Announcement

**Flinty** · 08-19-2017, 09:41 AM

And now for the first of my homebrewed legacies, I present to you....

The Ebon Gate

The Ebon Gate is a legacy that was founded in the late 19^th century by an african american thearch calling himself Prometheus. Having not come across a legacy fitting his own world view the back then Hierach of Chicago set out to commune with the Angels of the Aether to seek their wisdom in establishing a worthy legacy for himself and the disciples that would follow after him. An Obrimos and even so student of the Death Arcanum, he contacted a powerful supernal being that knew about the beginnings and end of things. This being revealed to Prometheus how one could forge the path of enlightenment for others – and the terrible price that much be paid to do so. At first the thearch was horrified. But later he pondered the words of the Angel and summoned it again. What was the true nature of the soul, this tiny little understood metaphysical thing we care about so much? Prometheus was not getting a straight awnser from the powers above and however deeply he scrutinized its mysteries itself, the nature of the soul proved and what happened to it after death proved too illusive. But he saw similarities. Similarities between the soul and supernal entities. With a time a theory built. Souls are the connection humanity has to the supernal, their own celestial ladder in miniature and behaved like other things of the supernal when entering this world. That meant that when it is destroyed, like all supernal truths (which cannot ever be truly destroyed) it doesn't cease to exist. It falls into the abyss. This revelation shocked Prometheus to his core. This meant that reapers were doing work far worse than he had ever anticipated. But it also presented an opportunity. As long as a suitable channel back to the supernal realms existed, such as a summoning circle or a verge, supernal entities that were destroyed merely were sent back to the supernal realms to reform. Prometheus had found a backdoor in the rules of the universe that had been in front of the Atlantean Orders for centuries and yet went unnoticed! A way to harness the unbelievable powers of the soul without destroying or tainting it. It was with this realization that the Ebon Gate was founded. By now the Ebon Gate has grown into a decently sized if very secretive legacy. They keep their own reaping practices secret from the rest of the Consilia they operate in and only reveal the use of their earlier, more benevolent attainments. They take the role of spiritual guides for mages willing to listen to their advise and officially dedicate themselves to the perfection of the soul. Reapers they disavow and more than that members of the Ebon Gate often join cabals (or found them) that specifically hunt reapers. This antipathy is not mere show and hypocrisy. The Ebon Gate hates most reapers with all of their soul, as they squander and taint the supernal spark humanity has been given with careless and selfish actions. When a Soul Guardian reaps, he makes sure that it was in the last moments of a targets life. They don't kill others to get their souls, but wait for death to come in other, natural ways. When they destroy a soul as a sacrament they make sure a suitable channel to the supernal exists. They are reapers. But they are responsible. They do not use their power only when they deem it absolutly necessary. And they allways keep a close watch on their breathren, their close knit nature as a legacy is as much a sign of confidence and trust as it is a tool to police themselves.

Origins

Parentage: Obrimos, Silver Ladder

Nickname: Soul Guardians, Confessors, Reaper Hunters, Emos (deregatory)

Background: Soul Guardians come from a number of backgrounds. Many of them were men of faith before they awakened, as the Ebon Gate preached the immortality of the soul and the importance of penance. Other than that the Ebon Gate attracts those who want to do the right thing at whatever cost and don't let this philosophy compromise their moral code.

Appearances: Members of the Ebon Gate often prefer dark clothing. Some go so far as to wear monks habits (when not in public) and some openly show marks of self castigation.

In the Orders: Soul Guardians come predominantly from the Silver Ladder and the Adamantine Arrow. The former act as spiritual guides and ethical advisors to the mages of their Consilium and focus on the potential their attainments represent in the fight against the Exarchs. Those that join the Arrow take a more martial approach to the legacies philosophy and dedicate themselves to destroying those that would abuse and squander the souls of others. The Guardians of the Veil would thrive among the Soul Guardians, their ideas about responsibility and penance resonating heavily with the order. Yet there are barely and Guardians of the Veil amongst the member of the Ebon Gate for one simple reason: they don't trust them. Even the few Guardians of the Veil among the legacy rarely consider someone of their own order for initiation, fearing their holy work compromised and revealed by spies who would brand the legacy left handed. Free Councilors are allmost universally deemed too undisciplined by the legacies elders to join it (which in large parts is fueled by diamond bias). A few mystagogues express interest in the legacy for the secrets of the soul they hold, but they rarely meet the legacies ethical standarts.

Among the Paths: The legacy used to contain Obrimoi exclussivly, until the end of the 1920s where a dedicated Moros mage who wanted to join the legacy managed to find Shades who fulfilled the same function as the Angels did for Obrimoi initiations, opening the legacy to Moroi. So far no potential applicant has managed to replicate this feat for one of the other three orders.

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Death 2, Occult 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Academics, Empathy, Investigation, Subterfuge, Medicine

Initiation: The initations of the Ebon Gate are allways carried out far away from the unitiated (especially other mages), as they would not understand the necessity of such severe lessons. A mage who wants to join the Ebon gate is subjected to very, very strict scrutiny of their character and ethical integrity. Members of the Ebon Gate often choose their apprentices themselves and activly recruit them (if possible before other mages or the orders have gotten too much of a hook into them). Those who activly apply are judged twice as thoroughly. Should a prospective soul guardian pass the tests he is lectured by his teacher both theoretically and practically in the nature of souls, subtly empathizing their immortality and underlying nature as supernal truths. Finally the prospective Soul Guardian goes into deep meditation, purifies his body and soul (often including fasting, ritual baths, seclusion and self castigation) and finally summons a certain supernal entity, which presents to him a slender shard of blackest obsidian. The mage touches the shard, knowing instincitvly the price that has to be paid. The shard is turned into a soul stone and the mage joins the legacy and develops the first attainment. This initiation is called the "first sacrifice", it teaches the initiate about the nature of the soul and that someone allways has to pay a price.
To learn the second attainment the mage purifies himself once more, then another Soul Guardian casts "Sever the Awakened Soul" on him. This trial, called the "Gauntlet", lets the Soul Guardian face the effects of soul loss full on. In order to truly appreciate the wellness of their own soul, they have to loose it first. The goal for the initiate in this trial is to keep his self as best as possible. When they entered the Thrall state they're presented with the Soul Jar containing their own soul. Seizing back his most prized posession, the Soul Guardian envelops it with a grip determined to never let it go again. This initiation teaches the initiate to cherish the soul and to deplore reapers who put their victims through the horrible stages of soul loss.
The third initiation is of especial importance for the Soul Guardians. Until they achieve the third attainment members of the legacy have no idea about it's reaper nature. There are those who joined the legacy who are deemed unfit to handle this initiation and the truths it encompasses. Those mages are usually delayed and ideally sent into combat against reapers until they kick the bucket, though sometimes they need to be more forcefully retired. The third initiation is called "Peeking through the Gate" and requires the initiate to bring to his mentor a soul stolen by another reaper (whose original host is dead and thus cannot be returned) or that of a reaper himself. After the usual ritual purification the initiate is bidden once more to summon a supernal entity. The entity (a more powerful one than in the first initiation) then shatters soul in front of the unsuspecting mage and imbues him with its power. The effect of this is threefold. First the mage realizes the gravity of his actions and despairs about the horrible mistake he's made (leading him to develop the third attainments main effect). Secondly he is imbued by the power of the sacrificed soul, tasting a raw power likely like none he has witnessed before (teaching him how to utilize the attainments optional effect). And lastly he perceives the broken pieces of the shattered soul returning to the supernal via the channel the summoning of the supernal entity opened and understanding dawns. The teachings of the Ebon Gate fall into place and he is absolved of his sin. From now on he is a true Soul Guardian, his commitment to the legacy redoubled. It is common for members of the legacy at this level of initiation or higher to refer amongst each other as brother/sister. This initation completes the teachings of the legacy upon the nature of the soul and impresses upon the initiate the potential of righteous reaping... and the grave consequences of abusing that power.
The fourth initiation, is called the "Understanding" and requires the mage to gather a soul jar containing the soul of a yet living person suffering soul loss and a soul stone of another mage. The initiate meditates upon the objects and realizes certain similarities between the two. As he recognizes the ties of a mages soulstone to the mage, he realizes the connections of a soul to its original host and its desire to be free. He learns how to empower the soul to be reuited with its former host and finally sets it free. This initiation teaches the mage the desire of souls to be complete and how to use these ties and how to empower the soul to mend itself. A Soul Guardian initiated into the fourth degree usually begins to yearn (if he hasn't before) for the piece of his own soul stored in the soul stone created when he joined the legacy.
The fifth initiation is called "Opening the Gate" or sometimes just the "Completion". The initiate is presented with the soul stone he created when he joined the legacy and reabsorbs the piece of his soul stored within. The mage is enlightened by the reconnection this piece of his soul, stored within something from the supernal for so long and realizes how to open a path to the supernal through his own soul, aswell as the tremendous power necessary to do so.

Organization: The Ebon Gate is close knit. Those of the first and second degrees are closely monitored by their elders for the ethical integrity and subtlety necessary to become a true member of the legacy. Amongst themselves those of the third degree and higher keep even closer watch of each other for the onset of corruption and hubris. More than that they cannot speak with anyone outside their brotherhood about their true work and passion, necessarily pushing those initiated closer together. Serious relationships outside the legacy are discouraged, even casual sexual relationships are best kept within the legacy, as it is believed the child of two Soul Guardians will be especially receptive to the blessings of the Ebon Gate (and can be indoctrinated and trained from birth on). Marriage ties are expected to be honored flawlessly, though that is matter of discipline, not some sentiment of sanctity towards marriage. If a mage can't keep it in his pants, he clearly isn't disciplines enough to wield the powers of the Ebon Gate responsibly. In those rare cases where a mage with a sleeper or sleepwalker spouse is accepted into the legacy, the spouse is usually awakened following his achievement of the third attainment and then indoctrinated to join the legacy herself. In their internal policing the legacy wields one extremly efficient and fearsome tool. Before the Soul Guardian achieves his fith and final attainment, the soul stone he created is held by the luminaries of his legacy in a special verge attuned to his supernal real, guarded heavily by the best spells they could device and a small army of supernal beings bound to this sanctums protection. This is meant to prepare the soul stone for the final initiation... and as a security measure. Should the Soul Guardian stray from the path of responsibility, the highest echelon of the legacy will have access to his soul stone and considering the nature of the legacies fourth attainment, this is an even greater threat than many of the legacies less advanced members reckon.

Theory: The Soul is supernal. Supernal truths are indestructible, but when contaminated with the fallen world can be lost to the abyss. The responsibility of the Soul Guardian is to destroy those that would harm the sacntity of the soul in others and to use the powers of the souls responsibly gathered to bring the supernal and fallen world closer together (by inducing awakenings).

Practice: Soul Guardians are reapers. Amongst themselves they are clear about that. There is no use in denying it. What seperates them from the deplorable rabble of human scum surrounding them is their ironclad moral and constant self examination. The work they do is dirty. Even a soul sacrificed in the right circumstances needs to be hurt in order to draw on it's power, a practice the Soul Guardians find deeply distateful. Thus they only use the attainments drawing on the sacrifice of souls when it is really necessary. Their deep moral contemplation about right and wrong turns them into spiritual Guides for other mages, their willingness to do whatever is necessary as long as their case is just turns them into implacable foes and hunters of the injust. As they feel shame about the horrible things they do, even as they are convinced that they should be done, self punishment often plays a big role in their personal lifes and magic. Soul Guardians will deny a pleasure or inflict pain upon themselves to both prove that they can take it, steeling their resolve and because they believe it keeps them honest. Their reaping is done in one of three ways. First and foremost they liberate soul jars from reapers whenever they can. Normally mages outside the legacy look ascance upon those who would collect the stolen souls of a reaper... but the legacy very publically and very strongly opposes reapers and when asked solemnly say they intend to return those lost souls to their original hosts, should they yet live. And they do just that. Only the souls of those that have been killed by the reaper or the aftereffects of soul loss are brought back to the legacys sancta and stored for later use. Secondly Soul Guardians often punish those reapers they hunt down by taking their soul before killing them. These souls specifically are used for the fifth attainment, destroying the traces of a awakening wasted and repurifying it into a new beginning, a second chance. Lastly should the need arise (or a very good opportunity present itself) a Soul Guardian will activly reap. To do so they seek out those who will die, wait for the moment of their death and quietly take away their soul. Since other reapers sometimes use similar tactics to harvest souls without gathering attention, this is also a practice to find new targets for the Soul Guardians. Sometimes a Soul Guardian decides to take a more active approach in reaping, activly judging the life of another human and if finding it sufficiently wanting and devoid of virtue, stalking, killing and reaping his soul. Such behaviour is however discouraged, as it both risks detection and leads down a road of rampant disregard quickly.
When a Soul Guardian uses one of his attainments to sacrifice a soul he allways uses a reversed summoning circle for a supernal entity to ease the passge of the soul back into the supernal or performs them in a verge. A Soul Guardian would in most cases rather die than to consign a soul to the abyss. The Soul Guardians also allmost never use a soul as a mere yantra, finding the benefits of doing so not worth the sacrifice.

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Death

Yantras: Self-castigation (+2 if at least 1B damage is dealt to the mage), symbols representing the Soul (+1), fighting against those that profane the soul (+2), incense (+1)

Oblations: Restoring a soul to its original owner, meditating upon past mistakes or the purity of the soul, bathing, self-castigation

Rote Skill: Occult

Attainments

1 – Piercing the Shroud
Prerquisites: Initiation

By joining the legacy the mage changes the way he perceives the world completly. From now on the mage can perceive Souls with his mundane senses. He can instinctivly tell wether someone has a soul or is suffering from soulloss. Attempts to hide souls in objects or people he can perceive must succeed in a clash of wills against the mage, wherein the Soul Guardian scores a number of successess equal to his rating in the Death Arcanum.

Optional: Prime 1

By taking a moment (Instant Action) to study the soul of another, the mage acknowledges the potential held within. He learns wether the subject is a Sleeper, Sleepwalker, Mage or other thing alltogether (though this power could not distinguish between a Vampire and a Changeling it could only tell you that it is "different"). If the studied subject was a mage the Soul Guardian also learn his signature nimbus.

2 - The Wall
Prerequisites: Death 2, Occult 3

In order to protect the sanctity of the soul, a worthy Guardian needs to render his own invincible. Wrapping his very soul into a layers of his own Gnosis the mage errects a wall between his most sacred of treasures and outside influences. Any attempt to change, influence or steal his soul need to best the mage in a clash of wills, wherein the Soul Guardian scores a number of successess equal to his rating in the Death Arcanum.

Optional: Prime 2

In their tasks the mages of the Ebon Gate need to work subtly and with caution. The Wall around their souls not only protects it, but keeps it power from leaking out uncontrollably. This attainment shields the world from the mages nimbus and thus also removes the "fingerprint" of his magical workings. Should the mage ever wish to deliberatly flare his nimbus or apply it in any other fashion he can do so, but loses all the benefits of this attainment (including the soul shield) for 24 hours.

3 – Exaltation
Prerequisite: Death 3, the Confessor must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 3, or must attain two dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements.

This attainment earns the Confessors their name. Dedicated to the potential of the soul and the perfection thereof, a mage of the Ebon Door becomes a bastion of Wisdom. By pondering upon his past actions the Confessor draws a clear line between his inner being and his magic, granting himself better insight into his own transgressions and their effect upon his soul. By spending a scene in deep thought (often accompanied by self castigation) the Confessor can roll one more d10 and add the result to his last degeneration check, as long as it didn't occur longer than one week ago. This can turn failed degeration checks into a success, recovering a lost point of Wisdom. The mage can extend this benefit to other mages or creatures who posess both a soul and a morality trait. Used upon others the use of this attainment often involves another confessing his actions to the Confessor and then entering into an ethical debate about the right and wrong of his descisions.

Optional: Prime 3

Drawing upon the deep supernal potential of a soul the mage destroys a soul (sleeping or otherwise) to imbue a spell with the released energy. This process relinquishes one of the mages spells safely and imbues it with the power of the legacy, effectivly turning it into a legacy attainment for the purposes of dispellation and clashes of wills.

4 – The Release
Prerequisite: Death 4, Occult 4

Reapers leave a swathe of devastated people behind, collecting their souls for purposes of their own. Killing the offender keeps him from causing further harm, but does nothing for his victims. A Soul Guardian with this attainment can mitigate the damage caused. When faced with a discorporated soul or one stored in a soul jar, the mage can empower it to find its way back to its original host and reattach itself. Mechanically the soul subject to this attainment is given the ability to move quickly through twilight, a basic sense for the direction within which its original host lies and the ability to reattach itself lastingly to a living host.

Optional: Prime 4

Deeply steeped into the nature of the soul, a mage of the ebon gate gains greater facility in the use of soul stones. When holding the soul stone of another mage, he can utilize it as if it were his own, except for the purpose of reabsorbing it.

