Apprentice Rotes (Sphere Level 1)

These Rotes are largely sensory in nature; they give you more information to
work with. If you wish to use one of these Rotes to find hidden information,
you should either find an ST, or you can ask another player who knows the
answer. (Such as if you’re analyzing an object they carry.) They’re an easy
way to learn more about an object or a person, but be wary, since every use
brings Paradox, and every point of Paradox is another chance at catastrophe.

Correspondence
Where Am I? – The mage will know her position relative another, known
place within parameter range (Like home or her starting point). When the
mage moves away from this place he will still know where it is, and feel
direction and distance to it.

Range Finder – The Mage instantly discerns the exact distance to an

object. In addition to being useful in golf, this gives him a bonus when trying
to do things like leap across a gap or roll with a fall.

Sense Connection – The Mage detects the presence of unusual

connections in a person or object – either from other Correspondence magic,
or from other sources. For example, this Rote could find which ring in a box
of rings had actually been worn as an engagement ring.

Stance of the Perfect Defender (Akashic) (Correspondence 1, Entropy

1, Mind 1) – This rote is very common among Akashic, who use it to
considerable effect when they are attacked by multiple opponents. By
keeping track of the location of all their assailants and maneuvering
accordingly, the Scale can prevent them from using their numerical
superiority to their advantage.

[Each success negates 1 pt of a multiple attacker bonus per success. While

this can only be employed when a single mage is being attacked by multiple
opponents, if the mage scores well enough, this rote can actual increase the
difficulty for multiple attackers, as they get in each other's way.]

Mapping the Track (Verbena) – (Correspondence 1 Prime 1) The Verbena

feel that Quintessence flows across the surface of the earth in streams that
are called Ley Lines, also known as the Old Straight Track. Ley Lines come
in Minor, Major, and Great versions, which fasciliatate the casting of
Correspondence, Prime, and Spirit magics. For this reason, many Verbena
holy sites are situated on them.

[Two successes will locate a Minor line, 4 successes a Major line, and six
successes a Great line. A Minor line reduces the difficulty of
Correspondence, Prime, and Spirit magics cast in its vacinity by 1, a Major
line by 2, and a Great line by 3.]
Entropy
Locate Bottleneck – After spending some time observing a process or
organization, the Mage gains a bonus when attempting to determine where a
bottleneck lies – which employee is slowing down a company, which machine
is holding up manufacturing, etc.

Sense Entropy – The Mage detects the presence of unusual fate in a

person or object – either from other Entropy magic, or from other sources. It
could detect loaded dice, or sense if a person had been placed under an
Entropy-based blessing or curse.

Sense Weakness – The Mage searches for weaknesses in an object’s

Pattern. He gains a bonus on his next challenge to injure a person or break
an object. This Rote may be used in combat.

The Abyss of the Mind (Euthanatos) (Entropy 1 Mind 2)– The mage feel
the entropy in someone’s mind. In this way the mage may get an impression
of how strong the person really is, and if it has any weak points, like deep
traumas, neuroses or guilt. It is fundamental to understand if the person is
ready for the Good Death.

The Abyss of the Body (Euthanatos) (Entropy 1 Life 1)– The mage feel
the entropy in someone’s body. Weak points, age, sickness and wounds will
become apparent. The mage will know if the person has long time left to live
or is dying in some way. Yet another factor in determining death.

The Abyss of the Soul (Euthanatos) (Entropy 1 Prime 1) – The mage feel
the entropy in someone’s flow of quintessence. Normally this is very small,
but in some people the flow is disturbed. This is often a sign that something
is very wrong about the person. It could be that dangerous magick has hurt
him or that his Atman (Avatar) is disturbed in some way. Euthanatos become
very interested in these persons, and will study them as much as possible
before deciding what to do.

The Well-Targeted Blow (Akashic) – Another common rote of the Dragon

Scales, this expands the concept of Dim Mak and specially intends to cause
severe damage by striking the body's weak points.

[Each success lowers the difficulty of the damage role by 1, although it can
never drop below 3.]

Analyze Fighting Style (Akashic) (Entropy 1, Mind 1) – By watching how

someone fights, the doist is able to identify weaknesses in the target's
fighting style, weaknesses which can be used against the target in combat.
[Each success can be used to increase the difficulties of the target's roll to hit
the doist, or to decrease the roll to hit the target. In order to be able to
adequately make use of what he has learned, the doist must have a do of at
least 3]

Forces
Detect Transmissions – The Mage focuses on detecting outgoing energy
signals. This is most useful for detecting electronic bugs planted in a room,
and some paranoid Mages won’t say a word until they’ve watched a room for
at least an hour with this Rote.

