h e others hang in the background, providing support fat the story and waiting
for rheir chance. a t center stage. This gives you a
chance ro focus on the Backgroundc, Merits and
Flaws the p l a y bought at character creation and
thc>uu,htwould seldom come into play.

8. Rivalry
9. The Disdained

0. Temptation

Y:'

1.1. Metamorphnsis
12. Transformation
IJ.
Maturitv
14. Lovc
15. Forhidden Love
16. Sacrifice
1 7. Diccoverp
18. Excess

THERan THICKENS

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Unlike many films, rhe story in a roleplaying

19. Ascension
game 1s character-driven, nclt as much carried for20. A Fa!,
ward by the necessities of the plot. You also don't
have che same control over the protagonists' actions THE
PL@T
as a scriptwtiter h ~ s Tha
.
charactcrs are nut your
Of course, ynu may not want to sound preachy co
creations, thcpartl thc players', and what you t l l n u ~ h t your
and may prefer to rrrn a more eventcould bc an cxccljcnc plot h ~ ~ k fcharacrer
~ r a could drivcn story, in wl~icl>
case voz~skip the thcme and go
he rxltallg overlnoked by the ~ l s y e irn question.
directly to the nexr phase: the pior. If the theme is

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whar rhe src~ry1s ahout, the lot ~s what happens m

thc story. Check thc synopsis in a cahle guide nr rhc

27. L7iscnve1-yuf rhc dishont~ro i a loved one

28. Obstacles tu lore

3 1. Conflict wirh a god

32. Mistaken jealousy
T 3. Erroneous judgmcnt

paragraph what you want to happen ~nyourchmniclc

in hroad strokes.
"Drama" i~ a word that is rnistakcnly uscd tn
describe psychologically charged stories, wherc thc

34. Rcmurse
35- Recoverv of a lust one
36. Loss of loved ones
Polti came up wirh scvcral complicarinns for

f LSHNG IT $UT

cvcnts in thc story, usually arouncf onc page o f r e x t

rhat a, rcadcr llas a hcttcr idea r ~ wf h a ~1s going cn

t I ~ chusincss of cellling storics:

1. Supplication
2. Deliverance
3. Vcngcancc of a critnc
4. Venecrncc
for Lindrca
(and we're not talking vampires I ~ e r e )

happcn in rhc story. Sincc t h c scquence of events in

a Mage chronicle rcnds to bc a rather chaoric affair,
it's hard to foresec what will happen in t11c course of
a single game session, rspccially if you are rhe kind uf
Storyteller who t ikes ta use the characrershctiuns in
later plut twists.
Whatever the case may I ~ c , writing a treatment
for your c h r n i c l c can he hetpfitt in keepinEtrack of
a story.
A tool rhat's equally useful in wr~tingforfiIm and
planning a cl~roniclcis rhc plot point, a single evenr
that 1s supposed ro happen and p~tshcsthe strwy
forward, or even in another direction. In 2001: A
Space Odvssey, the Jiscovcrv of the monolith on the
Moon is a plot point, as it gives the stury a reasoil to
scnd pcople tcl Jupiter. Plot points arc signpasts in
the ctory, and they can comc from anv level in the
narration: A charactcr may rcvcal a secret from his
past that gives new direction to thc cahaI's actions,
an ancienr book reveals that all the characters' assumprions were wrong, thc anragonist d o e ~ s o m e r h i n ~
that forces the heroes to change thcir plans, etc.
Anything can happen hetween plot point<, so
you can write a number of them and truqr that,
wharcvet the direction the characters take, the points
wrll remain the same. Plot points are your friends,
since you can drop them on the cahat when i t looks
tikc they are taking the w ~ o n gway f u r the story co
flow as yott had planncd, and i t won't feel like you arc

6. Disaster

7. fall in^ prey ro cruelty nr misfortune

9. Dating cntesyrisc
10. Abduction

T 3. Enmitv of kinsmen
14. R i v a l q of kinsmen

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15. Murclerous adultcry

16. Martness
17, f a t a l imprudence
18. Involuntary crimes uf Irwe
19. Slaying of a kinsman unrecognized
20. Self-sacrifice for an ideal
2 1, Self-sacrificc fnr klndred
22. All sacrificed fur a passion
2 3 . Ncccssity of sacrificing loved nnes
24. Rivalry of superior and inferior
25. Adultery
26. Crimes of lovc

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railrclading them inro a prcsct path. Po plan for

altcmativt plot points, in casc zhc rnages accidentallv kill rhe contact who woulrl: have revealed 'the
littlc secret rhcy needed.

time to think about whar they characters c10 or say.

Youcan interrupt y r ~ u ~nte~acticln
r
with a plavcr and
leave him hanging, waiting for his turn under rhe
"camera." During combat situations rhc shot is the
same as che turn, ancl you can pace them with cqual
ease. YOU can pace thc action more slowly, even ~f in
the middle c ~ af shoot-ilut. by spendine a cauFle of
minutes with a singlc character's actions, creating a
slowdflowing
is
was ro
John Wllo effecr: The hero rails throueh [he air in
slow motion, sl~oweringthe bad guvs in a rain of leadriddled death,
Use description when you want to lengthen a
game shot. Rr ~ i v i n gdetailed clescriptton of a eiven
locat~on,you sirnulare a show panning shot of the
camera arocrnd the stage, Equally, giving short Jescriptions of ohjecrs and actions is thc same as rile

THELANGUAGEw F L ~
[ANDG A ~ E S ]

Film, n i all media, has a l a n ~ u a oll

~ e its awn that
has notiring lo do
words;
pacing of the
action has its own rncaning, as well as lrnw the
caInera is placcd and what the lighting suggests. A
Mage c h r r ~ n ~ cand
l e :I rnovle have the same cm-ivas
on ull~rchthey tcll rhcir story: time. Audience and
pIayess sit hack and watch as the srnty unfilids hefore
them; the d~ffercnccis that roloplayers have a say in
w h a t happcns, 3nd they usc their irnaginatic~nactivcly inscead of jusr heing wimess to the doing$nf

rhe protagcmists.
Ynu can run a game hy adapting film language; it
takes somc ingenuity to adapt somc of the more

those subjects.
Scene: As mencicmcd above, Storyteller Rarnes
alrcady ctlnsidcr the scene as a unit in the h u i i d i n ~of
a chronicle. In Understanding Moutes, Louis G ianetct
defincs thc sccnc as "an ~mprecist.unit of film, corn-

visual elerncnts, hut it is entirety

and can
tiehten your narrative skills and help thc players
irnmer~ethemselves in the story hoth as spectators
ancl participants.

PACINGme ACTGIN

alongtime it cakes them ti) finish: The death scene of a

of13avlnE all
ofthe story
cdietne ral-lc, already finished and ready to as- "~"F'layer character doesn't have the name Power if
sCmhlc.As a Storyteller,you must pace y~urEhrcsniclc it happens early i n the session rhe storythut ir can
as ir happens, bur this
nlcan that
can+ have rrernendol~aimpact if rhere are previous sccncs

[he cuncepts uffilm

vllur advantage. ln with her interacring with rhe prrrtagonisrs, cspccially

There arc no set
film 1,7nRuaRe,
can be broken into[he if there is ernot~onalin~~olvcment.
rules
about
pacing
scenes;
it's
an
art
that editors and
llasic units c~fshot, scenes and sequences.
Storytellers
develop with experience.
Shot: In a film, the take i s the smallest unir of
Using the treatment rnethnd described earlier,
narrarlon; i t is the timc in which thc camcra focuses
YOU
Can make a run-down t l f the scenes ynu want to
o n a suhjcct hcfL>rcit
to
poinr
include
in the chronicle. The plot-point approach is
view. I,, pamc
you can Llsethe cuncepr of [he
uwful in this, since i t allows p 3 u to plan
~a'ticularly
a S r V r e l l e r spcndr interacting
$hotas
sing]p player,
anorller player takeslIer
'I'cir innoduct ionas sccncs,and you canstartsctting
Once you know what they wdl Dc
tiun. Yuu can pace these game shots as you will to
Sequence: In their Mcxican-published hook
create different effects. If you want to inject urgency,
Prbxis Cinemorogr6fica, Raill Martinez Mcrling and
switch hetween players farr and donnr give
(,f

C ~ C W E : A L - ~ E R N A T V E S E ~ T ~ N G S 181
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Franclscn A, U;ornc:jara d c f ~ n cthr sequencc as "a

"

whcrc

i t i s d i ~ r i i ~rhe
g

Second Act. Thc cllltlax playb

needed. Using again the examples in You only nccJ s o go down the scale of Chrtlniclt.,
2001 : A Space Odysseu, you can makc out four dis- Story, Chopter/Garne session, Sequence, Scene and
tinct sequences, some of thcrn cvcn pilinceJ c l u ~by Shot, pl;lnninp and irnprevisinfi as necessary.
the director himself: The Dawn of Man, the Moon
Finding, Jupiter Mission and Jupiter and Re yonti
Infinity.Each o f chctn is a small story in and of ~tself,
F ~ l mis primarily a visual medium, depending on
and rhey link rogethcr ro lorn rhc largcr epic.
rhe suhtle rnanipularion nf what the eye can see. A
as many as

R ~ LCL~ E R A S !

TIlc secret for join^ rhls lscs in one r 3 f the oldest

or just tonighr's game session.

w h a t chcy haveTo do 10 solve stcrv's

prllblcm. This is the IonRcr phase, 2s
ant] p t h c r [Ire ,-Iues
and
out the

erny is
;

clctnents ta solve it. You can usc another action

S U C C ~ S S ~ SYour
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weapon sots." Descriptinn 1s the

Try for visuals, rt)o. Description is not limited to

acljccrives and flowery lanjiuagc: "A hlack mist rises
from rhe Nephnndus' hands and SWCIIS like hailed tar
as irwurround!: tlirn; VOLIsec the harrcl ~f yourshotg~ln
S r x t to boil in uni~cln."
If t h e room yuu plav a1Iows y i ~ uto change rhe

diflerenr sources of l i ~ h on
t an3 tiff. A tablc lamr

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the stov'srescllurirrnor mark thC beginning of [he

final confrLmtation. Kidnapping an important NpC
is a trteJ-and-tsuu rnethc)dto get [Ilc JlcrOcs lo the
villain's headquarters, having already f i ~ ~

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illuminates the

table hur little

CISC
it will make thu

P I ~ ~ c U~ Ws ~ F Y i l h ~ the
~ t unknown that lies uurside
their cnncrol. Thc reverse effccr, with light5 around
~hut ~t'i" ~ ~ the
l tahlc, will give a scnsc that thc

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characters don't know thc implications of what thcy

ha\+e in rhcir hands. In general rerms, Irght i s rhc
Scvcral Storyteller hoclks rccommcnd thc use of
focrrs t,f u ~ h a rhc
t characters can control, and dark- music, and allis cannot hc strcsscd cnourh. Most
now 1s all that rhuy don't know.
pcoplc pay liccle atrenricln to what their ears re11
rhcrn, proz.~clcdthcirevessrc Jistracrcd. Soirnd tracks
arc thu olwir~uschoice f o r cinematic xtorytclling;
Tllir Tcrm tcfers tt, thc rrv;ly eterncnts arc. ar- aftcr all, the music \+,as spccificallv composctl m
ranged inside t h c camera1<frarnc; i t encomp;tsscs
cnrnplcmcn~anartation. Other ct~rnposersmay chum
composition oCthc scerlerv and characrcrc as wcII as
the camcra's pcwition. Thr3 part of film language i s
~ l r t u i l l l vuncranslatnhlc to a gaming situation, 50
thc hcst you can clo is adapt i t . Again consider
L.our<eli3 s rhc carncrn, as in the cxainple nf shots
;~nclwxlucnccs. You arc thc filter tllrough which
ynztr rlavt.rr interpret thc s'tury, and you can use
that to your adv:rntacc. Stand up w l ~ u nnarrarinq a
rncnncrnc qccnc or portraving a rccal and pvwer~ul
character. crouch on the rahlc to appear sneaky.
Use ynl~rcame !li~nkstcl frame your actions: If vtw
prlc up entiugh a[ tach siJc ot vvclr place in tllc
tablc, you can give the sensc of closed space to thc
dtscripticrn thar c r ~ r n cfrom
~
our moutli.

a sonK that fits jusr right tnto your stow, horvever.

Youkre the h e ~ judge
r
as to w l ~ a rkind of music will fit
your ~ t y l eof ~toryrclling,h u t a cc~oclcrick 15 tu keep
an open car for thc song you want for a specific scene
in rhc CD you're pIaying and quickly ptcss "hack" in
the plavcr until you reach it, chcn me "repeat" ro
cycle rhc rreck until yc.rulrc Aonc with it.
If you have access to a CP burner, you ran makc
vnur cwtn collccrian id music fnr each story or you
can usc any of the alremativts that the entcrtninmcnt inductq? offers yclu to ct~sromireyour music:
from my3 han~lhclrlplayers, programrnahlc multiCP racks anrl even souncl files from a laptop ancl s
cnuple of ~ o o dspcakcrs. Rackgrountl music at thc
click c ~ :fI rncrusc.

HIGHCANER
Synopsis: A group of immclrtals firhts through
f nal battle is now.

the ages, and the

Mage Chronicle: The cahal discover5 that ceryou can ~ c ideas

t
from anywhere, and these are hut a
few examples o f how to cwisr existing movies t o your
needs. R ~ lis
s hy no means a cornpiere list; the hisrory

of cinema is hugc, especially raking fore~gnproduc-

magc grcater power. One of the characters could

posscss such an Avatar.