5 – Opening the Gate
Prerequisite: Death 5, the Soul Guardian must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 4, or must attain three dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements, or two dots in a third Skill from the list.

The ultimate attainment of the Ebon Gate allows them to open the proverbial gate to enlightenment. By sacrificing a dozen sleeping souls or a single awakened one, the Soul Guardian can attach their supernal symbolism to a sleeping soul and opens up a channel through his own soul to the Supernal Realm he is himself attuned to. This procedure is extremly stressful to the mortal frame of the mage. Roll the mages Gnosis and apply the successes as aggravated damage against him. The sleeping soul thus blessed is presented with a chance of awakening via supernal journey. Some few never return, leaving their body behind comatose. Most awaken, but not all of them were ready for the power and responsibility of the supernal. Some of those awakened by passing the Ebon Door return as one of the Mad or as a Banisher.

Optional: This attainment utilizes both the teachings of Death and Prime, there is no known optional effect.

Plothooks

The Banisher cult: A group of mages stumbles onto a gruesome scene. A peculiar group of Banishers has gathered a group of Sleepers nobody will miss into a secluded area. Here they have told them that the last one to survive will be granted a tremendous gift. If more than one person is still alive by next dawn they all will suffer an excruciating death. A supernal entity the Banishers summoned collect the souls of the slain and use it at the end of the ritual to forcefully and painfully awaken the last survivor. Perhaps mages stumble onto the scene after the perpetrators are long gone and find only time echoes of atrocity and poisioned resonance left. Perhaps they bumble into the cult as their sacred ceremony is underway. Perhaps a traumatized survivor received the dark gift with his mind intact and fled the scene (perhaps this is the background of one of the pcs), seeking sanctuary among other mages. But can this young mage really be trusted of is he a Banisher waiting to happen?

Legal complications: In the private collection of a prominent mage a number of soul jars liberated from reapers were discovered. A local mage from the Ebon Door is outraged and somehow manages to procure the Soul Jars from the mage, in order to "try and return them to their original owners". The original owners are long dead and the Soul Guardian decides to use the souls to fuel his attainments however. Later the political climate shifts (or in case of a theft the identity of the thief is discovered) and the Soul Guardian is ordered by the Hierarch to return the souls to his original owner. If he cannot return the souls (or souls seeming to be the originals, especially hard if the souls in question were awakened souls) it will raise questions, aside from all other consequences an investigation may be mounted and if it is discovered what he really did with them..... He needs souls to replace those used and fast.

The Lichking: Prometheus never died. After some of his disciples after long struggle (or exceptional subterfuge) went Banisher (or revealed themselves as such) the guilt of what he wrought convinced the founder of the legacy that his responsibility toward his creation is too big. No sooner than all his wayward disciples (and their disciples) had been found and either killed or redeemed could he retire. In the meantime he established the practice of taking soul stones from new initiates, storing them in the Verge where he makes his personal Sanctum. But the years went by and he never managed to bring down all rouge elements of the legacy. The other Soul Guardians now begin to whisper, his disciples are all dead, the last died of natural causes ten years ago. Has Prometheus broken through the Threshold, has he become one of the famed Archmages and now guides his legacy gently from within the confines of his Sanctum while he ponders whatever unconceiable Mysteries Archmages ponder? Or is he just an old man whose obsession and guilt have caused him to rationalize the fear of his own death, using unknown magics to prolong his life and slowly growing more and more alien to the rest of humanity and his legacy – whose soulstones he holds?

Theft: Someone breached the inner Sancti of the Ebon Gate, killing the elder Confessors and worse stealing the collected soulstones of the legacy. Whoever it was he now has a powerful hold over a powerful sworn brotherhood of mages exploring the potential of the human soul....

What have we done: A Soul Guardian discovers the unthinkable: conclusive proof that upon sacrificing a soul it is permanently destroyed, wether this is done in a verge or on the street does not matter. He prepares to unveil the legacies crimes to the Pentacle at large. But can he really condemn all his brothers and sisters to death? Will the luminaries of the legacy learn of his plans and eliminate him (and perhaps the evidence of his discovery) before it comes to light? Does he seek the council of his close friends and cabal members before revealing the truth? How will his brothers and sisters react when they learn what damage they've wrought in their ignorance?

We were right all along: A mage discovers the unthinkable: conclusive proof that the theories of the Ebon Gate regarding the soul are true. Will they publish the truth to the Pentacle at large? With such proof the Ebon Gate could leave the shadow and unveil their secret techniques to the rest of the Pentacle. Finally the Awakened have a way of propagating themselves, turning humanity into the weapon the Silver Ladder allways dreamed it to be. But not everyone will take the proof well, some will refuse to acknowledge that reaping when done right may not be pretty but is justified. Will the Pentacle under the leadership of the Silver Ladder and the Ebon Gate swell its numbers and storm the supernal realms? Or will they tear each other apart long before in a bloody civil war.

RAWification:

1 – A permanent version of mage sight was actually something that existed in 1e (the Banshees), so maybe this effect can be allowed. If not go with a "Unveil Souls" spell with reach toward advanced duration.

Optional: "Supernal Vision", instant use

2 – "Soul Armor", advanced duration

Optional: "Supress Nimbus", advanced duration

3 – Hard one. Perhaps a Death Weaving spell with reach for advanced duration, giving the target (a being that has failed a breaking point roll of whatever kind) the guilty condition regarding their actions, thus driving them to make amends and do better in the future.

Optional: A prime shielding spell with reach toward instant casting and advanced duration that protect another spell from dispellation. Either by making that spell a legacy attainment (as original attainment suggest) or in a more RAW fashion by forcing a clash of wills that must overcome the Confessors Prime dots in a clash of wills.

4 – A Death pattering spell that bestows the described properties to the soul, with reach toward advanced duration

Optional: Another Hard one. Cannot be translated into a simple spell. Supernal Dispellation could work with the legacy but sucks with so few reaches available. Perhaps a version of "Destroy Tass" with reach toward instant casting to release the trapped mana back to the supernal.

5 – I'd leave this attainment as it is. If that's not an option the Ebon Gate will do its signature move (awakening others) via summoned high ranking supernal beings. For the actual attainment in this case:
"Empty Presence" with reach toward advanced duration

Optional : "Create Truth" with reach toward advanced duration, potency as the secondary factor

**Flinty** · 08-19-2017, 10:55 PM

And another legacy, this time more of a conversion than an original idea. But one originating in Ascension!

The Virtual Adepts

The Virtual Adepts are a young legacy. In the early 90s of the 20^th century an enterprising british mage of the Free Council going by the Shadow Name of Turing experimented with using the Internet as part of his Techne and to experimented with spells to manipulate it, when a most curious thing happened: a weird sort of Iris opened within his computer (which, stood on a powerful convergence of ley lines). Curious Turing investigated further and found himself in a strange but wonderous place. He had accidentially discovered the Digital Web, a place where the supernal touches upon the manifestation of Space and Forces in the fallen world that is the Internet. Exhilerated by his discovery of this new Emanation forged as a byproduct of the ingenuity of human progress, Turing and the members of his cabal began to explore this realm. After several prolonged bouts in the place they came to dub the "Digital Web", Turing and his compatriots noticed that their very souls had been shaped by the exposure to the Digital Web and this the Virtual Adepts were born. As a Legacy the Virtual Adepts dedicate themselves to exploring the reaches of the Digital Web and its symbols. As the Digital Web is a place of overflowing information in constant motion and thus it has become second nature to the Virtual Adepts to acquire and disseminate information among the mages of the pentacle. The Virtual Adepts are a young legacy, forgoing classical hierachical structures in favour of a loose network wherein everyone has as much influence as others give them (usually based on expertise, skill and personal charisma). Among them are adventurers who seek to find and map the edges of this strange, new, everchanging and seemingly growing realm, activists who want to change the world and use its technological bleeding edge to do so and those that seek to use the treasure trove of information the Digital Web represents for their own purposes.

Origins

Parentage: Obrimos, Free Council

Nickname: Netheads, Programmers, The Wired, Those Matrix guys (derogatory)

Background: Many of the Virtual Adepts are young and grew up within the digital age or were in one way or another involved in its development. Most of them used the internet in some important fashion in their sleeping lifes, be it as a programmer, professional ebay buyer or seller or forum regular.

Appearances: The Virtual Adepts don't cultivate a singular look, instead endorsing whatever works for their members. They do however tend towards two "extremes". Some of them look just like the next guy, utterly mundane if relaxed. On the other of the spectrum are those that embrace the eclectic trends of the internet, treating cosplay or a representations of memes as their uniforms. A cabal of particularily bold activists favours spell strenghened leather coats, sunglasses that show the immaterial and enhanced semiautomatic weapons.

In the Orders: The Virtual Adepts are predominantly a legacy of the Free Council. The Digital Web is new, exciting and foremost a direct side effect of human technological advancement. No dusty atlantean temples will be found here... okay actually there is a domain for that, but you know what I mean. The Silver Ladder and Adamantine Arrow have barely made any forays into the Digital Web so far. A few Mystagogues however dedicated themselves to studying this realm and began adopting the legacy to do so. The Guardians have their own reason to visit the Dgital Web. The internet is a place containing untold amounts of information, information the Visus Draconis can put to good use. For this reason a select group of Guardians has taken up the legacy and uses its powers to gather intelligence for their order. And the Guardians are not alone in this endevour. At least three different pylons have been encountered inside the Web by Pentacle mages and first reports of entities bearing the symbolism of the Eye and Unity have been coming up lately.

Among the Paths: The Virtual Adepts recruit the brunt of their followers from the Obrimoi, who explore the sheer potential of this new realm. The internet has a steadily increasing amount of influence on our modern society, sparking the interest of Mastigoi who see can see the use of the Digital Web as a means of influencing others. The other paths rarely interact with the Digital Web. Some Moroi explore the "valleys and depths" of the Digital Web where websites out of use dwell and slowly decay (one Moros Mystagogue recently wrote a treatise upon his experience in the ruins of decaying social networks that have fallen out of favour). Thyrsi find this place where there is neither life nor spirit to be a barren and unintersting wasteland and Acanthi are alienated by the predominance of Forces within the realm.

Emanation Realm: The Digital Web

The Digital Web is a place of exchanged information in constant flux. It's places are everchanging and modeled after important websites or often communicated ideas. Some are relativly stable as a whole, even though their specific content often changes (though stable is a relative term and doesn't mean safe as any Virtual Adept that has visited domains modeled after anarchic internet forums such as 4chan can attest). Most however are unstable, temporary places, populated with animated scnerey playing out financial transactions, viral videos or impressionistic interpretation of popular tweets. Those unstable domains pop up spontaneously and collapse just as quickly and unpredictably, with dangerous consequences for anyone within. Irises to the Digital Web sometimes open in Aether aspected Verges and near strong Hallows influenced by technological resonance.

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Space 2, Computers 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Crafts, Investigation, Politics, Science, Expression

Initiation: Prospective initiates have to convince a mentor to teach them. What that takes depends on the individual mentor, the Virtual Adepts have no unified requirements regarding their members. Often just asking and having the basic skills required is enough. In order to join the legacy the mage is taken to the digital Web by their mentor, either through attainment or Iris. During this trip they're specifically exposed to the effects of the attainments of the legacy, slowly but surely attuning the prospective Virtual Adept to the powers of the Digital Web. The first Virtual Adepts initiated themselves merely by being openminded and curious about this realm and spending alot of time there. In order to learn further attainments the Virtual Adept returns to the Digital Web and practices his magic there fueled by extensive use of the legacies Yantras and Oblations.

Organization: The Virtual Adepts have no formal organization. However the Digital Web is a place of freeflowing information and given the powers of the Virtual Adepts it's very easy for them to keep in contact. The main method of communication is a message board hosted on a server stationed within a heavily encrypted (read secure) sanctum within the digital web. How much weight the opinion of a poster has depends on their expertise, skill and more importantly personal sympathies and charisma.

Theory: When humanity created telephone lines, modern technology and finally the internet, we changed how electrical currents and radiation influence the world and how we interact, communicate and relate to one another. The Digital Web is the expression, the supernal reflection of the new influences of the Arcana of Space and Forces.

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Space

Yantras: Programming a spell routine for the Problem at hand (+2, scene length Int + Computers
roll), Electronic Devices (+1), Code Symbols (+1), Publishing Information relevant to the spell
(+2)

Oblations: Extreme Programming Sessions, Spending Time within the Digital Web, Gathering and
distributing information.

Rote Skill: Computers

Attainments

1 – Tap In
Prerquisites: Initiation

The first lesson a Virtual Adept learns is to find information. This attainment serves that purpose. Drawing onto his budding sympathy with digital ways of storing and communicating information. The mage takes a short moment to concentrate and becomes aware of any nearby digital sources of information such as harddrives or USB-Sticks.

Optional: Forces 1

After the Virtual Adept attuned himself to the flows of information, he can perceive them more easily. By concentrating for a moment the mage unveils the elektromagnetic waves and currents modern technology emits to transport information.

2 – Digital Sympathy
Prerequisites: Space 2, Computers 3

The Virtual Adepts deal with the massive amounts of data and the semi spaces and world it creates in what they call the Digital Web. If anything goes to show that distance is an illusion, then its probably the fact that we can put enough information to build entire world onto a chip the size of a fingernail. More than that digital systems connect us. Phones have long abandoned cables and let us talk to people all over the world or determine out location via sending electromagnetic to sattelites. With their second attainment the Virtual Adepts learn to use those connections by melding traditional magic with the strange sympathies of the digital web they've adopted into their souls. This attainment modifies and expands the lesser space utility attainment "Sympathetic Range" by adding in the concept of digital sympathy. A photo posted on facebook is a weak digital sympathy, an active and ongoing phonecall would be a strong source of digital sympathy. Connected digital sympathy does not exist outside the Digital Web and would require you to be one with the information.There is one caveat while operating using digital sympathy in the phenomenal world. People are connected with the digital world, but this connection is not yet complete. As such a spell cast using digital sympathy can only affect a subject when it interacts with the appropriate media. The subject would have to read its facebook feed, its emails or check their phone to be targeted through posted photos, sent mail or a phone number.

Optional: Forces 2

Instead of just perceiving elektromagnetic waves the Nethead learns to control them, allowing him to operate digital machinery with but a glance and a bit of concentration. The mage can remotly start up or shut down computers, open code protected locks or cause a phone he can perceive to dial a certain number by itself.

3 – Connection
Prerequisite: Space 3,the Virtual Adept must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 3, or must attain two dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements.

Having understood the connections between pieces of information, the Virtual Adept can now follow them dynamically from point to point, allowing him to follow the trail from a piece of software to its creator to his bankaccount or other such connections. This essentially replicates the spell the "Correspondence" with reach Assigned to instant use, looking for specific information and following chains of information. When used within the Digital Web following the traces and connections of information actually "transports" the Virtual Adept along those lines.

Optional: Forces 3

The Virtual Adept learns to strengthen (or weaken) the signals he has learned perceive and control. By tinkering with a device for one scene the mage make sure it allways will receive a signal, no matter where one the problem you take it (though the various otherworlds are not yet covered, the Virtual Adepts usually work out individual solutions to those problems should they become important).

4 – Upload
Prerequisite: Space 4, Computers 4

The Nethead utilizes the sympathy of his own forged soul to to open up a brief gateway to the Digital Web, transporting up to his Space rating subjects to or from the digital web. Doing so requires a scene worth of preparation and specialized sophisticated electronical equipment. The latter requirement sadly limits the destinations a mage can reach in the real world with this attainment, but such things are barely a concern for an adept of Space anyhow.

Optional: Forces 4

Utilizing his control over electric currents, the mage unravels the very source of power of an electrical devise in a most destructive fashion, frying it in the process. When used in the Digital Web this attainment becomes a powerful weapon, dealing aggravated damage to its target.

5 – Infinite Web
Prerequisite: Space 5, the Nethead must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 4, or must attain three dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements, or two dots in a third Skill from the list.

At the pinnacle of understanding a Digital Adept learns to expand and warp the very substance of the Digital Web. Using this attainment the mage creates new, unformatted space within the digital Web, to be shaped in the mages desire and – should the mage desire it so – more permanent and stable than the usual domains of the Digital Web.

Optional: Forces 5

After creating new domains in the Digital Web they need to be shaped into a form that suits the mages desires. Using this attainment, the Virtual Adept affects just that, slowly shaping a place or one denizenz of the Digital Web into whatever form he desires. Within domains created with this attainments main effect this process can be long lasting, in the dynamic domains of the Digital Web its frequent impulses of change can quickly or not so quickly undo the changes. The time the Virtual Adept requires to enact these changes depends on their scope. But can generally range from less than a minute (conjuring the digital equivalent of an apple) to weeks or months (completely restructuring a big domain).

