ROTES

COMPENDIUM

Reno Rocha
 Index

Guide to the Traditions Rotes …......................... 1

Traditions’ Rotes …............................................. 3

Akashic Brotherhood …................................. 3
Celestial Chorus …......................................... 7
Cult of Ecstasy …............................................ 9
Dreamspeaker …............................................. 11
Euthanatos ….................................................. 16
Order of Hermes …........................................ 21
Verbena …....................................................... 26
Virtual Adepts …............................................ 31
Hollow Ones …............................................... 35

Dead Magic …...................................................... 40

Sub-Saharan Africa …...................................... 40
Mesopotamia …............................................... 46
Enuma Anu Enlil …......................................... 47
Babylon’s Magic …........................................... 50
Greece and Rome …........................................ 56
The Arctic Circle ….......................................... 63
Guide to the Traditions Node Raider
Prime 3
Sometimes, there's just not enough time to wait for
At Ease
a Node to refresh a mage's Avatar, or to generate
Mind 2
Tass, or to refuel a chantry... sometimes a mage
Resonance and mystical quirkiness tend to set
needs Quintessence right now, and there's no
mundane humans on edge around mages. While
choice but to rip that energy straight from the Node
some unscrupulous mages might directly take
at hand. Node raiding is a long-established
control of other peoples' emotions to circumvent
practice, once used commonly to steal enemy
this problem, most subtle Traditionalists prefer to
Quintessence while simultaneously denying the foe
give off "harmless" vibes. With this rote, the
the Node's resources. In this modern age of dying
Traditionalist seems more like an eccentric but
magic, it's regarded as a much more criminal act,
otherwise harmless individual, instead of a strange
but occasionally mages don't have much choice...
and potentially threatening outsider.
The mage need only arrive at the site of the Node,
System: The mage applies this rote to himself.
as usual, and fire off the rote to steal its
Successes allow the mage to send off a weave of
Quintessence. Ripping Quintessence in this fashion
harmlessness and calm along with his normal
is quite deleterious to the Node, but it's a nigh-
resonance. This negates interpersonal relationship
addictive rush of power to the mage - the mage
penalties for resonance on a one-success-for-one-
can feel the pulsing, raw energy of creation course
die basis. Note that the mage must also generate a
through his Pattern in a surge of magical might. Of
duration from the successes scored. Also, this
course, any guardians that the Node may have - be
effect does not require constant concentration, but
they Technocrats, spirits or shapeshifters - are
does count as a running effect.
likely to be quite incensed by this sort of behavior.
System: The mage reseats his Pattern with respect
Smoker's Timing
to the Node's Quintessence stream, then calls on
Time 2
this rote to tear its power out in a tremendous
A fair number of Tradition mages are smokers -
stream. Each success causes the mage to
probably a by-product of the stress of the lifestyle.
immediately absorb one Quintessence from the
Smokers have their own library of small tricks and
Node. The mage can also redirect this
amusements relating to their particular vice. As
Quintessence into a Periapt or other storage
such, this rote relies more on the superstitions
medium without further casting. An extended ritual
surrounding smoking than upon any sort of
of the spell causes the mage to gain quintessence
Tradition paradigm.
as successes are scored, instead of waiting until the
The smoker's timing relies upon the well-
end of the ritual.
established urban legend that any time a smoker
On the down side, the Node is suppressed for a
waits for something, he need only start a new
number of days equal to the successes scored - it
cigarette and it'll arrive. The smoker can be waiting
won't generate any Quintessence or Tass in this
for traffic to move, for a meal to arrive, for a bus to
time. Worse still, every ten successes causes the
show up - all he has to do is pull out a smoke, light
Node to permanently lose one level of power. If a
it and take a drag. The phenomenon almost always
Node drops to a rating of zero, it's destroyed and
takes place nigh-immediately thereafter.
no more power can be drained.
System: This rote is very simple; the smoker
doesn't so much force an event to happen as garner
Fate Mark
a precognitive timing and happen to light up a
Entropy 4
cigarette at just the right (or wrong) time. A more
While some Traditions rely on a Binding
powerful version of the rote might actually cause
Oath (Mage p. 164), especially before
the smoker to alter time and circumstance in
acknowledging the responsibilities of a Master,
accord with lighting up a cigarette, though! Use the
many rely on simple Fate Marks for recognition.
usual Arete roll successes to determine how close
The caster places a simple mark on the patterns of
the smoker cuts his prediction. With only one
destiny around the mage, a sort of metaphysical
success, the smoker probably makes it through one
bend that's recognizable to anyone with Entropy
drag before having to crush out his cigarette and
senses. A mage can customize this bend, so a true
deal with the attendant problem (damnit!) With
Tradition Herald may have a mark, a messenger
four or five successes, the event probably
may have a special mark, or a traitor might have a
happens just as the smoker finishes a cigarette.
mark. It's customary to place a Fate Mark on a
newly founded chantry, and some cabals also Fate

-1-
Mark all of their membership. Of course, with a
dearth of Masters of Entropy, Fate Marks aren't
easy to come by - but that also makes them more
difficult to counterfeit.
System: A Fate Mark is essentially a metaphysical
"tag." It carries the Resonance of the individual
who cast it (so an onlooker can tell who made the
mark if he recognizes the Resonance,) and can take
on a unique sigil so that it's distinguishable from
other marks. Such a Fate Mark is rarely permanent.
Usually it's renewed if the subject takes on a job
and continues to carry it out over time. Removing a
Fate Mark is also possible with this level of
Entropy. A Fate Mark may additionally mark an
area or chantry - so a specific mark might indicate
"This Chantry is property of the Northern Wind
cabal" or "This Node is a place of danger."
Node Spike
Prime 3, Mind 2
The Node Spike rote is one of the more fearsome
modern magics - it serves as a response to the
Technocracy's recent trend of "tagging" Nodes
with Resonance and then tracking down people
who've used the Node and thus become carriers of
that Resonance. The Traditionalist performs a
symbolically painful or poisonous act - self
mutilation, drinking something mildly acidic
(painfully so) or otherwise generating a strong aura
of anguish. Then, the mage casts that concentrated
hate and pain into the Node itself. The next time
the Node's accessed with Prime magic, this psychic
spike lashes out at the hapless Node user.
System: Successes scored on a Node Spike
translate into duration, telling how long the Node
remains tainted, and into effect dice like a mental
impulse used as an empathic attack. The Node
Spike generally causes pain, nausea and
disorientation, although its effect level is resisted
by the victim's Willpower roll. If the Node Spike
manages to best the victim's Willpower, the hapless
mage is overcome with wracking agony and
stunned for a number of turns equal to the net
successes of the effect. A more powerful variant
uses Mind 3 to actually make the Resonance so
strong that it's telepathically damaging; treat as a
Mind attack. Once fired off, the Node Spike is
discharged. Since this relies on tainting the Node's
Resonance, it doesn't require Time to hang an
effect; the Node itself is altered, just as if the Mage
had turned a dull chunk of metal into an effective
blade. More esoteric versions of this rote might use
Time 4 to hang an effect (usually Forces) so that
when the Node's accessed, it fires off an actual
physical attack.
-2-
Traditions' Rotes
Akashic Brotherhood
Internal Obligation
Mind 4, Prime 3, Time 4 or Life 3, Prime 3, Time 4
The Shi-Ren use this rote to ensure dedication in
their bodyguards. The Jnani use it as a therapeutic
technique to prevent emotional excesses in the
undisciplined. Using advanced acupuncture
techniques, a Brother alters a subject's Chi flow to
engender a certain response whenever a certain
event occurs. Shi-Ren often incorporate a trigger
phrase while they're intensifying the fire energy of
duty, while Jnani merely describe a condition that
might arise while provoking the equanimity of the
Metal soul.
When the condition arises, the subject does
whatever the conditions require, from having a
certain set of emotions to committing murder.
Variants alter the subject's Chi balance to give him
certain strengths or weaknesses when the event
arises.
System: The threshold for this rote is five
successes plus the duration according to the
guidelines listed in Mage: the Ascension pg. 209.
Because of the use of Prime, the mage need not
concentrate on the effect once cast. The Mind
version can control memories, actions and
emotional states, which the subject experiences as
if they are his own. The Life based version simply
moves the subject's body like a marionette. He
might shoot someone or fall unconscious when the
stimulus occurs. Combining both versions, the
mage can weave a contingent Better Body effect
or reduce a physical attribute. Extra successes must
be spent on these variations, however. The rote is
usually coincidental on the sorts of people that it's
typically used on, but for the average person, it's
vulgar.
Auspicious Dialogues
Mind 3 or Entropy 2, Mind 2
Originally created by the Kannagara, the Li-Hai
perfected this rote in their work to modernize the
brotherhood. Auspicious Dialogue translates slang,
body language and emotional nuances for a
Brother and allows him to replicate them in return.
By concentrating and holding her hand in the
mudra for Compassion, she learns the real meaning
behind street slang, vocal embellishments and
corporate hermes key rings newspeak and can use
the same gestures in reply. She opens her mind to
other perspectives and the knowledge arises
spontaneously.
System: While this rote doesn't translate directly,
the character can understand and use any slang and
dialect from a language that she speaks and use it
in return. Thus, the character can get her point
across - and look good doing it - to a Syndicate
board meeting or a house full of Scottish heroin
addicts who constantly refer to Sean Connery's
Bond films (or both at the same time, if necessary.)
Each success lowers Social difficulties by one for
one specific subculture or speaking style, to a
maximum of three. The rote is coincidental. A
Paradox backlash usually signals some horrific
gaffe or misunderstanding.
Drahma Protector
Mind 4, Spirit 4
The Jnani use this rote to convert spirits to the
Drahma. These beings guard Bodhimandalas and
assist the Brotherhood because of their sincere
belief in the truth of Akashic teachings. At heart,
that is the ideal situation in which Drahma
Protectors are enlisted. In fact, many spirits are
bound to the Akashic way whether or not they
voice an obvious need for salvation through the
Sangha.
Drahma Protector convinces a spirit to see the
Akashayana as the true path to inner peace. Such a
spirit protects Akashic Brothers wherever they may
be found. Unwilling protectors may rebel, but that
is merely a sign of its own struggle with the truth.
A Jnani chants wisdom from the Akashic sutras
after purifying herself, so that the spirit may know
the will of the All.
System: This rote has a Threshold equal to the
Spirit's Gnosis + Willpower. The rote turns the
affected being into a loyal servant of the
Akashayana for as long as successes are spent on
duration. The spirit will do anything in its power to
assist the Brotherhood, as long as that assistance
doesn't violate Akashic ideals or the spirit's
essential nature. Such spirits guard a number of
Jnani controlled Bodhimandalas.
Shinobijustu
Correspondence 3 or Entropy 5 or Forces
3 or Mind 3
Many Akashics know the art of invisibility, from
the subtle Lin Shen to the graceful Sulsa. The rotes
vary greatly from sect to sect. Some use special
walking techniques, others bizarre mudra, and still
others feel that visibility is selfishness and that
formlessness can be cultivated with an enlightened
mind.
System: All of these rotes use different methods to
make the user unseen. Correspondence 3 warps a
pocket space around the mage, so that light travels
around him. Forces 3 creates a physical illusion,
-3-
while Mind 3 creates a mental one, the former can
effect several people at once while the latter
requires concentration to effect multiple minds, but
deceives all five senses.
The most advanced version is used by Euthanatoi
killers - called "Closing Shiva's Eyes," it destroys
the idea of the mage's presence, as such, it cannot
be resisted with mental defenses or extrasensory
powers such as a Vampire's Discipline's or a
Garou's Gifts. Only careful Prime and Entropy
magic stand a chance. Even then, the mage can
spend successes to penalize the attempt.
Tumo
Life 2, optional Forces 2
Tumo is a form of yoga where the practitioner
learns to master her body temperature. The magical
variety of this skill was developed by Chabnagpa
and Karmachakra Brothers as a tool to withstand
Tibet's fierce winters. Through this special
practice, they can endure ascetic hardships or reach
sacred places normally barred to mystics by
subzero temperatures. In Southern climes, Brothers
use a variant to resist the effects of high
temperatures, preventing sunstroke and
dehydration. Pushing the limits of body control,
Awakened Tumo can also stand against fire and
temperatures that freeze flesh stiff.
Taoist Akashics use gentle movements, while other
Brothers concentrate on mastering a complex
breathing pattern. Whatever the method, it takes
only a moment to yoke the body to the mind.
System: With Life alone, a Brother can withstand
cold or heat that does no immediate tissue damage.
Her body regulates its temperature perfectly. With
Forces, antarctic temperatures and bonfires have
little effect; each success reduces the damage of a
temperature-based attack by two heath levels.
Meditating on a mountain on a clear day or
walking on coals is coincidental; shrugging off a
flamethrower or immersion in liquid nitrogen most
certainly isn't.
Balancing the Furies
Prime 3 or Prime 5
This dangerous rote allows an Akashic Brother to
temporarily overcome his Resonance or impart it
upon another being. Yin, Yang and Heaven all
flavor a being's Chi. Through a variety of methods,
an Akashayana can adjust the balance between the
three forces. For example, a Brother with excessive
Yang (Dynamic) Resonance may impose Heavenly
(Static) Resonance upon it by meditating in a
Confucian library, or retire to a dank cave to erode
it with the Yin (Entropic) essence. Herbs, diet and
exercises may all be used to adjust his Chi balance.
The rote can also forcibly adjust another being's
Chi balance by striking at vital points, chanting
special mantras or using certain Do postures. This
can cause a mortal to rapidly sicken. This rote also
imparts the powers of other supernatural beings.
This is a dangerous practice. Internal harmony is
meant to come from enlightenment, not magical
control, and it is inauspicious to alter the furies in
another without their permission. Still, it happens;
in fact, there is said to be a secret technique that
allows the balance to be adjusted permanently.
However, Masters are few and far between these
days. For now, it remains a legend.
System: This rote is always penalized for opposing
a mage's Resonance. It can be used to temporarily
shift personal Resonance; this requires two
successes for every Resonance trait altered. These
traits can never be eliminated, but three Entropic
traits could be shifted into two Entropic and one
Dynamic, or one of each kind. This has a number
of uses: it can keep the mage from being
recognized by Prime senses or reduce the difficulty
of a subsequent effect.
Used against other mages, it can warp an enemy's
magic, make him appear to be an imposter to
friends using Prime senses and break his bond with
anything he has linked to his own Pattern. Used
therapeutically, it can serve as a last stand against
Quiet, Jhor or Clarity by distributing dangerously
high Resonance through the three furies.
Kuei-jin, Shih and other beings with questionable
levels of Yin and Yang Chi have their temporary
Chi balance altered by one per success (after one
success is spent to effect another target.) Other
creatures are effected at the storyteller's discretion.
While being infused with Yin may have little effect
on a Vampire, a Werewolf might be crippled by an
Entropic infection, which his friends might take for
an unhealthy taint.
The Prime 5 version of this rote can permanently
alter a subject's Resonance and temporarily adds
Resonance traits to the subject's total. There is no
known way to eliminate Resonance without
destroying the part of an Avatar it's attached to.
Flower Gesture
Mind 3, Time 3
The Buddha Sakyamuni lifted a flower at the
conclusion of his final sermon. With a gesture he
imparted the essence of his teachings to
Mahakasypa.
With this Rote, a Brother can transfer her ideas in
an instant. Like Mahakasypa's enlightenment, it
comes as a sudden burst of inspiration. Kannagara
elders and Shi-Ren scholars use mudras and brief
phrases to transmit a burst of thought, said to arise
-4-
from akashakarma itself.
System: This rote is essentially rapid telepathy.
After one success is spent making contact, each
success thereafter multiplies the speed at which
information arises in the target's mind. The
information is immediately understandable.
Ishin Den Shin
Correspondence 2, Mind 2
"From my mind to your mind." This rote allows an
Akashic Brother to sense the current emotions of
local Sangha, including any physical sensations
such as pain or excitement. The Brother breathes
deeply and visualizes a sphere of awareness
expanding to encompass his comrades.
System: After spending successes to effect another
target, and for Correspondence range on each
person sensed, the character must spend one
success on each subject to successfully sense them.
Turning the Wheel of Ages
Mind 2 or 3, Spirit 1, Time 2
Euthanatoi, who call it Shruti and use it outside of
the record, also use this rote. By reading ancient
texts in conjunction with meditation, an Akashic
Brother experiences the past of another member of
the Sangha, even to the extent of recalling their
past lives. Some events, such as the Himalayan
War and the moments of Samadhi, cannot be
accessed in this fashion.
System: Mind plumbs the subject's thoughts, Spirit
allows her Avatar to be tracked through many lives,
and Time pushes those perceptions into the past.
This rote typically has a threshold of five
successes, plus those spent to explore the Avatar's
past. Mind 2 is used on a willing subject or a
member of the Akashayana. Mind 3 is required if
the Brother is studying an unwilling subject, unless
she is also a Brother. The Akashic Awareness merit
does not grant any benefit when the character
explores the Avatars of outsiders.
Do Rotes
[Note: the following rotes all require the use of Do
as a focus. In this case, Do is used simultaneously
while casting the effect.]
Purifying Step
Forces 2 or Spirit 2
Japanese Tao-shih developed this technique to
harness the stomping movements now found in
modern sumo and Shinto ritual. A focused blow to
the floor can have its power channeled to a foe,
upsetting her balance or causing injury.
The movement can also draw the attention of local
spirits who respond to the shaking of the earth and
air. In an area where the Akashic is likely to attrack
sympathetic spirits this can be a blessing.
Clapping and vigorous chanting can also have the
same effect.
System: With Forces, this rote transmits the energy
created by stomping through the ground to a target.
This can either cause direct injury (standard
damage, less one success for affecting another
target) or push the target three feet per success in
any direction, where she will most likely lose her
footing. The target may roll Dexterity + Athletics,
Martial Arts or Do (difficulty 7) to keep her
footing. Each success reduces the displacement by
a foot, three successes allow her to remain
standing.)
As a Spirit effect, the rote is a quick version
of Call Spirit (Mage: the Ascension, pg 187.)
This is most often used when a Brother is
defending a Bodhimandala, and she can easily
attract friendly spirits where the Gauntlet is weak.
As an attack, this rote - while usually vulgar - can
be made coincidental with the application of a little
creativity. The Spirit version may be coincidental
or vulgar depending on what the summoned spirits
do.
Rolling Hands
Forces 1
Also known as Sticking Hands, Push Hands, or
Trapping, this technique becomes even more
potent in the hands of an Awakened Tao-shih.
Making contact with an opponent's body (usually
by touching his guard at the forearm or elbow,) a
martial artist can react to an enemy by sensing and
redirecting force. With Forces senses, this practice
becomes easier and more effective.
System: Each success reduces the difficulty of a
parry or block by one, to a maximum of -3. If the
Tao-shih strikes in the same turn, he can divide
successes between both an attack and a parry or
block. This effect is coincidental.
Cinnabar Tears
Life 3, Matter 2
This vicious form of internal alchemy transforms a
Brother's bodily fluids into dangerous toxins. By
ingesting a small amount of the substance to be
created and moving into a series of special
postures, an Akashayana can distill and release this
substance without harming herself. An Akashic can
sweat cyanide, cry acid or envenom a knife with
cinnabar (mercury sulfide) "blood" by drawing it
along her arm.
System: Akashayana are immune to the poisons
they create with this rote. Generally, a toxin does
one health level of damage per success on top of an
-5-
unarmed or weapon attack. Envenomed tools or
body parts last for as long as successes are spent to
retain the toxin, but they cannot be made
permanent. Really exotic or artificial substances
cannot be created with this rote, which is usually
vulgar.
Iron Snake
Correspondence 2, Forces 2, Mind 3
Developed by the kusarigama master Shishido
Baiken, this rote gives a flexible weapon such as a
chain, rope or even a length of cloth the power to
entrance an enemy and strike from many directions
at once. Twirling the weapon in special patterns
enhances its force and speed. It can create optical
illusions, appearing distant when it is just about to
strike.
System: A Tao-shih needs to have at least six dice
in her melee dice pool to use this rote, and must
spend a turn weaving the pattern of rope, chain or
cloth. If successful, the rote reduces the opponent's
unarmed and melee dice pools by one per success
(after a success is spent to affect the target.) The
target's ability to sense the distance and position of
the weapon is effectively scrambled by Mind and
Correspondence magic. Forces magic allows it to
strike at full force at angled that wouldn't normally
allow the Brother to land a hard blow. By spending
an additional success, a sash or piece of cloth can
be turned into an effective weapon (inflicting
bashing damage) through the precise channeling of
kinetic energy. In addition, the rote is often
combined with Time, allowing multiple attacks to
strike a relatively defenseless opponent. This rote
is usually coincidental, except for creating iron-
hard lengths of cloth.
Righteous Fist
Life 3, Mind 4, Time 4
By striking a Metal Element pressure point while
chanting portions of the Drahma Sutra, members of
the Hsien Chuan and Lohan Chuan schools can key
the injury of the blow to the target's thoughts and
actions. If the victim performs a proscribed act or
thinks a dangerous thought, his meridians channel
destructive forces throughout his body.
System: Three successes must be spent to affect
the target, contact his mind and bind the conditions
with Time magic before spending successes on
damage and the duration of the effect. This allows
the Brother to stipulate a single thought or action
that injures the target. Successes may be spent to
add further conditions. Damage is an aggravated
Pattern attack, which takes the form of sudden
illness. Successes can be used to spread the injury
out over time, making it coincidental.
Arashi-Waza
Correspondence 2, Forces 2, Time 3
The Japanese Vajrapani invented the "Storm
Technique" rote during the Kamikaze War. A fast-
spinning kata gathers internal power and then
releases it in a circle of lacerating fists, feet and
weapons. When the whirlwind comes to a halt, a
tired Warring Fist may have several slain enemies
at his feet.
System: This rote increases an Akashic Brother's
speed, and then channels his movements to affect
any target in his line of sight. Each success spent
either adds to his effective combat dice, or allows a
target that normally would be out of range to be
affected. The Brother uses multiple actions as per
the standard combat rules but benefits from the
increased dice pool. Weapons can be used with this
rote. It is usually vulgar.
The Final Blow
Entropy 4, Life 3, Mind 5, Prime 3
This famous Do rote allows a warrior to hold onto
life long enough to fight for a few seconds more.
The rote is brief, requiring only that the Brother
steady her breathing and focus on the task at hand
with every iota of her concentration, so that she
literally doesn't realize that her life has ended until
the battle is done.
System: Entropy holds back physical and
metaphysical decay, Life allows the body to keep
operating, Mind allows the Brother's consciousness
to thrive in a dead brain and Prime provides the
energy to maintain the Brother without the natural
supply of Quintessence that permeates a living
thing. Each success adds an extra health level,
called "Dead," which, when used in conjunction
with a Willpower point, allows the Brother to fight
on after physical death. Additional successes must
be spent on duration. If the magic ends, and the
character is wounded down to "Dead," she
perishes. Any magic used to heal "Dead" health
levels must be vulgar Life/Matter effects.
Celestial Chorus
Abundance or "Loaves and Fishes"
Matter 2, Prime 2
In times of hardship, the suffering often look at
their supplies and wonder how much longer their
stocks of lights, candles, food or water will hold
out. However, Choristers are aware that the One,
author of compassion and hospitality, does not
wish for anything to go hungry. The rites for this
Effect usually involve a blessing or prayer of
thanks, and they may also require sharing parts of
the abundance with those in need. In no case does
-6-
any person see new materials spontaneously
generate. Rather, the canteen simply never runs out
of water, and no matter how many loaves of bread
one makes, the level of flour in the canister doesn't
seem to go down. Using Forces, variations on this
rote have allowed simply energy sources to last far
beyond their normal duration. Batteries don't run
down, for instance, and flames consume their fuel
very slowly while still burning just as bright.
System: By using Matter and Prime together, the
Chorister allows simple material forms (not
complex or mechanical forms without a very high
number of successes) to replicate slowly and
replace what is used. One success should replicate
one standard unit of the item replicated (a pint of
water, a cup of coffee, a half pound of grain, an
arm's length of string,) based on what would be
believable in a given circumstance. Continued use
of this rote will provoke a Domino Effect unless
the caster spaces it out over believable intervals.
Any attempt to use this rote while performing
actions that would normally deplete the source
(emptying a thermos of coffee) would make the
effect vulgar.
Find the Lost
Correspondence 1 or 2 and Entropy 2 or Mind 2
The twists and turns of fate and prophecy often
lead Choristers into situations in which they know
that a troubled or disturbed person is present, but
they do not know who it is. Some Choristers use
this rote to locate those with specific destinies or
callings. Others might use it to locate the owners of
a valuable lost item or the author of a suicide note.
By using this rote - which usually requires some
form of simple divination rite - the caster is able to
locate the troubled person before desperate actions
are taken.
System: Correspondence searches the area while
Mind or Entropy locate the specific individual in
question. Players may divide successes between
range and duration if they are waiting for the
particular person to appear in a given space.
Locating individuals who are not in the line of
sight requires the use of Correspondence 2.
Individuals who are trying to avoid notice or
detection may resist with Willpower at the
Storyteller's discretion. The Entropy version may
also be used to find lost items.
Hope's Birth
Mind 2, optional Prime 2
For the embattled guardian orders, many are the
times when neither the mage nor anyone around
her can find any sense of hope in the ongoing war
with evil. At such times, many of the leaders must
call on the One to lift their hopes and sustain them.
When one uses this rote, hope comes where there
was only fear and discouragement. The caster may
engage in some inspirational speech, lead the
group in prayer or share some type of sacramental
rite with those who have gathered. The result is the
same. Spirits lift, hope increases, and energy rises.
Some Choristers have used a similar rote, Primal
Dread, to instill terror in otherwise fearless and
confidant enemies.
System: When a character performs this rote, he
converts sheer primal energy into a new human
emotion. Range and duration are determined as
per Mage: the Ascension. If the mage is merely
intensifying or transferring an emotion that is
already present, Prime is not required. Each
targeted character within the range of the spell
regains one dot of temporary Willpower for the
duration. (The mage may choose not to target a
character who would otherwise be in range.)
Additional successes beyond those used for range
and duration may either increase the difficulty of
Intimidation rolls, or it may be used to reduce
damage modifiers by one health level per
success. Primal Dread has the opposite effect,
reducing the foe's temporary Willpower and
enhancing attempts at Intimidation or increasing
damage modifiers.
Lighting the Path
Correspondence 2 or Entropy 2
Wanderers, mendicants and pilgrims often find
themselves venturing into new territory, unsure of
where to go to find what they seek. Others simply
wander in any given direction, hoping that the One
will take them to a destination they cannot yet
know. But the Chorister never forgets that the One
watches over his steps, revealing the path a little
bit at a time. Choristers who get lost while on a
pilgrimage, mission or guest often ask the One, the
saints and the angels to guide them. Those who
seek with more vague goals pray that the One will
lead them to where they may do some act of
kindness, justice or compassion.
System: Choristers who seek a specific item,
person or place use the Correspondence version of
this rote. The greater the number of successes is
(and the closer the object is,) the greater the detail
the character will gain about the road, the
challenges and the traveling conditions involved.
The Entropy version helps with more vague
requests such as "Where should I go next?" Players
may use successes to affect the range of the
Entropy version ("What's the most important act of
kindness I can do in this immediate area?") or the
duration ("What's the most important just act I can
do in the next hour?") Successes on the
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Correspondence version affect the degree of detail
that the character learns.
Penance for the Siccari
Correspondence 3, Prime 4, optional Time 4
The legendary White Monks are said to take the
castigation of Paradox for their brethren, the Red
Monks, so that the latter order may bring justice
and righteousness without fear. The ability to do so
is lost to the Chorus at this time, but if the White
and the Red Monks are real, they would almost
certainly use a rote built something like this.
The Prime component allows the monk to redirect
the Paradox energies involved. This capability is
normally outside the Tradition framework, and it is
probably beyond the grasp of anyone but a
Chorister, given the way that the rote is built. The
Correspondence component establishes a link to
the Red Monk in question so as to be able to
redirect his Paradox energies. With the optional
Time component, the rote can be cast ahead of
time so that a Red Monk doesn't have to send any
sort of message back to tell the White Monks to
cast this ritual on his behalf. It will simply activate
when the Red Monk gains Paradox.
Each success scored on this rote will allow the
transfer of one point of Paradox from the Red
Monk to the White Monk.
Time's Tongue
Mind 3, Time 2
The Earth and the realms that surround it have a
long history, and many languages, tongues and
dialects have come and vanished over the years.
Often, though, Choristers and their Tradition allies
are forced to deal with manuscripts in languages
that they have long-since forgotten. But the One
never forgets. By communing with the One and the
One's servants in the past, the Chorister may
understand printed or spoken fragments of a dead
language or idiom for a time.
System: The Storyteller determines how
effectively the character may translate or
comprehend the text based on the number of
successes minus those used for duration. While a
single success would be enough to allow the reader
to understand Latin or Classical Greek, the
Storyteller may increase the difficulty or the
number of successes required for those looking for
especially obscure languages. Note that translation
is rarely perfect or complete. The Chorister may
gain a sense of the meaning, but he probably won't
be able to just pick up a book and read it like a
native would. Subtexts and cultural angles may be
lost on the reader, since they may refer to totally
unfamiliar events or idioms. Imagine the Chorister
who reads the phrase "break a leg" without any
knowledge of Western theater traditions, for
instance.
