TempleBuilder's New Legacy Thread

[Cauthon]

So I've been playing around with the Gravity bender's attainments a bit, and I keep coming up with weird paths for them to go down. I was thinking of the first attainment being something like the Singers in Silence, being an always active awareness of spatial and gravitic distortions around them, at the cost of being overwhelmed when there is too much "noise" in the background. Conceptually, I'm basing the legacy off of gravity waves, which are caused by extreme changes in acceleration. Technically, everything that changes acceleration causes them, but most should be too small to register. However, I enjoy the idea of the Legacy growing uncomfortable with civilization, and its constant hustle and bustle providing background static to the cosmic melody, with Masters leaving earth to reside in Pocket Dimensions and deep space. Unfortunately, I wonder if the idea is too unwieldy in practice. What do y'all think?

So spell-wise, that would model as Outward and Inward Eye, but with Nightvision's "potentially overwhelmed senses" shtick? Or were your more thinking always-on Space Mage Sight?

[TempleBuilder]

So spell-wise, that would model as Outward and Inward Eye, but with Nightvision's "potentially overwhelmed senses" shtick? Or were your more thinking always-on Space Mage Sight?

Basically? This is where I am stuck. I guess I’m leaning towards always on a weird subsection of Space and Forces Mage Sight in terms of benefits. It would be a lot easier to model as OaIE though, but I just don’t think that’s accurate to what’s going on here.

[TempleBuilder]

I probably have too many seed ideas at this point, but I came up with more. I was thinking about ranger companions, and non ephemeral entities familiars, and was wondering if there was room for a legacy based around sympathetic bonds, and teamwork that could be called magical. Would be a Mastigos legacy focused on Life and Space. Has everyone from animal tamers to nobles and their servants to lovers, as all that matters is that both side share a mutually strong bond.

[Cauthon]

Basically? This is where I am stuck. I guess I’m leaning towards always on a weird subsection of Space and Forces Mage Sight in terms of benefits. It would be a lot easier to model as OaIE though, but I just don’t think that’s accurate to what’s going on here.

Hmm. I tend to cleave pretty close to published spells, so I have a reliable baseline so that's going to influence my suggestions -

Nightvision, modified to only allow you to "see" regardless of actual illumination as opposed to seeing in multiple spectra, would be fairly on-theme. The "overwhelming blinding" can then be altered to only kick in when exposed to crowds, or be noted as a sidebar to be an ongoing penalty that increases with every Attainment. That is, an Initiate experiences a -1 penalty to all actions when exposed to at least [Forces/Space steps on the Advanced Scale] separate individuals, while a Master would suffer a -5 penalty

Outward and Inward Eye is pretty simple in that you can handwave it as not providing you spectrum details (colors, heat patterns, etc), but does provide a granular sense of things within the area.

Similarly, you could model Web of Life to give you a sense of all objects within a [Scale] radius from you. It wouldn't be able to differentiate for you what is alive, dead, or an object, and you get no spectrum details, but it could tell you what's sedintry and what's moving, as well as a rough idea of their shape.

For the Mage Sight, having just the Arcana effects of Forces and Space be always on would be pretty reasonable, although it would be less of a "I sense the world around me" thing and more of "I can see how the forces are acting upon objects I observe.

[KaiserAfini]

I probably have too many seed ideas at this point, but I came up with more. I was thinking about ranger companions, and non ephemeral entities familiars, and was wondering if there was room for a legacy based around sympathetic bonds, and teamwork that could be called magical. Would be a Mastigos legacy focused on Life and Space. Has everyone from animal tamers to nobles and their servants to lovers, as all that matters is that both side share a mutually strong bond.

That sounds pretty interesting, a focus on manipulating the sympathetic links of Space, creating a web of influence for the mage. I could see the Reach version of Speak with Beasts being used as a low level one, since while most animals are not terribly intelligent, having all the birds or rats in an area working for you gives a method of information gathering that is not easily traceable (the Nimbus is only on the mage themselves).

Borrow Threads could be employed to usurp useful contacts and Uncanny Organizer could also be used to create a task force for whatever the mage is focusing on. Control Instincts could be a Life capstone, working at sympathetic range and long duration even on supernatural beings, allowing them to reinforce reactions that favor the mage. The optional capstones could create a plague that infects someone with a permanent sympathetic connection, making them a True Friend of the mage, allowing them to passively grow more influential. This would register as a very Seer-like approach to take, or at least close enough to make the Orders keep an eye on such a Legacy.