Thermal Sight – The Mage shifts his vision into the infrared spectrum, and
has no penalties for blindness, even in total darkness. This sight is based on
the Mage’s own sight, so he cannot use this Rote to see through walls or
such.

Quantify Energy – The Mage chooses a source of energy, and may ask one
question about it to an ST. These questions might include ‘how much energy
is going through this wire?’ or ‘where is this radio signal coming from?’ or ‘is
this thing radioactive?’

Life
Sense Life – The Mage senses living things all around him, up to a certain
distance. He also gains a basic sense of their nature – human, animal, or
vegetable. Unless they are magically concealed, he gains a bonus to detect
any hidden persons.

Sense Health – The Mage studies the health and injury of a person or
animal. The target must immediately tell the Mage how many Health Levels
he has remaining.

True Age – The Mage focuses on another person, looking for invisible flaws
in their life. The player of that character must tell the Mage how old his
character truly is, not just how old he looks. This can be quite interesting –
Porthos, for example, looks to be about 60-70, but is actually over 500 years
old!

Call the Blood – The LeVay family is known for it’s affinity with blood; the
line is drawn back into the deep of Celtic times, when blood was power and it
was sacrificed to obtain the Mages desires. Such drastic events are not
needed to keeping your toes warm on a cold night; rather you can summon
the blood to the surface, and liven up the cold limbs and skin.

Transcendent Touch (Verbena) (Life 1 Mind 1) – The Lifeweaver Edwin

Stroud once found himself blinded by the muzzle flash of a Hitmark's cannon.
Desperate to escape but lacking any knowledge of the Correspondence
sphere, he instead relied on his powerfully heightened sense of touch, a
sense particularly favored by his Tradition.

[The rote makes the witch's sense of touch so strong that it compensates for
the lack of sight.]

Matter
Analyze Substance – The Mage chooses an object, and may ask one
question about it to an ST. These questions might include ‘how much weight
could this hold?’ or ‘is this really a diamond?’ or ‘what kind of metal is this?’
Note that a Mage is limited by his own knowledge; he won’t look at a white
block and declare it sodium if he has no idea what sodium should look like.
(He might declare it to be ‘a block of one solid substance, which will react
poorly with water.’)

Detect Durability – The Mage touches an object, and immediately knows

how much damage it can withstand (its Durability) and if it has taken any
damage already.

Detect Secret Compartment – The Mage looks over an object as best he

can. He becomes aware of any neat features built into it – for example, a
hidden compartment, secret button, or trap. If the object has no secrets, the
Mage will know.

Patternweave – The mage can see a disassembled or shattered object in

its whole form or as it should be. Seers of Chronos use to reflect the image of
the parts in their ring, and see the whole in the reflection. Sons of Ether just
measure things with their meters, while Choristers touch the parts, seeing
how they should fit together.
(Each degree of success will summarily strengthen the furniture. Great for
those Garou-laiden nights! – Noriko Fujimiya)

Horn of the Unicorn (Matter 1, Life 1) – An old hermetic rote to find out if
food or drink would be harmful (poisoned, spoiled or very unhealthy). The
mage draws a sacred symbol over the food with a foci (generally a ‘unicorn
horn’ – a formed piece of wood in the shape of a horn, bleached white for 40
days and left to bask in the moon for 40 nights), while naming five revealing
spirits. If the food is harmful, the plate or cup will shudder, as if they were
revealed.

Chemical Shortcut (Etherites) (Matter 1) – The Sons of Ether employ a

different version of the periodic table than do conventional scientists, which
can only be expressed with a three dimensional model. This allows them to
pay attention to properties that most scientists overlook, thus enabling them
to produce surprising results in laboratories.
[Each success reduces the difficulty on Science, Medicine, Pharmacology,
Chemistry and similar rolls by 1, to a minimum difficulty of 3.]

Mind
Mind Empowerment – The Mage enhances his own mind. He gains +1
Trait to any test involving raw mental power and knowledge, such as
mathematics, cryptology, or translation. He may contemplate a problem
while still remaining fully aware of the world around him.

Mind Sensing – The Mage seeks out the minds of others. He can sense the
effects of Mind magic - if there is a mind where there shouldn’t be one (such
as a magically-aware brick wall), or if a creature lacks a mind (such as a Sons
of Ether robot, which looks human, but has no mind).

Conscience Alarm – The Mage allows himself to feel the presence of minds
around him. He gains a bonus on his next challenge to detect someone
hiding with Stealth, and generally is very difficult to eavesdrop on or
ambush.

Quick Reading – The mage increases his reading speed far over the
normal.

[One success doubles it, two triples it, three quadruples it, etc. By adding
Time 3 the speed can be increased even more.]