Ploothooks

The Ghost in the Shell: No one has seen Turing in a long time. He is said to be on the very edge of the Digital Web, exploring his boundaries and creating new ones using his attainments, or he is on a journey to the very heart of the Digital Web. One day he returns, but there is something off about him. He doesn't exit the Digital Web anymore and he is smarter than before, his intellect truly inhumanly potent. More than that he seems to have developed new powers and insight that allow to shape the emanation realm in new before unimagined ways. Is this truly still the founder of this legacy? Has he overcome the Threshold and become a Seeker? Has he been possessed by a powerful supernal entity on his travels which now uses him (and his influence) for its own inscrutable purposes? Or has he become something else entirely, a living avatar of the Digital Web or kind of hybrid being?

Trouble in Paradise: The Eye has decided that it doesn't want to share anymore. An invasion force of supernal entities in service to the Iron Seal of Space and Panopticon Pylons toting Artifacts with potent effects upon the Digital Web one day strike the Sancti of the Virtual Adepts, killing many and dispersing the rest. Information flows quickly in the Digital Web however and the survivors both in the Web and in meatspace organize quickly, but their enemies are hot on their heels. The Virtual Adepts desperatly need help, but most other orders have neither the resources or the desire to help this beleagured legacy.

You have new email: Lately a strange phenomenon has occured: Irisis to the Digital Web open up in emails sent to sleepers. No one can tell where the emails are coming from or how Irisis form within an email. At first the Virtual Adepts are more facinated by this new form of acess but more and more sleepers wind up within the Web, their mental health rapidly ruined and the dissonance and paradox they cause quickly tearing down the domains around them. Something has to be done or the Digital Web may be in serious trouble!

I may have made a huge mistake: A Virtual Adept hacks a large conglomerate and notices suspicious activity that may be related to mages. Following the information he comes across a huge score store of information regarding the activities of one of the ministires. The Seer in charge had been dreadfully negligent with his cyber security! Elites 1, Seers 0. Sadly you don't get to be the Seer in charge as an inept fool and the magical protections did alert the Seers that their security had been breached. Now the Virtual Adept has to run like hell and get rid off or publish this information somehow (something the Seers make very hard for him). Can he and anyone he comes across dodge the (magical) bullets long enough to survive and deal a major blow to the follwers of the lie?

RAWificaction:

This one is really hard, not really replicable under RAW rules. It twists the symbolism of space around quite a bit, more so than many STs may be comfortable with. I personally recommend at least keeping the second attainment around as it is, because otherwise the legacy makes little sense.

1 – "Locate item", with the item in question being related to digital information storage. Reach toward instant use, secondary factor scale

Optional: "Tune In", reach for instant casting

2 – As I said best kept around as it is. Otherwise... Borrow Threads, sensory range, only applicable on targets somehow connected to the Internet (carrying a cellform, near cctv cams or laptops etc.)

Optional: "Influence Electricity", instant casting and sensory range. Specifically for turning on, shutting off electronical equipment

3 – "Correspondence", instant, sensory range and reach for following a trail of links. Only works on sympathetic links connected to electronic devices, the internet etc.

Optional : Forces ruling spell, with reach for advanced duration and advanced scale

4 – "Co-Location" with reach toward sensory range and perhaps advanced duration if desired, only works near stuff connected to the internet or in the digital web, as with the second attainment described above. All VAs are assumed to have a strong sympathetic connection to the digital web itself, allowing them to use this attainment to open gateways to the emanation realm.

Optional: "EMP" with reach towards instant casting, possibly used as an aimed spell, shooting a powersurge at the target

5 – "Pocket Dimension" reach toward advanced duration, secondary factor scale, only useable in the Digital Web

Optional: A Forces pattering spell with reach for advanced duration and advanced scale that does the described effect.

**Flinty** · 08-20-2017, 07:52 PM

Updated the Ebon Gate and the Virtual Adepts with some plothooks! Now for the next legacy, the most recent one I've developed. Originally the idea started when about two weeks ago I had to admit about a Silver Ladder NPC "Yeah she should actually be in a legacy devoted to dealing with Sleepwalkers." From there on development took place and...well it may actually be overdeveloped. I don't mind that the Attainments function differently systematically than most spells (limited to Arcanum uses at once is a neat way to curb this legacy from building an army of enhanced proximus level sleepwalkers), but it feels like the Attainments are overloaded in some parts. It all felt important though. Should anyone have an idea how to mechanically slim it down I'd be happy to hear it! For now here are the....

Ductores Illuminans

Founded in 17^th century Italy riding on the intellectual waves of the period of enlightenment, a thearch teaching at the University of Florence founded the Ductores Illuminans or "Guides to Enlightenment". As the minds of europeans began to accept new concepts and philosophies, the time seemed right for the Silver Ladder to step in and renew its efforts to fight the curse of Quiescence. The Lanterbearers were to be the forefront of this new attempt to guide Sleepers to awakening (or at least shed the curse of Quiescence and become Sleepwalkers), not just through the lesser Elemental Precepts, but through inspiritation in the arts, deep contemplation of philosophy and diligent exploration of the sciences. The Ductores Illuminans were founded by an academic and choose their disciples from amongst their students and promising collegues. The idea was simple, mundane curiosity and inspiration were to lead to supernal insights and enlightenment. The light of the Prime, focussed and freed of the Lie through the mages soul shall shine out as a beacon to the blind sleepers chained to the fallen world and the call of the Mind Arcanum was to fuel the embers of thought and creativity with which they could cast of their shackles. As far as legacies of that period went, the Ductores were a restrained and subtle legacies. Other, more radical groups boldly exposed sleepers to the supernal and left behind a swathe of broken lunatics and produced a worrisome number of Banishers where they succeeded. Such groups were often declared left handed and few survived into the modern age. Not so the Lanterbearers. The Ductores internalized the Precept of the Star. Everyone has his place and if one groomed for greatness did not seize it, then perhaps he was destined to remain but a sleepwalker or at least was not yet ready for the gifts of the supernal. If such was the case, then the Ductores felt obligated to make sure they fulfilled their role to the best of their potential. Besides a skilled sleepwalker aide is a tremendous asset and it did not take long for those envious of their dignified methods and its fruits to say that their legacy truly exalted the Precept of Blood above all others, not the Star. The Lanternbearers protested such allegations, but in some cases they were not entirely wrong. The Lanterbearers' attainments enabled them not only to prod sleepers with the powers of the supernal safely, they also allowed them to bestow a small measure of a mages enlightenment to their chosen disciples. Very loyal disciples. The Ductores had allways relied upon their ability to fit into and lead societies, to convince others and in their excellent learning. Those skills were easily put to use to build a cult of personality and many Lanternbearers did just that. Some started out with good intentions, but rarely was the endproduct anything but a society venerating the Lanternbearer, surrounded by an entourage of blessed, fanatically loyal disciples (Lovers....Slaves...), as their spiritual Leader. This lead to a schism in the legacy between those that preferred more subtle approaches that did not tempt the Lanterbearers and those that felt it was their right to lead their chosen flock as openly as a mage could without tempting the Abyss and Exarchs. The legacy had never been the most united, frequent arguments about the best vessel for enlightenment among the mundane pursuits dividing the opinions of Lanternbearers. By the end of the 18^th century the legacy had scattered into a miriad of loosely alligned schools of though all espousing their own interpretations of the legacies underlying philosophy. Today the Lanternbearers are a widespread legacy, their attainments useful, both on a personal and the order level, but they rarely act as a unified group of have high concentrations of Lanterbearers in one place.

Origins

Parentage: Mastigos, Obrimos, Silver Ladder

Nickname: Lanternbearers, Gurus, Taskmasters (derogatory)

Background: Lanternbearers come frequently from fields of academia, but artists are also frequently common. They all appreciate creativity and give people the opportunity to express themselves. Furthermore Lanternbearers are frequently skilled socialites, able to insert themselves into their chosen societies without issue and convincing others to follow their dreams. Most of them come from the upper echelons of society or at least the middle class however. Rare is the impoverished punk who choose to pick up the lantern and lead others to enlightenment by unleashing their musical creativity.

Appearances: There is no uniform appearance for the Ductores, their dress code often depending on the society they belong to. In their magical persona many incorporate the symbolism of lanterns, lighthouses, beacons or the watchtowers into their practice of the Arts.

In the Orders: The Ductores are a predominantly Silver Ladder legacy. The Guardians and the Adamantine Arrow have no use for their attainments. A few Mystagogues are intrigued by their practice of filtering supernal truth through their own souls to temporarily supress Quiescence, but very rarely is that interest enough for one of them to shape their very souls to that purpose. Some members of the Free Council are interested in the legacy and join it, however they often have to contend with criticism from their order as the attainments of the Lanterbearers foster hierachy. Many of those from the Free Council who join the Lanterbearers try to leave their order behind in favour of the Silver Ladder. Finally the Seers of the Throne recruited a fair amount of the more indulgent and hedonistic Lanternbearers in the century after their inception. However as they have little need for the gentle nudging some of the attainments allow, a perverted version of the legacy was eventually conceived by an enterprising Seer in service to the Father. The Seers following the legacy of the Radiant Throne use attainments eerily similar to those of the Lanternbearers, but some effects have been exchanged to allow for greater control and enslavement of sleepwalkers to the despots will, creating capable tools instead of dedicated disciples.

Among the Paths: The Obrimos and Mastigos path both contribute a large number of the legacies members, with the Obrimoi having a slight lead. The legacy holds little interest for mages of other paths, especially the Thyrsi are alienated by the legacies use of the Mind Arcanum.

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Prime 2, Socialize 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Academics, Science, Empathy, Expression, Persuasion

Initiation: To learn to lead a man first has to learn to follow. To teach others enlightenment he must first suffer ignorance. When a prospective initiate approaches a Ductor and is accepted by his mentor he must submit to his mentors guidence first. The mage ritually divests himself from his supernatural posessions (such as Artifacts), giving them to his Mentor for safekeeping. Then using powerful Prime and Mind magics his magic is bound, even his Mage Sight dampened until it is not felt anymore. Then his memory of the supernal world and his experiences as a mage are supressed, leaving him little more than an inexperienced sleepwalker. The mentor then applies his mark to the initiate and for one full lunar month he serves his mentor as his diciple, slowly coming closer to the truth and finally at the end of the month regaining his power and memory in a second Awakening as a Ductor.

A special case are those that awaken while wearing the Mark of the Disciple themselves. Such individuals awaken to the same path as their Ductor, following the connection of his teacher to the supernal realms. When the disciple returns he has shed the mark and the legacy has shaped his soul. In rare cases the contact with the supernal realms or personal experiences lead a disciple to reject the legacy deeply in his core being, wether he is aware thereof or not. In these cases the newly awakened mage sheds the mark as normal, but does not join the legacy automatically.

Organization: The Ductores Illuminans have no overarching organization. Instead they congregate in schools of thought that use similar avenues of enlightening sleepers and building their Cryptopoly. Usually this takes the form of an academic correspondence. Lanternbearers in the same area tend to work loosely together, but ultimatly prefer to establish their own schools (or cults).

Theory: The mind struggles against the lie, creative pursuits (art, science, philosophy) are its way of testing its prison. By inspiring a sleeper to engange in these things, their chance to awaken is increased. By showing them glimmers of the supernal, shielding them against the curse of Quiescence with the awakened soul their mind gets a grasp of the goal ahead. Those that awaken become teachers themselves. Those that don't are freed of the lie and become trusted and capable aides.

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Prime

Yantras: Lanterns, watchtowers, beacons and other symbols of guiding light (+1), teaching a sleeper or sleepwalker (+1), teaching one of your disciples (+2), having one of your disciples assist in the spell (+2), creating a work of art or writing a treatise (+2, requires an appropriate roll)

Oblations: Trying to groom sleepers or sleepwalkers (especially your disciples) for enlightenment, debating your chosen field of study, giving advice to others

Rote Skill: Socialize

Attainments

1 – The Evaluation
Prerquisites: Initiation

The first thing a mage who wields the divine fire and wishes to pass it on to sleepers is to test their potential. This attainment reveals the flaws of the abyss or the fires of enlightenment within the subject. The Lanternbearer learns wether the subject is a sleeper, sleepwalker, mage or other entity alltogether. He also gains a rough feeling for their potential, though this is nothing that can be put into numbers and many critics have remarked that its merely a fancy way for mages of the legacy to legitimize their gut feelings.

Optional: Mind 1

The mind is the vessel that carries the soul to enlightenment. With this attainment the Lanternbearer also learns a subjects Aspirations and Obsessions when evaluating them, learning what paths their mind follows on its struggle for awakening.

2 – The Truth and the Lie
Prerequisites: Prime 2, Socialize 3

Filtering the pure ephemeral light of the Prime through his own soul, the mage blesses his subject to be relieved of the curse of quiescense. The mage begins to glow as he formally lays a blessing upon the subject and from then on the subject is immune to one instance of Quiescence. The next supernal spell the subject comes across is free of the lie, will be remembered clearly and does not cause a breaking point for the duration of this attainment (treat it as having advanced duration with potency allocated to it equal to the Lanterbearers Prime dots). This attainment does not turn the subject into a sleepwalker, only one specific supernal spell is safely contained by the Lanternbearers soul and a subject cannot be target of more than one instance of this attainment. Further contact with supernal phenomena beyond the first will triggere Quiescence as normal.

Optional: Mind 2

Should a student not be ready to grasp the supernal truth the Lanternbearer has revealed to him, should he fail to awaken or at least shed the shard of the abyss within his soul making him a slave to Quiescence, then the lesson he failed to understand needs to be forgotten for the sake of his own wellbeing. This attainment automatically asserts itself when the main effect of this attainment ("The Truth") lapses and the target has not become a sleepwalker or achieved another state free from Quiescence. Following "The Truth" that has not been truly accepted by the subject with "The Lie", this removes the memory of the actual supernal spell witnessed by the subject from its memory, releasing its soul of the burden it cannot bear. This alteration of memory is lasting.

3 – Mark of the Disciple
Prerequisite: Prime 3, the Lanterbearer must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 3, or must attain two dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements.

A Lanternbearer who commits to teaching a disciple can place his mark upon them. The form this takes is unique to the Lanternbearer in question, but it allways leaves a permanent mark on the body of the subject. Many use (sometimes magically applied) tatoos, birthmarks or change the eyecolour of their Disciples. Crueler mages brand their servants or remove a finger. If the mark is ever removed for any reason the attainments effect and those building onto it end immediatly. If magic is used to target and alter the mark by anyone but the Lanternbearer who created it a clash of wills ensues wherein the Lanternbearer automaticall scores a number of successes equal to his Prime dots. A Lanterbearer can mark an amount of people up to his Prime dots, the only occasion when the number of people bearing his mark can exceed his Prime rating is when he is initiating another mage into the legacy.

Those who bear the mark of a Lanternbearer become sleepwalker for as long as the Ductor does not rescind his mark or it is removed for any reason. Should this attainment end the subjects suffers the effects of delayed Quiescence just as if the spell "Stealing Fire" had been dispelled on him. As long as the Mark persists the Lanterbearer and his disciple share a strong sympathetic connection.

Optional: Mind 3

The Mark bonds the disciple to the Ductor and shares with him the barest fraction of the supernal flame burning within the mage. The unawakened instinctivly recognize their better, leaving him awed, more open to suggestion and influence by the Lanterbearer. As long as the Mark persists the subject gains the "Awed" Condition. Should this condition be removed by any means it is reasserted after one scene, scoring successes equal to the Lanterbearers Mind dots should a clash of wills become necessary. Only removing the mark will get rid of the Condition for good.

New Condition: Awed

The subject is overwhelmed by another characters greatness, having experienced something akin to a religious epiphany. He is overwhelmed by the character and instincitvly knows he is his inferior. Social Actions taken by the beneficient of this condition against the subject score an exceptional success on three rather than five successes, the subject cannot spend willpower in any actions that go against the beneficient and receives and extra die when spending willpower on actions that he believes to further the beneficients agenda.

4 – Revalation of Glory
Prerequisite: Prime 4, Socialize 4

The Lanternbearer pulls the wool from the eyes of his disciples and unveils the supernal world as it relates to the phenomenal world to them. Touching the Mark of the Disciple, the Lanternbearer imbues his student with a further portion of his supernal connection. The disciple gains access to prime mage sight, unlike the spell "Apocalypse" he can however turn it on and off at will like a mage. Turning mage sight onallways costs a willpower point and each minute after the first it is maintained costs an additional point of willpower. When scrutinizing or revealing a mystery, the disciple uses his Wits as dicepool, should a clash of will ensue he uses Resolve + Composure. As the disciple uses the masters own sight to see the supernal an interesting sideeffct occurs. When a Lanterbearer studies a mystery in tandem with his disciples they help him reveal the hidden meanings buried beneath the lie. When scrutinizing or revealing a mystery with Prime mage sight, the mage adds dice equal to half the number of his Disciples studying the mystery in unison with him (round up) to his rolls.