Cult of Ecstasy
True Form
Entropy 1, Mind 1, Spirit 1, optional Life 1
Practitioners of the Ecstatic arts often claim that
chemically induced hallucinations reveal the truth
of things. By their reasoning, this altered state
allows them to see past the mundane and obvious,
into the realm of pure truth. By taking a hit of acid,
the Ecstatic can see people as they truly are. Those
who are wicked are revealed to be wicked, those
who are victims are shown to be the weak, wispy
things they are, and powerful men appear like
beaming behemoths. How the mage actually sees
the true form of others largely depends on the
mage's perceptions. A staunchly anti-establishment
Cultist might see a police officer as a Gestapo
enforcer. If the cop was corrupt, perhaps the Cultist
would see money falling out of his pockets.
Sometimes, the images are deeply personal. A
Cultist might pick out the hidden Technocracy
agent, thinking that he is, in actuality, a large bully
from her childhood.
System: The mage can get small bits of
information about those around herself, although
this information is somewhat shrouded in metaphor
and layers of symbolism. The sort of information
generally involved the target's Nature. These
images should be very archetypal and tailored to
the mage's outlook. Two people using this rote at
once rarely agree on what they see. To the mage
sensing True Forms, it is as if he is participating in
a filming of Frank Zappa's 2000 Motels, with nuns,
djinns, strippers, black shrouded executioners and
adult sized children interacting with one another.
Adding Life 1 to this rote allows the mage to tell
the physical state of those she perceives. This
perception could manifest as a physical tumor, a
missing limb or, if the target is very close to death,
as a feebly animate corpse.
Nostalgia
Mind 2 or Mind 3, Time 3, optional Life 1
The Dissonance Society, a faction of the Cult
devoted to creation of an utopia based around the
ideal of self mastery and enlightenment, is said to
use magically induced stimuli as negative and
positive reinforcement. However, the use
of Nostalgia is far more effective and sophisticated
than a mere waking of a few nerves. The Cultist
actually conjures up her target's memory of some
overwhelming stimulus he felt in the past, forcing
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the target to feel the sensation again, as if it had
just happened, which makes the experience a very
personal one. This effect is useful for a number of
reasons. First off, the effect ofNostalgia is not
some random sensation, its roots lie in the target's
memory. One tends to respond more to, say, a
spanking given as a child, than to a random
application of pain. Secondly, the mage can use
these associations and tie them to something
unrelated. For instance, if an Ecstatic wishes to
teach a hard-hearted corporate executive some
compassion, she could tie the joy of his wedding
night to the act of donating money. Therefor,
whenever the corporate executive is generous, he
feels the elation of just being married.
System: The Ecstatic has no control over what
sensations are conjured when she uses Nostalgia,
but she may set it as either "positive" (pleasure) or
"negative" (pain) stimulus. Doing so generates
memories of stimuli, it does not engender full
activation of the nervous system. However, using
Life 2, the mystic could conjure not only the
memory of the stimulus, but the actual stimulus
itself. In conjunction with Mind 3, the mystic can
"tie" the stimulus to a trigger. By doing so, the
mage can encourage or discourage certain
behavior.
Grand Style
Mind 2, optional Matter 1, Prime 2 [Editor's Note:
I believe this rote had a printed error. In the book it
says "Mind 2, Matter 1, optional Prime 2," but
after reading the system description I fixed it to
what it's supposed to say.]
A variation of a Mind 2 effect known as Mood
Swing, Grand Style allows the Ecstatic to use
mass communication on an intuitive level. To do
so, the Ecstatic must use some form of art.
Although live music is the most common vessel for
this effect, it can also be placed on visual art
pieces. This effect causes those who perceive the
artistic display to feel a certain way.
Predominantly, this rote is used to bring about
feelings of well being, joy, pride, contentment and
reverence, although other factions use it for less
altruistic purposes. The militant Hagalaz faction
uses Grand Style to create riots, militant vigilante
activism and good old-fashioned chaos. The occult
Acharne use it to fuse brotherhood among its
members and create feelings of having been raped
for those unlucky enough to learn of their
existence. Klubwerks DJs excel at its use and use it
to create an atmosphere of pure human impulse.
Even the Dissonance Society ties emotions into its
pamphlets.
System: The Grand Style effect is generally
achieved through music. By using Prime 2 and
Matter 1, the mystic may "tie" the effect to a visual
work of art. Obviously the type of art that the
effect is based on decides the emotion it conjures.
A Lords of Acid fast pumping dance track would
be ideal for increasing people's libidos, but the
medieval painter Hieronymous Bosch's
"Temptation of Saint Anthony" triptych would not
be able to get a similar effect. But, whereas the
dance track would not put the fear of damnation
into its listeners, those beholding the triptych
would be left shaken and questioning their place in
God's Kingdom.
Tolerance
Life 2, Mind 1
Cultists have an amazing survival record in spite of
their brushes with overindulgence, and luck's only
part of it. Those who dabble too much in damaging
habits - drugs, sleep deprivation, asceticism,
whatever - generally learn to use meditative
techniques and chakra-channeling to focus
themselves and overcome the after-effects of their
foci. Simple methods to prevent overdosing, flush
body toxins and focus the mind all help to keep the
Cultist alive. Often, this requires a specific
regimen combining yoga or meditation with
a lot of water and the occasional herbal additive.
System: Use of the Tolerance rote mitigates some
of the potential problems of nasty drugs or other
habits. A Cultist might suffer bashing or even lethal
damage from a particularly foul overdose; this
rote's successes grant extra soak dice against that
damage, if the rote's prepared in advance. This isn't
a sure defense, but it'll probably help avoid using
the adrenaline plunger.
Crime and Consequence
Mind 2, Time 2
As modern Cultists have learned, responsibility for
the aftereffects of ecstasy are just as important as
the ecstatic experience themselves. Some people
refuse to recognize the consequences of their
actions, though, and foolishly endanger themselves
and others. Cultists use this rote as a sort of
warning, to engender a sense of responsibility in
others. The Cultist projects ahead the possible
outcome of an ill-conceived decision and then
sends the emotional impulse of everything that
goes wrong into the mind of the subject.
System: The Player must score enough successes
to see forward in time to the point of consequences
(this might be only a few minutes ahead for a drug
overdose, or months ahead for an ill-considered
pregnancy or other life-changing event.) The
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Cultist must also gain a success to project this
moment empathically to the subject. If successful,
the subject experiences all of the frustration and
remorse of this badly chosen course of action as a
series of flashes of anger and disappointment, with
premonitions of things to come. For instance, a
drug abuser might feel his body contracting in
spasms, then see himself from the outside as he's
dying and convulsing. A careless sex-hound might
feel the pain of labor and sense the terrible burden
of unassisted, life-crushing poverty for a victim he
plans to love and leave. Often, such a flash is
enough to at least give pause to the target. This
doesn't necessarily give concrete flashes of the true
future; it simply provides concentrated glimpses at
things that could go horribly wrong due to
someone's bad judgment or lack of responsibility.
Zeitgeist
Mind 2, Spirit 2, Time 2
Sometimes, an element of an age carries
Resonance so powerful that it ripples through time
in a memory carried by a huge mass of humanity.
People establish pictures of an era so vivid that just
a simple phrase conjures bright pictures and strong
emotions - "The Summer of Love," "The Burning
Times," "Black Tuesday." As the masters of time
and passion, Cultists can call forth these spirits of
ages, these zeitgeists, to make manifest all of the
wonder - or terror - of a given point in time.
The Cultist simply associates an ecstatic practice
with trappings that call forth the spirit of the age
itself. This might mean listening to certain music,
putting on specific clothes, burning incenses or
smoke of a particular type, maybe even playing a
movie or going to a specific place. The more the
Cultist does to make the mundane surroundings
match up with the zeitgeist, the more powerful the
manifestation. At the completion of the rite, the
Cultist unleashes the spirit's Resonance to touch
everyone's emotions in the area. Anyone in the
right place, who can see the Cultist and recognize
the things she does, feels a sudden surge of that
era.
System: Successes apply to the range and to the
strength of the effect. The Cultist doesn't
necessarily need successes to affect other people;
in this case, the Cultist calls forth a spirit, which
then does the work of generating the spirit of the
age, and the Cultist simply uses magic to help
project that spirit. This could provoke actual
memories or just passive emotions regarding a
specific scene, so a character might feel the
unbounded sense of love and heedless joy from the
Summer of Love, or the soaring pride and wonder
of the the Age of Reason. It helps if the Cultist was
personally there (as per arcane connections,) but
it's not absolutely necessary.
Dreamspeakers
The Curse of Consequences
Mind 3, Spirit 1
The Red Spears developed this rote early on as a
tool of psychological warfare, refining many
traditions' legacy of curses for a particular sharp
effect. The shaman forces open the "inner eye" of
the victim, letting the target see and hear all the
spirits who suffer because of the target's actions.
Close up, this includes the tiny spirits of dust
motes and air currents crushed or shoved aside, the
spirits of molds and insects crushed underfoot, the
spirits of animals and plants raised and harvested
cruelly and without proper sacrifice to provide
food. The victim can also hear, far away, the
anguished groans of earth and water spirits around
landfills and anywhere else the victim's society
marks the world.
Most Red Spear rotes remain closely-guarded
secrets, on the grounds that only proven warriors
deserve them. This one the society teaches far and
wide, regarding every spirit magician as deserving
of the power to make the soul-blind suffer.
System: The victim must make a Willpower roll,
difficulty 5 + the shaman's Arete, to do anything
but suffer the misery of increased awareness each
turn the curse remains in effect. Even on turns
when this roll succeeds, the victim experiences a
strong flood of unhappy emotions. On a botch, the
victim develops a suitable Derangement. Standard
duration, area and other restrictions apply; the
curse is vulgar without witnesses in cultures that
don't accept shamanism, coincidental elsewhere.
After a number of turns equal to the shaman's
Arete, the subject will at least be capable of acting
in some manner regardless of Willpower, but will
still take a two-Trait penalty on all actions (not
reflexives) for the rest of the spell's duration.
Moving the World Walls
Spirit 2
This ancient ritual involved specially marking and
preparing a region so that the Gauntlet can be
locally raised or lowered. This ritual can be used to
protect a house or even an entire apartment
building against spiritual attack, or to lower the
Gauntlet sufficiently that even weak spirits and
low-powered mages can leave or enter the umbra.
System: Every successes raises or lowers the local
Gauntlet rating by one point. Since the Gauntlet is
not normally perceptible to Sleepers, affecting it
almost always counts as coincidental magic.
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Affecting a doorway is made at normal difficulty.
The mage must allocate successes to area in order
to determine the size of the alteration. Duration is
calculated normally, but if the mage scores two or
more successes above those necessary to alter the
Gauntlet by the desired amount, the Dreamspeaker
can tie the ritual to a set of physical objects, like
carved wooden poles or specifically decorated
mirrors that mark the boundary of the altered
Gauntlet. If this technique is used, the ritual
remains in effect until the boundary markers are
disturbed.
Walking the Open Path
Spirit 2, Prime 1
This ritual is a version of Moving the World
Walls that is specifically designed to lower the
Gauntlet at a Node to zero. At this point, a
Shallowing is created, and the mage and anyone
with her are all able to freely and safely walk into
the Umbra. Since the Gauntlet is not being ripped
or torn, but rather locally removed, no one entering
the Umbra through a Shallowing takes any damage
from the Avatar Storms.
System: Every success on this ritual reduces the
Gauntlet by two points. Two successes are
sufficient to penetrate the Gauntlet at any Node. At
midnight or at other especially auspicious times, a
single success will reduce the Gauntlet to zero.
Because Shallowings are natural occurrences this
ritual is coincidental. However, since the Gauntlet
continues to thicken, an artificial Shallowing can
never be made larger than the wall of a small room.
Also, created Shallowings never last longer than a
day, regardless of the number of successes rolled.
Fortunately, this ritual can be used on both sides of
the Gauntlet.
Lesser Binding of Spirits
Prime 2, Spirit 2
While Adepts of Spirit can forge unbreakable
Umbral chains around spirits, less skilled
Dreamspeakers must rely upon other means of
convincing Umbrood to do their bidding. This rote
summons a single spirit and immediately surrounds
this umbra visitor with a shining corona of fiery
quintessence. With the merest thought, the
summoner can cause this unnatural fire to harm the
spirit. While the damage caused is often not
terribly severe, it is always quite painful. Also, the
target cannot determine the amount of damage they
will suffer beforehand. Most spirits, like most
people, are loathe to suffer any harm.
While powerful and lordly spirits will often ignore
the risk and attack the summoner for daring to cast
such a spell on them, most weak and moderately
powerful spirits will agree to perform minor
services in exchange for the Dreamspeaker's
promise not to harm them. Also, when bargaining
with a difficult but not overwhelmingly powerful
spirit, this ritual is a useful way to indicate that the
summoner is not to be ignored or trifled with.
System: A single success on this roll will summon
the spirit; additional successes empower the Prime
energy that surrounds the spirit. One additional
success surrounds the spirit with energy that will
cause two levels of aggravated damage. This
magical corona will last one scene before it
harmlessly dissipates. Two additional successes
cause the energy to last for a full day and can deal
up to four levels of aggravated damage to the
spirit. In either case, this damage can be inflicted at
any time during the duration that the mage
chooses. This damage can only be inflicted once,
however, unless the spell is cast a second time. As
with most summoning spells, knowing the name of
the spirit being summoned reduces the difficulty of
this spell by two.
Some mages also incorporate a Mind 2 effect into
this ritual to produce a magical suggestion of the
caster's power and of the uselessness of resistance.
This rote can also be used on a spirit that is already
present. In that case, all successes go towards
energizing the magical corona of Quintessence
surrounding the spirit.
Spiritual Persuasion
Mind 2, Spirit 2
While compelling spirits with threats of
imprisonment or harm can obtain their
cooperation, such tactics can also breed resentment
and hatred. Many Dreamspeakers avoid force and
coercion and instead rely upon bargaining,
alliances and friendship as a way to obtain various
services from spirits. In addition, the most
powerful spirits are far too strong for any but the
mightiest Dreamspeakers to control. Therefor,
Dreamspeakers who need the services of Incarna
or Celestines must use means other than force to
obtain their cooperation. While payment in Tass,
help defeating their enemies or pacts of mutual aid
can all be used to pay for a spirit's aid, bargaining
with spirits - especially with powerful spirits -
requires great skill. To aid them in their
negotiations, many Dreamspeakers use magical aid
to help convince the spirit to accept their offer.
System: Success on this roll both summons the
desired spirit and helps to place it in the desired
frame of mind for accepting the Dreamspeaker's
offer. Each success on this roll (including the first)
reduces the difficulty of rolls to convince the spirit
of the summoner's wishes by -1. Two or more
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successes on this roll reduces the difficulty of all
suggestions the summoner makes to the spirit
during the next full scene by the number of
successes rolled.
Umbral Visions
Correspondence 2 or 3, Mind 1, Spirit 2
While actually piercing the gauntlet is now fraught
with risk, extending one's senses through it is
relatively safe. Using this spell, Dreamspeakers
can perceive any point in the Umbra that they are
familiar with, and can even communicate with the
spirits there. This spell is almost always performed
as a lengthy ritual where the caster goes into a deep
trance and shuts off her mundane senses as she
shifts her perceptions into the Umbra. In the most
basic version of this spell, the caster can see and
hear Umbral events at whatever locations she
desires. While this spell does not allow the caster
to form an Umbral body, she can use this spell to
allow her to cast other spells at targets she can
perceive within the Umbra. Doing so risks sending
her magical essence across the Gauntlet, however,
and thus attracts the damage of the Storm.
System: Using Correspondence magic, the caster
can either send her perceptions to an already
known location (using Correspondence 2,) or she
can use Correspondence 3 to search for objects or
people within the Umbra. Mind 1 is necessary to
allow her mind to deal with the unusual input. With
the addition of Forces 2, the caster can even form
an intangible, ghostlike Umbral body. The number
of successes on this spell primarily determines how
unfamiliar the caster can be with the location or
individual within the Umbra that she desires to
perceive. The same number of successes, however,
also determines the maximum level of spell that
caster can use on spirits or other targets that she
can perceive using this spell. If the caster only
scored one success, then she could only use first
rank Sphere effects on targets perceived using this
spell. As with all other spells designed to allow the
caster to perceive the Umbra, this spell is normally
Coincidental. Effects projected into the Umbra will
either suffer heavy Storm damage that degrades
and warps the effect, or else cause Storm damage
to the caster, as usual.
Shaman's Craft
Matter 3, Spirit 3
The link between smiths and shamans is extremely
ancient. This rote is one of the primary magics
used by the Spirit Smiths. This spell allows them to
repair broken items of all sorts. In addition, Spirit
Smiths use it to improve items so that they will
function better than they did before. This spell also
(temporarily or permanently) awakens the items
the Spirit Smith is working on. In some cases, the
caster will temporarily awaken the item so that its
spirit can help the caster figure out both what is
wrong and the best way of repairing it. If there is
sufficient time, however, almost all Spirit Smiths
use this spell to permanently awaken any item they
are working on. Doing so is almost always a
lengthy and extensive process. Awakening items in
this fashion both improves their function (as long
as their owner treats them well) and is part of the
Spirit Smiths' plan to reawaken the world and
reconnect the mundane world with the Umbra.
System: A single success will repair minor damage
and gives the caster a clear idea of both any hidden
defects and how its owner has treated the item.
More successes provide greater levels of repair.
Three successes will repair all but the most severe
damage. Even a single success also temporarily
awakens the spirit within the item; use the duration
chart in Mage to determine how long it remains
awake.
Prime 2 must be added to this spell if it is being
used to repair objects or devices that have been so
badly damaged that they now have large missing
pieces. To make this spell coincidental, most
casters actually perform some form of physical
repair on the item. Some of the more dedicated
Spirit Smiths use this spell only as an aid to such
mundane efforts. Used in this fashion, each success
provides a -2 modifier to the difficulty of any
repairs.
Night Battle
Mind 4, Forces 3, Prime 2, Spirit 2
This ritual is one of the most powerful and deadly
attacks known to the Dreamspeakers. It allows the
mage to separate his spirit from his body and to
prowl both the astral planes and the mundane
world hunting for victims. Traditionally, the mage's
spirit takes on the appearance of a large and
dangerous predator. While only mages using spirit
senses or individuals and creatures with similar
supernatural perceptions can directly perceive this
astral form, its effects can be seen and felt by
everyone. Using her magic, the Dreamspeaker
ventures forth to kill her enemies and destroy
objects, while her body remains elsewhere in a
deep trance. When the ritual is complete, the target
will appear to have been the subject of an attack by
a savage animal. No one without powerful magic
can even trace this event back to the caster.
System: The caster must roll at least two successes
when casting this ritual, since it is not useful if it
does not last at least a scene. Also, while the
caster's spirit can move with the speed of thought,
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the caster must already know the target's location
or use Correspondence magics to locate the target.
Once the target is located, additional rolls are
needed for any attacks.
All damage using the Forces effects are made
normally, and such damage will look like it was
caused by a wild animal. Careful examination of
the victim, however, will reveal no evidence of
animal fur or other traces that always appear
during real animal attacks. If desired, the caster can
spend a point of Quintessence and make all
damage done by this spell aggravated. Unless care
is taken, this ritual is vulgar if used against targets
in the mortal world. All attacks on Umbral targets,
however, are fully coincidental. Because you must
send your spirit out across the Umbra, you do risk
the vagaries of the Avatar Storm if you're not at a
Shallowing, but you do so only once.
Spirit Slaying
Prime 2, Spirit 2
This rote is commonly used by Dreamspeakers to
slay or drive off malevolent spirits. With it, the
Dreamspeaker infuses a weapon with raw prime
energy and then strikes through the Gauntlet to
inflict deadly damage on nearby spirits. This spell
is most commonly used to empower swords,
knives, clubs and guns with the energy necessary
to slay hostile spirits. It can also be performed
using symbolic weapons like blunt swords or even
crystals and rattles, to allow the Dreamspeaker to
attack possessing spirits without harming the host.
System: Like all spells that channel prime energy,
this spell does aggravated damage to the target. If
this spell is used on a spirit possessing a living
host, a single damage roll is made for the attack.
The physical weapon damages the target, but all of
the aggravated damage affects only the spirit.
Depending on the weapon being used, the weapon
may do lethal, bashing or even no damage to the
target, but the spirit will bear the full brunt of the
attack. To perform this spell, the caster must
always expend a point of Quintessence. Since this
spell only affects spirits, it is almost always
coincidental.
Spirit Eating
Mind 3, Prime 3, Spirit 2
Instead of merely slaying or driving off spirits,
some Dreamspeakers seek to take the spirit's
knowledge and power by consuming the spirit.
Like the Spirit Slaying spell, the caster empowers
a weapon and uses it to attack the spirit. In addition
to harming or killing the target, the caster drains
both Prime energy and knowledge from it. Killing
a spirit with this spell destroys it forever and gives
the caster considerable power.
Despite the temptation of power offered by this
spell, many Dreamspeakers consider it to be too
horrific to use. It is normally only used in
desperation, or by Dreamspeakers who desire to
command and rule spirits rather than working
equitably with them. Dreamspeakers who regularly
use this spell can intimidate spirits into working for
them, but will rarely have spiritual allies or friends
- the rare exceptions being a few highly predatory
spirits that engage in similar tactics. Regular use of
this spell will cause most Dreamspeakers to regard
the caster as a violent individual who they would
rather avoid.
System:The damage caused by this spell is
identical to that caused by Spirit Slaying. Every
success rolled on damage also gives the caster one
point of Quintessence. Each point of Quintessence
drained from the spirit also reduces the spirit's
power by 5 points. Reducing a spirit's power to
zero using this spell destroys it forever. Spirits
cannot provide more Quintessence than one-fifth
their power.
Successes on this ritual also allow the caster to
steal knowledge and memories from the spirit. A
single success on any attack will gain the attacker a
few random memories. Two successes on one
attack give the caster access to most of the spirit's
recent memories. Three successes give most of the
spirit's memories to the caster, and four or more
successes give the caster access to the spirit's most
carefully guarded secrets.
Casters who roll two or more successes on an
attack must also make a Willpower roll. Rolling a
number of successes on this Willpower roll equal
to the number of successes rolled on the attack
results in the caster experiencing no problems. A
successful Willpower roll that scores fewer
successes than were rolled for the attack
temporarily gives the caster some Mental Flaw or
other personality trait possessed by the spirit. This
trait remains until the caster next sleeps. A failed
Willpower roll results in this trait remaining for the
next week, and a botched Willpower roll makes
this new trait permanent or can result in the caster
believing he is actually the spirit for the next week.
An additional Willpower roll must be made for
every attack that does significant damage to the
spirit. A series of failed Willpower rolls can easily
result in the caster gaining a large number of
severe mental problems.
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Reading the Umbral Skein
Mind 1, Spirit 2, Time 2, sometimes
Correspondence 2 or 3
This spell is a favorite for many Baruti. In addition
to now being the only safe way that most of them
can gain access to their Umbral library of lost tales
and ancient memories, this rote also allows them to
probe the history of the Umbra itself. According to
Baruti doctrine, the world has undergone numerous
drastic changes. Whole lands and peoples have
suddenly ceased to exist, the rules governing magic
have changed, and even the shape and basic
geography of the world has not been constant. In
most cases, these changes have been so sweeping
that they eliminated almost all traces of the
previous world and replaced it with histories and
artifacts that seem to consistently and inevitably
lead to the new present.
The Umbra, however, is both more flexible and
more enduring than the mortal world. Significant
traces of these prior realities can sometimes remain
in neglected corners of the Umbra. Curious Baruti
use this spell to cast their consciousness into the
Umbra and read its history.
While the validity of the truths gained using this
rote are often questionable and impossible to
prove, on a number of occasions Baruti using this
spell have used the knowledge gained to lead them
to strange physical artifacts in the Umbra or in the
mundane world. They claim that these curious
relics support the stories they have learned. Most
other Tradition historians dismiss theories that
artifacts like the Mayan crystal skull are proof of
the existence of a vastly different world, but the
Baruti rarely care about the opinions of others.
Some Baruti also use this spell to attempt to divine
the future of the Umbra, but their results are even
more confusing and inconsistent than ordinary
divinations. A few Baruti claim that the odd results
obtained using these divinations are further proof
that the entire structure of the world will change in
the near future and that the Umbra and the
mundane world will soon be reunited.
System: This spell is functionally identical to
ordinary Time magic divinations, except that it
provides information about the past or the future of
the portion of the Umbra that corresponds to the
caster's location. Because all magic is easier in the
Umbra, the amount by which the caster can look
into the past (but not the future) is 21 times that
obtained by corresponding divinations in the
mundane world (see the table in Mage: the
Ascension page 209.) If Correspondence effects
are added, the mage can determine the history of
any portion of the Umbra that she is familiar with.
The Mind portion of this rote allows the caster to
clearly remember every detail of the odd and
confusing information that was gained.
Euthanatos
View the Scattered Lotus Petals
Entropy 1, Time 2, optional Correspondence 2
This rote is a more sophisticated version of the
prophetic magic common to many Traditions. The
mage follows fate's threads along several paths at
once and learns about the many possibilities the
future might hold. Some Wheel-turners use dice or
lots. Others prefer elaborate computer simulations
and meditation.
System: Entropy allows the mage to read along
several different time lines instead of the single
thread allowed by conventional prediction. After
spending successes on the target (the subject of
inquiry) and the length of time into the future she
wishes to look, each success reveals one
possibility. These are usually fairly vague, but
spending additional successes for each possible
future affords visions of greater clarity and detail.
Adding Correspondence allows the mage to use
this rote at a distance.
Iron Avatar
Life 3, Matter 3, Mind 2, Prime 2, optional Spirit
4, Time 4
The Shivasakti Ayavatara was once considered to
be one of the rotes that defined the Euthanatos. An
homage to the appearance of the holy Avatara on
the final night of the Himalayan War, its meaning
has since been corrupted by its most ardent user,
Voormas of Helekar. The rote is still occasionally
used by the Natatapas; the Aided are known to
employ a variant that calls on the power of the
Morrigu.
The rote turns the caster into a four-armed killer
with a wrathful divine visage formed from the
combined attributes of Kali and Shiva. She sprouts
up to 10 feet in height and her skin turns the color
of wrought-iron, while menacing weapons appear
in each of her four taloned hands. These are
usually swords, although different manifestations
have conjured nooses, lotus blossoms that burn
with divine fire and skulls that devour the Ojas of
the mage-god's foes.
System: Aside from duration, the caster must also
devote successes to increasing Strength (to a
minimum of 6,) at least three successes to soak
lethal and aggravated wounds (at soak dice per
success) and two to sprout extra arms capable of
being used in combat. These arms add four
additional dice to the mage's Unarmed and Melee
dice pools, though each extra success can be used
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to enhance coordination (adding an additional two
dice to armed and unarmed combat dice pools per
success.) Three successes are spent adding an aura
of supernatural terror to the mage's already
fearsome appearance. This causes most Sleepers to
flee from the field. All others must make a
Willpower roll (difficulty 6, three successes
required) to maintain their composure. Finally, the
mage must spend four successes to create the
weapons that she can handle effectively in her new
form (one for each arm) and expend one success
and three points of Quintessence to power the
entire effect. The weapons are usually swords, but
variations on Holy Stroke (see Mage: the
Ascension pg. 183) are sometimes used as well.
The weapons inflict aggravated wounds due to
Prime enchantments.
Since this rote is time consuming, Euthanatoi often
combine it with the Sphere of Time so that it can
be called upon as a hanging effect when the mage
is in need. The most dangerous variant of the rote
involves the Spirit Sphere, where the caster invited
a spirit of destruction to enter her body. The mage
gains full use of the spirit's Charms, but anything
less than complete success opens her to possession.
Few Euthanatoi have the ability to reliably cast this
spell by themselves, so it is often a group working
that enhances the fighting ability of a Marabout's
protector. Needless to say, it's vulgar magic.
Gift of Prana
Life 2 or 3, Prime 3
Euthanatoi are healers as well as killers. By
meditating on the Great Wheel and its effects on
the ebb and flow of prana (life energy,) a Wheel-
turner can transfer extra vitality to an ally. This is
bound into the subject's chakras until he's injured.
When the body's energetic balance changes in
response to the wound, the extra life energy flows
into the proper place and repairs the damage.
Chanting, herbal treatments and bloodletting are all
common ritual tools in the creation of this effect.
System: After spending successes on duration and
targeting, and spending a point of Quintessence
(effectively "enchanting" the target) each success
creates a "healing pool" of two health levels. If the
subject is injured before the end of the rote's
duration, these health levels automatically heal the
injury as much as possible. Healing bashing
damage is coincidental, healing lethal wounds is
usually vulgar (minor injuries are an exception)
and healing aggravated wounds is always vulgar.
