--

Action Chronicles for Maae: The Ascension

. Kni~htor Dynamism

Frustration is the fuse

The flame is hate
Tick, tick, tick,
Detonate
- L7, "The Bomb"

By Phil Brucato, Aaron R.osenber~ and Lindsay Woodcock

.
~ ~~:~
Woodcock
~II
ip~~ Brucato, Aawn Ro"nbetg and' Lind.ay

Prelude Story by: Kathleen Ryan

Developed by: Phil Brucato, with Ken Cliffe and Lindsay
Woodcock
~
a

- Edited by: Ken Cliffe

Art Director: Larry Snelly
Layout and Typesetting: Aaron Voss
Art: Michael Gaydos, Drew Johnson, Toby Cypress,
Richard Clark and Paul Harmon
Front Cover Art: Michael Gaydos
Front and Back Cover Design: Aaron Voss

735 PARK NORTH BLVD.

. SUITE 128

CLARKSTON, GA 30021

WUITE WOLf USA

GAME STUDIO

@ 1999 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is
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PRINTED IN THE USA.

2 TalesofMagick
 II~

Contents
Prelude 4

Introduction 6

Chi}pterOne: Tick, Tick, Tick 12

Chi}pterTwo: You NeC\rSomethin~? 30

I

Chi}pterThree: Boom! 52

Appendix:Bits C\ndPieces 68

Contents
I,
'
 "". f

Prelude ",---

By Kathleen Ryan
Alexande! Gericault waits patiently at Ta the yaung man's side, a teenage-girLinoveralis. She
~e{;Ol.!nte.r.ofas.mallpiikt)!Y. He sips strong haps alang like a broken spring, alert but easily distracted. She
black caffee. from a plain white mug. and setS see,,!!sta do mast .ofthe talking.
it biiCkinta itsring~stained sauger. .~'\. Bhe. t.urns suddenly wirhan etnphatlcrdauble-handed,
The quiet rhythm .of canversation and' splay-fingered gestl.!re.and Qiirkssamething afthe ather man
cutlerY arallndhim shatters in a ca$tade of walkiI1gbesidehe.t ~ the .oldest .of the three. He wears
glass and china. sunglasses, tQough the light daes nat quite call far them, and
A heavy, thick-haired waman at the stalks alang like a tiger, thaugh there is1.1.0 need far that, either.
cash register shrieks and begins scalding the He tries ta play itstropg :lnd silent, but the sharp-tangued kid
busbay. He fires back a stream .ofcurses and beside him erodes his' compasure. His stany face breaks in
camplaints - half in broken English, half in his unrecagniz- aggravatian and the twaargue.(ar a whale black.
able native tangue - ending clearly in, "I quit!" He spits an An Asian man in his mid-JOs laaks bad:atthe fight and
the flaar befare the cashier, throws dawn his apron and starms threws theredheiid3 wryJ1iilf-srqJle.He clearly means it to be
out through the kitchen. reassuring, but taa much wanysh6\Vs threugh the mask.The
Gericault keeps watch steadily an the franr windaws. yaunger man trots te catchUp With' the leader and they walk
Directly behindhim, ata tablefartwa, an elderly lady digs en, talking quietly. .
through her handpag and pulls farth a pillbax. She fishes out The Nephandus nates the drama,almest grateful thllt .
tWa pale-green tablets and places them gingerly in her mauth. Amanda has faund these campanians. If it were .onlyher and
Her pink topgue .flicks briefly aver thin, cracked;red-paintecl the [>ries.t
he had ta fallaw. ."
lips, and she takes the medicine with a glass .ofwater and a The priest drops .outof sight again, and Gericault.curses.
grimace. She stares h:if(;llyattQe. Waitingcup, sQi.ledl'lateand With effartrhe finds him- an .oldgray miin in a pale-blue
vacant chair appasiteher awn. With her right hand, she pele shift and wrinl<ledtWill trousers:He isthe slewest walker,
empties the pillbox intO herhusband'scoffeei with her left she and says little. The stream of pedestrians winds araund him
picks up his spaan and begins stirring. Her expressiQn never withaut taking much Dorice, antleve~Gericault finds it hard
changes. ta fecus en the frail, staaped figure.
Gericault catches sight afhis subject .inthe street .outside. Beside the faded cleric, .Amanda Janssen flaats alang the
He pays far his caffee, tips well and rises. sidewalk like a pillar .offire. Men stare. Wamen approve or
As the Nephandus passes a yaung girl- a callege student envy. Children smile and peint at the pretty lady - and
sitting alone at the table clasest ta tQe daar - she wipes a Gericiiult knaws that nat: .one will remember her clearly after
fallen tear fram her jaurnal, staps writing paetry, and begins he),:pi!!Ssing.If.they see herllgain jn ether clethes, they will r
camposing her suicide. nate. He smiles kindly at her and leaves hardly rec6gnizeherj if he stops al1e'of her admirers and asks
the little caffee shap. what she loaks like, the petSOnwiH find 1.1.0 rearwards, only
Ge.ritault walks like a bllsTne.ssmantaday. In well-cut gr::i.Y' vague cemparisens. Her features are indescribable and there-
slacks and a slightly rumpled wlJ,ite.oxfard sQirt, he laaks like fare as ananymaus as his awn.
anyathe.r cubicle-dwelleron lunchbre.ak - he even gives the The Nephandus tears his gaze fram her reluctantly. At
impressian that hiscaat and tie .:lre.hl.!ng up next to his last he catches sight .ofhis other quarry.
keybaard, waiting. His face and haIr are s~lected ta match, and Twa men walk at a peculiarly deliberate pace .one half.
entirely cammanplace. black ahead .ofhim, dressed in suspiciausly bulky caats, their
He steps anta the sidewalk with the exact pasture .ofa eyes fastened an the backs .of Amanda and thase with her.
man wha has warked desk and mause .one year taa many, and There's a pair who could use practice in the art of the Unseen,
nat a saullaaks at him twice. A wave .oftaurists surges past and thinks Gericault. He facuses his senses and takes their mea.
he adjusts his pace td'match. From the curb side, screened by sure: There are minar wards protecting them, armar beneath
the sightseers, he scans the group ahead. their clathes and weapens at their hands, but these twa are
He spats the red-haired alchemist easily: A tall, gangly, cannan fadder against real Craft. He smiles proudly, anticipat.
bayish man, head and shaulders abave the crowd -slauching, ing Amanda and her knives wading through the pair's dumb
then standing straight and maving well, but abviausly uncam- flesh.
fortable with himself, his height and his fellaw travelers.
 -- -- "O.~'
'"
The tour group drifts up tIle steps of a museum. Ge[icault boy isdead without time to blink and Gericault starts the body
skirtsthe cluster, keeping an eye on thec),l:)~ushunters and walking when tl5,eIJgfitslt1tange.
scanningthe crowd for others. Prom the victim's coofing brain, he drags the name of the
Newparents push a stroller by hiro. murder cult's master - their philosophy professor Shelton
A trio of elderly men shuffles into ea-rshot;trebating Bruntee - and enough of the trappings of their masses to
politIcson behalf of the entire street. recognize the hand of Helekar behind the hunt. Under the
A tight knot of young peoplebn:iShes past, laughtngana. Nephandus' direction, the corpse follows its fellows from the
umblingabout classes and dowiS, p~rents and money. crosswalk, but Gericault waits at the new curb. He then crosses
the main street and sets purposefully after Bruntee.
In their wake; Geric:aul("car"hesagust of patchouli, a
of sll\"Okeandrrblackened, bittersweet odor that he The Euthanatos dearly anticipates an enemy. Though
"ows.w~ll.He breathes the scent;i'~~ep[y:}J.e~t$;the'YClPQr Bp.lIl,tee;,}VaJks
quickly enough to keep his disciples iI).vi~w~
~onhistongue. Burnt man-flesh - brands :..- old brands, and ~rr ah feeLthe tnage track.ingcthe"torobjth th(;jpin, tJ;1Eji)
-agrta/(Tsacrificemore recently. Beautiful children r whose are you? slender threa 0 L",.-the threa<Lcorihng doser, th& ""
Withthe most cautious, fleeting touch, he probes the p(j.werctfasthg~fter him.'~~--
&mges of their clothes, their skin, their souls. He expects Gericault catches up and the ~alk abreast at the
1 spelled-weapons andbum-wards and finds them. The rites fbf ~ttetneedges of the sidewalk. By unspoken consent, they
climb the steps of an old apartment house - each half-turned
;'~ . suchmagicksare common enough. But the girl laughing
t loudestcarriesa twisted, unnamable tattoo - burnt, cut and to the other, eyes lowered, defenses high - and enter the
deserted lobby.
paintedintothe curves of her pelvis, back and belly. The
Nephandus recognizesthe,thing and wonders what shadow- Face-to-face now, they study each other. The professor's
brotherofhisdaredcarve thatsigil into ll)ririg flesh. body sags slightly with age -
50 will capture him soon, if
He invadesthe girl's thoughtS clelicately, unwilling to Gericault does not - but the sloppy looking extra weight is
.;:tevealhimselftowhatevetmay'watchover'her. What he seeks musde, aI).dhis left hand holds an old-fashionedstraight razqr.
: 15highin her heart - her skirt chafes her naked skin at every
Brunteestands ready, like an old lion, His hair is black, gray
and wiry,brushedor blownbackromth.e ad in~oa,,&ld
;:~tep,andwiththe painshecl1erishes the memory of the knives,
mane, croppedtaggedly,at;the'h()plde,rs. er'cords:aie
,

" Deedles,hot coals and strong hands of the man who inflicted
i,Lbescars.She cannot help but look for him, and Gericault
visible around his neck - humans-Icin,Gericault "remem-
bc::ts,~ltan.net.fae."-'~ tsthedeadboysaw.
"

, '1o[lowsthe reverent glance toher1doL

He walksalone on the other side of the street, his black TheEU-lli.an~l~ow are red; w, but scrupulously
cleanf:sQayen, " '

;;;'001coatopen to tb.e wind. He wears dark-blue jeans, a hand-

,T:woven'pullover and, despite the chill, sandals. Netthetmfgc::.lool&tb th.-eClther'seyes.
~ The silent observer withdraws &om the girl and her The attack comes without warning and without a move-
master,and looks ahead. Amanda, he realizes, has seen some- ment - Bruntee strikes through the abyss - an assault like a
battering ram forged of a black hole. Gericault, pleased by the
thing.Shelaysa finger on the priest's arm and soft words spread
the alarm. The message passes up to the stalking man and ~!J,.Uenge,resists in kind - the consuming ebon fires of the pit
leader.Quite casually, the six trade places. In loose formation, swallow the emptiness; their forces match precisely.
theycontinue walking~Butnowtl5,e.fign~tsaJ:eat the points, Bruntee draws on deeper magicks. The lance of his mind
thethree weaker bodies are the center, and the team has eyes against Gericault's. The daws of his spirit on the roots of
allround- even ,tb.erea~,is,co'Vered; the chatty teenager Geri<;ault's souL Even the fangs of his A vatar st~ive to qrain
~ revivesher argument and skipS along half-backward. Ka/i1'Slifeblood from Gericault's very beingj1"&e NeJ?handus
Gericaultapprovesoftheir preparations. They can handle c~nrers them all and methodically brings mOre -Weaponsto
the hired muscle, he is certain, and though the branded bear.,
acolytesmight be able to kill one or two members of the Sparks fly from Bruntee's hair, the flO()rcracks beneath
SecondSeven,Amanda should surviv~ his feet, tiny slips in time confuse him. 1;'hotigh he weClveshis
Atthenext intersection, the Nephandus "influences" the own shields, dasps his hand over the blade of his razor for b'lood
traffic:
Amandaand her party make it across and thebullyboys and power, and destroys three amulets in the attempt, he
arepermittedto follow - but the branded students have to cannot break the stalemate Gericault forces upon him. The
wait.Inhisownturn, Gericault comes to the curb beside them process reveals every detail of his capabilities and knowledge.
Sweat breaks out on Bruntee's forehead. The strain Clfche
andpretendsto check his watch. He takes a silver pin from the
cuffof his sleeve and pricks his palm. Before the bloody tip casting paralyzes the Euthanatos, and though no one or thing
dries,he stabs the student closest to hiro, in the nape of the but the Grand Harvester Voormas has ever &ightened him,
neck.The tiny weapon nearly disappears into the skin. The Bruntee watches in terror as the mage before him steps closer. ...
 )
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~II
American kid- jackass littleno,good shithead-"
I tune him out and look around, trying to get a
Jud~ment Day
Showtime. It's you, the gang and the big purple
handleon whereI am and how I'm goingto get out. book. Your friends want you to run a game. A Mage
The kitchen probably passes its health inspections,
but barely - cracked linoleum, greasy counters... this
is no place for a last stand. Things are frantic, but I can
see the gas ranges that run along the wall, the deep sinks
game. You have the rules. They're huge. They're
complex. They offer more possibilities than Stephen
Hawking on crack and you have a game to run.
What will you do?
full of nasty dishwater, and the shelf with the goddamn Why not blow shit up?
radio above. The Yakuza, or whatever the hell the
I'm not kidding. Have fun!
- Chinese equivalent is, arejust about to the kitchen and
Mage has an (undeserved) rep as a game of
- I haven't found the back door yet. Whipping my head
dudes sitting around contemplating Reality. Y'know,
around, almost losing my glasses, I spot a likely candi,
paradigm manipulation, meme,spreading, myth,rak-
date: a badly lit corridor with all kinds of crates cluttering
ing esoterica, that sort of thing. But while the
it. Bet there's a way out there....
metaphysics are a very real part of the setting, the
But I'm too late. The head thug swings the door core of the game is based on human passions and
I open casually, like it's his door to begin with. For all the human conflicts. Mages are people who have risen
resistance the people in the kitchen put up, it might as to the next level of potential, but they're still people.
well be. Everyone shuts up immediately. I'm toast. One And when the shit hits the fan, some people get off
geek, no matter how smart or talented, hasn't got a their asses and jump into the fire.
prayer against three pissed,off thugs with knives. So I
Hmmm. Meme,spreading. Butt-kicking. Which
have to wing this somehow - that or get sliced into
is more entertaining?
ribbons. I'm running out of ideas. I know which is easier to run at the last
That is, until the leader puts his hand on the metal minute.
countertop. One of the dishwashers ducks aside and I
swear I see him jostle the shelf with his shoulder. I know Still, it's easy to fall into predictable pitfalls.
he does; the radio shouldn't be able to stay there with "All right, guys, let's kick more New World Order
that kind of bump - yes, it's starting to wobble. The
ass!" Nah, we need more than that to make a good
cord is long enough to reach the sink - it has to be!
game. Setting up the baddies and knocking 'em
After that it's just all pure, perfect science. The radio,
down is fun for about an hour. Then it gets really
the sink full of water, the metal counter. . . . As the radio boring, not "adventuresome" at all.
finally tips over, I shut my eyes and hope. It's science, So what do you do?
it has to work. Oh fuck, this better work.... That's where this book comes in.

Wh()f's () "T()le Or M()~ick"?

"How do I play Mage?" continues gests a wealth of potential stories united by a single
to be a frequent question. Confronted theme: adventure in the classic sense - wild set-
iiJ with this epic setting, a lot of people tings, close calls, high stakes and lots of whup-ass.
still seem to crave guidance, to want Best of all, these tales can be geared toward Tradi-
"adventure modules," to look for tion, Technocratic or non, affiliated magi - they're
chronicle suggestions that take ad, based on the High, Adventure genre, not on beating
vantage of the setting but move beyond the hell out of Group X. Given its rich background
the obligatory Technocrat-stomp. of intrigue and passion, Mage is a natural for high-
Enter Tales of Magick: Dark Ad, stakes tales. After all, action flows from having an
venture, an idea,book of Storyteller important goal, a time limit and some heavy,duty
advice, plot hooks, character concepts and back, obstacles between the two.
stage gossip from the magickal world. Rather than How do magick and High Adventure go to-
present a single "closed" adventure, this book sug, gether? Between the intrigues of the Ascension

:-~
1_8 _.~ -=::; ...........
 tt
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II~
>9
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l>
0 C\

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factions,the egosof the A wakened, fantastic Realms Still, a good Dark Adventure is a bit less pre-
andcreatures, and the ever~present wild cards of dictable than a Jackie Chan film festival. We are
mortalantagonists and loved ones, it's a wonder a talking about mysti~ks, after all! It's been said that
mageevergets a chance to breathe! Still, setting up the two pillars of drama are sex and violence. A
agoodrousing adventure takes a bit of work - the rousing action-adventure story often has both. A
old"Youwalk into a bar and..." thing is as dead as rousing Mage action-adventure story features an
SlyStallone's career. The challenge is finding the additional element: mystery. The Awakened are
mixof goals, stakes and enemies that drags your human beings, of course, but their world is never as
troupedown the road to High Adventure. simple as the one most mortals see. Even the sim-
plest gesture has a double meaning. Even the most
Zen('andthe Art or natural event can foreshadow a coming crisis. In a
,
world where reality rests in a thousand different
Kicking Ass hands, nothing is ever as simple as it appears.
High Adventure in a Mage game can be as
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's
courage. straightforward as hanging onto the side of a Japa~
-AnaIs Nin nese bullet train, or as arcane as chasing spirits
through a shadowy city. Either way, the action
Thisbook takes no prisoners. It grabs the A wak~ should be shrouded in uncertainty and ambiguity: Is '
enedby the scruff of their enlightened little necks the guy who's trying to kill you a good Samaritan I
andthrows them bodily in the path of a speeding who's had a vision of your blood on innocent hands?
Fatetrain. There is nothing subtle about this book, Was your loved one's betrayal motivated by greed,
nothingrefined, occulted or restrained. This book a spell or suggestions from a new and charismatic
isall about action, not esoterica. Leave that "con- lover? Is that howling wind a hurricane, a storm-
templation"shit for the sages and Ascensionites. brewer's witchery or an impending blast of Paradox?