Subprocess – This rote was perfected by the Virtual Adepts. The mage
allocates a small part of his mind to perform a certain task, like solving a
problem or guarding a door. The mage will then forget it until the subprocess
is finished and reunites with the main mind. This can be used to hide
information from the main mind or plant reminders (Time 1 can be combined,
creating a timed subprocess). Some Virtual Adepts have developed recursive
subprocesses, which can generate their own subprocesses. Several of them
have however fallen victim to runaway subprocesses which have eaten their
brain capacity, due to erroneous programming.

Osmosis (Mind 1, Matter 1) – The mage "reads" an object by holding it, and
quickly learn all information it holds. This can take different time depending
on the amount of information, but afterwards the mage can recite everything
out of memory (hopefully he knows the language). Very practical for books,
letters or computer disks. The mage doesn't necessarily understand the
information, but he can recite it or remember particular parts.

[For electronic media, use Forces 1 instead of Matter.]

Detect Disinformation (Mind 1 Entropy 1, often Correspondence 3 and/or

Time 2) – Many Rosicrucians are paranoid about information they receive,
and seek to test it to see if it is disinformation or lies. This rote was
developed by a group of especially worried mages, who were barraged by
subtle disinformation from the Technocracy. They studied the information in
the mental image of their showstones, invoking Mikael and other angels of
truth to help them to find falsehoods and lies. By seeking internal
inconsistencies, they managed to ascertain some of the validity. This method
was later developed into a very efficient rote by adding Correspondence and
Time. The mage not only studies the internal consistency of the information,
he also compares it to the causal chains and actual state of the world. This
might take a long time if it is complex information or relates to very specific
matters, so the use is somewhat limited. However, even a brief check can
reveal some types of disinformation.

Lucid Dreaming (Dreamer) – This is the basic ability which makes a

Dreamer awaken. They can control the reality of their own dreams. They
have an almost godlike power in their own dreams if they choose to use it.
They can decide what will happen, how things will look and the "laws of
nature". However, while their dreams are much more vivid than normal
dreams they will still dissolve as soon as they are not dreamed.

Weightless Walk (Akashic) (Mind 1, Correspondence 1, Matter 1) – Chu

Kwei, an Orange Robe, developed a Light Body technique to walk over
surfaces with concealed weak points. Kwei was unable to make himself
weightless, but could locate areas with good traction that would support his
weight.

[Divide the number of successes achieved between multitasking and range

of perception. Correspondence and Matter perception detect and determine
the structural integrity and traction of surfaces. The mage memorizes the
locations of "safe spots" within the range of his senses.]

Prime
Self-Sacrifice – Using this Rote, a Mage may convert his own life to
Quintessence, gaining 1 Quintessence for each level of Lethal damage he
gives himself. This Rote is obviously risky, but can be a true lifesaver when
needed.

Magical Sense – The Mage senses the flow of magic around him. He may
ask one question about the magic of a person, place, or object, such as ‘is he
a Mage?’ or ‘is this object magical?’ or ‘has magic been used here recently?’
At higher Sphere Levels, more detailed versions of this Rote may be
developed, but many Mages know the usefulness of this basic level of
perception.

Sense Quintessence – The Mage focuses closely on another magic-user.

The subject must tell the caster how many points of Quintessence they
currently possess.
Resist Resonance (Prime 1 Mind 1) – Sometimes mages have to use nodes
or realms with strong or
unpleasant resonance. Some mages have developed a mean to counter this
insidious effect, by shielding themselves against the resonant quintessence
of the node. This however makes them unable to use or infuse themselves
with the quintessence, but may be worth it for specially nasty nodes.

[ Note that Mind alone cannot prevent Resonance, since its is reality itself
that is changed. ]

Reveal The Enlightened (Prime 1 Spirit 1) – This rote was used by some
of the more radical fractions
of the Celestial Chorus during the war against Order of Hermes. They had
trouble with mages hiding themselves among sleepers and setting up clever
wards against mental scans. But they weren't able to hide their souls and
magick. By watching people through the light of a pure fire, the choristers
could see the strength of their Avatars and the Quintessence in them.

Find Paradox (Prime 1 Entropy 1) – Paradox Energies are subtle and

capricious, but often telltale indicators of magickal activity. Even small acts
of vulgar magick leave traces, which can be found by clever mages. Order of
Hermes whisper the seven secret names of Discordia over their seal while
the Virtual Adepts link up with a network and check for disturbances in the
information flow to find Paradox.

Spirit
Hear Spirit – The Mage listens closely to the Penumbra. He may eavesdrop
on other characters and spirits who have used Spirit to shift into the
Penumbra, although he may not yet make his voice be heard. If he is in the
Penumbra, he uses this Rote to listen into normal reality.