JN me ~

wU ~

D~ N ~ S S

r i m from c~utsidchuman reckoning.

Mood and Theme: Paranoia, horror.
Mage Chronicle: A pcrstm known to one of the
characters is committed to an i ~ s y l u mafter reading a

Mood and Theme: Hope, the ahsurditv

uf

mod-

Mage Chronicle: A Technocrat clccidcs rtl duan episode of Quiet; rhe

must help him, hut they herome trapped In the
Technocrat's Jeltfsions.

feet

cnccr thc wtlrld.

L@STHIGWAY

Synopsis: A musician's wife is murdered and he

is rhe prtrnc suspect. Hc embarks on a journey where

11e turns into someone else and uncuvcrs some mys-

[cries ahout the murder. Or something like that ....

Mood and Theme: Pcrsecutinn, questions of

Synopsis: A man discovers thar he lives in a identity,

welrdncss.
simuIarcd wnrld where stmnge aliens toy with realiry
M , ~ , chronicle: ~h~
are
ro learn from humanity. With rhis knowledge he wllilc uqinE a
means of
and [hey end
Ecarnstomani~ularcthefalsereali~m~iththeFnwera f e w ~ ~ a y s ~ ~ ~ ~ e F % s ~ , ~ h o u g ~ l ~ l l e y r ~ o n ' ~ r e
I-ecomc the causu of the reason why ehey had to
Mood and Theme: Enigma, cntragrnent, libera- travel in tllc first
tion and ascension.
Mage Chronicle: Characters arc trapped In a.
Hor~zonrealm where Umbrood change the param-

;.'1

Synopsis: A porn-video ciisrrihutor disctwers a

disrurhing cable channcl that slowly warps his mind.
Mood and Theme: Conspiracy, ct~rsuprion.
Mage Chronicle: A New Wnrld Order operative
Synopsis: A virtuai reality game's ~ r o g r a m m i n ~is c,rrupted by the Ncphandi and distributes pornohccomcs ct~rruptedancl immerses thc players in a new Erapl,ic vidclls
people mad, .enf(,rcinn
Nephandic paradigm.
Mood and Theme: Confusion.
Mage Chronicle: WhiIe iltl a mission in thc
I3i~it;llWeh, the characters are unsuspectingly CRQKHING
TIGER
HID~NDMGBN
d ~ ~ m p einti)
d reality, and they are nut sure what is
synopsis:
A cRlcntecl
steals a legendaTy
real and what i s part of the Rame anymore.
warrior's \word, stirring up a contltct o f emotirm and
J u r y arnnnc some martial artists.

AKASHK:
BR~THIERH~D

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Mood and Theme: Lave, duty, sacrifice.

Mage Chronicle: An upstart apprentice steals a
W c ~ n d e r and
,
it falls to the cabal t o rccnvcr it evcn
when t hc apprentice is, in some pcrsnna 1 ancl close

THEADVENTURES
w BARBN J~TUNCHA USEN

Synopsis: An aging harclnet saves s city from

s
i
e
~
w
e ith tales of his cx trac~rdinaryadventures, which
way, relared ro them.
keep hirn forever young.
SILKAND STm
Mood and Theme: Wonder, madness, creativiq.
Synopsis: An American travels t o China t o [earn,
Mage Chronicle: A mage must go through a
st all costs, thc secrets of a martial arts master, learn- S e c k ~ ntn~try II,find the cnmrnon elements of his
ing to appreciate Chinese culture tn the process.
pasc t h a t strcnEtht.n his personaliry.
Mood and Theme: Dircovcry, wonder, clash of

QANGER@US L M S ~ N S
Synopsis: carefully
snubs, social enMage Chronicle: A young mage wanrs tc) study
counters
and
sex
determine
the
state
of grace - or
with the Akashfc characters. and thcv must lcnrn to
fail
therefrom - for tht crcarn o f society of the
accept each cirher.

cultures.

CEBTL~LC H ~ R U S
L ~ S SBULS
T

Synopsis: A young woman tries to savc t h e

char he is indeed t h e
Antichrist and that he must kill himself hefore fulfil linE his dcstiny.
Mood and Theme: Conspiracy, madness.
Mage Chronicle: A voung Chorister knnwn to
have suffcred Quict has received a vision and tries t o
cnnvincc the cabal that a SEecpcr is 8 powerful
Widderslaintuwhocan open the wsyfur rhe Malfeans.
wrlrlcl hv c u n v i n c i n ~a skeptic

Renaissance.
Mood and Theme: Conspiracy, sensuality, Izist.
Mage Chronicle: Thc cabat must unwcavc a
web of persona\ deceits, private Ictters and hidclcn
agendas to expose an influential mage w h u ahttses
her position and charm tn manipulate enemies inro
disgrace..

Synopsis: A private eye uncovers the reality

hehind a cult's leallcr.
~~~d and Theme:Invesrlgation,
mystery, fightinR
ovt.rwhclmingodds.
Mage Chronicle: A cahal tracks dnwn r l ~ esurvivor ot'a Nephandtc cult and helps him fight thc evil
lcadec ahout to resurrect.

Synopsis: A c111lJ holds the soul of a mortal

general that an archangel nccds t o win rhe third war
in Heaven.
Mood and Theme: Persccution, menace, battle A L T ~ D S T A T E S
against an avcrwhclmfng power.
Synopsis: A scientist uses drugs and scnsory
Mage Chronicle: A gmup of powerful U~nbrood
deprivation to reach back into humanity's primal
cross the A v a t a t 5torn.r to take c l ~ esoul of a mortal
pa".
that wilI lead them tu victory. The cahal must kecp
Mood and Theme: Discovery, degradation.
them from a c h i e v i n ~this.
Mage Chronicle: The charactets must discover a
STIG~TA
way t c 3 save a mentor who has fallcn prey t o ancestor
Synopsis: A young woman (there art: a lot of spirits.
voting women in hero, right?) suffcrs from s t i ~ r n a t a
FWL IFMAST: THESPIRITS
W~THIN
and spi>urs prophecy, urging the C h u r c h to invesriSynopsis:
A
woman
gathcrs
Earth's
spirit waved
gate and uncover a dark secret.
length
to
fight
off
an
invasion
of alien ghosts.
Mood and Theme: Enigma, conspiracy, rec.claMood and Theme: Discovery, hcipc, the power
tinns.
Mage Chronicle: A Sleeper channels the Avatar of life.
Mage Chronicle: Dreamspeakers ancl Void Engiof an nlrl Chc\ristcr, manifesting in nliracles.
nects join forces to camhat invading UmFrnod from

D R ~ S M ~ S

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Synopsis: A child is destined to Iiccome a powcrful wizard and is sent tn study in a prcstigiour
THUNDERHWT
wizarcling school.
4
Synopsiis A half-American Indian FBI agent
Mood and Theme: WonJcr, conspiracy,
; fintls himself embrt~ilcd in a Rovernmcnt. plot to
Magc Chronicle: The characters search for a
ovcrtake valuable land on a r e s c ~ v a t i n nand nmst
chlld I~nsringa powerful I-icrn~cticAvatar and muqt
h m b r a c e his heritage to understand the truth.
tcnch him [he ways t ~magic
f
in order tu fight tiff a
Mood and Theme: Cnnfusinn, sc!f-c~iscovery.
powerfill enemy.
.c
conspiracy.

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Mood and Theme: Revenge.

Mage Chronicle: The magcs must track h w n a
recentiy Awakencd mage and stop his murdcr spree.
Synopsis: An assassin takes a young girl whosc
family has bccn murcIcrcd under his win^.

r lr,

a'L.

Mood and Theme: Mercy, conspiracy.

Mage Chronicle: The maaes rave n promi,ina
young Euthanstc~shut must Beam to kill for the rteht
reasons.

THE
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Synopsis: A ~nathctnaticiandiscovers thu kcy rtl

the uiiivt.rce within the numher TI.
Mood and Theme: L S i s c u v ~ rpcrsccutiun,
~,
mad.
,

ness.

Mage Chronicle: Hermetics and the Syndicate

,Ai

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I9
a

Inck in hartle to win thc alliance of a i n a n who has

disc(>r,ereJthe secret r d the Tenth Sphere.

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P R ~ C T K I~~LT A G ~ c
Synopsis: Two sistcrs tiom a line of witches musr
I~rcakt l ~ ccursc over thcir family w h i l e uvercoming
their communitr's prejudice.
Mood and Theme: Love, hope. fight agamsr

TM WITCHS
w BWKK

IT: FASPH
IN Cmos

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Synopsis: A young pilot discovers a wnndcrful

invcnt~onthat allows 111m r t fly
~ and must protect its
from Nazi
Mood and Theme: Wonder, adventure.
Mage Chronicle: Thc characters must protcct a
p c l w c r f ~ Ethuric
~l
Wonclcr from falling into thc wrcjnc
h;tn~lswhilc learning how it works.

Synopsis: A psychnlogist tries co help a child

who sccs ~hosts.Rsware plot twist.
P'C~L I J ~ C Ct ~r ~ d i t l u n .
Mood and Theme: Fcar, hclplessncss, mcrcy.
Mage Chronicle: A Verbena cabal m u s t hrcak
Mage Chronicle: The. cabal must help a SlccPcr
child
look into the Shaduwlan& ancl Flit to the cursc liver their chantry and protcct i t frcm tile
S~CCPC~S.
rest the wraiths that plagle him. Beware plur twi~t. cvcs of

>&>,)

THE

THE
P R ~ + ~ S I &L/LBN
M
I

m fr%rn~~w
~

Mace Chronicle: A Techn~>crarico p e n r ~ u nrubornli a Tradition tiyaqe intv helping stcal a valuabIc
A MIS:
LOST
lr~ddcnN o d c T h c cabal - some o f whom havc
Synopsis: A young ~nandiscoversthe locarion o f
relatives c~tfricnds among t l ~ Technocracy
c
cncrnics
-mi~~tfindawaytosti~pithuthslanreitwitl~thcirlejiendary Atlantis h u t must dufcnd it from thc group
nl' mercenaries h e traveled wirh.
duties to Traditinns ancl tatnily,
Mood and Theme: Adventure, discovrry, duty.
Mage Chronicle: Elrhcrires d~scclvcsasafc way ro
a
n
ancient
1-1clri:nn realm, and t h c characzcrs must
THECR~W
A musician
from rhc
ro protect its ancient tcci~nulugyfrum heingplimdercd.
atfence hi?;n~urrlcr2nd t h a t of his wifc.
THE
RBC~~ER

'd

~YPOTERMDTHESORCERERSS~

summon the s p ~ r i uf
t Gaia.

1 86

S T @ R ~ L L E R SI I A N D E ~ K
1 -

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Synopsis: Threc womcn arc tcmprcd Iiy a clernvn

into ;i Iife uf magic and clebauchcry, b u t they finJ the
rcrren~th((1 free themselves.
Mood and Theme: Fall and asccnsinn.
M a g Chronicle: A mage cabal must track down
the source of magical phenomena in a little town and
sarc the maces responsible from Nephnndic influencc.

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VIRTUAL
ADEPTS
GHOSSIN RESHELL
Synopsis: A c v h o r ~policcwornan unravels the
mysrerv hehind a hackcr A1 that roams the network.
Mood and Theme: Cunspiracy, discovery.
Mage Chronicle: The characters must rrack down
an cnrlty in the Digital Well chat altcrs the memories
r>fSleepers using the Internet.

Mood and Theme: Persecution, clucstic~nin~.

Mage Chronicle: The amalgam rm~usttrack and
destroy rogue agenrs, with hints that they m i ~ h hc
t
next.

THETERISIIU~XOR
rravcl ro the presenr to f i ~ hc~vcr
t thefiirure of a ~ t c a t
human warrior.

Mood and Theme: Pcrsccurion.

Mage Chronicle: A team of HITMarks travels to
Synopsis: A resistance group fights machines in
the past to destroy a pciuterful Traditinn mace hefnrc
a simulated world, recruiting a man it helicvcs to he
he Awakens.
rhc key tn victory.
Mood and Theme: Ascension, rebellion.
@RER
Mage Chronicle: The cnhal must search within h
r
- WAR
~
a realm in the DlKitaI Weh for a I r ~ s tAvatar.

THE
llhnux

NEW W

ITERATIBN

BLADERUNNER

Synopsis: A hauncy hunter must track down and

destroy R proup of rogue cyborgs while fiphring his
feeEinqs fur nne of thece cyhurgs, w h o dlcln't know
she i s one.

fall in linc with policy.

~~~d and ~
h paranoia,
~ dawning
~
~
Lension, accinn.

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Mage Chronicle: An agcnr wants to ~lctvcrtrom

tho Tcchnc~cracyaftcs IIC discovers t o c ~much evidencr. tlf ctlrruption. The cabaI rnernhen musr help
him defeat i t s special tracking devices, coun teragcntq
and contingency
so t h a t hr can make a new

Synopsis: A young woman ir trained as a n assassin h u t frees herself to enjoy the normal life she never

Mood and Theme: Lihc~atinn,innoccncc, car-

Mage Chrc>n.icPe:Yn~rnar r u g e n ~ t n,Irg. enrs mutt

their w l ~ r t hin a ricid Constnlct.