[TempleBuilder]

That sounds pretty interesting, a focus on manipulating the sympathetic links of Space, creating a web of influence for the mage. I could see the Reach version of Speak with Beasts being used as a low level one, since while most animals are not terribly intelligent, having all the birds or rats in an area working for you gives a method of information gathering that is not easily traceable (the Nimbus is only on the mage themselves).

That is definitely a good early attainment idea. I don’t know if it’s a good direction yet, but I was think of requiring a certain level of sympathetic connection being required before one could use an attainment. For this one, I would go with something like feeding the birds in park lets you talk to them, aka the formation of a weak sympathetic connection. I don’t know if that would work.

Borrow Threads could be employed to usurp useful contacts and Uncanny Organizer could also be used to create a task force for whatever the mage is focusing on. Control Instincts could be a Life capstone, working at sympathetic range and long duration even on supernatural beings, allowing them to reinforce reactions that favor the mage. The optional capstones could create a plague that infects someone with a permanent sympathetic connection, making them a True Friend of the mage, allowing them to passively grow more influential. This would register as a very Seer-like approach to take, or at least close enough to make the Orders keep an eye on such a Legacy.

Sounds like a left handed version of the legacy in my head, that unfortunately uses much the same principles. Uncanny Organizer is a gem though. The version of the legacy in my head prefers to let the sympathetic connections grow naturally, and then build off of them, but really, there is no reason why you couldn’t force and steal connections.

As a side note, I think this might be the first legacy I’ve thought of that I think resonates strongly with the Arrow.

[KaiserAfini]

I think the time needed to build the sympathetic connections might make the Attainments less practical to activate. But then again, the faster alternative is reliant on emotional manipulation, so its harder to put a positive spin on it.

Since you mentioned its an Arrow Legacy and the previous ideas would work well on a left handed version, then would it be correct to say that it focuses on the broader sense of companions rather than only ranger companions? I speculate their goal is to draw people and animals together into a motivated team, then empower them to greater heights. I think the Roses of Eden conversion does something similar with Life.

[TempleBuilder]

I think the time needed to build the sympathetic connections might make the Attainments less practical to activate. But then again, the faster alternative is reliant on emotional manipulation, so its harder to put a positive spin on it.

I mean this is for a horror game line, emotional manipulation to forge bonds is an aspect of the legacy, however maligned. The power of friendship angle is just how I conceive of it, since most pet owners I’ve met love their pets, perhaps more than other humans, and I find the concept both realistic and hilarious in something like Mage.

Since you mentioned its an Arrow Legacy and the previous ideas would work well on a left handed version, then would it be correct to say that it focuses on the broader sense of companions rather than only ranger companions? I speculate their goal is to draw people and animals together into a motivated team, then empower them to greater heights. I think the Roses of Eden conversion does something similar with Life.

Yes, I don’t think the legacy see much difference between animals and people, as long as the can form bonds. The inspiration for this legacy had four hamsters as his companions, but they were companions in the true sense of the word. I also kinda remember a anime with a person as a familiar, and the concepts kinda merged. I really only see a couple people at most as being viable for the enhanced teamwork and familiar benefits without severe magical and emotional manipulation. I’ll checkout the Roses of Eden, I remember them building communities as part of their thing, so that’s a good call.

[TempleBuilder]

So I’m currently working on Yantras for the gravity mages, which is kinda cool since I’m learning all sorts of weird connections between things, and I’m trying to tie in several concepts I’m not sure the proper way to phrase. For example, the historical stuff I’m pulling inspiration from includes geometry as a major area of focus, and I want to include a yantra that are an art style that uses geometric patterns describing and highlighting orbital patterns. The closest thing related concepts I’ve found is sacred geometry, which is kinda it’s own thing. I’m going to include some pictures as reference. If anyone knows the style's name, that would be a massive help.

