Even more Legacies, updated to 2E

[Michael]

'All Legacies possess an originating Path' means they all should have one Path originating. No 'Pathless' Legacies in 2E rules.

That was true in 1e and yet there they are. Presumably the rules were written for brevity so saying that there are actually a few exceptions is a waste of word count.

Also, they're not normal Legacies so giving them an originating path doesn't make sense. They're taught by weird beings with unique powers.

[21C Hermit]

Yeah, I’m trying to make Legacies that look more like infections on Gnosis as Pathless. Sorta like the Neglatu bloodline from Vampire, whom IIRC have no parental clan. Exceptions that weird out people.

Although that’s what I’m going with, it’s still worth at least trying to ascribe Paths to them. The Legion was Thyrsus I think, the Morpheus Continuity was Acanthus because their first infectee was, etc.

[21C Hermit]

That wouldn't be surprising. After all, this spirit is driven by the all-consuming fear of disappearing: that could explain a potential "synchronization" with the Primordial Realm, which is so tied to both fear and survival.

And now that you point it out... it may not be the only Primordial Dreamborn to do so.



*cough cough* Makara/Inguma Enabler *cough cough*





Born in the Depths of the Astral? Check.
Tied to fear and quenching desires? Check.
Being the center of a mental web connecting the very souls of many peoples and shaping them to give them powers (like a Brood's Lair) ? Check.
Even that Attainment about raising Goetia from grimoires resemble some weird, Kinship-influenced way to create Horrorspawns.

Perhaps you should wait to check the Player's Guide before doing those write-ups, 21C Hermit

I'm torn apart. Right now my budget is tight, so I haven't been able to get the new PDFs, like ever since... The Pack, I think? So I decide to do without, read the Unforgotten Scions' text in The Mysterium, and ended up convincing myself that the Unforgotten is some sort of Makara. And that I need to pick up Beast Player's Guide. But then again, crossover doesn't always need mechanics that reference each other... hmm...

Ah well. I'll first post these homebrew Boons for the five types of Supernal entities summoned by the five Legacies from Summoners.

• The Dominions of the Choir of Hashmallim summon Hashmallim, warrior Angels of the Aether dedicated to battling the Abyss. All Hashmallim have the Aetherial Banner Boon: The next time the summoner deliberately flares his Nimbus, the Hashmal will be summoned instantly without the usual procedures, ready to do battle. Summoning the Angel outside battle will cause it to seek one out, or burn the summoner for invoking the Aether in vain.
• The Adversaries of the Concord of Serpents summon Advocates, serpentine Demons who prove virtue by challenging it. All Advocates have the Crucible of Virtue Boon: The summoner can fulfill his Virtue for Willpower once per scene instead of chapter, for a number of times equal to the Advocate's Rank. Actions must still pose a credible threat to the summoner to qualify for Willpower refill, and indulging one's Vice will instantly end the Boon.
• The Caretakers of the Katsinam Suukya summon Katsina, spiritual mediators who bridge humanity and the living world. All Katsina have the Grant Influence Boon: The summoner gains a number of Influence dots equal to the Katsinam’s Spirit dots, usable for a number of times equal to the Katsinam's Rank. The summoner rolls Gnosis + Spirit, and may use Mana or Essence stored in his Pattern via the "Channel Essence" spell to power the Influence.
• The Spoilers of the People of the Hour summon Visions, the tomorrow promised to those who seize the moment. All Visions have the Destined Aspiration Boon: The summoner gains a long-term Aspiration beyond the usual limit of three. This Aspiration grants a point of Mana as well whenever it would grant a Beat, and any magic that attempts to read the summoner's destiny will instead read the Aspiration.
• The Resurrectionists of the Stygian Heralds summon Heroes, the Supernal Shades of past fallen heroes. All Heroes have the Memories of the Dead Boon: Until the next sunrise, the summoner gains the Inspiring and Small Unit Tactics Merits, and a number of Merit dots and Specialties equal to the Hero's Rank times two, befitting the summoned Shade's persona.

I wonder if I'll have the time to do the Unforgotten Scions today...

EDIT: Picked up The Pack and Beast Player’s Guide. AHAHAHAHAHA- um, yeah.

[21C Hermit]

So, the Unforgotten Scions are here... sort of. I've got everything but their Attainments, which means that all I really finished was coming up with Yantras and their initiation prerequisites (all the setting & lore parts are found in The Mysterium at detail!) The Attainment section, for now, only contains their names and prerequisites. Lemme work a bit more on this for now...