Introduction
 ~ ~II
~~~ In Mage, things ate rarely what they seem to be and hero, she stands outside "common" morality and
does whatever it takes to fulfill her ambitions.
are always more complex than you expect.
Not that our villain has to be a mage or even a

~
Mage is all about getting beyond the obvious.
While supernatural creature. Human antagonists can be
the action-adventure genre has fairly simple

II-~ conventions
.
(that's what makes it so appealing),
Mage adventure should be a little odder and a lot
lessclear about who's doing what to whom, or why
or how.
a every bit as problematic as magickal ones (and
frequently more so). Although she might not be
able to waste a wizard in a man-to-man fight, a
Sleeper villain has many options... and she's not
shackled by Paradox. She might be a witch-hunter,
a zealous politico, a ruthless detective, a gangster...
=-- Action"Neroes"
In the center of these intense theatrics stands a or something more subtle than that. A broken-
small, dedicated and slightly masochistic bunch of hearted daughter, vengeful girlfriend or drunken
folks: the "heroes." Drama in these stories depends barfly can provide lots of story fodder without haul-
on someone who's willing to get the shit kicked out ing out shotguns and magnums. The key to villainy
of him for a good cause. While lesser folks - is selfishness: Fuck the world, it's my way or no way!
including many powerful mages - step aside out of When you think about it, there's isn't much
fear or forbearance, the action hero shrugs his shoul- difference between the hero and the villain. You
ders, wades into battle, takes his lumps, and wouldn't want to get in the way of either, and they
(hopefully) comes out the other side leaving the could both convince you that they're doing the
world a better place. right thing. That ambiguity is the essence of Dark
Who is this person? He's a man (or woman) Adventure: The lines between "good" and "evil"
with a mission. Maybe he's a questing wizard, an aren't drawn too clearly. Even the nicest heroes can
avenging warrior, a crusading cyborg or a valiant be driven by greed, arrogance or lust, and the most
scientist. He recognizes a threat that's too great to frightening ones -like Verbena blood-mysticks or
ignore and knows that he's the only one who can Men in Black - can be fighting for the greater
stop it. This guy's no saint, especially not in the good. The eerie and ambiguous nature of magick
World of Darkness; by the time the tale is through, usually clouds a person's intentions and actions,
he'll have broken every law in the book, killed a too; when you figure in the possibilities of Entropy,
bunch of people, violated every kind of trust, and Mind and Life spells, or the creepiness of chaos
put himself and his loved ones straight in harm's magick or pagan rites, the line between "good" and
way. Still, there's a method to his dementia: If the "evil" blurs to a fog.
hero didn't do this, if he just sat back and pondered Foggy or not, these characters must be drawn
the morality of his actions, we'd all get creamed. with bold strokes. An exciting adventure tale de-
Mage or mortal, the action hero is a bit above it all. mands a grand villain, a charismatic hero, a pack of
He does a tough job for you. colorful supporting characters and a wild setting or
three. Something important - magick, innocent
lives, the future - must be at stake and the clock
The Bc.d Guys must be ticking. Sooner or later a firestorm sweeps
There's a reason the hero does all this: Some-
across the landscape, the heroes and their opposites
body, for whatever reason, is plotting to raise hell.
clash and the ground trembles with the impact.
For simplicity's sake we'll call her "the villain,"
Considering the raw power of magick, it's not hard
even though she's rarely as "eee-villl" as that word
to see the epic potential of a mage's war. Mythology
implies. The villain poses a threat. The hero op-
is full of such battles. Now it's time to bring a bit of
poses it. May the best one win - it's gonna be a hell
the myth to your table.
of a fight.
Mage is.based on willpower and determination.
On her end, a good adventure villain has a
These are a hero's true weapons, wielded against
vicious plan, ruthless methods, endless resources
overwhelming odds through sheer strength of per-
and a taste for treachery. She might convince her-
sonality and belief. The stage is set. Let the Dark
self that what she's planning is really for the greater
Adventure begin!
good, or she might be vindictive, sadistic or flat-out
insane. She could be a HIT Mark, a demon-witch,
a righteous fighter or a megalomaniac. Like the

Mage: The Ascension: Tales of Magic

 II~
Osin~ This Book pointers help you wrap things up successfully.
Prelude: The most nefarious mysticks can still
Chapter Three: Boom!: The mystick is in mo~
servea worthwhile end. Even if his motives aren't
exactly"pure,"Gericault's not a bad guy to have at
tion. These plot hooks and crossover suggestions Ii
II
work your troupe's adventures into the ongoing
yourback... so long as you know he's there. events of the Ascension War. III
Introduction: You're reading it. III
Appendix: Bits and Pieces: So how do you do
Chapter One: Tick, Tick, Tick...: A pile of that "drop, roll and fire six times" thing? And what "
hints,plot hooks, themes and suggestions for set~ if youadd magickto the stunt?This systemssection -
tingupyourDark Adventures. offersa host of classicaction bits, plus a selection -
Chapter Two: You Hear Something?: When of cool hardware, helpful systemsand inspirational
theclock'sticking, these techniques, character types films.
andclassicbits help you keep the tension high. Enough! Have fun!

Introduction 11
 (;
(;
~\\
~
. <1-' , ~,
~~ fj-"'
~
1/;<
~I
'
n "'"I
/ ,!
~,
,
 II.,

I-
-

Time is like a fuse, short and burning fast

Armageddon is here. . .
- Metallica, "Fight Fire with Fire"

I don't think I really like the taste of my oom him whatever cut he felt like taking or get myself pou.Med into a.
blood. When Johnson slammed me around, I bit pulp. Like today.
my tongue and split my lip- violent introduction "Uh... yeah bitch... oh God-" I hear the blood whishing
to a brick wall wiU do that, I guess. For the through his clogged arteries above me, and his lip curls up like
moment, I'm waiting. He's grunting and strain- some old dog's. He's there. I tense up - the second before he
ing and sweating over me now, and he's going to starts spewing inside me, I yank my knees up almost to my
get there in a few minutes - with aUmy "profes- shoulders. Bracing my shoulders and arms out against the
sional" practice, I know that breath. I know that pavement, I kick with both feet and buck my hips. Hard. For all
pitiful little animal whine men make when they're his weight, Johnson doesn't have half my strength - plus, he
close. So I'm waitingfor him to bejust about ready isn't expecting this.
to come. Then, God help him. He tries topull me back under him, hisjaw slack and his eyes
Drops of greasy sweat fall from Johnson's forehead and the glazed. Too late; I'm already on my feet. I can feel the hormones
endof his nose to land on my cheek - this guy has more and endorphins percolating through his system and driving his
blackheadson hisface than any high-school kid ever could. By the blood pressure up - even better. I don't even bother to
reek of him, I'd bet he ate onions garnished with garlic for straighten my skirt before I take the first shot at him, a kick deep
breakfast. To take my mind off this maggot ofa Pimp , I mentally in the pit of his stomach. Johnson grunts and collapses, his cheek
catalogue aU the weapons I have. I've got my heavy knee-high pressing the blacktop. How gratifying. I kick him again. I can tell
blackboots,my nails and my belt is lying off to the right from the hum in his sPinal cord that I've damaged his innards. So
somewhere. The metal rings on the belt should help some. But the I kick again and again, my arms flying, a vicious sneer pasted to
singlemeanest thing I have is the year I've spent out here with this my face. When I've ruptured his spleen and given his balls a few
fatfuck who appointed himself my employer. It was either give really good bruises, I stop, regaining my balance and my breath.

Chapter One: Tick. Tick,Tick

~
 We're not talking about earthshaking spells, here,
~
although the occasional firestorm or cross-town teleport
might come in handy on occasion. We're talking about
small, fast tricks that give you the coincidental edge over
the bad guys. Every so often you have to pull out the stops

I
"~ and throw your powerhouse cards on the table. Subtlety
goes out the window when the local Syndicate Manager
sends his best cybernetic assassinsafter your sorry ass.Still,
,
the essence of high adventure is ass-kicking, high-tension
danger, not floating castles or rampaging dragons. The
t== enemies are human, the stakes are high and your best
weapon is yourself.

Now Ni~h Is That? Now Dark Is That?

Before we create High Adventure in aMage game, let's But this ain't James Bond territory. Superman
)
is dead
' define the term. What does "High Adventure" mean? Well, and he never came back. Mage takes place in the Worid of
High Adventure is the opposite of what could be called Darkness. Everything that seemed bad before is far worse
"low adventure." Low adventure is what normal people now. Cops crack your skull for looking at them funny.
might encounter in their everyday lives. Diving back into Bangers cap you for less. People are cruel, selfish or com-
a burning restaurant to save a loved one or even an injured pletely apathetic, and your surroundings mirror malevolence.
stranger is lowadventure -
it's heroic, true, but the kind of Here, High Adventure becomes Dark Adventure and the
heroism that we ourselves would like to think we're capable stakes get a lot nastier.
of in the right situations. This is a world of swirling gray, where saints have
High Adventure, on the other hand, is the trademark bloody fingers and monsters harbor souls. Good and evil
heroism oflarger-than-life characters, amazing people who (whatever those abstractions mean) mingle blood at the
lead amazing lives. same street corner: Heroes aren't pure, they're sullied and
Jordan burst through the skylight, shards of glass raining questionable. Villains have a sadistic edge, but they have
down on the mobsters as he dropped into their midst. Even as he reasons for what they do. Everything is somber, gritty,
fell, Jordan's fingers tightened on the triggersof his guns. A hail hyperviolent. Passions explode with raw force or simmer in
of bullets smashed opponents to the ground. Sprayed blood mixed dim-lit bars or crumbling cathedrals. An air of menace
with glittering glass. More of the boss' henchmen poured into the looms, even in shimmering offices or luxurious penthouses,
Welcome to Hell. Ain't it cool?
room, surrounding Jordan as he hit the ground, rolled and came
up firing. It didn't matter how many of them there were - he'd Dark-Adventure heroes are outcasts, not pillars of
sworn to Mari that he'd bring her father back alive. Nothing was respectability. They've usually lost their loved ones, and
going to stop him! ideals such as truth and justice are replaced by hatred and
This is High Adventure. Like low adventure, it in- revenge. Rather than pursue utter victory, dark heroes
volves danger, but it's played on a broader scale and with strive to contain damage as much as possible, minimizing
higher stakes. In High Adventure, larger-than-life heroism the losses. Protagonists keep horrible secrets and powerful
is a lifestyle,not a reflex, and there's far more than your own enemies lurk around every corner. You can't trust anyone.
life and happiness on the line. Other people are counting on They damned near killed you. Not well enough, it seems.
YOUj the fate ofacity, state, country or even the entire world Now you stagger into a nearby restaurant, searching for food
may rest in your capable hands. You dare not fail, no matter and refuge. Shit! The place belongs to the same guy whojust tried
what the odds (and they're alwayshigh - the greater the to have you wiPed. He's sworn a blood-oath to see you dead,and
stakes, the greater the opposition). Fortunately, you have you're not feeling too forgiving yourself. Naturally, he's gothis
power on your side: phenomenal skill, indomitable will... face buried in a plate of pasta, and he's surrounded by a dozen
and magick. Always magick. Made Men. Great timing. .. must be your night.

~-
Oh, sure, you're a badass. You have the balls to collar It all gets worse, as you knew it would. Hey, you tried to
the local boss, the dexterity to weave your way through his stay inconsPicuous, but no such luck. A table and everythingon
mazeoflocks and traps, the strength and stamina to beat the it goes flying. Spilled wine sprays crimson droplets. Gunfire,
living hell out of an army of bodyguards while staying alive deafening at this range. Bodies tumble - innocent folks out on
, yourself. But at the crucial moment - when you need to the town. The wall behind you turns into Swiss cheese as you
dodge that bullet, leap that alley or wring that last bit of grasp your medicine bag and pray to the sPirits of the North
information out of your stoolie, it's magick that gives you
the edge other mortals lack.
14 Tales of Magick
~I

II
j
 II~ ~
Wind. At I=t
bull~tsmiss.
wmething', going you, way tanight
Where the hell is Delilah? She should be right. . .
- the ~
~
Oh, thereshe is.
Your bestfriend's moonlightingwithMr. Big.
Sometimesit just doesn't pay to get out of bed.
That's Dark Adventure.
The bottom line is that in High Adventure, matters are
clean and wholesome and the outcome is almost guaran-
teed. The hero may be defeated momentarily, but only so
that he can learn his enemy's plans and screwthem up at the
last minute. Very few "good" people die, and those who do
I-
only fuel the hero's righteous anger. In Dark-Adventure,
people are rarely what they seem-not even old friends can
be trusted. The "hero" (who's usually slightly better than
the people he fights) may very well be defeated, even
crippled. Sure, he might beat the villain in the end, but the
hero might get cacked himself and will probably take a lot
of other folkswith him. The body count ishigh; most of the
hero's friends and allies who are foolish enough to get
involved wind up dead, leaving the hero alone - assuming
he survives at all.
All that said, Dark Adventure is often more fun than
traditional High Adventure. Playing the dude in the white
hat gets boring pretty quickly. Dark Adventure offers new
twists and turns, unexpected problems and solutions. Your
opponent doesr'1'tfight fair and neither do you. The action
is believable, not preposterous. Even if the stakes are
enormous, realistic people struggle for what they believeis
right. All that is easier to understand - and is more
rewarding - than godlike individuals kicking assforTruth,
Justice and the American Way.
Dark Adventure is more human. Prick it and it bleeds.

M()gick ()nd Adventure

Ah, but we're not just talking about your garden-
variety Tarantino badass, now are we? This is Mage and
your characters have powers mortals can only wish for.
Then again, you probably deal with enemies who could
mop the street with an army ofReservoir Dogs - homicidal
cyborgs, chaos spirits, conjured demons, power-mad
witches... you get the idea. In a Dark Mage Adventure, the
players' characters square off against forces greater than
anything a Sleeper could defeat. These heroes have an edge,
but their adversaries are so much stronger.. ..
Mage's world hovers on the brink of disaster. Demons
conspire with cultists in the shadows; machine-men patrol
the streets; mad pagans shower tree roots with blood-
sacrifice;even mortals are corrupt. Worst ofall, most people
never see how close we are to the flames. In the light of TV
screens and halogen lamps, everything looks so... con-
trolled. But as any mage (no matter what sidehe may belong
to) knows, Reality is anything but controlled. In a Dark

Chapter One: Tick. Tick,Tick

 .
~
~
~II
Adv,nture, ch.", ""'P' it> bond, and g""-' on . mmp.g,.
It's the mage's job to stop that rampage... or die trying.
Sometimes the fight is overt: The streets become a
battleground of fireballs and mystic beasts, and outrageous
fortune guts safety and sanity. Other times, the fight is
And then we have the wodd. of magkk the b'.\~
Horizon Realms, the Infernal pits, the gleaming hallsof
Technocratic outposts and the twisting corridors of
Nephandic Labyrinths. Dark Adventures can take your
characters from the towering cliffsof Horizon to the under.

I-
quiet, a war of coincidences and feats that go just slightly sea hell of Drachus Vachor, with a side-trip to the Spy's
over the edge. Magick, especially in a Dark Adventure, Demise for a bit of information. Toss in the inhabitantsof
doesn't have to be about lightning bolts and demonic those Realms - dragons, demons, HIT Marks and Digital
servitors; it can be subtle or straightforward, coincidental or Dollz - and you have a supporting cast worthy of Baron
vulgar, destructive or healing, dark or light. Magick can Munchausen himself! The normal lawsof Earthly realitydo
insinuate thoughts into the minds of pawns or it can be the not apply in such places, and a mage survives a trip thereby
weapon of choice in an all-out bloodfest. his wits and imagination. He can use the full force ofhis
When you think about it, magick presents perfect oppor- Arts in the Otherworld, but then, so can his opponents.
tunities for rip-roaring action. After all, High-Adventure Oh, yeah... opponents. Mage offers ideal villains,too.
yarns go notoriously overboard. Bryce Grimm might not be a The Nephandi, for example, are classic archnemeses -
crack shot, but his "miss" can hit the gas pipe behind the dark and twisted, often former heroes who've Fallen from
. villain; one cigarette and said villain becomes a pillar of flame. grace. As their pawns charge out into the open, the Fallen
Grimm dives into a shark vat to escape the explosion. Now he Ones whisper sweet lies into the hero's ear And then you
has to deal with the man-eater, but he might survive when the have Marauders, agents of chaos incarnate who appear,
collapsing complex bursts the tank. Such events are common wreck shit and vanish. Or the Technocrats, with their
in High-Adventure stories, and magick makes them all the omniscient control of everything from media to ATMsto
more plausible... and survivable. Mere Sleepers would be advanced weaponry. Or the Traditions, who would gladly
toast, but a sorcerer can emerge intact. plunge the world into a new Dark Ages just so they could
In the World of Darkness, mystery lingers in the most have their power back. You have vampires and werebeasts
mundane places. A bar on the Lower East Side offers refuge and spirits and all kinds of unholy stuff just waiting to tear
to a Man in Black; a London bookshop contains a forbidden Reality to shreds. No matter which group the players'
alchemical text; a vacant lot in Harlem has become a secret, characters belong to, they have enemies in the night.
haunted burial ground; a back road in West Virginia marks And all those elements boil down to another of the
the spot where Jennifer Rollins hitched a ride from a gang ultimate ingredients in a Dark-Adventure tale: suspense.
of rednecks {who lived to regret it}. Magick is everywhere Powerful forces loom just out of sight. Unnamable foes
- any place the A wakened have passed can become a stage gather their strength. Reality itself cringes in anticipation.
for adventure. Even so, a mystick must be careful in the Anything can happen. As Hitchcock said, suspense is the
mortal world. Ifhis enchantments aren't coincidental, his bomb under the table - not the explosion, but the thrill of
ass is grass. knowing that the bomb is there. Mage presents a world with
a bomb under every table. As the Storyteller, you need only
light the fuse.

The First BreC\th

Samantha Crow was shaping a world. of distant mountains, blue and hazY, tipped with glimmering
"Feel it," Jason guided her softly, some- white.
where nearby. "LetyourselfexperienceitfuUy." "Do you feel it?"
She did experience it - she was sure. She nodded, afraid to speak lest she shatter the image.
Even through closed eyes, Samantha could "Then make it real. "
envision the world, feel the slight spring of the Samantha concentrated, bringing all of her will to bearon
earth beneath her bare feet, the warmth of the this place, forcing it from dream to reality, imprinting the image
sun upon her upturned face, the faint feel of and flavor and texture onto the raw materials around her. And,
approaching rain dampening her skin. She though it taxed her, the ground slowly took on a springyfeel, soft
could envision the land before her, the vibrant green of the grass, and forgiving. The sun's rays warmed her skin.
, sprinkled with white and yeUow splashes where wildflowers "Now open your eyes and let yourself into your new
JJ
I sprang up; the gentle roll of the ground leading toward an image world."

I Tales of Magick
~I

' ~
 II~
Shefollowedher teacher's directions, gazing out upon the
landshehadalreadyseen in her mind, now made real. It was so
beauriful
it took her breath away - and failed to return it.
She gaspedas her lungs emptied. Her hands scrambled ~
beforeher as if to force air into her mouth. She became
Ughtheaded,dizzy, her vision faded to black-
Thenshe was back, shuddering and choking in the studio
Jason called home.

"A usefullesson," Jason stated flatly, seated near her in his

customarycross-leggedfashion. "You saw the world well enough,
butyouforgotto breathe it in, to receive any scents that would
indicate
air.Always remember: Even the smallest detail is crucial."
-
Magickinvolves choice. Your will shapes the world
around you.Youmust decide how to alter the world, and in
whatway. The choice you make affects not only this
moment,but all the moments and events that follow, other
aspecrsoflifeand the world. Even the ways with which you
viewandreactto situations are altered by what you do now.
Everychoice is crucial; two slightly different options may
leadto entirely divergent results.
Storytellingalso involves choice. In a world of adven-
tureand magick, a multitude of stories wait to be told, to
cometolifeand fill your senses. There are struggles for land,
passion,influence and treasure. There are mysteries to
solve,namesto clear or guilt to prove. And there are fights
-for freedom,for power, forrevenge, for sheer kicks. Each
storycan lead in a hundred directions, and each direction
canshape the characters just as the characters can shape
theirenvironment. So with so many stories and possibilities
tochoosefrom, which one is the right one?
There is no "right" or "wrong" story. Every idea, goal
anddestination can make a good tale and a good game if you
handleit well. The road's often more important than the
destination,anyway. All you really need to do is decide
whatkind of story you want to tell, and what suits the
players,and run with that idea.
Beforeyou can tell a story, you need an idea of where
thatstorybegins. The initial idea, the concept of the tale,
is the first breath you take. This book focuses on Dark-
Adventuretales; fortunately, a Mage game can spin off into
somepretty kick-ass adventures. Choose a cool "founda-
tion"foryour idea and that first breath is easy. To begin....
. Decide what kind of a story you want to tell (a rip-
roaringpulp tale, a gritty urban killfest, a noir tragedy, an
actioncomedy)
. Pick some powerful adversaries (demented wizards,
malevolent cultists, magical beasts, corrupt Sleepers, mis-
guided"good guys," creatures of the night)
. Decidewhat kinds of magick you want to highlight
(flashypowerplays, subtle enchantments, internal manipu-
lation,high-fantasy quests)
. Set the stakes - the higher, the better (love, honor,
anartifact,innocent lives, the future as we know it)
Fromthere, your stories will tell themselves.
ChapterOne:Tick.Tick,Tick
J

I
.
~ A~~;
~II
~!o~~'V~o:~~:~f!;

Person)i Quests
objective.Perhapsall of the players'charactershavet:~
same goal, but for different reasons. A former Man in Black
out,look might
to a theme that grabs your attention. Several story themes are
common to Dark Adventures and to magick itself.
r;-

seek out his one-time administrator for answers to his

existence. Meanwhile, the ex-MiB's Akashic ally seeks to
destroy the same enemy. The characters will clash one day
and they both know it. But that's for another time. For now,
they must find their mutual quarry.
These are usually intense stories, deeply rooted in the Although it may not be clear at first, the personal quest
,

-- desires and emotions of the characters - revenge tales,

atonements, love-quests, family obligations. Quests drive
heroes, taking them beyond the bounds of propriety and
is actually an investigation of a character's own identity.
Although he seeks something in the real world, his reasons
are his own. Fulfilling the quest is less a matter of accom-
moderation. Add magick and you get a tale of vision and plishing a goal as it is exploring personal identity and
determination - and of the power to make your desire coming to terms with the self. In a Dark-Adventure story,
come true on a sweeping scale. a hero may believe he seeks revenge for its own sake, but he
Imagine a young Akashic Brother's passionate ven- might actually seek to alleviate some tremendous guilt or to
geance against his mentor's killer. The more involved he correct a perceived failing. Such a tremendous personal
. becomes, the more deeply he feels hatred, loss and anger. flaw marks the hero as different from the traditional High-
The more desperate the mage grows, the more of hi mself he Adventure protagonist, and the hero's magick puts his
loses and the more extreme his will working becomes. Soon quest on an epic scale.
he'll pay any price and impose any reality to fulfill his goals.
Other personal quests involve the search for self-
Missions
identity, traveling the long road to knowledge and In Dark Adventure, things are always going wrong. In
acceptance; the honor-debt that must be settled, no matter Mage, even a single willworker can cause widespread de-
what the cost; or the reclamation of some item (magickal or struction. Someone has to prevent all this potential harm;
otherwise) that's important to someone the character loves. she might even have to sacrifice herself to avoid calamity.
Quest stories focus on specific characters, so events and That's where mages on missions come in.
other characters need to coincide with a protagonist's

1
'
18 TalesofMagick
1

~/:-~ ~
 II~ ~.~
Missionsusuallybegin as impersonal tasks; the charac-
spond or what their solution to the problem will be. You ~
tersaresentby someone else, probably to fulfill an agenda
otherthan the mages' own. Missions are rarely what they
seematthe beginning, though; an Otherworlds expedition
have to be up
they come fastwith.
on your feet, improvising
Damage-control around
stories whatever
are pretty
energy and very active. In many ways, they're a perfect
high- ~
~
thatbeginsas an inquiry into some strange attacks reveals contrast to the personal quest; there's no time to worry

I-
analliancebetween mysterious Bygones and members of about individual concerns - immense, pressing problems
thecharacters'own Chantry - the elders who requested demand attention.
themissionin the first place. Things go bad, of course, and
nowit's personal.Our heroes must complete the original Tr ainin~
missionwhilefinding out what the elders had in mind... Everybody has something to learn, and "training ses-
andsurvivingthe experience. sions"make great teachers. These stories differfrom missions
Whena character doeshave a personal agenda, it usually or damage control in that it's what you discover, not what
takesa backseat to the mission at hand. The sorcerer can't you accomplish, that proves most important. Yet training is
affordtothinkofherselfwhen there's a biggerpicture at stake. similar to the personal quest - it involves personal explo-
However,a cunning character finds ways to do her duty while ration and achievement. In tales of magick, the "training
remamingtrue to her own goals: A Progenitor who's assigned story" is a grand tradition; characters must learn their Arts
toanassaultamalgam while her romantic rival remains behind somewhere, after all, and proper learning demands more
withthe Progenitor's boyfriend might find satisfaction by than just a few long nights in study hall. Some mentors -
sendingone of her targets off on a wild-goose chase after the mystick and Technocrat alike - believe in providing their
rival.(Noone said Dark-Adventure heroes were nice folks - students with the basics, then forcing them to learn the rest
they'resimplypotent and determined.) through trial by fire. That trial provides the adventure;
Preparinga mission is easy. It can suit a variety of there's no telling what dangers or horrors that initiates
charactersaslong as they wield the magick required. Missions might face to prove their worth.
alsousuallyhave clear-cut goals and limitations, which makes The best training exercises appear to be something
plottingsimple.The story might take only two weeks of game else. Take the "red alert," for example: The safe house is
time;Chantry leaders may want the cabal's report before a attacked, the administrator disappears and it looks like a
crucialCouncil meeting. The pitfall of the mission is making pack of mad pagans have him. A trail of slender clues leads
thecharactersfeel like pawns sent on someone else's errand. to a rural farmhouse; when the characters bust down the
Theirassignmentshould be important - no one else can do doors, the "cultists" fall back and the administrator reap-
it- andin so doing, the characters find their own reasons for pears, assuring his operatives that all is well. Naturally, a
fulfillingthe objective at hand. really devious instructor might even make a test out of the
end of the test: Just when it looks like the adventure isover,
D(\ma~e Control some subtle clue hints that this "conclusion" is just one
In this variation on the "mission," the characters are more misdirection....
dispatchedto fix a situation that has spun out of control. Training stories are also ideal for bringing characters
Damagecontrol has its own problems, though. Missions are together. Adversity forms bonds that even the best instruc-
attemptsto prevent trouble; damage control begins after tion can't provide. Consider it a classfield trip with an edge:
the trouble has already started. Matters must be salvaged Students may wander from the group and suffer the conse-
beforethey get any worse: Malignant spirits have breached quences, or discover things they never knew were expected
theGauntlet and flooded into our world. Now a witch, a of them. (A good teacher hopes his students take personal
shamanand an Orphan are stuck trying to put them back initiative, for both the sake of their own education and as
wherethey belong. a reflection of his wise instruction.) Young mages who
Cleanup missions make for exciting, fast-paced stories prove themselves on dangerous tests prove themselves
-every delay allows the problem to grow larger, so decisive valuable for real assignments.
action is a necessity. Characters must be capable, com-
manding magicks strong enough to bring significant
Disaster
problemsunder control. Your average initiate can't stop Unlike mission stories, disasters just happen. Some-
that Umbrood horde - unless she's the only one who even thing important goes to hell, and no one with a shred of
knowsabout it.... compassion or intelligence can just stand by and let it
Creating a damage-control story requires two things: continue. Jodi Blake has formed a cult and her friends
Yaumust determine what happened before the story begins. decide that a nice big sacrifice would be just the thing to put
What went wrong? What problems arose as a result? How a smile on her face The characters must be close enough
are other sorcerers reacting to it? The story must also be to notice the disaster in progress, and (depending on your
flexible. You can't anticipate how the characters will re- players) might need some personal incentive - money,

ChapterOne:Tick.Tick,Tick
J

featme lmid headl""" about occult activiti" (many of

.:
which might be true!)j cops bust heads first and don't
bother asking questions at allj "questionable" religions like
Wicca become magnets for "unofficial" persecution (letter
bombs, picket lines, local laws enforced against "Satan
cultists"); citizens' groups become vigilante mobs while the
cops look the other way. Yet the man behind the chaos isn't
eee-vill, and his ends justify his means, at least in his mind.
But that doesn't keep him from being a thorn - possiblya
fatal thorn - in the heroes' sides.
Twists run in the opposite direction, too. A valued ally
might turn out to be the enemy after all. An "innocent"
Unlikely Allies could be guilty as sin. The MiB's administrator is actually
The theme of two (or more) characters who hate each one of Jodi Blake's lovers and he fed the location of the
other's guts but are forced to work together is really a twist agent and his allies to the angry mayor. The mayor's
given to other story types. Take our collection of misfits in the violated daughter was never actually violated at all, but
disaster scenario, above. There isn't much hope they'll ever be staged the whole thing to get rid of the W iccan church that
friends, but the success of their efforts depends on their would have opposed Jodi's plans You get the idea. A
cooperation. If the MiB feels compelled to bust the witch, who really twisted tale might feature several reversals: Both the
despises the Progenitor's "abomination of life," Jodi Blake's options above are true, and the mayor winds up becoming
demonic masters receive a nice big banquet of souls. In an an ally of the heroes... at least until the fight is over.
"unlikely allies" story, the mission is secondary to the coopera- Naturally, it's easy to overdo this sort of thing. Twist
tion... even if the characters never see it that way. the plot in too many directions and it falls apart. Playerslike
These stories can provide the starkest dramas and to be surprised, but an unending stream of paranoia is too
funniest comic episodes - sometimes at once. Crises tend much for even the darkest Mage chronicle to endure. If
to breed intense personal bonds, such as close friendships things seem too pat, freshen up the plot with a twist or two.
and romantic attractions. Nurture those bonds with inter- Morality is never cut-and-dried in the World of Darkness,
ludes between the characters in which they depend on or and few things are as simple as they seem.
confide in each other. Then watch the "allies" theme take
precedent over the "disaster" one.
Intense bonds often manifest as forbidden romance.
TC'tking it to NeC'trt
"[ won't go!" Absinthe twisted free of the men at her side,
After all, mages are only human. Now imagine the possible
darting between them before they could close in on her again. She
complications if the MiB starts falling for the witch - and
was halfway to the door when her feet left the ground and dangled
she returns the feelings. The initial flirtations might be in mid-air.
hilarious, especially if both characters refuse to acknowl-
"Put me down, dammit!" She twisted to glare backward,
edge their attraction; sooner or later, though, they have to
where Flax waited patiently. The pale sorcerer smiled and
deal with the long-term consequences of their affair. Being
Absinthe fell to the cold stone floor.
lovers in a dangerous time can be wrenching, amusing and
frustrating all at once. Add the normal complications of a "[ don't know why you're fighting this," Flax commented,
friendship or romance between unlikely allies to an already glidingforward to offer a hand up. "You know it's necessary. We
perilous situation and you have a truly epic - and poten- need your help to do it. "
tially tragic - Dark Adventure. "F uck off!" Absinthe refused the aid and clambered up on
her own. "You may think it's important, but [ don't. This fight
The Twist has nothing to do with me. [ don't want any part of it!" She
Adventure tales rely on a strong enemy; the bigger and turned again and stormed to the door.
badder the foe, the more dramatic the story. However, in Once more, she was stopped. Butnot by magick. By words:
Mage, as in life, "good" and "evil" are abstract concepts. "What about your father?"
The twist comes in when the obvious morality of the story "Why should I get involved?" That's one of the most
gets turned around: An "evil" mayor might be cracking common questions characters ask when confronted with a
down on the "Satanists" in his district by any means new threat, a new challenge. "Why should I risk my neck for

~J=--'-..
necessary, but he does it to protect his constituents or to

-
this?" After all, powerful magick screams through the ether.
avenge his daughter who was raped by cultists. Our mayor Other realities spawn demons and alien monstrosities.
becomes a ruthless foe to any mage in his vicinity, and Then there are this world's tyrannical empires, maniacal
there's no denying that his tactics are brutal. Newspapers would-be dictators and ruthless politicians and business-

20 TalesofMagick
 II~
men, Anyone 01 th..., enemie, could kill a lone mage. So
why should she feel compelled to step into their parlor?
Dark Adventures are built on earthshaking threats.
Unless some hero puts her life on the line, uncountable
people, innocent and guilty alike, will suffer. But to con-
. ~
~

I-
front the problem, a hero has to suffer. And to be honest,
very few people, fictional or otherwise, like to suffer if they
don't have to. So what's to make the mage put her own
welfare aside and enter the fray?
Personal stakes.
Unless the hero acts, someone or something she cares
about will pay the price. Family members could be in
danger, old friends might ask for help, her home might be
endangered, her livelihood might be whisked away. The
stakes could be more abstract - a violation of faith, an
insult to honor, a pieceof an importantpuzzle- but they
must be important enough to drive her into danger.
Superheroes jump into the fire for abstract ideals of
right and wrong. Dark-Adventure protagonists often need
more personal motives. But once you addressa mage's thirst
for power, revenge, lust or satisfaction, he may accept epic
challenges and fight impossible odds. The trappings of
High-Adventure storytelling await the Dark-Adventure
hero. They must simply meet his demands before he braves
those dangers. Give the players what they need and want
and they'll help tell the titanic story you lay before them.
Personal stakes might include (but aren't limited to):
. A loved one (or potential loved one) is in danger
. A character the mage values is involved; if the
sorcerer throws in with him, she could get to know him
better
M
. The honor or reputation of the character's Chantry/
.
Construct! T radition/ Convention/ family could be ruined
The mage'sreligion might be persecuted, besmirched

..
or desecrated
Something the mage values has been stolen
There's a chance to make some rival of the mage look
bad... or look dead
. If the mage acts she might make a healthy profit
(money, magick, status)
. The authorities (cops, Church, Tradition) have
gotten out of hand and must be opposed
. The mage sufferssome insult or injury and the time
has come for payback
Whatever "hook" you choose, make sure it's baited
well. The more imponant it is to your hero(es), the more
dynamic the story is.

Places, Please
"Lisa, your character Andrea walks into th bar, squinting
in th dim lightand grimacing at the stench of stale beer and cigar
smoke. . . . "

Chapter One: Tick. Tick,Tick

 ~II
"] wouldn't go in there."
"What do you mean?"
"Andrea's rich and well-bred. She wouldn't be caught dead
in some sleazy bar. And she hates cigars, so even if she did go in,
she'd turn around and leave the minute she smelled the smoke."
"Right. Okay, okay... Bob, Greg, your characters sit in a

- comer, discussing the odd behavior of both of your elders, when

you see a tall, beautiful woman with delicate features and
expensive clothing. She comes into the bar, squints, looks
around, wrinkles her nose in distaste and walks out again. What
do you do?"
"] order another beer."
"] flirt with the waitress."
"Great. "
Well, that didn't work, did it? One of the first tricks of
a Dan- AdventuTI:: :\tOt)'1:1btinging the <:har'3.~ter'O
together.
You may have an awesome plot planned, with irresistible A Common Enemy
motivation, desperate action and intrigue galore. It might
The obvious choice: Someone has pissed off every hero
be the very stuff oflegends - the characters and players will
in the group and they unite to kick his evil ass. The mayor
love it - if they'd just see eye to eye. Each character has
described previously has declared open season on anything
attitudes, personality and a background. These details and
that even remotely smacks of the occult, and all the mages
lifestyles can prevent heroes from having anything in
suffer for it. Individually, they might not get along - hell,
common, making it difficult to explain how they meet, let
they might not even want to be in the same room together!
alone why they work together.
- but they have a collective foe. To defeat him, they have
In Dark Adventure, assembling the group is para- to put aside their differences for a while.
mount. Everything's on an epic scale and a solitary hero

Tales of Magick

~
 II~

CommonOri~ins take down the Nephandic badass in charge of the invasion,

Ai,the Storyteller, you can insist that all the characters you might have to bring in "ringers" to defeat the enemy for
them. How un-heroic. Second, the pace has to be rapid.
belongto the same organization. There's still be plenty of
The heroes can't lag behind for a moment or they're
contention- even people within a single Tradition are
overwhelmed. If they clash, even momentarily, they might
with their own agendas - but the characters have
individuals
certaincommon ties and methods. Even a cabal of Orphans lose everything. If you hesitate, they might feel that other
sharescertain notions, namely that survival and indepen- things are more important. You have to keep the stakes high
and obvious while providing them with incentives to keep
denceareparamount (see The Orphans Survival Guide).
going, even though they might die.
Thedownside of single-group origins is that there's less
Who knows? If these disparate mages can cooperate
varietyamongthe characters; heroes who all share the same
basicbeliefscan take some of the diversity out of the game. and build f>ttOnget oondf>, the'f might even f>ta'ftogether
after the threat has passed. What role models the characters
Youmight account for this "threat" by playing up differ-
would be to their associates... and what new adventures
encesbetween factions within the group itself - say, by
might arise from "breaking the rules" (think Romeo and
puttingmages from the Hermetic Houses of Fortunae,
Tytalusand Thig in the same group. That way, the internal Juliet with magick tossed in).
rivalrieswithin that organization keep things interesting. Sole Survivors
Insurmountc.ble Odds What if someone or something is killing all the mages
Epic threats demand epic efforts. A problem large in the city? Those who remain are likely to team up, even
enoughto threaten every Tradition - the Nephandi wag- if only to protect themselves. The "sale survivors" approach
inga full-scale attack on Horizon or Chicago - unifies is a variant on the "common-enemy" motif: The characters
heroes.Overwhelming menaces are extremely melodra- are the only ones to live through a major catastrophe and
matic,the very stuff of Dark Adventure. When and if your they band together for protection. Maybe they want re-
heroescome through, they have accomplished something venge... or perhaps someone's trying to finish the job.
reallyimportant. It could change their lives in a big way. The difficulty here is the catastrophe. It has to be
Two problems: First, the threat might be too big for severe enough to disrupt the normal order, but survivable
yourcharacters to handle. If they're not strong enough to
ChapterOne:Tick.Tick,Tick
 .
~
~
~
~II
enough to leave stragglers. If the characters were at ground

zero, they should be dead, too. Perhaps they were each

called or sent away - some force conspired to keep them
from returning to the site in time to help... and to die.
The sole survivors must be cut off from everyone else or
have a good reason to not trust anyone else. If the mages just
sit around and wait for the Council Masters to rescue them,
mcluding a fotbldden 'pell which open.<a gate tn the Ab"~..fII
The sister bears some mark of destiny and would make an
excellent sacrifice to the demon Jadrax. Nobody's going to
want this sacrifice to happen.
The characters may not know each other before their
paths cross, but once they meet and learn that their interests
coincide, they may welcome an information exchange. They
the disaster's urgency fades. If, on the other hand, the clock may even work together toward a common goal, assuming
is still ticking after Doomsday and 911 doesn't answer, your their personal differences aren't severe enough to divide them.
- heroeshaveto relyon theirownskillsandcooperation. Each character wants something slightly different, of course,
- Youalsowanttoleavesomethingbehindonwhichthe but since defeating the Order of] adrax forms a common bond,
heroes can build. If the entire landscape is an irradiated the task should be enough to hold them together.
wasteland, why bother fighting? There's no drama in futil-
ity. Somethingmust remain - a troop of refugees, a pack of
children, a Bygone who has returned to its old home, maybe
B(\itin~ the Nook
Bringing the characters together and getting them
even something as simple as the last flower in the forest. started on their Dark Adventure can be tricky. You want to
The characters' world may have been turned upside-down,
get their attention, but you don't want to overdo it. If you're
but if they can get enough people to remember how things too obvious, the players might do exactly the opposite of .
used to be....
what you had in mind.
The bait on the hook should be tantalizing. Use too
The Seven De~rees or little and no one will care:
Sep(}r(}tion "Deena, you see a man running down the street."
If the theory is true and everyone in the world is "Is there anything unusual about him?"
connected to everyone else by seven degrees, surely all
"Well, he's dressed pretty normally. He isn't doing any-
Tradition mages (or all Orphans or Technocrats) are con-
thing odd, other than running."
nected far more closely. The Awakening cuts them from
"Is he carrying a gun?"
the samefundamentalcloth. All magesareone in spirit-
regardless of whether or not they would admit it. "No, he seems to be unarmed. As you watch, he dllrts
around a corner and out of sight. "
Even if individual characters refuse to acknowledge
their ties to fellow magi, magickal circles ultimately over- "I let him go-if he's a crook the cops'll catch him. Maybe
lap. Characters inevitably have mentors, allies, friends or he's just a jogger. "
peers who share ties to other mages. Willworkers' social Use too much bait and the players will suspect a trap:
strata are simply too narrow to allow a mage to be com- "Deena, you see a man racing down the street. He's dressed
pletely isolated, no matter how alienated she might feel. in tong flowing robes and carrying a gnarled staff."
You can use these connections to unite characters: "What? No way!"
They come from the same city, were trained separately by "In fact , as you look more closely, you realize hisfeet aren't
the same mentor before she disappeared, or are put to a touching the ground - he's floating about a foot above the
collective test at a Council meeting. After establishing this pavement! What do you do?"
bond, confront the individuals with a situation that's too "I get the hell away from there!"
big for them to handle alone. When faced with daunting "What? But he's obviously a mage-"
odds, any mages with half a brain between them should turn
"Yeah, and a strong one. Anything that can make him 'run'
to each other sooner or later. Once the group is together,
like that is going to make mincemeat out of me. No thanks!"
the players can handle things from there.
Use confusing bait and the players won't recognizeor
understand it:
Crossin~ Thre(}ds
'" Beware the thin man,' the woman whispers as shegliiks
Another way to bring characters together is to arrange
for them to cross paths... coincidentally. Get each charac- past you. 'Tread lightly on the silver path.'"
ter started toward a different objective or goal - one "Huh? 'What do you mean? Who are you?'"
searches for her missing sister, another researches ancient "She's gone without a sound. You see a faint after-image,
Hermetic spells, a third tails an Infernalist, a forth bears a as if she were a shadow on a screen. The night air is chilland
grudge against the Order of] adrax. Then let those elements damp, and you shiver in sudden dread. What do you do?"
coincide: It turns out that the sister was kidnapped by the "I'm going home. I have no idea what she's talkingabout,"
Infernalist; he has stolen a tome of ancient Hermetic lore,

i 24 TalesofMagick

~/:-~ ~
 When luring characters into a story, consider the
natureofthe characters and the interests of the players. Do
theywantpower or are they more interested in pure knowl-
edge?Dothey love mysteries? Are they hunting someone or

I-
somethingin particular? Do they have a weakness for a
particularkind of challenge or vice? Make your hook
appealingto both the players and their characters. Offer
justenoughto tantalize, to suggest that there's more to be
had,ifonly they go along with the game.
If coaxing the characters with a carrot isn't enough,
youcanalwaysbeat 'em with the stick. Elder magi tend to
appreciateobedience and get testy if their apprentices
screwaround; cops have a way of showing up with arrest
warrants;a rampaging ghost can decide that the witch's
girlfriendmakes a good "host body." Make it obvious that
theheroescan't step away from their obligations. Fear of
punishmentcan prompt action more quickly than can
promises of reward.
In the end, your bait should be enough to get the story
rolling.It may not initially appear to be the grist for an epic
tale,but your lure should be enough to capture the charac-
ters'and players' interest. Once you have their attention,
youcan pit them against Technocrat machinations or
Marauderhordes to your heart's content. After all, that's
thestuffDark Adventures are made of.

Settin~s
So you know the story you want to tell, the hooks you
wantto use and the ties that will bring the characters
together.But where are the heroes and where must they go?
A good setting can make even the most mundane scrap
seemcool. Take a fistfight; not too dramatic, is it? Now set
it ina posh French museum; in a jet plane's cargo hold; on
thetop of a double-decker bus. See? The setting shifts the
dynamicsof the fight. Even though the systems, die rolls
and kitchen table haven't changed, you've shifted your
troupe'simagination to some other more exotic place.
What sorts of settings befit a Dark Adventure? Well. . ..

Forei~n Lands
LikeaJames Bond adventure, the plot takes our heroes to
someexotic locale - Egypt, Mexico, Siberia, Niagara Falls.
Familiarlandmarks become backdrops (or props) forfirefights,
aerialbattles, tense rescues or romantic encounters. For some
strangereason, a chase through the Roman catacombs seems
muchmore exciting than the same chase through the streets
ofyourtown. A new and remote location raises the stakes. . .
especiallyif the mages are on hostile ground (Baghdad, the
White House lawn); stuck in an unfamiliar country (Tibet,
Peru);saving innocent lives (in the London Underground or
the Hong Kong markets); or exploring wondrous mysteries
(the Great Barrier Reef, Pueblo ruins). If nothing else, no
visitorwants to piss off the locals!

Chapter One: Tick. Tick,Tick

.
~
~ Exotic
familiarity,
~II
locatio",
bullshitting
you have pictures,
u,"illy

bringskill
demand
or ato
copies
a cettain
combination of the
the table and
amount
two.
evoke
place with a combination of description and "local color"
(tourists and guards around the White House... just watch
theIf
of

I-
out for the interns.) Remember: Getting there is often half
the fun, and getting out is twice as hard as getting in.
Alien Environments
Oh,sure you can outfight that Nephandic cabal in the
open air, but how good are you at fighting underwater?
When a key scene in the adventure takes place in the Void,
beneath the waves, on the polar icecaps or in a lightless
cavern complex, the whole story goes to another level. In
the movies, most good adventures set at least one scene in
an area where humans don't often go - the Cliffs of
Insanity, the Death Star trench, the hold of a sunken ship.
The stakes go up dramatically when the heroes (and often
the villains) have to contend with a hostile environment as
well as each other, especially if the environment demands
special equipment or magicks from its visitors. More often
than not, that setting also p1:ovidesa good demise - 01:
escape route - for characters who've reached, shall we say,
a stopping point in their adventures. That volcanic
hellmouth makes a great bad-guy killer. After all, nobody
could survive that, right?
For preparation, decide on a cool setting, figure out what
the characters need to survive there (both in terms of gear and
magick), and decide on a good reason to bring your plot to
those strange shores. Secret bases, Doomsday projects and
hidden Nodes make excellent reasons to brave such sites, and
provide the heroes with something to do when they get there.

Otherworlds
Mages aren't limited to this side of the Gauntlet, and it
doesn't take James Cameron to envision an epic adventure set
in the corridors of Doissetep, on the flaming cliffs of the Fire
Realm, in the jungles of Vali Shallar or on the decks of a Qui.
la Machinre.If the heroes are shamans, Void Engineers or Sons
of Ether, so much the better - all those groups have long
histories of travel among the Otherworlds. Perhaps a "routine"
trip to a familiar Realm goes awry and the characters wind up
somewhere else; maybe the villain has retreated to his patron's
spirit dwelling; there might be a fellow mage trapped in a
mindscape, Infernal cell or Paradox Realm; and let's not forget
the prize that awaits somewhere in the Hollow Earth... a prize
several parties would kill to collect.
If you want to breach the Gauntlet, there's a wealth of
source material waiting for you. The Book of Chantries,
Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Wodds and Digital Web
2.0 offer dozens of Realms and byways, and anyone of them
could make a grand setting for adventures. Technocracy:
Void Engineers and the Dreamspeakers and Sons of Ether
Tradition books provide details about the magi who plumb the

Tales of Magick
 II~
~~
-

depths of the Otherworlds. An other Time Periods

arrayofother supplements - Umbra: The Velvet
Shadowand Book of the Wynn for Werewolf, and Sea of
Shadows,Dark Kingdom of Jade and the Players Guide for
Wraith- offera host of other possibilities. Just find a spot you
wantto explore, figure out a reason for your mages to venture
there,and go.

Dangerous Situ()tions
No action is simple when it's performed on top of a
speedingbus. By adding a novel, hazardous setting to an
otherwisemundane task, you up the drama factor exponen-
tially.Even a chess game can become suspenseful when it's
playedwith razor-edged pieces or when the stakes for losing
includemutilation or death. Maybe your next gun battle takes
placein a glass factory; the bad guy hides in a condemned
building;that biker bar doesn't take kindly to a bunch of
strangersmessing with the regulars; or isn't it just like a
Nephandus to ambush you as you flee a magickally conjured
hurricane?
Preparation is simple: Just imagine some really cool,
dangerous circumstances for a straightforward scene, and
figureout what kinds of effects that situation might have on the
characters. See the climaxes of Police Story (a shopping-mall
fight), Terminator II: Judgment Day (a chase ending in a
foundry),The Seventh Sign (a chess game with Death played for
innocent souls), and many other films for inspiration.
 ~II
LetMe Tell You \Story
"You awaken to the sound of dripping wa~ You step into the silo, your footsteps ringing off the grated
metal walkway. Your teeth chatter from the cold, your moist

I-
ter. The throbbing in your head recedes only
slightly. Your eyes grow accustomed to the gloom; breath steaming out before you. A deep rhythm pounds inside
soon, you can make out the shape of a room your head, forcing you to shake all the more. The vastness of the
around you. It feels long and low, with walls silo makes you feel insignificant by comparison; if you fell, would
uninterrupted by windows. The wall at your anyone hear you scream?
back is surprisingly warm and slightly soft. Oh, Suddenly the scene impacts on all of the character's
and your hands are raised above your head." faculties. He belongs to a multifaceted world in which
"What! Why are my hands uP?" dangers threaten from a myriad of sources, not simply from
what he sees and hears.
"Well, the heavy manacles bolted to the wall probably have
something to do with it, seeing as how they're fastened around Flaws Are Fun
your wrists. The wall is getting warmer, too. It actually seems
to be pressing up against you." No one wants to playa hero who never makes mistakes,
"Damn! I look around more closely." and no one wants to oppose a villain who always wins. Why?
It's boring. How many flawless victories can you score
"Your vision clears and you realize you're not alone. "
before life loses its challenge? To quote the morose General
"What!"
Zod of Superman 2; "I win... I always win."
"Four other bodies are chained in the same fashion. The
Vulnerabilities help make characters fully realized. The
wall behind each seems slightly brighter than the rest of the cell...
Nephandus with the perpetually runny nose and the odd
almost glowing. The walls are pressing in around each person.
penchant for fake roses ismore interesting than the Nephandus
You can feel yours around you, too, like a cushion more than a
with the perfect features and polished manners. The first one's
wall- and you're sinking into it."
kinda neat, while the second seems plastic. However, the
"Hey! Anyone awake?"
familiarity of the vulnerable Nephandus makes him no less
"I am now. Bloody hell!" terrifying. In fact, he's more terrifying when he's sympathetic
"I think these walls are alive! And they're trying to eat us! " on one hand and can thoughtlessly kill thousands on the other.
Once you establish the premise and foundation of your Now imagine a Dark-Adventure hero who's naive-a
Dark Adventure, concentrate on the telling itself. Myster~ mage who tends to put his best cards on the table even with
ies, machinations and master plans are only interesting if strangers. He's human, not subhuman or superhuman, and
they're presented in compelling ways. we therefore care what happens to him (which, if he keeps
So how does one tell a good story? Each Storyteller has giving away secrets, will be something very unpleasant).
a different answer, and there's no single correct one. It's Character flaws make stories compelling in the same ways