The mage must decide what kinds of injuries the
spell will heal and whether or not it works around
witnesses as she is casting it. This determines the
rote's difficulty. The Life 2 version affects only the
caster, while the Life 3 Effect can be used on
others.
Magic Bullet
Entropy 2, Forces 2
An intersection between technological and mystic
mythologies, this rote is cast a number of ways by
Euthanatoi who are comfortable with incorporating
modern technology into their magic. Lhaksmists
work mathematical formulae into the stocks of
their rifles. Irony-minded members of the Golden
Chalice inscribe "to the fairest" on their bullets in
archaic Greek.
The end result is a bullet that, once it strikes a
target, takes advantage of improbable - but
possible - permutations of physics to travel in
unusual directions, ricocheting into secondary
targets and baffling investigators. A skilled death
mage can dispatch a group of scattered targets with
a single shot.
System: Forces and Entropy direct the kinetic
energy of the bullet in potent and highly
improbable ways, allowing the mage to strike
multiple targets with a single shot - even if, in a
sane world, the secondary targets would never be
in the bullet's trajectory.
Each success allows one additional target to be
struck by the same bullet. The player must split his
character's Firearms dice pool to take advantage of
the ability to shoot multiple targets, although the
mage isn't restricted by the gun's normal rate of
fire. This rote is often combined with Time magic
to enhance the shooter's accuracy. Using
Correspondence allows "indirect fire," as the bullet
rebounds into a target that the mage can't see (but
can perceive with Correspondence.) Believe it or
not, this rote is usually coincidental.
Rudra's Bow
Life 3, Forces 2, optionally Other Spheres
Natatapas emulate the power of the archer-god
Rudra as well as the legends of the Kshatriya
(warrior caste) archers of ancient India. Other
Euthanatoi draw power from their own legends,
such as Pomegranate Deme warriors who
concentrate upon Artemis' ways. In doing so, the
Euthanatos makes his bow supernaturally powerful
and grants himself the strength to pull it. This rote
retains a surprising degree of popularity because of
the availability and silence of the weapon it
enhances.
Depending on the divine attribute the caster
invokes, the arrows have additional effects. Rudra
was the plague-bringer of Vedic India, so his
arrows typically pass on a potent disease.
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System: Each success adds two dice of damage to
a single bow shot. Arrows of Rudra deliver
aggravated damage (using Life 3) as disease tears
through the target's body. They require twice as
many successes per shot as well as a single success
to affect the target. Other divine arrows burn their
enemies, fill them with terror or otherwise
inconvenience them. Additional Spheres are
needed to activate these effects.
Geasa
Entropy 5
The Aided know the importance of ritual taboos.
Even though they're a hindrance at times, they can
also grant extraordinary power, such as in the case
of Cu Chulainn's battle-might.
Typically, a Wheel-turner lays one or
more Geasa after examining the weave of Destiny
around the subject; Astrology and Omens are
typical foci. The mage then asks fate to give the
spell's subject its attention. Geasa are often laid at
birth, but it isn't unprecedented to acquire them or
even seek them out in exchange for a special
blessing, or Buada.
The rite of laying Geasa also includes the granting
of Buada. The Wheel-turner doesn't have to
magically create the Buada; Destiny reacts to the
fundamental change brought about by accepting
the taboo and the new blessing compliments it.
System: Every success allows the mage to place
one level of the Geasa flaw (see Mage: the
Ascension pg. 298-299. Use an inverse value to
the point cost listed in the book. Unlike the
standard Flaw you may use it to get a Merit or
Trait "for nothing") upon a willing subject.
Spending five additional successes makes the
taboo permanent. Interestingly, the mage has no
control over what sort of Geasa manifest, although
she knows what they are upon releasing the spell.
For every point of Geasa, the character gains an
additional Freebie Trait. This is the Buada. The
caster chooses the general nature of the Buada but
cannot determine specifics. For example, he can
cast the rite to foster Buada that make the subject a
better warrior, but he can't specifically grant
improved swordsmanship. The player and
Storyteller should discuss what the Buada are.
These benefit the character for the duration of the
Effect.
Multiple Geasa (and attendant Buada) can be laid
on a subject, but these have a tendency to go awry,
resulting in contradictory Geasa that can't be
properly obeyed. Since the casting mage doesn't
know what the Geasa will be until the rote is
completed, the only thing she can do to prevent the
subject from being entangled by them is to refuse
to grant them.
Breaking a single Geasa dooms the subject to
Flaws or negative Freebie Traits (spend those to
reduce character traits) equal to twice the value
of all the Geasathat she's accumulated. Instant
Gilgul and a Dark Fate are two examples of what
can befall a Geasa-breaker.
Persephone's Nectar
Correspondence 3, Life 3, Matter 2
The signature rote of the infamous Golden Chalice,
Persephone's Nectar turns an ordinary liquid into a
poison that is keyed to a single target's humors.
The Euthanatoi use alchemy (substances that
mirror the target's mystical "chemistry") or
sympathetic magic (blending hair or bodily
secretions) to create a poison that will only affect a
single, predefined victim. This is usually added to
a beverage; anyone who drinks it will notice
something unusual about the taste. Depending on
the victim's alchemical balance, the brew might
taste a tad sweet, bitter or salty, but not to any
degree that's out of the ordinary.
Variants of Persephone's Nectar are used with
foodstuffs, household cleaning supplies and gasses.
Some versions also mystically age their targets, put
them to sleep or induce visions. Some Euthanatoi
create artifacts that have the power to create
Persephone's Nectar at will. The Golden Chalice
was well-known for their eponymous devices, but
golden goblets have fallen out of fashion; most
Sleepers don't use them and many of the Awakened
don't trust them.
System: To create the nectar, the player must score
enough successes to connect the target to the toxin
(as per the Correspondence Range Chart on pg.
209 of Mage: the Ascension) plus successes to
inflict injury (2 unsoakable aggravated wounds per
success spent) and duration (after which the poison
loses its potency.)
Correspondence prevents the substance from
injuring anyone else (as a Ban) and Life and
Matter compose the supernaturally potent toxin.
The presence of the nectar's magic can be detected
with Awareness or the appropriate mystical senses;
most Euthanatoi use additional magic to mask it if
the target is a mage.
Necromancy
The Song of Flies
Mind 2, Prime 1 or Matter 1, Time 2
No death is ever truly forgotten. Some Euthanatoi
can pluck the vibrations of an event from the
cosmos by chanting the Om and opening their
minds to the sudden whispers of death that remain.
Others examine the pallor of the deceased, the
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pattern of a spray of blood, or the paths that
corpse-flies flitter to learn how someone died.
Death mages use this rote to hunt down murderers
and investigate questionable deaths. It's common to
use this rote to examine the victims of neophyte
Ethanatoi; their seniors can determine whether a
Good Death was skillful or merciful enough.
System: The Mind/Prime version of this rote is
used to examine the scene of a death for psychic
impressions and magical Resonance. The
Matter/Time version is used on a subject's corpse,
as the mage looks back through time to discover
what killed the victim. The first version of the rote
cannot directly identify a murderer, though it can
point out the emotional state of any nearby parties
and their specific Resonance Traits. Clever mages
can use these facts to find a killer or bystander.
This version requires 3 successes.
The second version requires 2 successes as well as
enough successes to look back in time to the
moment of the victim's death. it provides
straightforward information, but it can be blocked
by Time wards.
Necrourgy
Reanimation
Spirit 2, or Forces 2, Matter 2 and Prime 2
A dance. A shake of the rattle. A rhythmic chant.
All of these carry their vibrations into the earth and
sky and remind the world of the secret motion that
floods all creation. In those sacred moments the
still hidden things - the dead things - shake off the
inertia of ages and dance to the hidden music of the
Iron Wheel.
Reanimation imbues human remains with the
power to move in the semblance of life. There are
two generally accepted ways to do this. The first is
to call a spirit (not necessarily the former owner of
the corpse) to rouse the old flesh and bones. The
second is to rekindle the fire of Ojas in the bones
themselves so that they rise under their own
spiritual power. In ancient times the Pomegranate
Deme and Natatapas both used permanently
animated skeletons, but the Paradox-prone nature
of the rite makes it a rarely used one.
System: If a mage knows an appropriate spirit
(through the use of an appropriate Knowledge or
in-game experience) then he can use the first
version of this rote to call it to the body and
bargain it inside. Note that there are a few spirits
who get a kick out of animating corpses: spirits of
fear and the wraiths who used to wear the bodies in
question tend to be enthusiastic volunteers, though
the mage may be getting more than he bargains for
in both cases. The second version rouses the latent
Quintessence in a body and uses it to impart
motion. As a rough guide, a corpse (or parts
thereof) has as many health levels as the Storyteller
sees fit for it to have and has a Strength of 2 per
success spent (up to the maximum amount of force
the body to bring to bear without breaking or
tearing.) The caster must score three successes,
plus one per animated target.
Salt on the Earth
Correspondence 3, Entropy 1
Indian and Greek traditions recognize the purity of
salt. Necrourgists use it to ward off the predation
of ghosts. Some do so to defend the innocent from
a terrifying haunting, while others simple evade the
due that meddling with the Underworld earns
them. The mage casts a circle of salt and calls to
the gods of the living and the dead to keep their
territories separate and sovereign. In turn, the
circle marks this strengthened boundary; those
within it are warded from the powers of the
Underworld.
System: This variation on a Ban prevents Entropic
energies from crossing a boundary of the mage's
choosing (typically a circle of salt.) Since ghostly
powers (such as Arcanoi) carry the flavor of decay,
they may not pass the barrier. This only applies to
supernatural powers that manifest in the lands of
the living; the ghost may use its powers or pass
freely through the affected area as long as she
remains in the Shadowlands. A wraith can't simply
walk across the barrier from the Shadowlands and
wreak havoc from the inside; the magic permeates
the affected area, not just the circle.
After spending two successes and any successes on
duration and/or the number of additional Patterns
protected, the rote typically subtracts one success
from the use of an Arcanos (or Gift, if you treat
ghosts like spirits) per success spent on the ban's
potency. At the Storyteller's discretion, very
devious or powerful ghosts may be able to evade
this. The rote has no effect on the bodies of the
Walking Dead (and similarly animated bodies,)
who can shamble into the area at will.
Necrosynthesis
Jivitamarana ("Death in Life") Yoga
Entropy 4 or Matter 4, Life 4
The Knights of Radamanthys and the Devasu make
use of this rote when they are forced into direct
combat. Special breathing and ingesting a near-
fatal dose of barbiturate brings the mage to the
Coumantha between life and death. In this in-
between state, their corpse-like bodies feel no pain
and they can shrug off horrific injuries.
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System: This rote requires three successes plus
successes spent on duration. For the duration of the
rote, the mage becomes something very much like
a walking corpse; he can soak lethal damage
(difficulty 6,) halves all bashing damage before
soaking, and suffers no wound penalties. The
mage's Life Pattern becomes indistinct, Life effects
targeted at the mage have their difficulty increased
by 1.
This strength has a price. The mage's body is
insensitive to tactile stimulus and he automatically
fails most applicable Perception-based tests. His
withered, pale visage reduces his Appearance to
zero. Finally, the mage possesses an additional
Entropic Resonance Trait for the duration of the
rote.
Dukhamarana Moksa
("Release of Agonizing Death")
Entropy 4, Life 3
This form of the Good Death is used on
particularly sinful or destructive candidates. Some
Euthanatoi believe that sometimes the Good Death
alone isn't enough to dissuade an evil-doer; his
death must be a lesson in of itself. The intense pain
that Dukhamarana Moksa creates as it kills is said
to discourage a victim from committing evil acts in
his next life. Since the spell corrodes victims to
dust, it also counters the unnatural hardiness of
some supernatural creatures.
By chanting the Dukhamarana mantra and
declaring the victim's sins, the Euthanatoi
concentrates all of the target's destructive karma
and channels it into his body. The dark karma takes
form as spontaneous lesions, rotting, and
disintegration.
System: After spending a success to affect the
target and a success to collect his tainted karma,
each success inflicts 2 unsoakable aggravated
wounds. Furthermore, any injuries created by this
rote will not heal without special intervention; the
target's ability to replenish its Pattern with
Quintessence has been destroyed. A Prime 3 effect
will allow the target to heal naturally for as long as
its duration lasts, and a vulgar Life 3 / Prime 3
conjunctional effect will heal a target just like a
standard healing rote. Finally, anyone killed with
Dukhamarana Moksa is turned into lifeless dust.
The victim's body cannot be recreated by any
means short of the resurrection power of a mummy
or by using the dust's Resonance as a blueprint to
create life out of nothingness (requiring Mastery of
Life and Prime.) Creatures normally immune to
Life Pattern magic are similarly unaffected by this
rote, though variations that affect them might exist.
If the Euthanatos uses this rote to kill a victim, she
automatically gains one Trait of Entropic
Resonance. Thus, most death mages use this rote to
wound a particularly evil supernatural target and
mundane means to finish it off.
Agama ReSojourn / Agama TeSojourn
Entropy 4, Life 2, Spirit 3 / Entropy 4, Life 2,
Spirit 4
This famous rote used to be cast upon almost every
new Euthanatos as part of the near-death initiation.
As the Maelstrom rages in the lands of the dead,
however, many consider the old method too
dangerous and use other means to initiate
apprentices into death.
The effect puts the subject at the cusp of death,
"tricking" the Underworld into accepting his
passage over the shroud. The traveler becomes a
wraith of sorts, clothed in the spiritual body of a
ghost while his mortal flesh lies in the stillness of
(hopefully) temporary death. Agama Re carries the
mage. Agama Te allows a mage to bring
companions or send another mage across.
System: This rote has a threshold of seven
successes, in addition to any successes dedicated to
the spell's duration or extra "targets." Entropy and
Life imbue the mage with the physical and
mystical attributes of death, while Spirit allows the
mage to traverse the Shroud (the Gauntlet of dread
that separates consensual reality from the
Shadowlands.) No magic is needed to create the
subject's wraithly body; the natural laws of the
Underworld clothe dead souls.
The subject's spiritual body (called a corpus)
resembles his self-image. A mage's corpus will
often manifest features of his Avatar's Essence and
appearance as well. The subject now has 10 health
levels and doesn't take wound penalties. Since she
is no longer housed in a living Pattern, she can no
longer be affected by Life magic. She must use the
Spirit Sphere to heal any injuries sustained to the
corpus. Ghosts can sense that the mage still carries
the spark of life with a Perception + Awareness (or
a Gnosis) roll, difficulty 6. Like a ghost, the
subject can walk through walls or ignore anything
from the living world that would harm her by
expending a single health level per barrier or
hazard.
If a mage loses all of her health levels, two things
happen. First of all, she immediately gains a new,
permanent Entropic Resonance Trait. Secondly, the
mage is drawn into a Harrowing.
In Mage terms, a Harrowing is a kind of anti-
Seeking. The mage undertakes a symbolic
visionquest, but instead of spurring her personal
growth it seeks to torment her to the point where
she loses hope and takes refuge in Oblivion. The
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mage's Avatar often takes the role of a victim or
companion, but it has no influence over the events
of the Harrowing. Instead, malefic forces attempt
to separate the mage from her Avatar, inspire her to
betray it, or cause her to reject the possibility of
Ascension.
If the mage keeps to the ideals of Ascension and
stays true to her Avatar, she returns to her mortal
body. The spell is finished, regardless of its
duration. If Agama Te was used, any companions
under the effect return as well.
If the mage fails (betrays or rejects her Avatar or
denies Ascension,) the player must make a
Willpower roll (difficulty 9.) If the roll is
successful, the mage returns to her body just as if
she'd succeeded. If the roll is a failure, the mage
returns to her body and loses a level of Arete. (She
has, after all, denied Ascension and/or her Avatar.)
If the mage botches, Oblivion consumes her soul
and she becomes an evil ghost, or Spectre.
Order of Hermes
Betrayal of the Burning Arrow
Correspondence 1, Forces 3
The Technocracy's supremacy on the physical
battles of the Ascension War is due to one thing
alone: guns. Even the most powerful Master can be
laid low by a well-placed bullet. The Order has
never been inclined to take such punishment lying
down, but most Technocracy agents are intelligent
enough to ward their guns against mystic
tampering. Thus, some of House Flambeau's more
devious thinkers have hatched the Betrayal of the
Burning Arrow, which transforms the bullet in a
weapon's chamber into a deathtrap.
Breaking a glass or crystal arrowhead inscribed
with the Enochian glyph for the number eight (an
ill-omened number,) the mage uses basic
Correspondence sensing to latch onto the bullet
currently in the chamber of a gun in his line of
sight. Forces arts transform any kinetic energy
about to act on that bullet into heat, generally
causing the weapon to erupt into flame when the
trigger is pulled and often causing any other bullets
left in the gun to explode, detonating the weapon in
its wielder's hand.
System: Betrayal of the Burning Arrow inflicts
damage as a normal Forces attack and, in the
process, destroys the gun used to fire the targeted
bullet. A Storyteller might rule, however, that a
weapon on its last shot inflicts less damage, while
a machine gun with a full clip may inflict
significantly more. This rote is usually
coincidental.
Ceasar's Due
Correspondence 3, Entropy 2, Prime 2
The mages of the Order of Hermes rank among the
busiest and most pressed-for-time people in the
world. Fewer than 50 percent of all Hermetics can
even entertain the notion of holding a day job.
How, then, do they pay for necessities like gas and
electricity? Ceasar's Due, a relatively recent
innovation from the great minds of House
Fortunae, is certainly one solution to the problem.
The rote, most often focused through a circle of
seven bank cards (which need not be the mage's, or
even active,) scribed with Enochian sigils and
arranged around a stack of the mage's monthly
bills, creates an aetheric matrix with Prime arts,
through which a purely conceptual force
(electronic money) will move. Next, Entropy,
through the principle of contagion (assisted in this
by Correspondence,) sifts through bank records
and ongoing fiscal calculations, "latching onto"
tens of thousands of the fractions of a cent that are
normally discarded by electronic transactions.
Correspondence then shuffles all of this "phantom
money" into the Prime Pattern within the circle,
dispersing it from there to the institutions to which
the mage owes money. As most Hermetics who use
this rote see it, no one is hurt, nothing that actually
exists is stolen and none of this would even be
possible was the Technocracy not so sloppy in its
application of basic mathematics.
Ceasar's Due may also be enacted, albeit much
more crudely, through the use of Correspondence
3, Forces 3, Prime 2, by simply adding the new
data (through the creation of the electric impulses
that say the bills in question are paid) to the
various computers that track the mage's accounts.
This approach tends to leave a traceable trail back
to the mage, though, and often leaves the same
sorts of signs as simply hacking the systems which
house the accounts would.
System: This rote pays the bills, plain and simple.
Success results in the mage's heat and cable
staying on for another month and her accounts
remaining flush. One success may leave some bills
a few dollars in arrears, while many successes may
result in credit for a month or more. Some mages
have modified the use of this rote to transfer
money directly into a personal bank account, but
this is a much riskier proposition (since the
Correspondence facet of Ceasar's Dueleaves a
trail to follow) and its use for such base and
avaricious ends is frowned upon by many Order
mages. While the enacting of this effect may
certainly look weird, it produces no effects that any
Sleeper can register and so it is almost always
coincidental.
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Occlude the Seal of Power
Matter 2, Mind 2, Prime 4
Mages of the Order of Hermes rank among those
Awakened most likely to acquire potent and
disconcerting forms of Resonance quickly.
Naturally, this phenomenon can be detrimental to a
Hermetic's ability to socially interact with
Sleepers. The Order, however, derives a great deal
of its strength from its connections in Sleeping
society. To combat the difficulties posed by these
two mutually exclusive circumstances, the astute
wizards of House Bonisagus dedicated a bit of time
and research to learning how to Occlude the Seal
of Power.
To enact this rote, the mage chooses a receptacle
for his Resonance (often the object will be a
container of some sort, such as an urn or chalice.)
This receptacle, whatever its nature, must be of the
most precious materials obtainable: gold, ivory,
rare woods or gemstones, for example. The mage
then sits in a meditative posture, surrounded by
four lit pieces of frankincense (four for the four
elements, four directions, four archangels and four
Avatar Essences,) and breathes deeply 10 times,
each time exhaling onto (or, in the case of
containers, into) the chosen object. With each
exhaled breath, the mage gently whispers the
Enochian name for each of the Ten Spheres
(including Unity) in turn. When this is done, the
mage invests the object with a point of
Quintessence, enabling it to hold the psychic
impression of his Resonance until the effect's
duration expires or he again makes physical
contact with the receptacle with the intention of
reclaiming that Resonance.
This rote may be enacted in a much simpler form,
using only Mind 2 to conceal the psychic aura of a
mage's Resonance as regards other living creatures,
but the mage's Sphere Effects will still carry a
mystic impression that colors them, and by which
he might be recognized. This same rote, with
slightly different implementation and intent, can
alter the Resonance of a source of most varieties of
Tass (an effect called Sculpt the Fifth Essence.)
Likewise, the mage can use Occlude the Seal of
Power (upon himself only) to take on a
temporarily different Resonance than he normally
possesses.
System: This effect, in its primary form, negates
the interaction of the mage's Resonance with the
world in any metaphysical sense. With one
success, this rote might not be fully successful
(especially when used by mages with powerful
Resonance of one sort or another,) allowing
occasional "glimpses" of the mage's Resonance in
his workings and when in proximity to others,
while many successes make the mage seem as
normal as any Sleeper (at least, until the vulgar
effects start flying....) Since this effect actually
smooths the Tapestry, it is nearly always
coincidental.
Vulcan's Hammer
Forces 3, Life 4, Matter 3
There are times when subtlety is called
for. Vulcan's Hammer is not a rote for those
times. This enchantment transforms a mage into a
living weapon of iron and flame. The effect is most
often focused on a statuette of the mage in
question, sculpted from iron-rich clay and
hardened under intense heat. Over the course of
working the clay, the mage scribes and then kneads
her True Name into it 10 separate times, thus
concealing the truth of her identity within it and
making the statuette a conduit through which her
own living pattern may be affected.
(Understandable, an Order mage does well to
carefully protect the focus for this effect, as it does
contain information about her innermost being,
through which all manner of deleterious magics
might be worked against her.)
While in the (grossly vulgar) shape of Vulcan's
Hammer, the average mage weighs in at just about
a ton, and is wreathed in flames of up to 1000
degrees in temperature. Needless to say, there is
not much that can stand before the assault, or even
the close passing, of such a juggernaut (therefore,
beware before using this rote on wooden floors,
near gas stations or in a mine shaft, among many
other places....)
System: Vulcan's Hammer grants the following
changes to Attributes: +3 Strength, -2 Dexterity (to
a minimum of 1,) +4 Stamina. The mage
automatically fails all Social Attribute rolls, except
those involving intimidation, against any Sleeper
who is not aware and accepting of the mage's
Awakened nature. She inflicts normal Forces
damage on those who come in physical contact
with her while in this state. By adding Prime 2 to
the rote, the mage can deal aggravated damage
with hand-to-hand attacks, soak aggravated
damage normally and inflict aggravated damage on
any who come in physical contact with her. While
in this shape, she is immune to phenomena that
specifically target organic beings, is subject to
phenomena that affect normal iron (save for Prime
4 Flames of Purification, as she is still a living
thing) and is a walking Paradox magnet. Naturally,
this effect is always vulgar.
- 20 -
Wildfire
Entropy 2, Forces 2
Another innovation from the militant willworkers
of House Flambeau, Wildfire allows a mage to
begin with a spark and quickly end up with a
conflagration. Lighting a fire at the intersection of
two interlocked pentacles, one of Mars and one of
Pluto, the mage compels the flame to travel on the
particular strands of fate that cause it to grow most
quickly and efficiently: the wind is blowing in the
right direction, a spark hops to the most flammable
material at hand, a splash of water simply throws
burning embers in every direction, etc.
For exceedingly powerful mages, the option exists
of simply using Matter 5 (often focused through
some manner of alchemically prepared oil or a
pentacle of Jupiter) to increase the flammability of
all materials in the vicinity to the point of
explosive combustion to achieve this same effect.
Those of less grandiose means can use similar foci
to transform basic materials (such as tile floors,
glass and stone,) using Matter 2, Forces 2, into
more readily combustible substances whenever
they are touched by flames.
System: Only one success is required to make this
effect work, but large numbers of successes can
cause even a lighter flame to result in a towering
inferno within five or so turns (or fewer if one
happens to be in a fuel depot, lumber yard or paper
mill, for example.) In fact, this rote is
occasionally so effective that it doesn't leave its
caster enough time to escape. Ah, life as a
Flambeau....
Unless enacted in a grandiose and attention-
grabbing fashion, little about this rote immediately
suggests supernatural tampering, making it usually
coincidental.
Sons of Ether
Death Ray
Entropy 4 or Forces 3, Prime 2, optional Time 3
A mainstay of Mad Scientists everywhere, the
death ray comes in two generally recognized
forms. The first is a standard laser or particle beam,
easily jury-rigged from available materials. Most
of these weapons emit invisible beams, but most
Sons of Ether refit them to spray brilliant red, blue
or green, as tradition demands.
The second, called the "chaos beam" or "black
ray," projects random-frequency microwaves, anti-
Etheric particles or contra-Reichian orgone fields
(depending on who you ask,) disrupting bodily
functions. These death rays take the form of black,
jagged bolts, a rippling in the air or a noticeable
chill, and they are favored by Etherite psychics as
well as weapons engineers.
Recent designs also include repetitive mental
techniques or fast crystal-cycling mechanisms to
allow an automatic weapon's rate of fire.
If sufficiently bulky (requiring at least 50
kilograms of equipment) and made of precision
parts, a laser or particle beam is coincidental. The
other versions are vulgar.
System: Both versions inflict aggravated wounds
after a success is spent to acquire the target, and
each requires a successful Dexterity + Firearms (or
Wits + Enigmas, for mental versions) to strike. The
Time 3 version gives the death ray the
characteristics of a fully automatic weapon
(see Mage: the Ascension pg. 241) for four
additional successes, plus additional successes
spent on the duration. Most death rays inflict
aggravated damage through extreme heat or
Entropy disruptions.
Etheric Shielding
Matter 2, Spirit 2, optional Prime 2
Ordinary materials can be converted to resist
energies from alien dimensions, to provide both
physical and mental protection against the horrors
of the unknown. Imbuing standard clothing with
extra-dimensional material (such as materialized
ephemera) or using matter with proven anti-Etheric
properties (such as lead or polyester) in precise
amounts creates a garment or enclosure that is
resistant to alien meddling. Sophisticated versions
of this rote actually align extra-dimensional
energies to protect against physical alien attack.
System: After successes are spent on duration as
well as the clothing or enclosure (based on how
many people it could reasonably contain,) each
success increases the Gauntlet around the wearer
or dweller by one. This barrier must first be
breached by any spirit wishing to possess the
character. Using Prime, the scientist can also
provide two additional soak dice against attacks in
or from the Umbra.
Exotic Matter
Matter 5 or Matter 5, Prime 3
A few Sons of Ether have reached the pinnacle of
their Craft, and no longer feel constrained by such
paltry limitations as the periodic table. Mastery of
Matter has limitless possibilities, exemplified by
such materials as antimatter and Primium. The
guidelines for creating them and their in-game
effects are detailed as follows:
Antimatter (requires Matter 5): Using garage-
built particle accelerators, stolen research time at
CERN and postmodern alchemy are all known
ways to create antimatter. Previously, this material
- 21 -
required an esoteric command of Forces as well,
but the general acceptance of antimatter among
Sleeper scientists has simplified the process
considerably. Of course, rather than laboring with
an unwieldy conventional particle accelerator for
the sake of a few measly positrons, Etherites use
their own shortcuts.
Unlike standard matter, antimatter is composed of
particles with an opposing spin: positrons,
antineutrons and antiprotons. When it meets
normal matter, each particle annihilates its
opposites and releases their combined energy.
Unless kept in a vacuum, antimatter and normal
matter meet... explosively. In game terms,
successes measure both how much is created and
how much it can annihilate, inflicting three
aggravated wounds (unsoakable by any material
entity or object) per success in a radius of
approximately 100 yards per success. (Successes
are not divided in this case.) Etherites may
measure out small amounts of antimatter for
experiments (in the three-to-six-wounds/100-to-
200-yard range) or simply use it to blow something
up. Magnetic containment fields and the ability to
evacuate the area are recommended.
Antimatter requires at least 20 successes to prepare
before spending successes on the
amount/damage/area of effect. Creating antimatter
in these amounts is vulgar, even though the amount
is microscopic.
Primium
Matter 5, Prime 3
Along with Iteration X, the Sons of Ether are
among the few who still know how to create this
alchemically perfect gold/silver alloy. Some
scientists consider the metal to be the perfect
earthly reflection of the universal Ether. Expensive
alchemy and/or nuclear furnaces (as well as a
king's ransom of base materials) go into its
creation. Characters need access to a Resources 5
rating to afford it.
Furthermore, Quintessence is needed. In game
terms, each success used to create Primium needs
to be backed by one point of Quintessence. After
15 successes are spent on the threshold to create it,
successes are spent on its relative mass and
potency.