EDIT: Attainments are here! Ended up being crossover-y, but I restricted crossover parts to the Optional effects, so they should still be usable in Mage-only games. As always, feel free to use and alter as you see fit.



UNFORGOTTEN SCIONS

Scuffled sleeves, bags under the eyes, and messed up hair that probably wouldn't smell that good. He looked like another one of those workaholics or perfectionist types. But you looked into his eyes and it was... different. Fixated. Driven. Fearful. You wondered what was his deal, but maybe it wouldn't be wise to check.

Desperate Dreams

Restricted records within the Mysterium speak of an Astral entity called the Unforgotten, who brainwashes mages into becoming extensions of the ideology it embodies and feeds on their desperation. The truth is more complicated as the Goetia is more empathetic than one would expect of a Dreamtime entity, showing sincere respect for the mage's genius and sharing their outrage against the world for not recognizing it. Regardless, those who listen too closely to the entity's whispers eventually join its subtly maddening chorus, becoming another Dreamer who would rather drive himself and others insane than let his genius go unnoticed and forgotten.

The Mysterium censors records about the Unforgotten, for mere knowledge of it forms a vector the Goetia can contact through. While the characteristics of potential Scions are found most commonly among the Mystagogues, the other Orders ironically suffer more from the rare intrusions, for they lack guidelines like that of the Mysterium to spot the telltale signs of the Unforgotten's presence. New Dreamers emerge every now and then in the modern nights, their fixations only growing stronger with the weight of human history.

Origins

Parentage: Pathless, Mysterium, Guardians of the Veil
Background: The Unforgotten only advances on mages who would react favorably to it. Accomplished scholars and renowned artisans among the Awakened are its staple targets, especially those whose careers have seen their better days and are being quickly followed up and replaced.
Appearances: Dreamers in their early stages do not betray their obsessions. Sometimes they even look better, as finally having someone who understands them alleviates their stress. The Unforgotten is dutiful in this aspect, as it reminds its followers that outward appearances serve well in not attracting unwanted attention. Eventually, however, even this sound advice falls on deaf ears as the Dreamer falls deeper into madness.

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Obsession Condition ("Prove and preserve my genius”)
Initiation: A Dreamer becomes one subtly, sometimes not even knowing they inducted themselves into a Legacy. The Unforgotten itself provides all tutelage an adherent needs, through some unknown power that allows it to shape a mage's Gnosis into a Legacy in a relatively safe way.
Organization: Dreamers are consumed by varying degrees of egotism even before joining the Legacy, making interactions between them rare at best and antagonistic at worst. The Unforgotten seems to not care for this, as it only contacts each adherent personally. Sometimes cabals of Scions devote themselves to the collective genius of the Legacy, becoming fanatic dangers that are mercifully rare.
Theory: The Unforgotten Scions fear becoming just another footnote in history, of having their works be supplanted by future generations. Instead of improving themselves, Dreamers focus on what they have already achieved with a fierce fixation. This has the side effect of fighting against dissolution of Supernal knowledge via Dissonance and the Abyss, thought it's not one other mages will necessarily welcome.

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Mind
Yantras: Within the mage's own Oneiros (+1); success on Social rolls to convince the subject of the mage's talents (+2); a physical representation of the mage's research (+2); having passed nights without sleep (+1, +2 if visibly suffering problems from sleep deprivation)
Oblations: Pursuing research; making physical copies of own work; communing with the Unforgotten; disseminating own works to groups of people

Attainments

First: Whispers of the Unforgotten
Prerequisites: Initiation
The Dreamer only got here because of her obsessions, and the Unforgotten's compliments and sympathies only drive it further. The Obsession Condition grants her 8-again instead of 9-again, and she can spend a Willpower point to not lose 10-again on rolls irrelevant to her fixation.
As a side effect, the Obsession Condition becomes truly persistent. Even mind-healing magic only suppresses it, as the fixation returns the instant the Dreamer communes with the Unforgotten.
Optional: Dream 1
The Scion's dream, already open to primordial truths, can reach further to the Astral. After using up his Dream Merit for the chapter, he can reach out to the Unforgotten and receive a number of additional Dream uses. While the Scion can't choose the number, his player and the Storyteller can. Each additional use earned imposes a mental Condition on the character, representing the Unforgotten's influence.