PR)VE

SYNDTW

~ACKIEBROWN
Synopsis: A woman commits a clclier hcist by
playing parties against each other.
Mood and Theme: CIeverncss, trickery.
Mage Chronicle: The charscrers must hunt down
Synclicaxe known to steal Quintcsscr~ccwith help from her victims.

and capture a roguc

THE
B I LRmm
~R
Mood and Theme: Conspiracy, fighttng against

K!ISSI@N:
~ ~ P

~ S S B L ~

Synopsis: A grtlup of special ops is frarnccl and

must
natncs
[he real culprit.
Mood and Theme: Pamnoia, revenge.

overwhelming odrls.
Mage Chronicle: The amalgam rncrnhcrs discov-

e r ~ htheir
i ~ s~lperiorsarc corruptrd and must find a
way co report it.

2881:ASPAC~@D'YSSEY

TMT R U W S ~ W
Synopsis: A man discovers that h i s life is just a
TV show and that cverytlzing in his world is fahri-

Mood and Theme: Paranoia, disctlvcrv, lilieraMage Chronicle: A ~ r o u pof Mcn in B1:lck try tn
escape their programming.

Synopsis: A woman must Eight thc alien menace

loose in a ship bouncl for Eartll wllllu fiRhring her

Mood and Theme: Persecution, salvation.

Synopsis: A man trics ro find a better life in a

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8

Mood and Theme: Rehellion.

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Synopsis: In a parallel worlc2, a yrlung man d i s covers his purposc and becomes the firrt astrclnaut.
Mood and Theme: Wonclrr, ascension.
Mage Chronicle: In an alternate setting, tE~c
ch~ractctqmust lobby the Technc~raticUnion fnr
supptlrt in space exploration and launch thc first
manned mission t c ~~ ~ r b i t .

m A c ~S r @ u r n a ~ mllumm~
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Synopsis: A rescue team discovers rhc tcmble

cecrer hehind thc JisaFpt.arance of a prorotypc h y perspace sklp.
Mood and Theme: EIurror, survic~al.
A Frollr t'f Vuid Engineers
finils t l ~ a tonc of its ships traveled througl~M/ialfcfic
and i t is n i ~ wpclsccssed hy a n evil cnzity.

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Synopsis: A mysteriniis monolith scntls a s i p a l

from the Moon to Jupiter and a ream i s assernl~lcclrcs
find out what lies he.jond.
Mood and Theme: Wonder, discovery, pwannia.
Mage Chronicle: A Inne Void exploration ship
discovers a lVonder in the Ducp Urnhra that r n ~ g h t
havc hacl an effect on humanity.

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D T R ~ ~TCB
R S

WATCH
$UT@R
Thc

wnrks o f

[he following dir~crorssvtnctimes

rhc previous Irstinc of movies, this i s not a compreh e n ~ ! v elist, and \,cru may find directors whose work
yclu like herter nr that the oncs mentioned helow just
dnn't hcltlng hcrc.
David ~ r o n e n b e r A
~ :mastcr af the strange, he
often touches rhcrncs relevant to Mage, and his

and themes. Aben: Resurrecriun ( 199 71, Ln Clt&des

enfan ts perdus (AKA The City o f Lost Children, 1995 ) ,
DeIicatessen ( 199 1 ).
John Woo: The master of fiction mO\+ies, hc

(AKA f-lard-BoiEe$, 1992), Die . ~ ushunngrionR

c
(AKA
The Killer, 1989), ying hMng boon sik (AKA A netter
Tomomow, 1986).
RidIey Scott: An underappreciated director, his
genrc works arc classics. Glndiasor (20001, 1492:
Conquest of Paradisc (1992 1, LePnd 11985 ), Blade

i m a g e s y i s a s d i s t i ~ r b i n ~ a sisinnovative.cXistrnZ
it
Rt4nner(1982),Aijen(1C)79).
(19t14), Naked Lttnch ( 199 I ) , The Fly (1986), The
Stanley Kubrick: There i s no film this director
upad Zone ( 1983)9 Vidcodromc l9S3)? Scannf~s has ct>uchetIrhar is not a masterpiece. Watch for his
( 1 481).
sense of timing as nell. Eves Wide Shut (1999),FtrIl
David Lynch: This man i s just plain weird, with Meinilocket ( 1987).The Shining(lORO),A Clockwork
a Lilt o f real~typlays and I~raincandy. Recommended O m n p ( (97 1 ), 200 1 : A Space OdpsLcY
( 1968), Dr.
filmography: Lost Highwa? ( 1 9 9 7 ) , Twin Peaks: Fire Strangelove, or: Hotu I Leamcd trr Stup Worrring and
WuIk with Me ( 1902), Wild ar Henrt ( 1990), Dune Love the Bomb ( 1964).
(1984).
Wim Wenders: His composirion as well as reDarten Aronofsky: Intelligent scripts and like- flecrive pacing make his movies, even the mare
wise incclllgcnc uditing and irnagory. Watch for the commercial cines, little jewels in cincmaric narrapacing i ~his
f narsmve. Requiem for a Dream (20001, tive. The End of Violence ( 19971, Tn weiter Fernc, so
p: Faith in Chaos ( 19981, Protoroa (1993).
nah! (AKA Faraway, So Close!, 1993), Arisha, cler
Jean-PierreJeunet:Another director with haunt- Eiir und der sretncrne R i n (AKA
~
Arisha , the Bear and
ing an9 hcautiful irnagcrv, you can keep his imagcs in the Stone Rinx, 19921, Der Hirnmel tiher Rcrlrn (AKA
mincF tor bizarre Iocsles, as wcll as rip off characters Wings of Desire, 1988).

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Brother Michael watched as MnrterJoreltu

drew a LT1mm circie that cmefullu intersected
the four c m e r s of the cermoninl chth upon
which he lay. The stmies ofdernmic samfic~
began to surirl thrnu~hhis head again, and he

Michael's naked fish, and ashe realired was being buried in

&ad aftmbirth, he screamed.
The fotrr comers swept across the: sky and he was
engulfed in tvet, meaty darkness. The cold afwrhrrth stifled
his breathing and he began to drown. Vague chanting still
pierced his consciousness. Then a thick white e-xplnsion of
pain racked his entire frame as a blow akin to s m e vicio~hs
kick struck him. Brother Michael was roused from the oddly
comforting comphcency that I d bepn to creep Into hrs
bcinfi.as he stuu/lowed phrnic jlttid. He strugled for freedam. Time seemed to cxtenrl forervr, and hr thought fm a
mtmrnt that his life passed before his eyes,Just before he tore
t h r o u ~ hshe shroud he reab~edthat some thin^ dark and
sinister folrgh t for freedom even as he did. S o m ~ t h i p
n ~w erful seemed to be tcarEng its tunv out of the shrouri even m
he fou~h~hrso do so. As t h flichnng l i ~ h oft the tcnchcs h c t

Pewhaps Jruceau meant to rmdm

him r4p to the rIarkerfms in exchange fmsmne
dirk p7.mt Michael could nor evm comprehend, thotrgh the p'ce st-emell eerily ohzriuus.
The Masrmintmed the phrases that called fm the Lilrdr
of she Fcllrr Qilarters to take their positions ofprotection, yet
Brorher Michml's thin ~ u s ofp [he !ore a t Eeast kt him /hear
rhe suhdc difircnces; The parrons of the few dimctit~nsin
this ritlurl did not rtrspondfrum an? scnsc rfciup, anti they
hr~ngcredfor pavmen t. He paused for n moment uphen he
sail1them take stuhicn &ape from olit of the heavv incense
smrllic bcf(~rche redired that they wmc ht cultist thldgs, arnunrl the smoky circk broke rhrnugh his vision, MichcI
likely complete hrrffoons , taking symhrliic part in the ritual, saw for n hnef moment that his rebirth frmn n r l e d ~ m n h
Each of them grasped a comer of the black shrcndri of mcnied dclrk fnafiic M horn mme than n neeofound cultist
sackcloth ukon which he restcrl. The smoke swirled and llke h1rnseEf. Indeed, sumrthing had come ottr with him,
gnnrleci hand<cast strange glisrening globs in his direction. within him, and was a part of him.
"Grcetinp , B r o t h , " he heard. But the voice intr~nccl
Great slimy fiieces of some sort offfleshy sribstance began LO
p t h e r around llim in the hntvl-like tleprcssiun formed by the only elect, in his sktlll. "I am the w r d i a n spirit about whom
pr~tectnrsd thp comjxlss points holding zdp the shrouti upon yonr hrethren spoke to ym.Txiat in me, for Iam of you, and
urhich he rcsrcd. CnIii gehtinn1l.s fluiil hefan to cling ro
grew +ad.

''\YJl~r~?ou ~
o
m
v to llstcn 5 0 , Mtchrrel, .wmr srmnEc
J i p e n t of your imapation or voidr ~ u o dnkl surv~ual

B R ~ BARRIERS
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o allow humanity to exist in peace. Story-

magus into a Vampire: TheMasquerade gamernavsccrn

such dcacllv hc~rrors.Mages are morc human than any

other supernatural in the World of Darkness, excepting
~ e r h a p the
s ncw hunters who arise arnnnnm;rnkind,yct
ironically they are perhaps the mmt likelv to encnuntcr

want crcx$st,verhut nnt cvctyone LIOCS, it i s an iswe and it

is time to find nut mk,re. As Storytcllcr, it is your joh to
make the ~ 3 . fmi ~~nfor yo~aplaycrs,as Iong as in d(7in~so
you can also cnjcly it y o u ~ l fAsk
. what your players want

des~reto brinc E. much clarity and derail as possible to nl>rharp\, with it,
gllcluld vOh;lhly fKus on finding ;l
those rare interactions hctween su~crnatural~ O ~ C C S . c t l m p r c ~ m i ~ satisfies the majority without unduly
l f who object. You might wart by
Storytellers and playcrs who wish to explore disturbing thc fun ~tl~ose
chronicles wherein rnages interact regularly with other trying to finrl the source c ~ their
f rrl7jectklns.
supernatural creatures should seriously ronsiJrr what
Some players and Storytellers will he abst~lutcl~
might be ~ a i n c dand lost through mixing the genres. h~writ'iedhy rhe idoa r ~ croossovcr
f
for a different reason
This is not to imply that anvrhinfiis wrong with cross- -hall experiences. rerhapsonc of them, or mayhe even
over, only rhar bri~rytellersand players alike shuald
in ;I prcvinus cmssover game
of them,
understand what rhey are dotng hetore making the whicll failed horribly and enclcd Jisasttc~usly,leaving
plunge. I t is I ~ s to
t adopt the motto of the Roy S C ~ K Ievcvony
~S
who Icft the rame
tuward the whale
anrl rry to "hc prcpare~l."
idea. Maybe the Storyteller carefully built an adventure
The first lssue lrkcly c t present
~
itsolf isnne ufpnonal tneant to challenge a party of m a p , only ro have rhe
prefcrenccs. Each of chc White Wolf core games is H I W a r k ccompletely shreddcd in three second^ by thc
prcscnted as a cc~mpletesetting, with its own 1ntcmaI wcrcwc~lfcharacter he lct into thc prnc on short notice.
villains and its own themes. Playen whonarumlly
Players may recall the vampire who spikrd rhcir com-