really a matter of which tools and techniques work best for that using all the senses does. Subtleties and little details make
you. Use what you know and add to your repertoire when- events and people real as opposed to absurd or stale. High-
ever you can. You're never too old to learn a few new tricks. Adventure figures who are perfect and two-dimensional are
prone to ridiculous deeds and boring identities. Dark-Adven-
Use All the Senses ture characters should be anything but dull.
T en-by-ten rooms are boring. The game world should Subtlety is the key to flaws. Vulnerabilities should
seem real to you and the players. That means it has more than never be all-consuming. X344 can't hijack an Ethership if
one dimension, more than one means by which it can be he's afraid of flying, and Jodi Blake can't scale Concordia's
perceived. Movies tell stories based on two senses: sight and spires if she has a broken leg. However, something as trivial
sound. But there's also touch, taste and smell. Use them all. as an allergy can be devastating when the character needs
For example, you could describe a scene as a movie to concentrate. Ever tried to summon Hell's legions when
would portray it: you have a runny nose?
You step into the silo. The floor is metal grating. The walls Flaws also give your heroes (and possibly villains) some-
are baresteel, castingadistortedreflectionofyourimage. Smoke thing to overcome, while offering opportunities to their rivak
wisps up from the depths beneath you. You put your diZzYing If Atropos knows about X344's acrophobia, she can use his
height out of mind at the sight of the missile looming before you vertigo to her advantage; if the cyborg has to get the Ethership
like a monstrous deity waiting to be worshiPped. away from an Umbrood stowaway, his fear adds another level
Your players can see the scene, but the impact of the of difficulty to his struggle... and more glory to his triumph. We
moment can be portrayed more vividly when all senses are are at our best when we can overcome our personal flaws,and
brought to bear. epic adventures are full of such challenges.

Tales of Magick
-
 loosen Your Grip
The Storyteller establishes
theeventsthat perpetuate
the whole troupe -
the premise of the story and
it. However, roleplaying
no one player should have an iron
involves
grip on
"Dammit,
badguy!"
yau i"'t don't
II~
want"", kilUngoff you, /n"'"""

A loose grip on the story allows the heroes to affect

events. That's what heroes do. If you're just making them go
.~
~

I-
through the motions while you move from one set-piece to
theoutcome,not even you. Allow your players room to move.
the next, your co-collaborators are going to be pissed.
Lettheircharacters explore their options. If those options are
deadends,the characters accomplish little or nothing. Noone Steer the story, don't control it, You can adapt to changes,
wantsto sit around a table for five hours being frustrated. suggestions and requests while still retaining some measure of
influence over the story. Maybe the character above doescatch and
"['mgoingafter him!"
kill the bad guy, but the body disappears from the morgue. The
"Are you sure? The cops will show up any second."
villain's family may seek revenge, Or perhaps the villain had a
"[ can catch him! I know I can!"
mysterious partner whom the characters knew nothing about.
"You run after him flat-out, but you don't seem to be Remember, it's not just your game. The players are creating the
gaining
on him. In fact, he's pulling away." story, too, If you work their contributions into yourfuunework, the
"What? I summon more energy to make myself faster." chronicle is a lot more enjoyable for everyone.
"He's still getting further ahead."
"No way! I throw my sword at him! [rolls] A direct hit!"
'lust as you throw it, someone dumps a bucket of soapy water
It Be~ins
Obviously,getting aMage Dark-Adventure story up and
froman upstairs window. Your sword hits the water and gets
running demandsa lot of work andcreativiry, not just from the
knocked aside, "
Storyteller, but from the playersaswell. A storyisonly asgood
"Shit! I just tackle him, then!" as its opening lines - who wants to wait around for the
"Oops, he's darted around a corner." conclusion if the introduction sucks? Hopefully these tips help
"[rush after him!" you begin an adventurousyam about magick, heroes and the
"When you round the corner, he's nowhere in sight. You've w 0 rid s ~ they inhabit. They'd better, because the story is
losthim!" just ,I beginning....

Chapter One: Tick. Tick,Tick

 -
. .
'
' . .
' ,
" ..
,.'
.
 I---

Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone

puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.
- Malcolm X, Malcolm X Speaks

Mark nudged the steel door to the guard Mark gaped. "00 what?" By the time the astonished words
room open with his foot, his arms filled with jelly were out of his mouth, Simms was already out the door, racing
doughnuts, cookies and one Or. Pepper. "Here's through the power station.
". your soda-" Before he finished his sentence, he The ground seemed unusually rough outside the building's
spotted the monitor trained on the power-line emergency exit. The chain-link fence was just ahead; the gate
area. "Jesus Christ! What the hell is that?" looked unlocked. Simms fumbled with the catch, nearly dropPing
Simms jumped out of his rolling chair and the rod, and then was through. The station usually hummed
stared at the monitor. A young woman griPped contentedly, sending electricity out to homes all over the valley.
~ one of the "towers of power," as the security Now it was popping and zaPPingfrenziedly. The woman must
guardscalledthem, her head flung back and her body rigid as still be hanging on, thought Simms - the power's probably still
thousandsof volts of electricity jolted through her. "Oh my grounding through her.
God..,she'sgoing to die! What the hell is she doing?" Neither But there was no body. No one was at the base of the tower
guard couldmove, their eyes fixed on the image of the suicide. as he had seen on the monitor. He spun around, looking wildly
Thehalogenlights illuminating the lines didn't compare to for the woman - she ought to be dead, dammit! He spotted her
thecrackling
glow of energy around the woman. Her long curly in the far corner of the line area, draped over thefence. Thinking
hairstoodstraightout from her head. Sparks leapt back and forth she must have fallen or been thrown, he began to move toward
between themetal eyelets of her sneakers and the power tree she her, plastic rod extended to nudge her off the metal links.
heldsotightly.The grainy picture, pathetically low-resolution, She slowly stood up and turned to face him. Simms' jaw
somehoi Pickedup the expression on her face, a grimace locked dropped.
somewhere between pain and ecstasy. "No fucking way "
The woman's expression did it for Simms. Grabbing the
p!asric
rodused to clear debris from under the power trees, he
pushedpasthis co-worker. "Call 911! 1'm going to help her!"
Chapter T wo:You Hear Something?
 ~II
The Epic Chronicle
The gloves are off. The blood has been Increz.sin~ the Stz.kes
spilled, You've done a wild one-shot and your Another way to keep a Dark-Adventure chronicle

I-
players are happy. The quest for Ascension turning is to up the stakes. The characters get where they're
has spun across the cliffs of Dark Adventure going, do what they want to do. However, their success
and now you're pulling to a stop. leads to something else, something bigger than the heroes
Now what? first imagined. The murderer may be in prison, but the
Getting a game started is one thing. characters learn that he received instructions from some,

I
:
one else and that person is still on the loose. What's more,
(&!\\: Keeping it moving is entirely different. Let's
,',",",' faceit, we'rethe MTVgeneration,We have the murders have not only continued but become worse.
short attention spans. We want things to move and we want Maybe things started with single kills and now someone's
them to move fast. If they don't, we wait only a second or moved on to mass murders. The characters solved the
two before we click through to something more interesting. original problem, but there's a much, much bigger fish out
How do you keep your players interested in a Dark- there and he's a hell of a lot more slippery than the original.
Adventure story or chronicle over the course of several And he has sharper teeth, too.
weeks or months? Even Realm-shattering tales get real old, PeThaps no one knows about the mastetm\1\d - ()!
real fast if characters always succeed. Unless things keep believes the characters that he exists. Then, before the
moving, change pace and stay challenging, players get mages can get any confirmation from the killer or even tell
bored. anyone what they know, the guy hangs himself in his cell.
Who knew prison pants could be knotted up like that? For
New Chz.llen~es that matter, how can anyone hang himself from a padded
One way to maintain interest in an ongoing epic wall? There's some seriously bad mojo going on, and the
chronicle is to introduce new obstacles from time to time. only ones who know anything about it - the only ones
Wait until matters seem fairly clear - events appear to be even semi-equipped to deal with it in the first place, and
resolved and coming to a close - and then throw a wrench certainly the only ones to believe such a crazy story-are
into the works. You could, for example, pit the characters the characters.
against the members of a barabbi cabal one by one. The The killer's patron might not even be human; the
betrayers don't die easy, but the heroes show real imagina- protagonists must go beyond the mortal realm to deal with
tion and strategy in all their fights. So it's down to the an enemy greater than any they've ever faced. What chance
characters and the last living target - the leader. The can mere mortals have against a force from beyond? Letthe
characters burst through the door, ready for the final face- special effects begin.
down. Awaiting them is not the single oathbreaker they
expected but a whole roomful of goons with SMGs, HIT Whz.t's R.ez.lly Goin~ on tlere?
Marks and one hulking monstrosity they've never seen Players and characters both like to feel that they make
before. Shit! Where did all this come from? a difference, like they're actually going out and saving
Obviously, the new obstacle or twist should coincide something or keeping a specific person safe. Dramatic roles,
with what's come before. It helps if you've planned things capable characters - such things make a game worth
from the start, but it isn't necessary (that's what freewheel- playing. However, occasionally reminding characters and
ing storytelling is all about), Ideally, you want players to be players that there are greater powers and plots out there
satisfied by achieving the goal they set, but there's often just than themselves has great dramatic impact. Even though
one more problem to be addressed if the characters want to they have the power to shape reality at will, the characters
get to the bottom of things once and for all. aren't always as pivotal as they might like to believe.
The key to further leads and plot twists is to give the Revealing some of these higher powers and plotsisa
characters a breather; a chance to pat themselves on the back variant of upping the stakes. The stakes haven't changed,
for saving lives, dispatching an obvious opponent, stopping a but the characters are now privy to a few more of the
plot or fulfilling personal goals. But there's simply more work elements affecting them. It's like a jigsaw puzzle in the
to be done and only the heroes can do it. Perhaps they capture wrong box: You think you know what the picture issup-
a murderer and start packing for that beach vacation they've posed to be, but something alien takes shapes when the
been talking about, when another person iskilled the same way pieces come together. The characters still fight for Ascen-
a few days later. A cult of killers? Who better to go after the sion, a loved one's life (or their own!) or the continued
entire group than the people who took down the first one? existence of a Horizon Realm, but now there's a newplayer.
Unpack your stuff, guys.
I
 II~

I-
:

There'sa new unexpected force acting on the group, Serendipity

influencingits actions and trying to direct the outcome. An ages-old adage states that "if it looks too good to be
Try this: An international corporation tears up an true, it probably is." In other words, when things come too
ancientforest to build a skyscraper. The characters are easily, there's usually a reason or a price attached. Fortu-
toldto stop or at least delay construction - but the nately, that danger doesn't stop many people from taking
developmentis actually a cover for an excavation; some- advantage of a situation and dealing with the consequences
later.
oneplans to retrieve a precious artifact from the site.
Whilethe characters wreak havoc like they've been told, Serendipity is extremely useful for perpetuating a Dark-
asecondgroup from their own Chantry is sent to steal the Adventure story or chronicle, because it offers apparent
prizeforits own purposes. What does the Chantry plan to solutions that keep events moving - solutions that must be
dowith the item, why would it be willing to sacrifice one accounted for in future plots. Say the heroes are Tradition
of its own cabals to obtain the r~ic, and is there yet mysticks who have been captured by the Nephandi and are
anothershadowy puppeteer lurking behind the Chantry's all imprisoned in the same dungeon celL This introduction
goals?These kinds of questions can be raised with a single brings them together and gives them a common cause, but
storythread. When you reveal a bit more of the actual it doesn't get things rolling.
situationto the characters, a fresh, complicated, active But wait - what's this? The cell door is open! At this
plotline springs into being. point players or characters might actually stop and say,
Revealing glimpses of greater powers and true goings- "That's too easy. Something's wrong." However, they would
oncan make characters realize just how high the stakes probably say it while they're diving through the open door.
are.Such insights increase tension and add impetus to the Players might even realize that they're being manipulated,
storyand excitement to the plot. The mages aren't neces- but sometimes there just wouldn't be a story if they didn't
sarilythe movers and shakers they believed they were- bite the carrot at the end of the stick. After all, the
thereare other forces at work - but knowledge of such characters can figure out what's going on just as easily from
powersonly motivates the characters to face the odds and outside the cell as they can from inside.
to understand their place in Creation. Perhaps the characters figure out that the Fallen Ones
let them escape. Maybe some Tradition (perhaps even a
Convention!) infiltrated the labyrinth and freed the char-

Chapter Two:You Hear Something? 33

 .
~
~
~
acte"
~II
f", rome ,eawn - <0 eate a dive,,'on
other event or to observe the characters' ingenuity. Impris-
onment may even have been a ploy to introduce a spy
among the characters.
f", rome

I-
Serendipity is completely innocuous in High-Adven-
ture stories. Doors happen to be open, guns are left nearby,
vi:ra\ c\u~ ht: around. \n High Aavt:11ture5, tht:re'~ no
reason to suspect such coincidences; they just make it easier
to stomp the bad guy. In Dark Adventures, each convenient
coincidence comes back to haunt the characters. The gun
happened to be sitting there because the villain left it so -
that the cops would find it with your fingerprints on it. You
find a clue because it was planted to lead you into a trap.
There's always a price to pay. The problem is, you never
know what that price is until it's too late. Even the most
cautious character, who accepts nothing at face value and
who picks up convenient handguns only if she has a hand-
kerchief, can be taken in by clever uses of serendipity.
This isn't something to use every time events in your
story slow down or the players hit a wall. Let them discover
their own ways out of situations before you lay the answers
at their feet. However, it's still fun to insert a few unex-
pected and unexplained events now and then, just to keep
characters on their toes. They can take advantage of an
opportunity now, but when -
and,how - will fate collect
its due?
Also consider that serendipity can work against heroes
but still perpetuate your story. Say someone calls the police
for their own reasons, and the Law happens to arrive just as
the characters get the lockpick stuck in the library door.
The story certainly takes a new, unexpected turn. Or what
if the characters are about to be crushed by a Technocracy
construct when the cops show up to answer a "noise com-
plaint" - who's going to argue? That is, at least until the
mages' mysterious benefactor turns up and expects some-
thing for his troubles. That's when characters learn to love
and hate coincidence and players learn to appreciate the
charm it brings to storytelling.

Nold the Cheese!

"You burst into the room and there, silhouetted against the
window, is your old enemy the evil Dr. Kilroy. He turns as you
rush in and stands triumphantly, hands on hips. "
"'Hah! Gregor Montgomery, here to save the day! Well,
you're too late!' Dr. Kilroy gestures to the wall. You see a row
of blinking lights set in gleaming metal and a counter that reads
,12 :00.' It's counting down!"
"'I've already set my plan into motion, ' he declares, striding
confidently toward you. 'In 12 hours a massive tidal wave will
wash across the country. The United States will be destroyed!
When the flood has subsided, my laser-satellites will dry out the
country and this land will be mine!'"
"He laughsand grins at you. 'A shame you won't be around
. '"
to see It.
I
34 TalesofMagick

l
 "Dr,Kilroy snaps his fingers and a door opens behind him.
Twentyarmedmen pour in. Leading them is the villain's trained
~UerCapricom.She has your girlfriend tied up, with a gun to her
head!"
"'Damnyou, Kilroy!' 1back toward the door. 'This scheme
tIXJ1t't
work! I'll find some way to stop you!' 1 dive backward to
escape.
I need a plan - fast!"
II~
"Benjamin turns toward you. There's something wrong
with his eyes. '1 was meaning to tell you 'bout that, Maestro. '"
"'Tell me what?'"
"'Well, ya see ' Now you realizewhat's odd: His eyes
are moving in different directions,as if he were watchingtwo
different things at the same time. '1got some good news and 1got
some badnews,' he says."
.. ~
~
~

Whoa! Here's one of the greatest dangers of a High- "'What's the bad news?'"
Adventurechronicle: cheese factor! With all those major "'1 lied.'"
villains,high stakes and phenomenal stunts, it's easy to go "He steps a bit closer,closeenough that you can feel his
over the top. breath. He's taller than you remember, and he smells of. . . is that
What'swrong with that? If you go too far, your stories tar?"
andchroniclelose credibility. Crazed villains with giant "Damn! Taking a step back, 1 concentrate, shaping sigils
deathrays and ridiculous world-shattering plans reduce with my left hand and drawing my knife with the right. 'So,' 1ask
yourgamesto the worst kind of camp. No one wants to see him, 'What's the good news?'"
thosemoviestwice, so why would players want to come "'You know that demon you were looking for?' His left eye
backfor your next game session? No one can relate to focuses on your signing hand and starts to glow an unsettling
impossibleevents; the shit's just plain stupid. green. 'You don't have to look any more. '"
Sohowdo you playa high-stakes game of magick and Everyone knows how movies go. There's a Movie Plot
adventure without smothering your chronicle in Velveeta? Handbook out there and there are only about 25 basic plots
Simple:Keep it human. A major crisis or two is fine. An and a few subplots in it. So when you start a movie you can
earthshaking plot can be fun. Even a little Pulp Fiction-style usually figure out what kind of story it's going to tell within
violencecan make for an entertaining session. But most the first half-hour - if not the first 10 minutes. There are
eventsshould occur on a more subtle level, even in Dark
patterns called genre conventions. They create rhythms in
Adventure. Between universe-shattering dangers, stage more
a story and they complicate the plot. You know what they
"manageable"events - saving a hardcase kid from the are, even if you've never really thought about them before:
streetsor making a significant personal discovery that
in comedy, the unsuspecting twins who happen to end up
forcesthe character to re-evaluate his place in the world.
in the same city; in horror, the pretty student who goes
Keepthe posturing to a minimum; strive for subtlety over down to the cellar to investigate noises; in mystery, the
the preposterous.
smoking gun that bears the fingerprints of a variety of
Okay, so it's easy to get stupid with mages. They're suspects.
sometimes capable oflevitating buildings, splitting bedrock In storytelling, players can use genre conventions to
ordarkeningthe sun. That's grandiose all on its own - it recognize the story being told. That misguided college
doesn'ttake much more to go overboard. Thankfully, student is a sign of an impending hack-n-slash horror story.
Paradoxeffects can be a wonderful de-cheesifying tool; put
A dead body and an array of suspects mean that an Agatha
adarkspinonthem, make them gritty and threatening, and Christie-style murder mystery is on its way.Players can also
they'llhelp scare the bejeezus out of mages prone to comic- follow the swelling music,so to speak: When the plot begins
bookantics. Keep it real, folks. to turn a certain way, they take the cues and gear up for a
Youmight even say the human angle is another inter- climax or a fight scene. Predictable, yes, but that's not
pretationof Dark Adventure versus High Adventure: The necessarily a bad thing. The anticipation of a brawl can
Dark-Adventure character may have tremendous power, make the industrial-strength can of whup-ass all that much
butdangersthat threaten the universe scare the shit out of more satisfying once it's open. Waiting around, nerves on
him,Come on - if something can wipe out the Earth, what edge, can make the discovery of a murder that much more
couldit do to one person? Yet he must face that threat all grisly - even though the characters knew it was going to
thesame.He has to find the strength to stand and use his happen!
power,even though it might burn him out in the process. You can use the following examples of Dark-Adven-
TheHigh-Adventure hero doesn't care about getting his ture conventions to tell your stories and to understand a
asskicked.The Dark-Adventure hero, on the other hand,
story you're playing. These trends perpetuate your adven-
knowsexactly how much getting his ass kicked hurts. turous chronicle - they're fun to look for and enjoyable to
combine in new and entertaining ways.They can even be
Genre Conventions used to steer events in chosen directions. After all, if a
"'All right, Benjamin, 1'm here. So what's this you had to villain's crime spree just gets underway and the characters
showme?'"

Chapter Two:You Hear Something?

 ~II

I-

interrupt it, they can expect some retaliation against their Anonymous Tips
own friends and allies. Almost asgood as a contact isthat mysterious voice on the
Contacts phone, suggesting that "something interesting's going on."
Then there's that unmarked envelope with only a street
Regular informants are a staple of the World of Darkness address inside. And what about those voices you keep hearing?
in general, but they're particularly appropriate to Dark-Ad- They might be real in Mage, maybe spirits speaking fromthe
venture games. In fact, contacts in such stories often seek out Shadowlands or mysticks contacting you from afar.
heroes instead of the other way around, volunteering informa- What about the message that appears in flames above
tion because they themselves are afraid of an emerging threat your bed, then vanishes a moment later? Who sent it and
and need the heroes to save their skins. Perhaps contacts come why? Whose side is the sender on? What are you supposed
to the heroes as the lesser of two evils.
to do about it? There's no way of telling, but one thing's for
How can characters turn down free information, espe- certain - whatever's going on, you have an open invita-
cially from a known source ?There's usually a price to pay for tion to poke your nose into the action.
such help. ("I'll tell you everything I know, but you gotta Examples: A man drops a newspaper, conveniently
promise me you'll save myoId lady first!") Of course, the open to a pertinent page, in front of your plate at a
information isn't always reliable. In fact, a contact in Dark restaurant; whispered messages on an answering machine;
Adventure can never be trusted. She may have a private the TV turns on by itself and shows a video with instruc-
agenda. The enemy may have identified the contacts and tions on it.
subverted them, feeding characters false information to
lead them into a trap. Despite the dangers, it's always The Smokin~ Gun
prudent to follow up on a lead, even if it is a trap. Something Heroes always seem to be rushing in and discovering
useful is always learned.
dying people. Of course the hero kneels down, tries to stop
Examples: A messenger from a powerful mob presents the bleeding and gets blood all over his hands and clothes.
a few tasty - and carefully selected - bits of evidence to When he sees the huge knife lying not far from the victim,
the mages in return for a blank-check favor later; a kid he picks it up-naturally! It might beaclue! And ofcourse,
hanging around the apartment complex sees the investigat- everyone else runs into the room right then, while the hero
ing heroes and offers to tell them what she saw the other day looms over a butchered corpse, murder weapon in hand.
- but only if they take her with them.
I
36 TalesofMagick

[
 II~
Oops.
Lookslike someone just got himself stuck in the
mIddle
ofa murder investigation.
Examples:
The classic smoking gun; characters watch
someone
sneakinto and out of the crime scene; a telltale
scar or tattoo.

ThreCits
Ifsomeonethreatens you, you must be on the
right
track.The mob sends a hit squad to fuck you up.
Animageof yourself, horrifically murdered, floats
beforeyoureyes.Your investigation must be hitting
closetohome.Threats are made to scare peop Ie off,
buttheynever work for long in Dark Adventures.
Theymightgive the hero some pause, but in the
endtheyonlyprove that he's close to discovering
orachievingsomething important.
Examples:Potshots; mutilated corpses of
animals showingup on the porch; arcane sigils
scrawled on the front door; magickal bonds
holdingthecharacter motionless for several hours.

lulls fury - Oh, the

Nothing'smore unsettling than an inexplicable break nerve! Either way, the stakes are per-
intheaction.Perhaps the Crip leader suddenly freezes, then sonal and the story becomes absolutely compelling.
theentiregangbacks off - fast. Far from reducing tension, Examples: The characters' Chantry is destroyed; a
thelulladdsto it - everyone watches their backs, waiting member of the group is killed; the players find out they've
fortheother shoe to drop. Are the Powers That Be negoti- been on the wrong track all along.
atingatruce or jockeying for better positions? Did a major Sudden Aid
playerjust leave or enter, and what does that mean for
everyone? Waiting is often the worst part; it gives you time "The shots tear away at the table you're crouched behind.
tothink up all the worst possibilities for what might be Your cover is splintering fast!"
abouttohappen. If nothing happens for a while, you might "Damn! What am I going to do?"
starttorelax, assuming it's all over - so the Traditions did "Whatever it is, you'd better do it quick, because the gunfire
allywiththe Technocracy to beat back the Nephandi! But - stops."
evenso,there's a tiny nagging voice in the back of your head "What?"
thatsays,"Maybe you should look a little deeper." You can't "It stops. Just like that. All of it. And in the sudden quiet,
relaxfor a minute in case trouble suddenly reappears and
you hear footsteps. "
catchesyou unprepared.
"I get ready to run!"
Examples:The Marauder looks up, then pops open a
"A gloved hand grasps the edgeof the tableand hurls it aside. .
portaland disappears; 40 MiBs lower their guns simulta- You stare up at a woman - waaaaay up."
neously;the Dobermans stop growling and sit obediently. "Do I know her?"
Loss "Dyed-purple hair. A blood-red tattoo under her left eye.
Nothing makes an already bad situation worse than Long black cloak pulled tight around her. You've never seen her
before, but she offers you a hand up. Her eyes are jet-black. She
suddenlylosing something or someone you counted on for
says, 'Deacon Patrick sent me. He thought you could use some
helpand support. It could be an object, a person or even just
a feeling - the car breaks down, the character's guide
help.'"
disappears,or his sister is kidnapped. What if the mage's "'Um, thanks '"
angerhas kept him going and it suddenly passes? What ifhis Unexpected aid seems a blessing on the surface. It
mentordeclares that she can't or won't train him any more? might be, in any genre other than Dark Adventure. In these
Responses to loss depend on the circumstances and the types of stories, such assistance is the last thing a hero wants.
character'spersonality. He might be terrified, incapable of It only means more trouble, worse than any he faced before.
action.On the other hand, he might be fueled by righteous One more monkeywrench in the works.
I
I

l1\rd-Nosed Cop
"Nice truck. You want to get out of it now? I said now.
Hands on the hood, legs apart. jimenez, search him. Rafe
Vaughan, you're under arrestfor aggravatedassault, grand theft
auto and murder in the first degree. I don't care if the cuffs are

-
too tight. They're supposed to be. Now get in the car!"
The Hard-Nosed Cop is a fixture in any city; you can
tell him by his battered appearance and no-nonsense atti-
tude. He may be dirty, taking bribes from local crime lords,
Stock Chc.rc.cters or he may be completely honest. Either way, he gets the job
done, although his methods are very direct and often
Certain character "types" seem to show up in a lot of violent. He's just as happy with a forced confession as a
Dark-Adventure tales. Everyone recognizes the cop from voluntary one. He might even prefer the first - it lets him
The Crow or the thugs from Big Trouble in Little China. work out his frustrations. He's trying to set things right, but
They're an intrinsic part of the world. These people aren't he knows his efforts won't make much of a difference in the
necessarily flat, but they do have roles to play and the story end.
just wouldn't be the same without them. These stock
characters can also tie into the conventions discussed Boy Scout
before: The Sullen Detective combined with the smoking "How can a corrupt police force uphold justice? How can
gun helps get players into the mood of a mystery story. anyone believe in the law if the people who are supposed to
Characters might run into these people during the course of enforce it don't obey it themselves? To call something wrong, you
their struggles, or these folk might be contacts, allies or have to be right. That's why I believe in the rules."
other Storyteller tools. The exact opposite of the Hard-Nosed Cop, the Boy
Although action-adventure stories tend to, shall we Scout believes that he can make a difference. Everything
say,simplifyhuman personalities into shorthand templates, must be clean and above-board to really count for anything,
you shouldn't shortchange yoursupporting cast. The people so he upholds his principles without compromise - think
your mages encounter ought to have some degree of weight Lieutenant Exley in LA. Confidential. You can pick him
and personality, ifonly to make them more interesting than out by the idealistic gleam in his eye and the resolute set of
a room full of Traits. Naturally, no Storyteller can invest a his jaw. Nothing will stop him from doing what's right. It
full background history into every wino or gangbangerj all doesn't matter how bad a place is, there's always at least one
the same, good supporting characters have motivations, Boy Scout around, exhorting people to honor and glory and
desires, prejudices and quirks. Storyteller characters with- doing everything according to the rules. He may not last
out these facets leave no mark on their world - the game very long, but there's always another to take his place.
- and just end up as names and statistics. There's no
tragedy to their deaths or value to their deeds. If they mean Sullen Detective
nothing to you, they'll mean nothing to the players' char- "Nah, leave him here. He'll come around, and a loserlike
acters. him'll get Picked up for something eventually. Come on, you
You don't need copious background notes about these want some coffee or a sandwich or something?"
people; a general motivation, description and a handful of You can hear the Sullen Detective grumbling long
personality quirks are all most Storyteller characters ever before you actually see him, but his appearance suits his
need. Really important roles should be fleshed out a bit words: rumpled, defeated, resentful. Maybe he was a Boy
more, of course, and might even warrant their own charac- Scout who abandoned his principles or a Hard-Nosed Cop
ter sheets if their abilities come into play frequently. The who finally stopped trying. Either way, the Sullen Detec-
majority of background characters, however, simply need tive does only the bare minimum required, and only when
personality and purpose - a raisond'etrebeyond their role anybody's looking. The only reason he's still here isbecause
in the story. he doesn't know what else to do with himself, and he figures
The Appendices of both the Mage rulebook and this his long years of service entitle him to take it easy and let
supplement feature lists of character Traits, given by type. others do the work for him. He may still hope that he'll
For a more detailed treatment of supporting characters, make a difference someday, but every defeat makes him that
their motivations and their possible roles in a story, see much more bitter.
Chapter Four of The Book of Mirrors: The Mage Story-
tellers Guide.

38 Tales of Magick

1-
s~~~~~ ~~~:.
.IIEI
a bill""'"t- but it',
storage. We keep packing material and office suppliesdown
maW,

there, mostly. If you'd like to look at it, I could call the

""
. ~
I-
maintenance man and ask him to bring the key. I'm sure he won't
mind coming out at this hour; he's a kind old man, even if the
stroke did change him some. He could be here in an hour he -
livesout in the boonies,but I couldcallhim. No? I'd be happy
to make thephone callfor you, sir "
Appearances make the man, and the Smooth Talker
has the art down perfectly. It's all about playing the game,
getting what you want any way you can. If you can do it
without confrontation, so much the better. You can avoid
most difficulties simply by talking and using engaging
mannerisms to disarm even the most jaded of souls.
Of course, you should never trust a Smooth Talker; he
tells the truth only when it suits him and has no intention
of keeping any promises he makes. Underneath the charm,
manners and wit, he's cold as a snake and twice as calculat-
ing. But he certainly makes it sound good.
Femme Fatale
"No, I'm not very goodatflirtingat all. I don't usuallytalk
to men unless I'm reallyinterested.I guesswe must be special
together, because I'm not afraid to tell you how much I'm
enjoying beingwith you. Oh, no, don't Pickup the check....
Well, allright, I guess. Ifyou insist."
All curves, inside and out, there's nothing simple about
the Femme Fatale. At times bold and brassy, at others
vulnerable and frightened, she's always in control and
always utterly deadly, but most of her victims never find
that out until it's too late. Just as the Smooth Talker hides
behind words, the Femme Fatale hides behind her looks and
guile, using her allure to get what she wants. It's a weapon
and she makes the most of it. Then, when she doesn't have
any use for her pawn anymore, she eliminates him and
moves on.

Innocent Victim
"Jesus, what was that thing? How did itget here? Oh, God,
lookat my shop!My shop, my house... how am I goingto live?
That thing took everythingI had."
Every adventure has victims. Otherwise, who would
there be to save? Some victims deserve what happens to
them; they asked for it. Not so the Innocent Victim.
Leading an ordinary life, minding his own business, the
Innocent Victim is simply in the wrong place at the wrong
time. He may die and invoke the hero's sense of righteous-
ness, maybe sparking the adventure in the first place. Or the
victim may survive, scarred for life, a sad reminder of what
will happen again if the evil isn't stopped. Either way, the
Innocent Victim is testament to the dangers at hand.

ChapterTwo:YouHearSomething? 39
 ~II

I-

Not-50-Innocent Victim it's worth sacrificing a friendship for, decide that successis
"But I didn't mean I would actually kill him! It was just a more important than loyalty. Sometimes they have per-
figure of speech! He should have known that - it was obvious. sonal reasons or their ambition gets the better of them.
And now look what he did. Who's going to pay for this, huh? They might believe that betrayal really is the best way.
Who's going to put my life back together?" Maybe they secretly hope that they can beat the systemand
Not all victims are innocent. Some bring it upon not succumb to its evils. Ironically, the Turncoat inevitably
themselves, usually by meddling with forces they don't - and usually painfully - learns that the reward isn't
understand or by pissing off the wrong people. Of course, in worth the sacrifice he makes or is betrayed by the very
their own eyes they're innocent. How were they to know people to whom he turns.
the mob would come after them? How could they know
someone would take an empty threat seriously? Who can Plucky Mort~1
blame them for taking a little initiative, trying to get ahead? "No,l'mokay. Really. What thehellwasthat thing?Never
Most people believe themselves to be good and think they mind, I probablydon't want to know. Here, you're bleeding.
have valid reasons for doing things. In the case of the Not- Wrap this aroundyour arm and keeppressureon it. I'llwatch
So-Innocent Victim, actions backfire in a big way, usually the door, okay? Are there any more out there?"
injuring others in the process. Some people just don't know when to run and hide.
They think everything is a game or they're brave enoughto
Turnco~t deal with trouble and keep going. The Plucky Mortal isthe
"I'm sorry, Research Director. Ijustdon't think this project cab driver who gets shot at while driving you around... and
is going anywhere. I took the liberty of informing Supervisor still decides to help you. She's also the hostage who fights
Betson that progress is virtually nonexistent, and he was quite back against all odds. Plucky Mortals aren't exactly side-
impressed with my proposal for getting things back on schedule. kicks, but they decide what you're doing is right and they
He even agreed to pay the laboratory a visit to evaluate your stick around to help. Many a hero has been saved bya
performance; he'll be here in a few minutes. Did you need me to Plucky Mortal.
mail something for you, sir?"
Nothing's worse than being betrayed by an ally. Turn-
coats, people who see the grass on the other side and think
I
40 TalesofMagick

I
ver
"Youdon't have to tell me whereyou're goingtonight. I
trustyou.Butcomehomeinonepiece,okay?I loveyou, andI'm
goingto spend forever with you. So come back to me, babe."
The Lover is maybe the main reason you keep going
everyday,working not only for money to support the two
scholarship
father he thinkshim.
who deserted
II~
boat him up once and he wan" tevenge. m you got the
he deserved,
Whateveror his
youmotives,
remind him
the of the
Rival
isn't just out to win, he's out to beat you in particular and
.
he'll use any means to do it. Rivals can be villains in stories,
but they're more likely to be pawns manipulated by a real
villain in order to throw you off and get in your way. If that
~
~
ofyou,but for the ultimate Ascension of all humanity. is the case and the Rival finds out about it, he might just
Really,all humanity doesn't matter much to you as long as
yourLover is okay and makes it to Ascension with you.
Maybeyou've been together for years, or you might have
declare a truce and work with you to get revenge for being
used. However, as soon as that's taken care of, he guns for
I-
you again.
justbegun the relationship that you know will last the rest
ofyourlife, and maybe even longer. Whatever the case, you Inscrut\ble StrC\nger
areinextricably tied to this amazing person. And she is just "The bar is loud and smoky, and it's hard to tell where
asdevotedto you. Whether or not she knows about your life
anyone comes from or where they're going. But the redheaded
asamage,shesupportsyouandwoulddo anythingto help woman who just slid onto the stool next to you could have come
you,including sacrifice herself. This makes the Lover a out of nowhere, as far as you're concerned. She smiles. 'Didn't
perfecttarget for your enemies - get the Lover and the think this seat was taken. Listen, stay away from the south side
villaingets the hero. Hurt the Lover and the villain wounds tonight. Eddie Flint's looking for you.' Before you can offer to
thehero.But if the hero is killed or put out of action, the buy her a drink, she's gone."
Lovercan turn into a Vengeful Warrior very quickly. Who was that masked man?No Dark Adventure could
Devoted Sidekick be complete without the mysterious figure lurking nearby,
always watching but getting involved only occasionally.
"You're going to need help, and l'm coming with you. Hand
Like The X-Files' Smoking Man, the Inscrutable Stranger
methat Pistol. "
appears from time to time, offering terse suggestions or
The Devoted Sidekick isn't necessarily a hero by her- seemingly random scraps of information. No one knows
self,but she can sure hold her own in a fight. More who the stranger really is or how he knows so much. Maybe
importantly,she can watch your back when you need it. he's a powerful willworker, a wandering spirit, a vampire or
ThinkGabrielle. Think Robin (in his better days), or even
even just a Sleeper who knows more than he should.
Alfred.Think Dr. Watson or Tonto. Not one of these
Regardless, his very presence increases the tension; you can
charactersis the equal of the hero, but each has saved the never be sure what he wants or why he's involved, but you
dayseveraltimes just by being there, by being available to know he wouldn't be there if it wasn't important. He might
takedownthat one last goon when the hero wasbusydoing even help you directly from time to time, but don't ever ask
heroicthings. This doesn't mean the Sidekick can't be a why. The Inscrutable Stranger's reasons are his own.
mage,though. Apprentices or other lesser mages can make
veryusefulSidekicks, as can other supernaturals, should
yoube so lucky as to run across one. Mi\~icki\1stock
Nomatter how loyal, no Sidekick works completely for Chi\ri\cters
free.Someof the glory has to go to her, and the two of you
You can use genre archetypes in any story. But Mage is
oftengain recognition as a team rather than as "a mage and
about magick, which means its characters are a little differ-
thatpersonwho tags along." In the examples given above,
ent from the classics'. You can adapt traditional roles to
thedynamicduos are just that-duos. Hyoudon't take care
tomakeyour Sidekick want to stay around, she could very reflect Mage's themes: The Hard-Nosed Cop might be a
Disciple who won't rise any higher because he lacks control
wellleave and try to make a name for herself. A severely
and motivation, or the Boy Scout may be an Apprentice
neglectedSidekick might even become a Turncoat.
who's blinded by the possibilities before him. Or you can
Riv\1 introduce magickal stock characters such as the Power-
Hungry Mage or the Seer, who are specifically suited to
"Actually, I don't think Meg will be available, sir. Didn't
reality altering Dark Adventures. As with traditional Dark-
shesay something about going on vacation that week with her
Adventure characters, use the following personae as foils,
family?But I can take the assignment for you if you want. And
agents, informants and contacts for characters, perpetuat-
shesaidshe didn't mind if I took over the Barger case; she's been
ing your stories and chronicle based on these people's
prettybusy dealing with that DUI charge lately. Didn't I tell you behavior.
aboutit?"
Friendly competition is one thing. Rivalry is another.
The Rival has a personal grudge against you; maybe you
I

.
~
~
~II
Power-Nun!)ry Ma!)us
"The lastpieceof thepuzzle is in thePracticum of Marcus
Blin. The only copyof that tome thissideof theGauntlet liesin
the handsof the Order of Hermes. I need that book...."

I-
This one has lost it utterly. Most people want power,
and mysticks are particularly prone to it, but the Power-
Hungry Mage is obsessed. She's quite strong, but it's not
enough. She wants it all. Youcan tell a Power-Hungry Mage
by the mad gleam in her eye, her wild stare and the crackle
of energy that surrounds her. If you listen to her rant for
Manipulator
even a moment, you know she's completely nuts, so fargone
"Now, would you look at that? Enviroprep Incorporated's
in her dreams of glory that she's lost all sense. Power-
stock has gone up 50 points! Good thing I invested in that
Hungry Mages are often villains because they won't let
yesterday, eh? Reading those industry journals really helps
anything or anyone get in their way.The good news is such
people usually self-destruct spectacularly. The bad news? sharpen your business senses, I must say. And if you really want
Anyone close by is taken with them. to make some money, read up on statistics and on horse care.
Then go to the track, do a little math, look at a few ponies, and
Seer there you are!"
"Hmm?Oh, yes, sorry, I forgotallabout it. I wasgoingto Most mysticks use coincidental magick; it's safer and
fetch you that stone, but I found this bird cageinstead. I was often more reliable than vulgar effects. The Manipulator
looking at it, and I think I could use it as a pattern for a uses only such tricks. He never reveals his full ability, hiding
summoningdevice.Maybe thatwouldfix theproblemI've been the fact that he works magick at all. Most people simply
havingwith thebalanceof elements.But first I'd haveto change shake their heads in amusement and disbelief, which isjust
thisslightly... where's my chalkboard?" the way he likes it.
Mysticks are alwaysstudyiflgand searching, looking for The Manipulator's goal isn't to change the world, only
answers of one sort or another. Some of them look a little to find an advantageous position for himself. Magick is
too long. The Seer has been staring into the unknown so simply a tool and his tools work best when no one sees them,
hard he's forgotten everyday reality. His eyes are half- so opponents can't anticipate or block his strikes. Manipu-
glazed,alwayslooking throughthings. His clothes are a mess; lators are dangerous opponents. They always have a backup
I plan and you can't tell what they're going to do next.
he probably hasn't washed in days or weeks. Mundane
details are beneath his notice; he forgets to eat and drink Elitist
: unless someone reminds him. Not all Seers are fuzzyTime
. "I don't care what your neighbor thinks. You're theone who
I Masters, though; Dr. Emmett Brown from Backto theFuture
is a perfect example of a Son of Ether turned Seer. knows better, and your oPinion is the only one that matters to
me. Forget your neighbor, forget your husband. This is what's
But the Seer may be onto something. He perceives
important, we're the ones who matter and everyone elsecango
things no one else can, hears things others miss. That
sensitivity makes the Seer dangerous; you can't predi(fl hang. Got it?"
what he'll do or even understand what he's reacting to. For some, willworking means membership to a club,
Seers make insane villains because their actions don't make the greatest of all. If you realize the club exists, you're
any sense to others. They're more likely dangerous allies: already a member. The Elitist believes firmly in "Us" and
useful if characters can get them going in the right direc- "Them." After all, she recognizes the truth and can manipu-
tion, liabilities if they get off track. late it. No Sleeper can do that. So she's special and should
be treated accordingly. Younger mages, less experienced in
Nas-Been the mystick arts than the Elitist, are included in "Them,"
"I used to be able to do that. I probably still could, but I though they are accorded a bit more respect than the
haven't tried in a long time. I don't know; I haven't done average Sleeper.
anything like it in... oh... years, I think. Bud used to be able to. The Elitist may dress in any fashion, although most
See? Here's something I made when I was about 30. I was just wear expensive outfits. What really sets the Elitist apart is
trying a new technique and I came up with this. Isn't it her attitude. She walks briskly, eyes straight ahead, and
wonderful? I rather like it." ignores everyone unless they're also Awakened. Lesser
It's sad, really. Magick is controlled by the will. Over mages must content themselves with trailing along in her
time, even the will can fade. The Has-Been is usually wake; Sleepers simply have to get out of her way -
clothed in the relics of the past, of his glory years - and they whatever they're doing can't possibly be important. Elitists
make deadly opponents and dangerous allies because they
I

I
 --
f!i!.IDiliifiilll!i!!~!ill!J

don'tcare about Sleeper casualties. An Elitist is quite awful group of apprentices. If you children had read anything at
willingto destroy a city to stop a single rival. all, this would all be second nature to you. Do you ever do
anything but watch TV?"
Insecure Apprentice Some people remember the past fondly. The Aged
"I don't know. Do you think it's okay? I'd hate to piss him Master wants to go back. To her, the past is glorious,
off.All right, I'll ask him if I can go. I just don't want to have wonderful, perfect. Today, in contrast, is dirty, smelly and
everybodymad at me because I had to go to the bathroom and flawed. People are weak, soft and petty. The Aged Master
wasn'therewhen someone needed me. You know what I mean?" knows a great deal, but unlike the Has-Been, her will is still
Most willworkers are overwhelmed when they're first strong. Yet the Aged Master can't accept that the past is
Awakened- so many new things, so much to learn and re- gone or that the present has merit. You can learn a lot from
leam.Some adapt quickly, taking it all in stride and moving her, assuming you can put up with her complaints and her
on. Others don't. The Insecure Apprentice can't believe constant reminiscing.
what'shappening to him and is convinced he isn't worthy.
In fact, he privately believes there's been some kind of Ven~erul Warrior
mistake, that he's a fake, and that everyone will find out. "What I think we should do is go in there and take him down
Insecure Apprentices make excellent pawns. They by force. He was the one who organized the raid, and he's the one
listen to anyone who knows more than they do. They we should be going after. Talking isn't going to do anything to
assumetheir superiors are in the right and they trust blindly, stop him, so I say we just take him out first, ask questions later. "
too afraid to ask questions. Of course, they also make good The Vengeful Warrior is a threat to everyone. He's
cannon fodder for the same reasons. If they survive, they tough, strong and iron-willed, but he's also blindly fanatical
eventually learn and develop confidence and trust in them- and ignores reason or tact. The Vengeful Warrior iscapable
selves. of walking into a crowded room and firing at his enemy,
ignoring bystanders. He has no control, no logic... nothing
A~ed Master left but blind rage and all-consuming hatred.
"No! StoP! Do it again. I told you, use the blue stone for the You can use the Vengeful Warrior as a weapon, but
west. You children never listen to me! I have never had such an only as a cannon; there's no fine control. Beware the recoil.

Chapter Two:YouHear Something? 43

.-"j
 ~II
p~
-

Thrill-Seeker
"Whoa, that was way cool! Here, try this: First you throw
Seducer
the parachute out, then you count to five, then you jump out and "Come on, you can get away for one night, can't you?You
try to catch it and put it on. All with your eyes closed and no jump havetoseethisplacej it's absolutely stunning. You could explore
suit!" it all day and still have seen just the tiniest fraction of the sights.
Power can be intoxicating. Some people try to grab all And the people! They're so friendly, and there are so many
they can and ride the wave. Others use what they have to different kinds of them. I mean, it's just something you haveto
excite themselves. The Thrill-Seeker loves magick, not see. You can leave your books for a couple of hours, right?"
because of its potential, its implications or even its real- Magick is seductive - all that power, the ability to
world applications, but because magick is cool. Magick lets reshape the world as you choose, freedom from restrictions.
her do what she wants, when she wants, without restrictions That seduction is dangerous, because it has terrifying con.
- it's the ultimate Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card. Thrill-Seek- sequences. The Seducer knows this. He works on you,
ers thrive on danger, adrenaline rushes and near misses. tempting you, offering you freedom and pleasure, but there's
Magick gives them greater opportunities for excitement, always a cost. The Seducer has his own goals, his own plans;
but it also makes "mundane" risks safe. How dangerous is a you're just a means to an end. Like the Femme Fatale, he
free fall if you can teleport to safety?Thrill-Seekers always lures you in and gets what he wants, then kicks you aside.
seek biggerand better stunts. The problem, of course, is that But the Seducer usually has bigger plans than does the
someday the magick might not work the way the adrenaline Femme Fatale, and he may want more from you than your
junkie plans. money or your keys. He may want your soul. Seducers are
Never trust a Thrill-Seeker. They're not enemies, dangerous enemies; they're so convincing that it's difficult
because they don't care enough to bother with agendas, but to say "no," even if you're aware of their true goals. Most
they can't be relied on, either. A Thrill-Seeker simply cares Nephandi are accomplished Seducers.
about his next rush, no matter at whose expense he achieves
it. However, sometimes these reckless mages see or learn
things that no one else would - frankly, no one else is
suicidal enough to try.

Tales of Magick
-
 II~
The CrC\rf
Sure, it's easy to say, "Here are all these
storytelling ideas," but how do you actually
work them into a game? How do you intro-
duce the Inscrutable Stranger, up the stakes
or use serendipity without whipping out the
Velveeta? More importantly, how do you
keep events from getting stupid like this:
"Okay, the man attacks you. Biff! Barn! Zap!
You win," or this: "Yes, he's the villain-you
know him by his black hat"?
The idea is to make your story complex and involved-
andlet it kick some ass. This is where you bring in the craft
ofstorytelling. If you do it right, these storytelling tech-
niqueswork like good special effects: They flow into the
story,make it look cool, and get the players all pumped up
- all at the same time.

Crosscuttin~
Crosscuttingis basically the deep, booming voice say-
ing,"Meanwhile- " and the camera panning over to another
groupof characters in a different place, doing their own
thing.Here's the trick to crosscutting: There's "player
knowledge"- what your friend Bob knows - and there's
"character knowledge" - what Bob's Akashic Brother
Begasiknows. Good players keep the two separate; they act
onlyon what their characters know, not what the players
themselvesknow. But nobody's perfect and player knowl-
edgeinfluences character actions a little, despite our best
efforts.You, as Storyteller, can use that tendency for the
story'sbenefit.
Here, watch: A group of characters is hot on the trail of
a mystick artifact they think has been used to subvert their
Tradition's strongest mages. Two of the young mages head
offon their own to check out a business about which they've
heard rumors. The other three stay at the Chantry, digging
through the library for references to the strange item.
"Okay, Begasi and Lisa Rain reach the store without a
problem.The sign in front reads 'Chapman's Curious Goods.'
The windows are tinted, but there seems to be a light inside."
"I try the door."
"It swings open and a small bell sounds overhead."
"'Cool! Let's go!'"
"The two ofyou step inside , blinking in the dim light. Shelves
Unethe walls. They're crammed full of books and various odd
shapesthat you can't make out."
"I take a look around!"
"Yeah, me too!"
"Okay. .. Meanwhile! You other three are in the Chantry's
library,searching through its books for any reference to torques. "
"Right - Johann is checking on ancient Talismans just in
case. "

Chapter T wo:You Hear Something?

.
~ ~II.

--
"~,IodY" flipping <hm.u"" """",,,,' j""",,", to '" if ,;;;:::/:;;:.'!i::i:i::::::::;:::::;::::'::'::':":":"'" '",'-,'.' ,-.
~

.
.' ,.;,:,,:, ,:":,,:,, :,,:, ,:.,:, ':' ,:,,:, ,:,,:,,:,,:,,:.,:.,:, ':. 't.,:,,:,,:, ,:":,, ::': :,:":,,
anyone s encounteredthem. .,,";;;:::;:::::;:::::;::::::::;::;::;::;:::::;::;::;:::::;::;::;::;::;::;::;::;::;::;::;::;:::S...~:~
"'The hell with this!' The laws of Chance always favor . Of'.;;.:;.: :.::': :'::'::'::': :'::':: '::'::'::.::': :':: ': :'::'::':: '::'::'::':: '::'::':: ':: '::': :'::'::'::'::~
.~~;.~~;.~~~~~~~~;.~~~~~~~;.~~;.~~~~~~;.~~~~
,,'.",' """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""'" '.",",",",",",",", ,',,','"~
Harlan. He begins to chant, rubbing his finger across his lucky
coin. He takes a book at random and sets it on the table, letting f1.Ni.$f#.1#4~~~ .
"" ~

.'',",",",",'',.,""""""""",.,"" P,","" '.' ',",",", ",.',' '.' ',","" """, '

I-
~~~~~~~~ ,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
it fall open wherever it chooses. "
;::;::;::;:::::;::, ' , :;::::::::;::;:::::;:::::;::;::;:::::;:::::;~:::::;::;::::~'~ .
"Nice move, Harlan. The book you've selected is called ~::~:i::!:.::::~",..i::::::::i::::::::i::i:::::::::::i:::::i::!::!:."::::!;:~
~i:::i:::::i:::::;::::::::i:::::!:::::::::::::::::i::::::::!:::::::::::::~~
::;:::::;::.,~
" ,",' .' " ";""""""""""""",,,"""""""""""",'~ <
Secrets of the Celts. It falls open to a section about torques. "
"I act nonchalant. 'I think this is what we're looking for. '"
::;::;::: :::: :::.:::;::;: ::::;: ~ ::::;: ::: ::::;::;: ~
~::;::;::;::;::;:::::;::;::: ::;,:;:"::::;::;::;:
""""'" :;::;~.,::;::,.,
~ ~
~::;::;::::::::;::;:::::;:::::;::;::;::::::::;::;::
"""""""""""""""""'
"'Showoff!'" . ~
"' ""'"
ff::f:~!:f::f::f::f::f::f::f::f::f:~'
""""""""""" .".' z/'
"'Hey, it worked. Don't knock it.' What does it say?" ~." ,..,., Yo/'
.