Second: Indelible Intimation
Prerequisites: Mind 2, Obsession Condition (same as initiation)
To prevent the world from forgetting her, she starts with herself and those near her. She replicates the "Perfect Recall" spell, with Reach assigned to instant use and Advanced Duration.
Optional: Dream 2
The Scion is part of an ideology greater than himself, the anguished luminaries who joined the Unforgotten. This connection changes him on a level other mages cannot quite grasp. He gains access to "You Cannot Forget," a Nightmare built as per the Nightmare creation rules in Beast: The Primordial. It succeeds automatically like any other Attainments, scoring successes equal to the Scion's Mind dots when needed.
The Scion may access the High Satiety effect by risking a Wisdom degeneration roll at Understanding tier. The Satiety Expenditure effect is accessed by a degeneration roll at Falling tier.

Third: Truths Best Unheard
Prerequisites: Mind 3, Obsession Condition (same as initiation)
The ignorant masses cannot understand, the Dreamer thinks, and so she finds herself trying to directly deliver her genius without words. She replicates the "Telepathy" spell, with Reach assigned to instant use and enabling participants to send only thoughts they wish to send.
The Dreamer counts as having achieved an exceptional success when she uses this Attainment on subjects that have read her works in the same scene.
Optional: Dream 3
The Scion dreams of a world where he is and remains important, and to make it come true he turns to humanity's noosphere. When rolling to affect public belief via shaping the Temenos (as per rules for affecting the Bright Dream found in Beast Player's Guide), he may substitute his Gnosis for the Attribute rolled, and his Dream rating for the Skill.

Fourth: Hunger for Acclaim
Prerequisites: Mind 4, Prime 1, Obsession Condition (same as initiation)
The Dreamer spirals down into madness, as the need to prove herself becomes an all-consuming hunger. She can spend two points of Mana and replicate the "Astral Grimoire" spell. Reach is assigned to scribing the Grimoire into the Temenos, and making it Lasting.
The Dreamer counts as having achieved an exceptional success when she uses this Attainment on a Temenos realm she has shaped and remains so.
The Unforgotten often advises a Dreamer who learns this Attainment to learn more of the Prime Arcanum as well. To those who become Disciples of Prime, it teaches an alternate version of the Attainment that combines the "Astral Grimoire" and "Stealing Fire" spells. Reach is assigned to Advanced Duration and scribing the Grimoire in the Temenos. This version costs one point of Mana. The Dreamer must learn the original version to learn this version, and after learning both can use either.
Optional: Dream 4
The Scion synchonizes further with that of the myriad murmurs within the Unforgotten, and he finds renewed vigor in the polyphony. He gains access to the "Relentless Hunter" Atavism as detailed in Beast: The Primordial. Substitute Gnosis and Wisdom for Lair and Satiety respectively when called for, save for the Low Satiety effect and Satiety Expenditure effects.
The Scion may access the Low Satiety effect by risking a Wisdom degeneration roll at Understanding tier. The Satiety Expenditure effect is accessed by a degeneration roll at Falling tier.

Fifth: Eternal Dreams
Prerequisites: Mind 5, Obsession Condition (same as initiation)
The Dreamer knows that she is mortal, but she will not let her legacy fade. Fortunately, her mentor and advisor is proof that dreams can indeed lie eternal. In hopes of her work persisting should she perish unexpectedly, she spends a point of Mana to replicate the "Haunted Grimoire" spell. The spell substitutes Mind for Spirit, binding a Goetia instead of a spirit. Reach is assigned to switching the primary factor to Duration, and Advanced Duration.
The Dreamer counts as having achieved an exceptional success when she uses this Attainment to bind Goetia representing Astral Grimoires she created with spells or Attainments, or Spawns she created with the below ability.
Optional: Dream 5
A Scion at the pinnacle of the Legacy is often unable to trust anyone other than himself and the Unforgotten. As the latter is restricted in direct action, the Scion resorts to splitting off parts of his own psyche to create truly trusted acolytes. The Scion can create a Spawn using rules based on creating Horrorspawn minions found in Beast Player's Guide, save for the following differences.