Eq

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rnunal chantry well and hound rhcrn all to his service of knowlcdjie will wddenly find that they ntlw have a n
and glccfiilly cackled allour how they werc all his slaves attachment trr the game and char few, i f any, cif their
now. If VLXE have rlcver been in a had game, congntula- insults toward thc Fame were true. If yc7~1cannot get
7
tlons, llclc most cif us have nor hecn srl Ii~cky.Consider anyclnc even to try the game, is is pm&ahTs hrst to
rhc wclrst game you rcrnemher wd keep in mind thar exclude it from crossover, hut it is worth r r y i n ~ro
, -7
others w i l l have similar experiences rhat color their inanduce players to a ncw game. You ncvcr know-rhr
;,
views of various game elements. Ifcrossover was a introductory chron~clemay prove to 1c. as much ti~nas " 4\I
tscrnenilou~source of disappointrnenr to their previous whatever y c ~ uhail planned.
4 ":
gaming, vou have to acccpt rhat their views will color
Assuming char a p~111p
get? pasr any harriers of
,'
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thoir judgment of your game.
rihjectioris raised by its members, thc Storyteller shnulcl
4 4
e
Getting past hard feelings toward 2 game is not so still carefully cansidcr what he and the group hope to
q
easy. One solution 1s to avcliri whtchcver Kame elements pain frnm che explnrarion. Somc focus i q still gnotl, 2nd
led ro negative ex~eriences.If your fricnd Brunt ~ I a y e ~ llimit~ngcrossclver to Mage and one ocher game is the
71Cd
with a p v whu nlined the very concept of ~vcrewi~lves
for hesc idea. The sup~lcrncntBlmd Treacherv 1s a gocx4
him, thcn don't allow werewolves in crossover. If you are example of this, as it ~ O C U S C S ~tponstmggles hetwecn
+
determined to chonw Werewolf: The Apocalypse as a vampires and mages. Incrc~ducingmurethan one t m e of
*
crossi>veroppornmity, a t least consider what Brent evesupernatural into a Mage chronicle at the same rime
'
rienced while planning your game. If he had the most only multiplies the potential pmhlems. Suddenlv a
trouble bocause rhis other person played a bloodthirsty Storyteller must not only focus upon anv potunti;ll
problems created hy i n c l u d ~ n ~ v ~ r,sn-a ~ ~ r e s
Red Talon weieu~oliwho killed evrryhidy wha LEKI
tccl1nolr~~,don'cIcranyIx7dyplayaRedTalonwerewolf.hutl~emustcunsiderthcprohIemscreatedh~tnclucl~n~
If clnc of p u r pIaycrs wss the victim of thc vampire wcII- werewolvec alongside inages, and worse still that nf
spikhg rtoqr. warn
characren that srifish a c a werewolves alongsicle vampires. Chronicles that hap- L
!
ii kc this W I 11 not hc tolerated, ur perhaps cnsure that the piIp inclucle any supemarural that strikes a player's fancy
chantry has clefenscs agaimt such dupllcft~es.
arc in danger of hecomin~a World of Darkness version E
s
he preciselv the cffcrt
Some plavcrs or St:tor).tellerswill simply avoid cros- id the Superfriends. n ~ l may
over with snme games due to lack of hknon~led~e
about desired hy some groups, and if chat is wh:lt you enjoy
them. Such iIlc]ividualsh.aven't neccss~riIyhad a nerd- then have a t rt. We suspect that most Emups are nor
rive expcrlence, they just drw1tknow anything abut the aiming for that type of game. however, even l{ they wish
other game or games. People can act pretty funny when to cxplnre a crc7ssnver scovline.
they don't ~tnrletstandsu~nething;some will, react wich
It ir; with this assumption in mind that most of rhese
fear, whilr otl~ei.rill l d i t t l e and deride rhat whicli dley cmrsovcrniles and ~ u ~ ~ e s c i ~ r n ~ a r c ' p rStorytellers
e~entt'
do not know. Anyone who has spcnt any time rn clnline wishing t t ~cross over nluItiple elements of trhc Wc>rldof
gaming fcmms can readily see this hhaviur. Pecjple who Darkness on a rcgllhr
should C O ~ S U ~chc
T croSs(>veT
l nthe
s respective games they intend ro mix ss
don't evcn know what n "Hunrei' really is will launch s t ~ ~ ~ e s t i cd
~ nscnp of
inco tirade<completelyhxhing the Hunter: The Reck- well as t h w e included here. I t is not r r . ~ t l ~the
oningg~mcas"~~inky"kcause
it threatensrheir character Mage to def~ncthe entirety crf the Wr~rldot Darkncn
in anorhcr game. Othcrs will suh~ectChangeling: The tmiverst. and its interactions. T u attcmpr to do so wi~ulcI
Dreaming players to sexually dcrogarive or mentally surely bc an act of great huhris, hrin~infiits own pandoxiinsulrinq comments, inferring it is somehow a game fnr cal forces to hear and resulting ultimately in fmlure.
children or people WE th ;~ltcmativelitestylcs. "Fe:~r15 the
Onc more important point TO consider is the fact
mind killer." as Paul says in Inltmc.
that each White Wolf core pame is presentccj as an
independent entity. The core bonks present their chicf
This cine can he rough to scilve as well. P e o ~ l who
c
are tnind lcssly prrjudicecl ajiainst something are diffi- figures of the game as the dominant forccs in thcir
stcvryrvlling. W h c n ~ m rcadh
c
Werewolf: The
cult to reach. Your hest option is to try to teach chcm sphere c~f
,
ahout rhc jiarne chcy don't understand. Pcrhap rather Apocalypse, the tribes char compose werewolf snciery
than crossing Mnge wirh Werewolf: The Apocalypse, are del ineared, bur vampires are presenred primarily as
,
,I,:
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ynu should run a iew sessions of Werewolf to let your lone villams without allegiance to anything u t i ~ c than
, I
ef
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playen ,get the feel for the game hy i tsclf. After seeing the evil fnrce rhat u,erernlves call thc Wyrn~.In V m '
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pire: The Masquerade, we are given the idca thar
the game in actirln player< who t h o u ~ h t l e ~ feared
sl~
werewolves in concept might leer more cornfortahle werewolves are rdnlpaging beasts of thc fcr~estwithout
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with the idea. Thnst. \VIIL>belittled the game out cif lack mentionof theirintricateculrure. In ~ n r t t h i isan
*.'
CHAPTERSIX: A W ~ R L
OFD
~ G I C 193

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game about sucking blc~odto live o r ahour chnnncling

Rccause it can hc 9 s much rvf a hmcele to mis themes

rapped intu thc rich history

thc Treinere.

of

clan of

rlw F~lrlnnm,s henr for the cycle of' life and death. Both
of theqe idens present s sort of unificd thcmc and can
to
serve as a smrtin~point 1;7ranv
wlln is
cre;tte c17arnctess
for one gfimc or
nther
to particfpatc In
cmssover chronicle. Exyerienccd
havlnK
Strrrysellers aIrcadrilltldcrstaad the
cm rhc same page rhemntic;lllv during
evev

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qcem useles<for their purpores.

@UCK AND DIRTY

CR@SS~VEK

came'

the

Stnrytcllers who wmr a quick sncl dirty ancrvcr [or

w l ~ ; l t h a r p n s whcn OIIC character uws a su~ernanrral
p ~ against
~ ranother and the two puwen contest can use
the followln~:grltrlrtine. In S I I C ~a case, compare rhe
va~~lpireb
Discipline level, werew~)lfsGift rank, mace's
S ~ I I Clevel.
~ C umith's Arcanos rltinc, c h a n ~ c l i nAn
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prntaaonists (orantthemes srrrnccirncs) in a fascinating

extended Rattle called the Massass8 Wartnpurgt itself of chanlcrcr Olof should bc rnurc powcrFul rhan the Ruqthe vampires hidden within its ranks.Blood Treachery sian rrinw hnss N iknIai, lmt our game "camera'>hould
picks up the story ccnturi~slater. when rnem~lricshave cenainly bc t ~ ~ oI'ascinared
rc
hv the exploicq nf Olclf than
tarled and passicms died drlwn. It demonstrates sijrnc r c r y the l ~ ~ ~ k ~
actions
r c i(>f
~Nikolai.
~ ~ l
imporant ideas, hcirvever. Er is ahscrli~relgirnpcra tivc h r
~ h fi3110w
,
ingsccrinnsprovide
discussionso*
successful CrclssovcT games to find scjmc p i n t of cnm- some of
jnues
tilat
arise lf~ithcrassu\~cr
bcmpccn
r n o n a l i ~herwcun t.hc disparate elements that the the
at i,Rnd a n d ~ a g e fl-,e
: e : Ascension, fo]lowK~
Stowteller and players hupc to throw togcthcr.
rttlcs t r r rc'flcc't the interacrinn between rhc rivu gan~es.
This link dues nirt have tt'r hear the weight id agcs, ,Snmctlmes a]tcmafivcs
preqcnrccl,
Stov-.

take any of a n~irnbcrof ruutes. Mummy explores snmc

~tronglyreligious aspects, and players cruat~ngm a p SIX
crossover rnlKhtplay Celcsrial Cl~orusor Ahl-i-Rarin
c l ~ n ~ c t ewith
r s an interest in the moral aspects d thr
mummies who arc- to act as thcir cnconspiratots in

1-

fcxusinji un entirely divergent characrcr types.

It is zvorth nnt lng that each E a m c 'setting
~
generally
take::preccclence when i t is thu prtmary *me heing tun;

a m STGR~ZLLEKS
HAND~K

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level tw huntcr's Wgc I~cvel.The supmanlral wit11 the tnorc. work, hut is likelv 'toFav off wit11 a stronecr sense of
higlicst score wins; ties are revrlved ~virh resistecl red, and the rml differences between the garncs hcing mixed.
ties nn this rccll p
r to the defender. This ~nethtxlu m the
Using this mcthod mcms that Storyrellcr? and
c r achieved with the playem must clircctly cons1dc.r whether a mace mighr hc
highest levcl ofp>wcrthc ~ h a r ~ i c thas
p w e r in question. Frjr cxample, if a mage 1s wing a F(rces ahle to oppose a n cncmy's effect c ~ not,
r even with much
1cffccr hut has Force<3, then he wtrild cornpars I~iqSpherc lower Spheres. For exarnpIt., ~nan~practirinnersof
Mind
rating of 3 against t l ~ lcvcl
c
2 Ohttncl-r~ticlnhis cspponent 1 can create ;In effect that ahiclds thclr minds from
i q trying ro use to hlclcli 111ssi~hr.
Note that hoth partics ~jutsidcinccrfercncc. Since most Ohfuscatc powers rely
must still ~ircceeclwirh the p w e r in quesrian. Thus, thc upon tricking the mind c7f a viccim, a magc with even a
magc wuulc3 still h1.e to scurc at least (lncS ~ C C C S with
S
his single Jot in the Mind Sphere mighr avoid or at least
Forces effoct tcr o ~ u r c ~ n nthu
e Ohtcncbratit~nand the teduce rhe effectiveness of that varnpirc niscipl ine.
~wnpircin cluestirln nould havc to sc/irc i ~ tIcast one
If a mace is defending against an cppusinc pourer,
success wirh L~hrenehratlonfor i t ro have any effec~.
her succcsscs ruducc hcr clpp~nent'ssuccesses. In thc
If the rating levelk of the powers in cluesrion are tied, example given ahuvc, the successes c~hrained1-y the
a stniphtfomcvarrl comparison r~fs~rccesscs
detcnnincs thc Mind magu arc. curnparetl wirh thow of thc vamplrr.
wmncr. This iq whcrc an impnrranr diffcrcncc hctwccn using Obfuscate. If the vampire's Ot~fi~scatc
roIl is rcMage and other svsrems hccc>mes extremely cv~dent. ducsd to less than one success, her power fails to trick
on averagc nfiI I bc rolling half or less dfcc, hecauce the inaEt.. In cases wllcrc a pawcrdr~esnrlr require a sc)ll, '
M:I~L's
thcir Arctc ratinfi will i~lrntatnever eqr~althe cornhincd anJ tl~ereforegives no point of compilrison, assume that
Attribute + Abilih~nhl that mnst nrher supcrnnt~~ratst h e user gained uric autotnatic succuss pcr tat in^ C I ~the
gnln when p c h n n i n checks
~
to see if their powers work. p u w c ~TIlus
.
a vnmpirt. puases\i~lgLJ~IIY
tile firs1 level UC '
Tn halancr &is, it i s rtrcurnmenile~Ithat mage succcsscs Ohfuscatc wrurlJ gain a single autcmaric ~uccessagainst
cach count ;atwo fijr tht- purposes tjf comyfirison.
magm trying to resist her pclwer. It is important t ~ ,
remember that in many case5 a mage may haveclcftnscs
appl~etlt o her person far ahead of rhe actilal encounter,
A 1~7t(If~arne
n~les,t.spciallvthose horn other White anJ cvcn when such safeguards are penera1 in nature
Wolf gamrs that arc likely ro crr~ssuvur with Mage, fixus they mnv applv to very rpecific evcnts.
on using spccific Traits as difficulty nrtmhcrs or rrsistancc
If h e nragc is the agfressor, q i n g to force her will
values. For cxamplc, wmc. vnrnpi~cDicc1~1inc.1.
usc Hu- ~ ~ ~ m a n r ~ r h trrvrnan~rgl,
-rqr
a~hwsctt 1 7 $1~ ~ccrrwciichicvcd
manity as a diKrculv nulnhct. What happens when one hy chc u p p ~ s i n gpowcr's roll firm the rnageasArete roll.
IT;arne Jwsn't w e a Trait that another requires for rules Rcrnernl~crthat an oppnncnt can innlkc st~pernan~rnl
pu~-pses?Youhave a few optlonc as StorytelIer. Ifnuthing ptlwers t o ilppsc a m;ig~"seffects only if he can ~ctually
else [ L K ~ likc
~ S a ECYn1 answft'r,VOLI s h ~ l t ~pruhably
ld
assume senqe the incoming attack. A Trcrnere might hc abic to
that thc tlckiirIdt~IiHic~~It~~
is a l w a ~ s hIf. rhe target is accively hlrlck a holt offire using naaurnaturg~c;llCotlntern~ayic,
rsisting thc plwur, you tnifikt instead choc~scWillp>wcr, I>ur a Force< etiecr creating an invisible laser would
as it is a Trait comnicm ,noa11 W h i t e Wolf games. For some \vouncl the Trernerc t3ef(lre he could react. It is wurtl~
powcrsynll mighr decide toflxuson an Attrihurc + Ahiliry noting that magcs m;ly liave dan~crrlusa'isai~ltspells sct
1 ~ or nne whrch makes senw
roll thc same as that 1 ~ 1 1 ilsed,
to trigger automatically ctpon cewaln events shoulc3 r l ~ e y
to o p p w it. Try to pick a iliffic~~lnr
numher that makes pnssess appri~yriateSpheres, yotentially unleas11in~terscnsc atthc titllcwitl~t~trt
I~ringit~gthccncirc
gsrnc toahalr. rible punisl7tnent defensively afi~instan attacker.
'J ,
You cw alw;iy\ revisit tlw ruling a t ;I I;ircr J:~tcand make
Mhcn using the "ruccess-h;netl rrtmxlver" options, do I :
a Inore permanent jccisiun.
n o t d w ~ h l the
e successeq ofa mage forp~~rpcxes
otcurnparison in the manner that y r u shuukl w l ~ c nrlsing rhu quick
an4 dim! mecl~orl.The tower 'lice pool in thls ~ l s cis
Mage isn't really like other p m e s h c a u s e ~ t pros
balanced hy the fact that a maRe can succeed with eHeiects
5~
tn~onisn'pclwers clwc in much to crcnrivitv as to rnacicnI evcn when tcrrihly ourmatched in pnrrr.Wlil~ir mi+t
p,colcy. Sr<lryrellcrswl-1~7wish to ilshhlc in crossover 6 difficult h r a magc uqrh M ~ n d1 ru dtfcnd akcllmt
may chousu tu hcrrr on cary. tmivcrsal anrufca that Prnence 5, Srorytellcn and
sho41ld never tc>rect .. 7
compare t h maximum
~
ponrcr lcvcl d the chnmctcrs that the rnage inighr rpnd hourr reinforcing an exrernleil ' '
involved, sirch as noted xhovc. Altcmativcly, sotnc Sto- ritual casting, hacked hy acolyte helpers, espcnding Quinq
rytef lers may wish to \>ringthc dynamic spirit nC M a p teswnce and ciFrating from within a mystic sanctum. Sho
'
mnre fully inrn thcir gamcu. Doing st? may reqilire a hit might come to face her vampire oppnnent with IO or 20
4