Optional: Mind 4

The intellect rears against the chains of the lie, even if it does not know it. The disciple of a Lanternbearer is blessed, for his master may bless him mental clarity. When using the main effect of this attainment to open the eyes of his disciple, the Lanterbearer also exalts and clears his students mind. Distribute the Lanternbearers Mind dots among the targets mental attributes. No attribute may exceed 5 and this effect lasts until the Mark is removed. The distribution cannot be changed later, but if the Lanternbearers Mind rating increases and additional dot may be added to any one attribute.

5 – Vessel of heavenly Power
Prerequisite: Prime 5, the Lanternbearer must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 4, or must attain three dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements, or two dots in a third Skill from the list.

The ultimate blessing of the Lanterbearers for their disciples turns the student into a vessel for magic itself. The mage turns the student into something akin to an imbued item or artifact, granting the student a single legacylike Attainment of his own. This following restrictions and mechanics apply:
- The spell imbued into the disciple has to come from the Prime Arcanum and can contain no other Arcana
- The mage designs the spell as if he were to cast it himself, but is restricted to only using free Reach. Once all reaches are distributed they stay fixed, the student will only be able to cast the spell with these exact reaches.
- If the spell costs Mana, the student will replace the cost with a point of Willpower instead
- The spell has primary (and secondary) Spell factors as if it was a legacy attainment of the Lanternbearer
- If a clash of wills occurs, the student rolls his Resolve + Composure as his dicepool, no automatic successes are scored
- As the student draws upon the Lanternbearers connection to his Watchtower this spell is not a legacy attainment, though it feels similar. It induces Quiescence, can be dispelled and Counterspelled as normal.

To imbue such power unto one of his disciples is a long and complicated process. It requires an extension of the Mark placed by the third attainment incorporating symbolism representative of the spell, aswell as exhaustive mental and spiritual preparation of the student. Only one spell can be imbued in this way onto a target at the same time and once imbued it cannot be changed without removing the mark.

Optional: Mind 5

As his student body, mind and soul are reshaped to be more receptive to the supernal, the Lanternbearer can endow his disciple with a single Obsession. This Obsession allways relates to something supernal in nature and is usually thematically related to the spell imbued by the primary use of this attainment.

General Note: When the Lanternbearer dies his Marks flares and then vanishes. His disciples permanently gain the Sleepwalker merit, wether they had it before or not, but loose all other benefits the mark gave them.

The Radiant Throne

The Radiant Throne is the twisted mirror of the Ductores Illuminans. Originating from those Lanternbearers that betrayed the Ladder for the Throne to serve their own selfish desires, the Father handed down his Wisdom to a young initiate about to shape his own soul, divesting the legacy of such heretical pursuits as fostering awakenings in others and turning the bond of enlightenment into a tight leash in the hands of a Slavemaster. The adherents of the Radiant Throne venerate the Father and rule in his name over floks of indoctrinated followers and their bound slaves. As they incorportated the very symbols of oppression through subjugation into their very souls, Slavemasters are often outwardly charismatic and seductive leaders but cruel at heart. They regard their followers as property. Mere sleepers are disposable items, often harmed or worse for their amusement, while Sleepwalkers are more valuable assets and their "Chosen" become their regalia.

Nicknames: Master, Divine Lords, Slavemasters

Ruling Arcanum: Mind (Prime is the secondary Arcanum for them, they care less for divine power than the power over other people)

The Slavemasters attainments differ from those of the Ductores, though they still share many familiarities. The requirements for joining the legacy remain the same, however instead of humble service they initiate new members by having them systematically break the will of sleepers using the Mind Arcanum to turn them into willing slaves.

Attainments

1 – The Evaluation

This attainment and its optional effect are functionally identically (if switched), though Slavemasters use it more to find ideal recruits and to learn the desires they can use to lull to tempt the target into servitude.

2 – Divine Presence

Those who speak to a servant of God walking the earth best listen to his words. The Divine Lord fills his voice with authority and those who hear it cannot help but feel compelled to heed his command. In social maneuvering a Divine Lord can use this attainment to open an additional door if the subjects Resolve is less than his rating in the Mind Arcanum.

Optional: Prime 2

Gathering the scraps of mana and magic around himself the Divine Lord begins to glow with an inner supernal light. The light is not blinding, but impressive (and definitly seems both supernatural and divine). Those who witness the effect can't help but feel that they are in the presence of something greater than themselves. In social maneuvering the Divine Lord using this attainment increases the first impression level by his Prime rating, withstood by Composure.

3 – Mark of the Slave

The Slavemaster places a mark on the subject he wants to make his, just as described in Mark of the Disciple (the limit is the Slavemasters Mind rating however). The practices used to do so usually involve the subject surrendering and debasing himself before the Slavemaster. Once he received the mark the subject suffers the "Enslaved" condition, just as a disciple would suffer from "Awed".

Optional: Prime 3

The subject becomes a Sleepwaler as of "Mark of the Disciple", now fully able to witness the glory of his master.

New Condition: Enslaved

The subject has been enslaved by his Master. Whenever he goes against the wishes of his master he suffers one level of bashing level, if he disobeys a direct order he suffers a point of lethal damage. These effects stack, though they can only be suffered once per scene. The damage manifests as nausea and intense headaches as his defiance wracks his spirit with anguish and guilt. Roll the subjects Resolve + Composure, on a failure he gains the Guilty condition because of his disobediance. If the slave fulfills an objective set by his Master or pleases him however he is filled with enormous joy and ecstacy, recovering a point of willpower. Pleasing the Master in this way often proves addictive.

4 – Revelation of Glory

This attainment functions identically (if switched) to the one of the Ductores. The Divine Lord endows his favourite tools with the facilities to better serve him, increasing their mental faculties so they can serve him faithfully and efficiently and unveiling the supernal world to them so they can recognize the signs of his rival mages where they come across them.

5 – Vessel of heavenly Power

The Slavemaster turns his Slaves into vessels for his own glory, perfect tools to enact his will upon the World. By drawing upon the connection to his bound slave the mage can supplant his servants conciousness, posessing their bodies for up to a scene. During that time the slaves conciousness is put into a feeling of religious rapture and ecstatic joy, after the experience is over he regains all his willpower as if he had fulfilled his Virtue.

Optional: Prime 5

The optional attainment functions as the main attainment of the Ductores.

Awakening under the Mark:

Another difference between the attainments of the Lanternbearers and the Slavemasters is their relationship to awakening. The mark of the third attainment can only be placed on sleepers and sleepwalkers (except for the Initiation of the Ductores), never on another mage. When someone wearing the Mark of the Disciple awakens he is drawn to the Lanternbearers Watchtower, awakens and returns with his soul wearing the seed from which another Lanterbearer can grow. The Slavemasters don't try to encourage awakenings, their slaves rarely awaken compared to the Lanterbearers, but it does happen. On such an occasion a curious event takes place: just like the disciples, slaves are drawn to the Slavemasters Watchtower (though they often encounter exarcharial entities on their journeys) but when they return the Mark of the Slave remains in effect. In this way a Slavemaster can even enslave the awakened and several highranking members of Paternoster are Slavemasters with an entourage of suprisingly loyal awakened servants.

Practices: While the Ductores use their attainments to teach, the Divine Lords use it to amass power. The foolish place their marks on those they desire, but the cunning Seer of the Throne who joined this legacy (and lets face it: only those live for a significant amount of time) uses to acquire assets. Divine Lords exceed their pentacle brethren in the ability to create and maintain mystery cults and they make heavy use of those to indoctrinate and entrap people they want to use. If they desire to truly control an important sleeper (because he holds an important office, comes from an influental family etc.) they lure them in and finally elevate them to one of their "Chosen" by placing their mark upon them. This way they ensure the loyalty of important assets and place them under a yoke that cannot simply be dispelled by the next rival mage coming across his slave.

Another common tactic is to offer to young mages who are within the grasps of the Seers to help them reconnect to their estranged loved ones. Many a new mage is horrified when he recognizes that his spouse or children cannot comprehend what has happened to them and are spiritually hurt by their magic. Sure they could find a mage to cast Stealing Fire for them... but that is so fragile and the consequences so grave. The Mark of the Divine Lord offers a safer alternative, in exchange for a few favours. By the time the new fledgling Seer has realized enough about the servants of the throne and the nature of the Slavemasters legacy it is usually far too late and the loved ones safety lies safely in the hands of the Divine Lord. For a Master can allways revoke the sign of his favour....

Ploothooks

Damaged goods: A newly awakened mage is freed from claws of the Seers in a Pentacle raid. He was member of a cult lead by a charismatic Seer killed in the attack and is wracked with guilt and shame over the atrocities he commited. The Pentacle decides to give him a chance to redeem himself and he proves himself a capable and reliable member of his cabal and order. But something is wrong. He starts getting these visions when he sleeps and lately even when he is awake... He awakened while under yoke of the Throne and the Exchars never relinquished his hold on him, hidden deep insight like a cancer waiting to grow. The dreams get more intense and he isn't sure how much longer he can take this. Does he reveal his problems to his friends and/or Cabal? Will he try to resist on his own? Eventually he starts loosing time and he isn't sure anymore wether he is still trying to do the right thing or becoming a tool of the enemy, aimed right at the heart of his friends.

Intervention: A close friend is a Lanterbearer and known for his dedication towards the work of his legacy. However by accidents you notice that one of his Disciples is not at all involved with the Cryptopoly. There doesn't seem to be much teaching involved in the relationship, instead it seems to focus on... physical exercise. The Disciple is head over heels in love with the Lanternbearer, the bond of the mark melting away any resistances. The Ductor for his part does his best to keep his mind whammied mistress hidden from others. On the one side this is definitly not a good sign... but when you confront him he reasonably and convincingly explains that relieving himself of stress that way only energizes him to concentrate on his teachings for his other disciples and the Cryptopolis. Besides the Precept of Blood states that the sleeper follows and serving as his mistress is far more productive than anything she'd ever achieve on her own. It's not like she resents it or he'd mistreat her. Do you keep his secret or expose his abuse of power? If you're understanding he may agree to do you a favour in return...

Let there be light: A rumour surfaces about a powerful Artifact in the shape of a lantern, whose light takes the curse of Quiescence from sleepers. The Ductores Illuminans are in uproar. This Artifact must be a connection to the supernal symbolism of their legacy itself. Not only are its powers a great boon to the legacies work, no if it truly is connected to the legacy whoever gained access to it could perhaps develop the attainments of the legavy past their limitations! This would be a tremendous step and such a person might be able to act as a Lanternbearer for the Ductores Illuminans in general, finally reuniting the scattered schools of thought under a common philosophy, creating a functional organization that can work in unison to really achieve the goal of the legacy and free humanity of Quiescence.But who will get to it first? Bitter rivalries come to the fore and the search threatens to become violent fast. And what is the true nature of the lantern? Is it truly connected to the legacy and if so how and why did it show up now? Or is it mere part of a ploy by some entity trying to use the Ductores for its own schemes?
RAWifictation:

1 – "Supernal Vision", reach for instant casting

Optional : "Know Nature", instant casting, only lears aspirations/obessions instead of Virtue/Vice

2 – A prime shielding spell that protects a sleeper from the onset of Quiescence. It doesn't turn the sleeper into a Sleepwalker ala Stealing Fire, rather it holds the abyssal backlash for witnessing a spell at bay. Advanced duration.

Optional : Memory Hole, reach for advanced duration. I would personally leave the conditional trigger in, even when going with RAW. Can only be used to hide memories of the supernal, so that when they resurface quiescence has allready taken hold and the sleeper will only remember a garbled version of the events, hopefully not suffering a breaking point.

3 – I would leave the attainment as it is, even with using RAW. It can turn people into sleepwalkers permanently, but suffers two significant drawbacks compared to a "Stealing Fire" with advanced duration attainment. A) The mark, which depending on its nature an enterprising rival mage could get rid off B) It can only mark up to the Lanterbearers Prime dots in people. If you're (or your ST) is not fine with it despire these limitations go for "Stealing Fire" with advanced duration, keep the requirement of the mark around. This of course will change the practices of the Lanterbearers quite a bit, as they now cannot bestow their blessing permanently and have to recast it periodically but can bless as many people as they wish. Also makes it a huge problem if one of them dies, suddenly there are whole bunch of people scheduled to go crazy quickly.

Optional: A mind spell bestows the condition on those bearing the marks, Mind 3 Weaving, advanced duration

4 - "Apocalypse" with reach toward advanced duration, only useable on those carrying the mark.

Optional: "Augment Mind", advanced duration, treat potency as the secondary factor. Only useable on those carrying the mark and maybe the mage himself at ST discretion.

5 – This essentially uses the Imbue Item Attainment on one of the marked people. It should be fine even by RAW standarts I think

Optional: Mind technically may be suited more towards giving the Disciple an Aspiration instead of an Obsession, treat it as a making spell with advanced duration

As for the Radiant Throne:

2 – Emotional Urging, using instant casting

Optional : A prime ruling spell that grants the subject a divine aura, increasing first impression levels by potency similar to the Mind spell "First Impression", reach for instant casting

5 – The main attainment immitates the spell "Posession" with reach toward advanced duration and sensory range, if the Slavemaster has the attainment "Sympathetic Range" he may use it in concert with this attainment.

**Flinty** · 09-16-2017, 12:53 PM

Another Update here, this time two things. First of all I added a "RAWification" category to my legacies, giving suggestions on how to bring their attainments in line with the book as it was written. Personally it felt quite awkward to write some of them, especially for the Ebon Gate and the Virtual Adepts, but I figured it'd make for a nice exercise and would help those who like the ideas I throw out here but don't want to stray from the book too far.

Secondly: Tamers! A 2e conversion for the Tamers of Fire and the Tamers of Rivers. I left most of the fluff out, you can find that in Legacies The Ancient. Aside from that book (a few small quotes from which you will find in the writeup, which I hope upsets nobody) I also took some inspirations (especially with the Yanras) from 21C Hermits conversion, which you can find in his thread here.

So let's start off with the:

Tamers of Fire

Origins

Parentage: Orbimos

Nickname: Champions, Heros, Firestarters

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Forces 2, Persuasion 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Athletics, Expression, Academics, Survival, Weaponry

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Forces

Yantras: Carrying an open flame such as a lighter or a torch (+1); acting in accordance with one's Virtue (+2); succeeding on a social roll relevant to passion and the spell (+2), being on fire (+2)

Oblations: Reading about historical leaders; starting a campfire by the "two sticks" method;
Firewalking. Spending an entire night in physical training. Organizing a match of a
team sport. Running a marathon. Burning your skin repeatedly with small flames from a lighter or a candle.

Rote Skill: Persuasion

Attainments

1 - Know the Fire
Prerequisites: Initiation

Tamers of Fire gain a sixth sense for their Element, becoming aware of fires and feeling their heat and intensity. These Flames count as being within sensory range. Compare the Tamers Forces dots to the Standard Scale chart to get a rough idea for the range of this sense. Within these bounds the Tamer automatically becomes aware of all sources of fire, remarkable sources of fire outside this range may, at the storytellers discretion, be detected with a sucessful Wits + Forces roll.

Optional: Mind 1

This attainment tells the Tamer the Virtue and Vice of a subject he engages in conversation, the Champion feels those personality traits that burn the brightest within another persons chest. The subject does not have to open up to the tamer, adversity reveals ones passion just as much as openness. However it has to be actual conversation that the person is paying attention to, just asking someone for the time or a listless words exchanged with cashier are not enough to reveal the flames of passion.

2 - Tame the Fire
Prerequisites: Forces 2, Persuasion 3

Taming the Flame, the mage learns to control the movement of fire, causing it to jump to new sources of fuel, go a desired path or contain it in an area. He may explicitly make fire move in ways that defy its normal nature and gravity. Directing fire in this way takes an instant action, Champions often direct flames with gestures.

Optional: Mind 2

Focussing and harnessing his inner fire, the mage may direct his presence more powerfully at others. In social maneuvering this mimics the spell Emotional Urging with potency equal to the mages Mind dots. However this attainment can only supplement Presence based rolls. Outside of social maneuvering, this may be used to add the Champions Mind dots as dice to a social roll.

3 - Embrace the Fire
Prerequisite: Forces 3, the Champion must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 3, or must attain two dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements.

Welcoming the Fire inside, the Champion becomes immune to its touch. All damage dealt by Fire wether natural or supernatural in nature is reduced by the mages Forces dots, on top of any armor or other protections.

Optional: Mind 3

The heroism of the Tamers of Fire is absolute. Any supernatural effect that would cause them to act
against or modify their Virtue automatically fails unless backed by a power no lesser than that of an Archmaster.

