Lately, I've been toying with the idea of changing a bit the nature of Mage's metaphysics in order to give a bit more freedom for what magic "is". Instead of a mystical connection to higher realities while being trapped in a fallen world ruled by tyrant gods, I've though of tying magic more to the Fallen- while you could still be that kind of Mage, it simply won't be the default. So I took some inspiration from D&D and thought about the idea of Magical Origin- that is, how did the mage gained her powers and learned magic. For now I've thought about 6 different Origins, but the number isn't really limited. I'm also not sure about what mechanical effect should your Origin have if any, for I don't want it to have a big impact on the way the character use magic. Instead, I think it would effect how you get Arcane Beats- instead of taking 3 Obsessions, you get 2 of your choice and one which is defined by your Origin.
Anyway, the premise of the setting is that magic is found everywhere- there is still the Abyss as a dark force of nature which creates Dissonance and keeps everyone asleep, but the magic itself originates from the very structure of the world. Long time ago, maybe even before the world has been formed, magic has crystallized into form and gained life of its own. Fairies, spirits, angels, demons and ghosts are all different forms of living magic, which now exist as intelligent, powerful, magical beings. No one really knows how those beings were created, for each tells a different story about its origin if it even bothers speaking about it. All that is known is that they exist, moving in the shadows of the world and whispering whispers no one can hear... unless the mages, of course.
While the type of your magic (or your Path) is decided by the being from the type of being which influenced your Awakening, the way you Awakened is your Origin- by Book, Medallion, Blade, Wand, Candle or Blood, you were taught the greatest secrets of creation, secrets which may one day allow you to walk among the Supernal beings as equal. Or be devoured by them. Or devour them. It is a dangerous world out there, and everything has its price, and the coinage is your own soul and Wisdom. The question is- how much are you willing to pay?
The Origins are-
Book- you are the classical "wizard" which most people think about, who search the scripts for ancient knowledge and develop complicate theories about how magic works. Maybe you have been taught by an old mentor, who belongs to a long line of teachers who have learned their secrets from an angel of heavens. Instead, Perhaps you are the first one in the line, gaining your knowledge directly from one of the Fae. On the other hand, you may not be alone- but a part of a big community, a great tradition based around the spirit world which survived for ages and ages. Or maybe this is an extinct tradition, and you had to search for an ancient tomb and bind an old ghost just in order to learn their secrets. And maybe, just maybe you are self taught, after you accidentally discovered and old book and after great effort were able to translate it, not noticing (or caring) that the book was wrapped in human skin and decorated with demonic symbols..
Beat: As a scholar, you have a great theory which you use to explain the world around you and how magic works. Sometimes, it works perfectly, On other times, you find things that don't fit you paradigm- but it is ok. Without challenging old traditions, nothing new could grow. Every time you discover a new detail which support, challenge or expand your theory, get an Arcane Beat.
Medallion- magic is not a right- it is a gift. Mortals shouldn't abuse that power for their own needs, and instead must use it in the service of a greater being- a greater agenda, something which would change the whole world. Gods walk the Supernal, and they grant their gifts to their priests and servants. While some may look down on you for submitting your powers to another being, you know the truth: that the gods are worthy to be served, that you are one of the chosen, and it is you who should look down on them. After all, you have caught Zeus's lightning by your hand and have been marked by it. You have traveled into the underworld and have been kissed by Hel herself. You have fought against Susanoo and proved yourself worthy to his power upon the spirits of sea and storm. You rode with the Morrigan and survived, learning how to mark and bind a man's fate. You have even walked into the fires of Moloch without getting burned, and by doing so you took his power as your own. You have proved yourself in front of those mighty beings, and those who object their rule will be punished.
Beat: magic is done in the name of the gods, and each god has its own agenda- some may wish to destroy the world, others seek to save it. Most don't care, working in their limited portfolio and seek to make more people to join their faith and accept their dogma. Each time you manage to advance your god's agenda, you gain an Arcane Beat.
Blade- not all who walk the supernal are powerful, god like beings. Some are small beings with petty wishes, who may have their own magic but they lack the power or will to grant it to others. Yet, it doesn't mean they can't offer you something else- a pact, a equal trade. They take a small part of your soul, and put part of themselves in you. Then, they bind the oath and you are commitment to their pact, for better or worse. There are many kinds of pacts, and many reasons for those beings to give up a part of themselves to a mortal being- an angel seeks to fulfill its divine mission and requires an earthly agent, so it put a shard of itself in its chosen prophet. A desperate person caught by the Wild Hunt promise to give everything in order to be free again, and one of the hunters decides to answer his plead out of pure boredom. A shaman search after a companion spirit to guide him in the Shadow of the world and is willing to pay with pain and blood. An ancestor spirit is wishes to protect its last descendant and give him everything it have. A demon hungry for freedom from Hell grants the wish of a foolish mortal, not telling him that the seed of darkness was planted in his soul. Once agreed by both sides, the pact must be kept- or else terrible things may happen to both sides of the deal
Beat: the pact influence your life and magic. Every time you are challenged by the deal, make sacrifice for it or work your way around by finding a loophole, you gain an Arcane Beat.
