Simpler Wonder Creation

[Octavo]

Overview
Wonders are the best thing in Mage because they represent ingenuity, innovation, and dedicated application of a Mage’s beliefs.
Wonder creation has baffled me in every edition of every game called Mage. After reading through the Sorcerers Crusade, which has the simplest Wonder creation rules, and M20 Book of Secrets, which has the most complex Wonder creation rules, I’m synthesizing something intended to be accessible and quick. Please note that the altered Prime requirements for some of the Wonders are intentional.

Following the suggestion in the Book of Secrets, all Wonder activation rolls are made at difficulty 7. To determine the strength of the Effect, compare the number of successes to the standard Magickal Feats chart.

Background cost
Background cost rules are identical to the ones in M20 and the Book of Secrets.
Wonders get rated by their overall power-level:
• Minor item worth 1-3 freebie or experience points.
•• Notable item worth 4-6 points.
••• Significant item worth 7-9 points.
•••• Impressive item worth 10-12 points.
••••• Mighty item worth 13-15 points.
Wonders like Paladin cars, Dragons, or Voidships can be worth more than 15 points, but should be pooled by the group like other group resources such as Node or Requisitions.
The dot rating (not freebie or xp cost) caps the number of effects in a Wonder, its highest sphere effect, and Arete rating (if applicable). Additional background points can raise the Arete rating of the item on a one for one basis.

Talismans / Devices

Description
A mystick Talisman or a hypertech Device is the most potent type of Wonder because it has its own Arete rating and can store Quintessence equal to its Arete x 5. The reason for this is that each activation of the Wonder requires a single point of Arete.
The Arete rating means that anyone (if trained) can use it to cast the effects imbued into it, although Sleepers of a paradigm opposite the Wonder may end up destroying it with Disbelief.
However, in the hands of a trained consor or Extraordinary Citizen, these Wonders can be potent. Imagine the Wizard handing his ring of invisibility to her trusted courier or a Voidship captain arming his Space Marines with plasma cannons. The Mage no longer has to stand alone!

Crafting the Wonder
Each step must be completed by the same Mage, although that Mage can get assistance from unawakened assistants for step 1, and Mages for steps 2 and 3. The Mage leading the effort must have all the Skills and Spheres for each step. No one else can sub in Prime 4 or the Spheres needed to cast the Effect in the first place, although they can assist using the standard Teamwork rules.

1. First lay the foundation of the item by using the skills associated with the Mage’s practice. I suggest Hypertech, Technology, and/or Science for Technocrats, and some level of Esoterica for more Mystick minded Mages. This can be an extended roll with a difficulty set by the Storyteller based on the immensity of the task.
2. Using a Prime 4 effect that is vulgar nearly everywhere outside of Horizon, the Mage invests Quintessence equal to 5 times the background dot rating of the Wonder plus 1 for each Effect the Wonder is intended to cast. This Quintessence can come from tass, a periapt/matrix, the Mage’s personal supply, or from sufficient quantities of matter appropriate to the Talisman. The matter is consumed by the effect as the bound quintessence is ripped out of it. With Prime 5, a mage with an appropriate paradigm (and moral outlook) can use living sacrifices to provide the Quintessence. The Mages most known for this are the Verbena and the Nephandi.
3. With the penultimate step, the Mage casts the Magickal Effects one at a time using the standard Magick rules. If the materials used to in step one are rare and valuable, the Wonder-to-be counts as a Unique Instrument for the purposes of this roll. Once all Effects have been successfully cast, the Wonder is complete. The maximum number of attempts to cast the Effect are equal to the Mage’s Arete + Willpower maximum. If the Mage botches any of the rolls, the Mage has to go back to step 2 unless a point of Quintessence is spent to stabilize the process.
4. In the 1400s, Talisman creation was not yet vulgar and was easily done. In modern times, one final step is required - the Mage must invest a dot of Willpower into the item to complete it.

Charms / Gadgets

Description
Mystickal Charms and Hypertech Gadgets are similar to Talismans and Devices with one difference: they only work once. This is where you get your magick bullets or your Jekyll to Hyde serum.

Crafting the Wonder
The creation / purchasing process is identical to that of Talismans with the following changes.

• The background cost is cut in half for a single batch of 10 increments. 10 bullets, 10 potions, etc.
• Prime 3 rather than Prime 4 is needed to channel the Quintessence needed to make one shot items as long as the source of the Quintessence is not bound in a pattern. Note that the Quintessence in Tass is not bound up in a pattern and is can be channeled with Prime 3.
• A Willpower point rather than a Willpower dot is required to finish creating the batch.