Spirit Sight – The Mage extends his sight into the Penumbra. This allows
him to see any characters who have used Spirit to shift into the Penumbra.
He may also see spirits, but they pass by quickly, unless one is specifically
interested in the Mage or his companions. If he is in the Penumbra, he uses
this Rote to see into normal reality.

Detect Possession – Voodoo and other religions have a long tradition of

spirits ‘riding’ humans. This Rote allows a Mage to detect when a person is
not himself, and is being manipulated by the spirit world. Unfortunately, the
Mage cannot do much about the possession until he learns more Spirit.

See the Astral World (Spirit 1 Mind 1) – To actually project into Astral
Space is hard and requires hard training and immense strength of will.
However, to just see what's in there requires much less preparations. Akashic
brothers cleanse themselves and meditate on the mental world, while
Dreamspeakers watch how the contents of the medicine pouch fall.
Track Xenofauna (Etherites) (Spirit 1 Life 1) – The renowned
xenobiologist Ferris Shu was dedicated to the discovery of previously
undocumented life forms, and she employed this rote to help her find such
creatures.

[This allows the scientist to look through the Gauntlet into the Middle Umbra,
thus spotting any Umbral creatures in the vicinity.]

Time
Sense Changes – Powerful Mages can use Time to go back and rewrite the
past. By using this Rote, a Mage can discover whether he is living in his
original reality, or if things have been changed by Time magic. He may not
know exactly what has changed, or be able to fix it, but he will get a
disconcerting sense that the world is wrong. This Rote can be as much a
curse as a blessing.

Perfect Time – The Mage instantly knows the current time. This is more
useful than a simple watch, however. In the Umbra, time can change rapidly,
and a Mage who goes out without this Rote may be lost forever. With this
Rote, a Mage will always make it to his meetings on time, and always be
home for supper.

Time Sense – The Mage detects any unusual effects in time. He may ask a
player or ST if there is any Time magic in effect on a person or object, or
within about 10 feet of his position. This can be useful for avoid Time-based
traps laid by other Mages.

Scent of the Hounds of Clypsani (Euthanatos) (Time 1, Entropy 1) –

The mage concentrates himself and try to feel when something happened (or
will happen) by imagining it and different times it might have happened at.
The mage will feel when he gets closer to the right time as the "scent" gets
stronger. This can for example be used to find out when a building was built
or when a clock stopped. It cannot tell why or where something happened.
This rote is named for the legendary paradox beings the Hounds of Clypsani,
which ruthlessly hunt down mages who interfere with Time. They have the
ability to find the mage regardless of the time he exists in, and will appear
out of nearby corners to destroy him.

Sense Angled Time (Time 1 Entropy 1) – Time does not always flow
smoothly, sometimes there are corners and discontinuities in it for unknown
reasons. These corners are dangerous times, since the defenses of reality
and casualty are briefly removed. Powerful beings of the Deep Umbra and
dangerous weirdness may appear, and many momentous events occur at
these times. This makes it especially important to know them beforehand.
The Technocracy calls the "Bifurcation Points", and spend much energy
neutralizing them or manipulating events around them.

Find Connection (Time 1 Correspondence 1) – This rote is used by mages

to find the secret links between seemingly disparate events. A mage can
read a newspaper, and realise that the current conflicts on Balkan are linked
to the disappearance of several prominent engineers in England, or that the
fluctuations of the stock market have been strongly influenced by the person
in the border of that picture. He might not know how or why, but he will see
the links.

Time of Death (Euthanatos) (Time 1 Correspondence 1 Entropy 1) – The

Euthanatos are trained to sense if it is time to deliver the good death.
Occasionally, someone beats them to it. In instances where this happens, the
Mage can extend his senses to deign the time of death, down to the
moment.

Instant Reaction (Time 1 Mind 1) – When the mage expects a certain

event, he can focus his attention on it to be able to respond reflexively at the
same time. For example, if a thug threatens him with a gun, he can program
his body to dodge at the exact moment the thug pulls the trigger or respond
with magick. A stand-off between two mages both using this rote can be
quite deadly, since they will both react at the exact same time.

[If the rote succeeds the mage will act just before the event, as long as the
condition predates it slightly (like the act of pulling a trigger). The number of
successes denotes how long the mage can concentrate himself. He has to be
completely concentrated on the condition to act, and cannot do anything
else (unless he uses multitasking, of course).]
Right Place at the Right Time (Cultists) (Time 1 Correspondence 1) –
This little effect is usually done subconsciously and coincidentally bythe
mage: he is always standing in the right place to avoid unpleasantness.
When the Oracle of Correspondence teleports into the room,the cultist is not
the one standing at the spot where he appears...