S U C C B S ~C~ R
D B S S ~ ~ ~

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Vampire: The Masquerade is one of White

wolfs most pnpulargarnes werand &us it is
not surprising that players and Sroryrellers
often are drawn to the idca ofcc~rnhinin~
it
with orher games. Onc of its peat smnflhs
is the compelling nature of its antiheroes, at
l damned hy one
once incredibly p w e r h ~yet
of the most rerrihle curses imadnahle. Unfortunatclv. the sineular narufc of this curse
does not always match well with the dynamic nature of
mages. ,S'~orytellers
may have to workvery h a d to kcep the
game flowing well if they don't attempt to preparc players
to work together before the game even a m s .
Prohshly tlre finrpmhIcrn encountered hy players in
a hurry to throw [heir vampire and mnge cchamcters
torether and hegin immediately is ignoring the lack oh
corninon knowledge rhat the two share. Magepls arc not
privy to the secrets of the various vampire clam and the
innerworkingsofvampire sects such as the Camarillaand
Sahhat. Ncithcr do mint mages have any r~aPidea what
vdmpircs can do beyond the clftcn-inaccurate words o f
cxcuit fahlc. Srrnilarly,most vampires are clueless with
regard to Awakencd magic and magc Traditions.
Str~rytellcrswith no timc or inclination to encouraEe any realistic examination af crossover interaction
may sirnplvdispense with a!! consideration of chis factor
and allow players to assume that their characters know
wharever crossover information the players possess.
l ~ i ~who
s e arc interested in roleylay ing charactcrs with
more traditional limited or nonexistent knowledge of
other supernatural creatures should conrider the foilowing two Knowledge Ability rules offererin~s:
Studcnt: You know for sure that vampires
exist and are just beginning tn lcarn thc hasic
f;t\lacies of nortnal ~ c c u l tlore regarding
vampires. Crosses and garlic nftrn don't work,

comparahlc to that of an ancilla.

* * * * Scholar: You know your subjccts hetter than

many o f them k n o w themselves. Your
knowledge of varnpircs is cornparahie to that
o f an elder. Should this come to the
artentian of certain el~iers,
your life lnighc he
in danger.
Possessed by: Blond Dolls, Ghouls, Massassa War
Fanarics, Paranormal Scholan, Vampires, Witch-huntcrs
Specialties: the Camarilla, the Sahhat, Vampire
Magic, Vampire Weaknesses, a particular clan
Special Note: Vampires will often possess an alternate Knowledge callcd Kindruil Lore. Assume that
Kindred Lore is a ~ r n c w h s superior
t
form of Vampire
Lore, hlsrcrcd h y thc fact [hat thc schoIar is sccking to
understand his own kind rather than learn the sccrcts of
outsiders. Storytellers can represent chis by offering
lower difficulty numbers tu recall the same facts or by
treating a level of skill as one rank higher.
~

a*

* *m

for example.

College:Youknowthatmanyvam~irescall
rhemsetves "Kindred," and that they have
societies of t h e undead known as t h e
CamarilEa and the Sabbat. You may even
know thc namcs of some of the clans.
Masters: You are welt-versed in vampire lore,
including understanding the stereotypes
associated with all of the clans, possibly even
minor knowledge of chcir different common
powcrs.

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doctor at^: Youknow as much as most ofyour

subjects. Your knowledge (if varnpircs 1s

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Student: You know for sure rhat rnages exist
and are just beginning to scpararc the truth
from hasic fallacies found in ntlrmal occult
torc about magcs. Not all rnafies cast spells
frt~rnhooks, for example.
College: You know that rnages divide
thcmseivcs according to Lyres of magical
skill. You may even know the names of the
Traditions, or of the Conventions nf the
Technocracy.
Masrers: You are well versed in magc lurc,
including understanding lthac scicncc and
mystic pcswcrs can hoch Ilc magical in nature.
Yr~u may even understand the difference
hetween static and dynamic magic.
Doctorate: You know as much as rntlst ufyour
subjects. Your kntlwlcdge o f mages i s
comparable to that of a powerful long-term
chantry member.
* Scholar: You know your subjccts hezter than
many of them know themselves. Your
knowledge of mages is cornparahle to that of
the lost Masters. Should one of the Masters
who remains D n Earth discover this, your life
might he in danger.

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O t l ~ e Storytellers
r
might wish tu combine idcalistic Brujah w irh rebellious V~rrual.Adcpts, deadly
Technocracy,theTradi- Euthana tos killers W Ith Assamitc assassms ur greedy
Specialties; Sorcerers,
Vcntruc with rnnnep-grubbing Syndicate financiers.
rions, rpecii~cConvention, a particular Tradirion
for some aspect a h ~hc [me faction or subgroup
Speck\Note: MaEer v,,ill ofren porsessan alrrmare
TWrMast Lore. Assulne that True of v a m ~ i r esociety shares With somr s u b ~ r o uof~
Knowledge
form ofM~~~ Lore, magr society and encourage piayers to create characM~~~ L~~~ ii a
are a t least relntcd to
of those parries.
hulsrered by the fact that rhe scholar is seeking m "rsd-~.h~
understand his
kind rather thLInlearn rhe sccrecs of The fit may nllrbc ~erfcct;indeed it is l i k c l ~to be far

5 KNBWL~E

the c I ~ a r ~ c t ercasonahle
rs
cause ro he aware of each
orher's existence and something in crirnrnon.
Mure than just a lack nf knowledge separates rhc
supernatural huingsof the World c)f Darkness. One c~f
the mostc~hvinusproblems, yet fctrsorne reason often
overlnnkcd in hastc, is the fact that vampires cannot
hc active in t h e daytime anJ must fccrl. Too many

AND UNDERSTAND~G

Lack <3f kncwledge a2x~utone's cotinrcrparrs in

thc World of Darkness is not limited to undcrsranding the generalit~csof nrher Awakened creatures. I t
ts all w e l l mJpxxl to know what a vampire is and
what she can do, if you don't see chem heynnd thc

the cmly factors in the s'tot?j. As rncntinnej before, for fotd whiIe trying not to draw the attention o f the
Blood Treachery docs s fiord job of [his k ~ ytapping sentient herd ~ ~ p which
o n it feeds. Many Mage chatm t c the ancient rivalry hetwecn the Orderclf Hermes acters will grow anxious or holed i f forced day after
and thc lost House (sf T~erncse.W i t h a conflict of
cuch cpic size and long-running hatrcd i t is simple
to craft stories from the casily imaginable feud,
cunflict and fnrhiddcn t i m e t ~ a) reconnaissanccstyle quest for inft~rmacionon t h e enemy. S w n c
StorvteIIurs inay wish to e s ~ l o r eIesser-known links
betwccn vampire and m a w society, however, or
p c r h a ~ seven create a new one.

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vampires

severcry

cannclt
ignore daylighr witllol~t
chancing their nacural themes. Realistically, even

vampire's thirst for frcsh hlood and niEhrlv cnnrests

ro ohrain i c are constantly reduced ro mere dice
roils, a l l sense of t h e theme i s reduced ro numbers
on a
polyhedron. On the other hand, spending t o n much timc f~~cuxed
upon vampire characters'
nlahrly llunts will bury the magic and wonder which
makes Mage w h a t it is.
~h~ impact of
fact [hat vampires cann13r be
active during rile day may be
alleviated
by
mages to
lifestyles.
is nut particularly unreasonable fi3r mortals
inhahir t h e World nf Darknesr tc3 he stuck working
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quick huntincr system froln Vampire, but

phrases sua~rrtedthat rhu Tzirnisce vampires had

unholy conncctirms with certain T y t a l ~ r smagcs.
Clever Storycollcrs might see t h e shared intcrcsts nf
Koldunic snrcerers and Circle mages. Slowly n plot
involving mystic elcments within rhc fiendish
Sahhat a n d ienegaiie lnager from the Hermetic ord r r mifiht takc shape. What terrililc rasks they have
set for ~ ~ C T I I S C I ~ Wrnight
S
he the mission o i a hand of
Trentere and Herrnttic n l H c t s to discover, or their
horri hle rites rnigh~hc thc acts of t h e player characters, w110 wish t~ keep thcir activities hiddcn frnrn
c f i c ~ rrcspcctive sccw.

'

'' '

day to wait for thcir partners first to wake and then

to spend hours hunting for bloud.
Unfortunately, this is c ~ n ecase where che
q u a t i o n is nor su]7ject tcJ
vampiric side
cornpro~nisc.CcrtainIy a Storyteller can adorr the

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I i X G E [email protected]
HANDwK

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f a c e f ~ s scorporations that

powers. Vampire Auspex at level two offers the

places vampires might more commonly congregate

out of rhe ordinary, while a magc who is currently

dreary n ~ g h tshifts

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l
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nilty tomeet regularly. Fhysiciansorcoroncssrni~ht syarklcs, causing a vampire to mistake her for a
havc access t o resources that especially interest mage. Sto~ycellersmny wish t o allow vampires w h o

vampires, and certainly are renowned for keeping

odd hours.

roll five or more sl~ccessesto differentiare between

work ro~erher,she may still find a few difficulties in ferent kinds of scans. A maRe who i s n o t familiar
integsatrng the w o . Thegeneral Quickand Dirty with Kindred may nor ~rn~lersrand
w h a t slze is

facr t h a t they are ageless, and usc of Celerity map

further show itself as sudden time distortions.

also warranted.
Sensory Effects

rcprcscnrs. Matter nr Life scans can both possibly

invisibility rotcs, or@hfi~scateclr Chimerstry versus

scnsory cffccts.
A few special notes l ~ c a rmention regarding
special interactions between vampire and magc

vampire foes.
Countermagis
Disciplines suc11 as Animalism, Dominate, Presence and Thaumaturgy may generally hc counccrcc~

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~ttrcctl\ bv miigc.. t h t ~ i ~ l :ILSC

h of thcir Splrcrcs. In
ntder to J ~541
I a magc murt usually have at Icnct one
dot In thc blind Tphere. Othcr Rrsciplincs, o r thcir
sFccific cffccrs, ma\. he cuunccrcd a t rhr StorvtelIcr's
option. For example, a maec rnicht use Time 3 to
counter Celerity. The magc rolls lzer normal Arccc

r .-

rull, USIIRIIV
arcnincidenral m i l ~ i cd~fficulrvnumberi;
since

preventing a ruprmatural cffecr. thou&

some Ston~tcll~rs
mar prcier t o use ;1 standard diht'rcultv numbcr of 8. Each succcss cancels one crf rhc

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h ~ r . ~ lac;alnGr
t
n cltl-rlr- Mind trick rho m~tccmlcht
plav. Srmtl:~rlv,a magc WIILIIS unfamiliar u*~rh
Dominarc cannot stop a vampire frorn controlling his
mind unless hc has erected rncntal defeniiec prcvi0 1 1 5 1 ~i ~ ~r~ C I ' I Vrn
S lo sn ~rnrnedlzcclrf
when faced wlrh
a vampire rrvlng tcl stare him in ~thccvc.

Vampires, Life and Matter

Vampircs are undcacl crcaturcq. 14% such, thcv are

nc~thertullv alivc ncvr cntirely c3ca~lmatter. Some
Stnwtcllcrs malt wish to adopt the rules from rhe
vampirc'r successe?.
Vampire Storytellers Handbook that state chat yam\'arnptrcs maty attempt to tise Thaumaturgy t n pirca m a y he affccred bv Matter cffcctr as thoughthey
counter a map's tffccts. The difficrtlty of .such roll4 wctc Lifc cffecrs. Othcr Storytellers mav prefer the
i s rhe mace's Willpntvct, 2nd evcrv 1n.0 successer bricf v;~mpircrules from the core Mage hook that
cancel crne nf the rnagt'q successes. If a vamyirc has declarc thar maces must iisc Life and Mnttcr conThaumari~r~ical
Counrcrmapic, each dot aJJ5 one jt~nccionnllyt o attcct B vampire. This sectinn offcrs a
dic m rhr clrancrcr's Thaurnmlrqy roll for rhc par- rh~rd,and rrfc hoye more usctul, optlcln rcl Srorvtellpwcs of rhts rnll.
crs wliil wish r n reprcscnr Iicrtcr rhe fact rhat nt any
It 1s irnporran~ao rcmcrnhcr rhat cffcclts cilnnot rnomcnt vnrious parts of a vampire arc. prnbahlv
he countcreJ at all rrnlcss thcv have bccn spccificallv sttbjcct to clnc Sphcrc vr thc othur.
prepared d c f c n ~ i v cahcnJ
l~
of timc or can ?;nmehc~rv
MXCCCtargeting tramplrcs with cnnjuncti(~na1
hc ilcrcctcd
thrv occur. A v ~ r n p ~ rmav
e tnvoke Matrcrl Lifc effect< cattsc chance^ or Jarnape as
Thaurnarurer a ~ t ~ narholr
r
o(liehrn~ngbrine cast ;I[ nan;ll. He;alrng a vampire, howcvcr, requires rrirne
herbvan rlpptss!n~rnapelwtcannot ~n~tant!vprcrtcctmagic, \vhilc h c a l ~ aggravated
n~
wcil~ndsis r'riI~aras

normal. Magcs w h o rareer a vampirc with onlv Lifc

nr only Mattcr rnacrc brill can achicvc limrtcd rcS L I I ~ S . Tart%of a vampire rnny bc closc c n t ~ u ~toh
Inanimate mattcr that mere hlacrcr rnacic IP ~ u f f t cient, ubhile p;jrrs mav be fluch \r*irh life-giving
blood. To represent thls, a n v cffecr that iescs lmlv
Matter or Ltfe S F ~ C ~and
C ~nrlt
, hoth, autornatjcallv
r i l r n s only halt ths t o t a l s~ccer;sesthc mace toll^.
T h u ~a magc attcmptrnc ro rot a \'ampirc's flesh
a s a s with hlarrcr magic who painsfcwr succeswson
h ~ sArcre roll 1 ~ 1 1 1~ i l r a r n a t e only
l ~ man;lEc t o turn
r w t ~cuccesces again<[ his foe.
Aggravated Damage
As a ~encralrtlle of thumb, any damaging cffccr
pvwered hr Frimc inflicts aggravated clamwe on a
i1arnpirc.Sirnilnrlv, any effect using Prime 4 or fireor ~ ~ ~ n l ~ ~ h r -Fbnar sc e ~dattacks is aggravated. Crctrue cunlight rcquircs P r m e 2 In addition to
Forces 1 (or aIrcma tivcli. Corre~~ondencc
5 1, howcvcr, anrl curnrnoning i t at nieht is sltvavq vulqar.