Artifacts / Inventions

Description
Mystick Artifacts and Hypertech Inventions are much like Talismans and Devices with one important difference: they do not have an Arete trait and thus can only be activated by Mages using their Arete trait. Similarly, they cannot store Quintessence unless a Periapt (or cartridges of Tass) is connected to it, and they do not need additional Quintessence to power the effect per use.
Artifacts and Inventions have a single Effect that is either in continuous operation or activates based on some sort of trigger. Most Artifacts and Inventions have additional minor features, some of which are atmospheric like blue flames curling around a magick blade, or a pain in the ass like smoke pouring from a beta variant jetpack.
This represents your Excalibur or your experimental work of science that is not ready for the public yet.
Rather than approximate M20’s rules for artifact creation, which are identical to Talisman creation, I am drawing from the Sorcerers Crusade’s rules for creating Daedalean Machinae with their Renaissance era Ars Praeclarus.

Crafting the Wonder
To make an Artifact or Invention, refer to the Talisman / Device creation rules, but use only steps 1 and 3. No Willpower sacrifice, Prime rating, or Quintessence investment is required to make a machine. However, because this is an experimental process unaided by the knowledge granted by Prime, step 1 takes a month per dot of the Wonder’s background rating. If the Effect is intended to be continuous, step 3 requires double the normal successes on the Magickal Feats chart. Also, a botch in step 3 cannot be smoothed over with Quintessence, but counts as an enormous setback that can undo months of progress.

Periapts / Matrices

Description
A mystickal periapt or a hypertech matrix is what a Mage gets when creating a Talisman or Device without any conjunctional sphere effects to go along with the basic Prime 4. It technically has an Arete trait, but since there are no Sphere effects to roll, the Arete is only used to calculate the amount of Quintessence it can store.

Crafting the Wonder
To create a Periapt or Matrix, follow the Talisman creation rules, but omit step 3.

[Saikou]

So... what’s wrong with:

Prime 2: craft matter charms
Prime 3: craft matter artefacts and life charms
Prime 4: craft talismans and life artefacts
Prime 5: craft life talismans (aka relics)

Work out power based on spheres you’re giving to the wonder.
Add sphere dots for single use casts, multiply for intrinsic casts.
I.e. a wand that shoots lightning and gives the holder immunity to lightning.
That’s per cast Forces 3 to generate and shoot lightning, and intrinsic Forces 2 to protect the user.
+3 *2 = 6.

Artefacts need quintessence equal to the power, and preferably of a complementary resonance. So the artefact wand measure above needs 6 points of preferably electricity related quintessence. E.g dynamic electric, dynamic flashy, static magnetic, static direct, entropic burning, entropic scorched. Quintessence must be from Tass, otherwise you need 1 level of Prime higher to cast. So this wand would need Prime 3 to cast with some scorched earth Tass, but prime 4 To use scorched quintessence. Tass is just easier to handle.

The roll will be the standard difficulty, highest sphere involved plus 3. So for the artefact craft of this wand, it would be 6.
Successes rolled would be power plus quintessence required, which is 12, and must be performed as a ritual. The whole thing is going to be coincidental as long as it takes a tonne of time.

Charms work in a similar way, but cannot have intrinsic effects on them, and quintessence will determin how many charges they get. The more quintessence you imbue them with, the more charges.

Talismans also work in a similar way, but come with a beginning step which is to creates the talismans Arete score, the attempt costs 1 peremenant WP.
Roll Arete the normal difficulty, every success adds a point to the Arete of the talisman, and can be continued until the mages decided to stop, or they fail once. Then it’s back to artefact rules for the rest of the crafting. Botching is bad.

Flaws are determined by problems in the crafting process, either from using inappropriate quintessence, running out of quintessence, botching, failure mid process, and other interruptions. The wonder is still made, but not in the way the mage would have preferred.

Not need to add or change backgrounds, and no experience cost required. Failure always results in a wonder with severe problems, the severity decided by how far in the process the failure occurred. Botching can result in anything from explosions, to the creation of something truly bizarre and problematic.

Also, periapts should be considered artefacts for the purposes of creation.

[Octavo]

So... what’s wrong with:

Prime 2: craft matter charms
Prime 3: craft matter artefacts and life charms
Prime 4: craft talismans and life artefacts
Prime 5: craft life talismans (aka relics)

Sure, here's the problem: from 1E all the way through M20, Mages with Prime 2 don't know how to channel free quintessence (points). They only now how to manipulate the configuration of Quintessence in matter (enchant sword or boxing gloves to do agg damage) and they know how to fuel patterns created ex nihilo. They learn to manipulate points of free quintessence from nodes and tass when they hit level 3. Putting charms down at 2 doesn't make any sense to me.

Artefacts need quintessence equal to the power, and preferably of a complementary resonance. So the artefact wand measure above needs 6 points of preferably electricity related quintessence. E.g dynamic electric, dynamic flashy, static magnetic, static direct, entropic burning, entropic scorched. Quintessence must be from Tass, otherwise you need 1 level of Prime higher to cast. So this wand would need Prime 3 to cast with some scorched earth Tass, but prime 4 To use scorched quintessence. Tass is just easier to handle.

See, in the m20 book of secrets, Artifacts / Inventions don't need Quintessence to power their effects since they're activated via the Arete of the caster rather than the Wonder. That's why I decided to use the Machinae rules for them and remove the need for Prime.