4 - Become the Fire
Prerequisite: Forces 4, Persuasion 4

The Flame within the Champion grows too large to contain. When the Tamer of Fire activates his forces mage armor it becomes visible in the form of a fiery aura surrounding the mage. Everything attacked by or attacking the mage in close combat or just standing too close to him is subjected to the burning tilt if he lacks sufficient protection. Additionally, as his forces mage armor resonates strongly with his own soul, the Champion does not need to pay mana to activate it anymore.

Optional: Mind 4

Igniting the flame in others, the Tamer may make a short but rousing speech, invigorating the minds
of his compatriots. Listeners who agree with the Tamer gain a willpower point that may exceed their
normal limit, lasts for one scene, adds the Champions Mind dots to any roll it is used upon instead of the usual +3 and can be spent to work toward the subject of the speech. If the Tamer succeeds exceptionally on a social roll to motivate his allies he may give out two points of temporary willpower instead.

5 - Release the Fire
Prerequisite: Forces 5, the Champion must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 4, or must attain three dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements, or two dots in a third Skill from the list.

The Tamer may release his inner flames into the world. This has two effects. He can ignite any
flammable material he can perceive. Igniting conventionally flamable material (paper, wood, gasoline, most clothing) requires only a reflexive action, more durable material can be ignited with an instant action. Alternativly he can create fire out of nothing within his line of sight, burning with an intensity equal to his Forces dots, however these burst of flames ex nihilo allways originate from the Champion as he calls them forth from within his own burning soul.

Optional: Mind 5

The Fire of inspiration burns bright within the Tamers of Fire, driving themselves and others to new
heights. This enhances a skill (wether the subject normally posesses the skill in question or not) for one scene by the mages Mind dots after a short conversation wherin the Champion drives the subject to greatness (or a short gathering of will if the Tamer wants to affect himself). This ignores the normal trait maximums. This attainment can only be used once upon one person in 24 hours and for the rest of this time the subject suffers a -1 penalty to all rolls involving the priorly enhanced skill. Fire burns bright, but it also consumes.

RAWification:
Switch Forces and Mind, making Mind the primary Arcanum so Obrimoi profit from it.

1 – "Know Fire", reach on advanced duration, secondary factor scale

Optional: Know Nature, reach on instant casting.. I personally would let the need for a committed conversation stand as the "range" of the spell instead of touch range, alternativly reach for sensory range and make the requirement scene long social contact.

2 – A shielding spell protecting against Fire. Reach for advanced duration. Reduces fire damage by potency (secondary factor), forces clash of will against supernatural fire based attacks.

Optional : A Mind shield that specifically shields your virtue, reach for advanced duration. Forces a clash of wills if someone tries to change or make you act against your virtue.

3 – "Control Fire", reach on instant casting and sensory range. Treat scale as a secondary factor if necessary.

Optional : "Emotional Urging", instant casting and either advanced duration or sensory range. Treat scale as a secondary spell factor if necessary.

4 – I'd leave this attainment as it is even if treating the game RAW, maybe remove the removal of mana cost for forces armor. Legacy attainments even in RAW are allowed to buch the horse a little bit. Alternativly make it a pattering spell that ignites the Tamers clothing or anything else he touches with reach spent on instant casting.

Optional : Depends on your ST alot here. There have been suggestions for Mind perfecting spells that replace wp the way a Life perfecting spell can heal damage. Such a spell could work with reach toward instant use and sensory range , treating scale as a secondary factor. Alternativly "Clear Thoughts" with reach toward instant casting and restoring wp.

5 – "Create Energy" specific for Fire, reach on instant casting.

Optional: "Gain Skill", instant casting, advanced duration

**Flinty** · 09-16-2017, 12:55 PM

And follow it with the :

Tamers of Rivers

Origins

Parentage: Thyrsus

Nickname: Travelers, Menders, Bringers of Change

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Matter 2, Empathy 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Crafts, Medicine, Survival, Expression, Socialize

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Matter

Yantras: Presence of clean, flowing water large enough to sit in (+1); being submerged in water (+2); success in a Medicine roll pertaining to the spell (+2); ointments, tonics, and other liquid medicine (+1); sacrificing something of personal value to a body of water (+1-4 depending on the sacrifice, treat it as a normal sacrament but one level higher)

Oblations: Praying or meditating near a perfectly clean spring, riverbank or stretch of seashore. Spending time beautifying an ugly area (for example, cleaning up graffiti or painting a mural over it, planting flowers overnight in a derelict scrub area). Mending something that is broken and giving it to a river. Spending an hour river fishing without bait and without catching anything. Making love with a stranger

Rote Skill: Empathy

Attainments

1 – Test the Waters
Prerquisites: Initiation

The Traveller can hear the song of flowing water call out to him in beautiful melody, while stagnant
bodies of water moan for freedom. These waters count as being within sensory range. Compare the Tamers Matter dots to the Standard Scale chart to get a rough idea for the range of this sense. Within these bounds the Tamer automatically becomes aware of all bodies of water, remarkable bodies of water outside this range may, at the storytellers discretion, be detected with a sucessful Wits + Matter roll.

Optional: Life 1

Sensing the lifegiving water in living beings, the Tamer can also ascertain at a glance wether a living subject she studies is ill or injured in any way.

2 - Tame the Water
Prerequisites: Matter 2, Empathy 3

The Tamer of Rivers can now direct the flow of Water, shaping it to his likeing and even cause it to
move in unusual ways, even defying natural law. Directing Water in this way takes an instant action, many Travelers use gestures to accompany their shaping of the waters. (This allows for the creation of enviromental tilts, but does not allow the mage to control the bloodflow within a targets body or other shenanigans as these are governed by the Life Arcanum)

Optional: Life 2

Calling upon the power of water to wash away impurity, the mage purges a target from illness by washing it with clean water.

3 – Purity of Water
Prerequisite: Matter 3, the Traveler must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 3, or must attain two dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements.

The mage can now purify polluted water. Purifying up to an amount of water covered by her Matter dots on the Standart Scale chart requires a mere touch, while larger bodies (within reason) require the mage to bathe in the waters for one scene. Incidentially the mage becomes immune to any mundane pollutants and poisons in bodies of water.

Optional: Life 3

Attuning to the essence of water completly, the Tamer alters his physiology permanently. While no change of appearance takes place the traveller can now breathe underwater and is immune to mundane tilts caused by water, including reductions of movement speed due to wading through water and the like.

4 – Flow of Change
Prerequisite: Matter 4, Empathy 4

All liquid springs from water. Understanding this principle, the traveller can transform other liquids
into water and vice versa. Compare the Tamers Matter dots to the standart Scale chart to see how much liquid he can transform. The change lasts for one scene, though if the substance has been changed due to mundane means (gasoline burning up, created water being consumed by a living being), the transformative powers of the Bringer of Change make the transformation lasting.

Optional: Life 4

A simple movement of liquids, the thickening or thinning of blood, can cause a person to lose all inhibitions, raging like a wounded dog, freezing in terror like a frightened rabbit, defending territory like a guard dog or rutting like a cat in heat. Blood will out, and as blood rises and falls, primal
emotions come into play. Using this attainment can induce appropriate conditions and tilts in living beings for the duration of one scene if the mages Life dots exceed the subjects Composure.

5 – Tap the Wellspring
Prerequisite: Matter 5, the Traveler must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 4, or must attain three dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements, or two dots in a third Skill from the list.

At the pinnacle of understanding, the Tamer of Rivers becomes the River, unleashing it from his mortal shell to flow out into the world. The mage can now create water from nothing, flooding the environment if desired. The created water allways originates from the Tamer, as it comes from within the infinite wellspring of his own soul.

Optional: Life 5

Water is the essence of life and in it's purest form can heal. By washing a victims wounds with pure
water a Traveller can heal even the most grivious (aggravated) wounds.

RAWification:

The spells with advanced duration can be recast sometime during the week for example while fullfilling oblations and thus become "permanent". In my original writeup I assume these boni only to work for the Traveler himself, but maybe a ritual to bless another person with a specific attainment for some time is possible if you deem it sensible.

1 – A "Sense Water" spell, with reach applied to advanced duration and a secondary spellfactor of scale

Optional: "Analize Life" with reach toward instant activation, requiring the Traveler to touch the subject to feel the flow of life within the body.

2 – A version of "Alchemist's Touch" that protects the body from waterborne conditions (including diseases and poisons) and tilts. Reach for advanced duration.

Optional: Purge Illness, with instant casting as the reach, still requires washing of the Body.

3 – Shaping with reaches for instant casting and sensory range, can only affect water

Optional: Transform Life to give the ability to breathe underwater, reach for advanced duration.

4 – A "Purify Water" perfecting spell which removes pollutants of all kinds, with reach applied to advanced scale (secondary factor) and instant casting.

Optional: "Control Instincts" with reach applied to instant casting, sensory range and advanced duration.

5 – "Transubstination" with reaches spent on advanced scale and advanced duration. Can only transmute to or from water. I would personally let the side effect of the change being lasting under the conditions mentioned in the attainment stand.

Optional: "Mend", reach for healing agg and instant casting

**21C Hermit** · 09-17-2017, 08:32 AM

Always glad to see Legacy homebrews. Will the next ones be the other Tamers?

**Flinty** · 09-17-2017, 09:54 AM

I will do the Tamers of Stone and the Tamers of Winds at least. Not sure what/if I'll do the Tamers of the Cave, as I personally never really connected with their themes, so I may well rewrite them entirely. I may also make the Tamers of Wind a Mastigos legacy and the Tamers of the Cave an Acanthus one. I know tome of Watchtowers associated the Acanthus with Air and the Mastigos path with Void, but I personally can see these roles switched, the Mastigoi embodying reason (traditionally air) and the Acanthi embodying the "Spirit" (may make the Tamer of the Cave... or Tamer of other thing actually a Spirit based legacy rather than death...)

Anyway first of : A new merit for the Tamers, giving them a fearsome amount of power when surrounded by their chosen element. It's pretty expensive, costing as much as an Arcanum dot, so I think the effects should be ok.
Elemental Power (••••)
Prerequisites: Tamer of (Element)
Effect: Your characters soul is deeply in tune with her chosen element, drawing frightening amounts of power from it. As long as your character is fully surrounded by his element (a
Tamer of Fire being on fire, a Tamer of Rivers fully submerged in water, a Tamer of Stone within a cave, subterranaian tunnel or within a strucure he himself built or a Tamer of Winds floating in the air) the effects of this merit activate. His soul feasts upon the raw power of the element surrounding him, strengthening him physically and spiritually. The Tamer gains three dice to all physical and spellcasting actions, aswell as to clashes of wills. The bonus dice to spellcasting do not count as a Yantra.

And now :

Tamers of Stone

Origins

Parentage: Moros

Nickname: Builders, Craftmasons,

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Matter 2, Crafts 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Academics, Science, Athletics, Survival, Socialize

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Matter

Yantras: Feet planted on solid earth (+1), being within a structure you helped build (+2), succeeding on a crafts roll relevant to the spell (+2), tools built by yourself (+1), stone and other solid working material (+1)

Oblations: Single-handedly building a cairn made of large stones. Spending some time bricklaying. Drawing up the blueprints for a new building. Redecorating a room. Organizing a trade union meeting.

Rote Skill: Crafts

Attainments

1 – Seeing the Stone
Prerquisites: Initiation

To build a strong fundament one has to pick the right materials. Taking a moment to study a substance the Craftmason can determine how well it would function as a building material, what it's advantages and drawbacks would be and anything else relevant to using the material in construction. When studying a finished structure he can similarily tell the quality of the materials it is made up of enabling him to easily indentify weak spots.

Optional: Space 1

At home in manmade structures the Craftmason has an instinctual feeling for distance. With an instant action he can get a rough feel for the layout of any structure built by sentient beings.

2 – Flowing Earth
Prerequisites: Matter 2, Crafts 3

To a Builders hands, earth and stone become like putty. Under his direction the earth takes a new shape, flowing into new forms as the Tamer wills it. Using this attainments takes an instant action, building complex structures may well be an extended action requiring a Wits + Crafts roll. This attainment does not turn the earth into an actual liquid, it merely flows into new forms as desired by the Tamer.

Optional: Space 2

Stone and Earth refuse to obstruct the Craftmasons view, flowing out of the way to enable him to see what he seeks. With an instant action any obstruction to vision caused by earth or stone seems to made in the background, allowing the Tamer to see through it. He can see through walls, the floor or even mountains (within the bounds of his normal vision range), but a forest will continue to obstruct his view as it did before. Within a structure built by the Craftmason this effect is heightened, allowing him to hear and smell without obstruction aswell.

3 – Strength of Stone
Prerequisite: Matter 3, the Craftmason must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 3, or must attain two dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements.

When working upon a new creation the Craftmasons soul sings in tune with his tools, imbuing his creations with the strength of the earth. When building a structure the Craftmason strengthens it to weather the ages. As long as the building material is appropriate to the environmental conditions double the time it takes for any kind of decay due to environmental circumstances for every dot of Matter the Craftmason posessed at the moment of the structures creation.

Optional: Space 3

The Builders are intimatly tied to their creations. With an instant action and by spending one point of Mana the Craftmason can open a scrying window to any place within a structure in whose creation he has helped.

4 – Earthen Transformation
Prerequisite: Arcanum 4, Crafts 4

Sometimes the right material for a structure envisioned by a Builder is not at hand. Working diligently for one scene upon a batch of raw material (use scale as a secondary factor to determine the maximum amount), the Builder infuses the material with his desires and transforms it into the ideal substance to be used within his creation. If used in the creation of a permanent structure this change is lasting, otherwise use the Tamers Matter dots as potency on the advanced duration scale to determine the duration of the change.

Optional: Space 4

All places are one and the Craftmason is one with all of his creation. With an instant action and by spending a point of Mana the Craftmason can teleport to any place within a structure in whose creation he participated.

5 – Raise the Earth
Prerequisite: Matter 5, the Craftmason must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 4, or must attain three dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements, or two dots in a third Skill from the list.

The Tamer has become one with the earth. Concentrating upon the ground he is standing upon, the builders soul and the land become one. Over the course of a scene a structure rises from the ground (or loner in the case of particularily large or complex structures. Raising an entire mansion from the ground may take hours on end, creating a new city block may take days). The structure is fully functional, made from the material the Tamer desires, benefits from the effects of the third attainment and is of lasting duration. Every hour the Tamer spends on raising this structure costs him one point of mana.

Optional: Space 5

Space itself bends to accomodate the creations of the Craftmason. When using the attainments main effect space itself will stretch to accomodate the newly created structure, allowing the Tamer to create a new house within a place otherwise to small, adding to existing housing blocks or the like by simply exanding the size of the block. This part of the attainment can only be used outside and to add, not to divide. The tamer cannot build a tower within a house, causing the house to expand or build it in the middle of another structure, splitting it in the process.

New Merit:

Innovative Soul (••)
Prerequisites: Tamer of Stone
The Tamers of Stone usually only work their attainments upon the classical elements. The earth, stone, metals and glass. A character with this merit has embraced the materials of the new age into his very soul, allowing him to use his attainments upon Plastics.

RAWification:

Switch Matter and Space, making Space the primary Arcanum so Moros profit from it.

1 – "Discern Composition", instant casting

Optional : Space 1 Knowing spell that gives you a map of the location. Either instant casting with scale as secondary factor (kind of sucks) or advanced scale (and secondary factor spell, probably better)

2 – "Shaping" with the reach to affect solid substances aswell

Optional: "The Inward and Outward Eye" with reach toward instant activation and advanced duration

3 – A Matter perfecting Spell that has the mentioned effect, advanced duration

Optional: Scrying, instant casting and sensory range

4 – "Transubstantination" with reach for advanced duration. I would leave the lasting condition in or it becomes mostly pointless

Optional: "Co-Location" with instant casting and sensory range, otherwise "Teleportation" with sensory range

5 – "Ex Nihilo" with reach for advanced duration, secondary factor scale (which will limit the size of the creation quite a bit)

Optional : Pocket Dimension, advanced duration , secondary factor scale

**Flinty** · 09-17-2017, 12:47 PM

Tamers of Winds

Origins

Parentage: Acanthus

Nickname: Aeolians, Recordkeepers

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Forces 2, Investigation 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Academics, Science, Athletics, Survival, Expression

Magic

Ruling Arcanum:

Yantras: Being out in the open (+1), Flying (+2), succeeding on an Investigation roll relating to the spell (+2), listening to recordings (+1), playing a memory related game (+1), opening a window (+1)

Oblations: Taking apart a DVD player and put it back together again. Spending an evening developing photos. Writing down the events of the day in perfect order. Listening to a recording of the sound of weather. Keeping a detailed journal of every event of the day. Going skydiving.

Rote Skill: Investigation

Attainments

1 – Hear the Wind
Prerquisites: Initiation

The Tamers of Winds thirst for knowledge and the wind, ever helpful, whispers it to them. By concentrating upon a place the Aeolian can see, he can hear as if he was standing at this place, as the wind carries words and sounds to him.