• Instead of interacting with a Lair or a Horror, the mage creates a Demesne out of his own soul stone, and while inside it spends a point of Mana to imprint his Signature Nimbus on a physical representation of his work.
• Substitute Gnosis for Lair when determining the Spawn's incubation time and maximum Potency. The Spawn is incubated within the Demesne it was created in. If the Demesne collapses, the Spawn dies immediately.
• Without a physical body, the Spawn is in Mind-attuned Twilight, not the Primordial Dream. Use the rules for Claim found in Chronicles of Darkness to represent the Spawn taking over a physical body
• The Spawn has no faculty with the Primordial Dream. It cannot open Primordial Pathways, but it can enter the Astral at Synesi if it doesn't have a physical body.
• The Spawn starts with a Satiety rating equal to the Scion's Wisdom rating. It can
• If bound into a Grimoire via a spell or Attainment, the Spawn's lifespan extends to the effect's Duration.
• For purposes of interaction with Goetia and effects that affect them, Spawn have an effective Rank equal to half their Potency, rounded up.

[21C Hermit]

The "Astral Grimoire" and "Haunted Grimoire" spells are from this open development post.

The "You Cannot Forget" Nightmare is my homebrew, posted first in the Homebrew Nightmares thread in the Beast forum, and cross-posted below:


You Cannot Forget
They said that oblivion is a gift to the human mind. No, you will not enjoy that gift. Now that you know, you will never forget.
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Satiety vs. Resolve + Supernatural Tolerance
Normal: An idea or information takes root in the victim's mind, and she can't get it out. She gains a non-persistent version of the Obsession Condition, where she becomes obsessed with preserving and spreading the knowledge. Also, the loss of 10-again also applies to any breaking point rolls or equivalents she suffers in pursuit of the obsession.
Unlike most Nightmares, this Nightmare requires not eye contact but speech as a vector.
High Satiety: The knowledge warps and spasms within the victim's mind, driving him to further fixation. He gains the Deprived Condition, where he is addicted to spreading the implanted information.
Satiety Expenditure: The victim's mind gets chunks of it ripped out, replaced by the knowledge implanted by the Beast. Both the Obsession and Deprived Conditions become persistent. Furthermore, the knowledge cannot be removed by natural means. The victim will remember it clearly after decades, and neither old age nor brain damage affects it. This time-proof memory is independent of the inflicted Conditions. Curing them simply means she is not inhibited by the knowledge. Removing the memory via supernatural means triggers a Clash of Wills where the Beast rolls Intelligence + Satiety.
Exceptional Success: The Beast is able to change what information the victim remembers and becomes obsessed with. He still needs to speak the knowledge to his victim, but does not need to roll.

[qendi]

I was thinking about starting new thread but decided to go here first. I'm running a solo chronicle for a Nameless Thyrsus. She is native american, officialy acknowledged by her tribe as the tribal shaman. She's approaching Gnosis 3 soon so the legacy is likely to happen if she'll find a tutor. And here we get to the main point what do you think - should I reskin Dreamspeakers for 2 E or go for something new? Dreamspeakers fit the general native american shamanism style, but my player is Life-Death-Spirit focus. If popular vote goes for Dreamspeakers I'll post my attempt here.

[21C Hermit]

I was thinking about starting new thread but decided to go here first. I'm running a solo chronicle for a Nameless Thyrsus. She is native american, officialy acknowledged by her tribe as the tribal shaman. She's approaching Gnosis 3 soon so the legacy is likely to happen if she'll find a tutor. And here we get to the main point what do you think - should I reskin Dreamspeakers for 2 E or go for something new? Dreamspeakers fit the general native american shamanism style, but my player is Life-Death-Spirit focus. If popular vote goes for Dreamspeakers I'll post my attempt here.

Well, Dreamspeakers would give Mind as a new Ruling Arcana, so the player wouldn’t need to worry much about ‘catching up.’ Especially if you’re generous with Arcane Beats. Then again, if you’ve already established the setting’s main ephemeral population as spirits and ghosts, it might be unwieldy to throw Goetia into the mix...

Feel free to post if you want to. I was curious about how the Dreamspeakers would work, especially with Goetia being rather limited in the waking world.

[21C Hermit]

Finally, the Chrysalides are here. I tried to incorporate this Merit, but I gave up and just reshuffled the Swans' Attainments and gave them a new ability.

Next up are the Daksha. Or one of my previous stuff revisited (and thus re-linked in the opening post), if next week's Sunday is short on time.




CHRYSALIDES

Strong, confident, beautiful. She was the epitome of the beautiful elite, the blue bloods of the modern world. Everyone wanted to be with her, and to be her. For a moment though you saw contempt in her eyes, not over the groveling masses before her but something else. You still wonder what she sees in the mirror, but you'll never let her know.