B l 4 and Wizards
Vampircq d r ~ n khlood to suqrain dleir existence.
For rnmr purpclseq n m n ~ e ' shIootl l a the Tame as that
of ant. other rnr~ttal.Maees who are filled with thc
enercler of Quintcsscncc, howcver. rrovi~jc sdditirmal sustcnancc ~ t c lKindred. Count thc nrlmher of
Iiloc~Jpoint* cir;lincd from the macc and apply ir as a
fract~onoi thc ftltal 10 that mortals possess. A vampirc will sttat a number of points o i Qu~ntessence
irclm a macc equal 10 hcs total multiplied h\r the
fractitin c3t FFaocl which the vampire took. This
Quintcsscncc J~rc,ntrr actuallv nccupv anv space in
t11c varnpirc's blond pool h u t can Re spent i l r h l o d
poinrr. Indeed ir 1s spcnr first rn all cascq, as thc
vampitch rnaqlcal nature draw< upon the pure Quintrwence Eei~lse tr hums thc physical hlord ir has
consumed. For cxamplc, i l a hungtv vsmpirc drains
fivc point< c ~ fhlocd from a magc with 10 Quintckrencc points, 11c cain:. fivc normal Rlood points and
five Qi~intecscntialI4~)odpoints, rvhilc ~ h cmace
hcinr! drained Ivscs five hloocl points and hajf nf her
Quintcsscnce. Of crlurw she is in had shape due to
the
Jamace cawed hy h 1 0 d IOFS. but S ~ isC
a l w likely to he trilrhtcnctl hv the cudden Inw of
rnv~ticslcncrgv a< tvcll.
Unforrunatclv for vampires, the htood o f m a w s
is as much a part uf thc Awakened e x ~ ~ t e n ct hea t
nllows them t u perform magic a s anv nrhcr pilrtinn
c ~ frhrir beinn. Vampires burning thc blood nf
maecs will c~ftencllscin-er t h a t stranqc cffccts gccompany r h c i r use of thc rnvsticaI 17itae. f
rr

represent rhc uncontrrrllcd c n c r ~ i c ,t h a t vampircs

rclcasc w l ~ i l cburning the pclxcnr hlvv~lof mfiees,
gi1.e a vampirc unc Taratlnx point pcr hlood painr
cir Quintesscntiaf hfood polnt rvhich he spends.
Rarring perhaps some vcrv pirtent Prime effect, a
realm with different rnvstical laws or strange hIaratrdcr Talisman, therc i s not likely ra he any other
wav that a vampirc couId gain Paradox, sincc
normal physical rcalitv has mostly accepted rhetr
cxlstence, if onLy sccrctly . Vampires gain in^ Paradox point< are subject r o a l l normal Paradox rules
from Mage: The Ascension. r n c l u d i n ~odd effects
2nd pc>tcntia!darnace. Storvtellcrc inflicting paradox upon vampires for drinking the hl(loJ ~i
a
mace should dtk rhcir best t o make sure rhc Para,
clr3s reflects thc Spheres normally rosses>ed hy thc
Inace at thc timc the blood wac drawn. Daring
Storvtcltcrs may wish to use rhcxe rules when
v a m p i r c ~fccd upon sorccrcrq tvho u?;estatic maeic
as well, or thcv may J e c l d c that vampires arc rtccd
to ~{ealinew i t h static mysrical encrEics.
Vampirc hti~odcan I3e p t r ro lac hr: rna:cs, too.
Each point of vampire hlorid is tcluivalent to onc
point clt Tass (ves, that's cmc full point despitc what
the Vampire StotytelIers Handhook s a v ~to the
contranf). Mages who unclcrsranJ the riqks of vampirc bJnoJ s i l l ~tsuallvkeep i t safe within a suitable
container until thcy use it for thcir magic, hut kt is
pclcr;ihle t(3 consume I C instead. T h o ~ cWEIO consume
1
vampire blood hecornc Fhc3uls with all nt rhc normal
honusesancl penalties fordoinq so,includinggatninq
a remporarv point of the Potcncc Diqctpl~neand a
stcp toward the blood hond. Thc danecrs inherent In
this should discourage magcs, but many of rhcm are .
not aware of the risk, and mosr varnplrcs arc all nw
happy t o makc sclrc ~t stays that way. Afrcr all, what
vampire doesn'r dcsirc a pnrent rnasical 5la\-c?
The Embrace
MaEes can hc Emhr;lccJ ;Ir anv othcr mortal.
Unfi~rtunatclv,thc Emhracc severs the maqs's Xvas
tar (as nt~rrnald c ~ docs).
h
rnakinc him ,I normal
vampire. Some m;~pcswho ~ ~ n d e r gthis
c l hurtor man- J
ajic to commit suicide withzn a shcm timc.
Sron,tcllers tacccf with a maw who i s E~nhracetf
rnav c l ~ o o s cto cornpletcly irnnre previous Spheres $
1t.arncd by t h e magc in question, or t h r v rnieht
ch~mren, somehow reflect rhcrn in the D~sciplincs
gained bv a ncw vampire. El'cry ncw vamplrc rcla:4
tivclv yu~cklvcicvclops three points of D ~ ~ c i ~ l i n e s .
which of course almost a l r a v r ci~nrisrof r b s c which
are natural to the hlocd ~i thc vampire ~ire'sclan.
"
S t ~ ~ r y t e l l e rrnav
s
choosc rcl allurv rnRccs who arc
4

- d "

11

.d,

,I,
I
1

b :;\

.-

- 15' "'
a

- . I

Enlhrclced tu choosc onc o r more points of

Thatrmaturgy with a suitable path thar closely resembles those Spheres thcr knew in life in place uf
ntwmal Discipline choices. Alternatively, somcmight
cvcn bc allowed t o take other Disciplines thatcloscly
resemble rhcir Sphercs, such as Ternporis for a powerful Titnc mage.
SimrtarZy, some Stntytellers will he frustrated bv
the fact thar the Mage game does not use Humanity
and Virtues. O n e uptic~nalsystem is t o assume that
the typical maEe has Courage 5 and fivc points to
divide between Sclf#Control and Conscioncc, according to her personality. This system takes into
account thc general aloofness many mages exhi hit in
ccmjunction with their prodigious scandard Willpower ratfng. Storytellers mighr wish t o adjust thcsc
ratings, mising Conscience tcl hetter reflect maws
who are more humane, lowering Courage fix rnagcs
who havc generally shown cclw;~rdiceor cvcn significantly dropping Humanity for Euthanatos who have
made a career of killing.
Screw This, I Want to be Mortal Again
Enterprising or dcspcratc m a p may dccide t o
experiment with puttinfi their magic ta work avcrt u r n i n g hlot~dhonds or even t h e curse of vampirisrn
itself. This i s not a task to he taken lightly -the
Curse o f Caine is said to have cilme from God. and
it should come as no sut-prisc that even thosc who
do not believe this still face grcac resisrance in
thcir cffclrts.
Bcfore dcscrihing the actual magic necessary to
pcrfilrm such fcars, it i s impclrcant rtlnotc that most
mages are utterly clueless when faced with the idea
, of h a v i n ~even to try such rna~ic.Attempting to
remove t h e blood hund requlres a t least Vampire
Lore 3 or Occult 4, while knowing how one might
higin
remove the Embrace demands a t least
Vampire Lore 4 or Occult 5. Mages searching for

thclsc whc, might t c a c h thcm arc in fur a IunKsearch.

Many of tht samc problems confronting

plavers try in^ co comhinc wcrcwolvc?;
with mafits face thosc combining yampires~vithmages, and StoryrelIers should
consult the
sections for genera t
advice that can easily apply to b0d-i
genres. Naturally, werewolves present
their ourn tlnique challenges for crossover as well. Many of these revolve

around the immense collection o f standard abilirics

werewolves bring to the game, though others havc to
du with lack ~f common p a l s and even downright
prcjudiccd behavior.
As in the caFe of vampires, thc first harrier in
magel werewolf relarions 1s likely to he a lack of
knowledge. Storytellers mag wish to hring a hit of
order t o the amount of knowledge characters posscss
about thcir counterparrs hy ucing the Core Abilicres.

.2.4: .

-;:ll

Even the Euthanatos have learned only so much

about vampires, and thc Progenitors, Sons of Ether
and Verbena who have STudied the undead are even
rarcr. Those seekinr Nephandi who understand the
creatures of the night are begging to fa11 prey to all
sorts r,f sinistcr lies.
Rcrnoving t h e Embrace ( i . e . , returning a yamplre to mortal scate) is a Holy Grail of sorts,
somechirig vampires themselves have sought for
millennia. I t sl~ouldnot come as a mere matter of
mixing Spheres; wirhout understanding rhe secret
hchind thc Curse, it cannot be overturned. And
who hut the teficndary Anrcililuvians know thc rnrc
origins of the Curse? Even if such a powerfill cure
were discovered, certain centuries-old Cainites
would nor want such kntlwlcdge In the world and
might nor rest unciI all who knew it were deail.
Finally, should such a wondrous miracle he a c h ~ e v e d ,
there is n o guarantee chat a curcd vampire's Avatar
v i l l return (if it w a Awake
~
befvre the Embrace) or that the "cure" Joesn'r entail a final release from
thc body (i-e., final death).
Rcmclving the h1~10dbond is possihle, hut extremely difficult and time consuming. For details, see
pp. 78-79 of Blood Treachery.
Working Together
Many crossover rules arc prcscntccl with the idca
that znages and vampires will be contesting. It is
possihle that some groups of players may wish to havc
their vampires and Inages work closcly in cnnjuncr i m with cach other. In most cases this will have no
effect heynnd that norma Ily pined for ganging up on
the cc,mpetition. If a practitioner of Thaumaturgy
and a mnge work togecher they may LISCthe rules from
Mage for Acrfng in Concert. T h u s a mage might help
a thaurnaturge gain more successcs or vicc versa.

c:: 31

the Gart~u11olJ 1101~. Among Garou who arc awarc of easdy tear a man En half with a singlc inhutrlanly
wages, cnmmcsn epithcts for them include 'kcern- powcrful swtpe of their claws. Storytcllers will have
relative fragility of rnages when
ally challcngc a wcrcwolf.

age and Werewolf should

uwin~
mages tu stlak aggravated
difficulty 8 as suggcsrcd undcr the cin-

werenolves already feel for them by arming them-

Worse yet, Garou may

be offended hy the very

whil flghr against Ncphandi may recognize a cer-

age rules in Mage.