Optional: Mind 1

Inviting the wind into his soul, a fresh breeze frees the Aeolians mind from all shackles and allows him to think in all directions. This allows the Tamer to hold two trains of thought simultaneously. If he concentrates, taking no physical actions at all he can instead hold a number of trains of thought equal to his Mind dots simultaneously.

2 – Guide the Wind
Prerequisites: Forces 2, Investigation 3

Taming his element, the Aeolian becomes capable of directing the wind. With an instant action he can steer the movement of the air this way or another. Using this attainment requires an instant action. As long as the Tamer keeps controlling the wind he can create Wind based tilts or even extreme environments. Use his Forces dots as an indicator of the potency of the effect.

Optional: Mind 2

The memory of the Aeolians is as clear as the bright sky. When specifically trying to remember a memory in total clarity, the Aeolian remembers it perfectly. This attainment will not remind the Tamer of details he forgot when his thoughts casually brush the memory, he has to focus on it.

3 – Embrace the Wind
Prerequisite: Forces 3, the Aeolian must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 3, or must attain two dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements.

As he becomes more attuned to his element, the Aeolian becomes comfortable in its embrace. He can ignore environmental tils caused by cold air or lack of oxygen up to a severity of his Forces dots as the Wind keeps the cold away and feeds him the air he needs to live.

Optional: Mind 3

The wind has listened to a million words whispered in a thousand languages. The Tamer is able to understand any spoken language, though he does not become able to speak it himself. This attainment has no effect on written languages, however audio recordings function normally.

4 – Ride the Wind
Prerequisite: Forces 4, Investigation 4

Just as the wind cannot be caught by the earth, the mage slips the chains of gravity. As long as there is air, the mage can fly as he wills, with a speed equal to his Forces + Gnosis. As he is carried by the wind, he cannot use this attainment in environments where no gases are available. The Aeolian cannot use this attainment to navigate underwater or in the void of space, though the last attainment of the wind may mitigate this weakness.

Optional: Mind 4

The truth of the Aeolian becomes the truth of others. When engaging others in conversation the Aeolian can spend one point of Mana to convince the target of a fact he is telling them. Add the Aeolians Mind dots in successes to any necessary social roll.

5 – Unleash the Wind
Prerequisite: Forces 5, the Aeolian must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 4, or must attain three dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements, or two dots in a third Skill from the list.

Calling forth the Wind of his own soul, the Aeolian releases air into his environment. This can create and extreme environment with a severity up to the Tamers Forces dots, but doesn't have to. It can also be used to fill spaces with air gently. This attainment can be used to create big air bubble underwater or briefly fill the emptiness of space with air for the Aeolians use.

Optional: Mind 5

Not even the memories of others are safe from the Aeolians touch. The wind travels quickly and far, it sees many thing from many angles. Every interpretation is possible with the right angle of view. Engaging a subject in conversation, the wind can go through its thoughts, even memories change if you look at them from another point of view. This attainment allows the Aeolian to effectivly change the memories of a subject. They never change into something completly different, but details are forgotten or suddenly remembered and the subjects interpretation of the memory can be twisted around completly. In order for this attainment to take effect the Aeolians Mind dots need to exceed the targets Resolve.

RAWification:

1 – Forces Knowing "What sound is occuring", instant casting, would benefit greatly from also having sensory range...

Optional: "One Mind, Two Thoughts" with advanced duration

2 – "Control Kinetic Energy" (Forces ruling), controlling the kinetic energy of air, reach for instant use

Optional : "Perfect Recall" instant casting and if necessary advanced duration

3 – Essentially a mix of "Influence/Control Heat" to keep cold at bay and the same for kinetic energy to get air to stay near the mage, helping with thinning air concentration higher up in the atmosphere. Reach for advanced duration

Optional: A mind perfecting spell enabling the caster to understand any language. Reach for advanced duration. If your ST rules that such a spell should only enable a mage to understand Potency languages make it a reach for instant casting instead.

4 – Levitation, Advanced duration

Optional: A Mind pattering spell that adds Potency (Mind dots) automatic successes to social rolls, reach for instant casting. Spells that add automatic successes cost a point of Mana to use.

5 – Adverse Weather. The effect to create Air from nothing cannot be replicated under RAW as that would be a Matter effect. Personally I felt for the pinacle of a legacy it would be okay to twist the rules there a bit, but under RAW this attainment should only be capable of creating extreme weather tilts. Reach for instant casting.

Optional: "Read the Depths", instant casting, reach to mess with memories, advanced duration

**Flinty** · 09-23-2017, 06:57 AM

And another homebrew legacy I wrote up. Did you ever want all the benefits of vampirism, but didn't like the sound of these downsides? Don't worry, the Blooddrinkers got you covered, no way this can go wrong... right?

I wrote them up as a morally (potentially) grey legacy, with some possibilities for peacful interactions with the Pentacle and especially the Mysterium. However they can be played as straightforward antagonists with varying degrees of mustache twirling if that fits a stories needs pretty easily.

Blooddrinkers

Mages have allways investigated mysteries to the fullest extend they could muster. The Blooddrinkers to some few are exemplars of the ideal of understanding and living the mysteries. To others, they're a cautionary tale about those who go to far in the pursuit of knowledge and power. Most just see them as Liches, though less reprehensible than the Tremere. An old legacy, the Deathwalkers (as they prefer to call themselves) originated in antiquity. Some place their first origins in the wake of the conquests of Alexander, as violent conquest flooded Eurasia with blood and some mages, warring alongside their people, were looking for quick routes to power. Others place the first Blooddrinkers among the people of the Andes and their bloody sacrifices. More stories abound, Isis, a senior Blooddrinker and historian active in northern Africa posits that similar legacies originated in different parts of the world and slowly mixed, producing the legacy as it is known today. As evidence she points to two other members of the legacy she met in the 18^th century that exhibited slightly different attainments than the legacy does today.

The Blooddrinkers are aptly named, for their practices revolve around the consumption of the vital fluid. Their original motivation is, as their origin, shrouded in mystery, but official doctrine holds that the proto Deathwalkers were attempting to do just that, walking on the line between life and death. The border between those two states fascinates many mages, especially on the Moros and Thyrsus paths. Seeking to emulate that state, those ancient mages went on to study a species native to it: the vampire. Careful study revealed that those animate corpses, while closer to death than to life, could share a fraction of their powers with so called Ghouls, mortals that had imbibed the vampiric Vitae, their own magically charged form of blood. These Ghouls then were through this act pulled closer to death, though they remined closer to life. Extrapolating from these principles the Deathwalkers presumed that with the help of magic and vampiric Vitae, they could become closer to walking the border of death and life than any vampire or ghoul. Of course vampires are paranoid and selfish creatures, jealous of their blood and demanding high prices for it. From their observations the early Deathwalkers also knew of the metaphysical binding the Vitae placed on those who drank it. But those were but paltry obstacles to a willworker. Working upon their own souls, they immunized themselves to the subversive influence of Vitae and took to acquiring the blood they needed through favours or force as it suited them. Over time the Blooddrinker practices evolved, their attainments flowered from simple a simple protection against the mindbending powers of vampiric blood into emulating their ability to draw nurishment from the blood and evolving their bodies to suit the pursuit of the easy source of power. The Blooddrinkers went from scholars to predators themselves, though many still adhere to their roots as the leading experts on the conditions of life and death itself, others are merely selfish mages looking for personal power and pleasure. There is no lack of strife within the legacy itself between those who wish to keep their ties to the Pentacle (even though the bias against Liches makes this a hard proposition by itself) and those who would "give the legacy a bad name with their hedonistic and violent practices".

Where they went wrong

Wether a mage joins the legacy out of a desire to understand the differences between death and life, to gain relativly stable form of eternal life without devouring souls or similar wicked practices, to gain access to a widely available fuel source or simply because living as a leech is undeniably pleasurable, they all repeat the mistake the first Deathwalkers did. The Blooddinker legacy gives mages the powers of vampires without any of the drawbacks. Or so they think. Yes Blooddrinkers are no more averse to sunlight or fire than any other human. They're still alive and thus can enjoy food, drink and sex, even reproduce. Sounds pretty sweet, right? But vampirism is not just a curious state of animated death, it's a curse and an insidious one to boot. What no mage joinging the legacy has considered is the Beast. Ghouls don't suffer from a best driving them to frenzy afterall, right? Yes and no. The beast to the blooddrinkers is not a palpable entity in the back of the head (though there were some noteable catastrophic magical accidents that caused the creation of such an entity in a Blooddrinker... or his enemies), but that doesn't mean it holds no influence over the mind. Blooddrinkers do not frenzy, but they hunger. Not as extremly as a vampire, of course, but even though they can sustain themselves with normal food, many Blooddrinkers choose to regularily sustain themselves with blood, treating the consumption of normal food more like a hobby one does for the experience. They justify it to themselves with the pleasure the consumption of food gives them. Why eat something else, when blood is simply the best? The beast is a constant subconcious influence on the mind of a Deathwalker. While it has no mechanical effect, they often begin thinking like a predator and begin seeing humanity as prey. This is a subtle process, just by joining the legacy a mages personality doesn't change instantly. But Blooddrinkers live long lifes and it takes a certain kind of person to willingly join a legacy that is based on the consumption of human blood.

Origins

Parentage: Thyrsus, Moros or Mysterium

Nickname: Deathwalkers, Leeches, Lifestealers, Liminals

Background: The Blooddrinkers are a big and varied legacy. Those still adhering to their scholarly roots often recruit mages with a background in academia or science or those who have had a strong interest or contact with death in their lifes. Others are powerful independents that initiate other mages as their apprentices to expand upon their powerbase and lastly there are the hedonists who will induct anyone they feel should be inducted.

Appearances: As their background, the appearance of Deathwalkers is varied. Those who study the nature of life and death usually surround themselves with symbolic representations of both, leading to a rather eclectic mix where you can find a skull surrounded by phallic objects on a desk in their sanctum. Many Deathwalkers develop either a pale of a very lush skin color over the years.

Among the Pentacle: The Deathwalkers are Liches or at least have the potential to be Liches. Some few dedicated Deathwalkers have chosen not to use their attainments to prolong their lives, but even those are usually treated with bias. In the end it depends heavily on the local Consilium. In some Consilia they were branded lefthanded, due to their practices. However there was so far never enough support for the motion in a convocation to declare them lefthanded. Others don't accept them into their fold, but treat with them (sometimes secretly, sometimes rather openly). A few Consilia accept them fully, but force them to withdraw once their natural lifespans have passed.

In the Orders: The Deathwalkers hold great appeal to the Mysterium, given as they not only hoard much knowledge about life and death, but also experience a mystery as closely as is possible. Furthermore the loss of knowledge upon the death of a mage is regretable and many older Deathwalkers can help the order restore knowledge that was thought lost. Consilia wherein the Myserium holds sway are often Consilia accepting of the Deathwalkers and their practices.
The Silver Ladder has a love/hate relationship with the Blooddrinkers. On one side they rely on the tainted power of the terrata on the other side power is power. And the Blooddrinkers are certainly powerful, their attainment giving them easy access to mana and willpower and among the elders of this legacy some truly powerful mages remain. Still Lichdom ostrazises a mage and that is not acceptable to a thearch. Outside of Consilia where the Deathwalkers are official accepted thearchs only rarely join the legacy.
The Adamantine Arrow can definitly see the tactical benefits a Lifestealer enjoys, able as he is to heal and replenish himself with ease. They also see the challenge in hunting down vampires for their blood, a dangerous prey that keeps a mage sharp.
The Free Council often is appalled by the callous treatment of humans espoused by the legacy. Even if Life magic can heal the damage done to a mortal and replace lost blood, leaving the victim with only a very pleasurable high, humans should never be treated as prey in the eyes of some of these forward thinking mages. Of course the Free Council is very varied and there are allways those tempted by the power of the Deathwalkers.
The Guardians of the Veil lastly usually see the Deathwalkers as a threat. Their attainments don't seem particularily wise and legacies have been declared left handed for less. Furthermore they're Liches, their prolonged life giving them ample opportunity to develop both great power and become detached from humanity. Even if a Deathwalker seems restrained now, what if he decides two centuries down the line that human life holds no worth at all to him? If it weren't for the influence of the Mysterium, the Blooddrinkers would have been declared lefthanded a long time ago and to the Guardians they're not much better than the Tremere.
The Seers of the Throne have their own branches of Blooddrinkers, reveling in the raw power the legacy can give them and the control its apex allows them to hold over others.

Among the Paths: The Thyrsus and Moros paths resonate strongly with the legacy. The Mastigoi can often see good use for the advantages the legacy can bestow upon them. Acanthi, guided by Fate, often feel that they maybe should choose a different legacy, dodging the curse that the legacy suffers due to their practices. Those Acanthi that join the legacy tend to be people that allready had a strong predatory streak. Obrimoi lastly have no specific interest in Death, seeing as it is their paths inferior arcanum. This and the practices of the Blooddrinkers often cause them to shun the legacy.

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Life 2, Occult 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Athletics, Brawl, Stealth, Streetwise, Subterfuge

Initiation: Initiationrituals among the Blooddrinkers can vary heavily depending on the background, but allway involve the consumption of both vampiric Vitae and human blood. Common is the initate submerging himself in a mixture of both fluids, his body slowly over the course of hours magically absorbing the fluids as he sustains himself with magic.

Organization: The more scholarly inclined branch of the legacy organizes itself in lodges, usually lead by one or more powerful elders and dedicated to the research of a specific subject (such as a specific clan of vampires, the effects of vitae on humans of varying age, etc). Access to a lodge is either gained via the introduction by the initiates mentor or more rarely by petitioning one of the senior members directly. The lodges are usually in contact with each other, as the legacy is beset by mages who hunt them for their practices from the outside, internal conflict is stymied. However the lodges are old and so are the mages in charge. Among the Blooddrinker, grudges last for a long time. The lodges also have contacts among other mages across the globe, especially in the Mysterium. Independent Blooddrinkers often congregate in packs or semi lodges. Packs are just a group of mages belonging to the legacy acting in concert for mutual protection. Semi lodges are usually cults of personality formed around one powerful Blooddrinker and his apprentices. Often the leader of such a semi lodge holds other, non blooddrinker mages under him in thrall through the use of the final attainment of the legacy.

Theory: Death is process of transformation turning life into... well whatever comes after life. Most phenomena that are under the auspices of Death such as Ghosts are not the intended outcome of Death but more of a stutter, a failure wrought upon supernal Death by the fallen state of the world. Deathwalkers strive to understand what Death really is by understanding the transformation death brings by putting their bodies into a state between death and life. To do this they use and emulate properties of vampirism, a state of suspended death.

Practice: Outside their ruling Arcana, Deathwalkers often pick up Prime to be able to catch the supernal hidden within the fallen process of death. Studious purposes aside Prime allows them to better defend themselves from rival mages, who present a substantial risk to them. Representations of both life and death are used in a Deathwalkers magic. Key among them is of course blood, representing both raw life aswell as the possiblity of loosing it. Oftentimes a practioner of this legacy will try to combine strong symbolism for both life and death in ritual magic. This can lead to rites that range from weird but harmless(A ritual which involves a woman giving birth on a graveyard) to monstrous (Sexual intercourse over the course of which one participant, possibly without his knowlede, bleeds to death).

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Life

Yantras: Symbols of death (funery shrouds, human skulls, bones, etc. +1), symbols of life (phallic symbols, venus statues, a placenta, etc. +1), A symbol vibrant with both life and death (+2), freshly spilled blood (+2, +3 in the case of Vitae), having consumed the blood of a subject (+2 if within the day, +1 if within the month).

Oblations: Meditating within a grave, bathing in blood, slowly bleeding yourself, studying the vampiric condition, engaging in group rites or discussion with other Blooddrinkers.

Rote Skill: Occult

Attainments

1 – Bloodhound
Prerquisites: Initiation

The Lifestealers crave the blood and its power. A Deathwalker with this attainment becomes attuned to the smell of blood. Add his Life dots to all rolls to smell blood. The Lifestealers are so attuned to blood that they can smell the difference between animal or human blood and vampiric Vitae.

Optional: Death 1

As the Deathwalkers derive much of their power from Vitae, they are allways in need of fresh sources. With this attainment the mage recognizes Vampires and Ghouls on sight.

2 – A Taste of Blood
Prerequisites: Life 2, Occult 3

Power flows through the blood and the Lifestealers can control their own bloodflow and that of others they touch. This way they can cause shallow cuts to bleed terribly or grivious to stop leaking vital fluid (causing or ending the Bleeding tilt). This effect can also be used to accelerate or slow down the effects of various poisons or cause various conditions within a subject.

Optional: Death 2

A Leech wants to partake of the Strength of a vampire, but cares little for the consequences. Adapting their bodies to the Vitae, the mage becomes immune to the effects of the blood bond.