Finished Primium has a near perfect sheen and
excellent material strength, but its real benefits
come from its perfect antipathy to supernatural
energies (representative, it is said, of its perfected
structure refusing to yield to such influences.) A
Primium weapon's striking surface inflicts
aggravated wounds. It also provides permanent
countermagic commensurate with its mass: two
dice per success spent past the threshold, though
no amount of Primium can provide more than 10
dice to resist any single magical effect. Etherites
may divide successes spent to create multiple
masses of Primium. The countermagic affects
magic within a rough two-yard radius of the mass.
If the Primium has been made into a weapon, this
effect is rolled to weaken the strength of any
supernatural defense, allowing Primium blades and
bullets to punch through defensive Forces effects
and weaken enhanced soak capabilities.
Orgone Accumulator
Prime 3 or 5
Inspired by the work of Doctor Wilhelm Reich,
many Sons of Ether use his theories to store and
use a unique variation of the Odyllic Force. Orgone
theory states that the universal essence is
emotional as well as physical. By harnessing it,
Etherites may imbue Scientific workings with
either their own Resonance or that of another
subject, item or place. Particularly advanced
accumulators can attract and store ambient
Quintessence as well as Resonance.
Orgone Accumulators take many forms (and, in
fact, many of them are turned into full fledged
Wonders.) The classic Reichian design is a
chamber built of alternating layers of conductive
metals and organic materials, but the Sons of Ether
have experimented with many alternate designs,
including accumulator jumpsuits, handheld units
and even wood and metal buildings designed to
focus orgone energy upon a laboratory.
Orgone Accumulators are also used as foci for Life
and Forces effects, relying on the ability to store
Resonance in order to make precise changes.
Healing and weather control are the most common
additional functions of Orgone Accumulators.
System: For the Prime 3 version, each success
allows the Etherite's focus to hold two Resonance
Traits for as long as the Etherite chooses to commit
successes to duration. These Traits may be applied
to any other effect the character casts, but doing so
expends those Traits. By default, an accumulator
absorbs the strongest ambient Resonance in an
area, but the effect can be used to take a Resonance
sample from a specific person, place or thing by
spending additional successes on targeting. The
target does not lose any Resonance.
The Prime 5 version also acts as the Prime
effect Fount of Paradise, as listed in Mage: the
Ascension. Additional successes must be spent to
activate this use of the accumulator.
- 22 -
Quantum Temporal Travel
Correspondence 3 or 4, Entropy 4, Time 3 or 5
The introduction of quantum mechanics has solved
many of the lethal problems of time travel. By
tunneling through to alternate universes, Sons of
Ether can travel into the past without suffering an
instant visit from an annoying Paradox pest. It's
still vulgar and less potentially useful than
traveling to the "true" past, present and future.
Going to an alternate past cannot change the true
present, and fantastic technology retrieved from
alternate futures tends to fail to Unbelief. Still,
visiting an alternate universe has its uses. Utopians
visit the grand futures and idyllic pasts that might
have been, or sneak into dystopias to learn harsh
lessons about the price of failure. Ethernauts
explore these universes out of sheer curiosity,
dividing their time between strange alternate
universes and those barely different from the
"baseline" World of Darkness.
Controlled wormholes in the space-time continuum
are created with high-energy particle beams,
special electromagnetic fields, locating twists in
the Odyllic flow and, in some cases, psychedelic
drugs.
System: Correspondence 3 transports one person,
while Correspondence 4 creates a tunnel into an
alternate universe that can accommodate one
traveler per success spent. Further successes can
move characters through space as well as time, as a
normal Correspondence effect. Time 4 allows a
short hop (one turn/success) forward or backward
compared to the baseline time, before being pulled
back to the point of departure. Time 5 allows for
extended journeys into the alternate past or future
(using the standard chart for Time effects.) Time
and Entropy are used together to isolate the
travelers from the time stream and move them to a
new "branch" of the continuum. The Time 5
version of the rote must be used to return as well,
or it's a one-way trip. Return trips use the
Consensus of the alternate universe to determine
vulgarity.
Other successes are spent on the dissimilarity
between the alternate reality and the traveler's. One
success indicates a near clone of the "real"
timeline, while five successes allow passage to the
most bizarre alternate worlds, such as worlds
where the Order of Hermes controls the paradigm
or sentient dinosaurs coexist with humanity.
Traveling into an alternate past cannot affect the
"real" present, except through any knowledge or
artifacts that the traveler brings with her. Objects
that have a specific duplicate in the baseline
present eventually erode or fade, while objects
from the future do so if they can perform any feat
of magic or science unknown to the present day.
Still, the low-level version of this rote allows
characters to hop into an alternate past and grab a
temporal duplicate of an object that you
desperately need (or need more of) for a brief
period to use in the baseline present.
A word of warning: Alternate universes are just
that - alternate. Even the most familiar-looking one
might have subtle, dangerous differences. Some
Sons of Ether note similarities with the Mirror
Zone of the Umbra and posit that this rote actually
takes them there.
Verbena
Adder's Tongue
Mind 2
The Verbena have long been known for their
ability to understand the natural world, in
particular the speech of beasts and birds, and to
speak to them in return. The language of animals is
not overly complex (though some creatures have
very refined understanding of certain concepts.)
Animals are generally well-disposed to Verbena
who choose to speak to them, provided they're not
hungry or threatened in any way. Even then, the
beast may speak, if only to communicate those
feelings. The creature is under no compulsion to
obey the caster, though it could be persuaded to
help, particularly if offered something it wants.
System: A single success is enough to allow the
mage to speak with and understand any creature
within earshot. The animal's vocalizations don't
change, the mage simply understands their
meaning.
Arrest the Flight of Arrows
Forces 2
In the Norse Hávamál, the god Odin proclaims, "If
I see hurled arrows hard at my horde; though rapid
in flight I arrest them in air." Since ancient times,
rune-workers have known charms for warding off
the flight of arrows and similar such weapons, and
they have passed this knowledge on to the Verbena.
The spell creates a ward that robs all sorts of
missile weapons of their motive force, causing
them to hang suspended in mid-air for a moment
before dropping harmlessly to the ground. A mage
protected by this enchantment is shielded not only
from hurled spears and arrows, but modern
ballistic weapons as well.
System: Successes scored from the spellcasting are
subtracted from successes rolled to hit the subject
with a missile weapon, from a thrown rock to an
arrow or even a bullet. If the attack roll is reduced
to zero or fewer successes, then the missile drops
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harmlessly to the ground a short distance away
from the target, robbed of its momentum. Even if
the attack still has one or more successes, the hit is
still blunted by the spell (since fewer successes
mean fewer damage dice.) The caster must allocate
successes to duration to maintain the spell, and he
can protect multiple targets by assigning successes
to increase the effect's area.
Banishing Blessing
Entropy 2, Mind 2, possibly with
Correspondence 3
Verbena who hold to the tenet "harm none" find
other means to deal with problem people in their
lives. One such is to "release with love" as some
Moon-Seekers say. Using some connection to the
target (such as a photo or a lock of hair,) the
Verbena sends good fortune, along with the subtle
mental suggestion to seize the opportunity, with the
intention that the subject's blessings will take him
away (preferably far, far away) for some time. For
example, the subject might get a new job
opportunity on the other side of the continent (or
even the other side of the world,) win a trip or
vacation, hear from distant relatives she didn't even
know she had and so forth.
System: At least three successes are needed to
send the target away for at least a day, with
additional successes extending the duration of the
subject's absence once the blessing has taken hold.
Four successes suffice for a month or so, five
successes for six months, and six or more
successes can cause the subject to be gone for a
year or more (perhaps even permanently, at the
Storyteller's discretion.)
Blood of the Sacred King
Prime 3
Verbena understand well the power of sacrifice, the
energy bound up in living Patterns, that is released
at the moment of death, merging back into the
weave of the Tapestry. That power can be captured
and channeled toward magical ends, particularly if
the sacrifice is willing (and even if he is not.) The
emotional resonance of a willing sacrifice works in
harmony with the magic, whereas the emotions of
an unwilling sacrifice may taint the spell with an
unexpected or unwanted resonance (of death, fear,
pain or vengeance.)
Among the Verbena, the most common sacrifice
(apart from Self Sacrifice) is that of the Sacred
King, who gives his life for the land, or the May
Queen, who does the same. The health of the land
is the duty of its ruler. When the land falters, the
ruler must perish to make it grow strong again.
A Sleeper sacrificing himself can release a
remarkable amount of Quintessence. A mage who
willingly gives up his own life, however, can
achieve truly remarkable things through his
sacrifice.
System: For each of the Sleeper sacrifice's health
levels (bashing and lethal) the caster gains one
point of Quintessence, so a human sacrifice yields
14 points of Quintessence, which the mage may
use as desired. If the subject possesses any innate
Quintessence, it is added to the above total. The
subject's state of mind at the time of death applies
a strong Resonance to the harvested Quintessence,
which the Storyteller should take into account
when it is used.
An Awakened mage who sacrifices himself (or
allows himself to be sacrificed,) on the other hand,
provides the vital Quintessence, but does far more
in addition - he can renew a dying Node by
sacrificing his life and his Avatar to open up the
Node. If the mage channels his death to this
purpose, he increases the rating of the Node by one
dot per every two dots of his Arete rating (rounded
up if the player rolls any 10s; rounded down
otherwise.)
This rote cannot be fast cast. Furthermore, if more
than one mage performs such a sacrifice at a Node
in the space of one year, the Node may become
unstable and begin behaving erratically (varying
drastically in its Quintessence output, for example,
or by becoming a shallowing or the like.)
A mage who sacrifices herself in this way cannot
be brought back by any means. She does not
become a ghost of any sort, nor can she be
contacted in any way. Her Avatar and spirit are
both invested entirely into the Node she is
rekindling. Nothing remains of the mage's
personality, except possibly some tendency of the
land to manifest her personality traits in some
vague, symbolic way.
Circe's Enchantment
Life 5
The legendary sorceress Circe used her magic to
transform men into beasts. The Verbena have long
practiced the art of transformation, though it is a
difficult one to master. The mage must touch the
subject or subjects of the spell with a wand or
sprinkle them with an elixir of distilled herbs to
begin the process of transforming them into
whatever sort of beast is desired. Some particularly
infamous uses of this enchantment include turning
some targets into predators and others into prey,
restoring the former only after they have hunted,
killed and eaten the latter. Another is transforming
some subjects into male animals and others into
females, allowing them to experience mating and
- 24 -
childbirth before they are restored.
Verbena do also use this spell as a blessing of sorts,
allowing others to experience life in beast form;
soaring as an eagle or swimming as a dolphin, for
example. It is a rare gift, and not one given lightly.
System: Five successes are required to transform
the target completely. Fewer successes might result
in only a partial transformation (such as giving the
target the head of a donkey or the lower body of a
horse.) Each additional target requires another
success, and at least one success must be assigned
to duration (for the spell to last more than a
moment.) This makes Circe's Enchantment a
taxing spell for even a skilled mage.
Curse of Macha
Life 2
In ancient Ireland, the goddess Macha was forced,
while pregnant, to run a footrace against the
swiftest horse in the kingdom to prove her
prowess. She won, and immediately went into
labor thereafter, to be delivered of her child. She
laid a curse upon the men of Ulster that when they
were in need of their strength, they would feel the
pangs of labor upon them, just as she suffered
them. This curse allows a Verbena to cause the
victim, male or female, to feel labor pains
clutching at them. Verbena women most often use
it to teach men a lesson about "the weaker sex."
System: Each success on the spell is treated as two
levels of bashing damage for purposes of
determining dice pool penalties due to the terrible
pain. Targets Incapacitated by the spell are
incapable of doing anything other than moaning
and writhing in agony. Successes must be assigned
to duration as normal, though the mage can also
choose to consciously maintain the spell.
Lay of the Land
Correspondence 2, Life 2
Oneness with nature has long been a deeply held
Verbena belief, one that this magic makes a reality.
The caster weaves a web of enchantment that
connects her to all life within a particular area,
both plants and animals, allowing the mage to
become aware of the nature of a place and
everything that is happening there. Generally, the
more sophisticated and plentiful the life in an area
is, the more the Verbena learns. This spell is more
effective in an old-growth forest or a jungle filled
with numerous creatures, less effective in a barren
desert, and all but useless in a blasted and barren
landscape. Information comes filtered through the
life of the land, so it might be somewhat distorted
by the different perspectives.
System: One success is needed to create the
connection between the caster and the life of the
land. Additional successes expand the range of the
caster's senses as follows: an area 100 yards in
radius with one additional success, up to a mile
with two, ten miles with three, 100 miles with four,
and 500 miles with five. At greater distances, the
information the mage receives becomes
increasingly vague simply because there is so
much. The Storyteller may require a Perception +
Awareness roll (difficulty 1 + total spell successes)
to sort out specific information.
Magic Circle
Prime 2, Spirit 2
Verbena often perform their rites within the bounds
of a circle that is warded to protect them against all
unwanted influences and spirits, intended to keep
in the power that they raise until the time is right to
release it. Traditionally, they create the circle by
walking or tracing its bounds with wand, staff or
blade three times. The spirits of the four directions
and the four elements are then called upon to
consecrate and enforce the circle's boundaries until
the Verbena release them.
System: A Magic Circle can have a radius up to
the caster's Arete in yards; each success allocated
to the radius increases it by a yard. A circle cast for
a specific ritual lasts until that ritual is complete. A
circle cast for general purposes must have
successes allocated to its duration. The remaining
success from the casting provide dice for
countermagic. These dice are rolled automatically
against any spell cast on a subject within the
bounds of the circle. Make a Willpower roll
(difficulty 6) for any spirit attempting to cross the
boundaries of the circle. A number of successes
equal to the spell's casting are necessary for it to do
so. Spirits cannot affect those inside the boundary
with their powers.
Self Sacrifice
Prime 1
The Norse god Odin hung himself from the
branches of the World Tree to gain knowledge of
the runes. So must the Verbena sometimes sacrifice
for their magic. Rituals of pain and endurance - as
simple as cutting runes into flesh or scourging or as
complex as hanging in imitation of Odin's sacrifice
or the Native American Sun Dance - fuel Verbena
magic. Other mages consider such primitive and
painful rituals unnecessary, but the Verbena
understand that sometimes pain is the best way to
know that you are alive, and the willingness to
sacrifice is one of the greatest strengths.
System: For each level of bashing damage that she
- 25 -
suffers, the mage gains a point of Quintessence she
can use for a particular spell. For each level of
lethal damage, the mage gains an additional point
of Quintessence. This damage is done directly to
the mage's pattern, so it cannot be healed using
magic, only time and rest. In essence, the Verbena
is drawing upon her own life force, breaking down
the Quintessence of her own being, to fuel her
magic.
Strains of Laughter, Sleep and Sorrow
Mind 2
The Celtic god Dagda was said to possess a
magical harp that played certain songs that could
enchant all those who heard them. These haunting
melodies caused uncontrollable laughter or
weeping, or they sent listeners into a deep and
peaceful sleep. The bards and skalds of the
Verbena have long practiced the art of influencing
and enchanting listeners with their music and can
produce similar effects. Traditionally it is the
melody of a harp, pipe or flute that produces the
magic, but some Verbena accompany the
instrument with a song or even sing
unaccompanied. Some casters have been known to
achieve the same effects with modern instruments.
System: The caster weaves a powerful strain of
emotion with his music. The successes from
casting the spell determine the strength of the
emotion. Two or three successes are enough for
listeners to feel whatever emotion the caster
projects. Four or more cause the subject to feel it
intensely, and even act upon it. At this level of
success, subjects laugh or weep openly or drop off
into a deep and peaceful slumber. A target can
spend a point of temporary Willpower to shake off
the effect briefly, but as long as the caster plays, it
will return. The effects of the spell end within a
minute after the caster stops playing or singing,
though listeners who have fallen asleep will remain
so for at least an hour or two, unless they are
awakened before then.
Strength of the Earth
Life 3
For the Verbena, the living Earth is a source of
great strength, spiritually and magically. Using this
spell, it is also a great source of physical strength,
investing the caster with the power that raises
mountains and directs the course of mighty rivers.
To cast the spell, the Verbena must be in contact
with bare rock, soil, sand or dirt. Pavement and
wooden floors will not do, though solid stone
floors set firmly into the ground might, at the
Storyteller's discretion. The caster needn't be
barefoot, though some Verbena prefer it when
using this magic. The spell also ends if the caster
loses touch with the earth for any reason.
System: Each success on the spell's casting adds a
dot to the mage's Strength. The caster must also
assign successes to duration for the spell to last for
more than a moment. The spell is coincidental so
long as the mage's strength remains within human
bounds (five or fewer dots.) Greater levels of
strength require vulgar magic to achieve. A similar
rote exists that uses oak trees to augment the
mage's Stamina.
Threefold Return
Entropy 4, Time 4
Many Verbena believe in the Law of Threefold
Return, which says that what you do returns to you
threefold in the fullness of time. Some Verbena are
not willing to wait for the fullness of time, so they
choose to help things along a bit, providing a touch
of "instant karma" where others get exactly what
they deserve.
The Verbena prepares a suitable charm as a focus
for the spell, which must be worn or carried. The
most common charm is a small mirror or other
reflective item, though metal rings (representing
the circular nature of the Law of Three,) symbols
connected with fate and woven or knotted cords
(particularly of three colors) are also common. The
Verbena chooses when to activate the charm,
releasing the power of the spell.
System: The caster must achieve at least one
success to prepare the charm. When the spell is
released, the total number of successes determines
its effectiveness. It magnifies the actions of the
subject performed for or against the caster and
returns that fortune (good or ill.) So someone who
did the caster a good turn might gain some small
benefit (for one success) to a great windfall (for
four or more successes.) Someone who did the
caster harm might suffer a similar harm (for one
success) to a terrible series of misfortunes (four or
more successes.)
Waters of the Well of Life
Life 5
Although the Masters of the Verbena can create
life, it is a power they rarely employ. The same is
true for the power to restore life to the dead.
Therein lay the hubris of Asclepius and
Hippocrates, they say, which led to the creation of
the Cosian Circle and their modern heirs, the
Progenitors. Such power over life and death is
necessarily limited, because without death, life has
no meaning.
The Verbena do possess mystic secrets for holding
death at bay for a time, however. This enchantment
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has been found (in one form or another,) among
many different branches of the Old Faith, from the
druids to the witches of Thessaly to the spae-wives
of the North. The caster infuses a bath - often in a
great cauldron - with sacred herbs and magical
power, transforming it into the waters of the Well
of Life, which can restore life to the recently
deceased.
System: A minimum of four successes are needed
to effect the spell, which is only possible if the
subject has been dead no more than a number of
hours equal to the caster's Arete. The deceased is
restored to life with a single health level, and she
must recover normally from that point (though
magical healing can assist in this as well.) This
spell is always vulgar, since tampering with the
forces of life and death in this way is no small
thing.
Willful Binding
Mind 4
Although they are believers in the tenet, "An it
harm none, do what thou wilt," the Verbena also
believe that using magic to enjoin others from
doing harm (essentially binding them to the same
credo) is entirely fair and just. Sometimes rather
than calling down a curse upon a wrongdoer
(which could invite similar harm to return to
them,) Verbena use this spell to bind that person's
will and prevent any further transgressions.
The spell requires that the caster be in the presence
of the subject and pronounce the binding upon
him, or else have some personal connection to the
subject to cast the binding from afar. The subject is
thereafter unable to violate the commands that the
caster has specified - be it as broad as "do no
harm" or as specific as troubling a specific person
no more.
System: The caster requires Correspondence 2 and
a personal item (picture, lock of hair, etc.) to cast
this spell on a target she cannot see. Otherwise the
binding must be done in the target's presence.
Successes determine how long the binding lasts (as
given on pg. 209 of Mage.) While under the effects
of theWillful Binding, the subject cannot take any
action contrary to the mage's prohibitions, though
the Storyteller may permit the subject to spend a
point of Willpower to momentarily overcome the
binding for a round. Countermagic can also undo
a Willful Binding.
Virtual Adepts
Here Kitty, Kitty
Correspondence 3, Mind 3, Time 3
Straight up - this is an insane rote and
recommended only for the desperate. Basically, it's
used in a firefight to bring in someone/something
that hates your opponent. The catch is that the
critter you call up may not like you either. The
original creator of this rote, an Adept named Zer0
Effect, snagged a werewolf with it on his first try
and ended up in a hospital for the better part of a
year. Still, his opponent ended up in a very small
pine box so the situation did have an upside. You
can find this rote in the Adept data storage under a
"Tweety Bird" icon. Zer0 said this cartoon, in
which a "helpless little bird" lures a cat into worse
and worse danger, inspired him. One day he
pictured the cat as the big, bad Technocracy and
knew he had to create this rote.
System: The Mind Sphere draws out something
that the target fears (Occult Lore helps as well,)
while Correspondence and Time ensure that the
object of that opponent's fear shows up. Please
note that this is NOT a teleport rote (though some
Hacker geeks did devise something called
"Summon Critter" that uses Life 4 or Matter 4 to
port monsters in.) To reduce Paradox and get
around some anti-magic wards, Zer0 decided to
draw critters in using incidental means.
Correspondence opens up a coincidental "path" for
the creature to follow; Time makes sure it shows
up before the combat ends. A safer variant on this
rote uses Forces instead of Time to make a
hologram appear instead of a real creature.
IFF
Correspondence 2, Forces 2
According to some Cyberpunks, this is a surefire
way to mess with It-X agents. IFF is a combat
rote, designed to confuse enemies so that they do
not recognize friend from foe. It works by altering
the stream of information entering a target's
perception rather than the target itself. <Rumor
has it the name "IFF" comes from a couple of
sources. In mathematics, IFF is a Boolean
expression meaning "if and only if." In this case,
"if and only if you are outnumbered 10 to one, use
this rote." Video game junkies probably recognize
the other meaning - "Identify Friend or Foe,"
referring to technology used by jet fighters to mark
them as "friendly" to their allies.>
System: The Adept uses Correspondence to locate
and "copy" the image of a suitable enemy. Through
Forces, the Adept and the person he copied now
appear indistinguishable to the target's senses of
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sight and hearing. This works best in larger,
chaotic combats and not in one-on-one battles. For
each success on the casting, subtract one from the
target's attack roll. Any previous targeting is also
lost, and the target must choose who he wants to
fire at (the Storyteller must decide in advance
which one is the Adept and which one is the person
he copied.)
Learn-It
Correspondence 2, Entropy 2, Prime 3, Time 2
Learn-It is a nasty rote that highlights evolution in
action. Once activated, it attaches itself to the
target's Essence and blends right in. Then, it starts
calling up enemies and challenges appropriate to
the target's current power level. It's like wearing a
big, red Kick-Me sign with flashing neon lights
and an alarm. Do or die, baby - that's the lesson
of Learn-It. Some bitter graduates of the Learn-
It program have claimed a better name would be
"Cannon Fodder," but if we called it that, the
Technocracy would stop downloading Learn-It to
"discover Adept secrets."
System: For every success on the casting, the
target becomes a magnet for one skill-appropriate
challenge per session. This could mean anything
from a pain-threatening situation (a piano dropping
on your head, falling scaffolding, etc.) to enemies
coincidentally showing up. The number of
challenges can be modified by the original caster,
assuming the original caster can be found (Learn-
It is available in a number of Wonders, both on and
off the Digi-Web.) It can also be modified, but not
negated, by those with Prime 2, to reduce the effect
down to a minimum of one challenge per session.
To negate the rote completely, you need an Elite
with Prime 3, Entropy 3, so once it's activated,
you're usually stuck with it until you progress to
that level.
Search Engine
Correspondence 2, Entropy 1, Prime 1
Also known as "Telephone," use this rote when
you are looking for a Hacker or a Kibo to fit your
needs. It either puts you in touch with someone
who matches your request or someone who knows
them. It should be noted that you can't find a
specific person with this rote (though more
advanced versions do exist to perform that
function,) just people who fit a general need.
System: Correspondence is used to cast a wide net
to search for your target. Prime is used to locate the
target via his or her Essence (see the section
onNames, pp. 43-44, for more information on why
this is important.) Entropy makes sure that this
person fits your needs. Each success gives you a
20% chance of locating the target or someone
connected to that person. Be careful with this rote!
There have been rare occasions when the best
teacher for the situation turned out to be a member
of the Technocracy - much to the Adept's (and the
Technocrat's) surprise.
Hacker Rote
Nick of Time
Correspondence 3, Entropy 2, Time 2
This allows a Hacker to arrive in a timely fashion
to a number of situations. For the most part, this is
used to gain jobs. With the use of this rote, the
Hacker just happens to be online at the same time,
at an adjoining table, or any other coincidental
means of connecting with a prospective client.
Other Hackers use this to be the proverbial
"cavalry," arriving at a desperate situation with
guns blazing. The problem with this is that
the Nick of Time rote only ensures that the mage
arrives somewhere on time - it doesn't ensure
survival. A number of Adepts using this rote's
"cavalry" option have ended up facing enormous
odds and receiving great kudos... posthumously.
System: Correspondence and Time are used to
identify the location in question and make sure that
the mage arrives there in time for the favorable
event to occur. Entropy is used to ensure that the
mage enters in the best way possible (usually
appearing coincidentally and when just the right
questions are asked.) It does not ensure the success
of the mission, only that the Hacker has the
potential to maximize benefit from the situation.
The Hacker casting the rote must first have some
working knowledge of what's going on, even if it's
vague ("There's a meeting at the docks tonight"
would be enough for this rote.) Once the Hacker
casts this rote, on a single success, he or his virtual
Avatar will arrive on the scene in time for the
situation to unfold. If some sort of countermagic is
involved (wards or sometimes even a magical
battle,) then it becomes a contested roll, even if the
countering mage doesn't know what he's fighting
against.
Kibo Rote
Core Dump
Correspondence 2, Time 2 and Forces 3 or Mind 3
This rote enables a load of useless data to be
directly dumped to a computer (Forces) or a person
(Mind.) The effect is intended to be overwhelming
and normally prevents the target from acting while
he tries to process the information.
- 28 -
System: For each success, the target is unable to
initiate an action for three turns. If the number of
successes equal the target's current Willpower,
computers shut down and the target lapses into a
temporary coma (from which he emerges after
making a successful Willpower roll once a day.)
After a coma/shutdown, some general loss of
memory is to be expected, though the victim may
remember some of the contents of the core dump.
Chaotician Rotes
Don't Cross the Streams
Correspondence 2, Time 2
This rote is used to warn mages of potential
danger. Correspondence is used to scry in on a
specific location and then Time gives an
impression of what might go wrong. Sometimes
the warnings are very specific ("Don't cross that
power line with any Forces magic,") and
sometimes they're cryptic ("The red may kill.") A
mage may use this rote multiple times from
different vantage points to further pinpoint where
and what the danger may be.
System: On a simple success, the Storyteller
provides a vague clue as to something that could
go wrong. More successes should give more and
more clues. Five or more successes will give the
exact danger that the mage may have to face.
Tag
Correspondence 2, Prime 3
This rote is designed to alter the Essence of a
person so that he is identifiable as a criminal to
other Adepts. The marking is invisible to the one
effected and has no effect except for its stated
purpose. Properly done tags include a "signature"
of the tagging mage so that no one can mistake it
for anything other than an official condemnation.
System: Each casting success subtracts one from
the difficulty for other Adepts to notice the tag.
This mark is invisible to other mages, but may be
noticed by mages well versed in Prime.
Cyberpunk Rotes
Arc
Correspondence 2, Forces 2
One of the most basic Cyberpunk rotes, Arc allows
an Adept to pull an electrical discharge from any
nearby power source. This lightning bolt then arcs
around the room hitting everything within a broad
category set by the caster (for example, all
machines in the room, all people, all plants, etc.)
System: The Adept uses Correspondence to target,
and then unleashes an attack with Forces. She has a
chance to hit every target within visual range, up to
an amount equal to her Wits + Shoot rating, even if
one or more targets are hidden or behind cover.
Damage is based on the power source the Adept is
drawing from, inflicting harm as per the
electrocution rules (pg. 248 of the Mage rulebook.)
The damage only lasts a single turn, and will not
affect grounded targets.
Encode
Correspondence 2, Life 2 or Matter 2, Prime 2
This is a variant on the Apportation effect (see
the Mage rulebook, pg. 159) and allows the mage
to store something in virtual space to pull out later.
There's nothing more frightening than seeing a
giggling Cyberpunk use this rote to manifest a
chunk of C-4 into her hand.
This rote is done on only very simple patterns
(small plants, simple creatures, homogenous
materials) until higher levels of the required
Spheres are reached. Theoretically, a near infinite
amount of items could be stored in virtual space,
but realistically, the amount that is stored is limited
to what the Adept can access using her Virtual
Space Knowledge ability (generally, two times the
number of dots in items.) Because it removes
something completely from realspace, this rote is
always considered vulgar.
System: On a successful casting, an item is sent to
or retrieved from virtual space. A botch means the
item is permanently lost. The Prime Sphere is used
to subtly channel the target's pattern into virtual
space or back to realspace. Please note that items
in virtual space do not age or decay but may be
found there by Adepts or other similar explorers at
any time. Living creatures may not walk away
(since space and time don't exist in virtual space)
unless they are put into a specific digital realm by
the caster.