You May Now Worship Me

The Chrysalides started within the Hegemonic Ministry, from frustrated Seers who still couldn't be influential and desired even after becoming the secret masters of society. They prayed to the Iron Seal of Life, and the Raptor answered. As practitioners of transformation not for transcendence nor self-realization but for vanity alone, Swans are of ill reputation even within the Seers. They don't mind, for their worshippers give them the affirmation they crave.

Each Swan envisions their Ideal; the form of the beautiful elite, the haves and in-crowd of society, the person they wished to be so much. In contrast their true form is reduced to their Husk; the form of the lowly, the unloved and unwanted have-nots, the person suffering persecution for being imperfect. Whether society really did wrong them does not matter by this point, and each Chrysalis is determined to hold the dividing knife by transforming their bodies into their Ideal, even if this reduces a half of their life into a Husk. Sometimes mages outside the Pyramid join the Legacy, some consumed by the same self-hatred, some seeing the Legacy as an alternate means of achieving purity of form.

Origins

Parentage: Thyrsus, Seers of the Throne, Adamantine Arrows
Background: Chrysalides can easily identify potential initiates; they look for the same gleam of jealousy over not having the perfect body, the hatred born from persecution either real or imagined, that they once held too. Swans present themselves as saviors, promising a way to change everything. Often, such prospects can be found among a Swan's own sycophants.
Appearances: When in the Ideal form, a Swan is impeccable. She is beautiful and strong, and the last minute detail of her attire emphasizes it. However the transformation is never permanent, and sooner or later the Swan must revert to her Husk. In this form she is or perceives herself as weak and ugly, and so she retreats into whatever isolation she secured in her Ideal form.

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Life 2, Subterfuge 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Socialize, Medicine, Expression, Athletics, Persuasion
Initiation: A Swan-to-be takes on a new Shadow Name reflecting his envisioned Ideal, casting off his previous identities as a Husk. He must push his emotions further, blaming his Husk self for everything that went wrong in his life, while exalting his Ideal self as the solution. The transformation in Gnosis comes finally concludes that he must change in both body and mind.
Organization: Chrysalides organize themselves into "Salons" within the local ruling tetrarchy. Each salon serves simultaneously as a social network to elevate each other, places where they seek reassurance of each others' perfection, and grounds of aciding backbiting and passive-aggressive attacks against each other to prove themselves as the most fairest of them all.
Theory: As petty as they may be, the Chrysalides still embody the Supernal in their duality between the Ideal and the Husk. That one is so blatantly superior and aspired for at the expense of the other is a micro-scale reflection of the rule of the Exarchs.

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Life
Yantras: Surrounded by admirers or sycophants (+1); success on a roll leveraging one's beauty (+2); clothes emphasizing bodily appeal (+2); gift given by an admirer or sycophant (+1, +2 if from someone whom the mage does not know in person)
Oblations: Receiving praise from others; maintaining another false identity beyond the Ideal; sacrificing something dear to the Husk; consorting with Salon members

Attainments

First: Condemn the Hated Self
Prerequisites: Initiation
The Swan is beautiful, and everybody will know it. While donning her new Shadow Name representing her Ideal, she gains the Striking Looks Merit at a rating equal to her Life dots. This can go over the usual two-dot limit. The Merit manifests as something the Swan finds attractive, which will also be what society finds admirable.
However, while not invoking her Ideal Name, she suffers from an inverted version of Striking Looks. On appropriate Social rolls, she suffers a dice penalty equal to her Life dots.
If the Swan is exposed to a picture of herself in her non-Ideal identity, be it from her previous Shadow Name or her Sleeper identity, her Ideal Name falters and she cannot invoke it for the scene. She also suffers one of the following Conditions; Guilty, Shaken, Spooked.
Optional: Mind 1
The Chrysalis is always conscious of what other people think of her. He replicates the "Mental Scan" spell, with Reach assigned to instant use. The Chrysalis counts as having rolled an exceptional success on spellcasting when she uses this Attainment on anyone whom she has rolled a success on a Social roll against in the same scene.

Second: Wings in Formation
Prerequisites: Life 2, Subterfuge 3
The Swan has not quite clearly designed the details of her Ideal form, so she still experiments with her form. She replicates the "Mutable Mask" spell, with Reach assigned to instant use. Using this Attainment in conjunction with her Ideal Shadow Name extends its benefits of Striking Looks to the illusion.
Optional: Mind 2
The Chrysalis is confident in his beauty, illusory as it may be. He can freely mimick the "First Impressions" spell to raise his impression level, but only while under the effects of "Mutable Mask" as above. Reach is assigned to instant use. He counts as having rolled an exceptional success on spellcasting when she uses this Attainment on anyone whom she has rolled a success on a Social roll against in the same scene.
However, the Chrysalis rapidly loses composure when his illusory perfection fades. Upon the first person he meets when "Mutable Mask" expires, he automatically replicates "First Impressions" against his will to lower his impression level.