Not need to add or change backgrounds, and no experience cost required. Failure always results in a wonder with severe problems, the severity decided by how far in the process the failure occurred. Botching can result in anything from explosions, to the creation of something truly bizarre and problematic.

Also, periapts should be considered artefacts for the purposes of creation.

I do need to add a clarification that the background points cost is not necessary when creating the item - only when buying it at character creation.

[Saikou]

I’d say that’s why Prime 2 mages are limited to making charms out of Tass. The quintessence is in the very object they are using to make the charm, be that by drenching it in Tass flower juice, coating in Tass bee’s was, carving it out of Tass clay, or building it with tass gold circuitry.

The quintessence is required to make the artefact hold permenence.

[Octavo]

I’d say that’s why Prime 2 mages are limited to making charms out of Tass. The quintessence is in the very object they are using to make the charm, be that by drenching it in Tass flower juice, coating in Tass bee’s was, carving it out of Tass clay, or building it with tass gold circuitry.

The quintessence is required to make the artefact hold permenence.

If you're just making your charm out of tass that you can't manipulate with Prime 2, why do you even need Prime 2? This is why I find Prime frustrating. The capabilities at different levels haven't been logically consistent since 1e and 2e. I've got a redesign in the works that will at the very least make it easier for me to adjudicate.

Regarding artifacts, I'm deliberately changing the rules to the ones from the Sorcerers Crusade that don't require Prime. It's so that inventions and artifacts are more accessible to players.

[Saikou]

You need prime 2 because without that knowledge on how prime works, you can’t make the charms.

[Octavo]

You need prime 2 because without that knowledge on how prime works, you can’t make the charms.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think this kind of thinking was added in Revised and only partially retconned in M20. In 1E and 2E, the ranks of prime held a consistent logic. Each rank gave the mage the ability to manipulate a different form of quintessence.

1E:
Rank 1: sense sources of quintessence, alter the avatar to accept more quintessence than the avatar rating would allow.
Rank 2: perceive the great pool of quintessence that exists everywhere. Divert a trickle from that great pool into patterns designed by conjunctional pattern spheres.
Rank 3: channel points of free quintessence out of tass or nodes and into other patterns, such as talismans or chantries or one's own avatar. In this edition, talisman creation falls under rank 3, but no rules were given until the Book of Mirrors, which bumped up the requirement to rank 4.
Rank 4: destroy or infuse raw quintessence that's already bound in non-living patterns. This allows selective permanent alterations to physical properties.
Rank 5: Masters of prime can now affect the trickle of quint from the pool to the life pattern. Damming that flow kills the pattern. Increasing the flow can recharge the points in an awakened avatar. The master can now use free (points of) quint to eliminate points of paradox that haven’t coalesced in a pattern.

2E was basically the same, with the following additions:

Rank 2: without conjunctional pattern spheres, one could fuel a platonic pattern that only existed in the etheric, spiritual, and astral planes all at once (but not the physical plane). This was the foundation for the Body of Light Effect.
Rank 3: Free quint can now be drawn from Junctures - special times - as well as Nodes.
Rank 4: Talisman creation now goes here as in the 1E book of Mirrors.

Revised added a ton of effects to rank 2, such as prime lightsabers and charms. The problem with this is that these effects all require the ability to manipulate free quint, which until Revised has never been available until Prime 3. Because of this, M20 scaled prime lightsabers up to rank 3, but didn't change the requirements for Charms - possibly because they didn't exist prior to Revised, I'm not sure.

Anyhow, this is all opinion. Your interpretation is perfectly valid for every edition that I've seen Charms appear in. I'm redesigning prime to make more metaphysical sense, so I can more easily adjudicate effect creation and item crafting. The theory is that I follow the metaphysics of the prime sphere from 1E and 2E, and then realign the goodies that Revised added to the appropriate levels. This helps prevent problems like HDYDT claiming that to do chi punches, prime 2 spends quint points to deliver agg damage. Nope, that's a prime 3 effect that merely alters the configuration of bound quint and doesn't cost free quint points. You can do it with prime 2 if you're just enchanting your boxing gloves.

Here's the link to the redesigned Prime Sphere: http://forum.theonyxpath.com/forum/m...d-prime-sphere.

[Dataweaver]

I noticed that you've folded M20 Trinkets into Artifacts and Inventions. Nice!

I also noticed that there's no mention of Fetishes. I figure that that's because they're a Spirit thing, and their rules are unchanged.

But no Grimoires, Principae, or Primers?

[Prometheas]

So... what’s wrong with:

Prime 2: craft matter charms
Prime 3: craft matter artefacts and life charms
Prime 4: craft talismans and life artefacts
Prime 5: craft life talismans (aka relics)

Personally, I don't see why creating a life based wonder would be any more difficult than creating a matter based wonder. The only ways I'd run the difference is when specific paradigms are involved, and even then, it'd only be different in that they'd need more complicated prayers/incantations, rare materials or ancient foci to perform the ritual. I also agree with Octavo that charm creation would be more consistant if it started at prime 3.