Cypherpunk Rotes
Encrypt
Mind 3, Time 3
This rote, also known as Babel, prevents
information from being pried out of someone's
head. Whenever coercion occurs, the person will
speak solely in gibberish, composed of all the
thoughts in their memory, randomly scrambled so
that they make no sense. Telepathy or truth serums
will not work, as this rote fundamentally changes
the way people remember things. When the Mind
component is swapped out for Forces, it makes an
equally effective protection for digital information
and has been used to hide vital Adept data by
scrambling all of the coding on the computer so it
- 29 -
becomes meaningless binary data. The reverse of
this rote, Decrypt, will reveal text or thoughts
obscured by magic, and is often used for exposing
NWO propaganda for what it is.
System: For each success in the casting, the
opponent's Interrogation or Investigation skills are
reduced by one. Decrypt increases these same
skills by one for every success.
Worm
Mind 4, optional Entropy 2 or Time 2
This neurolinguistic rote is used to erase mental
secrets and codes vital to the Adept Tradition's
survival. It was originally adapted and upgraded
from a New World Order rote known as the T-
Virus. It does not change the Adept's personality or
alter any of his knowledge of the Spheres or
general skills.
System: Mind is used to locate and erase
memories. Entropy and Time, which are both
optional, ensure that the memories removed are
only those relating to Adept secrets and not ones
the ex-Adept will need later on. This is not
necessary to the casting, but most Adepts use it out
of respect for their fellow members. On a single
success, most overt memories of Adept secrets will
be erased. Multiple successes will erase more
subtle memories. A critical success will erase all
conscious and subconscious traces of the Adepts,
leaving only an Awakened mage who is eager to
embrace a new Tradition (whatever that may be.)
Nexplorer Rote
Webcrawlers
Correspondence 3, Forces 3, Prime 2
This rote enables Nexplorers to create small
energy-based, arachnid-like creatures in virtual
space that follow very simple commands.
Generally, they search out information (or its
location) for their creator or protect the mage by
weaving a suffocating web of force around an
enemy. Dreamspeakers who have seen this rote in
action claim that the Nexplorers are luring spirit
creatures from another plane into virtual space
(there is an alternate version of this rote that uses
Spirit instead of Prime, further blurring the
question.) The Nexplorers could care less as long
as the rote works.
System: On a success, a Webcrawler is created
with 3 health and the ability to follow simple
commands. Multiple successes create multiple
webcrawlers. These last for about a scene and will
perform one or two general tasks for their creator:
find or protect. A find command will set them
loose to locate one piece of information that they
will retrieve if possible (this only applies if the
information is unguarded and not warded.)
Otherwise, they will simply log the location and
report it to the creator. A protect command will let
them use the Correspondence part of the rote to bar
an area from passage. Multiple webcrawlers can
use this to "box" an enemy in with webbed strands
of pure Correspondence. Victims of this attack can
defeat the webcrawlers before they are trapped, use
countermagic, or wait until the webcrawlers vanish
at the end of the scene.
Reality Coder Rotes
Information Overload
Correspondence 2, Mind 2
This is also known as the "Usher Syndrome" and
has been used in the past as both a means for
enlightenment and torture. The IO rote affects the
target's mind, tuning perception way up. Used
positively, it can attune an Adept to her computer
and virtual space, making VR experiences as
intense as real ones. On the flip side, this rote can
inflict horrible trauma on someone by stripping
away the normal filters people use to deal with
sensory input. Under the effect of this rote, a light
shining into someone's eyes would seem as bright
as the sun. A little sandpaper dragged lightly across
his skin would feel to the victim as if his flesh
were being ripped off.
System: As Mind magic opens the person's
perception, Correspondence makes the target
intimately aware of the space around her. Each
success on the cast grants plus one die to
Perception. A critical success grants supernatural
awareness as well (as per the Awareness Ability.) A
botch will rob the caster of all sensation until the
end of the session. The rote only works for a scene
(this may be extended for extra scenes with the
expenditure of Quintessence.)
TWACI
Correspondence 3, Forces 3, Mind 2
Pronounced "th-whacky," this is short for "The
Walls are Closing In," and it's a paranoid's
nightmare. The caster warps gravity, manipulates
space, and adds in a creeping sense of doom to
slow down opponents and ultimately crush them.
System: Correspondence and Mind magics warp
the target's perception, making it appear as if the
walls (or other surrounding terrain) are closing in
on the target. Then, minor manipulation of gravity
causes cumulative damage (one die of bashing
damage, increasing each turn up to 10 dice) as
Mind magic keeps the target paralyzed with fear
for a turn.
- 30 -
Hollow Ones
Alley Vanish
Correspondence 3, Mind 2
The downtown urban sprawls of the World of
Darkness are dark, twisted mazes of graffiti and the
dim glow of neon. A Hollower on her own turf
who knows this little trick can fake out, misdirect
and shake anyone that may be pursuing her. A
combination of twisting space and confusing the
pursuer's sense of direction, this rote makes back
alleyways seem to swallow the Hollow One,
throwing off any pursuit.
This rote is coincidental if it is accomplished out of
the direct sight of a pursuer and if the pursuer can
perceive some manner in which the mage may
have escaped ("Damn, he must have jumped onto
that dumpster, grabbed the fire escape and vaulted
over that fence. I'll never catch him now.") If a
character vanishes in a dead-end alley with no
conceivable means of physical escape, the Effect is
vulgar.
Antiquing
Entropy 3, Matter 4, Prime 2
One may ponder, after exposure to Hollow Ones,
how these usually unemployed vagabonds always
manage to have the coolest goth stuff. The insides
of their downtown crash pads / studio apartments
seem covered with trinkets and decorations that
came straight out of a Hollywood monster-movie
set. Just how these street kids afford all the antique
candelabras and hearses with black-tinted windows
while sleeping all day and not playing the
Syndicate's paycheck game is a Hollow One secret.
Antiquing allows Hollow Ones to find things in
thrift shops, yard sales and junk yards that may be
completely nonfunctional, broken down and/or
forgotten. The junk, acquired through trade or
minimal cash, is then transformed via magic, thus
turning someone else's trash into a Hollow One's
magical treasures.
System: The magic itself is a complex
combination of restoring Matter patterns, turning
back the clock on decay and channeling
Quintessence to create something from nothing.
The result is Gothic-style extravagance on a
budget. Not all items require all Spheres, but the
more used, the more extravagant the items created
or restored.
The Effect is coincidental if performed over time
and out of sight of others. If objects are restored
instantly, or within someone's view, it is vulgar.
Being Invisible
Forces 3, Mind 3
The ability to remain unseen is crucial for any
Hollow One on a stakeout or who finds herself in
situations she would rather not be caught in. This
rote manipulates the light of the surroundings to
cloak the mage's presence. Additionally, the
Hollow One enacting the rote projects a mental
impulse for anyone nearby to look in other
directions. Part trick of the light, part
misdirections, Being Invisible is subtle. However,
if the mage moves - takes a full step or more - the
Effect is nullified, and others may glance in her
direction and see her.
Bum a Dollar from the Universe
Entropy 2, Matter 2
On general principle, Hollow Ones hate to play the
Technocracy's money game. Yet, they cannot deny
that such a trade medium is often their only means
for survival. Hence, the creation of this rote.
Hollow Ones using it can find money - rarely large
amounts of moola, just enough to get by on. It is an
effective and mostly coincidental survival
technique. People drop money all the time; the
Hollow One mage just happens to be the guy who
finds these lost bills and coins. Whether the found
greenback is just a fiver to eat on or a twenty to
catch a ride with, street survival is something
Hollowers can summon at will.
Cool Glamor
Mind 2
This Hollow One rote accompanies getting dressed
and made-up. It is a ritual where the Hollow One
puts a lot more effort than normal into the way she
looks. Cool Glamor sets up a particular mental
impulse broadcasting to onlookers, creating a sense
of respect and awe.
System: While this rote is active, the Hollow One's
player can roll Intimidation + Appearance (the
difficulty is the target's Willpower) for her
character to come across as one cool, self-
confident and powerful person. The affected
parties will feel the impulse to treat the Hollow
One with respect while acknowledging her aura of
impressive mystery.
Crowd Surfing
Mind 4
At concerts, parties or any circumstance where
there is a large group of people in one place
interacting with one another, the vibes are perfect
for crowd surfing. Erecting a cool facade of finely
chiseled coolness, cigarette hanging out of the lip,
the surfer closes his eyes and sees the plane of
- 31 -
thoughts. With the cresting waves of emotion and
inner voices, intention and inhibition rise and fall
in the ocean of minds. The Hollow Mind adept
merely walks around the scene, mentally divining
and analyzing the local who's who, discovering
who is with whom and who really feels what for
whom. His mind steers an astral surfboard, cutting
through the tides of thought, allowing the crowd
surfer to conquer any social scene.
Cup of Joe
Prime 3
One of the most common forms of Quintessence
transference, distribution and consumption for
Hollow Ones comes in the guise of this coffee
ritual. Coffee is a very common focus for Prime,
and more than a few Hollow One nodes exist in the
form of coffeehouses.
System: A number of points of Quintessence equal
to the character's Arete can be invested into a
caffeinated beverage (even cola, for those who've
just gotta be different.) When consumed, the
"liquid-bean-of-life" is treated like Tass being
transferred straight into the mage.
Dark Streets
Entropy 2, Forces 2
This rote can create a cover of darkness around the
streets a mage currently occupies, helping her to
avoid others or to keep her features ambiguous.
This rote tends to be coincidental if the mage
merely causes a flicker or a dimming of street
lamps when he walks past - lights flicker on and
off in the urban landscape all the time.
System: The successes rolled equals the extra dice
the Hollow One can add to his subterfuge rolls for
the scene in which the lights are dimmed.
Riding the Railroad
Correspondence 3 or 4
This ability was developed by Hollow One
teleporters to "hop" from Tradition chantries and
safehouses the world over. Unfortunately this type
of transportation is always vulgar, but the less
witnesses, the less Paradox incurred. The Paradox
usually takes the form of physical exhaustion,
severe jet lag and the need to sleep for long stints
after multiple transports.
Railroad Riders can carry luggage with them.
Knapsacks, backpacks and fanny packs filled with
mail are not uncommon. Often, the Railroader
spends a few days at a location, bringing his clique
hosts up to speed via normal means and magic.
Hollow Railroad Riders are on a perpetual surf,
and many learn Mind and Spirit secondary Spheres
to further enable them to carry, receive and deliver
the bulk of Hollow Railroad "mail."
System: With three levels of Correspondence, the
mage can transport himself. With four, he can take
more people or large things, although this also
requires the Life or Matter Spheres (whichever is
appropriate.)
Rooftop Leap
Forces 3, Life 3
A common pastime of young, street-punk
Hollowers is to leap from rooftop to rooftop. Punk-
combat Hollowers consider this rote a test of
bravery and a rite of passage. Over time, through
such workouts, the cliques of punks who regularly
patrol the streets build up extra muscle in their legs
to give them spring. This muscle mass, along with
the very subtle manipulation of momentum, can
give these street troops leaping routines that rival
those of any martial arts movie.
Scent of Control
Life 3, Mind 2
Some Hollow Ones (particularly club-goers) can
produce certain behaviorally stimulating scents
from their sweat glands. All kinds of subtle
messages from "desire me" to "leave me alone" to
"protect me," are released through scent-induced
hormones to convey and create conscious
obedience in others. It takes working up a rather
large sweat to be totally effective, but intense
dancing, long running and even sex can be
pheromone-inducing activities.
Circumstances help determine whether the Effect
is coincidental or vulgar - although the target is
usually unaware that scent is affecting his
emotions, strange and unbidden emotions will not
go unnoticed. Projecting "protect me" to a cop who
is chasing you down is somewhat vulgar. On the
other hand, projecting "desire me" during sexual
intercourse is quite coincidental.
Sound/Thought Transfer
Forces 2, Mind 3
Certain sounds evoke certain thoughts and
emotions. The Hollow Ones perfect this concept
and apply it in several ways. A package of
information - be it a story, and encoded message or
a secret piece of gossip - can be invested and
concealed within a certain pattern of sound waves,
usually music or a spoken voice. The sound waves
are recorded in any number of ways. Later, when
the sounds are played back, the sound evokes
mental images of the invested information.
Sound/Thought Transfer is the Hollow One method
of choice for communicating to each other what
they do not want others to hear. Raves, night clubs,
pirate radio and even the exchanging of mix tapes
- 32 -
and CDs serve as the complex system by which
Hollow One knowledge is passed around. Things
hidden in music serve as the Hollow One
grapevine. This Effect is considered coincidental
("We understand what this music is saying.")
Spot the Man
Correspondence 1, Life 1, Matter 1, Prime 1
This rote is used by Hollow Ones on the street to
recognize the enemy. It is usually used on anyone
who looks out of place. Those wearing full black
suits are often checked, as are most black sedans.
System: With a successful roll, this rote will reveal
the existence of any Technomagic implants in a
target, as well as identify the presence of the
substance known as primium. This rote is
considered coincidental.
Summon Fog
Matter 3
This rote conjures ever-creepy and mysterious fog
to embellish the Hollow One's rituals or conceal
his presence. The Fog can provide safety, cover
and privacy from others.
System: The full effects of the fog are up to the
Storyteller. It might raise difficulties on Perception
rolls and/or lower the difficulty on Stealth rolls,
depending on the success of the Effect.
The Effect can be vulgar or coincidental depending
on circumstance or location. In early morning San
Francisco, the Smokey Mountains or predawn
London, fog is most certainly a normal occurrence.
In the deserts of the American Southwest or an
afternoon in the city, however, fog is an
improbable occurrence. The slower the fog takes to
set, the more coincidental it can seem.
Traffic Pulse
Entropy 2, Forces 2
For those who choose to listen to the music of the
city, there is an underlying pattern, a rhythm, if you
will, to all the rumbling and revving of the engines.
With mastery of the Traffic Pulse, a mage can
effect the time it takes traffic lights to turn, cause
traffic to be heavy or sparse, even direct and
prevent minor accidents. For a mage who literally
lives on the streets, Traffic Pulse can be a useful
magical tool.
Vext
Entropy 2, Time 3
Perhaps the most useful of all Hollow One curses
is the mighty Vext. The Vext is only evoked on
enemies of the Hollow Ones, never on a rival
Hollower. The target suffers a series of minor
setbacks and annoyances - nothing goes right or
according to plan for someone who has been Vext.
When Hollow Ones are compelled to warfare
(magical or otherwise,) it is common to evoke a
Vext on the enemy a few days before a calculated
strike.
System: This rote makes its recipient the target of
Murphy's Law for a number of days equal to the
successes gained on the Arete roll. Since streaks of
bad luck are not out of the norm, this rote is
coincidental.
We'll Get There
Correspondence 1, Entropy 2
This trick is a way to keep from getting lost in the
surreal urban landscape that is a Hollow One's
habitat. Combining a keen sense of direction with a
good set of odds, the mage can usually stumble to
where she wants to be or needs to be.
System: As long as the mage has a good idea of
where she's going ("I need to get to Tadd's
apartment...") a single success is enough to point
her in the right direction and keep her on track.
More successes clue the mage into short cuts that
get her there faster. This rote is coincidental magic;
the name of the rote itself is a good enough way to
subtly pass off this effect.
Writing on the Wall
Matter 1, Mind 3
Graffiti is one of the Hollow Ones' hidden
languages. All that multicolored scrawl and those
odd, letter-like symbols decorating the dark corners
are often really cryptic Writings on the Wall. This
technique is similar to the old hobo language.
Hollow Ones use this language to give others in
the Tradition quick clues as to the lay of the land -
whose territory is whose, what people to watch out
for, where to meet. The writing may mark the lairs
of supernatural creatures. All sorts of information
about an area is plain to those who know the
symbolic language of the spray-paint signs.
System: A single success conveys the simple gist
of a message to any Hollow one who views it
("Beware: werewolf lair.") More successes add
more nuance or complexity ("Beware: the sewer
under the bridge is a Bone Gnawer hangout.") This
rote is coincidental, although often illegal.
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Hollow Necromancy
Blood from a Stone
Life 3, Mind 4, Spirit 4
Gaunts soon realize that their deceased allies are
oftentimes at odds with themselves. Every now and
then, a poor soul freaks out and becomes extremely
self-destructive in one way or another. This means
lashing out at everything he's usually passionate
about - including the mage. Blood from a Stone
helps ease the buildup of pain-laden angst that
befalls a ghost. When the signs of a great catharsis
fit are imminent - an observation that only comes
from intimately knowing what makes the ghost
tick - this rote is typically enacted.
The mage takes a needle to the wax Fetter Ball (see
below.) The wraith will usually make a big stink
and not be happy about it. It's like trying to give a
little kid a shot; there's going to be a lot of
moaning and screaming. Once the first few layers
of wax are pierced, the rote transforms the ghost's
pure negative emotion into a stigmata of blood
streaming from the wax ball. The mage catches the
blood in a cup. As the pure psychic pain, in the
form of ectoplasmic blood, collects, the ghost
begins to regain its composure. After the last of the
blood has dripped out and the wraith seems as
psychologically stable as anyone dead can be, the
bloody angst is burned in the metal cup it was
collected in, along with a good amount of sulfur.
The burning smells awful in a clinging kind of
way, but despite the stench, it helps keep ghostly
companions grounded and stable. The wraiths
themselves call this trick a "castigation" and are
usually pretty thankful for the treatment after the
ritual.
This rote is always vulgar, and it is therefor usually
performed in private.
Fetter Ball
Prime 2, Spirit 4
This process creates a permanent link between a
ghost and a Hollow One Gaunt (a free 1-point
fetter for the wraith.) The ghost must be a willing
participant and voluntarily "sign" a pact. This
binding process cannot be taken lightly. Once this
pact is sealed and the written agreement is
crumpled into a ball, the mage encases it in candle
wax. The wraith's ghostly powers cannot affect the
Fetter Ball, and the sphere of wax becomes a focus
for further necromantic Effects.
If this rote is performed without onlookers, it is
coincidental. If mundanes watch the wax and paper
ritual, the rote is vulgar.
Shadow Sight
Correspondence 1, Entropy 1, Mind 1, Spirit 1
The ability to see the Underworld is one of the first
rotes learned by those Initiates who desire to
commune with the dead. Not only does this rote
allow a Gaunt to see dead people, he can also
perceive the Shadowlands as ghosts see it. The
surreal and morbid black-and-white environment
that the dead see allows them - and mages using
this rote - to perceive weak points in buildings and
objects, as well as to perceive the "aura" of life
essence in all living things. By concentrating on a
particular ghost, a Hollow Gaunt can also see the
inky-black, evil shadow that is ever present behind
each restless soul.
Shelter from the Storm
Entropy 1, Prime 4, Spirit 4
Just as there is a great Avatar Storm in the Umbra,
there is a great maelstrom in the Underworld. The
evocation of this rote allows a Gaunt to turn a
room or a small building into a temporary shelter
from this maelstrom.
System: One success creates a level-one Haunt.
Each additional success adds to the levels. The
Effect lasts for one scene. Since the mundane eye
cannot even perceive a maelstrom, this rote is
always coincidental.
Voice Across the Void
Correspondence 2, Mind 3, Spirit 3
Using a Fetter Ball as a focus, the mage may
communicate with the ball's partnered ghost no
matter where it is in the spirit world. The
communication is sent through the Fetter
connection as a psychic impulse. This way, the
Hollow necromancer does not have to formally
summon and interrupt a ghost ally to consult him.
System: One success provides two-way
communication between the mage and the Fetter
Ball's wraith, no matter the distance between them.
However, the wraith does not have to answer any
of the mage's queries and may remain silent,
although he cannot shut out the voice from afar.
The Effect is coincidental when the conversation
happens in private.
- 34 -
Oneiromancy
Dream Play
Mind 3, Prime 2, Time 2
Some see these strange forms of magical
performance art as a bold new frontier of
creativity. The dream artist takes time meditating
and visualizing a scenario. Like the loose script of
a "choose your own adventure" book or the outline
of a video game, details are invested into the feel
and mood of the piece. After long hours of
meditating and mentally holding an intricate,
mental construct in memory, the dream artist
approaches a clique to be the audience of the piece.
A sleepover is an easy way to conduct this rote,
once all the attendees fall asleep. The creator is in
the position of director and the audience members
are the actors or players. Like a participatory,
subjectively experienced movie, the dream drama
plays out. When the gossamer curtain closes, the
players and director wake up, with full memories
of the experience, no worse for the wear, the drama
having only been a dream.
Running Scenarios
Entropy 2, Mind 4, Time 2; requires at least one
level in the Dream Background
While sleeping normal hours, a Hollow One
narcoleptic can extend his REM state to last for
hours instead of minutes, effectively giving the
dreaming mage weeks of subjective time to work
with inside the dream. By exerting control over the
dream, the narcoleptic conjures whatever
environment she needs for research. Accessing the
vast quantities of information available with the
Dream Background, countless simulations of
possibilities are watched and pondered. When the
narcoleptic awakens from her nap, she should have
an accurate synopsis of the probability of certain
actions and some temporary skills (via the Dream
Background) to represent this research.
System: The mage receives a relevant ability
associated with the dream, its levels equal to his
number of successes or his Dream Background,
whichever is lower.
Dead Magic
The Lands of Nod - Sub-Saharan Africa
Coffin for a Fisher
Matter 2, Spirit 3
Old Ghana tradition tells that a fisherman once
asked his son to make a special coffin that looked
like a fish, so that when he died, the fisherman
could continue his fishing in the spirit world. The
son honored the father's wish, and the practice
became common among those who so loved their
work that they wanted to bring it with them even in
death.
System: The mage must enchant a special coffin
that's built specifically for this purpose. The coffin
should somehow symbolize the job that the
decedent wishes to take into the afterlife.
The player must defeat the local Gauntlet and roll
enough successes to affect all the items desired,
though each one could be enchanted separately if
the mage is not sure of his skill. When the coffins
and trappings are buried with the corpse, they
appear in the spirit world as well. Thus, a ghost
could be outfitted with royal jewels, weapons, or
just the relics of a favored pastime. Even if your
chronicle's mages rarely interact with ghosts, this
is an ideal way to satisfy the deceased and keep
them occupied, so that they don't cause problems
by haunting the living.
The Avatar Storm (if you use it) and the Sixth
Maelstrom (if it happened in your chronicle) tend
to distort this Effect, and sometimes relics are
destroyed before they can manifest in the
Shadowlands, though that is solely at the
Storyteller's discretion.
Cold Water's Blessing
Matter 2, Prime 2
As water gives life, it holds the power to protect.
Evil magic can be dispersed by cold water, and
villainous sorcerers rendered powerless. Even
vicious naglopers lose their powers temporarily if
dipped in water.
System: The mage must somehow hit the target
with cold water - whether by tricking it into a river
or throwing a bucket of water at it. The mage
channels the water's power to heal, promote life
and wash away evils. The water soaks into the
target and its power becomes primal energy that
washes off evil magic (that is, its Pattern is
dissociated with Matter and turned into cleansing
energy with Prime.) Successes scored on the effect
are used to unweave whatever magic that the
subject might have, be it a malign enchantment or
a special power.
- 35 -
The Prime magic already invested allows the mage
to discriminate between magic with a friendly,
positive Resonance or an evil, malignant one, so
the Effect does not inconvenience a sorcerer who
has no ill intent. With Time magic, the caster can
cause this Effect to "wait" on the target and then
use successes to unweave a later evil spell or Effect
that the subject might try to cast - Effect successes
counter the supernatural powers of the subject.
Thus, an evil sorcerer dunked in water several
times (with an extended use of this Effect) might
find his next few spells fizzling.
Counter-Irritant
Life 2
In addition to mundane surgery, some healers in
Somalia used a counter-irritant, a heated nail or
metal rod. The rod was heated, then applied to an
injury. Obviously, such a practice cauterized the
wound. Medicine men believed that the scream of
the patient also allowed the pain to escape from the
body, and that the patient's recovery subsequently
quickened with less chance of infection.
System: The mage applies a cauterizing instrument
to a wound. (Hopefully, the character has at least
rudimentary medical knowledge; cauterizing a
wound improperly can lead to shock or even
death.) The subject must be allowed to scream -
with that scream comes out all of the pain from the
injury. A full turn after the Effect is completed, the
subject no longer suffers penalties from that
particular wound for the duration of the Effect. The
caster can also choose to use some of the successes
to speed the healing of the wound - each success
cuts mundane healing time into a fraction: with
two successes for healing speed, the subject heals
in half the normal time; with three successes, a
third of the normal time and so on. Since most
people believe in the efficiency of cauterization
and sterilization, this Effect is usually coincidental.
Dogon Divination
Entropy 1, Time 2
Dogon and Yoruba priests use a ceremonial tray in
conjunction with 16 kola nuts in order to divine the
future. The priest holds the tray in his lap while he
quickly passes the nuts from hand to hand. As he
passes the nuts back and forth, some fall out and
make marks on the tray's flour-dusted surface.
Once he is finished, the priest reads the pattern left
in the dust and uses it to contrive a sacred poem.
That poem offers insight into the future or into the
actions that a subject should take.
System: Like the more traditional forms of Time
Sight, this rote allows the caster to glimpse
indirectly into the future. The mage does not
actually see what will happen; rather, he gets an
idea of what patterns are emerging and how
actions now can help to avert a bad fate later.
Though the ritual always gives some result, the
successes on the Effect give an idea of how
accurate and clear the advice is. With only one or
two successes, the Mage may get a poem that
seems cryptic or only peripherally related to events
at hand, while with more successes, the reading
inspires a poem that eerily parallels current events
or shows an obvious and clear threat looming in
the future. Interested Storytellers might want to
actually look up some Yoruba poetry to find a
passage appropriate to their chronicles.
If the Storyteller feels a little overworked by
having to fit a mystical African poem into his
chronicle, he can simply advise the players as to a
specific course of action - if the characters follow
through, then the Effect's successes can be used to
enhance a later use of an Ability, in the usual
fashion of Magic Enhancing Abilities (see Mage
Revised, pg. 155.) Such successes are not
cumulative; one divination must be fulfilled before
another can give insight into the future.
Find the Guilty
Mind 2
In Gabon, death is often attributed to malign
influences or evil spells. The power of a person's ill
will toward someone else figures prominently in
some other societies, too. Though it's too late to do
much after someone has died, a priest can still find
the killer - or at least someone who harbored
resentment or hate toward the victim. This can
open the door to finding out why and how
someone was killed, or whether there are hidden,
malign feelings seething beneath the surface of an
otherwise proprietary occasion. Should a dark
secret come out in this fashion, the priest might
well learn of some impropriety on the part of the
deceased. Such a ritual is good for closure: Those
who harbored hatred toward the deceased can let it
out, while the priest can also uncover and resolve
problems that the deceased may have left behind.
To find the guilty, the priest dons a ceremonial
headdress, complete with ritual scars, paintings and
hairs. The priest then dances among a group of
villagers until his feet cause him to stop. Since the
headdress may not include holes for the eyes, the
priest stops only when the magic prompts him to
do so. The person in front of whom he stops is the
one whose grudge or disaffection figures somehow
in the deceased's demise.
Because this ritual relies upon dance, mask and
other cultural icons, the caster must work with a
group that understands the ritual's purpose. Among
- 36 -
the African tribes that used (and still use) this
ritual, everyone understands its purpose after a
death; if it's used among people who did not
understand it, the ritual carries no weight and thus
does not function - though the caster could explain
the nature of the ritual beforehand.
Note that this ritual normally is only used with
men. Tradition holds that women must not look
upon the mask.
System: Though this spell does not actually call
upon the spirit of the deceased, it lets the caster
pull on the emotional strings of those around him.
Since everyone involved knows what's happening,
their thoughts and memories regarding the
deceased are fresh in their minds. Even if
individuals try to bury such thoughts, the caster's
magic can sense and pull out the general feeling;
once the caster stops his dance in front of a guilty
survivor, he can proceed with normal or magical
questioning to figure out why such feelings were
there.
Roll the Effect as usual; the mage need only score
enough Mind successes to sense the mental
impulses of guilt or resentment harbored by one of
the ritual's onlookers, and his magic draws his
dance to that person. This is often done as an
extended Effect: While the mage dances, he lets his
mind wander out and sense each person separately,
rather than trying to grasp the entire group at once.
In game terms, the player rolls for the Effect
separately against each onlooker, with the mage
moving on with his dance until he finds a guilty
party or fails to find anything.
Naturally, appropriate Mind techniques can defend
against this Effect. However, a guilty party who
wishes to shield his thoughts deliberately must use
the normal mental defense rules - for a Sleeper,
that means spending a point of Willpower to gain a
resistance roll.
Sense the Nagloper
Life 2, Matter 1, Time 2
The malign influence of naglopers can cause
illness, fatigue and even death. Since the nagloper's
mystic powers enable it to keep its victims in
slumber, Bantu witch doctors devised a powder
that, rubbed into a shallow wound, would burn
when a nagloper neared and thus awaken the
victim.
System: The magician makes a shallow cut in the
living flesh of the subject, then rubs in his magical
powder while murmuring protective words. Time
magic holds the Effect in place until a nagloper
approaches, its presence revealed by its unnatural
connection of living and unliving (with Matter and
Life.) At that point, the powder begins to burn and
itch, awakening the subject or at least alerting him
to the nagloper's presence (with Life magic.)