t:::::...:::;:::::;::::i'" '
"It explains that torques are ornamental neck rings, like ::.:.,::.::,::.::~.... ~//// "'-
~~::*~~. <
necklaces but much heavier and made of solid metal instead of ~~.,
chain. They're shaped like the letter C. The opening goes in
front, over your throat. Most of them are made of gold, with
precious stones inlaid in the engraving or decoration. They're
hard to find now, considered antiques.
"Speaking of antiques... What are you two doing, Begasi
~
and Lisa?"
"Browsing! What's here?"
"All sorts of things, from little plastic toys to beautifully
carved wooden statues to costume jewelry to marble chess sets to
stereos. "
"'Wow! This place is great!' I check out the jewelry!"
"As you reach for a piece a dry voice behind you says, 'Can
I help you?' The man standing there looks almost as old as some
of the antiques - he's thin and slightly stooped. His skin is the
color of old wood. "
"'We're just looking, thanks.'"
"Begasi, you notice there's something around the man's
neck, under his shirt. It gleams slightly, even in the dim light."
"I point to the trinket Lisa was looking at. 'How much is
this?'"
"He turns the tag and squints atit. 'Twenty dollars. That's
real amber.' As he moves closer, you get a better look; his
necklace seems heavy, solid metal, and there's a hint of red at its
tips ."
"'Okay, thanks.' I put it back and look at the rest of the
jewelry. "
"Okay. Now, Melody, the book goes on about how torques
were worn by druids and consecrated to their gods. Different
stones were used to indicate different deities. Each torque was
said to have great powers."
"'Huh. Say, whatwould-oh, I don't know-a red stone
represent?' Harlan asks. "
"According to the book, the only red stone is ruby, which is
dedicated to Morrigan, goddess of war."
"'Lisa, I think we should get out of here. Now. I have a
funny feeling about that guy. ' "
There. Even though Begasi (Bob) and Lisa Rain
(Michelle) weren't in the library, the players couldn't help
but let their characters' behavior be affected by what the