Third: Spreading the Wings
Prerequisites: Life 3, two dots in a second Skill among the optional prerequisite Skills
Finally, the Swan has fully designed her Ideal form up to every last detail, allowing her to manifest it. After a scene of prayer to the Raptor, beseeching Her to loosen His talons upon the flesh, the Swan emulates the "Many Faces" spell. Attribute dots, however, are not rearranged between those of the Ideal. Instead the Ideal takes Attribute dots from the Husk, and when the Swan reverts to the Husk she suffers the loss for a period equal to the Attainment's Duration. The Ideal form is unique, and while casting "Many Faces" as a spell to transform into other forms still work, this Attainment can only transform the Swan into her Ideal form.
Furthermore, the Swan's Ideal benefits from the Striking Looks (Advanced) Merit (as per Beast: The Primordial), while her Husk suffers from its inversion where she loses 10-again on appropriate Social rolls.
Lastly, sympathetic connections and other magical identifiers do not carry over between the Ideal and the Husk. For example, a sympathy Yantra taken from one form will not affect the other, and a Fate trigger set to target one form will slide off the other.
Optional: Mind 3
The Ideal form is fleeting, but the Chrysalis clings to it with sheer determination. When the transformation above runs out of Duration, he may spend a Willpower point to extend it for a scene. In this state, however, he can only regain Willpower from his Vice or Virtue.
The Chrysalis immediately and unwillingly reverts to his Husk form when his Willpower reaches zero. Shoud this happen, he suffers one of the following Conditions; Broken, Fugue, or Madness.

Fourth: Perfection of Form
Prerequisites: Life 4, Subterfuge 4
The Swan further develops her Ideal, and intentionally sacrifices her Husk to do so. When she uses Spreading the Wings to transform, she combines it with the "Honing the Form" spell. Reach is assigned to Advanced Duration and dividing Potency between two Attributes. While the Ideal form itself is still fixed, the Attribute dots can be freely assigned each transformation.
Once the transformation ends, however, the Swan automatically replicates the "Degrading the Form" spell on herself against her will. Reach is assigned to Advanced Duration and dividing Potency between two Attributes. This effect is activated instantly, the time spent during the transformation substituting for the ritual time required. Attributes degraded are the same ones enhanced during transformation.
Optional: Mind 4
Perfection of mind follows the perfection of body for the Chrysalis. He may combine "Honing the Form" as above with the "Augment Mind" spell. One Reach is assigned to Advanced Duration, while the other is assigned to either dividing Potency between Physical Attributes or dividing it between Mental and Social Attributes.
Using this augmentation, however, mean the Attainment's drawback is also amplified. "Degrading the Form" as above is combined with "Befuddle." Reach is assigned to the same pattern as the above.

Fifth: Pinnacle of Grace
Prerequisites: Life 5, two dots in a third Skill among the optional prerequisite Skills
To the Swan, the pinnacle of her grace is not a holistic development of her being. It is instead the ultimate separation between her Ideal and her Husk, no matter how much they are still the same person. After a scene of prayer to the Raptor, thanking Him for Her blessings and promising eternal servitude, he creates another whole body manifesting her Ideal form. This combines the "Create Life" and "Animal Minion" spells, with Reach assigned to Advanced Duration.
Benefits and drawbacks of the previous Attainments apply when they can. The Shadow Name can be invoked, "First Impression" can be mimicked freely, Attributes are stolen from the Husk in addition to whatever "Honing the Form" and "Augment Mind" supply, and the Duration can be extended by spending Willpower points. All the corresponding drawbacks of the Attainments these benefits draw from also apply in full effect, but only when the Swan's consciousness returns to the Husk.
Optional: Mind 5
The Chrysalis' disassociation allows him to further distance his Ideal from his original, holistic psyche. He can replicate the "Psychic Reprogramming" spell on himself, with Reach assigned to instant use and Advanced Duration.

[Vent0]

Nicely done. Their every attainment flows well, and serves to tell their story.

[Mrmdubois]

I never thought of this before, but the evil queen of Snow White is a textbook Chrysalide.