Another cnmmnn problem is the fact that any
h ]]is salt can leap into thc Umhra with
]I of the dice. This can completely
s who are not prepared
deal with i t ,
s stranded in the physical realm while
pend weeks questing in the spirit
realms. The Storyteller should prnhahlv cncouragc
s t in the Spirit Sphcrc and possibly
ch as S t o m w a r d e n . If she is planxtensivc Umbra adventures, the
hc even wish t o do away w i t h the
nrircly nr providc the rnagcs with a
sh that allows all of them to follow
the Umbra. Another way to a c ight bc to allow magr characters to
ound points into thc Garnu's tototcm thc ahitiry to bring people
allied into chc spirit world. (See
estry for new methods of Umbra1

~ G I AND
C WRW@LVB
Garclu arc crcarures of equal part spitit and flesh,
owes5 hy Gaia. They wield
rectly from spirits. As such,
lves may face special difficutties in
ther in conflict. Werewolves may
utrnatcheci in a mystical
uffer from inexplicable faillvemVolves take unsoakable ager weapons bur are allowcd
I1 other damage, reaardless d
cks against Garou must nnrtc both Spirit a n d Lrfe
conjunctinnally to have full effect. A magc who

., ,
,

roundE apAins( an enraRed

!
:.a

tnc. Mages are used to acting more

ifhe

toe

subtly, preparing

l '-.' defenses ahead of time and enacrine attacksfrom

.
i distance with the aid of rituals. Werewolves can
Cn .

r
'

one of
higgcst pmhlc.ms
werewolf/
mag= crossovers is
c o m ~ c c c l y different
of the two. Not even your most eyhcr
nt.tica1ty enhance J mape j s likely surviveeven two

a ~ t a c k s aawerewolf in the physical world with only

Life or only Spirit has all successes rolled reduced bv
half. Werewolves who enter the Umbra, however,
a x tem~orarilyconsidered entirely spiritual, and a
Garnu staying in rhc spirit world fur roo long can
h e c ~ ~ ltrapped
lc
there. M a ~ e who
s
target a ~ a r i in
~u
the Umbra may employ the Spirit Sphere against
foe as

tho~lgh the Gamu

were

a spirit-

Werervolves s l i n t l l c l I~crt'sr.cu t lleing con~mandedor

enrrapped hv very powcrful mages should they encounter them w i t h ~ nthe Umhra. Of course, mages
resorting to such tactics should be prepared for a
sudden and vicdent rcturn to che physical reatm by
very angry Garou shoulcl their mystical assault fail to
stnp their encmics.
It bears special mention that an attack combining
Spirit and/ or Life wirh Matter magic and turning
portiuns of a wercw~>lfinto silver is treated as an
unsoakahle aawavated actack once the final damage
dice are determined. Werewdves srruck with such an
attack are also likely to suffer the loss of one or more
Gnosis points- Mages with sufficient Wercwolf Lore
mar; even tecognizc Gnosis as a source of energy and
attempt t o affecr it using conjunctional Spitit and
Pritnc effeccs, or in cases where it flows frcclr; through
a caern may employ Prime bp irself. Extra actions
gained t h r t w ~ hspending Rage might he countered
using Time 3 to slow a Garou duwn. Spirit Sphcrt:
effectscommonly can be used to strengthen or weaken
the Gauntlet as well, which may benefit or harm
Gamu who seek t12 Step Sideways.

Garou and rnages may attempt to cnunter each

other" powers as per normal Quick and Dirty Crossover or Success-based Crossover rules. As always, the
ahili~yrn counter rcquircs bcing ahle to sense the
attack or power heing vscd or having defenses that
autnmatlcaIly oppose che Forces in question. Typically, Gifts that provide for invisihiliry or protection
against detection may he countered w i r h Forces or
Mind effects, while enhanced-senses Gifts may pierce
mage illusions. Most effects may he countered with
any SFhcre that can generate suitable protect ion or
an opposite effect, a n d similarly mosr mage roccs can
he countered with ;1 Gift cd suitahle d~fcnsivcor
opposite effect, As normal, a mage may chat)se to try
ro cotrntcrmagic any supernatural Gift using the
Prime Sphere, strengthening reality against the effect via antimagic. Alternatively, mages may attempt
t o countcr nearly any werewolf Gifr with the Spirit
Sphcrc alone due to the spiritual origins of all Gifts.
Doing so can he draining, as this method works
according ro the same rules normally reserved for
Prime Sphcrc antimagic unless the Gift being coun-

Spir~t<can5\loth I ~ L ! I C ; F I Cdittcrcnccr hctaccn Garc~u

and t\+p~cal
mnrrals. Life scanq, d e p e n d ~ nupon
~ rhc
paradirrn uf the mace, may fincl an ~ncrcdihlvrrhrant
11fetorcc capahle oi high Icvcls of rcgcncrativc henlinc, coupled with strange gencrlsq which bcar
rcscmblance rrj thar of both human and ~ r - c ~vet
l f n~>t
quite either. Spirit 5cstn5 ~villC I E ~ I I\*
; ~show
~
SMC
I
sort
an~rnnlephcmcra cv~dcnccahcrc a ma:e expects tn
see onlv a human st~ul.Prime $cans may <howa sourcc
of suFcrnatur~lenergy within Carou who currentlv
y o s s e s s C n r ~ ~ point$,
is
Unl ikc vampires, who are s a l k In< violations r,i sealiry, most orhcr scans will nor
cliscnvcr anything out of the crrJinmy filr a Gatobi in
human form. A hdind effect might raise cucytcion
should a C;arou in normal rt~r~lf
ftlm he nnriccJ 3
. ~3
rcntient creature, b u t the c m o t i c ~ n a l nrlrns o f
wcrerr,crlve5 \\*illusually ~ p p c a nnnnal
r
unlcss rhcy arc
c;rn pnwc ven. danyertlus indccdcurrently
cr~nsumcJ
with
Race.
Wrrm-tnintcd
creaMaces on the orl~cr41nnt1 1i.111 u ~ u a lyl find it casy
rnres,
such
as
Fomvri
and
Rlnck
Spiral
Dancers,
mav
tir wnse that a wcr.rwc>lfIF not normal, tht~ughlust
appcnr
odd
tu
Enrrc~pv
scans,
whilc
it
i q ~c?ssihle
thar
what a specific maw k;ls Jisco\.erecj matf cvarlc hcr
unclersfind tng R'I ~ ~ C Nappropriate
I C
Lorc KnuwlccIe~ fct~rchr?w r h supematutill abilities might arpent unto hlatrer detections.
to ilctcrmtne t11:it rt rs a Gartlu shc ~ A C C ' F .Llfc ant1 ni~tur~tl

tcrctl I S Jarcctlv rc1arct.I to S p ~ r c!'~cc~'F,

~t
511~11AS
summr>rirric,crcjssin~t11c G ~ u n t l e tetc.
,
A number of ideas mar; de~ervespecial consiilerarirrn. One crf the ftrst concerns that will occur to
many maem 15rhat ~ l Jctcction.
f
Were\\ L> 1%-t=s- genera l l mar
~ dcrccr. rnagcs only ~ v i r hGifts that J e t e thc
~ ~
UFC nh magic in action whiIc it i s occurrine. Maces
~ v h urcstlnate with thc furcea of Quier are a diffcrcnt
ston.. The Sense Wvrrn ~ i f will
t
regisrcr positive for
maces with levcls ofJhor, the Sense Weaver gift r\fill
read rrirc Tor mages with le\.cls of Clarity Q u ~ c tand
,
the Sense WvlJ qifr w[ll react to magcr;rvith hladncss
QUILT.
These resonance tmirs are so srronE thar moqt
werewolves 11,111 not he ahle to differenriare rhc Q ~ r i e r
firm the Trait mint rhey are attempting to dcrecr.
E.~yt.cialIvin the case nf Jhor-rouched maycs, r h ~ 3

HUNTER
Huntet:The Reckoning icpotentiallv rhc I I U ~ TMaces
~ F . with less pnpular paths, such as
moqt pr~hlurnaticoi all crossover garncq. Euthsnato~.,mav appear even mcrrc prcdaton. ~vhcn
IYrhtle somc hunrcrs scck to rrdcern or rrctverl I)v n huntcr using rhe Second Sacht.
understand the crcarures they scc as fcws,
W'ith thc vcrv appearance of cviE, r ~;qrt least g a v e
many arc Jrivcn almost mad with a d c ~ l r e irnprrnrp, cast ripon rnarres nf c\#ervr v ~\v\'hat
, purpose
to clcansc the wt~rlJof chc horrtlrs they rnipht hunrtnfind towork torretherwirh thcirpc~tential
hnd hirime amunq humanitv. Stanrrellev fc3b~1~~:
Storytellers ~houlillook to Redecmcm and \?isonseeking t r j curnbine Hunter \v~rhMage arics fur s p e c ~ n luscfulncs~, given t h ~ w ccrccJ5'
shouId I?c prepared ti1 cncnuragu plavrr- to prcdilcctic~nL r r;et.ktne out the cncmy and twin!: t o
cvplilrc Rcdcernet, Innocent and Vi~innan.cnnccyts undc~tanclhim. iC huntcroloncot rhese crccdr. nrwhn
r ~ i r ~ sarlnc
lc
,4vencen, \k'ar~vardsand Deicnllcn for tn~sr?a ~nernhrrof unc i r t rhtlsc creeds, rnsv treat
usc as scowline antnrr~inins,
Mnnyrs, Hcnni csandJudecs ?;upcrn;rrur:tlcrearurcs, c s y c c i a l l ~ ~ c u m ~ r a t ~ v c l ~ l ~ n i ~ ~ n
rnieht tall on either side of hcine uccful for crosso~crc r oncs sue11as m a p s , as prcnttnl insiehrs inro the \vc>rlcI
decrntct ivc to it. In rhc end, evcrv reason must be fiunJ of monsters t h ~ rhrcaten
t
mankind. Vic~onariccccek
to overcornc a hunter's normal rcactiuns- hatrcd anti u n d e ~ t a n d i nheforc
~
all clcc. while Redccrncrs hope to
frat - to supernatural iorccs he cannot unclcrctan~l. turn thc forces of darkncrs frtlrn thetr fateful path. Othcr
The thcrncc r f Hunter can br estremel\. difl~ciilr hunter? ma\rilisct~\-errhe uuchlncss of having an r ride
to presen-e when mixcd with other p m c s . It is all t o o conncctinn trtth the s w i e t i e ~they fcul must ccrtainlv
casr to look ncrosq thc cable ar rour garninc huJJies hc kcding upon thc innnccnr.
with a normal feelinE oi cornf~rrrand friendship ; ~ n ~ l On thc orhcr side of rhc fence, onc miclit wondcr
fnrcct thfir thc X,Icssengerq ATC iiltcriny even Cunvic- what possibfr rcacon a marc c ~ o lhave
~ l toctmwrt with
rion-Iadcn clance yrju rake a t the characters thew hcinqq tvl~clsc.VIPIOR of hcr is that of a vile, caricatiirc
rcoFlc plav rhroueh a Icns of harsh judemcnt
w i r c t ~k r hlaspl~cmclusdefiIcr
from thedarkcct Icpend>of
rnt3nstrcJtzsappearance. Even thc mnrralq who hccnmc anothcr tlme. Maces of a hi~toricalhcnt miehr tcar ;I
maces are sccn 1y the Mtsscnger~assores upon chc f ; return
~
id rl~eBurning Times and scck c t ~~~nblerstand
nt rcal~tv.filled with t ~ n ~ l ~ e n c h a selfishness
blc
a n J rhow ~vhoriw to hunt them, p h a p r horinr to con-

hunters, jointng together agalnst the true enemics of

mankind, including the clangetnus Marauders and chc
sinister Nephandi. Other mystics with an attachment
ti1 [he Mythic Ages, wI-d-tcr that of the Akashic
Record or through the universal consciousnessof Beam,
may recopize the hunters as an artifact of past rimes
returned at the hehest of the g.ods. Such individuals may
]?opeto find a lighmingrd for the divine or asignofthe
mandate nf heaven within their new allies.

each chwacrer might possess ahouc her counrerparts.

Note specifically that Hunters don't even know
much a h u c themsel\ys;
creanlrps
know even less,
While the guideIinc herc may offer a sort of tahlc about
Hunter knclwle+el the denizen? of rhe World of Darkness wouldn't have access to most of &is infnmatim.
Considerthis,
a sort of wic]cline to *hat'$ rcla+
tivcly simple to learn and what's verymusualknt~wlcdge.
Characters p r c ~ b a hshouldn't
l~
manage ro devclop cnough

fall into internal squabbles that destroy the game.

Cesrainll; chis is che World of Darkness, and thc
Stnrytellcr should not Pncourage a sickening cottoncandy sweet visic~nof unit)', halt neither should she
allow rhc encire garnc tc, pll~trgeinto ongoing and opcn
warfare hemeen characters. Permanent conflicts hetween characters can easily turn the game into an
ongoing presst~tetoward real-life argument. 'Few playess show up tn a game with eager anticipation of every
single session spent fighting against the friends with
whom thcy gather tn play, and indeed it is generally
the role of the Storyteller to assume must d t h e L u r c h

bur there are no authorities on Hunters and thus no way

'
for mags to "check up on"them. Any of rhis discovery of
and interactionwith Hunterscould happen in yn~~rMage

hasecl upon rcal psychological factors, and indeed it is

the fact that online chats often sidestep rhis rnndel
that lcads to the prevalence of player feuds far in excess
of those which occur in tabletop games.
Rcgardlcss, Storytellers who keep hunter and magc
players together will find moup unity hard to maintain,
hut should discover that cornmun foesate not SO hard t o
crwte, Black-hcastcJ Nephandi, twisted spirits determined lu alruse arrarlki~~cl
;lnJ 111adMarauders wreaking
havoc upon rhe hu~lndcof realiry withnut rcgard for thc
innuccnt all may serve as enemies who draw huntcrs
and mages tu~erherto share resources. Any dangcr co
hurnanity that draws he ire of both factions can serve
as a ~ ~ r ~ n g l xh~rastorylincs
rd
which prompt hunter and
mage players tr-rlilinforces against the unified chreat, as
hefirs rhe sayinr, "Theenemy of my enemy is my friend."
M course, as with all rmsnnvew, nne of the first
harriers will he lack of understanding those with whom
unc interacts. Hunters arc a reccnt ~henornenon,nnr
counting thew appearance millennia ago, and therefore
are nnt very well-known even to the most scholarly uf
mages. Similarly, most hunters are ~ e c e n t l yplunged
into thc knowledge that there is such a r h i n ~as a

hut it isnor part ofrheHuntercanon.In that gamc, *

the Imbued simply do not register EDmany supernan~ral '
beings enough to became "discovered."