Tales of Magick
 othersfoundout. They might have been suspicious of the
maninthe store to begin with, but Bob's hearing about the
torqueadded to Begasi's anxiety, increasing the tension.
Begasi
mightnot ask about the store owner's necklace now,
them
more.to the scene

Symbolism
II~
no matter what it's made of. Grab the group's interest, rivet

- and then make them come back for

..
~
I-
becauseHarlan's simultaneous research reveals all that the
players
need to know: Morrigan's druids are involved. Ifevery villain wears a black hat, all of the trustworthy
Youprobably shouldn't use this storytelling technique allies are in white, and morally questionable characters are
toooftenor players might get used to being handed answers in gray,where's the fun?Symbolism should be subtle, a faint
onasilverplatter. However, crosscutting allows you to give hint that something means more than it outwardly suggests.
outrelated information all at one time without boring Perhaps a book bursts into flames while you discussdelving
repetition.When the heroes reunite, players can give their into someone's past - a none-too-subtle warning to leave
charactersall the information about what a torque is, where the person alone. That's pretty obvious, so where's the
tofindone, and maybe someone to watch and follow just by symbolism? Well, maybe the book is Shakespeare's The
saying,"We tell each other what we found." This technique Tempest- a hint that the mage in question wants to be left
allowsthe story to progress quickly, capitalizing on the alone for purely personal reasons; he isn't necessarily a bad
dramatictension you've just created with the new plot person, just an intensely private one. On the other hand, if
tWist. the book is a law dictionary, the implication is much more
sinister.
Foresh(\dowin~ Symbols are rarely certain, so they could mean all sorts
Drop occasional hints of what will happen further of things. That's part of their charm. A symbol is intended
downthe line in your chronicle to keep players interested. to make players think, to examine circumstances more
Youdon't have to explicitly say that the characters' friend closely and to add a layer of meaning to events and objects.
willturn out to be a werewolf. You can drop general clues, Sometimes players might come up with an interpretation
though,ominous ones that suggest without telling. that you, as the Storyteller, hadn't thought of - what's to
"Younotice that Rachel moves smoothly through the stop you from incorporating their new idea into your game?
woods,gliding silently from tree to tree; you have trouble Symbols are, after all, flexible!
keepingup with her. You step into a clearing to see her
standingin front of you, frozen in place, face tilted up to the R.unaway Timelines
moon,eyes closed." Remember that serendipity can work against charac-
That's enough to suggest that something is going on in ters. One way is the runaway timeline. Establish what's
thebackground of your chronicle, even if it's not pertinent happening in the world and what Storyteller characters are
to the events at hand. It's a sequel hook. up to. Set up a timeline for events and plans; decide how
quickly events happen and what their repercussions are.
Clinh(\n~ers Stick to that schedule.
What better way to end a night's session than to stop Anything that players' characters don't interfere with
atahigh point, to make players wait impatiently to see how happens as planned. So they never bothered to think that
events turn out? Old serial movies end with cliffhangers, the fanatic on the street had a bomb with him - why
the hero about to crash his plane into a mountain or about should they? He's just a cardboard bystander, right? Wrong.
to be run over by a train. The only problem is, the serials They just happen to be in the area the next day when the
cheat. The next episode starts with the hero avoiding bomb goes off. These "peripheral" events don't necessarily
certain death miraculously. You're never told how he does have anything to do with what the characters are currently
it. Don't cheat - if the characters are in a car that hurtles involved in, but the mages don't know that. Let them get
overa cliff, end the session there. Start next week with the paranoid - it's fun.
characters plunging to their death. Rehash the final scene Runaway timelines force the characters to keep a
before you start the new session - get the mood, the constant eye out, and not just on their own agendas.
emotion, set back to where it was the week before. Hope- Unanticipated events serveto remind characters that they're
fully the players have devised an escape after a week's not as central to the universe as they might like to believe,
feverish brainstorming. If not, well, those can be the stakes which is necessary on occasion to remain in the human
of a Dark-Adventure game. purview of Dark Adventure. Runaway timelines also add
A cliffhanger doesn't have to be life-threatening. A depth to your stock characters: Gosh, they don't just sit
mysterious stranger appearing with crucial information, the around and drool into buckets when the heroes are offdoing
death of a vital ally, a diametrical change in missions - their thing, after all!
these are all cliffhangers. As long as players are left shriek-
ing, "But what happens next?" the cliffhanger has worked,

Chapter Two:You Hear Something?

 .
~
~
Real-time
~II
Action
An extreme way to make your story immediate and
gripping isto kick the game into real-time. The playershave
only as much time in reality as their characters do in the
game. If the characters find a bomb and the counter isdown
to five minutes, bring a stopwatch, set it to five minutes and
that theV" human. not god> Th, "my","),a, ,"own
that exceed the deeds of even magick-wielding action heroes.
Then again, red herrings aren't necessarily useless. Per-
haps something you happened across earlier -serendipitously,
of course -
~~
turns out to be helpful later. Players and characters
never know what might be important, which iswhy they can't
afford to pass up most opportunities.
start the countdown. The players and characters have that
much time to disable the bomb or get the hell out of there. The key here is this: Never make a big deal about
No fudging - if the timer rings, that fucker explodes! If the something that isn't ultimately useful. Red herrings should
== players sit around and argue about who gets the wire
clippers, the characters have to be scraped offa fewyards of
be asides. If a player chooses to make a big deal out of one,
that's her decision, but you shouldn't actually mislead her.
brick. Sorry, but no hero survives a one-on-one encounter
with plastic explosives. Suddenly your game is very tense The Tools or the Tr()de
and very real. Don't overuse this technique, though. Save A good mechanic masters the tools he needs to keep an
it for genuine crises.
engine running. A good Storyteller or contributing player
must also learn the conventions and traditions of a genre to
R.ed t1errin~s keep a story unfolding. Dark Adventure has definite con-
Communism wasjust a red herring. ventions and traditions. The important thing to remember
- Wadsworth the Butler, Clue is that both Storyteller and player must learn to use these
A man walks by, black trench swishing, and drops a tools. The Storyteller can accomplish only so much by
business card on the street. Wait! Was that the Inscrutable laying clues at players' feet or by introducing "bystanders"
Stranger? Nah. He's just full of it. But can the characters risk whose behavior suggests that there's more to these people
not checking up on his lead? There are rarely clear-cut than meets the eye. Players need to understand the type of
paths in real life, and red herrings emulate that fact. story being told, look for pointers that perpetuate the plot,
Red herrings are typically dead.ends. However, they do and run with them. The result is a kick-ass Dark- Adventure
bring depth to your game and once again remind characters story in which everyone has a hand.

Firesforms
"The last thing that goes through the different?" And with Mage, everything ultimately comes
Marauder's mind is probably the leather thing down to a battle of wills. Such battles are won or lost; they're
that holds his nappy hair out of his face. The too intense to hang in stalemate for long. The first to falter
Harley can't stand up to the abuse any more and is crushed and tossed aside.
it disintegrates, sending the insane mage facefirst So what do you do when the end finally comes in a
into a tree. He barely has time to scream - Mage Dark Adventure?
'Ohhhh shit-' And then he's gone, his words
fading on the morning breeze." Endin~s versus R.esolutions
"Morning?" Remember that the end of the conflict is not necessar-
"Yes. You glance around and realize that the sun is coming ily the end of the story. We're used to movies, which end
up. The battle of wills took the entire night. Now fatigue sets in; immediately after the climax of the story - right after the
your knees threaten to buckle and your vision blurs. " visible threat is gone. But what happens to the characters
"I lean against Lisa and prop her up at the same time. 'God, the next day? What do they do after the cameras stop
I thought we were toast!'" rolling? Their lives go on, but how? The resolution iswhen
All good things must come to an end. Games and all of the threats are taken care of. Never assume that the
stories are no different. Sooner or later everything falls into most apparent threats are the most dangerous; the long-
place and your story reaches its conclusion. This is particu- term ones are often the worst, especially since they mightbe
larly true of epic Dark Adventures, because you can't overlooked until it's too late. The real threat may not bethe
sustain a fever pitch too long before characters and players mage who throws fireballs, but his tall, quiet ally with the
burn out. Even a major crisis must be resolved at some point. faceted eyes - and her plan to rupture the Gauntlet. Players
Otherwise the story turns into yet another comic book: and characters quickly learn that there's more to a story
"Yeah, I know he's trying to destroy the world, but he's been than its explosive climax when loose ends come backto
haunt them.
trying for the last 20 years. Why should today be any

I
48 TalesofMagick

~I='-. ~
 II~
If the characters overcome the opponents and chal-
lengesthey face, what then? Where does that leave things?
Youcould end the story Star Wars-style, with the characters
receivingcommendations. Recognition is rewarding. But
here'sa Dark-Adventure tip: The greater the undertaking,
thegreater the cost. The hero is severely wounded for his
efforts,one or more buildings are destroyed, and/or a lot of
peoplesuffer or die. The characters may destroy a demon,
butnot before it scars one of them for life, shatters another's
worldviewand murders the brother of a third - not to
mention what it does to innocent bystanders and the
I-
characters'Chantry.
Exacting a toll for success doesn't mean you should
announce, "Well, yeah, you beat him, but your life sucks
now.Deal with it." The characters still win, so let them
enjoyit. However, remind the mages that there's more to
lifethan beating up bad guys, stopping invasions or discov-
eringrich sources of Quintessence. Realizing what you've
lostmakes you appreciate what you've won.
Rebuilding after a devastating, if victorious, battle can
alsobe a jumping-off point for a new chapter in the story.
What if the characters are asked to help oversee the con-
struction and reorganization of a new Chantry? What kinds
ofplots and challenges can grow out of that situation?

failure!
Sometimes things don't work out for the characters,
even if you fudge details a little for their benefit. They may
failto accomplish part or all of their objective. Don't coddle
playersor their characters. If they succeed at everything all
the time, they won't appreciate each victory and they'll
become careless and arrogant. Defeat and failure teach us a
lot about ourselves and the world. In many ways, they're
more instructive than victory.
Guilt trips over catastrophic failures can also be very
effective story motivators. After the mages fall flat on their
faces,they might want to make up for it (or at least prove
to someone that they're not total fuckups). Bam! You have
awhole new story ready to spin out: vengeance and redemp-
tion. The story ends in failure with personal ramifications,
but the players can continue to contribute to the resolution
and are active parts of the storytelling event.

Scoreci\rds
The last one standing wins. But what if both opponents
still stand when the dust clears? Does that mean the fight
goeson?Not necessarily. One side may be defeated, but that
doesn't mean he or she is out of the game completely or
incapable of action. What if both sides are down? Did the
one who took the least damage win? Can you even measure
something like that?

ChapterTwo:YouHearSomething? 49
1

~II
Sometim", inteq>reting the outcome

the murderer, so you win - but the Technomancer who

of a "ory
climax is as challenging as the actual conflict. You killed

ordered the murders gets away scot-free. Now that you're

onto the real killer, you can guard against her efforts.
,
However, you can't prove anything! The scapegoat is dead
and you aren't strong enough to wrest the truth from the
Technomancer. In the end, she didn't even have to payor
dispose of the assassin. You took care of that for her. So
who's the real winner here?
Ultimately, it doesn't matter much who "wins" or
"loses." Such terms are highly subjective, anyway. If you're
pleased with the outcome of a story, you win. You may not
have accomplished what you set out to (perhaps your
brother's killer wasalready dead when you found her, soyou
couldn't exact yourrevenge), but youget something asgood
or even better (youfind out why your brother died and come
to terms with his death).
If you aren't satisfied with the story's outcome, you
"lose" - for now. But there are always opportunities for
rematches and revenge in storytelling. ~ :t
A lot of resolution is based on attitude. Some people
find the good in any situation and always win at leasta
minor victory. Others see only the negative and always
consider themselves to have lost. In Mage, where the power
of mind and will alter reality itself, successor defeat trulyis
a matter of perspective and what you choose to accept.

Chc.n~e
No matter what the result of a story or conflict, whether
the characters win or lose, the world changes. After all,
transformation is the essence ofMage. In Dark-Adventure
terms, things should never return to "the way they were
before." The status quo should never be maintained. No
one should be just as secure or vulnerable as he was before
a story began. If characters themselves don't grow, learn,
falter or fail at the end of a story, that tale has lacked the epic
scope that makes Dark Adventures worth playing.
Dark-Adventure heroes are faced with extreme situa-
tions. They must dedicate themselves fully to the dangersat
hand, which is immensely draining, requiring every bit of
energy and focus. If characters put that much of themselves
into something, they are affected profoundly when it's all
over, regardless of whether they succeed or not. It mightbe !
necessary to sacrifice something a character holds dear- f
a person, an object, a belief-in order to succeed. (A mage
who has sworn to protect all life may have to kill, or
someone may have to pass on a chance for revenge and I
allow an enemy to escape.) Personal efforts and sacrifices
make characters - and players - into different people: I
relieved, tormented, placated, regretful. The point is,some-
thing about the players, the characters or the game world
changes; each story puts its own brand upon the game,
t Wait!
The story draws to a close. It's time to put away the
characters,the setting and the game. Or is it? There's always
moreto tell, more to do. In fact, you may simply intend to tell
astoryand actually start down the road of a chronicle just by
virtueof playing.
have
II~
enjoyed the game and really gotten into the
setting, they might want to play it again with different
characters. Telling a story again is exciting because it
gives both players and Storyteller a chance to experi-
ence things from completely different perspectives.
You can also tell stories from both sides. A game
.
There's also the idea of a spinoff series. If the players
~
~
~

In the case of the young mages struggling against Morrigan's

--
that pits Tradition characters against a Technocracy
druidsand the influence of the powerful entity inhabiting the
plot could be followed up with a story about T echnoc-
torque,the characters might destroy the artifact and eliminate
racy characters recovering from a recent setback.
allthe druids - or think they do. Sequel time! What if one
Experimenting with story perspectives allows the play-
druidlives and Morrigan channels into him? Now she's not
ers to enjoy new characters, attitudes and abilities in the
onlyout to take over the world (again!), but she has a pretty
very world they already know.
heftyscore to settle with the mages! Really believable Dark-
Adventure antagonists just don't walk off the scene calmly, like When you come right down to it, adventure is all
theydo in Scoaby Daa - really good enemies never stop with, about trying new things and seeing where they take you.
The results can be pure magick - or some neat special
"And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for
effects, but this is Dark Adventure, so who can tell ?If it's
thosemeddling kids!"
fun, who cares?
So, can the now more experienced characters find the
possesseddruid and stop Morrigan's next plot before they fall
preyto her bloodlust? Tune in next time!

"

ChapterTwo:YouHearSomething? 51
..
 ~~
I-

Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. .. Security is mostly

a superstition. It does not exist in nature.
- Helen Keller, The Open Door

REALITY DEVIANT light shines faintly from behind their eyes, but the light never
reaches their steely grins.
ALERT! COORDINATES: 6 N-
Behind my shades, my own eyes Pick out clues: Those "ate,
60 V - 100 H. INITIATE TER, your,cat,ha,ha" grins. Poses more a7Togant than those of
MINAL MEASURES run,of-the-mill exos. Unhealthy tinges of gray in their otherwise
To the naked eye, the pair in front of me flawless skin. They both ca7TYa faint scent of decay, too... not
are friendlies. I even recognize them from meals death, exactly (I've met my share of walking corpses) , but a far
in the Construct cafeteria: a pair of exo,jocks cry from the antiseptic buzz you normally catch around Xers.
straightnamed Bruce and Patti. I always won' ANALYZE THREAT - FULL ASSESS,
dered if they caught the irony of their nicks. MENT, I mentally command the devo-scanner. To the
According to the devo,scanner, though, they're sporting more exos, I offer a friendly, "Hey, guys! What's going on?"
thanregulation hardware, and their smiles look pretty sick for a
"This is a restricted area, Agent Randall," chirps Patti.
pairof Xers. Normally, their type have a faraway look to them. "You should know we can't let you through."
Thispair radiates hardcore malice.
"Yeah," seconds her companion. God, I'll bet they even
I always wondered how I'd do in a square,off with an exo. screw in stereo. If cyborgs screw, that is.
Now it looks like I'll find out.
I tender my best "I'm with the Govemmentand I'm here to
"Hi, Agent Randall!" Patti's greeting is sharp and flat as a help you" smile, waiting on the devo,prog to peel away the
blade.Bright and cold as one, too. Bruce steps back a bit, flexing disguises from these two. "Orders suggest I get my tired ass to
slightlyin that he,man affectation bodybuilders seem to love. Red Sector Y before 05 :00. You know how important orders are."

ChapterThree:Boom!
I~ ~II ..
~
~
oW, """n',
authorizationpass?"
notifW'" B""" ;""""'. "Whe,l, """

I fish out the all-purpose flash I carry for citizens. T echnos

Great.I alwayswondered
howwellI wouldthrowdo:~
against a borgie. As their miniguns slide into place and my
holdout spits a G5 Needler into my palm, I figure I'll find out
are usually harder to fool, but exos aren't known for their brain how I'll do against two....