Wand- magic is a wild, untamed force. While some bind it through words and spells, its natural state is a chaotic energy which transforms the world. While it is usually bound to the pattern of the world, it sometimes breaks free, running wild and mutating everything that cross its path. Eventually, it would fall in place and anchor itself to a certain fetter- this is how Hallows and Artifacts are formed. Yet, sometimes, instead of getting tied into an item or place, it gets tied to a person, and by doing so it grants her a great potential, even if not the knowledge to how to use it, creating a dangerous wild talent. Those events may take many different forms- an angelic magic would take the shape of a celestial storm of holy light, which burns anything in its way until it finds someone who can withstand its divine judgement. Another person would gain access to fae magic by accidentally falling into a faerie ring in the middle of the Full Moon by pure chance- or fate. An ancient spirit who gets killed release a huge amount of wild magic, which may cross the Gauntlet and be absorbed by a person which fits the spirit's nature and Influence. Sometimes, when too many people are killed in the same place, the Great Bellow opens its mouth and spits necrotic energy, and those who are struck by it are transformed forever. A dark ritual which was meant to summon demons has went wrong, and the explosion created by it sent hellish brimstone into the air- and those who were not killed by its poison have discovered new and terrible powers in themselves. Wild magic is always dangerous- and those chosen by it are tenfold more.
Beat: magic runs through your body and soul, resonating with the world and wish to grow. Every time you work toward expanding your magic (like creating a new Legacy, rots, imbued items, arcane traditions, etc, etc) you get an Arcane Beat.
Candle- each person has a divine spark in his soul, a light descending through the darkness which shines like a lost star. That light is humanity's primordial heritage, its right to reach out and seek for what they have lost. Those who find that sleeping spark in their soul and awake it find great power in their souls, a sign that man can be a god too. Each soul resonate with a mythical kingdom, an origin of one of the 5 main types of magic, great cities in which the beings from the beyond dance freely without form or name, and from which they come down to earth. Aether is the realm of angels, a place where crystal spheres shine with divine light. Arcadia is the land of the faeries, where the mischievous courts of the Fair Folk create wondrous palaces and nightmarish castles. The Primal Wild is a great wilderness where totem beasts roam and hunt without being forced to civilization and man made laws. Stygia is a kingdom carved in stone by the hands of the dead, where the grand deathlords rule upon their silent dominions. Pandemonium is the city of demons, a labyrinth of twisting minds and treachery brought by one's own deeds. Many of the mystics and philosophers who find their magic that way see the same places, yet with certain variations- and those variations birth endless debates about which description of the Supernal is "true"
Beat: the mystics search after a mirror of themselves and a better understanding of their own soul. Every time you gain an understanding about your place in the universe or gain an epiphany about the nature of your magic and how it is connected to the greater world, gain a beat.
Blood- Some people seek for magic in the outside. Others search for it in the inside. Some, however, don't need to search at all. Some are, practically, magic. Those people who carry magic in their blood belong to an ancient and powerful lineage, and they are proud in their magic. While not everyone who is a part of the bloodline gains that power, no one can deny the fact that the members of those bloodlines do have an higher chance to awake than the regular person. There are many genealogical experiments done by the mages of those lineages in order to strength their magic, like inbreeding or mixing certain lineages together, but sometimes it seems that powers beyond human control are the ones to decide who will awake and who won't. For example, there is a line of saints which dates up to the days when the Nephilim walked the earth, yet only the firstborn child would gain their holy powers- and only by his death, his sibling may awake. Another bloodline comes from a great celebration in which the faeries dances with men and laid with them, and since then every 7 generation all the living members of the family awake at once. A third family has hunted with werewolves and other shape shifters for ages, and as they made a blood oath to protect each other they gained some of their affinity to the spirit world. A different lineage comes not from a monster, but from a powerful necromancer who has cursed the ones who burned him and all their descendants to walk his path until the stars would turn black and fall like ash. Yet, the lineage doesn't have to be old- demons roam the world all the time, and they lust for human flesh and desires, bringing half breed offsprings into the world. Young or old, what is known is that the supernatural parent of the family would undoubtedly discover interest in his mortal children- nothing binds stronger than blood, whether the children would like it or not.