[21C Hermit]

Nicely done. Their every attainment flows well, and serves to tell their story.

Thanks. That’s what I aspire to in every Legacy, with varying degrees of satisfaction

[21C Hermit]

I never thought of this before, but the evil queen of Snow White is a textbook Chrysalide.

Oh! Now that you mention it, she is. Good catch.

[21C Hermit]

The Daksha are here... except for half of their fifth Attainment, because I can't think of what'd be a good capstone power for these guys at the moment, while running out of time due to stuff I have to attend to. Does anybody have suggestions?

After finishing the fifth Attainment will be... the Secret Order of the Gate? Huh. They sound tough to do. Maybe they'll fit better as a Nameless Order or a Prelacy or something. Or I'll do another one of my previous stuff revisited, which I realize haven't done much compared to all the times I said I'll get to them. Ah well. Let's see how it turns out.




DAKSHA

Beautiful and graceful, always with a faint smile. She - he? - was like one of those statues you saw in Hindu temples, a serene presence divoced from the common folks. He - she? - spoke of asceticism, Tantric rituals and the sort of ethnic cleansing eugenics proposed, all in a matter-of-fact tone. Hearing them talk, you'd almost fall for their evangelism.

Atlantis Will Rise Again

The Daksha are among the more renowned and infamous Legacies, their ideologies sparking many debates among the Awakened. They are Tantric ascetics, whose mastery of Daksha-Yoga enable them to transcend the flesh. They are Atlantean literalists, who preach that the Awakened City actually existed and will rise again. They are mystic archaeologists, whose collection of artifacts and lore from the Time Before is unparalleled. They are supposedly guided by the Dhyani, a cabal of archmages directly communing with Supernal entities claimed to be either Atlanteans or the Oracles themselves.

Modern mages however know the Advent better as Awakened theosophists who exalt physio-spiritual evolution of humanity, as three-eyed hermaphrodites with all the eerie allure that follows, and as former supporters of the Nazis in their eugenics with factions who still espouse the idea of cleansing the inferior race, which can be as narrow as "not Aryan" and as broad as "not Daksha."

Origins

Parentage: Obrimos, Mysterium, Guardians of the Veil
Background: Anyone who displays an interest in human evolution and with enough self-control to endure the yogas are is a candidate for Daksha initiation, who will find no shortage of evangelical senior Lemurians. Although modern Advent no longer explicitly practice racism, their implicit support of it means that Caucasian and Indian mages make up most of the new recruits. Certainty of the future, visions of becoming the ruling caste, and promise of esoteric sex also compel some mages to seek out the Daksha, as base as those reasons may sound.
Appearances: The Daksha are ascetics foremost, and thus are of athletic builds with little to no personal possessions, carrying themselves with disciplined grace. The most distinct feature of the Advent are their third eyes, which they conceal in public with turbans, long hair and the like. Lemurians also grow beautiful in a gender-neutral way, as expected of hermaphrodites pursuing physical perfection.

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Life 2, Athletics 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Academics, Survival, Persuasion, Occult, Investigation
Initiation: Daksha induction rites are hard on the body. It involves a vegan diet, vows of chastity and poverty, and daily meditative exercises even before the actual shaping of Gnosis, the latter being completed by entering a trance in a three-day long fast in contemplation of the Stanzas of Dzyan, the collected body of theosophic mythos of the Legacy. Most tutors stop students in danger of failing, preferring a late apprentice over a dead one. Further initiations into higher Attainments involve even more ordeals, from deeper trances to mortification of the body.
Organization: The Daksha are highly hierarchical, every member expected to answer to the regional cabal, and ultimately follow the Dhyani. However, between the extensive initiatory indoctrination and lack of substantial oversight from the Dhyani, most Daksha are in practice free to pursue individual agendas and foment rivalry with each others.
Theory: The Stanzas of Dzyan detail the seven Root Races, the evolutionary cycle humanity is locked into and is currently broken. Current humans living in the Kali-Yuga, the Age of Strife that the Advent identify the Sleeping Curse as, is the Fifth Root Race. The Daksha wish to fix the cycle by re-evolving themselves into Lemurians, the Third Root Race, and restore the cycle so that they will evolve into the Sixth and Seventh Root Races, upon which they will join the Supernal.