Links to others

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/688698968035673979/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/967640669937985393/

[Nicolas Milioni]

So I’m currently working on Yantras for the gravity mages, which is kinda cool since I’m learning all sorts of weird connections between things, and I’m trying to tie in several concepts I’m not sure the proper way to phrase. For example, the historical stuff I’m pulling inspiration from includes geometry as a major area of focus, and I want to include a yantra that are an art style that uses geometric patterns describing and highlighting orbital patterns. The closest thing related concepts I’ve found is sacred geometry, which is kinda it’s own thing. I’m going to include some pictures as reference. If anyone know a name for the style, that would be a massive help.

maybe Planispherium?

[TempleBuilder]

maybe Planispherium?

Oh hey! That's on the right track. Thanks.

[Nicolas Milioni]

Oh hey! That's on the right track. Thanks.

happy to help

[KaiserAfini]

A black pearl could act as a yantra, symbolizing holding the power of a black hole in your hands, the strongest gravity well there is.

An obsidian mirror is another, reflect your target in the dark mirror to symbolize them inside the black hole.

Blue crystal for pulling something towards you (symbolizing the blue shift), a red one for moving things away (representing a red shift)

A weight disk for a portable symbol of increased gravity and a feather for decreased.

A magnet (like a fridge magnet) or suction cups to symbolize shifting gravity around and being able to walk on walls.

[TempleBuilder]

A black pearl could act as a yantra, symbolizing holding the power of a black hole in your hands, the strongest gravity well there is.

An obsidian mirror is another, reflect your target in the dark mirror to symbolize them inside the black hole.

Blue crystal for pulling something towards you (symbolizing the blue shift), a red one for moving things away (representing a red shift)

A weight disk for a portable symbol of increased gravity and a feather for decreased.

A magnet (like a fridge magnet) or suction cups to symbolize shifting gravity around and being able to walk on walls.

So, currently I’m basing the legacy on the Musica universalis, the Quadrivium, and gravity waves, because they all actually fit super well conceptually (somehow). Part of how I’m incorporating that is rather steep and specific stats and skill requirements, I thought it would be good to work it into the Yantras as well. Currently I’m debating the use musical instruments, since I believe the actual teaching wasn’t so much about actual musical practice but music theory, and I’m uncertain on how to translate that into a yantra. I imagine them more putting together a particular refrain from the universal melody to power something more than actually playing music. Would it be better to instead put in “symbols of gravity” as a yantra category? (That’s the best simple description that incorporates all of your examples, I think.)

My current WIP categories of yantras are, Geometry (Star Charts), music? (Somehow incorporating the music of the spheres?), and Math (Orbital Dynamics). I feel like I need a fourth, so I think this works. I don’t know, thoughts?

Secondly, if the legacy advertises itself as *the* high end prestigious legacy, with many well renowned Mages in the past, hypothetically meaning any recruit should earn a great deal of respect just by joining, would that be more leaning towards the Silver Ladder or the Mysterium? I’m think the legacy acted much like the high end collages do, living off of their reputation of having the best of the best as members.

Edit: if it’s not clear, I think those are quite lovely yantras.

[TempleBuilder]

So, currently I’m basing the legacy on the Musica universalis, the Quadrivium, and gravity waves, because they all actually fit super well conceptually (somehow). Part of how I’m incorporating that is rather steep and specific stats and skill requirements, I thought it would be good to work it into the Yantras as well. Currently I’m debating the use musical instruments, since I believe the actual teaching wasn’t so much about actual musical practice but music theory, and I’m uncertain on how to translate that into a yantra. I imagine them more putting together a particular refrain from the universal melody to power something more than actually playing music. Would it be better to instead put in “symbols of gravity” as a yantra category? (That’s the best simple description that incorporates all of your examples, I think.)

My current WIP categories of yantras are, Geometry (Star Charts), music? (Somehow incorporating the music of the spheres?), and Math (Orbital Dynamics). I feel like I need a fourth, so I think this works. I don’t know, thoughts?

Secondly, if the legacy advertises itself as *the* high end prestigious legacy, with many well renowned Mages in the past, hypothetically meaning any recruit should earn a great deal of respect just by joining, would that be more leaning towards the Silver Ladder or the Mysterium? I’m think the legacy acted much like the high end collages do, living off of their reputation of having the best of the best as members.

Edit: if it’s not clear, I think those are quite lovely yantras.

Since I suspended my post for too many edits (I feel like that’s very easy thing to trip), and this is my thread, I’m just going to quote myself to see if it works.

Sorry Ian, or other mods, for making you work so hard.