~
Ii
capacity. A quick press on the keypad and the pass grants me
instant access to the lab behind the borgies. "Priority B," I add
Waves of War

I
for emphasis, giving the statement a firm gravity.
Any normalcitizenwouldlet merightthrough.I'm goodat Security is particularly absent in the world of the mage.
my job. These two just sneer like cats. I hate cats. Despite (or because of) the titanic power that individual
- "That spook paper might be goodfor cops and tourists," sorcerers wield, security among the Awakened is truly an
- Pattisays, chiPperas a stewardesson ecstasy, "but you should illusion. A mage might shut herself away in a distant
know better than to flash it at us." Subtle clicksbetrayhidden monastety (as many Akashics do), wander the Otherworlds
weaponsshiftinginto place. .
alone (as many shamans do) or sequester herself in a hidden
"We have to report you now, you know," Bruce adds, Realm (as many wizardsand Technocrats of all descriptions
equally chiPper. "Certain people will want to know what you're do), but sooner or later, the tides of conflict wash up on her
doing here."
shores.
Where the hell is that analysis? I need to know... . Sometimes those tides rise from local currents, from
ALERT! SENSORS INDICATE COR, dope dealers, eager cops, mystick rivalries or rampaging
Bygones;other times, they swell up from deep waters, from
RUPTION ON A MOLECULAR LEVEL: the shadow-games of vampires and their ilk, the contestsof
CONTRABAND BIO, TECHNOLOGY, great Umbrood, or from the eternal Ascension conflict.
PSYCHO,EMANA TIONS OF A HOSTILE Regardless, adventure is the mage's lot. Granted, a young
NATURE AND TRACES OF mystick is most likely to go jumping off cliffs and ducking
COUNTERPROCEDURE X5. FITS PROFILE gunfire, but some challenges - mad dragons, Technocratic
purges and the like - are beyond the means of lesser
OF SUSPICIOUS OPERATIVES.RESPOND magicians. Only the most powerful mages can stand against
WITH EXTREMECAUTION. TERMINATE thosewaves!
IF POSSIBLE 1
 ba,btmy. Within
II~
each ,ugge"ion. the "Optio","

offers several variations on the basic concept, and "Re-

sources" details other books that might come in handy
when running the story.
Enjoy!
""ion
..
~
Gener)1Stories
When your chronicle needs jazzing up, That's part of the advantage of a mortal antagonist.
when the guys are on their way over for a While a powerful magus or vampire elder might try to take
knock-down session, when the heaviness of matters into his own hands, a mortal who goes up against
paradigm-shifting and esoterica has left you the forces ofthe night probably has enough sense to keep his
~J a bit foggy, these "generic" adventures make head down. He might not even know what he's up against
great pick-me-ups. The specifics are left for - surely there's no such thing as magick! - only that his
you to decide; they could involve Tradition opponents have resources and talents that make them
dust-ups, Technocratic missions, survival formidable. And as any smart fighter knows, it's best to go
runs for independent magi, consor tasks or in quietly if your opponent can blow you to hell. Smart
even (should you care to run them) unholy strategies include conspiracies ("It's in our best interests to
jaunts for Mad or Fallen characters. eliminate those cultists, don't you agree?");stooges ("Here's
$1000. Kill that man!"); societal pressure ("My fellow
citizens, these people are a threat to us all!"); betrayal ("1
"Mr.Bi~ Is Vnhc.ppy. know we were friends, but times change.. .."); misdirection
VeryVnhc.ppy" ("What are you talking tome for?He's the guyyou want!");
seduction, sexual or otherwise ("A $10,000 raise ifyou work
Some important Sleeper has a grudge against the
forme.. ..");sabotage ("Why doesn't myATMcardwork?"),
mages.Maybe he's the mayor from Chapter One, waging a or a combination of the above.
crusadeagainst "satanic cultists"; or perhaps he's a gang
bosswhose operations have been upset by the cabal's How far is he willing to go? Your call. Maybe he just
activities.He might be a street crazywith lots of friends, a wants something the mageshave, like an ancient artifact or
rich eccentric with subtle resources, a police chief who a mystical tome. Perhaps he simply demands an apology, or
knowstoo much, or a witch-hunter who thinks he under- a duel "to the first blood" in which no one suffers great
standswhat he can't even comprehend. "He" could be a harm. He could be looking for information, like a reporter
"she,"of course, or even a "they." The important elements scooping a big story or a detective pursuing a lead. He might
arethe powerfulmortal adversary,the grudge,the adversary's be a thrill-seeker who desperately wants a piece of the
resources,and the means to give the characters hell. action, even if he has to fight for it. Or he could be deadly
The adversary in question isn't stupid. Chances are he serious - a disowned child, a survivor of a magickal fight,
knowsbetter than to simply send a team of stooges in to get a person orphaned by the activities of the mages, or a
wronged or jealous lover. Conventional morality may sym-
creamed(although such diversions might tell him what he
needsto know about the characters). An enemy who says, pathize with the opponent - ifa wizardkilled your mother,
"Here 1 am, assholes!" to rivals who can use Correspon- you'd want blood, too! The authorities might very well take
dence or Time is dead meat. A really effective "Mr. Big" his side... especially if he can prove that the mages are a
threat to society. Decide on your antagonist's motivations
ought to remain hidden - too hidden to be traced by
and you understand what he's willing to do to fulfill them.
magick. His resources should include legal allies (cops,
lawyers,judges and the press), illegal allies (gangs, terror- "Mr. Big" adventures work best as short stories sand-
ists,private enforcers), political influence (press coverage, wiched between long-running plots. For extra spice, tie the
religiousinstitutions, "favors") and hard cash. He probably tale to something that happened in a previous session:That
sets up a screen of allies and misdirections around his kid killed in the firefight? She was the senator's daughter.
operations, too - a bad guy who sends his goons around to Those thugs who were trashed a few weeks ago? They've
"delivera messagefrom Mr. Big" isn't in business for long. formed a pact with other gangs and have sworn to kill the
The mages may not even know what hits them, why, or mages or die trying. "Mr. Big" doesn't have to be a remote
where the next blow is coming from. figure, either. A story in which the antagonist turns out to
be a disgruntled friend can be very powerful indeed....
 .
~
~
Bi
~II
0 p1~~~~cle could be built amuu d a my",eriou, au tago-
nist (or group of them) who dogs the sorcerers everywhere
they go. Every so often, another scheme causes the charac-
ters some degree of heartbreak. As they search for the source
of their problems, the enemy blindsides them with new and

I== more devious attacks. As soon as they think they know his
M.O., "Mr.Big"changeshis tactics.
Maybe "Mr. Big"has already won. Perhaps the charac-
ters are on the run from an enemy they don't even know
exists. The HIT Marks who trashed their Chantry were sent
there on a tip from "Mr. Big,"even if he himself didn't know
what he was sending against his opponents. As they recon-
struct what went wrong, the magesmight discover they had
- and still have - a secret enemy. But who, why and
where? What can even a wizard do against a foe she can't
see?
"Mr. Big" might not know who he's fighting, either.
Chances are, he assumes the Awakened Ones are a bunch
of annoying kids, pesky cultists or bad cops. What might he
do if his operations uncover some Ascension War secrets,
like Technocratic Devices or a magickal grove?Might he go
to the police ?The government? The press?What ifhe isthe
police, government or press...? Oh my, this could get
complicated... .
R..esources
The Book of Mirrors, Destiny's Price, Succubus
Club, The Orphans Survival Guide, Ascension's Right
Hand, Halls of the Arcanum, Project: Twilight, The
Inquisition or The Hunters Hunted.

To WalkUnhindered
Shores
On the distant side of the Gauntlet lie lands ripe for
adventure: LostRealmslike the Hollow Earth and Midrealmj
wildernesses like the Seasonal Realms and Vali Shallarj
esoteric planes like the Grand Hall, the Well of Souls or the
Mayaj and nightmares like the Hells, the Underworld and
the distant Shade Realms. A cabal of plane-hopping magi
can have all kinds of adventures, be they Void Engineers,
Etherites, shamans or Verbena Wyck-travelers. All you
need to do is get them beyond the Gauntlet, then provide
them with a task and a place. The possibilities are literally
endless from there.
The nature of the task depends on what your mages do
and what they want. A group of Etherites could seek the
Lost City of the Goro Monks, while an anxious squad of
BCD marines might track a particularly noxious breed of
"alien." A Deep-Universe expedition force could search for
new worlds to colonize, while a pack of Verbena might
journey to the Autumn Realm for a festival. Whatever the

Tales of Magick

T ..~
 Spirit
Digitalconfronts
Web, andheronly
ownthe
II~
Imev",- a mage who ventu"" into the Shade Realm 01
Avatar,
wisesttime passescan
travelers slowly
.
in the
reach
Astral Epiphanies. It's a rare mage who understands all the
the

laws of the "land," and as the Storyteller, you can add a few
new ones he might not have heard about. Any Otherworld
is an adventure in itself. Add a quest, a rival and a sense of
~
~
~

urgency, and you have an epic in the making!

Options
Otherworld adventures make excellent crossover sto-
--
ries, especially for Magel Werewolf, Magel Changeling or
Magel Wraith. With a good uniting purpose and a bit of
expertise on the part of the characters, you could make an
entire chronicle out of an Otherworlds quest. Imagine a few
Verbena, Ecstatics and fae pursuing a Bygone through the
High Realms. Or a Hermetic journey to an elemental
Court, accompanied by sidhe nobles and a Stargazer
werewolf. Or a stranded Void Engineer meeting with the
ghosts of previous explorers. Or a Marauder woman literally
running with the {were}wolves....
Back on the Earthly side of the Gauntlet, some spirits
might begin to make themselves... annoying. Prodded by
circumstance, the characters cross the Barrier to stop the
problem at its source. If the spirits have a way of crossing
over easily - a dimensional rift, a Node, a strange holiday
when the Gauntlet lowers - this option might wind up as

p
j//

IJ~. /~ .
/ /
mr~~ 7'0I/

/
./ . ,/
ChapterThree:Boom! 57
I
.
~
~

.-
~
~
D1
-
mages
~II
a mad Gauntlet-hopping ch"", between the &u,trn"d
and this
to create, theiradventure
quarry. Depending
could be on the mood
a whimsy you want
(think
Nightmare Before Christmas), a madcap farce (think
The

Beetlejuice), an eerie jaunt (think Sliders), or a horror-show

(think Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors).
Even without spirit tricksters, an Umbral quest might
be nightmarish enough for even the hardiest of wizards.
Perhaps a Paradox Realm has swallowed one of the charac-
ters and the others have to find him. Maybe a loved one has
those stakes should be pretty high - drama comes fro:
near-death escapes, not inconveniences. The player-mages
might be given over to witch-hunters, like the First Cabal
which was betrayed by one of its own; they might be
exposed as "abominations" in front of frightened Sleepers;
they could be literally shot in the back or cut down in an
alley ambush. On a more subtle note, they could be turned
over for "re-education" or "re-training" at the hands of a
harsh taskmaster. Even ridicule, the weapon that stings but
does not kill, can come from trusted sources and could cost
.
made a bargain with unholy (or holy) powers; after the devil a mage important status.
(or angel) has collected his due, the mageswant to get their When you set your betrayal plot in motion, choose
friend back. Or perhaps the life of an innocent depends on your villain's motivations well. Even the most treacherous
a secret formula... one that depends on ingredients from an people rarely consider what they're doing to be "eviL"
alternate dimension. Again, it doesn't matter which "side" Rather, your villain might justify his actions as necessary
your players prefer. Provided the Gauntlet can be crossed, sacrifices to the Greater Good ("They might die, but the
anyone can adventure in the Otherworlds. Construct will hold"), housecleaning ("They're just trouble-
makers"), expedience ("Things will move with essential
Resources speed once those guys are gone"), or as sad necessity
Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds, Umbra: ("Omelets and eggs and all that"). The cabal, of course, sees
The Velvet Shadow, Digital Web 2.0, Horizon: Strong- things differently... but then, different perceptions are
hold of Hope, The Book of Madness, The Book of wha~ Mage is all about.
Chantries, Technocracy: Void Engineers, Sons of Ether,
Sea of Shadow or Book of Lost Dreams. Options
Although the obvious tack to take with a betrayal-
Betri\yed! based scenario is to cry "You're screwed" and pour on the
firepower, a subtle, secretive deception might work even
Magick brings power. Powerfeedsgreed. Greed spawns better. A few returned checks, a "routine" tax audit, a round
a downward spiral of selfishness. Thus, many of the most
of snickering when the characters enter Marianna's ban-
powerful wizards are extraordinarily selfish - not all of
quet hall the players know something's wrong, but they
them, but enough to make a mage's life... interesting.
don't know what it might be. When the betrayer also
Now this selfishnesshas rebounded against the players' happens to be a mage, you can work in all kinds of mischief:
characters. Some powerful mage (or group of mages) has the hallucinations that begin when the hero tries to medi-
decided to use the players' cabal in his power games. tate; the secret-invention plans that "just happen" to be
Perhaps the characters have angered the Hermetic Master leaked to Paradigma; the reports that "just happen" to get
of their Chantry once too often. Maybe they've spoken out lost between the Operative's hand and the supervisor's
against injustices within the Convention, or pursue an desk; the Paradox backlash that strikes when the hero needs
"unorthodox" style of science. Maybe they're just consid- hermagick most. As Tolkiensaid, wizards".. .are subtle and
ered expendable. Whatever the reason, the characters are quick to anger." Begin your adventure with subtle treachery
stranded or backstabbed, left behind by someone they and let your players discover it through hard work... ifthey
trusted. The Dark Adventure is twofold: First, the mages discover what's going on at all.
have to survive their predicament. Then they have to find
Once they do, you can spice up the action by making
who set them up, and fix things so that nothing like that will
the traitor a well-protected ally. Great! Dr. Spence dicked
ever happen again....
you over! What're you gonna do, attack him? So The
This story worksjust aswell (if not better) for Techno- Matriarch fed your amalgam to the werewolves; do you
cratic groups as it does for Tradition or independent ones. have what it takes to pull her plug and live to tell about it?
Mages who pay little attention to authority figures might If you speak out against Red Cloud's treachery, it's your
simply be betrayed by friends, trusted associates, word against his. He's an elder, you're just a spoiled new
Chantrymates or even masters; Technocrats, especially kid You get the idea. To gain any measure of peaceor
ones with a sense of duty and conscience, may be sold out satisfaction, the characters have to either strike back care-
by their supervisors, their Symposium or even their Con- fully or learn to watch their backs while keeping an eyeon
vention. The closer the characters toe the line, the greater their enemy. They could run, of course, but wouldn't that
the impact of betrayal. just make them look guilty?
The magnitude of the betrayal depends on the stakes Betrayal stories make marvelous crossover adventures,
you want to set. Dark Adventure being what it is, however, too. Imagine the machinations of the vampire prince who
58 TalesofMagick
.
:

v:-~ --
 2 II., ~
' ' ' .,
d d"to d"po" 0f t h"" annoymg magu", d th"""",at-
ingneonatesat the same time. Or the Pentex board member
who'snoticed that the hired help has stumbled onto her
than that. Out
plan, and it who
Technocrat might
Benedict
involve
sellsout
Arnold

hisa Construct
probably
counter-betrayal
h", a backup

to cover- hislike the

escape
~
~
~
Syndicateconnections. Or the ghost who was betrayed by from the surviving Hollow Ones, or the secret Nephandus
thesame guy who left the knife in the mages' backs.... who maneuvers her enemies into fighting each other. If

I-
Treacherymakes a great motivating force to bring different nothing else, your betrayer might have an escape pod ready,
characterstogether. Normally, that Nephandus, the witch, a small army at his side or some other form of "insurance";
theManin Black and the dragon would have nothing to do that Progenitor administrator has a nice new clone that
witheach other. Once the guy who screwed them all over looks just like you. You gonna give him an opportunity to
isdead,they'll probably turn on each other, but for now, use it?
well....
Naturally, confronting the enemy should be danger-
R.esources
ous.While you as the Storyteller could arrange things so The Book of Mirrors, Destiny's Price, Horizon:
thatthe villain waits in his sanctum, ready to be blown to Stronghold of Hope and any of the Tradition or Technoc-
bitsby the heroes, chances are he's a lot more resourceful racy: books.

Current Events
Mage presents a world in motion, where offering them a chance to dance with Destiny... or to fall in
epic events shape the lives of the Awak- its wake.
ened. When Doissetep falls or Technocrat The following events are "official" occurrences in the
battles Technocrat, everyone hears the thun- World of Darkness; if they seem too epic or intrusive to your
der, even if they never see the storm itself. A plans, simply ignore them or modify them as you see fit.
/1 truly adventurous Storyteller might drop Ultimately, the game isyourown. The books merely present
the mages into the heart of the tempest, a backdrop. You perform the play.

Chapter Three: Boom!

 ~II

The Concordi) W)r their paradise, fall before the invaders. Eventually the fight
climaxes in the Council chambers themselves. Before the
In 1466, the Great Betrayer Heylel T eomim Thoabath fight ends, many Council Primi are slain and the city of
was executed body and soul, scattered to the four winds for Concordia is in flames.
crimes against the newly formed Council of Traditions. In
In the "official" chronology of Mage, the Great
the late 1990s, a powerful, mysterious mystick appears out
Betrayer's forces are stopped in the Council chambers bya
of nowhere, claiming to be the reincarnation ofHeylel, and
small but powerful group of Tradition mages. A surviving
declaring war upon both Traditions and Technocracy alike.
colleague of Heylel's pronounces the invader an impostor
With puzzling displays of magick, he commandeers the
and kills him/her. Once the battle ends, the rebuilding
airwaves and issues an ultimatum to the Council and Inner
begins. A new Council must be chosen, stragglers mustbe
Circle: Surrender or die! In the same message, he invites
pursued across the vast reaches of Horizon's Realm, rivalries
young mages to rebel against their elders, to shake off the
must be quelled and a new Concordia must be constructed.
Ascension War's genocide and replace the corrupt old
Despite the unifying nature of the task, splinter groupstake
wizards with fresh faces and new ideas. Although most
the invasion as an opportunity to address old quarrels -
people ignore him, a dedicated few join "Heylel," storm the
, sometimes with intrigues, assassinations, looting or vandal-
Council's home city of Concordia, and lay waste to the
, citadel. (As portrayed in The Fragile Path and A War in
ism of the wards.
A further complication arises when a group of Hollow
Heaven.)
Ones is discovered among the dead invaders. Led by an
i The fight is the most brutal conflict Horizon has seen
influential Darkling, Jeremy Case, the group includesa
since the Daedalean invasion of 1475. Magical beasts and
number of former Hollow emissaries to the Council; using
hovercraft wage a desperate battle in the skies as young
their prior trips and privileged access, Case and his follow-
rebels and their Council elders hurl spells and maledictions
ers led the rebels straight into Concordia. Although many
at each other. A bizarre band of shapechangers runs amok,
of the Darklings were killed in the fight, Case himself
ripping Concordia's defenders to bits. Although the Realm's
escapes, along with a pack of Orphans and Tradition
citizens outnumber and outpower the forces of "Heylel,"
renunciates. After the smoke clears, defenders of the Coun-
the attackers have surprise, ferocity and years of experience
cil must track Case's band through the wilderness ofHorizon
on Earth's battlegrounds. The Council forces, isolated in

60 TalesofMagick
:
I......
. C"-- ~
 Resources
II~
Horizon: Stronghold of Hope, The Fragile Path, The
Ascension Warrior and War in Heaven (both novels), and
possibly The Orphans Survival Guide.
. ~
~

-I
Options
If you want to take your chronicle "out of time," you
or the Ruins
The W C'ar
couldrun the invasion itself. Although brief, this epic clash Doissetep has fallen... from the inside out. The Shade
becomesone of the largest battles of the Ascension War, Realm of Forces and the ruins on Mars are up for grabs. (See
andironically pits Tradition mages against each other. In a The Ascension Warrior and The Book of Worlds, Chap-
"warchronicle," the outcome of the fight is uncertain. It ter Five.) Once the smoke clears, the scavengers move in:
couldbe that "Heylel" wins, displaces the Council and Hermetics hope to salvage something from the greatest
shiftsthe entire balance of the mystick conflict. . .. Chantry in existence; other Tradition mages try to scare up
Although it might seem proper to place the players' some loot or to rescue survivors; Vaid Engineers take
characters as the Realm's defenders, "Hey leI" has a legit i- advantage of Doissetep's broken wards to descend on the
matepoint. The Traditions are corrupt. The Primiare mired ruins; and, of course, Fallen Ones - who dwell in the Void
ininternal politics. The Ascension War really isa genocidal - hope to capture a strong link to the Earthly plane.
mess.Young magi truly are the future. Perhaps this "Great For several months, the War of the Ruins rages across
Betrayer"has the right idea. Maybe your heroes want to join Mars' dusty surface and in the cataclysmic storm-Realm of
him/her. They might be Orphans, renunciates, Hollow the planet's shadow. Etherships, Void Engines, Bygones
Onesor simply Tradition mages who've become disgusted and mind-shattering obscenities converge on the area,
withthe status quo. A rebellion-based chronicle provides a hopping between the tempestuous Realm and the barren
lot of high drama, as former apprentices face off against planet. Demented spells and high-powered hypertech,
theirpast masters, old grudges ignite and former friends and magicks far too vulgar for Earth to withstand rip the
lovers clash. If the cabal has had experience with the Martian night. No Umbral war has ever been so fierce, no
Council Primi (either good encounters or bad ones), that clash so open since the early days of the Ascension conflict.
experience can throw the rebellion into a whole new light. Dozens of mages and hundreds of spirits, consors, alien
Wars don't simply go away when the shooting stops. entities and walking enigmas pick the bones of Doissetep.
Their echoes resound across the landscape for years, often If your characters are strong enough, brave and enough and
decades. If the Concordia War is over, your Dark Adven- crazy enough, they might join the fight.
tures could center on post-war intrigues, the rescue of How do they get there? As usual, that depends on the
injured or enchanted parties, occasional spats between characters. If they're members of a Technocratic amalgam
Traditions, or hunts for surviving rebels. The mages might or strong supporters of their Tradition, they might simply be
be asked to track down escapees in the mortal world and issued marching orders and be transported to the front. If
haul them back to Concordia for justice... which raises they're independents, they could arrive in any number of
questions about how much authority a hyper-powerful ways - an Ethership, an Umbral gateway, a long, twisting
cabalof Otherworldly magi ought to have back in the mortal walk in the spirit worlds, or a portal that once led to
world. Doissetep but now leads to its shell. The war rages on both
Not all of the invaders have left, of course. The char- sides of the Martian Gauntlet, so there's very little chance
acters could search for Jeremy Case instead, trying to that they get to the ruins without being swept up in the
minimize the effects of his guerrilla campaign while keeping conflict.
the three entrances of Horizon barred. Maybe Case man- Once they arrive, the mages have to deal with two of
ages to send for help and a new band of attackers creeps the most hostile environments imaginable. On the Martian
through the Otherworlds to assault the Realm. You could side, extremely hot and cold temperatures, thin atmosphere
muddy the waters further and cast the mages as Case's own and constant storms turn the planet into a mirror of HelL
"troops," as rebels against the CounciL Now they have to An active volcano, ripped from the rock by the destruction
get home alive, or maybe continue the war in a hit-and-run of the Chantry and the subsequent War, sends pillars of fire
fashion... a brutal option in a grand, wild Realm where and streams oflava cascading across the area. In the Umbral
everyone hates them. And what if Case is insane, a mega- overlap, the "normal" tempests of S.R. Forces spin wildly
lomaniac Colonel Kurtz who fights to your last breath? The out of controL The bombardment of magicks and the
players might find themselves on a truly Dark Adventure untethered hatred of the combatants whip the land into a
then.... frenzy. In the chaos, elemental spirits rush among the
warriors, killing and maiming indiscriminately. Some sor-
cerers try to bind these Umbrood into service, but others

ChapterThree:Boom! 61

..-"~'
..
~
~II.
prefer to hide. Although the air is breathable on this side,

the wind, lightning and firestorms reach Biblical propor-

wasteland.
.

tions. Without magick, no human can survive long in this

The combatants who remain include some of the most

..l2i1r~% 9b I

I-
ruthless war cabals in the T ellurian. Dressedin heavy armor
or cloaked in survivor's magick, they brave the tempest in
small, determined packs, sabotaging each other's outposts
or waging short, savage firefights. A few magicians (mostly
Nephandi, but occasionally Marauders) ride dragons,
Raamas Ka and even the odd Watchers in the Deep (see
The Bygone Bestiary and The Book of Worlds, respec-
tively) into battle, ripping into all sideswith equal ferocity.
Between the elements and the constant attacks, the armies
have a hard time keeping installations intact. The Etherite
outpost that once investigated the Martian civilization has
become Fortus Fitz-Empress, a heavily shielded barracks
and armory named in honor of Master Porthos of Doissetep.
Three prefab Void Engineer security outposts are set up and
reinforced - Martian Venture Security Stations Beta,
Delta and Epsilon - and several others have been annihi-
lated. Deep in the rock, a Nephandic Labyrinth, Kasaa
Shaaron, is dug by a troop of animated corpses. New gates,
wards and portals are thrown up and torn apart every day,
and the few warriors who have survived more than a week
in this Otherworldly hell act like Rambo on crack. New
recruits are alwayswelcome, but aren't given much respect.
On Mars, you earn respect by surviving your tour of duty.
Weirdly enough, most of the survivors consider this
essentially voluntary mission a military operation. Falling
into a hard-bitten soldier's mindset, they dig themselves
into their own private purgatories. It's as if the frustration
of keeping the Ascension War "quiet" back on Earth has
erupted on Mars. The result is a demented cross between
Apocalypse Now, King Lear and the War of the Ring.
Newcomers may be swept into the madness quickly; the
Resonance of the war, the Forces Realm and the lingering
self-annihilation of Doissetep birth an emotional storm
that matches the elemental one. Here, aUpassions - hate,
fear, even love and lust - ignite into violence. No one can
come here and walk away unscathed.
In the distance of the Void, a bright-red star appears in
the deepest reaches of space. According to the charts of the
Voids and Etherites alike, this star is new. It shines brighter
in the Shade Realm, but anyone on Mars can see it. The
appearance of the star heralds an almost frantic rash of
celebrations among the Fallen; every few days, they hold
wild orgies and excruciating sacrifices in honor of
"Qwl'haqqa," an entity they claim resides at the juncture
between "what was," "what is" and "what will be." Suppos-
edly, this god/spirit/demon inspires all the other demonic
hordes with the example of its ineffable madness. Captured
Nephandi speak of the coming arrival ofQwl'haqqa, who is
supposedly growing larger, bringing the Final Unification