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Life
Yantras: Places removed from secular life, such as mountain tops (+1); quoting the Stanzas of Dyzan (+2); traditional Indian tools, such as a dorje or a phurbu (+2); invoking gods and ascended beings (+1, +2 if directly naming the eight Atlantean deities the Dhyani adopts the names of)
Oblations: Meditating upon the Stanzas of Dyzan; ascetic practices, such as sleeping on a bed of nails; mortification of the flesh, such as hanging from hooks; Tantric sex rites with another Legacy member

Attainments

First: Pineal Eye
Prerequisites: Initiation
The Advent is barely initiated into the Daksha-Yoga, her third eye stirring but not fully opened. Even in this incomplete state, she can replicate the "Heightened Senses" spell to complement her sight-related Perception rolls. Reach is assigned to instant use.
Optional: Prime 1
The Lemurian's nascent third eye helps refine his connection to the Supernal. When using Active Mage Sight, he no longer suffers penalties to rolls unrelated to using or perceiving magic. Also, he adds his Prime dots to the number of minutes he can maintain Active Sight before having to spend Willpower.

Second: Teisara-Akh
Prerequisites: Life 2, Athletics 3
Finally having mastered the first principles of Daksha-Yoga, the Advent finds her pineal gland sprout into a literal third eye at the back of her head, smooth and entirely black. This eye is fully functional, granting the Advent a wider sight and providing appropriate bonuses to sight-related actions, such as detecting ambushes.
Furthermore, after a scene of meditative trance, the Advent can replicate the "Body Control" spell. Reach is assigned to Advanced Duration. Repeated use of this Attainment refines her body as skin becomes smoother, muscles tougher and more supple, and body hair thinning away.
Optional: Prime 2
The Lemurian's third eye reaches out to the Akashic Record, the putative library of all human knowledge. He replicates the "Supernal Vision" spell on himself, with Reach assigned to instant use and revealing non-Supernal supernatural phenomena.

Third: The Androgyne Condition
Prerequisites: Life 3, two dots in a second Skill among the optional prerequisite Skills
After the initiatory trance in achieving this Attainment, the Advent awakens as a true hermaphrodite, with fully functional sexual organs and but less pronounced but clearly present primary sexual characteristics of both sexes.
If needed, however, the Advent can freely change their physical sex after a scene's meditation. This replicates the "Many Faces" spell, with Reach assigned to Advanced Duration. This transformation can also hide the third eye.
Optional: Prime 3
By attaining balance between the two sexes, the Lemurian perfects their being into a holistic one that channels the Akashic Records to insulate themselves from inferior magic. This replicates the "Wards and Signs" spell on their person, with Reach assigned to instant use and Advanced Duration.

Fourth: Homo Superior
Prerequisites: Life 4, Athletics 4
At heights of Daksha-Yoga, the elder Advent masters their body to reach superhuman levels of physical prowess. After a scene of breathing exercises focusing the body's energies, the Advent spends a point of Mana to replicate the "Honing the Form" spell on themselves. Reach is assigned to Advanced Duration and exceeding their own Gnosis-derived limit.
Optional: Prime 4
The Lemurian is the herald of the Coming Race, a superior being unbound by the limits of the Fallen form in channeling Mana. They can replicate the "Channel Mana" spell, with Reach assigned to instant use and ignoring their Mana per turn limit. The Lemurian counts as having rolled an exceptional success on spellcasting when using this effect during or after Tantric rites involving heavy exertion of the body, including but not limited to sex.

Fifth: The Third Root Race
Prerequisites: Life 5, two dots in a third Skill among the optional prerequisite Skills
Make no mistake, despite their grace and calm the Daksha believe themselves literally superior to the rest of humanity, as the inheritors of the Third Root Race. An elder Advent's casual confidence in their superiority manifest as sovereignty over what they see as mere apes. This Attainment controls a human being as per the "Control Instincts" spell. Reach is assigned to instant use, Advanced Duration, Advanced Scale, and controlling supernatural lifeforms that are mostly human. The Advent counts as having rolled an exceptional success on spellcasting when using this Attainment on Sleepers.
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Optional: Prime 5
The Lemurian's Supernal proximity to their namesake Root Race allow them to see the Akashic Records laid bare in the Fallen World, which allow them to see how lesser mages' spells follow recurrent patterns that they can easily exploit. This replicates the "Display of Power" spell, costing a point of Mana. Reach is assigned to instant use and granting rote quality to all attempts to Counterspell the revealed spells.

[Dreaminggod]

I very much like this! Excellent work.

[aceDiamond]

Could I request your take on the Perfected Adepts?