Work In Progress

[Dataweaver]

So: one of the things that Trinity Continuum: Aberrant has in it is a nifty little system where you can start with making what's known as a Q-Tech invention (something that only a Nova can build and use), refining it until it becomes a Novatech invention (something that only a Nova can make, but anyone can use), and then refining it further until it becomes Core-tech (something that, in theory at least, anyone can make and use). How would this be applied to Mage?

The following is a very rough idea, more of some very tentative thoughts on the subject than anything useful right now. That said, I'd like some feedback on the idea.

First, consider the different kinds of Wonders. You have Artifacts and Inventions, which are basically Wonders that let mages perform a particular spell. IMHO, these are a reasonable fit for Q-Tech: only mages can make Artifacts and Inventions, and only mages can use them. Then you get to Talismans and Devices, which are still limited to mages in terms of who can make them, but which can be used by anyone with the correct Focus (e.g., Extraordinary Citizens, in the case of the Technocracy). This isn't a perfect fit for Nova-tech; but it's close.

That leaves an equivalent of Core-tech: a refinement of the Wonder to such an extent that it becomes almost mundane: you don't need to be Awakened even to make it. At this point, it's arguable whether it's even a Wonder anymore. That said, it's possible, if you view Sorcerers as “lesser mages” (I don't), that this step in the process would involve a Sorcerer with a Path of Alchemy, Enchantment, or something similar devising a new Ritual that creates a Sorcerous equivalent of an existing Talisman or Device. Without bringing Sorcery into the mix, the next step, I think, would be to try to replicate the Talisman or Device as some sort of Charm or Gadget or even a Trinket — something that brings the result closer to the realm of the Sleepers. I've got some fuzzy thoughts of where to go from here; but they're not ready even for this thread yet.

Another thought related to this is how it all plays into Reality Zones. I think at some point, we stop talking about revising the Wonder and we start talking about revising the Consensus. If a particular Wonder is ever going to be “standardized” to the point that Sleepers (and not just Extraordinary Citizens) can both make and use it, at some point you'll need to shift the paradigm so that whatever the Wonder does is considered to be Coincidental.

Coupling this with my Spellbooks hack, this becomes the ability to shift a rote from something that only mages can teach and Sleepers can't learn to something that only mages can teach but anyone can learn, to something that anyone can teach and learn — at which point the “rote” has been integrated into the Consensus and becomes something that anyone can do if they have enough dots in a relevant Ability.

[Dataweaver]

Okay, taking a stab at this:

(I'm going to be focusing on the Technomancy terminology here, because I see this as primarily purview of the Technocracy; but I'll address adapting it for the Traditions and other mages later on.)

Step one: create a Wonder that can be used by Extraordinary Citizens: a Device, Principia, Gadget, or Trinket. The rules for doing this already exist, though one extension to consider is the possibility of “rebuilding” an Invention as a Device.

Step two: standardize the Procedure used to create the Device. This would involve the use of Primal Utility, making it a “trade secret” of the Technocracy; although there's a less effective version of this that involves Prime instead. Once the crafting Procedure for the Wonder in question has been standardized, two additional benefits are unlocked: first, it becomes possible to set up “assembly lines” for a Device or Principia that lets you make more of it without spending a dot of Willpower on each one. (This benefit is unique to the Primary Utility version.) Second, the resulting Procedure can be taught to Extraordinary Citizens. If your game's version of Extraordinary Citizens is a “techno-sorcerer”, then this translates into the Procedure becoming a Ritual of the Path of Alchemy, Enchantment, or some other appropriate “make things” Path. If you view Sorcery as something completely different from Awakened Magick, then see my thread on Spellbooks (referenced in the first post) for the mechanics of how an Extraordinary Citizen learns Procedures; but in addition to that, a techno-sorcerer should be able to study the Procedure and eventually adapt it as a Ritual as above.

The point is that once a Procedure has been standardized, it can be taught to (some) people who aren't Enlightened.

(Another possibility might be that you can refine a standardized Procedure further, replacing the Arete roll normally needed to use it with an appropriate Attribute+Skill roll. This refinement should be fairly difficult to pull off, as it makes the Procedure much easier to perform: Attribute+Skill pools tend to be larger than Arete pools and easier to improve. If this idea is implemented, then it would be a necessary step in getting the Wonder accepted by the Consensus.)

Step three: if the Wonder isn't Coincidental in Technocratic Reality, shift the paradigm of a Technocratic Reality Zone so that it is. The usual approaches described in M20 are used to do this. (Possible expansions to consider: what sorts of Procedures exist for facilitating paradigm shifts? In effect, how do you use Enlightened Science to enhance propaganda? These are likely to be Mind Effects geared toward making the subjects more receptive to the desired changes.)

Step four: repeat step three in enough different Technocratic Reality Zones to achieve a Mass acceptance of the Wonder. Alternately, this can be merged with Step three if you have a way to shift multiple Reality Zones at once. Correspondence or Data would help with this, though with the advent of the Internet, there may be mundane ways to spread your influence far and wide. (Then again, it's not outside the realm of the possible that the Internet is itself a product of this system that has taken a collection of what used to be Correspondence/Data Effects and made them part of mundane reality.)

Once you have achieved Step four and the Wonder has become accepted by the Consensus by default, it ceases to be a Wonder. From this point on, the “Procedure” used to create it can be performed by anyone using an appropriate Attribute+Skill roll; and the resulting “Wonder” can be used by anyone, rolling an appropriate Attribute+Skill pool if any roll is necessary. The former Wonder is now part of the Consensus, and doesn't even qualify as a Coincidental Effect anymore; and the Timetable has advanced a page.

Thoughts?

[HorizonParty2021]

I think that it would be easier to get the idea across to more people if you used an example that can be visualized. The invention and evolution of the Chainsaw is perfect, because you can get into Reality Zones by reference to the lumber and construction industries (forests versus residential areas). In the Wikipedia Link I'm pasting to the bottom, there is the History section. In that is is the section: For Cutting Wood. The date of invention, 1905, is also interesting if you wanted to relate it to the Sons of Ether.

One can imagine two Reality Zones.
1. A coastal settled area where there is a demand for housing.
2. An ancient forest.

If you use the real historic example Samuel J. Bens inventing an endless chainsaw for the purpose of cutting giant redwood trees in California, you could just recount it and explain what is happening, rules-wise, at every stage of invention and manufacture. At the beginning, the chainsaw is a Wonder. At the end, it is a tool that operates predictably in the Consensus.

How badly does a particular operator want to cut that redwood? Propaganda/Mind: "We need more housing. This marvel is the key to our prosperity."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chainsaw#History