62 TalesofMagick

~/~~
 II~ ~
~ betWeen
light and darkness; past, present and future. Sev-
eralVoid ships and Ethercraft sent off to affirm the nature
ofthis star disappear.
ch"""" an adventure,.t in the ruim of Do;"e'ep
to be a harrowing and exciting experience.
Q.esources
prom"", ~
~
Who's the villain of this adventure? Take your pick!
Therival groups are obvious enough, and they attack each The Book of Chantries, Beyond the Barriers: The
othernight and day with very little warning. Walls melt, Book of Worlds, Technocracy: Void Engineers, Sons of
headsexplode, mystick wards collapse and titanic creatures Ether or The Book of Madness.
descendfrom the sky (or rise from the rock) with nauseating
regularity.Within the ranks of the "good guys," new villains Pro jecf Invicfus I-
await- battle-hardened commanders, war-shocked mad-
men,possessed berserkers and treacherous comrades. Maybe
the camp guards decide that the characters are too suspi-
Not that the Technocracy is without its own internal
problems. As Technocracy: Syndicate reveals, the Special
-
Projects Division, a small but influential branch of that
ciousto be left alone. Perhaps two allied rivals decide to
fightit out among themselves, splitting their camp. The
Convention, holds ties to the world-corrupting multicorp
Pentex. Forseveral years, the links between this semi-secret
mageshave to prove themselves, no matter which side they
corporation and the moneybox of the Technocracy have
mightfavor, and that proving is arduous. And what hap-
been shrouded by diversions, influence, Wyrm magic and
pensif you introduce a betrayer to the camp? No weapon is
toosubtle or too vicious - not for the Warriors of the hypertech. Recently, a few dedicated Technocrats have
weeded out the truth from between the lies. The Techno-
Ruins,and not for you.
cratic Union, a bastion of order safeguarding the Masses,
Options has been infiltrated by Reality Deviants of the worst kind.
With mind-body-and-soul warping efficiency, these Devi-
Perhaps your characters end up on Mars by accident.
ants spread a taint of contamination throughout the Union.
Urn,oops... now what? Well, for starters, they have to get
(See Technocracy: Syndicate, pages36-40, 54-56 and 64.)
home- not an easy thing to do when you're under siege,
An open conflict within the Syndicate would be disastrous,
especiallywhen that siege occurs in deep space. Provided
but something must be done.
thecabalsurvives the battles it's sure to encounter, it has a
longadventure just trying to get home. That "something" is Project Invictus, a deeply secre-
tive counterstrike against the Special Projects Division and
Doissetep was a massive stronghold in an even more
its allies. Since no one knows how high the corruption runs,
monumentalRealm. Surely there were survivors of the
the project has been masterminded by a small group of
devastation.Maybethe characters were actuallyinDoissetep
influential Technocrats. Skillful, trusted Operatives have
whenthe final fight went down, and have hidden in the
been assigned to infiltrate the SPD's ranks and facilities,
ruinsformonths, sustained by magick and the massivefood
contain suspicious projects, obtain proof of corruption and
warehousesof the Chantry. Will the mages who discover
the parties responsible, and neutralize Reality Deviants
theplayers'characters be friendly, or will they try to kill,
without exposing the mission.
enslave,shanghai or sacrifice any survivors?
It's a fantastically dangerous game, and the stakes are as
What about those survivors? Doissetep was home to
high as the future of humanity itself. The Syndicate admin-
dozensof wizards(many of them damned-near insane) and isters world financial matters; an internal war would almost
hundredsof servants, consors and magical beasts. What
certainly spill over into the global marketplace, smashing
havethey been doing since the Chantry self-destructed? Do
economies like crockery. Although the SPD is provably
theyneed help? Do they want help or have they adjusted to
contaminated, the rest of the Syndicate mayor may not be
theirnew lives?What if a powerful wizardhas gone insane
affected. The Technocrats in charge of Invictus don't dare
and stumbled across the library of Porthos or the secret
provoke the Cash Convention, especially since many Syn-
weaponsof Caron Mustai? A fascinating "post-holocaust"
dicate Ops are probably innocent. Invictus strikes must be
chroniclecan run through the shattered halls of Doissetep;
small, quiet and untraceable. Operatives have been in-
thecharacters exist in half-light, clad in rags, and dodging
structed to make the damage look like Reality Deviant
spirits,lava flows, elemental disturbances, other survivors attacks, and to either eliminate all witnesses or to abduct
andwould-be looters. Imagine what a once-ambitious Her-
them for questioning.
metic mage might make of living in the ruins of his
Some of the greatest minds in the N.W.O. have pre-
Tradition's greatest monument... or what a member of
pared a scanning program to detect traces of metaphysical
anotherTradition might do amid thisdisplayof the Council's
corruption (known to werebeasts as "Wyrm taint"), and
incompetence. And what will survivors do when the war-
have set up a grueling interrogation program for captured
riors above manage to break into the area where the
Reality Deviants. Invictus Operatives have been equipped
refugees have hidden? No matter which option(s) you
with these scanners, some capture gear and self-destruction

Chapter Three: Boom! 63

-"- -I
.
~
~

~
Bi
a"""",to>.
~II
An Invic= Op who falb into the hantb
agents is supposed to kill herself (or be killed by her
of SPD

supervisor) before the taint can be spread to her. To keep

the project a secret, very few records of any kind are kept;
teams are briefed by their direct supervisors, and a web of
technomagickal procedures and simple misdirections has

I
been woven to protect Invictus' integrity.
Naturally, the SPD and its allies have noticed the
infiltration. Nobody's perfect, and the Reality Deviants
- suspecttheTechnocracyisontothem.Nooneknowsthe
- detailsaboutanybodyelse,though,andInvictusOpsare
generally good about covering their tracks. At the moment,
both sides fight a covert war in a haze, jumping at shadows
and desperately seeking the enemy before he blows them
away. At the same time, all sides must be subtle. Pentex
cannot reveal its existence and survive, the SPD cannot
function without the rest of the Technocracy, and the
Union cannot risk a market-crashing war. And nobody
wants the Traditions, werewolves or other enemies to find
out about the fight!
What a glorious mess! Options
The heroes of this adventure are agents devoted to the The obvious route for an Invictus chronicle involves
Technocracy - the T echnomancers, HIT Marks and other covert war within the Technocracy. The heroes must keep
Operatives so often seen as faceless enemies. Although a low profile while uncovering obscenities within their own
they'd just as soon shoot a Tradition mage as look at her, ranks - sort oflike a mad mixture of The X-Files, La Femme
these folks are dedicated to protecting the innocent and Nikita (the TV series), Aliens and The Firm. A less obvious
preserving the world marketplace. The abominations within

,~ 1- 64 TalesOfMag~ ~ --="
 II~
might follow th, oxploi" of a T ,clmoctatic group
that stumbles across the SPD's corruption but that knows
nothing of Invictus - or a collection of Operatives affili-
ated with the SPD that either defends the organization
(with members possibly becoming fomori in the process) or
that turns on the SPD when its true nature is discovered.
A variant chronicle could entangle a cabal of T radi-
tion or independent mages in the shadow war. Let's say a
Virtual Adept uncovers the link between Pentex and the
I
Syndicate, then leads her friends on a mission inside the --
conspiracy. Operatives on both sides would be very glad to
waste an outside cabal that knows too much Another
option allows Tradition and Technocratic characters to
ally against Pentex. A really wild game might even create
an alliance of werewolves, mysticks and Technocrats. If
your troupe prefers to play villains, a united but covert
group of fomori and corrupt Technocrats (see Technoc-
racy: Syndicate, pages 61-64) presents a sick but entertaining
option. Either way, the mood of the tale should emphasize
paranoia and a looming sense of menace set amidst the
sterile halls and cavernous warehouses of the SPD.
Everyone's a suspect, no one is safe and gleaming precision
hides eldritch corruption.

R.esources
Technocracy: Syndicate, Book of the Wyrm,
Monkeywrench: Pentex, Freak Legion: A Players Guide
toFomori and Technocracy: The Players Guide (the last
hasnot been published as of this writing, but is underway).

The tlunt for tleleki\r

The idea oflosing a Chantry is troubling enough; if that
Chantry happens to be an ancient stronghold of mystick
killers, that "oversight" becomes a threat to all mages.
When that stronghold also happens to be run by one of the
most powerful wizards in the T ellurian, one who is destined
to curse his slayers, that threat becomes an epic quest: the
Hunt for Voormas, Master of Helekar.
For centuries, Voormas and his cabals of murderers
defended the flanks of the Euthanatos Tradition, hunting
Nephandi, Technocrats and all other threats to the Coun-
cil. Their efficiency, secrecy and dedication to the mystick
cause sheltered them from suspicion. They might have been
pure in their intentions once, but those intentions have
turned deeply sadistic in recent years and the modem
Chantry bears little resemblance to the original "Friends of
the SouL" Now Voormas considers himself a living avatar
of Shiv a, Kali or both, dedicated to the Age ofIron and the
destruction of the modem world. Not long ago, an outcast
Hermetic revealed the depths ofHelekar's depravity. When
the Council sent a mission team to investigate the report,
the Chantry was gone. However, the twisted Realm it had
\ \
\
.
~
~

~
~II
inhabited bo<e pl,nty of proof to mppott the allegatiom.
The hunt began.
Since that time, the floating Chantry ofVoormas has
been spotted here and there. Hovering through the spirit
worlds like a malignant ghost, this citadel alights long
enough to seize a Node or lash out at a Realm before rising
That's where the adventure begins.
Your heroes are on the trail of the Grand Harvester and
his associates. Maybe they've actually been assigned to the
task, perhaps they have some personal grudge, or they
simply cross paths with Helekar by accident. If they want to
take Voormas on, they'd better be powerful - he's an
.
-
into the sky and disappearing. The formidable magicks inhumanly accomplished archmage with a vicious crew of
powering Helekar's flight must be sustained with stolen underlings and a large, flying stronghold. Subtlety and wits
.1 Quintessence; the Chantry's sacred sites were cut off and
seized by the Euthanatos and their allies. To remain free,
might succeed where raw power would fail, though; the
renegades are used to overt challenges or helpless victims,
Voormas must invade other Chantries or link his citadel to and a guerrilla assault might confound them... at least for
Earthly atrocity sites. Unfortunately, there are more atroc- a while. The hunt for Helekar might range from a detective-
ity sites than there are hunters. No one can guard them all. style chase (following the ruins the Chantry leaves behind
Although the Chantry occasionally manifests on the Earthly and second-guessing its next appearance), to a "Holy shit!
side of the Gauntlet, it usually remains hidden on the spirit What's that?" style encounter, to a grudge-match show-
side. Yet even then, the citadel's power bleeds through the down. It'll be a Dark Adventure in the epic sense, a battle
Barriers. Every so often, people in Cambodia, Russia, cen- in a nightmarish citadel, waged against the most vile kind
tral Africa or the North American plains sense a massive, of opponents.
horrific presence nearby - the Resonance of Helekar. The villains of the piece are kind of obvious: Once,
Naturally, the Council has a reward posted for the they were dedicated to cleansing Creation of imperfections,
destruction of the Chantry; the Euthanatos take its activi- but they were carried away by their bloodshed and zeal.
ties as a personal affront, and now dedicate a good deal of Killing became the answer to every problem, and soon it
their resources to tracking down Helekar and purging its began to be fun for its own sake. Now these mages are the
inhabitants. Unfortunately, the Concordia War and other embodiments of Black Magick, living caricatures of the
Earthly concerns have weakened the Traditions' ability to "Good Death" and its adherents. Blood rites, necromancy
do much against the Grand Harvester of Souls. For now, the and exquisite torture have become fine sciences in Helekar's
House of Helekar remains free. halls, and the Grand Harvester of Souls has begun to take
Who's gonna take it down? his job a bit too seriously Despite their spiritual corrup-

f/

~ ~
~---/
y) ~~
!J/
,/
~

66 TalesofMagick

~J~.~
=,~
tionandinconceivable cruelty, Voormas and his fellowsare
notNephandi; in fact, the Fallen have been the subjects of
mostofthe renegades' most horrible experiments. The true
villainshere are reflections of Ascension gone awry, mages
seducedby their own power until nothing else matters.
you intensify
II~
covets the treasures that must be floating within the Chantry.

Bygiving the characters

the dramadifferent reasons
that arises whentothey
chase Voormas,
find him.
Voormas isn't stupid; he's on the run and needs allies.
Perhaps the House of Helekar has struck bargains with
.
~
~
~

I-
The setting isone of the most dementedly magnificent other parties, like Sabbat vampires, Black Spiral Dancers,
placesin the World of Darkness. Voormas' citadel weaves powerful Umbrood or human killers. What if Voormas
Asian,Indian and European elements into a floating monu- spreads his Age ofIron by inspiring serial killings, genocide
mentto insanity. Ornate chambers and exquisite perfumes or even wars? The hunters might have to wade through
contrastwith hellish dungeons and rotting finery. The rivers of blood - metaphorical or literal- before they get
Resonanceof death and sadism has wrapped itself into the anywhere near the Grand Harvester and his people.
wallsthemselves; like the ruins of Doissetep, this place has Before its exposure, the House of Helekar rooted itself
been poisoned by the worst magickal passions. Titanic in several Earthly headquarters. Although the Council has
spellsmove Helekar through the Umbra; a tale that begins been purging those places, there's nothing to keep Voormas
outsideWounded Knee could climax above the plains of from establishing new outposts. Who's to say where he
Malfeasor in the endless skybetween the Astral and Middle might decide to establish his next front? A Bosnian rape
Realms. camp? The streets of Bangkok? The crack house down the
Although a Helekar-based adventure fits the high- street? Imagine the surprise if your mages discover that the
fantasymode, it also demonstrates the ultimate payoff of nightclub they've been hanging around is actually the new
power-gaming:Voormas and his followers grew too power- staging ground for Voormas' Age oflron!
fulin isolation, and became abominations to all for which Like Project Invictus, the hunt for Helekar is a secret
theyonce stood. There's another level to the lesson, too. matter with far-reaching consequences if outside parties get
Someof the hunters on Voormas' trail want to take up involved. If you really want to make a mess, bring a
wherehe left off. Supposedly, the Grand Harvester bears a Technocratic amalgam or pack of Orphans into the hunt.
curse:The person who kills him will become even more Werewolves, vampires, hunter-types... any or all of them
bloodthirsty than he was. Several parties who hunt the could have reasons to join the chase. Hell, imagine what
Masterof Helekar want to see if the prophecy is true... and might happen if a group of un-Awakened cops were to
howbad they'll become if they fulfill it. stumble upon proofofagenocidal archmageand his magickal
citadel- and were to encounter the other wizardswho try
Options to track him down. Or if Voormas were to chuck subtlety
Naturally, the Euthanatos want Helekar purged. The and bring the whole Chantry through the Gauntlet in front
players'characters could be members of that Tradition, or of the Sleepers....
mightbe allieshired on a bounty, or both. Some interesting Did someone say "end of the world"?
conflictsmight arise if the hunters have different motives
forthe hunt: One wants to erase the stain on his Tradition's R.esources
honor, another wants revenge for a friend killed by the The Book of Chantries, Horizon: Stronghold of
house, a third is in it for the money, and a fourth secretly Hope and Euthanatos.

Chapter Three: Boom!

 !J
')
0
 I-

Life creates order, but order does not create life.

- Saint-Exupery, The Pasquier Chronicles

Character Templates
(See also "Stock Characters" in Chap-
The Thug listing can cover any number of character
ter Two.)
types - club bouncers, Blood Dolls, minor gang members,
The following stats represent broad pimps, thieves, serial killers, barroom bullies. More compe-
ranges of character types. Note that any of tent street fighters usually rank as Gangbangers or even
them (including Streetwalker and Call better.
Girl) may be of either gender. The At-
Streetwalker refers to girls and boys who work the
tribute and Ability listings are pretty streets, while the Call Girl/StriPper type covers the better
straightforward; the third listing represents classes of prostitute, specialists (dominas, masters,
additional skills that such characters may submissives) and exotic dancers.
have. Though few have more than two of
Vagabond/Street Person types live by their wits and the
these optional Abilities, experienced specialists might have
kindness of strangers, while the Urban Shaman and Cultist
as many as four. The equipment listings reflect items each
actually have some knowledge of the hidden world and how
given type could have within easy reach. to deal with it.

Type Expl~n~tions Although the Assassin stats represent hyperskilled

human killers (ninja, secret agents, elite hired guns), some
Beat Cop covers the average police officer, while the
of these folks may have powers beyond those of mortal men
Detectiveand SWAT Officer/RiotCop rate specialists at law
enforcement.
 ..
~
~
and women.
Right Hand.)
~II
(See Chap"" Po", and Five of A.cen.ion',

.I.-
Average people have stats of 2 across the board for the
most part, and whatever Abilities their professions might
Detective
suggest (Artistic Expression, Athletics, Craft, Bureaucracy,
~ First Aid, whatever).
BeatCop
. Physical 3, Social 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 2,
Wits 3
. Alertness 3, Brawl 2, Bureaucracy 2, Computer 2,
. Physical 3, Social 2, Mental 2 Dodge 1, Drive 2, Firearms 3, Intimidation 1,
. Alertness 2, Brawl 2, Bureaucracy 1, Computer 1, Investigation 4, Law 2, Leadership 2, Linguistics 1,
Dodge 2, Drive 2, Firearms 3, Investigation 2, Law 2, Lockpicking 2, Melee 1, Police Procedure 4, Stealth 2,
I Leade"hip I. Melee 1, Police Procedure 3, Stealth 1, Streetwise 4, Subterfuge 3, Technology 2
. Computer Hacking 1, Disguise2, Fast-Talk 1, Inter-
-I Streetwise2, Technology1
'Traits-
.

\
rogation 2, Intrigue 1, Scan 2, Search 2, Sense Deception 3

light
. Lt. revolver, handcuffs, radio, lockpicks,badge,flash-
Most~Uppo ,J,.t'::L .
Commoo< :\no' c.haracte~:p~v~,
"'
~
< "Attr .,.utes of 2
' ."
,

f
." ,.,

e"~s SO1J\e,r.eason or
; f' iit.
Th
"'. ,,\.:

,
, , ,,' .", , , .~b

. S WAT Onicer /R.iot Cop

h . aSional 4 \ tiler,' , "

or 3, with t e ~c. 'blbut really unusual). e ' . Physical 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 3,

it (ratings ofS' are'I,>O~sl e, com"'
retty m()~ most badass ' .'
bl ' "are p ld
,,

Appearance 2, Mental 2
following A I [tieS.; ',' 1 d ihthe wor
characters, t 'f th ey 're at alllOvo ve
e ott .ch~ rr'raits. . Alertness 2, Brawl 3, Bureaucracy 1, Dodge 2,
have,twotq[V f
" , ,.,
,',.
"
,

aroun dh t em, ,'" '0," .A r e aK n O w lde ge

'
' Drive 2, Firearms 3, Intimidation 2, Investigation 1,Law2,
DanclOg'
) , , , .
Melee 3, Police Procedure 2, Scan 2, Stealth 1,
Alertness
I
Athletics
'
,
Dnve.,'""",,,n
..'. "',.i'r lk
Past~ 1a.
'
.eul eJsueetx
"" "".. ,

Elear~""" -I,s"do
"'"
"~'P i
1 ',.
~ " ,

"
'

.,
,."..
",

Streetwise 2, Technology 1
. Climbing 2, Demolitions 3, First Aid 2, Heavy
Brawl . Law
, Gambhng Weapons 1, Lockpicking 2, Pilot 2
, CarouslOg
, Lac
' '
k piCk 109 Linguistics '
*'. ""
. Lt. auto pistol, riot vest & helmet, submachine gun
,
h
II ExpresslOn (Slang, Et mc, or pump shotgun, billy club, plastic riot shield or rappelling
Languages)
gear, radio, badge
Melee
Intimidation '\ ",' 1 Thu~
Survival(Urban)
Scrounging . Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2, Social 2,
SecluGtl00
SueetWise Mental 1
..
Subterfuge . Alertness 1, Brawl 3, Dodge 1, Drive 1, Firearms2,
Common Mentt& Flaws Intimidation 2, Law 1, Melee 2, Streetwise 2 to 4
Code of Elonor Addiction . Area Knowledge 2, Carousing 2, Gambling 2, Inter-
rogation 2, Lockpicking 1 to 3, Scan 2, Scrounging1,
Concentration Dark Secret
Stealth 1, Torture 1
Acute Senses Elatred
""
Fast Le arn ~ W.<>"4i!1 . Knife, brass knuckles, club, It, pistol, drugs
\
Black Market rr'ies Ward Gan~banaer
\ police "rr'ies
,.
,
. Strength 3 to 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 to 4,
Underworld rr'ies Social 2, Mental 2
, Allies,Influence and Resourcesare tne only Back- . Alertness 2, Area Knowledge3, Athletics 2,Braw13,
grounds that most street-level Sleepers have. Some un~\ Drive 2, Firearms 2, Intimidation 3, Law 2, Melee3,
characters may possess Destiny, Dream" Mentor or even; \ Streetwise 4
Ate""';! they have' rouch of the 0"""",,1dIy about them- '. . Carousing 2, Dancing 2, Demolitions 2, First Aid 2,
Reallysignificantsupportingcharacters,orun-Awak- ' Gambling 2, Interrogation 2, Investigation 1,Leadership2,
ened protagonists, can bebullI~wid; tne usual mortal Linguistics 1 to 3, Lockpicking 3, Stealth 2, Survival
~ point base, if yoU wiSh. (p/4/~"A,~b9te~, 1,~I'1I~ .t\bili~ i (Urban) 2, Torture 2, Traps 2
ties, 15 "freebiepoints." See AscenSion's Rigbi,Kind, . Hvy. pistol (auto or revolver), submachinegun,
, Halls of theArc;anum, The1:l~te~ Hunted orprojec.t knife, razor or brass knuckles, drugs, gang colors, lots ofcash
Twilight for details.)

Tales of Magick
 II~ ~
S t~ ~:~::
.
~,':~erity 2, Stomina 3, Social 2, PeKep-
tion 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 2
Alertness 1 to 3, Brawl 2, Law 1, Melee 1,
~
.
Seduction 1, Streetwise 2 to 5

.
Athletics 2, Dancing 1, Fast-Talk 2, First Aid 1,
Linguistics 1 or 2, Misdirection 2, Scrounging 1, Search 2
Sleazy clothing, small knife or razor, makeup, purse
or wallet, cheap drugs

Cc.1I Girl/Stripper
I-
. Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Social 3 to 4,

.
Perception 2, Intelligence 2, Wits 3
Alertness 1, Brawl 2, Law 2, Linguistics 1 to 3,
Melee 2, Seduction 3, Streetwise 3 to 5
. Acrobatics 2, Athletics 2, Carousing 2, Culture 1,
Dancing 1 to 3, Disguise 1 (Transvestites), Escapology 2,
Etiquette 2, Expression 2, Intrigue 2, Scan 1, Search 2,

.
Style 2, Torture 2
Provocative clothing (or lack thereof), cosmetics,
mace, drugs, props (whips, restraints, mask, ropes)

Vc.gc.bond/Street Person
. Strength 1 to 2, Dexterity 1 to 2, Stamina 2 to 3,

.
Social 1, Perception 3, Intelligence 1 to 2, Wits 1 to 2
Alertness 2, Brawl 1, Linguistics 1 to 2, Melee 2,
Scrounging 1, Search 1, Stealth 2, Streetwise 2 to 5,

.
Survival (Urban) 3 to 5
Area Knowledge 3, Artistic Expression 2,
Awareness 1, Camouflage 2, Intimidation 2, Intuition 3,
Lore (any kind) 1 or 2, Subterfuge 1 to 4,
Tracking (Urban) 2
. Cast-off clothing, prized possessions (anything from
real valuables to junk), cheap alcohol, concealed weapon
(mace, razor, small knife)

Orbc.n Shc.ffic.n/Cultist
. Physical 2, Charisma 3, Manipulation 2,

.
Appearance 2, Mental 3
Alertness 1, Awareness 2, Brawl 1, Expression 2,
Hearth Wisdom 2 to 4, Intuition 1 to 3, Linguistics 2,
Melee 2, Occult 2 or 3, Stealth 2, Streetwise 3
. Animal Training (Cats, Dogs,Birds,Rats) 2, Artistic
Expression 1 to 3, First Aid 2, Fortune Telling 3, Herbalism
2 to 4, High Ritual 2, Instruction 1, Lore (any) 1 to 3(!),
Misdirection 2, Scan 2, Sense Deception 3; perhaps even 1

.
to 4 in some Hedge Magic Path
Ritual objects (knives, drugs, musical instruments,
icons, beads, paints), ethnic clothing or robes, herbs or
incense, pets
p Assassin
~~ . Physical 3 to 4, Manipulation 3, Perception 3,
Wits 3
. Acrobatics 3, Athletics 3, Awareness 1, Brawl 3 to 4,
Climbing 3, Culture 2, Dodge 3, First Aid 3, Lockpicking 3,
Melee 3, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 2 to 4
. Archery 3, Blind Fighting 2, Camouflage 3, Crafts 2
to 4, Demolitions 3, Disguise 4, Escapology4, Fast-Draw 2,
Fast-Talk 3, Firearms 2 to 4, Herbalism 3, Hunting 2,
Interrogation 3, Mimicry 3, Misdirection 3, Scan 3, Secret
Code Language (Ninja Clan) 2, Seduction 3, SenseDecep-
tion 2, Sign Language (Ninja Clan) 1, Tracking 3, Traps 4
. Appropriate clothes, exotic weapons (custom guns,
metal claws, sai, ninja-to sword, throwing blades), mission
gear (rope, climbing tools, poisons, guns, special devices)

Classic stunts
Everyone pulls off one or two absolutely
amazing feats now and then. Sometimes it's
luck, sometimesit's goodplanning, andsome-
times someone has a trick or two up her
sleeve that no one's expecting. Whatever
the case,here are some suggestionsfor he-
roic - dare we say, even Hollywood-esque
- feats that could save your hero (or your
villain) in the nick of time.
These tricks are available to anyone,
Sleeper or magej magick simply lets the character pull the
stunt off that much more easily. You don't need to beamage
to perform some amazing tricks, and even beginning mages
have somepretty good mojo at their fingertips to help them
out. So long as it suits the flavor of your game, let skilled
mortals fly through the air, guns blazing, just like mages.
Action films are such staples of popular cinema that
the following tricks are usually considered coincidental (if
improbable) if magick is involved. Naturally, a magehasto
cast an Effect before it can help him - such things do not
happen automatically! Generally, a character has to be able
to use either an "action-oriented" focus (a gun, blade, lucky
charm or armored vest) to channel his magick, or work
without a focus at all. It's pretty hard to jump through the
air if you're calling the comers at the same time. For details
about using magick to assist mundane rolls, see "Magick
Enhancing Abilities," in Mage, page 175, and "Magick in
Combat," pages 260-261.
Although the following tricks come directly from the
action-adventure genre, some of them are pretty wild,even
for mages. Depending on the tone you want for your game,
certain stunts might be a little too campy or unrealistic.Feel
free to disallow anything you think goes out ofline. Players
should also feel free to come up with their own heroic feats
- at the Storyteller's discretion, of course.

72 TalesofMagick

C"-.. ~
 -

. Alone in a Crowd: You have enough room to stage Magick: Mind 2 or Forces 2 decreases the difficulty
of the roll.
an uninterrupted fistfightwith your archenemy, even though
you're in the middle of a crowd. It's almost like the crowd
gives you six feet in each direction. People are so nice these
. Bad Aim, Buddy: Bam-babam-babam! How the hell
did those shots miss Vincent and Jules in Pulp Fiction,
days, and they don't even get in the way. anyway?And how did Van Damme duck behind that arrow
System: Manipulation + Intimidation, difficulty in Hard Target?Like them, you manage to step aside just
8. One success: A couple of people pull back to give the before your opponent pulls the trigger... or maybe he has
combatants room. Three successes: Everyone draws away a such terrible aim that he couldn't hit his own face if the
few feet. Five successes: Everyone in the area moves back muzzleof the gun was in his mouth.
about six feet, too awed by the fighters' near-animal ferocity System: Dexterity + Alertness, difficulty 8. Suc-
to even think of getting closer. cess means your opponent missesone shot. This stunt works
Magick: Mind 1 gives one automatic success. only during the first turn of attack.
. And Then...: Everyone's engaged in their own Magick: Correspondence 2, Entropy 1 or Forces 2
conversations, paying no attention to you as you waltz into all decrease the difficulty of this maneuver.
the bar (or restaurant, park, whatever). You start to talk, . The "Broadway": As you and your buddies leap into
telling someone an amazing story; the entire bar falls silent the fight, your moves coordinate perfectly. Punches, kicks,
slowly, listening to you. Now everyone knows about the even gunshots fly in exact synchronicity and fall right on
biggest damn Mexican you ever saw, walking into a bar... the beat. If someone were to turn on a radio, your actions
and you're the one who told them. would fit perfectly with the music. Sharks and Jets, eat your
System: Charisma + Expression, difficulty 8. With hearts out!
each additional success, more and more people drop what System: Dexterity + Alertness or Do, difficulty 8.
they're doing to listen to you. Botch and no one pays any Roll once at the beginning of combat; each success is one
attention. turn in which all characters may act on the best initiative
rolled. If one player rolls a botch, the coordination fails and

Appendix: Bits and Pieces 73

c-"'~\.~
.
~
~
the ch"",cte"
they
may can
attack.
~II
,,]1 "and around looking '",Old.