Beat: your search for your mythical ancestor motivates you as blood calls to blood. Every time you discover a new detail about your lineage and the magical history of your family, you get an Arcane Beat.
So- thoughts about the subjects? A different idea for crunch or new Origin ideas?
Anyway, the premise of the setting is that magic is found everywhere- there is still the Abyss as a dark force of nature which creates Dissonance and keeps everyone asleep, but the magic itself originates from the very structure of the world. Long time ago, maybe even before the world has been formed, magic has crystallized into form and gained life of its own. Fairies, spirits, angels, demons and ghosts are all different forms of living magic, which now exist as intelligent, powerful, magical beings. No one really knows how those beings were created, for each tells a different story about its origin if it even bothers speaking about it. All that is known is that they exist, moving in the shadows of the world and whispering whispers no one can hear... unless the mages, of course.
While the type of your magic (or your Path) is decided by the being from the type of being which influenced your Awakening, the way you Awakened is your Origin- by Book, Medallion, Blade, Wand, Candle or Blood, you were taught the greatest secrets of creation, secrets which may one day allow you to walk among the Supernal beings as equal. Or be devoured by them. Or devour them. It is a dangerous world out there, and everything has its price, and the coinage is your own soul and Wisdom. The question is- how much are you willing to pay?
The Origins are-
Book- you are the classical "wizard" which most people think about, who search the scripts for ancient knowledge and develop complicate theories about how magic works. Maybe you have been taught by an old mentor, who belongs to a long line of teachers who have learned their secrets from an angel of heavens. Instead, Perhaps you are the first one in the line, gaining your knowledge directly from one of the Fae. On the other hand, you may not be alone- but a part of a big community, a great tradition based around the spirit world which survived for ages and ages. Or maybe this is an extinct tradition, and you had to search for an ancient tomb and bind an old ghost just in order to learn their secrets. And maybe, just maybe you are self taught, after you accidentally discovered and old book and after great effort were able to translate it, not noticing (or caring) that the book was wrapped in human skin and decorated with demonic symbols..
Beat: As a scholar, you have a great theory which you use to explain the world around you and how magic works. Sometimes, it works perfectly, On other times, you find things that don't fit you paradigm- but it is ok. Without challenging old traditions, nothing new could grow. Every time you discover a new detail which support, challenge or expand your theory, get an Arcane Beat.
Medallion- magic is not a right- it is a gift. Mortals shouldn't abuse that power for their own needs, and instead must use it in the service of a greater being- a greater agenda, something which would change the whole world. Gods walk the Supernal, and they grant their gifts to their priests and servants. While some may look down on you for submitting your powers to another being, you know the truth: that the gods are worthy to be served, that you are one of the chosen, and it is you who should look down on them. After all, you have caught Zeus's lightning by your hand and have been marked by it. You have traveled into the underworld and have been kissed by Hel herself. You have fought against Susanoo and proved yourself worthy to his power upon the spirits of sea and storm. You rode with the Morrigan and survived, learning how to mark and bind a man's fate. You have even walked into the fires of Moloch without getting burned, and by doing so you took his power as your own. You have proved yourself in front of those mighty beings, and those who object their rule will be punished.
Beat: magic is done in the name of the gods, and each god has its own agenda- some may wish to destroy the world, others seek to save it. Most don't care, working in their limited portfolio and seek to make more people to join their faith and accept their dogma. Each time you manage to advance your god's agenda, you gain an Arcane Beat.
Blade- not all who walk the supernal are powerful, god like beings. Some are small beings with petty wishes, who may have their own magic but they lack the power or will to grant it to others. Yet, it doesn't mean they can't offer you something else- a pact, a equal trade. They take a small part of your soul, and put part of themselves in you. Then, they bind the oath and you are commitment to their pact, for better or worse. There are many kinds of pacts, and many reasons for those beings to give up a part of themselves to a mortal being- an angel seeks to fulfill its divine mission and requires an earthly agent, so it put a shard of itself in its chosen prophet. A desperate person caught by the Wild Hunt promise to give everything in order to be free again, and one of the hunters decides to answer his plead out of pure boredom. A shaman search after a companion spirit to guide him in the Shadow of the world and is willing to pay with pain and blood. An ancestor spirit is wishes to protect its last descendant and give him everything it have. A demon hungry for freedom from Hell grants the wish of a foolish mortal, not telling him that the seed of darkness was planted in his soul. Once agreed by both sides, the pact must be kept- or else terrible things may happen to both sides of the deal
Beat: the pact influence your life and magic. Every time you are challenged by the deal, make sacrifice for it or work your way around by finding a loophole, you gain an Arcane Beat.