Successes can be diverted to duration (so that the
powder keeps itching longer, possibly to wake up a
deep sleeper) and to distance (so that a nagloper
can be detected before it gets within reach.)
This formula sometimes alerts the subject to the
presence of vampires other than naglopers, if
indeed naglopers are a sort of vampire at all....
Halt the Nagloper
Life 2, Matter 2, Time 2
The dread nagloper often sneaks into tents and huts
to feed upon the energies of the occupant, but it
can be halted by a proper enchantment. A
false kerrie(club) placed in the doorway serves as a
focal point for the spell; when the nagloper tries to
cross the threshold (walking backwards to conceal
its approach,) it freezes over the club, unable to
move so long as no one speaks within its hearing.
System: The Time magic hangs this Effect in place
on its focal point, the club placed in the doorway.
Once the nagloper steps over the club, the Effect
paralyzes it. So long as nobody speaks within its
earshot, the nagloper cannot move for the Effect's
duration. An Effect cast with only a few successes
lasts only a few turns, and might merely
inconvenience a nagloper; with mutliple successes,
the creature could be entirely paralyzed for some
time. Traditionally, an individual inside is also
protected by the rote Sense the Nagloper, and that
individual wakes up and goes to fetch the head of
the village, who decides what to do with the beast.
This rote sometimes works on vampires as well,
though not reliably.
Healing Figurine
Life 3
Figurines of animals or people, especially those
associated with benevolent intent, can help in the
healing process. A carved figure with a magical
container at its center can hold healing energies;
placed in a room, that figure's energy helps to heal
the occupant. Also, an individual can insert and
remove a nail from the figure so that its power
flows over him. A mage can prepare such a
figurine and give it to a friend, or even make one
that permanently gives off healing power so that
anyone near it benefits.
System: People in the area of a healing figurine
just naturally seem to recover quickly - they sleep
well, their wounds heal without difficulty and they
fight off sickness. The mage "plants" his successes
on the Effect into the figurine; when it is in a room
with injured people, or when someone thrusts a
nail into it then pulls the nail out, the figurine
- 37 -
unleashes some of its power. The successes stored
allow the figurine to heal people just like a simple
Life Effect, though generally healing takes a full
day of rest for each health level (it's neither instant
nor wholly vulgar.) If the figure runs out of
successes, its power is exhausted.
With enough successes, a mage can permanently
render a figurine a healing Artifact. Such a figurine
causes everyone in its vicinity to heal at the
accelerated rate of one health level per day
(excepting aggravated wounds.) Such a creation is
very potent and requires a great many successes.
Masquerade to Adulthood
Correspondence 2 or Spirit 3
Coming-of-age rituals are common to many
cultures - from body piercings to midnight stories
that pass on the knowledge of manhood to drunken
revels with sports buddies, every culture has its
own way of acknowledging the transition from
child to adult. In some African cultures, the
transition is as symbolic as it is physical: The
supplicant dons a specially carved mask and
perhaps even a costume or voluminous robe. The
outfit protects against eavesdropping or malign
spirits during the ceremony and also serves as a
transition - a child dons the mask, but it is an adult
who removes it. Since many cultures include secret
societies, the masked supplicant can listen to the
words of the elders and learn the secrets of his
family or tribe then push the dangerous knowledge
to the back of his psyche as the mask removes
accountability.
System: This rite serves as a part of a coming-of-
age ritual but, when performed with the help of a
mage, actually defends against spirits that
eavesdrop on secret societies or interfere with the
rite. Masquerade to Adulthood also works as a
change to the supplicant's mind. The mage
overseeing the rite performs this ritual over the
ceremonial mask and costume. Effect successes
with Spirit can be used to make a ward against
spirits. Once the mask is removed, the ward ends
(if it lasted through the whole rite at all, depending
on the Effect's duration.)
Successes used to mute the supplicant's Pattern ties
(with Correspondence) reduce the intensity of
anything connected to the supplicant's childhood.
The ritual turns boy into man; things that had an
arcane connection to the child have little or no ties
to the adult. Thus, a favored toy that counted as a
moderate arcane connection could be reduced to
having no special ties if the mage casting this
Effect scored enough successes. This doesn't stop
the newly released adult from building new arcane
connections with old things, of course.
Painting the War Dance
Matter 2 with Mind 2 or Time 2
Bushmen painters carry small gourds with their
own special mixes of color and use brushes teased
out from feathers or sticks to make the strikingly
vivid rock paintings for which they are famed.
They are so skilled that they need not hunt; instead,
they travel from gathering to gathering, telling
tales and making paintings in exchange for food
and shelter. The most skilled among the Bushmen
painters, it is said, could evoke motion and a
semblance of life from their pictures. Simple
figures danced, moved and performed the stories
that the Bushman painted.
System: With paints mixed by hand from various
natural sources, the magician draws and colors an
image of a story. Then, the mage channels his own
thoughts and images (with Mind magic) or past
events and history (with Time magic) into the
image, and the paintings move and take on their
own semblance of life. The picture shows the scene
that the mage paints, playing out history or the
tales of painters choice for the duration scored on
the Effect roll. Most painters use an extended
Effect, spending a great deal of time on the
painting. With Time magic, such paintings can
show old battles, hunts and scenes from life; with
Mind magic, the mage can create whimsical and
fanciful tales. The Matter magic allows the paints
to move and spread across the rock after they are
applied.
Once this Effect ends, the figures stop moving and
become normal paintings.
Reflecting Bane
Mind 1 or Spirit 3; optional Life 3
Though evil spirits and thoughts can cause harm to
people, those malign influences can be reflected
with a proper mirror or a polished, reflective
statue. Sometimes the spirit sees its reflection and
is frightened; in the case of evil thoughts, the
whispers of malice are reflected away from the
target and dispersed into nothingness. Shamans
often place a mirror or reflective statue next to a
sick individual to protect him from the evil
influences that caused the sickness.
System: A reflecting mirror or statue wards against
the evil influences of spirits or mental attacks,
depending upon how it's enchanted. One designed
to reflect malignant thoughts uses Mind magic, of
course, while one built with Spirit magic defends
against evil spirits. Such an Effect has the usual
shielding/warding defenses, though naturally
mages most often employ this rote for someone
else's benefit. The statue defends against ghosts or
other supernatural powers that might harm the
- 38 -
subject. If Life is added, the figurine or mirror also
speeds the subject's healing.
Sing Down the Rain
Matter 3, Forces 2
Chanting old prayers or hymns to the dead, the
magician can coax ghosts into riding their clouds
closer to a desired location. As the dead shepherd
the clouds along, the magician convinces them to
send down some life-giving rain. Shamans used
this Effect to guarantee good crops; modern
magicians might use the rain for cover, to slow
pursuit or just as a show of power.
System: The magician croons a short poem or
song that calls to the clouds and their ghostly
riders. The magic nudges the clouds to a desired
destination with Forces while causing them to give
up some of their moisture with Matter. The
resulting saturation varies with the mage's
successes: One or two successes bring a brief
sprinkling, while five or six successes send down a
reasonable quantity of rain over a small area. An
extended ritual that scores 10 or 20 successes could
deluge an entire village. The difficulty might vary
by one or two points if it's cloudless or particularly
humid on a given day.
Soothe the Dead
Spirit 3
In Nigeria, priests warn that the remains of the
dead must not be disturbed lest their ghosts return
to haunt the living and cause catastrophe's like
poor crops and droughts. To warn the people and to
avoid drawing attention from malignant spirits,
priests use a voice disguiser - a long, decorated
tube that causes the priest's voice to take on a
booming, dissonant quality. Not only is this
distinctive to living listeners, but it reminds the
dead that they are remembered.
System: The mage must use a ritual trapping of
some sort, often an actual voice-disguising tube, in
order to make his voice known to both the living
and the dead. As a mundane reminder to the living,
the speeches of the mage hopefully prevent
Sleepers from digging into things that they
shouldn't - though in a place where this sort of
thing is unknown, it may well draw curiosity from
onlookers.
To the dead, the voice of a mage when it comes
through this device becomes resonant,
commanding and soothing. Knowing that they are
remembered, ghosts continue their slumber without
disturbing the living. The mage's Effect roll
soothes ghostly passions, causing them to sleep; if
the mage manages to best the ghost's Willpower in
an extended roll, the ghost falls into a torpor and
does not bother the living for at least eight hours,
or until some object of significance to it is
disturbed. (In Wraith terms, the mage can force a
wraith into Slumber; the wraith Slumbers for a full
eight hours unless its Fetters are disturbed. An
unwilling wraith can use Pathos to fight off the
Effect with the power of its passions, or spend
Willpower to resist in the same fashion that a
living individual might resist a Mind Effect.)
Warding Heads
Spirit 3
Carved heads are used in western Africa to ward
off the influence of malefic spirits. Placed in
shrines or at the edges of villages, the heads can be
designed to frighten, and thus dissuade hostile
spirits, or they can be made pleasant so as to
mollify. Sometimes the heads are actual masks that
are used in masquerade rituals; other times, they
are simple figurines placed in tiny shelters where
they stand watch over the village.
System: The mage carves and paints a wooden
head, possibly as a hollow mask. The process of
building the head imbues it with the mage's power,
so that it acts as a ward against spirits. With
enough time and effort, the mage could actually
make it permanent; in such a case, the head is
treated as an Artifact and its ward works as long as
the head remains intact and the ward unpenetrated.
Walk to Too'ga
Spirit 3
This disturbing ritual is thought to protect the mage
after death on his journey to the afterlife. The
magician cuts off his own small finger (taking two
health levels of lethal damage) and focuses his
power through that sacrifice. Once the magician
dies, be it of age or through mischance, his soul
moves on to the afterlife unhindered by evil spirits
or hazards. Obviously, since the lands of the living
and the dead are now separate, this ritual does not
help the mage in a physical walk to the Deadlands
- rather, it defends his soul after death in the
Underworld.
In earlier days, Walk to Too'ga allowed the
subject to walk easily to the afterlife along the
Orange River, but that land of the dead is no longer
present in the world of the living. Indeed, this
ritual was once so simple that anyone could
perform it, but now it requires the use of magic.
System: In game terms, a subject protected by
the Walk to Too'ga is unlikely to become a ghost -
instead, his spirit moves on to its final rest,
unhindered by material concerns. If some driving
need forces the spirit to remain as a wraith,
the Walk to Too'ga protects and shields that
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wraith: The ghost enters the afterlife shrouded
from harm and near a hospitable place in the
Tempest, probably somewhere in the Dark
Kingdom of Ivory (see Wraith for information
about the Underworld.) In short, the spirit is
unlikely to remain as a haunt, and even if magic is
used to communicate with it, it arrives safely in a
comfortable afterlife instead of the torturous hells
that dot the Underworld.
The Cradle of Civilization -
Mesopotamia
Animal Shift
Life 4
Long ago, the ancient gods chose animals to
represent them on earth. This ritual allowed a
follower to assume the shape of an animal that was
sacred to his chosen deity. The change was
temporary, allowing the priest to exact revenge on
his enemies or to spy on those who claimed to
support him. However, the shifters were careful not
to let others know of their ability, for they were
unable to use their magics while they wore the
form of an animal.
In a private ceremony, the priest lit a handful of
incense and recited a prayer to the Anunnaku. He
then requested the aid of his patron and burned a
hair, a scale, a feather or other small token from the
animal he had chosen.
System: As with more common Verbena magics,
this rote enables a mage to shift into the form of an
animal. However, it's limited by the strictures of
belief placed on its effectiveness: The mage can
only assume the form of an animal sacred to a
Mesopotamian god, and she cannot use her
magical powers while in that form. For these
reasons, the rote is not a common one; other
shapeshifting powers tend to be more efficacious
for Adepts and Masters. However, it's a good,
quick solution if the mage only needs an animal
form for a short time.
Mershakushtu Qurdu
Entropy 3
Mesopotamians had an uncanny understanding of
the mutable nature of reality. They realized that
history was not set in stone; something could be
uncreated more easily than it was created. This was
the reasoning behind the
Mershakushtu Qurdu (Victorious Marduk) ritual.
At the beginning of each year, the temple priests
declared a period of renewal, complete with
feasting, song, companionship and other festivities.
The highlight of the holiday was a ritual
reenactment of the legendary battle between
Tiamat and Marduk.
Since Tiamat could not be killed, it was reasoned
that she was gathering forces and waiting
in Arallu for a time when she could rise from the
abyss and wreak her vengeance on the world,
returning the universe to a bitter sea of chaotic
nothingness. The only defense humans had against
such a powerful entity was their knowledge of her
former defeat. The Babylonians thought that if
Tiamat's chains were not strengthened by this
ritual, her power would slowly eat away at history,
until Marduk's victory was undone and she could
finally break loose.
This rote strengthens a Pattern's placement in the
consensus. By casting this rote and then reenacting
an event in front of a group of Sleeper witnesses, a
mage may slowly alter their perceptions of reality
and, over time, shift reality to accommodate small
magical Effects. The more witnesses who believe
the performance, the more effective it is. Likewise,
the more times the ritual is performed, the stronger
the Pattern becomes.
System: This rote is not intended as a panacea for
mages who are dependent on vulgar magic. Reality
can be changed, but not easily or quickly. A mage
who uses it might not see results in a single
lifetime. However, the rote has short-term as well
as long-term uses. A mage who works as a tour
guide in a museum that has a fascinating Civil War
display can strengthen the importance of a specific
battle, garnering more tourist money for the
museum and the site of the battle. A mage who
drives an ancient Ford pickup but brags about its
durability and takes friends on camping trips to
show them how well it holds up probably won't
have his car break down for months - or years.
Magic rolls involving the object of the casting gain
one die for every three successes the caster
accumulates on this ritual. A botch removes
successes but does not necessarily negate the entire
Effect.
Stay the God's Hand
Entropy 1, Life 1 or 3
The Mesopotamian gods were unpredictable in the
best circumstances, and at their worst their
capriciousness could be deadly. The most common
sign of having fallen into disfavor was an illness.
Often the victim had actually offended a temple
ritual and was suffering from a curse as a result.
Ailing individuals requested the aid of a temple
physician to diagnose which god was causing the
sickness. The doctors removed the curse,
demanded payment, and divided the money with
the official who had invoked the curse in the first
place, leaving them both the richer and the dupe
- 40 -
grateful to be well.
Performed as a pair, these rotes allow a mage to
discover the cause for a lingering malady and
attempt to treat it accurately. The mage lights an
offering of incense and recites an appropriate
invocation. Then she puts one hand on the victim's
forehead and meditates for about half an hour,
during which time she empties her mind.
Eventually, an idea starts to form, and as the last
embers of incense die out, the mage can identify
the cause of the suffering. To treat the illness, the
mage must request a favor from a higher power, in
return for a small service. This "higher power" can
be anything or anyone - from a spirit to a
policeman to the mage's boss. If the favor is
granted, the answer comes to the mage in the form
of a dream or vision. However, if the mage then
fails to perform the promised service, she's stricken
with the same symptoms she removed from the
victim.
System: Either one of these rotes is useless if
performed alone. Without knowing the source of
the problem, it is impossible to cure it. Likewise,
understanding the problem doesn't help if the mage
does nothing about it. The caster's understanding of
it is limited by his paradigm; what might be an
imbalance in the cycle of life and death to a
Euthanatos is perceived as a discordant voice in the
universal Song by a Chorister. The difficulty
depends on what the actual problem is; pneumonia
or other "natural" causes are more easily detected
than vampiric possession, for example. The normal
difficulty of the treatment is 8, lower if the mage
agrees to perform some exceptional service for her
higher power. The cure should fit both the disease
and the mage's paradigm, and therefor offer a clue
to the root of the problem.
Weeping for Tammuz
Entropy 3
Tammuz was a mortal shepherd, beloved by the
goddess Istar. When he died, Istar went to the
domain of her sister Ereshkigal, goddess of the
Underworld, and demanded that he be returned to
the living. Ereshkigal agreed, but according to
divine law, a soul could not leave unless there was
another to take its place. Istar was trapped, and the
earth began to wither and die. The gods declared
that Tammuz must be taken back to the
Underworld so that Istar could leave and the land
would prosper. Upon her return, Istar worked out a
bargain with the gods: Tammuz would be returned
to her, though only for half the year. In addition,
his sister Gestihanna would be taken to the land of
the dead in his place.
Every year at the beginning of the planting season,
Sumerian cities held re-enactments of the return of
Tammuz to the Underworld. Each city took its
most beloved young man and buried him alive. The
entire population dressed in black for eight days,
and the priests and priestesses of Istar dressed in
black for a month, mourning the symbolic death of
the god.
This rote works best for Choristers, Hermetics,
Verbena and other mages whose paradigm stresses
selflessness. By giving up something that is
important to her, the mage may ensure good
fortune in a certain endeavor.
System: The mage doesn't have to bury someone
alive but can bury an object of great personal
significance instead. If the rote is cast successfully,
the mage may add a number of automatic
successes to a specified task in the future. The
Storyteller chooses the number of successes
(generally one to five,) depending on how
important the item was to the character. This
sacrifice is permanent.
Enuma Anu Enlil
[Note: The Rotes in this section make use of
particular divination techniques detailed in Dead
Magic, page 53.]
Adad
Correspondence 2, Entropy 2, Spirit 1
The omina contained in the Adad relate to
meteorological phenomena. The amount of rain,
the direction of the winds, the pattern of lightning
or the sounds of thunder all carry significance. The
omens discerned from this Effect usually involve
the fates of a people or their homeland. When
scouting locations for new Chantries, modern
Hermetics sometimes use this ritual to track the
fates of cities. A vague reading might reveal a
general trend in the near future ("prosperity") while
an especially thorough reading might foreshadow a
specific event ("a breach in the walls.")
System: The divination of Adad ties in to the
spiritual aspect of a location, as well as its future
fate. Successful divination tends to reveal emotive
and economic trends. A mage is unlikely to
discover details about a specific building, but
might learn that the city is going into decline or
that a celebration will bring an influx of money.
Istar
Correspondence 3, Entropy 4, Spirit 3
The motions of the stars and the planets hold
secrets for those familiar with the omina of Istar, in
particular the fates of nations and their leaders. The
futures of kings, advisors, princes or presidents,
- 41 -
governors and mayors are all hidden in the sky.
The omina in this Enuma sequence tend to be
highly metaphorical, but predict broad changes.
System: Assuming that the mage can interpret the
metaphors of Istar (in which an Intelligence +
Academics roll may be useful,) he can divine the
general fates of an entire nation and its ruler. This
divination is very general and is not specifically
tied to events: The mage probably won't learn that
the ruler has cholera or that the nation will suffer
an earthquake shattering its most prominent city,
but could get a general sense that malaise hovers
about the ruler or that a terrible disaster will soon
come to the land.
Samas
Correspondence 2, Forces 2
Samas, the sun, doesn't actually move. But because
the Earth revolves around it, the sun seems to
travel across the sky. The ancients understood that
the sun's path changed a little every day, a fact less
known in our ignorant modern times. The
variations are small, and the corresponding omens
are vague but frequently come to pass. The omens
discerned from Samas don't fall into any neat
category; a mage might learn the fate of crops, the
economy, the weather, diplomacy or anything else.
System: The omina of Samas are the easiest to
read; only the path of the sun and the stars and
planets visible at sunrise or sunset are relevant.
When using Samas, the mage lowers the usual
divination difficulty: successes gained from Samas
can subsequently be used to improve the accuracy
of other divinations, by lowering the difficulty as
much as 3. Extra days spent in observation don't
lower the difficulty of this effect.
Sin
Entropy 2, Prime 1, Spirit 2 or Entropy 4, Prime 4,
Spirit 4
All the complexity of the heavens pales next to that
of the moon. Its phases, color, brightness and path
through the sky are all significant. Eclipses are
particularly meaningful. The omens told by the
moon are as broad as those by Samas but tend to
be straightforward. The more powerful version of
this Effect allows the mage to see truly great
changes or calamities.
System: The divination difficulty for a reading of
an eclipse is high - increase the magical difficulty
by 2 or 3, just because the Effect is presumed to be
taxing - but even a few successes could reveal
something momentous. Entire chronicles might
turn on one such reading. Additional nights of
observation do not lower this difficulty.
Anunnaku
Entropy 3, Prime 3, Spirit 3
The abundance of Paradox, Quintessence or Tass
along with the actual Patterns of the heavens reveal
the fates of the Awakened in the broadest sense of
the term: mages, vampires, demons or anything
else that haunts the World of Darkness. The Bau of
Babylon read the pattern of the stars nightly to
learn the fates of the city's demon summoners.
Although this sequence of the Enuma Anu Enlil is
disseminating slowly, and mostly among the
Hermetics, this Effect has proven critical in several
recent Tradition victories over the Nephandi. The
will of the Void reveals itself in the stars; a
successful reading exposes the quality, if not the
specifics, of Nephandic activity to come. Because
the stars are different from every viewpoint (a
phenomenon known as "parallax,") an
accomplished astrologer can determine the future
of local events involving the Nephandi.
System: This divination is specifically useful in
foreseeing the fates of supernatural beings. With a
few successes, a mage might gather a sense of
vague foreboding. Multiple successes could
indicate an illuminating insight into the warped
plans of some potent malefic entity: an ancient
vampire, Earth-bound demon, or a Nephandus and
its colleagues. As with all such divinations, the
results are not wholly detailed or accurate, but can
provide a picture of things to come: Whether an
enemy plans to attack, retreat or hide; whether a
specific type of supernatural influence is involved;
whether the mage's current actions will lead toward
victory or defeat. This divination can also be used
to observe the ebb and flow of Paradox,
Quintessence, Entropy and so on, and reveal the
significance of such fluctuations.
Namburbu
Correspondence 2, Entropy 4, Life 2, Prime 2,
Spirit 3
What the sky has foretold must come to pass, but
the ritual of Namburu can make the results of
predicted events less severe. This Effect is not a
divination at all, but rather a defense against grim
portents.
The ritual involved five steps. First, those involved
must seclude themselves from the rest of the
world, either literally in a hut or symbolically
within a circle. The participants shave and wash
themselves while tamarisk incense purifies the
area. After the mage in charge of the ritual
sacrifices a goat, he rings a copper bell to draw
divine attention. Finally, the participants offer food
and incense to the gods as they beseech the
heavens to prevent the omen from coming true.
- 42 -
System: The mage casting the ritual rolls the
Effect normally, but can be assisted by other
mages. For every five successes, the realization of
an omen diminishes in some way. A riot might
instead be a few scattered violent crimes. The
murder of a king might be an extended illness
instead. Most omina are so vague that the actual
effects of this ritual are hard to determine. This
ritual may only be used once for any given omina.
Storytellers must take care that this ritual doesn't
become a substitute for other preventative action.
Babylon and Hermes
Zisurru
Correspondence 2, Spirit 2
The prototypical ward against demons. By
spreading flour in a circle and lining the
circumference with the statues of protective
deities, the mage creates a boundary that cannot be
crossed by Umbral spirits. Anyone within the circle
who is inflicted by an Infernal ailment gains a
temporary reprieve until the circle's effects
dissipate.
System: When creating the circle, the player rolls
for the Effect as normal; the Correspondence
component allows it to cover a large space all at
once. Any Umbral spirit who wishes to enter the
area must roll its Willpower against a difficulty of
5 + the number of successes the mage scored on
the zisurru's creation roll. The circle temporarily
ameliorates the effect of a demonic curse or illness;
the symptoms are suppressed unless the rating of
the power that caused the ailment exceeds the
mage's successes on the circle creation roll. The
Effect fades at sunrise, and the area must be
rededicated if it is to offer any protection.
Surpu
Life 3, Spirit 2
Babylonian sorcerers had purification rituals for
every type of ailment. But if the cause of some
sickness or curse could not be determined, healers
used a catch-all ritual called Surpu, or "the
burning." Developed to remove the curses of
demons that healers initially knew little about, this
ritual treats the symptoms when the disease cannot
be named.
The ritual begins with an exhaustive listing of all
possible sins, enumerating any potential cause for
the subject's affliction. Then some item is slowly
dismantled and cast piece by piece into a fire.
Usually, this means peeling an inion or stripping
dates from a branch. The flames symbolically
purify the patient.
System: While this ritual does not actually cure
diseases or remove curses, the symptoms subside
for a number of days equal to the mage's duration
on the Effect roll. The severity of the symptoms
determines the amount of Effect successes that
must be generated to suppress the symptoms. After
the ritual expires, the symptoms return with full
intensity. The ritual takes most of one evening to
cast successfully.
The Life magic used in Surpu alleviates
symptoms. The Spirit component counters curses
and demons that may afflict the victim - or, at least,
allows the mage to soothe pain caused by
malevolent forces.
Adaptations of Babylon's Magic
Ansu Ishten
Entropy 3, Matter 3, optional Life 3
This traditional warding incantation draws its name
from the first phrase uttered by the caster: "Ansu
Ishten," meaning God is All. The rote designates a
specific object or person who will be kept safe
from various sorts of harm. It is useless against
magical attacks, but provides a nominal measure of
protection from various accidents, attacks, diseases
or other unfortunate events.
The caster invokes a protective deity with a brief
preliminary chant, then recites the types of harm
that will not affect the object of the rote, in a rather
Seussian fashion ("It won't be crushed beneath a
train, it won't be left out in the rain, it won't be
dropped in boiling fat, it won't be eaten by a cat.")
While the sing-song rhyming technique is useless
for most paradigms, a pattern must be established
for the incantation to work. A Virtual Adept might
use a repeating string of code, while a Hermetic
might place the object within a runic circle and
walk around it, adding a measure of protection
each time he reaches a certain point on the circle.
System: The player wishing to use this rote must
detail every form of misfortune from which the
object of the spell will be protected. Storytellers,
by all means, exercise creativity! In the above
example, the object might be dropped in boiling
acid rather than fat - a fate that is within the
confines of the ward, yet still unpleasant. Each
success on the roll adds 1 to the difficulty of an
attack in that medium. Since the ward does not
provide absolute protection, the Effect is
coincidental. As always, the Effect only lasts as
long as the duration garnered by the mage's
successes; this rite is not a way to gain permanent
immunities. The Entropy component defends
against mischance while the Matter magic specifies
the exact types of harm that leave the object
- 43 -
unscathed. Life magic can optionally fortify a
living subject against such injury.
Audience of Inanna
Correspondence 2, Matter 2, Time 1
Say goodbye to obsolescence. Originally an Effect
to prevent impotence by placing a figure of Inanna
on the head of the bed, the Virtual Adepts have
adapted this ancient ritual into an Effect that allows
older computer hardware to exceed the limitations
imposed by cutting-edge software. With this
Effect, a 286 can run Windows 98 at peak
performance or a Pentium III can execute
algorithms meant for Crays. Software can function
regardless of operating system. Usually vulgar,
although one Virtual Adept supposedly funds his
research entirely with this Effect.
System: The Audience of Inanna rote enhances all
manner of computability - the Effect simply
requires that Inanna be invoked into the system
(often with special desktop wallpaper, a figurine on
the tower case and some convoluted lists of charms
and incantations stored in high memory.) Success
speeds the processor, boosts its connectivity and
improves its performance standards; generally,
each Effect success increases the computer's
performance by a factor for the duration - one
success helps a 286 to limp along, but with 10
successes on an extended Effect, that same 286
could become the equivalent of a Pentium for a
day or more.
Berate the Demon
Matter 3, Spirit 3
In Babylon, everything was thought to be the
potential home of a demon, including materials
used in ritual magic. Some Babylonian mages
prepared their foci by yelling at the demons inside.
The mage declared himself a representative of the
gods and informed his tools that they had better
obey him. Vague threats seemed to work best.
While this Effect is not yet in wide circulation,
many Traditions are developing permutations to
suit their paradigms. Sons of Ether seem
particularly fond of berating their equipment, but
so far it has only been effective on tools the berater
created himself.
System: If the Effect is successful, the difficulty of
the next extended ritual involving the berated foci
is lowered by 1. Consider this a specific form of
Magic Affecting Abilities (Mage Revised, pg.
155.) The Effect improves the spirit/material tie of
the focus in question. Some speculate that
egotistical willworkers have the most success with
this rote.
The mage need not reach into the actual Gauntlet
to perform this Effect, so it does not suffer from
problems like the Avatar Storm.
Kispu
Correspondence 3, Entropy 3
Originally a ritual to secure a soul easy passage to
the land of the dead, modern Euthanatoi have
adapted Kispu for a more specific purpose. By
sacrificing a large animal and reciting the names of
the gods of the dead, the ritual protects a recently
deceased person from becoming a wraith, and her
existence proceeds to whatever awaits afterward.
The Hollow Ones call this an "Enfant Abortion."
System: The corpse need not be present, but the
subject of the ritual must have died less than 24
hours before the ritual is begun. The mage must
acquire more successes in an extended ritual than
twice the subject's Willpower. The subject goes
peacefully into the great beyond, with no lingering
traces or attachments. If the subject already
became a wraith, he can still be dispersed into
nothingness with this rite, but the ritual fails if the
wraith has gained awareness of its new state
already (that is, if the wraith's Caul has been
removed.)