Magick: Entropy 1 or Mind 2 decreases the stunt-

roll difficulty.
Althoogh
defend that turn, none of the associated characters
. Crumbling Mortar: You throw a rock at a wall,
hoping that the mortar holding the bricks is loose. The
enemy beneath it isn't looking up at the moment, and
maybe he won't notice that a wall is about to fall on him....
System: Perception + Alertness, difficulty 7, fol-
~
..

-I
. The Chow Yun Fat: Leaping through the air with lowed by Dexterity + Athletics or Firearms, difficulty 8.
both guns blazing, you manage to hit multiple targets and The first roll determines whether you see a weak spot; this
land where you want to without getting shot. roll can be modified to take into account darkness, rain,
System: Dexterity + Firearms, difficulty 8; you hit whatever. The second roll is to see if you actually hit the
one target per success, but for only normal damage; no weakspot.The better the roll, the more the mortar crumbles.
additional damage for successes. Possible with pistols or Magick: Entropy 1 or Matter 1 decreases the Per-
SMOs. ception-roll difficulty.
Magick: Entropy 2 or Forces 2 add successes to the . The Duke: There comes a time in every vehicle
attack roll. chase when a seemingly unavoidable barrier - a demol-
. Core Dump: Something about you just invites ished bridge, a stalled truck, a pile of boxes - blocks the
people to pour out their hearts. Sometimes you get valuable character's path. You don't care; with a burst of luck, skill
clues that might aid your search; other times a tragic tale and suicidal determination, you leap the gap, jump the
leads you into a whole new adventure. Either way, things truck or bust through the boxes. Your pursuers probably
just seem to fall into your lap without you even trying. won't be so lucky....
System: Charisma + Intuition, difficulty 8. Pick- System: Dexterity + Drive (or Pilot, if appropri-
ing the right person and offering to buy her a drink is largely ate), difficulty 8. Yes, Willpower can reduce the difficulty
a matter of instinct. of this (or any other) roll. A failed roll wrecks you, and a
Magick: Mind 1 or 2 or Entropy 1 decrease the botch wrecks you badly.
difficulty of the rolL
 II~

I-

Magick: Entropy 2 or Forces 2 reduces the diffi- System: Dexterity + Performance, Do or Athlet-
culty of the roll. ics, difficulty 8. You have to, for example, simultaneously
. The Grand Entrance: They say there's a pause in execute a perfect flying jump kick and get that anime
conversation every seven minutes. In a crowded room, it gritted-teeth look on your face, letting out a wild cartoon
sometimes happens that every conversation pauses at the "Hai-yah!" just for show.
same moment. Just as everyone stops talking, the door Magick: Correspondence 1 or 2, Entropy 1 or
opens. You and your cabal sweep in regally as though this Forces 2 all decrease the difficulty of the Dexterity rolL
moment wascreated specificallyfor your entrance. Well, it
was.
. The Knockout Blow: In one mighty punch, you
deck almost any opponent.
System: Patience is the key. Roll Wits + Alertness, System: Dexterity + Brawl or Do, difficulty 8; roll
difficulty 7, while listening at a door or some other conve- five successesor more, and you knock any human opponent
nient place. Each success allows the characters to time an out cold for one turn per success. Inflicts normal damage +
entrance better: one success, and they walk in during a knockout. Does not work on really tough opponents, like
collective breath. Five, and the room is deathly silent. werewolves or vampires with Fortitude, although normal
Magick: Entropy 1, Forces 1or Mind 1 reduces the damage still applies.

.
difficulty of the roll.
The Jackie Chao: You look left; you look right. One
HIT Mark coming at you from either side. Two MiBs
Magick: Forces 2 or Life 3 add successes to the
attack roll, or to damage if the knockout fails.
. Out of the Fire: Hurtling through the air, the car
coming in the door. You drop into a crouch and wait. Just bursts into flame. It hits the ground, rolls a few times and
asthe machine-men get to you, you get out of the way,grab comes to a stop against a concrete divider. Smoke envelops
them by the backs of their heads and crack their metal skulls the destroyed vehicle, blocking everything around it from
together. The MiBs pause for a second, not believing what sight. But just as the engine explodes, a figure appears,
they saw. Yes, you're a brilliant martial artist, capable of walking out of the destruction. You've somehow managed
pretty amazing stuff. But more importantly, people think to escape a crash that should by all rights have been fatal
you're hilarious. The only thing missing from your fights is several times over. Aren't you glad you wear your lap belt?
a soundtrack.

Appendix: Bits and Pieces

~
 ~ ~II
~
~ success
Sy"em, Stamina + Athleoa. difficulty 9. Each
allows the character to soak an additional Health
, . ..

.
Level of damage.
Magick: Entropy 2, Forces 2 or Life 2 decrease the

~
~
difficulty of the roll.
. Right Here, Sir: A really good butler doesn't needto

I
ask what his employer wants for dinner, which shirt he feels
likewearingor whichcommonhouseholdobjecthe might
need for a project. A really good butler just knows - he pays
- attention to hismaster'smoodandbodylanguage;he keeps
- subtletabsontheactivitiesofthehousehold.
Thislittle
trick is invaluable to making a house or a covert operation
run smoothly - anticipating others' needs and being pre-
pared to fulfill them quickly is a rather useful skill.
System: Perception + Alertness, difficulty 8. The
more successes,the more preciselyyou pinpoint what's
needed. A botch indicates that you've brought a completely
inappropriate object - what does mayonnaise have to do
withautorepairanyway?

Magick: Mind 1decreases the difficulty of the roll.

I Generc.l Action Rolls
When the heat's on, no Storyteller (or player) wants to
keep track of every little attack roll, damage roll and soak
roll. In the heat of the moment, a good Storyteller takes
inspiration from the mass battles of action-adventure mov-
ies: A gang of minor bad guys rushes the hero; guns blaze,
blades flash, bodies go flying and Our Hero steps out from
a pile of corpses while survivors run away. Oh, one or two
dudes might give her a hard time, but for the most part the
opposition melts away in a welter of blood and gunsmoke.
In game terms, you may want to use a generalactionroll
- a single roll that decides the outcome of an unequal
contest - rather than a tum-by-tum dicefest. The success
or failure of that roll determines how successful (or unsuc-
cessful) the character is in dispersing the bad guys. From
there, you narrate the results in story terms. Although it can
apply to any situation in which a character performs a series
of related actions, the general action roll works best in
combat against inferior opponents.
To use the roll, take the hero's Dexterity + (combat
Trait) and use it in a resisted roll against the opponents'
Dexterity + (combat Trait). Forsanity's sake, just assignthe
enemies a single Dice Pool and roll normally. "Combat
Traits," of course, refers to whatever weapons or tactics the
characters are using; a gunfight would use Dexterity +
Firearms, a martial-arts battle would use Dexterity + Brawl
(or perhaps Do). If the hero wants to dodge or move, divide
her Dice Pool normally.

Examples: Atropos gets in a barroomfirefight with a bunch

I of skinheads. They want to kill her, she wants to kill them. Her
Dexterity + Firearms gives her eight dice; the Storyteller gives the ",. .-

\ Tales of Magick

,
 Difficulty
7
General Action R.olIs
Task
Easy (fighting in the open)
pia"" make
II~
one roll at a hW> difficulty, 'fh ma",

intricate;difficulty8. ShadowPicksup her diceand smiles....

A player who wants her mage to use a magickal edge should
add an Effect to the Traits. (Again, see "Magick Enhancing
.
" p"", ~
~
I-
8 Challenging (fighting in close Abilities" and "Magick in Combat," in the Mage rulebook.)
quarters or under cover) General action rolls are supposed to keep things simple, though,
9 Hard (fighting under difficult so don't overcomplicate the task.
circumstances) If the bad guys lose, a handful of them should just keel over
10 Damn Near Impossible (fighting dead while the others run away. If the villains win, the player's
under really harsh conditions) character should suffer some setback - she's shot, knocked out
- that incapacitates but does not kill her. In that case, you could
either roll one attack's worth of damage normally and allow the
skinheadsa Dice Pool of six and sets the difficulty at 9 (they're player to soak it, or simply announce, "You're hit! The room
shootingat each other in a dim room while hiding behind tables spins, blood bursts from between your fingers and you fall to the
and such). The player and the Storyteller roll off: Atropos gets ground, unconscious." Unless you want your players to crucify
one success, the skinheads get none. Muzzles roar, glasses you, we advise against using the second oPtion unless you have
shatter, bullets careen off barfixtures. Two skinheads drop to the something in mind for the hero. . . something she can survive. No
floor,the othersrun. Atropos wins. - protagonist should die because of a single bad die roll. Heroes are
Later, she needs to swing through a maze of hanging wires made of sterner stuff.
and hissingPiPes. Rather than go through a series of Dexterity +
Athletics rolls, the Storyteller merely has Shadow, Atropos'

Cool StUff
Explosions. Car chases. Brawls fought more destructive than they might be otherwise. A HIT
with pool cues, shards of glass or even Mark in riot gear?A Nephandus with a chainsaw? You can
chainsaws. These are the trappings of ad- bet money that those items are a bit more potent than ones
venture tales. Gunfights in plain rooms get you could scan off your average riot cop or lumberjack.
boring after a while; add a burning labora- Isn't magick fun?
tory, a few exotic weapons and a suped-up
Harley-Davidson to the mix and you have
the makings of an exciting game session.
Explosives
Like the Introduction says,lots of things blow sky-high
(Note: Yes, many of the following en- during a Dark-Adventure tale. It's hard to imagine a face-
tries have appeared before in other books. They're included off in an Etherite's laboratory or a climatic battle in a fuel
here because some Storytellers might not have Destiny's refinery without envisioning the towers of flame and show-
Price or The T echnomancer' s T oybox laying around, and ersofshrapnel that come with the territory in such situations.
it would be unfair to require them to buy two more books Explosives make wonderful "cover" for Forces Effects,
before they could run a Dark-Adventure chronicle.) too. When all else fails, the Technocracy resorts to demo-
lition weapons to make its deadliest Devices coincidental.
Sfreef-Fi~hfin~ Gecar Even so, the Inner Circle avoids making big messes unless
Dark Adventures tend to occur in tense situations and all other options have failed. An explosion demands an
close quarters - bars, clubs, alleys, warehouses. More often investigation; a building that blows leaves a mountain of
than not, characters have to use whatever happens to be paperwork, backpedaling and evidence suppression for the
nearby or have to protect themselves with found objects or Operatives responsible for the blast. More often than not,
light armor. A dude running down the street in Kevlar nuking the site from orbit (so to speak) is more trouble than
armor and wavinganM-16 gets a lot of attention from local it's worth.
police, hero or not! Worse, from the perspective of a dedicated Techno-
The Street-Fighting Weapons chart offers a wealth of crat, is the risk of innocent casualties. Explosives are
potential "tools of opportunity" that might be available in notoriously careless about who they kill. A raid that mur-
a Dark-Adventure setting. Naturally, Matter and Forces ders Sleepers while the reality criminals flee gets someone
magick can reinforce such objects, making them stronger or into very hot water. As you can imagine, the Council of

Appendix: Bits and Pieces

 ~II
Street-Fi~htin~ Weeapons

I-
Weapon Difficulty Dama~e Conceal Noles
. Blunt Weapons

Throwing Blades 6 Str +1 p Range: 10

.
Whip
Power Tools
6 Str +1 J Can grapple, + 1 diff.

Hand Saw 7 Str +5 T Botches hurt

Chainsaw 8 Str +7 N Botches hurt bad

Concealment: I = obvious, but looks innocuous; P = hides in pocket or concealed holster; J= hides in jacket;
T = hides in trenchcoatj N = cannot be hidden on person.

78 TalesofMagick
\
I ~I:-~ ~
 II~
Firearms
Weapon DiUiculty Rate Clip Conceal
Mace .3 P
L-
-
Taser P
Fire Mace 5 4:j: 2 1 4 J
ZipGun 8 3 8 1 1 to 3 P
SawedJbFfSnotgun. {) ~ 8 TO 2 2 r
Cohcealed/6tlfi" . 41 L -1
50
10 1
Concealed SMG 8 7 100 3 I
* = -2 to victim's Dice Pools for 1 turn/success.
t = no adds from successes.
:j:= sets tnings afire.

Protective Devices
(Versus melee or brawl only; firearms negate all but riot vest.)
Armor

3 2

Nine also frowns on blowing snit up unless innocent by- The mages are hurt, perhaps badly, and X344 readies another
standers are cleared from tne area first. Marauders and grenade....
Nephandi, on tne otner nand, don't reatly care wno gets Some of the explosives listed below have been rated in terms
hurt in tne course of a mission.The latter love to set offtruly of Blast Power. Each point of Blast Power is worth one die per
heinous explosions, then plant evidence linking tne disas- pound of the explosive. Nitro, which has a Blast Power of 3,
ters to the Traditions, the Tecnnocracy or botn. causes three dice of damage for every pound of nitro that goes off.
Each listing also mentions whether or not the explosive burns
Systems without exploding, and includes descriPtions of the things that set
Wnen sometning blows up, it snoots flames or scatters the material off.
debris across a wide area. To reflect tnis, plant me futl
damage amount at tne center of tne blast and subtract one
success from the damage pool for each yard from the center. Blastina Powder
If several characters get caugnt in the blast radius, simply Modem gunpowder, used in many smatl-arms ammu-
roll the damage once and subtract one Health Level per nition types. This explosive is legal in smatl quantities in
yard as the blast fans out. the U.S.
Example: CyborgX344 hurls a grenade atJennifer Rollins, Blast Power: 1
Atropos and Dante. The Virtual Adept stands at ground zero, Detonator: Flame, heat
while the two women are three and five yards away, respectively. Bum: Yes
X344,s weapon does 12 dice of damage; the Storyteller's roU
comes up with a total of nine Health Levels of damage. Concussion Grenade
Dante absorbs the full nine Levels (he can soak it, but we
A lessdeadly variation on military-issue weapons. The
won'tgo into thatrightnow); Jennifer, standing three yards from
blast rocks the area with a deafening bang and a blinding
Dante. gets nailed for six Health Levels and AtTopos takes four.
flash. Not generatly fatal, but a real pain ifyou happen to be
on the receiving end.

Appendix: Bits and Pieces

 ~II
Blast Power: 8-die explosion
Detonator: Internal timer
Bum: No

I- Dod~in~ the Blast

(Optional R..ule)
Mages, being masters of coincidence, can often
"duck and cover" from blasts that would kill a normal
human. At the Storyteller's option, a mystick with
Entropy, Forces, Matter, Life or Time may make a
Dexterity + Dodge roll to avoid an explosion's worst
effects. She "found that last bit of cover," "rolled with
the force of the blast," or experienced some other barely
coincidental stroke of fortune. (See the average action-
adventure flick for examples of such luck.) This dodge is
instinctive, a reflex rather than a spell. Success means
the mage takes half damage or - with a really good roll
- none at all.
Massive blasts-like those that wipe out whole city
blocks - cannot be dodged this way. Naturally, the
mystick could still use vulgar magick to survive the
explosion, but that carries its own risks. A coincidental
Effect, cast normally, might shield her from some dam-
age, too: The collapsing wall just happens to absorb the
impact; the floor drops her into the basement as the
bomb goes off. See the "Fast Casting" modifier on the
Magick Difficulties Chart, Mage, page 171. Still, a mage
shouldn't walk into a killzone expecting an easy time;
depending on the circumstances, and the mage's focus
and magick style, a last-ditch spell might not be possible.
Difficulty Size of Explosion
6 Small detonations (grenades, Molotov cock
tails)
8 Large explosions (gas tanks, small bombs)
10 Huge explosions (artillery rounds, tanker
trucks, vehicle bombs)

Dynamite
A stabilized mixture of nitro and charcoal, the ever-
popular TNT can be carried safely and makes an excellent
demolitions weapon. Dynamite that undergoes severe tem-
perature shifts or long storage becomes "sweaty";crystals of
pure nitroglycerin form on the outside of the stick, turning
the normally waxysurface shiny and slick. At this point, the
TNT is slightly more stable than a similar amount of nitro.
Blast Power: 3 (6 dice per stick)
Detonator: Primer
Bum: Yes

80 Tales of Magick .

~r'-.. '~
 II~ ~
N i} ~:~~ruff. Th" material cli"", to whatevec it hi"
bums until it's consumed. Made from jellied gasoline, napalm
comes in canisters, flows through flame- throwers and explodes
and ~
I-
from fragile projectiles. Anything - or anyone - within the
blast area is set aflame and burned to a crisp.
A target hit by napalm is covered in fiery goo; the
Storyteller rolls one die to determine how much of the
victim bums, then rolls that many dice per turn for 10 turns
Gasoline (a roll of 5, for example, means five dice are rolled per turn
The really explosive part of gasoline isn't the liquid, it's for 10 turns). This damage is aggravated. If the troupe uses
thefumes.Packed into a sealed container (like a fuel tank), the optional dodge rule (see box), the target can try to
gasolineignites in a roar; spread out in a trail or pool, it "dodge" the flying napalm. The player's dodge successes are
bumsbut does not explode. subtracted from the napalm's initial die roll result. If she
Blast Power: 2 gets three successes, for instance, a roll of 7 becomes 4
(which is still bad, but not as bad as 7). Water does not
Detonator: Fire
extinguish napalm; the only way to get it to stop burning is
Burn: Yes
to move the burning object to a place without oxygen, or to
GaS Grenc.des wait until the napalm bums itself out.
Blast Power: 0
Smoke grenades release large clouds of thick white or Detonator: Fire
colored smoke. Tear gas canisters loose similar clouds of
chemical irritants. The former simply cover an area, mark- Bum: That's the point
ingtargets and concealing movement or escape. The latter
can incapacitate most normal humans with a burning,
Nitroglycerine
stinging, choking mist. Neither weapon actually explodes; A clear, oily liquid that's easy to make if you know how.
instead, the gas escapes through holes in the canister. The It's pretty unstable stuff, and often goes off by accident ifyou're
not careful with it. A character with the Demolitions Skill or
resulting cloud fills a lO-yard-by-l0-yard area within a
minute, and lasts roughly 10 minutes in still air. Science: Chemistry can try "safety-packing" the nitro, but the
explosive remains a real health risk to those who use it. A
Tear gas causes living beings to gag, cough and essen-
botched Dexterity roll, a hard fall, a bad hit - all of these
tially go blind for several minutes. Characters doused with
shocks can set nitro off. Whomever's carrying the stuff had
the gas lose two dice from all Dice Pools until the cloud
better be light on her feet and have her life insurance paid up.
clears and the irritant is washed away. Gas masks protect
Blast Power: 3
the wearer's face, of course, but most forms of tear gas still
bum exposed skin. Standard smoke clouds reduce all sight- Detonator: Shock, impact, bad luck
and smell-perception Dice Pools by two dice, but do not Bum: No
inflict harm.
Blast Power: None Plc.stique (C-4)
Detonator: Internal timer A putty-like substance that explodes when primed. This
Bum: No explosive comes in a variety of strengths, from home-produced
"blasting wax" to military-grade plastique, andean be molded to fit
Molotov Cocktc.iI around doors, slipped into cracks or packed into shells or pipes.
Blast Power: 1-20
A perennial favorite among urban guerrillas. The old
gas-in-the-botde trick turns a regular glass container into Detonator: Primer only
an incendiary device. A rag provides the wick; light the rag, Burn: Yes
throw the botde and run. The resulting spill explodes into
a small but potent blaze. A cocktail's blast radius is half the
Primc.cord
usual size, but the fire bums until it is either consumed or Instant fuse material. This explosive, created in string
put out. form, can be used to either set off other materials or to be
Blast Power: 8-die aggravated explosion packed into tight, intense bombs.
Detonator: Fire Blast Power: .5
Burn: Ignites on contact with flame Detonator: Primer or open flame
Burn: Ignites on contact with flame

Appendix: Bits and Pieces

~
 .
~ v~~:~!~
~II
~,rt, you don't need ",at,",'" fOt th,
various vehicles that come and go in your world. They're
best handled as story elements, not as lists of stats. Even so,
it is occasionally helpful to know how thick that tank's
armor is or how easily an F-14 can overtake a Lear jet. For
weapons (Forces 3/ Prime 2 cannons), hidden compart-
ments, or even cloaking screens (Arcane 5, or Forces 2/
Matter 2/ Prime 2). Assume a vehicle with custom Devices
~
-.:

has an effective "Arete" of 5 when you roll to see how well

a technomagickal Effect works.
Such toys need to be maintained by someone who
understands the principles employed by the vehicle's de-
those times, we present the following optional rules. signer; a Verbena has a hell of a time getting that MiB's
Mage (pages 252-253) offers some brief systems for special motorbike to work right, even if she does know how
- vehiclesandstuntdriving.The systemsbelowoffera few to ride. The Storyteller might require a character using an
-
.
additionalspecificsto thoseTraits.
Safe/Max Speed: This Trait, which can be found in
the rule book, defines how fast a character can drive the
"enhanced" vehicle to belong to the group that built the
machine. At the least, she should have two or three dots in
Technology before she can employ anything other than the
vehicle safely, and how fast the machine in question goes vehicle's Armor and basic systems. As an option, the

.
when driven at top speed.
Maneuverability: The Maneuverability Trait (also
presented in the rule book) shows the maximum Dice Pool
Storyteller might let the character fool around with the
vehicle until something happens; that Verbena may not
know how to bring the bike's systems online, but it could be

.
a driver can use behind the wheel or at the controls.
Crew: The minimum personnel it takes to drive or
fun to watch her try Exactly what happens when a
character experiments with another mage's vehicle is coin-
pletely up to the Storyteller. Maybe she can figure it out
.
pilot the vehicle. Passengers (pass.) are in addition to crew.
Armor: The number of successes a damage roll needs
before it can penetrate armor. Anything less simply bounces
with a Wits + Technology roll... maybe not.

Inspir i\lion
.
off the side of the machine.
Weapons: This is obvious. As isprobably obvious, Tales of Magick: Dark Adven-
ture owes its existence to action-adventure movies. After
Super-Vehicles various enthusiastic debates over "What would be a good
Mages rarely leave well enough alone; in many cases, Mage movie," we decided to make a book about bringing
willworkers (especially Technomancer-types) customize our favorite choices to the gaming table. Some of those
their vehicles with special sensors (Rank 1 Sphere Effects), films include:

Vehicle Rererence
Wheeled Vehicles
Vehicle Safe Speed Max Speed Maneuver Crew Armor
1
CompaCt 70 130 6 1 -2
Mid-sized Car 70 120 5 I 3
Sports Car 130 170 9 1 2
Race Car 140 240 10 1 2
Limousine 70 110 4 1- -4
Mini-van 70 120 6 1 2
Van 60 100 5 1 3
RV 60 80 3 1 3
1
Large Motorcycle 90 170 5 1 2
Off-road Bike 50 80 9 1 0
PiGi~IJP 1
Large Truck _1 1 -
Tractor-trailer 70 110 4-8 1 4

l ~/':-"-.
,-~ ~~~
'C --='
.
 II~
Super-Vehicles
All additional modifications are custom-made Devices.
Safe Speed Max Speed Maneuver

Vehicle Safe Speed

Aircrc.ft
Max Speed Maneuver Crew
4 10

Armor
# and &

Weapons
I

I
I..-
4
5 none
2 .o-
(20 pass.) 4 none

Large Helicopter 150 240 6 2 (8 pass.) 3 none

Attack Chopper 180 300 9 2 9 &

Weapons
* = Four Sidewinder missiles(Difficulty 8, Damage 15,Rate 1,Range 3000 yards), six Sparrow missiles(Difficulty
8, Damage 20, Rate 1, Range 3000 yards); 20 mm cannon (Difficulty 7, Damage 15, Rate 3, Range 1000 yards), 14
250-lb. bombs (Difficulty 8, Damage 40) I
# =Two.30calibermachineguns(Difficulty6, Damage12,Rate 1,Range800yards,Capacity100shots),or two
30 mm cannons (Difficulty 7, Damage 15, Rate 8, Range 1200 yards, Capacity 100 shots), or six 2.75" rockets
(Difficulty 8, Damage 15, Rate 1, Range 3000 yards, Capacity 1 shot) and two .30 caliber machineguns
& = 30 mm cannon, 16 TOW missiles, 162.75" rockets

. Batman and Batman Returns: Okay, they're not very

Mage, but the original Tim Burton films are pretty dark,
.Bladerunner: The ultimate cyberpunk movie and one
of the first with a real anti-hero - Dekker does his job
and "those wonderful toys" make great inspiration for because he's good at it, not because it's right. The villains
Etherite or Technocratic Devices.
. Big Trouble in Little China: An excellent example of
have their reasons, too; the noblest character in the movie
is the major villain Roy, who strives to change the very
nature of his existence.
High Adventure turned Dark. Jack is far too flawed to be a
true hero, but he's the best we have at the moment and he's
in way over his head, with demons, sorcerers, demigods,
. Dark City: Dark Adventure with definite Mage over-
tones. (I defy anyone to tell me the hero is anything less than
magic potions and all that kind of thing. But he survives it a true willworker, suddenly Awakened!) Extremely gritty
all and even triumphs, based purely on gut instinct and old- setting, very "noir" in style, a hapless and confused hero, and

.
fashioned stubbornness - hey, "it's all in the reflexes."
Blade: 000, no one
Masquerade in their hands
had a copy of Vampire: The
when this movie was made, did
.
ominously mysterious opponents with terrifying powers.
Face-Off:An excellent example of High Adventure
gone twisted - a real "good guy" who has to become "bad"
they? Seriously, aside from a few loopy plot points (par for to catch the bad guy, and who risks losing himself in the role.
the course in action films, unfortunately), this dark little A cruel and nasty world with unexpected depths; the "bad
ditty seriously rocks. chick" and her arms-dealer brother are surprisingly sympa-
thetic, and even the villain has a deep attachment to his

Appendix:BitsandPieces 83

_""00' ~.~,..
.
~
~
~II
youngee bwthee- And dou't mi" the PmgenitoHtyle
periment that sets up the plot....
ex-
. Hard-Boiled: It wasn't the first, it may not have been
the best (A Better Tomorrow is a superior film), but the
movie that introduced Chow Yun Fat to American film
goobs remains one of the grittiest over-the-top action flicks
,",vivo that fall into tho ky lake, Ot that oxp""ion at t~
end? How can some of those stunts work? Who cares?!
. Mission: Impossible: More of a High Adventure,
although the initial deaths give it a hard feel and personal
edge. Great for a sense of intrigue, for its constant plotting
and counter-plotting, and for its general feeling of despera-
ever. Not Mage, but amazingly inspirational to this book

.
nonetheless. .
tion and rage.

--
The Professional: Gritty, with a flawed but admirable
La Femme Nikita: Truly dark, with several twists and hero who recognizes that his choice of action will probably
turns and a heavy dose of personal anguish. Very psycho-
logical; there's a lot less violence than you might expect
from a movie about an assassin. The TV series, featuring a
.
destroy him, yet he does it anyway because it's right.
Strange Days: A bizarre movie with intense paranoia;
the general public alternates between apathy and mass
cast too beautiful to live and some of the most intricate hysteria while amoral folks try to survive the mess. A great
backstabbing this side of the soaps, is even better. If you ever example of a hero getting in way over his head, and events
wanted to know what day-to-day life inside the Technoc-
racy is like, here it is.
. The Long Kiss Goodnight: Although Kathy Ryan
.
spiraling out of control.
The Terminator: One of the original big-budget Dark-
Adventure movies. The hero is only slightly more
disagrees, Phil sees Amanda as a quieter version of Charlie, trustworthy than the villain. The bad guy is an unstoppable
the hyperskilled killer in this high-octane Dark Adventure. killing machine from the future. The heroine is a ditz. And
The heroine's peaceful life comes crashing down as she the body count just keeps rising. An excellent example of
learns that the world - and she herself - is much more the violent side of the genre. Oh, yeah; don't forget T ermi-
corrupt and violent than she believed. Watch this movie nator II: Judgment Day, either.
for great examples of coincidental magick: How do they

Tales of Magick