Wand- magic is a wild, untamed force. While some bind it through words and spells, its natural state is a chaotic energy which transforms the world. While it is usually bound to the pattern of the world, it sometimes breaks free, running wild and mutating everything that cross its path. Eventually, it would fall in place and anchor itself to a certain fetter- this is how Hallows and Artifacts are formed. Yet, sometimes, instead of getting tied into an item or place, it gets tied to a person, and by doing so it grants her a great potential, even if not the knowledge to how to use it, creating a dangerous wild talent. Those events may take many different forms- an angelic magic would take the shape of a celestial storm of holy light, which burns anything in its way until it finds someone who can withstand its divine judgement. Another person would gain access to fae magic by accidentally falling into a faerie ring in the middle of the Full Moon by pure chance- or fate. An ancient spirit who gets killed release a huge amount of wild magic, which may cross the Gauntlet and be absorbed by a person which fits the spirit's nature and Influence. Sometimes, when too many people are killed in the same place, the Great Bellow opens its mouth and spits necrotic energy, and those who are struck by it are transformed forever. A dark ritual which was meant to summon demons has went wrong, and the explosion created by it sent hellish brimstone into the air- and those who were not killed by its poison have discovered new and terrible powers in themselves. Wild magic is always dangerous- and those chosen by it are tenfold more.
Beat: magic runs through your body and soul, resonating with the world and wish to grow. Every time you work toward expanding your magic (like creating a new Legacy, rots, imbued items, arcane traditions, etc, etc) you get an Arcane Beat.
Candle- each person has a divine spark in his soul, a light descending through the darkness which shines like a lost star. That light is humanity's primordial heritage, its right to reach out and seek for what they have lost. Those who find that sleeping spark in their soul and awake it find great power in their souls, a sign that man can be a god too. Each soul resonate with a mythical kingdom, an origin of one of the 5 main types of magic, great cities in which the beings from the beyond dance freely without form or name, and from which they come down to earth. Aether is the realm of angels, a place where crystal spheres shine with divine light. Arcadia is the land of the faeries, where the mischievous courts of the Fair Folk create wondrous palaces and nightmarish castles. The Primal Wild is a great wilderness where totem beasts roam and hunt without being forced to civilization and man made laws. Stygia is a kingdom carved in stone by the hands of the dead, where the grand deathlords rule upon their silent dominions. Pandemonium is the city of demons, a labyrinth of twisting minds and treachery brought by one's own deeds. Many of the mystics and philosophers who find their magic that way see the same places, yet with certain variations- and those variations birth endless debates about which description of the Supernal is "true"
Beat: the mystics search after a mirror of themselves and a better understanding of their own soul. Every time you gain an understanding about your place in the universe or gain an epiphany about the nature of your magic and how it is connected to the greater world, gain a beat.
Blood- Some people seek for magic in the outside. Others search for it in the inside. Some, however, don't need to search at all. Some are, practically, magic. Those people who carry magic in their blood belong to an ancient and powerful lineage, and they are proud in their magic. While not everyone who is a part of the bloodline gains that power, no one can deny the fact that the members of those bloodlines do have an higher chance to awake than the regular person. There are many genealogical experiments done by the mages of those lineages in order to strength their magic, like inbreeding or mixing certain lineages together, but sometimes it seems that powers beyond human control are the ones to decide who will awake and who won't. For example, there is a line of saints which dates up to the days when the Nephilim walked the earth, yet only the firstborn child would gain their holy powers- and only by his death, his sibling may awake. Another bloodline comes from a great celebration in which the faeries dances with men and laid with them, and since then every 7 generation all the living members of the family awake at once. A third family has hunted with werewolves and other shape shifters for ages, and as they made a blood oath to protect each other they gained some of their affinity to the spirit world. A different lineage comes not from a monster, but from a powerful necromancer who has cursed the ones who burned him and all their descendants to walk his path until the stars would turn black and fall like ash. Yet, the lineage doesn't have to be old- demons roam the world all the time, and they lust for human flesh and desires, bringing half breed offsprings into the world. Young or old, what is known is that the supernatural parent of the family would undoubtedly discover interest in his mortal children- nothing binds stronger than blood, whether the children would like it or not.
Beat: your search for your mythical ancestor motivates you as blood calls to blood. Every time you discover a new detail about your lineage and the magical history of your family, you get an Arcane Beat.
So- thoughts about the subjects? A different idea for crunch or new Origin ideas?
Onyx Path Moderator
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