Fire in the Jungle - Mesoamerica
Cuicuilco's Demise
Forces 5, Matter 4
Cuicuilco was a great city in the Mexican central
highlands, until its destruction in A.D. 150 by an
erupting volcano. Teotihuacan went on to become
the most powerful remaining city of the region.
Some mages speculate that Cuicuilco's demise was
planned in a fiery disaster to end its potential
threat, while others attribute its end to the act of
angry gods or unfortunate tectonics. Whatever the
case, some sort of ritual has been handed down that
points to magical influence.
The mage must sacrifice a human victim, as might
be expected for magic of the Mesoamerican sort, in
order to awaken the power of the volcano (fire
gods and what-have-you, after all.) In some
versions, the victim might actually be thrown into
the volcano; in others, the subject is merely
slaughtered near the volcano's base. Either way, the
ritual is dangerous, since it is unlikely that the
mage will get out in time.
System: Effect successes generate tremendous
tectonic forces and pressurization of material in the
heart of a chosen volcano. With enough successes
on such a ritual, the mage could theoretically cause
a volcano to erupt, perhaps destroying an area just
as Cuicuilco was destroyed. Such an Effect is a
phenomenal feat, easily requiring twenty or more
- 44 -
successes for even a marginal result; a mage who
scores fewer successes might succeed in getting
some unpleasant burbling and maybe a single
stream of lava from a volcano, but no spectacular
eruption. Don't botch.
Heart for Huitzilopochtli
Life 5, Prime 5, Spirit 5
The Aztec practice of human sacrifice is well
known. Scholars of the occult theorize that they
used such rites to feed bloody, demanding gods,
perhaps even vampire priests. What is conclusively
known to mages today is that the power of human
suffering can be channeled through rites of human
sacrifice - but the price in terrible Resonance is
high indeed.
The Aztecs considered themselves the chosen
people of Huitzilopochtli, and to him and their
other hungry gods they sacrificed a regular train of
human hearts. The Aztec creation myths even state
that the monster from which the world was formed
demanded human hearts in exchange for the
growth of crops.
A hideous and terrible rite, this power requires the
mage to cut open the chest of a victim and tear out
his heart. The blood of the victim is drained into a
fire, spattered across the altar or sometimes even
swallowed by the demented magician. As the mage
pulls the heart from the struggling, screaming
victim, he tears out the subject's life force and
devours it for magical power. Aztec magicians
probably offered up that power to their gods, but
greedy and psychotic mages of the modern era
might well try to capture such power for
themselves.
System: The mage must literally kill her victim
and tear out his heart. Nothing less suffices for this
rite. The subject must die, typically on the wrong
end of a ceremonial knife. Once the subject
expires, the Effect captures the victim's life essence
and spirit, then shatters them into power for the
mage. The mage starts casting this Effect as she
plunges the knife into the victim's flesh and
finishes it as she tears out the heart; each success
scored on the Effect channelsthree points of
Quintessence directly into the mage or into any
entity or receptacle prepared and waiting (the
Quintessence can be split up, if desired.) If the
Effect generates five or more successes, the
victim's very Avatar is sundered - Gilgul - in the
process. Quintessence generated by this Effect
typically has the Entropic Resonance of Death,
though in some very special cases of sacrifices to
fertility or agricultural gods it might have the
Entropic Resonance of Renewal.
Every time a mage uses this Effect, he gains a point
of Entropic Resonance. Aztec priests were
terrifying figures with distorted, sunken
countenances and a maniacal obsession with
gathering victims for their gods. Any mage who
delves into this rite risks following their path.
Furthermore, using magic of this sort is certain to
bring down the ire of any other mage who
discovers it: The Aztec empire had many enemies
among its neighbors, because the constant demand
for bodies sent the Aztecs to war with so many
surrounding cultures.
A botch on this rite is hideous indeed: Some
ancient power decides that the mage's sacrifice is
insufficient or incorrectly performed. The exact
effect is, as always, left up to the Storyteller, but a
horrendous and lingering death is not a bad start.
Blood for the Gods
Life 2, Prime 1, Spirit 3
The Aztec priests had dozens of sacrifices
addressed to specific gods. In the sacrifice to
Huehueteotl, for example, captives were drugged,
thrown into a pit of fire and dragged out of the
blaze with hooks. Then their hearts - still beating -
were pulled out and thrown back into the fire. The
Aztec gods rewarded such sacrifices with power. A
few modern paradigms, usually bleak and
demonic, address this ritual to different gods.
System: Successes on the Effect roll determine the
duration of the gifts granted by the gods. The
specific gift depends on the deity to whom the
ritual is addressed. Spirit magic attracts divine
notice, while Life incorporates the god's boon into
the mage's Pattern. A modicum of Prime is
required so that the Pattern can assimilate the
powerful influx; one mage who performed this rote
without the requisite Prime acquired a disturbing
Resonance noticeable even to Sleepers a few days
before he spontaneously exploded in a bloody
spray.
This Effect increases one Attribute or Talent by 2,
or grants some minor special characteristic, and
earns the mage a frightening Entropic Resonance.
The Storyteller determines both, based on the
nature of the deity who received the sacrifice. A
botch means the god was not pleased.
Note that this rite is not quite the same as the
rote Heart for Huitzilopochtli and is marginally
easier to cast; the intervention of the gods
doubtless smooths matters. However, it does not
grant the mage the same level of raw power.
Rather, it gifts the mage with some benefit from
the gods - perhaps making him phenomenally
quick for the duration if the sacrifice goes to
Tezcatlipoca, who often appears as a jaguar, or
giving him a fearsome visage and the ability to
breath water, if sacrificed to Tlaloc the rain god.
- 45 -
Our Enemies are Delicious
Life 3, Spirit 3
The Aztecs had something like the neighborhood
backyard barbeque, but the meat was particularly
rare. The Aztecs conquered new people constantly
not only for sacrifices, but because they were an
empire of cannibals and their delicacy was
captured warriors. After the priests sacrificed
hundreds of prisoners, the corpses were returned to
the warriors who had captured them. The corpse
was then served at a banquet thrown by the warrior
and attended by his friends, neighbors and
relatives.
Aztec cookouts demanded the proper decorum.
Exotic foods garnished the dead, and the warrior's
friends were expected to compliment the host on
the quality of the meal.
If an Awakened priest performed the sacrifice,
however, the flesh imbued the cannibal with
strength. Entire armies cannibalized their prisoners
to give their warriors that bit of the departed soul
that lingered. The priests only used this rote before
critical battles, to prevent addiction among the
ranks.
System: If a person eats a corpse prepared by this
rote, raise all of his Physical Attributes by 1 but
lower his Social Attributes by 1 as well. The corpse
must be eaten the day it's prepared. (In some
paradigms, the cook - not the priest - performs this
rote on the corpse.) Each day after, the cannibal
loses a dot on one of his Physical Attributes and
regains one on his Socials, until they all return to
their original ratings.
The rote has two dangers. First, ritual sacrifice and
cannibalism risk a strong Entropic Resonance.
Second, a cannibal can become addicted to the
powerful delicacy. Each time a character eats meat
prepared with this rote, roll the character's
Willpower (difficulty 5, but quickly rises if he
cannibalizes such corpses regularly.) If the roll fails,
the character's got a corpse habit; lower his Physical
Attributes by 1 of he doesn't indulge at least once a
week. A month of cannibalism-free living and
plenty of spent Willpower cures the addiction, if not
the Resonance. Of course, the Effect is usually built
to last at least a day. A shorter version can be cast if
the mage simply can't score enough successes, but
the amelioration of social decay doesn't speed up.
The Ball Game
Life 2
Sometimes a sacrifice just has to go off without a
hitch; that's when you start pulling hearts out of
athletes. The Aztecs and Mayas made their slaves
play a soccer-like game with a huge rubber ball;
both teams were ultimately sacrificed, but the
winners were pampered first. Perhaps the game
amused the gods, or just worked up the
competitive juices, but the players made worthy
sacrifices.
In modern nights, several groups have adapted this
ritual to their paradigm. The Caballeros Aguila, a
Tijuana street gang, holds victims at gunpoint and
forces them to play football in an alley before they
sacrifice them to Tezcatlipoca, the Aztec god of
war and death.
System: If the successes rolled on this extended
ritual exceed the difficulty of the subsequent
sacrifice, lower the difficulty of that sacrifice by 1
if it involves a participant in the game. The
sacrifice is rolled separately. A botch raises the
difficulty of the sacrifice, or means that the gods
didn't enjoy the game....
Visionary Bloodletting
Mind 1, Spirit 2
Sometimes when you lose lots of blood, you start
to see things. The Aztecs and Mayas did, anyway.
They used lancelets to pierce spiritually significant
body parts like ears, genitalia and tongues.
Sometimes they ran knotted string through the
punctures to really get the blood flowing. The
dizzy hallucinations that such bloodletting inspired
were thought to be important messages from the
gods.
System: The nature of the vision varies with the
number of successes rolled on the Effect. With one
success, the mage might see a momentary and
incomprehensible image. With four or more
successes, a Mesoamerican god (or one from a
different pantheon depending on the mage's
paradigm) appears to the mage, offering cryptic
advice or revealing its message through a
particularly vivid hallucination. Typically, the
sacrifice of blood causes the spirit to be favorably
disposed toward the mage, so it usually gives
useful advice.
While the mage's vision may present useful
information, sincere worshippers use the rote
simply to commune with the divine. Spirit magic
contacts the gods (or accessible Umbrood, if the
mage's paradigm excludes deities,) while Mind
draws upon the deepest symbols and associations
within the caster's brain to translate the spirit's
message into a meaningful hallucination. The mage
regains one or two Willpower points at the end of a
successful casting, more if the effect was
particularly successful or the hallucination
particularly enlightening. (Storyteller's can, of
course, give significant information through such
visions, though a Storyteller should not be
compelled to try to predict the exact future of a
- 46 -
chronicle.)
While experiencing the hallucination, the mage is
unaware of his surroundings and may be
vulnerable. Although the mage may be awakened
from his vision, the effect is ruined if something
snaps the mage from his reverie. Typically, the
blood loss and piercing inflicts two levels of lethal
damage; since the mage is deliberately injuring
himself, this damage cannot be soaked, even
magically.
Barring certain uses of Life magic, a mage can
only use this rote every other week or so. Copious
amounts of blood lost on a regular basis make a
man lightheaded, to say the least.
In some paradigms, Visionary Bloodletting leads
to a seeking.
Cup of Itz
Life 2, Prime 1
One Mayan fresco shows a priest sacrificing his
own blood that he might hold the power of the
gods. A large decorated bowl with a paper in it is
used to catch the blood, and the paper is then
burned; smoke from the paper travels through a
hole above the altar into the sky with the gods. In
return, the gods grant the supplicant a bit of their
divine energy, which similarly comes down from
the sky and into the priest. The rite is clearly
similar to other forms of sacrifice used by some
Tradition mages (see Heart's Blood, Mage
Revised, pg. 182,) but this version is a bit more
fearsome - the typical Mayan form of the ritual
required the mage to pierce his genitalia with a
long needle and squeeze out the blood for the
enchantment.
System: Successes generated on this effect allow
the mage to bleed out his own life and turn it into
Prime energy, as with the Heart's Blood rote.
However, the addition of the Life magic gives the
mage an opportunity to minimize the worst effects
of the damage; although it can't prevent the injury,
at least the mage needn't suffer overmuch from the
pain of the rite. Mayan priests probably indulged in
some hallucinogens or narcotics along with the
ritual - or, at least, that's what Technocratic
historians posit.
Waiting to Exhale
Entropy 3, Spirit 2, optional Correspondence 1+
This rote is like the Cup of Itz, but a group of
women - usually relatives or close friends -
contributes blood to the ritual. The smoke from the
bloody paper wafts up to the gods, who in return
protect the women's homes, neighborhoods or even
cities from unfortunate accidents. With modern
adaptations of this ritual, this rote reduces the
likelihood of anything from fires and heart attacks
to skateboarding injuries and burned TV dinners.
System: Spirit magic ensures that the offering
reaches the gods, while Entropy allows changes of
fortune. Each success on the effect extends the
duration of this rote or raises the difficulty of any
harmful coincidental Entropic effect in the area by
1. If Correspondence is used, successes can also
contribute to the range of the effect beyond the
place where the ritual was performed. The ritual
takes one night to cast. Use the Acting in Concert
rules (Mage Revised, pg. 154) if more than one
mage contributes blood to the ritual.
Obsidian Steel
Matter 4
A razor-sharp and knappable rock, obsidian was
the staple material for Mesoamerican tools and
weapons. Though crafting the obsidian pieces into
shape required careful work, a well-sculpted piece
could serve as a short knife, a scraping tool or a
tooth on a piercing weapon. Even modern science
recognizes obsidian's incredibly fine edges, useable
even for surgery.
As a weapon, then, obsidian was deadly. The only
drawback was its fragility; pieces larger than an
arrowhead shattered when striking with any force
and broke against stone or metal. A powerful
priest, however, could make obsidian durable. By
bathing the finished weapon in blood, hardening it
in fire and sharpening it against stone, the mage
can give the obsidian strength to pierce nearly any
armor.
Obsidian Steel seems like a simple Matter
transmutation, giving obsidian the durability of
hard stone or metal. Pieces treated in this fashion
do not crack or shatter, and their edges can
penetrate even hide, wood or, in some cases, metal.
The rote's effects are often coincidental: If a lucky
piece of obsidian doesn't shatter when it hits
something, who can tell?
System: Successes scored for Obsidian
Steel cause the treated pieces - generally, nothing
over the size of an arrowhead unless the magic is
vulgar - to become more resilient. Pieces could be
placed in a club so that it can pierce and slash
armored opponents with ease. It can also be used to
make piecemeal armor. Of course, the mage must
score enough successes to make the effect last long
enough to be useful. A permanent pattern change
(with Prime added) could make an Artifact; it's
rumored that there are still a few rare clubs out
there so enchanted.
- 47 -
Jaguar Cloak
Life 5, Matter 3, Prime 3, Spirit 2
Fierce warriors showed off their battle skills with
grisly trophies. Some dressed in the skins of
jaguars or other dangerous animals. Just as the
Norse berserkers wore bear skins and gained the
bear's ferocity, Mesoamerican warriors drew upon
the jaguar's speed and hunting prowess. A few
could even transform themselves into jaguars and
run through the jungles at great speed or slay their
opponents with claws.
Of course, few warriors had the magical skills to
actually transform themselves, but their priests
knew rituals to enchant jaguar skin cloaks and
armor so that the warrior could transform when he
wore them. Warriors met with the priests
periodically to renew their cloaks, undertake secret
tasks and maintain the power of their jaguar skins.
Kills in battle also maintained the magic of the
cloaks.
System: A jaguar cloak or skin enchanted with this
rote is attuned to a specific wearer. Through Life
magic, the skin recognizes only its owner and
grants him the power to assume the form of the
jaguar. A strong-willed and fierce warrior can even
control the transformation, briefly gaining claws or
a nasty bite without fully turning into a beast.
When the wearer transforms, the Matter magic
causes the cloak to become part of the wearer - in
effect, it becomes his skin, and turns back into a
cloak when the wearer reverts to his normal form.
A mage enchanting a jaguar cloak must score
enough successes for the item to have a worthwhile
duration and empower the cloak to affect its owner.
The wearer risks the normal problems of
transformation: His mind may become feral if he
remains too long in the shape of a jaguar. Thus, the
secret warrior societies that used such cloaks often
accepted only the most strong-willed and brutal
warriors - those with the presence of mind to retain
their intellect and with enough animal cunning that
they already seem like a jaguar (thus having a good
Resonance to work with the spell.)
The jaguar cloak renews its power through its
warrior's deeds in combat. As the wearer slays his
enemies, the enchantment channels the anguish of
departing spirits into magical energy (with Prime
and Spirit magic.) The spirit energy floods into the
warrior in a wash of ecstasy that feeds the cloak.
Each person killed by the wearer in heated battle
adds another day to the cloak's enchantment.
Eventually, the warrior becomes blood hungry and
seeks out battle both to further the cloak's power
and to sate his own increasingly animalistic
appetites - some warriors even gorge themselves
on the organs of their foes, as if the mere rush of
souls is not enough to satiate them.
Few dare to use these cloaks in this day and age,
but rumor has it that, in the Amazon, there are men
who run as jaguars.
Quahuitl
Correspondence 2
When the Spaniards first encountered the Aztecs,
the precision of Tenochtitlan far outstripped that of
any Spanish city. Spanish land measurement varied
from province to province, while the Aztecs had
developed a rigorous understanding of land
measurement.
System: Anyone could use a quahuitl - a cord cut
to a specific length - for measuring distance.
However, a mage can empower a quahuitl with
specific properties - sort of like the Aztec version
of zoning. An area cordoned off with lengths of
quahuitl, probably over several turns as the mage
sets and resets the length of cord, can be warded
against improper intrusion or exit. Functionally
similar to the Ward effect in Mage Revised (pg.
159,) this rote demonstrates how a mage might do
a common effect under a specific paradigm.
Patterns of the Long Count
Prime 1, Spirit 1
As the sidebar The Exact Date of the End of the
World (pg. 65) explains, the Mayas thought that
the earth and the spirit realms were governed by
cyclical patterns of time. Depending on the god
who carried a particular span of time, certain
occurrences were more likely. And the Awakened
who could perceive patterns saw tendencies in the
passage of time and the motions of the spirit
realms.
System: The mage reads the Long Count, also
perceiving the patterns that exist among the dates
of the calendar. For the duration of the effect,
lower the difficulty of effects involving one Sphere
by 1. This is just one pattern that can be found in
the Long Count. Troupes might devise their own,
perhaps making Paradox backlashes more severe
on a certain night or increasing the rate at which
Quintessence can be drawn from Nodes. Just keep
the bonuses low and be sure that the prevailing
cosmic tendency fits the story.
The patterns discerned by the reading only apply to
effects cast by mages who believe in the cycles of
the Long Count (ultimately, the caster perceives
the tendency, but that doesn't make it real to
others.) At the Storyteller's discretion, this rote
might also give the character insight into the state
of reality given the current Long Count. A botch
means that the mage has misconstrued the pattern;
let the lying about difficulty numbers begin.
- 48 -
Schedule of Heaven
Spirit 3, Time 1
The divine patterns of the Mayan Long Count
governed not just the earth, but the many Mayan
spirit worlds as well. During certain periods of
time, minutes to millennia, the planes of existence
came closer together. Modern Dreamspeakers who
still observe the Mayan ways read the Long Count
to determine the best times to step sideways into
the Umbra.
System: A student just learning the intricacies of
the Long Count might know enough to locate one
or two times a certain Near Umbral Realm that is
most accessible; a Master, however, can discern
more propitious times even for Realms in the Deep
Umbra. Successes on this rote lower the difficulty
of crossing the Gauntlet. Successes can also
increase the usefulness of the reading, revealing
the best times and Realms to the mage. The
Storyteller can also decide how accessible certain
Realms are depending on the needs of the story or
the date of her chronicle's Long Count.
A botch could mean missed opportunities or
useless frustration. On the first night in two
hundred years that it's been easy to travel to the
Deep Umbra, for example, the mage believes it
impossible.
Note that the Schedule of Heaven doesn't
necessarily sidestep other travel problems like
artificial Gauntlet strengthening or the Avatar
Storm; it does, however, help the mage in sensing
useful Junctures, times when the Umbra gains
strength within a certain area. This can also be
useful in determining when a close correspondence
between spirit and material worlds might result in a
surplus of Quintessence that can be harvested by
someone with the appropriate knowledge of Prime.
Pillars of Philosophy - Greece and Rome
Epiphany of the Muse
Mind 2, with Entropy 1, Prime 1 or Spirit 3
The nine Muses, daughters of Zeus, are said to
inspire new ideas in the minds of men. This rote is
a formalized prayer to call upon their inspiration
for some insight or new thought. The mage
sacrifices to the Muses something of value -
distinctive cuisine, expensive jewelry, a magical
artifact. The Muses, in turn, gift the mage with
their insight.
System: The Storyteller can use this rote as an
excuse to give the players some information that
they're not getting from their current situation's
clues. This should not replace roleplaying,
obviously, and even if successfully cast does not
have to be answered in the way that the players
necessarily desire. A Muse of poetry could hear the
prayer and inspire the character to some great work
of rhyme to bemoan his current situation of being
locked in a room, but give him no insight into how
to escape his confines. Muses are fickle things and
most often give artistic inspiration; cryptic clues
are not guaranteed but they are possible. The Mind
effect opens the mage's perceptions while the
secondary Sphere looks for patterns or literally
calls to the Muses: Prime or Entropy seeks out
ebbs in the currents of magic and probability
around the mage while Spirit actually summons a
Muse.
Legion's Life
Life 2, Prime 3
Somehow, the Cult of Mercury managed to pull off
an Effect that the modern Traditions consider
impossible. The underlying trick hasn't been
figured out, but the rote apparently works. When
the Romans put together a legion of soldiers, they
formed a tightly knit group of warriors who fought,
loved and died together. That closeness made their
Patterns so tied to one another that the legion
magicians - who likewise worked in groups - could
draw from the whole of the legion for their Effects.
Somehow, the Mercuric magicians discovered a
way to bleed off just a little energy from everyone
in the legion and convert it into Quintessence -
something that should be impossible, since
Quintessence freed from a Pattern normally goes
straight back into the universal pool. Sure,
experienced mages could "skim off the top," but
these Roman mages drew upon great stores of
energy and used them to fuel their battlefield
magics.
System: This rote only works on a set of "bonded"
Life Patterns; they must be human, and there must
he at least twenty. For the purposes of this rote,
"bonded" Patterns are those that have gone through
significant shared adversity and triumph. The
Roman legions probably got their strong mystic
ties from their discipline, martial experience and
homosexual bonds. For every twenty Patterns
involved, the mage can eke out a single point of
Quintessence without causing any actual injury.
Successes scored on the Effect determine the
maximum amount of Quintessence a mage can
harness. For a really large army, several mages
must work together. Such a draw can only be done
once per day, as Life Patterns must have time to
stabilize their Quintessential flow.
- 49 -
Maze of the Minotaur
Mind 3, optional Correspondence 4
Through Sacred Geometry, early craftsmen formed
mazes that confounded an individual's sense of
direction. Daedalus in particular built for King
Minos a tremendous and nigh-inescapable maze, in
which dwelt the Minotaur. Through the confusing
magics of the maze, Daedalus insured that anyone
wandering within became utterly lost until
discovered and devoured by the Minotaur.
System: A craftsman can lay an enchantment into
a maze or complex during its construction; indeed,
the Order of Reason used such techniques in some
of its early fortresses and the New World Order
almost certainly uses a variant for its offices. Cast
over an area, the enchantment befuddles the sense
of direction. Objects are arranged just so to
confuse the traveler, and the area proper is
prepared during construction so that interlopers
become disoriented ("You are in a maze of twisty
little passages, all alike"). Laying the Effect over
an area requires the use of Mind to place a mental
"fuzz" in the locale. The Storyteller might also
require Correspondence if the mage is trying to
ward areas that he hasn't personally visited, but
since a maze of this sort is typically enchanted by
the mage as he builds it, Correspondence isn't a
strict requirement. (A mage could theoretically use
Correspondence to distort space, but that's a much
different proposition from distorting a subject's
sense of space.)
Focusing this Effect on an individual causes the
victim to doubt his path, and can even make the
subject question a map or set of explicit steps. This
is not amnesia but a subconscious loss of sense of
direction and memory: "Did we take a left or right
the first time we came through here?" Such an
Effect relies solely on playing with the victim's
perceptions and thus only requires Mind 2 (plus the
appropriate Correspondence if the mage is using
the Effect from a distance). Individuals may find
their way out of the maze by accumulating more
successes on a Wits + Enigmas roll than magical
Effect successes scored by the mage who laid the
trap. Since most mazes are constructed over years,
this could take some time.
Manipulating an area to become confusing could
be anything from moving a potted plant in front of
the door to entirely rearranging the furniture and
repainting the walls bright orange. Most often, this
Effect can be considered coincidental - anyone can
lose her way.
Mind of the Ant Hill
Mind 4
Based upon the tactics of the Roman phalanx, this
rote allows for subliminal group tactics. Naturally,
the New World Order developed similar group
tactics, but their roots can he traced ultimately to
organized combat as established by Rome and its
predecessors.
System: For every success on the Effect roll, the
group has a die that any member can call upon in
combat. This die, once used (successfully or not) is
exhausted from the pool that the group can call
upon. War machines can be used as foci to lower
the difficulty, and if cast as an extended rite over
the course of time preparing for the battle, the
group may have a huge pool to draw upon. A group
waiting during the casting of this rote may only
prepare for the upcoming battle or engage in
combat - the rote must be used immediately
beforehand. Note that Correspondence may be
necessary to spread the coordination over an
extremely large gathering.
Phlogiston Phlux
Matter 2
The ancients believed that fire was the release of
phlogiston from burning substances. As a
substance burned, it released its phlogiston, which
served as a viscous tie; when the phlogiston had all
been released, nothing remained but ash. Thus, fire
was a tangible elemental form and not a force of
nature, nor was it a release of energy any more
than the other elements of air, earth and water.
Phlogiston Phlux allows the practitioner to
increase or decrease the amount of phlogiston in an
object, thus causing it to burn longer or shorter
depending on the mage's desire. It also allows the
mage to add phlogiston to an element, thus making
fireproof objects burn like paper. The mage can
also take away phlogiston, so that brittle wood
does not even catch fire from a burning coal. Of
course, modern science "proves" that phlogiston is
not real and that fire stems from other sources -
isn't magic great?
System: Depending on the severity of the Effect,
the rote could he coincidental or vulgar. A torch
burning for an extended period can be coincidental
while causing a house to remain unscathed despite
direct application of a flamethrower is certainly
vulgar. Successes garnered on this Effect alter a
subject's soak dice against fire - the mage can give
or remove fire susceptibility. Since this is a Matter
Effect, it doesn't work on living things. A mage
could try to make a version that adds phlogiston to
living things, of course... but thus far nobody has
(successfully, anyway).
- 50 -
Stoicism
Matter 1, Mind 1
The Greek philosopher Zeno believed that human
beings should remain calm and free from passions
so that they could accept the unavoidable events of
fate and nature rather than struggle needlessly
against them. Greek mages such as the
Pomegranate Deme looked upon this evolution of
thought with interest. Using his refined senses to
interpret and emulate the indifference of an
observed stone, the mage escapes all sense of pain,
grief, joy or pleasure. In effect, the mage invites
the stone into his mind, and becomes like a rock:
implacable, unfeeling.
System: With a single success, the mage has
locked his mind away from the world and can
observe it dispassionately. If he chooses to remain
stationary and achieves more than one success, his
mind becomes as a stone. Torture becomes useless
and thoughts fade away to nothing. Alternately,
with at least three successes, the mage can act in a
deliberate fashion. His thoughts are cold and
without empathy, but allow an eerily calm
continuance of motion. Some Pomegranate Deme
use this detachment to perform necessary killing
unpolluted by personal feelings. Reading emotions
from the mage becomes impossible, as he has
none. Of course, this freedom from lesser drives is
not without cost; the mage cannot expend
Willpower points for the duration of
the Stoicism Effect. All difficulties to Dodge and
social rolls are penalized by three while the rote is
in use.
Protection of the Golden Race
Prime 2, Spirit 5
By several accounts, the people of the golden age
are still out there protecting humanity from
monsters and unnatural things in the night. The
caster calls upon the closest member of the golden
race to protect them from an opponent. A blinding
flash of golden light appears, wounding if not
killing the attacker.
System: This rote can only be used upon
supernatural entities and is always considered
extremely vulgar. What actually happens to the
creature is left to the Storyteller; the caster literally
unleashes the guardian power of the golden race.
Note that this rite does not actually empower the
mage - rather, it summons the golden ones
themselves. The reactions of the golden ones are
unpredictable; as protectors of humanity, though,
they are likely to incinerate most supernatural
predators so long as the summoning mage is not
also a threat! After all, a mage's powers can be just
as dangerous to humanity as any vampire's
unnatural hungers.
Summoning the golden ones is a difficult
undertaking. The ancients have long since left the
Realms in which most mages operate. Calling them
through the Gauntlet and across the Umbra is a
difficult task. Casting this rote is vulgar (difficulty
10), and the Storyteller is the final arbiter of how
many successes are necessary to successfully call
the golden ones. A mage should never be certain of
his ability to call on these saviors for intervention.
Note also that a mage must know about the golden
ones to be able to call them; learning this rote
requires extensive study into Greek legend and
culture (best represented by an extended
Intelligence + Academics or Investigation roll and
a great deal of roleplaying).
Spontaneous Generation
Life 3 or Matter 3, Prime 2
In olden days, philosophers believed that animals
and most matter could spontaneously generate out
of nothing. Maggots came from meat and horses
sprang from the mist of waterfalls. This rote
duplicates such spontaneous generation. The mage
can't pull a gun or a sword out of thin air, but he or
she can turn one thing into something that it is not,
even something radically different. The mage
simply reaches into an appropriate source and the
object or creature spontaneously generates.