Humm Lew
rhcy havc thcir cwn spccial porvers. Snme
Hunters can resist magic, for example.

ma*a

including understand in^ t h a t there are

actually different kinds of Hunters.
Doctorare: You know as much as most c~f
your
subjects. Your knawledge of Hunters is
cotnparahle to t h a t of >rn I i ~ ~ l r u t . twllo
l
has
been aware of "monsters" for a few vears.
better than
Sc17c~la7:
You kntw your
many of them know themselves. You have a
p o d idea just what the Messengerh really are.

Possessed by: Bystanders,HunrPrs,Madmrn,

survivors of H~~~~~~
~ witch-hunters
~
~
~
Specialties: Edplcs. thc Hunt, the Messengers, a

creed

ITIAG L@RE
A few Hunters have cncountcrcd witches or sorcerers
enouEhttoleamafetvdcraiIs a b u t them. Mosr Hunrersare
very unlikclv to havc mure than a p i n t or two of any kind
of Lore. For the details nf Magc Low, scc pp. 197-198.

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HUNTERSAND ~

hand, a huntcr who does not cxpcnd Conviction will

G I C

Hunters are prntectud in part hy ~u~ernarura!

Edges
which are given to them by the Messengers. In thcory,
the Messengers are subject to the same rules as any orher
sFirirual beings, hut their power is such that most mages
will find it difficult to overcomc the miracles they
enable hunters to achieve. Interacticln hetween hunter
Edges and magc Sphere effecrs varicsfrom bn~talimmunities to virrual duf~nselessness.Both sides suffer
intensely from the unpredictable nature of their npponencs, not knowing what to expect to have to face.
A loc nf h ~ ~ n r emage
r J interactions will be sharply
delineated by the use or failure to use Conviccion on the
part of a hunter character. Any illusion, mind trick or
minJ~rontroleffect can bc shur down by the cxpc-ndirure of a single point of Conviction as per normal
Hunter rules. Immunity grantcd by use of hunrer Cnnvlction lasts only for the durarion of the current sccnc.
and thc cffecr therefore may resume should a mage sacore
wccesscs allowing for a Innger duratic~n.On thc other

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niwnally havc no defense against mcnral effects outside

of her own Wrllpower. It is worth noting [hat a huntcr
expending Convicr ion poinrs will even nr~llify mind
effects of which she is not aware. Second Sight also map
be used to pierce aummatically any false apwarance a
mage r n i ~ h tpresent, whether a Life-haseci change nt
form, a hnlogram of Fr~rcesor a mental illusion,
All cases w h ~ c hrcsult in an opposing Edge applied
against a mage effect should be setrlud using either thc
Quick and Dirty Crossover or Success~hasedCrossover rulcs from earlier in this chapter. This involves
comparing the Sphere total against the Creed Path
rating or the succcsscs garnered against each other. In
m y CASP rhe aggressor's effects are recluced by the
defenses of his target and the final resuIts are derermined ac chat point. I t should he remembcrcrI that no
m e c w try to counter an attack unless shc can sornehow scnse it as it occurs o r unlesq her defenses wcrc
already i n place hefnrc rhc attack occurrccl.

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The spcif:c Edges huntcrs may bring to lvar already

mant p c i f f c ~enaltiezapinst their targeL5. It is cven
posisihlc thac a hilnter with cmain Edges micrht rendcr a
maw clntirelv unahle to use her magic fora p e n 4 of time.
Thc ability to uscmagic isa supmatuml ability, mdany
Edge whcx~dcscriprion states that it prevents the use of
supernatural ahilitic.; will 171t~kthe use ofa mage's powers.
Such U p s wilI not usually eliminate [metabilities such
as thme provided hy the Backgrounds of Arcane, Avatar,
Ikqriny or Dream, hut it is possible that even innatc Traits
d this mn may hc ~Cndcrcduselm. This i s part of why
rna~eeswho unrlers1anc.1 huntcrs at all fear the danger they
represent. No m a ~ l~kes
e todacoverthat she iswirhout the
maFical powers d ~ a make
r
her what she is.
Mag= with the a r ~ l m ~ r i a t e toknowthcirf~s,
or
even just an understanding of the hwnan coditinn, may
Q one particularly dirty crick. A Mind 2 cffccr can cause
a hunter ro expend
Conviction point immediately per
SUCCCSS, thoughofctlursc the c f f ~ cof
t thisconviction
~
will
still rwerrirle any other mental effects thchunrersuffersfor
the current scene and l~kclytrigger thc hmtcJs Scmnd
S l ~ h t Unfomnatcly,
.
huntcrs suhject to this effect are
usually f ~ c of
d mental influences, aware of rhc s u ~ m a m ra Icrcarurcsaround rhem and frightened anw that they
are nearly devoid dfurther Conviction. Even ifa hunter
does not imderstanrl
ahis occurred, which is likely, he
tothe presenceofsu~rnatural
is lzkcty to h t~yycrrscnsitive
creatures, x tfu~+~ly OIIC of them could have mused his
currcnt and suddcn starc.
Hunter Tongues
Hunrers possess a mystic ability to cornm~tnicate
with each other in n written script which each of them
inherently undcrsrands and ycr which cannot hc dcciphered by anyone else. Ac lcasr that is the thmry behind
it. In truth, of course, this state of affairs is a rather vulgar
maEical effect enacted u p n a large scale by the Messengcrs. Scorvtellersmay he faced with mages whn rightfully
assume char it ispcxsihlefor them to break the Messen~er's
codc, cven if it proves nearly impossihle to do so. Mages
perform the irnpossihfe before and after hreakfast every
day after all, scr what 1s to stop them from cracking the
mystical symbols every hunter instinctively learns?

henevolentmge-Sroryrellers w l ~ wish
o torepresent the
divine wrathofthe Messengers mayraise the requirements
w 50,74, 100 or more, and pssihly have vengeful spirits
attack mages who attempt the fern. Everiencd m a s s
may sense a disrinct similarity between the tmes d
Paradoxand thuqe thatarrayag.ainrtthemwhenthcysmnd
against the power of the Messengers.
Voices in My Head
Devious mages may consider a few orher r~ppr>rtuniti, when facedwith [he presence ofhunters.
wb
undfr.Mnd
fan hear voices
[hem
to deceive !heir enemies. speakinR
to a hunter
,i, telepathy is ufcc,urse merely a ~ i 3 effccr,
~ dbur rhis
is not enough to duplicate the distinct scnse of the
Messengers. Posing as rhe mental messages of one of the
Messengersrequires Mind 3, Spirtt 2 in order to co~nhine
mental communication wi& spirit spedl.
a
*
hunter believes the words he hears in his head is a matter
cnntmlled by [he normal mlcplay of that Ilunrer
the
successes rhe maye garners whitCtrying fOOlhim. Re
11r;tgel~nwstmake a Msnipulacinn + Cosrn~~l~~gy
or Hunrer
Lore roll with a d i f i i c u l ~equal to 6 pIu5 any Patron
hckground rating the hunter posscsscs. Ohviausly it is
harder to trick someone who hears the real thing on a
rqylar basis. Unfmtunatcly for mcxq hunters the idea of
listening to &J voices in their heads has kc
ome almost
normal, and shnuld the mage succeed, her &man& are
not likely to be iwc,red, though they may he treated
whatcver normal lack uf cooperation a hunter throws at
his real Messenger patrcms.
Some mages try a cliffcrent tack and wish to understand rhe Messengers thernsclvcs. Such individuals are
likely to try Spirit or Mind effccts t a communicate with
'
rhe Messengers through the hunters who act as their
mouthpieces and champions. This might be accorn~ l i s h e dthrough Mind 3 or Spirit 2 effects, but rnagcs
who succeed are nor likely to appreciate their efforcs.
Successfullv contact in^ a Messenger only brings the
mage to its attention directly. If the cnic goals of the
mnpe happen m fall within those of the Messenger, it ri
may leave the mage alone to pursue her plans, hut thir ,
is nor probable. Messengers will generally resent rhe

-nlose

meher

ne,-essiv nfEaining 30 or more successes silnFly ro pierce the sort of excuse a Storyteller requires to put Hunter
the Rahel-like dcfenscs ofthe Mesengers. Th iny is a fairly and Mage characters together.

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51%A WBRLOw ~ G I C 209

CMER

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Maclstr<>m,kno~vnilc t h ~Dja.

The

Doctorarc: You know as muchasmost of your

sublccts. Your knor~ledecof mummies is
~om~aratrlc
to that nlsnmc cdthc w i q ~ cults,
r
incluclinr rclrne awareness t h a t the Arnent~
31-c not the only mummlcs.
m a ~ c remain
s
cornpletclv unawarc elf the
Scholar: Yr,u know vour subjects better than
events Icnclinr to the rise of ncu7mummanv of them know themselves. k'c7tir
mjes, and c v c n rhose w h o ha\tc
kntlttplcciec uf mummies 1s cornparnhle ti3
encountcrcd the ncwest murnrnics arc
lthar nf the Shrmsu-heru. Should this come
to rhc artenrinn o f certain Imkhu. your
Patin as well a s certain Chorifter and Hermetic
entire cxi~tcncemight he in dancer.
gr~3upstend to he rhc most common rnagc grorrps ccb
Possessed by: t 5 t c r n Avatars, House Shaca,
cnctlunrcr and unLler~tandt11r Rehorn*
Murnrn~cs, Kcsurrecrlon C u l t < , S u p e r n a r u r a l

'

mystic c r o u p r e r e impo~ranrfacton In
Rc5urrecrion r~rualrhar hrouphr the lracmrntcd snuls of
Amcntl to lift once again. Thcsc ~ ~ ~ c l cbenefit
tlc~
from cl~rcctexperience and p r o ~ h c t i crcvclations nf

thc Rchnrn and cheir ~ i Osiris.

~ d
Rulcs for lthc dccrer of knowledge a culr mav
possess ahout mummies, or said rnt~~nrn~cs
miqht
pclscsc about mare socier)., may hc represented hy
the fcillo~vingLore Kno\vlcdgc abilities.
Srudcnt: You know for sure [hat mummies
c ~ i s t a n da r r j t l s t h i n n i n ~ro I ~ a r n r l l cbasic
faIlac~csof normal occult lore regarding their
kind. Mummics do nut shsmhle around in
handaces, for exnmplc.

m * . ~

lcam
the sr,-recr dours,JcrsT
srowtrllrrq
can reprc.

br
lower j,ffiCUltTnumbcr5
thC<amp hccs
or hg trr;ltine a levelofFklll
one
hlFlhCr+

m m bFJ
Mumrnics are actually mnrc Iikclv to explore
crocsovcr Knowledges thzn manv inhabitants of rhc
World of Darkne5s arc. Most mumrnie5 o w e rhcir
rcn. e x i ~ t e n c cto n Rccurrection cz~ltthat pcrfurmed
thc magicai rituals taught to thcm hv Osiris and
pL,rtlnri;ll]T
even tauKht[hem
of rhcir rersnnal
ccillcction of mysrlc charmc. For rules rcE;lrci~ngthir
knowledge, see >lagr Lorc, rr. 197.193.

~AGIC
AND m

~mm~~

Relations hcr\ve.en murnmics anJ rnaqes are usu-

beneficial.Ccrtainly [he vasr rnajorirv of rnaees h a v c

no inrcractiun w i r h mtimmics, hrrr rhoqc w h o do are
~ c n c r a l l ybu5y acrivclv rryinc ro h r i n ~ahout their
1-lcsrrucrirx-iUT actively xcking to aid rhtirgoals.The
h,lascerc:
Ynu arc n.ell.l~crscd in mummy Enre
Rcsurrcc~~nn
cults oftentimes cclnrain mage memand prtlhab[ycvpn knoav of the cxlstence
Esct.a and rhe Shemsu+lleru, Yotl mas hcr5 \ \ - h ~~ t t ktcl improvc rhe pnmrion of r n u r n m i e ~
~
knon. rhatHorus is a real being, thouglJ i t is and help drfcat the fclrces of Apnphis. On t h orher
douhtfil[ vorl wuulJ kni,\v
tr.riinrlhim. hand,sini5rcr Apclphisculrisrs, includingrhc Arnkhar
lmmorcalltv. Yc.ru may even know c ~ f The
esictencc of the Cult of Fsls, ChiIrIrcn of
O s i n ~and Ashlekhi Corporation.

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Scholar: Yuu know ).our sublect.s !letter than

many of them know t h e r n s c . 1 ~ ~Your
~.
knowledge of Eastern Kindred is comparable
ro that of a mandarin. Should this cotmc to
the attention of certain courts, you may find
yourself living in interesting times,
Possessed by: Easrem Demon Himters, Eastern
Kindred, San Francisco Vampires, Tremere spies
Specialties: Eastern Kindred Shintai, a particu*.ma.

'pecia' Note:

of the East

often

that thc scholar is seeking to ~lnderstandhis own

learn the secrets ofoursi~icrs.Storytellers can represent this hy offering lower difficultv
nurnbers to recall the same facts or hy treating a level
of skill as one rank higher.
kind ratherthan

rrIAwLm
Eastern Kindred are more in tune with the supernatural creatures around them than most Western
Kindred. Of Western Kindred, possi'nly only the
Trernere tend to possess the same level of occult

knowledge. Mostkuei-jinwhoknilwofmages~peci
Fnr further detailr, see Mage Lore, pp. 197- 198,

Using the above examples, ir shot~ldn'r

he harcl to devise rules fur dealing with
any of the other game settings produced
hy White Wolf, such as Wraith, Change-

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ling, or even Trinity and Aberrant. Bald Storytellers may even want to use Adventure!, scnding their
rnages to an alternate Earth ljistory more in line with
a Sons of Ether utopia.

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