3 – The Transformation
Prerequisite: Life 3, the Lifestealer must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 3, or must attain two dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements.

Finally the Lifestealer undergoes a gruesome chrysalis. His body adapts to enable the consumption of blood. His canines become extendable fangs, laced with a powerful tranquilizer that disables prey. The pleasure centres of the Lifestealer reconfigure themselves, turning the act of drinking blood from a living vessel into a highly ecstatic experience. Finally the Leech becomes able to live on a diet of blood, drawing nourishment directly from it in lieu (but not exclusive to) normal food.

Optional: Death 3

The Lifestealer drinks deeply of his victims power, for each level of lethal damage he deals to a victim by consuming its blood, he may either restore a point of Mana, Willpower or heal a level of bashing or lethal damage.

4 – Necrosynthesis
Prerequisite: Life 4, Occult 4

The body of the Deathwalker becomes an unholy amalgation of Life and Death. He remains a living being, however when wounded his flesh is as uncaring as that of a corpse. The Deathwalker treats suffered damage as a Vampire would (however: Fire deals lethal damage and Sunlight has no more effect on a Deathwalker than it has on any other human).

Optional: Death 4

Caught in the stasis of death, the Lifestealers do not age if they do not wish to. While the Deathwalkers embrace stasis in this way they do however suffer from a drawback: They must at least consume a number of blood points (levels of lethal damage suffered by a target) equal to their Gnosis or a single dose of Vitae each day to sustain their immortality. If they fail to do so they start aging normally again, the time spent in temporal statis does not catch up to them at a quickened pace.

5 – Imbue the Blood
Prerequisite: Life 5, the Lifestealer must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 4, or must attain three dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements, or two dots in a third Skill from the list.

The blood of a Lifestealer turns into a powerful drug. Anyone who consumes it becomes increasingly addicted, soon drinking the blood becomes the only desire of the addict. At the same time the blood binds the thrall to his master, reduce the Doors in social maneuvering of the thrall against the Lifestealer by his Life dots. Their mind is so addled, they will not even stop from breaking points to fulfill the will of their master, as long as they can get more of the blood. Other Blooddrinkers who have mastered the optional effect of the second attainment are immune to this effect.

Optional: Death 5

The paltry powers of vampires pale before the might of awakened magic... but sometimes a Discipline can make up for a lacking Arcanum and they do not suffer the scourge of paradox. As long as the Lifestealer has the Vitae of a vampire who posessed the discipline in his system, he can call upon the power of this blood to give himself as many dots in the discipline as the Vampire did (up to a maximum of his dots in the Death Arcanum, should it matter) for the rest of the scene. Treat the vampire like a ghoul for the purpose of using the discipline, with the following exceptions: He can spend two points of mana instead of a bloodpoint to fuel a Discipline, clashes of wills using the Discipline score automatic successes equal to his Death dots instead of a roll and he can use Discipline that require the shedding of blood by spilling his own blood. Using this attainment consumes all Vitae in the Lifestealers system, requiring him to drink of a vampire before using this attainment again.

RAWification:

1 – "Enhanced Senses", specific for blood. Instant activation (duration secondary factor) or advanced duration if duration primary (potency secondary factor)
Optional: Unveiling spell detecting vampires and related phenomena, advanced duration

2 – Life ruling "Control Bleeding" spell, instant activation
Optional: Death Shielding "Protect from Bloodbond", advanced duration and usually renewed before it runs out of duration

3 – "Transform Life" with reach for advanced duration. I strongly recommend leaving this as a permanent change to the Blooddrinkers body.
Optional: "Devour the Slain" targetting something whom the blooddrinker is currently drinking from. RAW this cannot restore health.

4 – A sort of permanent Death Armor like effect, this could be moddled by a pattering spell (or weaving, though I would put it under pattering) that transforms the body in a way that makes it less susceptible to damage having the same effect, reach for advanced duration
Optional: Hard call wether to allow immortality like this without serious drawbacks as a Spell under raw. I'd leave it as it is, an optional additional drawback if you feel its "too lenient" would be to say that while the attainment is active food, drink, sex, sleep etc refuse to have meaning for the mage. Another optional drawback would be making it impossible to turn off and dealing resistant damage when the blood need isn't satisfied.

5 – A weaving spell that turns your blood into a powerful drug, Instant activation, advanced duration and enabling the opening of potency doors against the subject in social maneuvering, see "Addictive Fluids" beneath. Duration is primary factor, potency secondary
Optional: Not really something that can be simulated by a spell as of raw. Either leave it as it is or make up a new optional effect. A possible effect could be a version of "Shadow Flesh" as the mage changes himself with his attunement to death. Reach for instant activation and advanced duration.

Ploothooks

Now you need me: The Consilium has allways considered the Blooddrinkers lefthanded and acted accordingly. Only last year a cabal of mixed Arrow and Guardian membership has brought down one of the liches. However now a curious plague is spreading throughout the Consilium, not only animating corpses all around, but also turning them into vampires. The Mysterium coucilor says that a similar occurence was reported in a far away Consilium two hundred years ago. The Athenaeum there burned down in a Banisher attack three decades ago however, the only thing still known is that the Consilium was saved in an coordinated effort with a cabal of Blooddrinkers. How will the Consilium find a Leech willing to help them? And what will they ask in return for that help?

A taste of power: You see a local mage at the club. Not that special, but through some coincidence you see more than that. You see him feed. And he sees you. Wether you know about the Blooddrinkers or not, the mage promises to get a steady supply of Mana going your way as long as you keep your mouth shut.

You only live once: True ressurection is hard to come by. Some spirits can do it, but that allways brings problems with it. Masters of Death can do it, but one dispellation and it all goes down the drain. But a desperate mage searching for ressurection might hear another rumor. They say a Blooddrinker, studying the process by which the vampiric curse animates dead bodies has found a complicated rite to ressurect the dead, no strings attached. Is this too good to be true? And even if it's legit, how do you find this esoteric master and convince him to work his miracle for you?

It's such a nice town: On a roadtrip you encounter atlantean runes denominating territory in a small town. You decide to follow the trail and find a mage living here. More than that, this small place is home to a whole Consilium. It's a small one, barely in the double digits and you've never heard of them before. Many of the members have a pale complexion and all of it's members seem oddly reverent about the local Hierach. They invite you to dinner in order to commenorate your arrival here, after all they only seldom greet outsiders.

Magic

Addictive Fluids (Life •••)
Practice: Weaving
Primary Factor: Duration
Suggested Rote Skills: Medicine, Survival, Persuasion
Withstand: Stamina
The mage turns a bodily fluid (for example saliva, blood or urin) into an extremly addictive substance. When another subject consumes the substance they risk getting addicted to it. Only bodily fluids enchanted with this spell will quell the subjects needs.
+1 Reach: In Social Maneuvering the source of the enchanted fluid will automatically remove Potency doors against someone addicted to her .

Wake the Beast (Mind •••••)
Practice: Making
Primary Factor: Duration
Suggested Rote Skills: Medicine, Survival, Persuasion
Withstand: Resolve
The mage levys a powerful curse upon an enemy, creating a "Beast" in the back of his mind, similar to that of a vampire. As the mage is creating the beast for the character he can endow it with a number of Frenzy triggers equal to the potency of the spell, defining the response of the beast (fight or flight) to the trigger aswell. A mage frenzying does not gain any bonusses a vampire would.
+1 Reach: If the subject successfully resists frenzy, he gains the "Tempted" condition as a vampire would
+1 Reach: The Frenzy becomes cathartic to the subject, causing it to regain a point of Willpower after a Frenzy ends.

Sun's Wrath (Forces ••••)
Practice: Pattering
Primary Factor: Potency
Suggested Rote Skills: Occult, Science, Athletics
Levying the power of the very sun against an opponent. This spell changes how a subject interacts with sunlight, every turn he stays within sunlight he takes a level of lethal damage or two levels if he is standing in direct sunlight. The amount of damage received due to this spell is limited by its potency.
+1 Reach: For one mana the damage caused by this spell becomes aggravated.
+1 Reach: As long as the subject remains under the wrathful eyes of the sun it suffers the blinded tilt.

New Merits:

These merits are the fruits of the Deathwalkers unrelenting work to familiarize themselves with death and specifically the vampiric condition. If the storyteller deems it appropriate some of them (Such as Ghoul) may be attainable for other mages aswell.

Ghoul (•••)
Prerequisites: Blooddrinker
The mage has attuned himself to vampiric Vitae to such a degree that he can become a Ghoul by imbibing Vitae despite his awakened state.

Bane (••)
Prerequisites: Blooddrinker
Instead of inuring a specific spell to prevent wisdomloss, the mage instead develops a bane, simliar to a vampire trying to stave off the loss of humanity. This renders a specific act (planned murder, binding a being against its will, etc.) that would normally constitute an Act of Hubris inert. This merit can be taken multiple times to affect multiple acts, but each act inured this way causes a new bane to develop.
Drawback: You suffer from a bane as described in Blood and Smoke. Use Wisdom to calculate the mechanics instead of Humanity, magic cannot be used to subvert the bane (if you're vulnerable to the sound of churchbells a Forces spell can't make you deaf to them for example). Additionally this can never be used to render an Act of Hubris of Falling Wisdom inert and each instant of this merit decreases a mages maximum wisdom by one.

Mending Tongue (•)
Prerequisites: Blooddrinker, having achieved the thrid attainment
The wounds caused by a Blooddrinkers bite do not heal like those of a vampire when licked. Givent that every mage who has mastered the necessary attainment is at least a Disciple of Life, this is normally not a problem. Still some mages learn how to push their attainmens a little further, enabling them to lick closed wounds caused by their fangs like a vampire.

**Flinty** · 09-25-2017, 11:58 AM

Another legacy conversion I made for an NPC in my game. The most special thing about the Ascended Adepts is probably that they use a merit instead of a secondary arcanum for their optional effects, though it mostly leads to them having mind(esque) attainments in both their primary and optional effects. Given their focus this seems appropriate. More about them can be found in the 1e book "Tome of Watchtowers"

Ascended Adepts

Origins

Parentage: Obrimos

Nickname: Gnostics, Ascetics

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Mind 2, Dream 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Academics, Investigation, Occult, Politics, Expression

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Mind

Yantras: Concentration (+3 instead of +2), disregarding physical Yantras entirely (+1), Meditation (+2), using astral versions of path or order tools (in the astral, +2)

Oblations: Lengthy meditation (including focusing on two or more different things at once), study and reading, prayer and chanting, mental exercises intended to sharpen perception and memory,
forsaking physical needs (such as eating or sleeping) to demonstrate mastery over the body

Rote Skill: Investigation

Attainments

1 – Disciplined Mind
Prerquisites: Initiation
To nuture the mind, it has to be challenged. The first lesson an Ascended Adept learns is to split his
focus and engage in more than one track of thought. The Adept prepares himself for the task by ordering his thoughts through meditation. This permanently reproduces the effect of the spell "One Mind, Two Thoughts".

Optional: Dream 1
The mage also learns to know the Dreams of others as he learns to control his own, with a gentle touch he can perceive the Dreams of a sleeping person.

2 – Inner Temple
Prerequisites: Mind 2, Willpower 5
"Each individual is the master of his or her mind, and therefore own destiny." The mind of the Gnostic is a temple. While the body may be ravaged, the mind is sacred and must therefore stay involate. The Ascended Adept learns to shield his mind in a shell of pure refined will, turning aside attempts to influence him. This attainment creates a permanent Mind Shield.

Optional: Dream 2
Projecting his will into the dreams of another sleeping person, the Gnostic learns to project his voice into the dreams into another, leaving messages that for them appear to be part of the dream.

3 – Palace of Memory
Prerequisite: Mind 3, the Gnostic must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 3, or must attain two dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements.

The mage refines and frees his mind from mundane limits. He gains the advanced version of the
Eidetic Memory Merit (see Beast: The Primordial).

Optional: Dream 3
Perfecting his mastery over the cerebral Arts, the Gnostic learn to project himself into the inner worlds freely and without limit. The mage gains the Astral Adept merit.

4 – Clarity of Thought
Prerequisite: Mind 4, Willpower 7
Near the pinnacle of mental discipline the Gnostics thoughts are as clear as the platonic ideal of
crystal. With a simple effort they can shrug off unwanted emotions and errant thoughts. This spell
recreates the effect of the spell "Clear Thoughts", removing a number of unwanted mental conditions or tilts equal to her mind dots. This effect is lasting.

Optional: Dream 4
Furthermore the Gnostic can restore her own will by meditation. Each hour spent in deep meditation restores one point of Willpower.

5 – Transcendent Form
Prerequisite: Mind 5, the Gnostic must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 4, or must attain three dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements, or two dots in a third Skill from the list.

Transcending the merely physical, the Ascended Adept can now expand his consciouness beyond the borders of his body. He mind roams twilight as per the spell "Psychic Projection". Compare the Gnostics Mind dots to the advanced duration chart to determine how long he can maintain this state.

Optional: Dream 5
Dissociating himself from his corporeal form the Gnostic can directly enter the Oneiroi of sleeping people.

RAWification:

The Ascended Adepts optional attainments are mostly just more mind effects. Personally I'd keep it that way, but otherwise a whole new Arcanum with completly different attainments would be necessary. Given the path of origin and the legacies philosophy, I'd suggest prime.

1 – "One Mind, Two Thoughts" advanced duration
Optional: Mind Unveiling "See Dreams", instant activation

2 – "Mind Shield", advanced duration
Optional: "Dream Reaching" instant activation, only allows to speak into the dream

3 – "Perfect Recall, instant activation, advanced duration and a custom reach to simulate the effects of the advanced version of the Eidetic Memory merit.
Optional: Mind perfecting spell strengthening the connection between your consciouness and the inner worlds thus granting the above mentioned merit, with reach for advanced duration

4 – "Clear Thoughts" with reach for instant activation and advanced duration (or alternativly two reaches for lasting duration)
Optional: Clear thoughts, instant activation and reach to regain wp, castable after one hour of meditation

5 – "Psychic Projection" with reaches for instant activation and advanced duration
Optional: Would personally keep it as it is, but otherwise it could be a Mind weaving spell, forcing both subjects to focus onto a compatible train of thought and thus building a bridge between their oneiroi.

**Flinty** · 10-07-2017, 11:14 AM

Another Legacy conversion, this time one of the twisted practices of soulforging employed by the Seers of the Throne (originally printed in the book of the same name).

Chrysalides

Origins

Parentage: Thyrsus, Seers of the Throne

Nickname: Swans, Mirror-Gazers (Dergogatory)

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Life 2, Socialize 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Medicine, Atheltics, Expression, Persuasion, Subterfuge

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Life

Yantras: Make up (+1), performance enhancing drugs (+1 or +2 if the use imposes a negative condition), Sacraments that belonged to the Husk (one level higher than normal), in the presence of people idolizing the Ideal (+2), succeeding on a social roll targeting the subject of the spell (+2)

Oblations: Sacrifiing something dear to the Husk, maintaining a false identity beyond that of the Ideal, basking in the adoration of others, demonstrating the superiority of the Ideal over others.

Rote Skill: Socialize

Attainments

Each Chrysalide designs his Ideal upon entering the legacy, the image of perfection he allways wanted to be. The Ideal can be of any appearance, gender or ethnicity. Once set however it's appearance cannot be changed (except for the use of magic that would change the mages appearance). Every advancment the Ideal makes through the use of attainments is inverted for the Husk. As the Ideal grows stronger, the Husk withers. While embodied the Ideal counts as the Chrysalide for all purposes. However there is a gap in the selfimages of the Ideal and the Husk. They track sympathetic links seperatly and using sympathy of the Husk to affect the Ideal (and vice versa) is impossible. Similarily most traits of the Ideal are based on those of the Husk (before modification through attainments), however as it is a different person the Husk aspires to be the Ideal posesses its own separate Virtue and Vice. The Ideal also posesses the same total of Attribute dots, however those may be distributed differently than they are for the Husk. To assume the Ideal, the Husk spends one point of Willpower. The Ideal does not regain Willpower from rest, but other ways of regenerating Willpower are permissable. If the Ideal runs out of Willpower, the Chrysalide is automatically transformed into the Husk. To transform from the Ideal into the Husk does not cost a point of Willpower.

1 – Donning the Feathers
Prerquisites: Initiation

The Chrysalide gains the ability to change between Ideal and Husk as described above. At this point the changes made are purely superficial, though it generally feels good to inhabit the ideal and uncomfortable to be confined to the husk. This boosts the confidence of the Swarm, his Composure increases by one as long as he is embodying his Ideal.

Optional: Mind 1

Shunting away their own insecurities behind a facade of perfection the Swan becomes aware of the weaknesses of others surrounding him. Taking a closer look at another person, the Chrysalide knows the greatest sources of insecurity for the subject, up to a number equal to his Mind dots.

2 - Spreading the Wings
Prerequisites: Life 2, Socialize 3

The Ideal becomes the pinnacle of physical beauty. He gains a modified version of the "Striking Looks" merit, receiving a dice bonus equal to his Life dots on all applicable rolls.

Optional: Mind 2

The Swan has pushed his own insecurities aside, but can use them as a weapon against others. Once per scene he can lash out, pushing his own festering doubt onto others. In a resisted social roll this imposes a dicepenalty equal to the Swans' Mind dots to the opponents roll, when used in conjunction with social Maneuvering it can instead open a number of doors equal to the Swans' Mind dots, withstood by the targets Composure.

3 – Perfection of Form
Prerequisite: Life 3, the Swan must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 3, or must attain two dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements.

The Ideal grows strong, as the Husk shrivels. The Chrysalide may shift a number of Attribute dots equal to his Life dots from the Husk to the Ideal. No Attribute of the Husk may be decreased to 0 due to this process. The Ideal can grow to supernatural prowess through this, its trait maximum for Attributes is increased by one.

Optional: Mind 3

The ideal is able, while the Husk is incapable. The Chrysalide may shift a number of Ability dots equal to his Mind dots from the Husk to the Ideal. The Idea can break all human limits, its trait maximum for Abilities is increased by one.

4 – Somebody Else's Consequence
Prerequisite: Life 4, Socialize 4

To sustain his own Perfection, the Swan looks down upon others. The Chrysalide degrades another person in his presence, wether he does so physically, socially or otherwise. The subject gains the "Degraded" condition and the Chrysalide regains a point of Willpower, postponing the return of the Husk by belitteling others.

New Condition: Degraded
The subject has been humiliated by a Chrysalide and its confidence in itself is shaken. The subject suffers a two dice penalty to all rolls pertaining to the subject of its humiliation. Furthermore the subject feels shame for its weakness and tries to prove his worth to the Chrysalide. Those of weak will often become scyophants of their own tormentors.

Resolution: Succeeding in a significant way in the area of your Humiliation; Suffering a Breakingpoint while trying to appeal to the Chrysalide.

Beat: Catering to the Chrysalides needs, degrading youself further to appeal to the Swan

Optional: Mind 4

Others adore the perfection of the Ideal, the herd follows the beautiful and strong. The Chrysalide compels an emotional response from those around him. The Ideal doesn't need further magic to impress others, but others will not abide anyone attacking this image of perfection. Bystanders whose Composure is smaller than the Chrysalides Mind dots will feel compelled to defend the Swan, wether verbally against detractors or physically against those attacking him. At the same time the Husk inspires abject loathing in those that behold it. For the purposes of Social Maneuvering the Husks First Impression starts at Hostile, unless personal history dictates otherwise.

5 – Pinnacle of Grace
Prerequisite: Life 5, the Swan must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 4, or must attain three dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements, or two dots in a third Skill from the list.

The Ideal is perfect in every aspect. While embodying the Ideal, the Chrysalides healing times are divided by his life dots, he gains one dot of general armor and the time he can sustain himself without breath or food is multiplied by his Life dots. Furthermore by spending a point of Willpower the Swan can imbue any mundane action with supernal grace, granting himself rote quality on the action. Conversly while confined to the Husk he needs to spend a point of Mana when rolling for a mundane action or else reroll any die that came up as a success once.

Optional: Mind 5

The Ideal if filled to the brim with inspiration. Once per scene he can increase his rating in an Ability by his Mind dots (capped by his trait maximum) for the rest of the Scene, this is even possible if the Ideal didn't posess the skill in question in the first place.

RAWification:

Switch Mind and Life, making Mind the ruling Arcanum so Thyrsi profit if possible. The attainments work better as Life primary however.

1 – Leave it as it is, take out the Composure bonus if it feels to powerful
Optional: A Mind knowing spell doing what it says in the attainment, reach for instant activation

2 – A Life ruling spell doing the described thing, primary factor duration, secondary factor potency, reach for advanced duration.
Optional: A mind ruling spell doing what the attainment describes, primary factor potency, reach for instant activation

3 – Leave it as it is, otherwise the legacy doesn't really work. Take out the increase of the trait maximum if it bothers you.
Optional: Same as for the main attainment

4 – A Life ruling spell, primary factor potency, secondary duration. Withstood by composure. Reach for instant activation, advanced duration and regaining willpower.
Optional: A mind ruling spell doing the described. Potency primary factor, secondary factor scale. Reach for Instant activation, advanced duration and advanced scale.

5 – A Life perfecting spell, granting rote quality OR an advanced version of body control
Optional: "Gain Skill", Reach for Instant Casting, Advanced Duration.

**Flinty** · 10-15-2017, 12:17 PM

Inspired by a recent thread about the topic, I decided to tackle alternate Attainments. They're not supposed to be a replacement for the existing Attainments, but rather an addon. Mechanically I'd give a player a lesser utility Attainment of his choosing upon reaching the second level in an Arcanum (same with greater utility Attainments and the fourth level). Additional Attainments can be bought at the cost of 1 xp per attainment (also payable in Arcane Experience). I'll do some tweaks to mage armor (especially Spirit and Death, which may explain the Death Attainment I posted here) later and then move on to the greater utility Attainments. I'll post some comments with my thoughts preceeding the attainments themselves in this colour.

Lesser Utility Attainments

Downgrading damage sounds more like a form of Death Fraying spell to me and all things considered the Death Armor effect (just like Spirit) is just... weak. It also doesn't scale at all with Arcanum proficiency unlike all other Armors which I find irksome, so I decided to rework Death Mage Armor. This Attainment however is here to replicate some key parts of being a badass Death bruiser, which is still thematic.
Death: Deadened Nerves
The cold numbness of Stygia flows through a mage chanelling the Death Arcanum, taking away the pain of the living world.
System: By spending one point of mana, the mage becomes immune to wound penalties for the rest of the scene and does not have to roll to stay concious when his Healthtrack is filled with
bashing damage. Any rolls relying on tactile sense however suffer a penalty between one and three dice.

This Fate Attainment could easily replicated with Exceptional Luck, but its reflexive which can make alot of difference and many people probably want to use their Exceptional Luck for dice boni anyway. It's just a small thing, but useful and fitting for those blessed by Arcadia.
Fate: Luck Be a Lady Tonight
Bound to the whimsical forces of Arcadia as students of the Fate Arcanum are, they can call upon that connection to increase their chances just a little.
System: The mage can reflexivly spend a point of Mana when undertaking any mundane action to get 9-again quality on the action. If he takes an instant action incorporating some sort of lucky charm first he gains 8-again instead.

Do you miss the good old days when you could certainly say that Forces was the Arcanum/Sphere to go to when you wanted to absolutly demolish something? Well wait no longer.
Forces: Power Surge
The mage calls upon the overflowing energy of the Aether, charging his spell with supernal might. This power comes at a price, the dynamic forces the mage called down cannot be maintained for long.
System: When casting a spell of the Forces Arcanum the mage may spend one point of mana and add two levels to the spells Potency factor. However to benefit from this attainment the spell cannot reach for advanced duration.

Unlike enhanced Pattern Restoration the effects of this Attainment aren't permanent, but can be activated without any hassle. So if you've just got hit by a poisoned blade and don't have time to spare in order to cast a Life spell to stop the poison from spreading throughout your body... well this attainment is your friend.
Life: Body Temple
To a student of the Life Arcanum the body is a temple, a holy object, defending its sanctity becomes second nature.
System: By spending one point of Mana the mage can reflexivly issue an order to his own body, which lasts for the rest of the scene. The mage could will himself to fall asleep, puke, order a wound to stop bleeding for the time being or stop his digestive tract in its tracks to prevent poison from being absorbed.

I'm personally not too hyped about this one... but it definitly seems thematic. Sure Matter mages can make themselves rich anyway by simply enhancing the value of objects with magic, but such things allways come with an expiration date... for a mage who wants to live in luxus (and who may not have to many scrouples about stealing) this could be quite worthwhile.
Matter: Treasure Hunter
Greed is human and nobody is more able to satisfy their own greed than a mage versed in the Matter Arcanum. Often developed by Seers of the Throne (who claim it to be a Gift of the Chancellor), this Attainment allows a mage to instantly appraise the value of any object he comes across and to hone in on hidden gems and precious metals like a bloodhound.
System: The mage can automatically and correctly guess the Value (in terms of Resources) of any object he studies for a turn. In many cases this may be obvious, but a mage with this Attainment will never be fooled by a forgerie and can find treasures at a yardsale noone else is aware of. By spending one point of Mana the mage can furthermore attune his senses to a certain material. Often gold, silver or gemstones are chosen, but this can detect tin aswell as specific complicated chemical compounds (such as drugs). For the duration of the Scene, the mage can automatically tell when he comes within a number of yards of the substance equal to the sum of his Gnosis and Matter dots.

For those who Lack Mind 3 to cast Clear Thoughts or don't want to risk the Paradox. Also a good defense against nonmage mental influence if you don't have a mental shield up for any reason. Also the friend of anyone who has regular contact with a Bearer of the Eternal Voice. All praise the Hypnotoad.
Mind: Mental Clarity
The mind of a student of the Mind Arcanum is difficult to cloud. Cleansing his spirit with the purity of mana, his will gains unusual resilience.
System: By spending a point of Mana a mage utilizing this attainment can add his Mind dots to a contested social roll or any form of mental influence. In the case of a resisted roll, substract his Mind dots from the attackers roll instead. This attainment does not influence withstands or clashes of wills. Additionally when the mage uses pattern restoration to remove mental conditions or tilts the cost to do so is reduced to one point of mana.

Pretty straightforward. RAW mages can pretty much get infinite willpower with little cost as soon as they hit Mind 3 though. Personally I houserule that wp regain to be limited to once a day, but if you don't this attainment may not be too tempting.
Mind: Supernal Will
A mage with this attainment can rejuvenate his will with Mana.
System: A new option is added to Pattern Restoration. By spending three points of mana, the Mage can regain one point of temporary willpower.

This one is a conversion from Tome of Mysteries. Back then it was a Prime 3 weaving spell. I wasn't quite sure wether it should be a lesser or greater utility attainment (same could be said for the one after this), but decided to ultimatly go with lesser.

Prime: Payment in Power
To release a spell safely requires a great deal of effort on behalf of the mages spirit. An apprentice of Prime can smooth this process over with mana and time, making the process less straining to the magicians psyche.
System: A mage with this attainment can utilize a different process to release a spell safely. Instead of paying a permanent dot of willpower on the spot, he can instead activate this attainment, triggering a slow process during which the spell is reinforced by mana and thus gradualy strengthened until it can persist without being anchored by an awakened will. For the period of one month the mage keeps the spell to be released within his spell control, paying one point of mana per day. At the end of the month the mage pays one point of temporary willpower to release the spell safely. If the mage for any reason cannot pay the mana cost required by the spell his pattern will automatically be scourged for one point of resistant lethal damage (this counts against the mages limit of daily scourging, but can exceed the limit if he allready scourged himself on purpose). Excess mana generated by the scourging is lost. The same applies should the mage not be able to pay the temporary willpower point at the end of the process. Once begun this process can only be cancelled by completing the process or relinquishing the spell unsafely, it cannot be cancelled normally anymore as it has allready been partially strengthened beyond the control of the mage.

This one is supposed to bring back runes as more than just a fairly limited yantra.
Prime: Runic Anchor
In order to grant permanency to his spells mages often bind them to physical representations of supernal truths. With this attainment a spell can be relinquished by binding it to runes of the High speech inscribed into a physical medium by an act of supreme will and supernal power.
System: A mage with this attainment can utilize a different process to release a spell safely. Instead of paying a permanent dot of willpower, he relinquishes the spell by paying an amount of temporary willpower equal to the Arcanum level of the highest practice used in the spell and by expending points of mana equal to the combined duration and potency factors of the spell. To use this attainment, the Runes Yantra has to be incorporated into the spell, with all of the usual advantages and disadvantages.

Example: To relinquish a weaving spell (Arcanum 3) with a duration of a year (5 levels of Duration) and a Potency of 3 a mage would have to pay 3 points of temporary willpower and 8 points of mana.

Not sure if this doesn't work better as a Merit requiring Silver Ladder status 2 and the High Speech merit, then using SL status instead of prime as the scaling element. We allready kind of have that in the form of Lex Magica though... and the whole Merit vs Attainment thing can be said about just anything. It definitly fits the theme of prime.
Prime: Vox Draconis
This attainment was developed by the Silver Ladder and is jealously guarded by the order. Primeis the language of the supernal. Letting mana flow into his voice, the mage strengthens the symbolism of the High Speech.
System: A By spending one point of mana when employing the High Speech Yantra the mage adds half his Prime rating (round down) in addition to the usual bonusses from employing High Speech to the spellcasting roll.

Either to get close to others faster or to get a sympathetic connection you need.
Space: Networker
Through the connection to the Space Arcanum it becomes easier to build ties with others. A mage with this attainment finds it easier to invest himself in relationships.
System: The mage can spend one mana after interacting with another person for a scene, leading to a weak sympathetic connection forming between him and the subject. This connection is lasting, eroding or growing as any connection of mundane origin over time. The flavour of the connection is determined by the interaction the mage had with the subject during the scene.

At first I wanted to do actual spirit pacts, but that should probably just stay a mechanic of its own.
Spirit: Spirit Pact
An ancient compact ties the Awakened and Sleepwalkers together, allowing the latter to ease the burden of willworkers close to them. Just so there are old pacts between the World of Spirit and the Wise and a mage with this attainment can call upon them.
System: Just as a Sleepwalker with a medium sympathetic connection to a mage can maintain control of a spell for him, so can a sufficiently powerful spirit.
A spirit can hold a total of (Rank – 2) spells for a mage, meaning that only Spirits of Rank 3 and higher can do so. The spirit has to understand what the mage wants it to do and cannot be supernaturally compelled to carry out this task (in other words: it follows the same guidelines as with Sleepwalkers).
A sympathetic conenction between the mage and the spirit makes this process easier, but is not required. Spirits with a medium connection can hold one additional spell for the mage, those with a strong connection can hold two additional spells. This can enable Spirits of a Rank below 3 to hold spells for the mage. Familiars cannot hold spells for a mage, as soul and spirit of the bondmates are allready interwoven and maintain the Familiar bond.
There are however additional consequences of employing spirits instead of sleepwalkers. Spirits don't have a soul to anchor spells, the fit is awkward and Essence has to grease the wheels. A spirit has to pay one point of Essence per day for each spell he is holding for the mage, resulting in common bargains wherein the mage pays the spirit with Essence of services for its troubles. Additionally the bond between mage and spirit ties them together. The mage gains the open condition in regard to the spirit for the duration of the pact and all rolls to resist its Manifestations or Numina are reduced by the Spirits Rank.
There are a Mind and Death version of this Attainment to represent dealings with Goetia and Ghosts respectivly.

aka "Oh god I may have made a huge mistake"
Spirit: Spirit Horse
The way of the Shaman sometimes demands to invite the Spirit into the world of Flesh. A shaman attuned to the Spirit Arcanum can tune his own resonance, making it easier for the Spirit of the otherworld to enact their will.
System: By spending a point of Mana, the mage can give himself the Open condition in regard to specific spirit for the duration of one scene. Any Manifestations used by that Spirit upon the Mage do not require the expenditure of Essence. Furthermore the Mage counts as a valid target for the Spirits Influences (whatever they normally may be) and all rolls to affect him with an Influence gain the 8-again quality.

Poor man's hung spell.
Time: Arcane Suspension
The power to hang spells is a profilic ability of the Time Arcanum. Sometimes a mage doesn't need to postpone the effects of a spell for long, merely a few moments would suffice so that multiple spells can take effect at once. This attainment helps facilitate this effect by suspending the effects of a spell for a few moments.
System: By spending a point of Mana as he casts a spell a mage with this Attainment can delay the spell from taking effect for a number of turns of his chosing, up to his rating in the Time Arcanum. The duration of the spell does begin to be counted as it actually comes into effect, the short time spent in limbo is not counted against the total duration.

**Satchel** · 10-15-2017, 08:02 PM

Originally posted by Flinty View Post

Matter: Treasure Hunter
Greed is human and nobody is more able to satisfy their own greed than a mage versed in the Matter Arcanum. Often developed by Seers of the Throne (who claim it to be a Gift of the Chancellor), this Attainment allows a mage to instantly appraise the value of any object he comes across and to hone in on hidden gems and precious metals like a bloodhound.
System: The mage can automatically and correctly guess the Value (in terms of Resources) of any object he studies for a turn.

This is already part and parcel of Matter Sight's ability to discern an item's Availability.

**Flinty** · 10-15-2017, 08:24 PM

Originally posted by Satchel View Post

This is already part and parcel of Matter Sight's ability to discern an item's Availability.

True, but with this attainment you don't have to have Matter sight active, which tends to be a drain on Willpower and potentially mana.

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