Spontaneous generation happens only from certain
sources - one can spontaneously generate maggots
from meat, mud or corpses, but not from glass or
plastic. Horses may spring from waterfalls or great
blazes of fire, but not out of wooden doorways or
earthen mounds. The player should research a few
theories of spontaneous generation. A modem
mage must certainly alter this rote; a Virtual Adept
might pull a computer chip out of a pile of circuit
boards, while an Akashic could grab a spear from a
thicket of reeds.
System: The number of successes determines the
accuracy and the quantity of material generated
(three successes might mean a newborn foal comes
out of the mist of a waterfall while ten or more
might generate four grown stallions leaping forth
at full charge). A mage must alter this rote to make
it suitable for modem materials like plastics and
alloys, of course.
Wings of Icarus
Forces 4
This rote mimics the legendary flight of Daedalus'
doomed son Icarus. The mage straps on a pair of
delicate feathered wings held together by wax - a
noticeable prop indeed. This Effect uses the natural
potency of the wind to lift the user into the air.
- 51 -
System: At least three successes are necessary for
this rote to work. Otherwise, the winds in the
surrounding area simply aren't strong enough to
provide lift. Assuming that the mage manages to
catch (or create) a convenient wind, she can fly
clumsily for the Effect's duration. It's probably a
good idea for the mage to spend some preparation
time strengthening the wings, checking for a good
wind and so on (that is, using an extended ritual).
Strong winds modify the Effect: A brisk breeze
might lower the difficulty by 1, a strong tailwind
by 2. Of course, in modern times, this Effect is
vulgar. Don't botch. Icarus botched.
Lichedom
Entropy 4, Life 4, Matter 4, Mind 1, Prime 3,
Spirit 4
Nature ensures that living patterns eventually
degrade and die. Age consumes the body, rot
overtakes the flesh and the soul moves on or fades
away. And perhaps humanity's greatest curse is the
knowledge of its own mortality. Among mages,
who have some inkling of the spiritual fates that
wait beyond life, such terrors can become
obsessions. Those determined to hang around after
their mortal days seek cryptic formulae designed to
skirt nature, restore youth, halt decrepitude and
cheat death itself. Some mages end up inviting
death, but on their own terms; they use the rite of
lichedom.
While the Order of Hermes commonly used
potions and rituals to prolong life (and other
Traditions created similar Effects within their own
paradigms), only within the Order did the dread of
mortality and the drive to master magic become so
great that a mage risked life and soul for a spell to
ward off the reaper. The formula for lichedom,
though buried by time and suppressed as heresy,
promised a way out. Still, the offer of perpetual
existence remains a tantalizing shadow to those
mages whose fear of death, desire to finish some
great deed, or drive to Master their Art pushes
them beyond rational measures.
Ironically, the formula for lichedom is marginally
easier to cast than most comparable immortality
spells. Indeed, a mage need not even be a Master to
use this magic. The temptations of the dark road,
perhaps.
While some mages cheat mortality with age-
defying spells, lichedom relies on a means to
welcome it. The mage surrounds himself with the
trappings of his magic and ego. Through the
strength of his dedication, he severs his Avatar
from the changing, living world about him. At the
end of the rite, he kills himself and invokes the
final step, which causes his Pattern to linger
perpetually on the cusp of life and death. No longer
truly alive, yet not wholly dead, the mage lives the
half-existence of a liche. Already straddling the
threshold of death, the liche need no longer fear its
ultimate demise.
The Order's records of lichedom are far from
complete, and many Hermetics consider lichedom
an abominable state. Thus, the rite is rarely copied
or archived; some mages even destroy any records
that they find regarding lichedom. Chroniclers and
theorists of the Order might keep fragmentary
ruminations on the process, but it is certain that no
whole and complete copy exists except, perhaps,
among the tomes of a liche who still exists today.
Because Order records are so fragmentary, the rite
of lichedom is poorly understood, and the steps are
often personalized by the few mages who pursue it.
The mage starts by building a special edged or
piercing weapon (or weapons) with which he kills
himself. This weapon is made first because it
accompanies the mage through the remainder of
the rite. The traditional Hermetic paradigm
prescribes that the item be made of silver, though
other materials might also function.
Once the weapon is complete, the mage must
reclaim every piece of his Avatar and sever all
external ties to it. This means that the mage must
capture and destroy every Talisman he has
empowered and every sympathetic link that he has
tied to his soul. He must even murder his own
familiar, if he has one. A mage with a fragmentary
Avatar must track down and reclaim the lost
pieces; one with a phylactery must somehow
manage to keep it on his person for the duration of
the rite. Brands and damaged pieces of an Avatar
do not hinder this portion of the rite, but if some
piece of the whole Avatar has somehow been split
from the mage, it must be recovered.
Once the mage has severed ties to his magical self,
he must purge his Pattern of any external magic.
Only his own willpower can keep him alive
beyond the shadow of death. The mage must
isolate himself, with no magic but his own nearby -
no magical items, no spells placed by others, no
intruding supernatural forces. Surrounded by his
magic, he allows it to suffuse his Pattern. Some
mages supplement this step by ingesting potions,
often laced with their own flesh and blood, thereby
internalizing and concentrating the magical
energies that they carry. Other mages focus on
meditation, sensory deprivation or other mental
techniques to hone their personal energies. For a
year and a day the mage must wait in solitude, with
no other magical spells or beings disturbing his
concentration, as he steeps himself solely in his
own magical will. Most mages at this step are so
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obsessed with their magical development that they
spend the time to further refine their techniques.
Cloistered away and empowered by his own spirit,
the mage finally takes the last plummet down the
precipice of mortality - he must quaff a specialized
potion, which requires components harvested from
Bygones and materials renowned for their
longevity and power (dragon's blood, demonic
ichor, mercury, grave dust and other foul, rare and
poisonous materials). With the weapons previously
created, the mage kills himself and removes the
seat of his life - this may mean severing his
arteries, piercing his chakra points, or even
stabbing his own heart. The fluid of the potion
sustains him and halts the death of his body. At this
point, if the mage's rite is successful, he becomes
an undead corpse and hovers on the boundary
between life and death. The rite cements his Avatar
and soul to his corpse-like frame, while his Pattern
becomes mutated into something between Life and
Matter. If he fails...
Clearly, the rite of lichedom is so dangerous that it
suits only the rare mage who's desperate enough to
try it. Worse still, there is no concrete way for the
mage to know whether his formula is successful or
correct except to kill himself in the attempt. No
two liches have ever used the same formula. It's
possible that some steps might be omitted, while
it's almost certain that most liches have undertaken
unnecessarily terrible steps simply because there is
no way to know what the formula requires. For
someone willing to undertake this hideous
transformation, nearly any abominable sacrifice
seems reasonable. Mages who lack the skill to use
some of the required magics might well seek out
alternate steps to make the rite easier. It's said that
crazed wizards hoping to become liches have
slaughtered their entire families, undertaken
personal mutilations and sucked out the very souls
of other mages in order to fuel their
transformations.
Once a mage has paid the terrible price and taken
the steps that cannot be undone, he becomes one of
the undead. His body no longer heals or grows, and
indeed may suffer the ravages of time, but it never
dies unless slain by magic. If the rite is not
performed properly, the mage simply dies; if it is
only partially successful, the mage may survive a
short time, but decompose and die within a few
days or weeks. A successful liche can, barring
excessive Paradox or magical injury, expect to
"live" forever.
System: Despite its terrible costs, lichedom is
fairly straightforward. The mage in question needs
to do some heavy research, many rolls of
Intelligence + Occult or Investigation, many visits
to libraries and mentors, and so on. Such research
is best roleplayed. A mage who openly looks into
such materials risks the censure of his peers and
the possibility of seized records, madness-inducing
tomes and righteous hunters who hope to stamp out
even the study of such abominations.
The research process is part of the rite. The mage
makes his Arete rolls based upon his research and
execution of the proper steps. If the mage has done
only sketchy research (one or two successes), he
may only get to roll one or two dice. Similarly, if
he executes the steps shoddily or imperfectly, he
may suffer a difficulty penalty, while extreme
attention to detail may give a bonus as described
under Abilities Affecting Magic (Mage Revised, p.
155).
The final casting of the rite occurs as the mage
prepares the potion for the infusion of lichedom.
Successes accumulate to generate the duration and
degree of success. To finish the rite, the mage must
invest one point of Quintessence for each health
level that he has and must score enough successes
to perform a phenomenal Effect (10 or more
successes). The rite is naturally vulgar, so the base
difficulty is 9. A permanent duration is, of course,
desirable, but if the mage doesn't score enough
successes, the spell may not let him exist long as
one of the undead. The mage generates successes
as he makes the elixir, drinks it and kills himself.
Naturally, wound penalties apply to the task of
finishing off the potion while the mage stabs or
slashes himself to death, so the mage is advised to
also use a rite to resist pain.
The final task can be done as an extended ritual, to
the usual limits of casting time based on the mage's
Arete and Willpower. Note that the mage can only
cast the rite himself. This rite cannot be performed
for someone else. Since the mage must surround
himself with only the trappings of his own magic,
the rite also cannot be cast with the aid of any
Talismans. The mage must finish the spell using
his own knowledge.
With the mage's inward concentration of personal
magic and awareness, and the use of Mind and
Spirit magic, he manages to shackle his Avatar,
soul and consciousness to his body so that they
remain even as he dies. The Life, Matter and
Entropy Spheres halt his body along the path to
death and transform his Pattern into something on
the cusp between.
Various omissions or mistakes are possible, and
they can have many detrimental effects on the
process. Without Mind magic, the mage's
consciousness departs as he dies; his body
becomes a shell without volition. Without Spirit,
his Avatar flees and he becomes a self-willed but
- 53 -
powerless walking corpse, with no magical
capabilities (and no ability to learn other
supernatural powers, since he is not truly a
vampire or one of the Risen). Without sufficient
Entropy, the body's death processes do not come
under control in the transformation to Matter, and
the mage becomes hideously decrepit (losing one
point from each Physical Attribute, his Bruised
health level and all Appearance).
If a mage fails to complete the rite successfully, he
simply dies, and the potion has no effect except
perhaps to make the corpse twitch, choke and burn
spasmodically. If the mage botches the ritual, he
manages to kill himself, shred his Avatar
(permanently destroying it, perhaps) and generate
sufficient Paradox to level his laboratory and
bestow an Entropic Resonance on the area. The
remnants of the mage's corpse may well become
Quintessence-laden chunks of Tass (though a mage
would have to eat the pieces to gain the
Quintessence) or become inhabited by
something else out there.
Once a mage becomes a liche, his body stops being
a pure Life Pattern and becomes something else.
Sustained by his formidable will and magical
prowess, the mage puts off death by keeping it in a
sort of holding pattern between Life and Matter.
This has several consequences:
• Once dead, the mage's body becomes cadaverous,
gaunt and slightly bluish, like one would expect of
a corpse. This raises all Appearance-related
difficulties by 2.
• The liche does not heal naturally. Only magic can
heal his wounds. Each health level healed requires
the expenditure of a point of Quintessence, so the
liche is essentially a thaumivore.
• A liche cannot die from lethal damage, only
aggravated wounds - Pattern damage - can destroy
him permanently. Since the liche's body is dead, he
takes only half damage (rounded down after soak)
from bashing attacks, and gets a full soak roll
(difficulty 6) against lethal damage. Lethal or
bashing damage may incapacitate a liche and cause
his body to become nonfunctional for a time, but
eventually the liche overcomes the hindrance.
Remember, wound penalties do not affect magical
casting difficulties, so the liche can easily use
Mind or Spirit magic to send his astral form to
gather Quintessence and return to heal the body.
• The liche's body may continue to decay. Many
liches use some Entropy magic to sustain them, but
over time they become unconcerned with such
trivialities. Without special preservative magic, the
liche's body rots at the speed of natural healing:
After a day the liche loses his Bruised health level;
3 days later the Hurt level rots away and so on.
This rotting is visible and causes the mage to lose
Appearance (one dot per health level) as he decays,
until the rotting is healed.
• Liches are sterile, of course. No amount of magic
can fix that problem. A liche might simulate
sexuality, like a vampire, but ultimately is a half-
dead thing with other ways to spend eternity. A
liche can eat and drink, and its body metabolizes
food, but it no longer requires sustenance.
• Since a liche is dependent solely upon his own
magic to sustain him, the rite burns out
connections with any external magical processes.
The liche cannot have True Faith, Fae Blood or
similar Merits. Any such existing ties are
destroyed. A liche can't become a ghoul, vampire
or other supernatural creature.
• Upon completing the rite, a liche gains one dot of
both Static and Entropic Resonance. Furthermore,
the liche's Resonance is disconcerting not merely
to mortals, but also to supernatural creatures.
Vampires, changelings, even spirits and the like all
recognize the liche as some sort of unnatural
abomination. The smart ones flee. Even other
mages are affected, and have a tendency to hunt
down and destroy liches.
• As a static creature, the liche can never gain
additional Arete - ever. He can continue to improve
his Spheres but his enlightenment is frozen along
with his body and soul. Ascension has been traded
for the chance to exist beyond mortal limits in the
quest for magical power. A liche can suffer Gilgul;
many do, shortly before they are permanently
slain. Still, the liche has eternity in which to study,
improve and expand his knowledge of the Spheres,
and he's damnably hard to kill, too.
• Liches cannot have familiars. (You killed yours
as part of the rite, remember?) This is true even if
the liche never had one in life. The liche's unliving
Pattern cannot properly bind familiars.
• The liche rite cannot be undone with simple
countermagic. Most liches also add other
protections to prevent unweaving. Should the rite
be undone, the liche finishes the process of dying
and becomes a corpse. Thus, reversing the rite also
requires some way to raise the dead - good luck
with that one.
• A liche can place its Avatar in a phylactery (see
the Phylactery Flaw in Mage Revised, p. 300).
This is a necessity if the liche does not have
sufficient Spirit to hold on to his Avatar and soul
during the rite itself; the liche can bind the
phylactery with Spirit 3.
• Liches have a tendency toward
insanity. Nobody goes through the rite without
gaining at least one Derangement. Over time, most
liches become increasingly eccentric, until they
- 54 -
find themselves completely unable to relate to the
"normal" world.
• The process of lichedom so greatly changes the
individual's Pattern that his True Name is distorted.
The subject's old True Name no longer applies.
The rite warps its name; someone familiar with the
old name and the liche formula might be able to
puzzle out the corrupted name (Intelligence +
Occult, difficulty 9). There is a True Name for
"liche" but each liche also has an individual True
Name that is necessary to affect the individual with
True Name bindings, banishments and so on.
• Liches are, of course, Paradoxical, and the rite
gives the caster permanent Paradox. The exact
amount is up to the Storyteller. Certainly in a low-
fantasy game, a liche suffers from a great deal of
Paradox.
The Top of the World - The Arctic Circle
Atitsiak
Life 4, Spirit 3
Before Christianity replaced many Inuit practices,
children were commonly named after the most
recently deceased person in the community. The
child was thought to inherit characteristics from
that namesake, or atitsiak.
System: The atitsiak ritual lets an individual take
on the characteristics of one of the deceased. Cast
on young children, the ritual may cause the child to
grow up with better abilities or talents like those of
its namesake. Scoring several successes on this rite
might ensure that the child develops the positive
characteristics of the decedent.
Also, a mage can briefly adopt the name of a dead
person by means of this ritual. This version is a
recent Tradition adaptation. The mage's successes
allow him to channel into himself the physical
characteristics of a deceased person whose name
he knows. The Life magic augments natural
capabilities while the Spirit magic draws on the
spiritual remnants of the deceased for power and a
Pattern.
Note that the name borrowed from a deceased
person by means of this ritual must come from
someone truly dead - a name cannot be borrowed
from a ghost or vampire.
Of course, the atitsiak ritual doesn't allow a mage
to easily borrow a subject's phenomenal prowess
with just a simple success or two. A good rule of
thumb is that each dot gained requires one success
on the Effect. Additional successes are allocated to
duration. An Effect of this sort can't be made
permanent, but it can he useful as a tendency - that
is, if a child is given the atitsiak of someone very
strong, then the child may also grow up to become
strong. This is a good justification for a character
to improve with experience points.
Confusing Apishtiss
Forces 2 or Mind 2
Innu hunters often favored the flesh of the brant, a
migratory goose, which they called apishtiss.
Unfortunately, the brant no longer fly over the Innu
homes, but people still tell of the magic. Entire
villages of Innu once shouted as the geese passed
overhead, and thereby confused the birds and
caused them to fall from the sky. Hunters gathered
them up for later feasting. Often, a good harvest of
apishtiss was call for a makusham, or large feast,
and many groups met to share the goose's flavorful
meat.
Confusing Apishtiss allows a shaman to
tremendously magnify his shouts at a target, thus
disorienting the enemy. The mage jumps up and
down, hollers and slaps his hands together to make
as much noise as possible.
System: Successes on this Effect disorient an
enemy, causing him to suffer from distractions,
raising all his difficulties for the duration of the
Effect by up to 3. If the mage scores more
successes than the target's Willpower, then the
subject is actually stunned and unable to act for a
full turn.
Mukashuan
Life 3, optional Spirit 3
According to legend, Caribou Master was once a
human, but he lived so long with the caribou that
he became like one of them. He ruled over them
and allowed people to hunt caribou without fear of
reprisals from the spirit world. The caribou were
important not only to food and clothing, but to
medicine as well. Caribou Master made sure that
there were herds for the people to hunt, and that
they used the caribou's many parts. Caribou
marrow is seen by the Innu as having healing
power. Combined with the intervention of Caribou
Master or a shaman's helper, the marrow can halt
the onset of death or disease and heal grave
wounds. A feast of marrow, or mukashuan, soothes
both injury and depression.
System: Successes on this Effect heal the subject.
Like many other coincidental healing Effects, this
speeds the rate of the subject's healing instead of
miraculously curing all wounds and symptoms at
once. With the aid of Spirit, a helper spirit can be
induced to help, or Caribou Master himself may
intervene - this vulgar form of the rote heals
instantly.
- 55 -
Qayaq's Fish
Life 3, Matter 3
The hero Qayaq is a staple of many Inuit legends.
In one legend, Qayaq seeks to cross the sea so that
he can be reunited with his family. A friendly spirit
creates a magical giant fish out of wood, which
Qayaq rides across the waves.
System: The mage carves an animal out of pieces
of wood and puts them together. Through the
enchantment, the animal comes to life and
becomes real, at least for a small time. Successes
on the Effect determine how long it lasts and how
large an animal the mage can create. Obviously,
this Effect is highly vulgar.
Sedna's Blessing
Correspondence 2, Mind 2
Once a vain mortal woman, Sedna was given in
marriage to a lone hunter because her family could
not afford to feed her. Much to her dismay, her new
husband turned out to be Tulugaak in disguise;
Sedna shouted for her father to rescue her but in
the process fell into the icy sea. The Inuit attribute
seals and whales to her creation and say that she
lies at the bottom of the ocean.
Inuit shamans dive into the sea to comb Sedna's
hair - to wade through the brambles and kelp of the
ocean - in order to soothe her vanity and give her
company. In return, Sedna sends her creations to
the supplicant. Then the shaman and his friends
can hunt seals and whales for survival, with her
blessing.
Modern mages have naturally found many uses for
this simple summoning: A few tweaks can let it
call other sorts of animals, and most mages capable
of this spell can also soothe the creatures and
perhaps rely upon them as allies, not simply as
food.
System: With enough successes, the
Correspondence of this Effect allows the mage to
send his calming impulses over a wide area. Mind
magic calls to the animals - seals and whales, in
Inuit magic, but possibly others for a modern
magician who alters the Effect. Successes are used
primarily to expand the affected area, since the
caster usually only needs to call one or two
animals.
Shaking Tent
Spirit 3
The dangerous communion ritual of the
Innu, Shaking Tent is a spectacular display of
spirit communication. The shaman enters the
cylindrical tent and calls to the spirits through
his mishtapeu. Because the spirits live in
tshishtashkamuku, it is not always safe for them to
come here; indeed, giants and spirits in that land
are said to have slain and driven out humans from
those places. The animal spirits often come and
communicate by knocking, rattling and making
other such sounds, which the mishtapeu interprets
for the shaman. In return, the shaman sings to the
spirits, and the mishtapeu interprets the song for
the spirit. People outside the tent can sometimes
hear the wailing and rattling, but they never
understand it.
Spirits called by Shaking Tent negotiate with the
shaman, who may try to garner information from
them or persuade them to help in some task. There
is always the risk that a spirit will exert its power
to punish the shaman or decide to play a little trick
on the hapless mortal. For some potent spirits, a
little trick may mean dragging the shaman off to
tshishtashkamuku, flaying his skin off or telling
him secrets that leave him a gibbering fool.
Once in the tent, a shaman opens himself to
communion with the spirits by drumming and
singing. Instead of letting the spirit possess him, he
calls the spirit into the tent itself. Often, the spirit
does not waste its power to materialize, but simply
makes its presence known by manipulating objects
and rattling the tent. The shaman speaks with a
lesser helpful spirit to intercede. The longer the
shaman drums and sings, the more powerful a
spirit he can summon; but this also increases the
risk that a dangerous spirit will decide to play with
him.
It is dangerous in the extreme to open the tent
during the ritual, as the spirit may escape to wreak
havoc across the living lands.
System: Successes generated for this ritual are
used as for Call Spirit, as described in Mage
Revised (p. 187). However, instead of directly
calling a greater spirit, the shaman calls a
mishtapeu and asks it to intercede on his behalf.
Shishipat's Favor
Life 1
At a makusham, after a successful hunt, an elder
brought a container of stored caribou fat and
rubbed it into the meat of the shishipat. Hunters ate
as much of the fat-covered boiled waterfowl as
they could, and the hunter who ate the most had
good luck hunting in the following season.
System: A mage calls upon Shishipat's
Favor through the old tradition: A feast of boiled
goose with caribou fat. The subject of the magic
must actually eat the goose. This rote is a form of
hunting magic, in which the subject draws favor by
properly respecting the value of the goose. Done
correctly, this Effect helps in later hunting: The
rote allows the mage to gain bonuses to Survival
- 56 -
and Athletics rolls, as per Magic Enhancing
Abilities (Mage Revised, p. 155), and is almost
guaranteed a successful hunt when stalking game.
The hunter seems to know where to go to find the
animals, and easily tracks and traps them. Modern
mages have modified the rote a little the key is to
draw on the favor of the hunted subject in some
fashion. Animal spirits of various kinds can be
appeased through the song and dance
accompanying a proper feast, where the animal is
given appropriate station. Hunting people is a little
tougher, and might require cannibalism....
Sing to the Whales
Mind 2
Through ululating songs, some Inuit fishermen
sang to the whales to draw them near. Arctic
peoples used the whales for blubber, meat, oil and
other sundry necessities. Through various ascetic
practices, the fishermen lent power to the
shaman's torngak (another type of helper spirit),
which in turn gave him the power to draw the
whales closer.
System: The caster of this ritual must observe one
sort of taboo for at least a week, as must anyone
who assists in the casting to the Inuit fisher cults,
common taboos were no use of fire, no sewing or
no eating berries. Modern mages might make
similarly harsh taboos, such as abstaining from the
use of electricity. With ululating chants, perhaps
something resembling whale songs, the mage
draws them closer; similar animal noises might
draw forth other creatures as well. The successes
generated give the animals an impulse to approach
the caster.
Tulugaak's Harpoon
Forces 3, Matter 3, Prime 2
One Inuit legend tells of how the waters of a great
flood threatened to cover everything. Though many
people tried to stop the flood, none could succeed.
Tulugaak, unsure of his skills, nevertheless hurled
his harpoon at a Hound of soil, which exploded
outward to push away the water.
System: The mage hurls an object - traditionally a
harpoon - at a target, which strikes with great force
and causes the object to explode outward. The
magic causes the fragments to multiply and scatter
over a wide area. The successes on this Effect can
be used both to create the force with which the
object explodes and to multiply its size as it covers
the area.
Dead Magic II:
Secrets and Survivors
Sad Islands in Strange Seas – Polynesia
Ahiu Nalu (Rogue Wave)
Entropy 2, Forces 2 or Entropy 3 or
Correspondence 2, Matter 2, Prime 2
Battles between kahunas were common in the high
age of Polynesian magic, and these often took
place on the ocean. A common tactic in these
battles was to summon a rogue wave to knock an
opponent out of his boat (or off his feet, if he was
standing near, in or on the water). Polynesian
mages used rogue waves primarily as distractions
or harrying tactics.
System: The wave summoned is three feet high
plus one additional foot for each success on the
Arete roll. If the target sees the wave coming, he
can roll Dexterity + Dodge at a difficulty of 8 to
get out of the way; if he doesn't see it, he can roll
Stamina + Survival to avoid being knocked over. A
wave will stun its target momentarily and knock
him into the water, but little more than that. A
wave six feet or higher will cause one level of
bashing damage to the target.
Since the Rogue Wave was such a common tactic,
there were several ways of creating the Effect. The
mage could tamper with probability a little (with
Entropy 2) and augment the resultant wave (with
Forces 2), tamper with probability a lot (and forego
the Forces Effect) or, in a pinch, he could actually
create the water out of thin air (Matter 2, Prime 2)
and shape it with Correspondence. The first two
methods can only be used on the ocean or in very
large lakes, but they are always coincidental. The
last method can be used in any body of water, but
can easily be vulgar, at the Storyteller's discretion.
Akua Kumu Haka (Guided Fireball)
Forces 3, Prime 2, Spirit 3, optionally with
Correspondence 2
Hawaiian kahunas were known for calling flame
spirits to hunt down their enemies. Those who ran
afoul of a kahuna were often known to stay near
the ocean just in case one of these terrifying
creatures was sent to dispatch them.
System: The kahuna creates a fireball using a
conjunctional Forces/Prime Effect and then calls
upon a vengeful fire spirit to come inhabit the
conflagration and hunt down the mage's enemies.
The akua kumu haka moves very fast and can
easily outrun a human on foot; a target in a fast-
moving outrigger canoe or a car, on the other hand,
might be able to escape the akua kuma haka.
- 57 -
Once the fire spirit has burned its target to death,
the fire fizzles and the spirit returns whence it
came.
The optional Correspondence Effect is only
necessary if the akua kumu haka is going to
operate outside the kahuna's line of sight.
Ala Wai (Short Waters)
Correspondence 3
Anthropologists have no idea how Polynesian
culture spread so far over the small and widely
spread islands of the South Pacific. The answer is
easy: They used magic.
By chanting and willing the waters to be smaller
than they seemed, a kahuna could go five miles
with every stroke of his paddle in the waves. With
the aid of this rote, a competent mage can cross the
Pacific in a remarkably short period of time.
System: This rote is one more version of The
Seven League Stride (Mage, pg. 159.)
Ana'ana (The Death Prayer)
Correspondence 3, Life 3 or Correspondence 3,
Spirit 3
The wizard wars of Polynesia have left modern
kahunas with a large repertoire of deadly rotes;
among the most popular of these is the death
prayer. The kahuna casts this rote in her sanctum
by beating out a martial rhythm on a drum and
chanting the reasons why she wants her target to
die. The target, meanwhile, begins to sicken almost
immediately, and has only a limited time to seek
out the kahuna she offended.
System: If the kahuna is using Life magic, the
target will sicken and die over the course of three
days following the completion of the rote. While
this rote is similar to (if slower than) Effects used
by many Tradition mages (Rip the Man Body , et
al.), it has the advantage of being coincidental, as
the target simply seems to catch something horrible
and die. The disease need not be anything dramatic
(and suspicious) like Ebola - anthrax, pneumonia,
influenza, appendicitis and systemic strep
infections are all quite capable of killing a target in
three days.
If the kahuna is using the Spirit version of this
spell, Banes or disease spirits might afflict the
target to death in the same time frame and in much
the same way. Alternatively, the spirits could
simply cause a freak accident to befall the target:
He might, for instance, trip over a piece of litter
and fall into traffic or the pilot light on his stove
might go out, filling his apartment with gas that
then explodes, or he might be pulled under the
water by a riptide. In any case, spirits can be pretty
creative.
Heenalu (Wave Walking)
Forces 2 or Matter 2
Polynesian islanders are surrounded by water. It
surrounds them at all times and it is, undoubtedly,
among the most limiting factors in their existence.
While canoes mitigate some of the water's
limitations, even a novice kahuna can walk across
the tops of the waves without difficulty, making
brief forays from shore or even traveling from
island to island with relative ease.
System: Only one success is required; extra
successes are best spent on duration, especially for
traversing long distances. This rote is coincidental
if a shallow reef or string of small atolls is nearby -
onlookers will assume the mage is walking in
shallow water rather than on the water itself.
Otherwise, the rote is vulgar. Movement speed is
normal for both walking and running, as if the
mage were walking on grass. If complex actions -
such as combat - are performed soon after casting,
the Storyteller may require a Stamina + Athletics
roll to avoid seasickness; losing the roll causes
nausea and a -2 penalty to all dice pools until the
character can get to stable ground.
Kaumaha (Sacrifice)
Prime 3, Spirit 2
Sacrifice plays a key role in Hawaiian magic.
Placating spirits through one means or another is a
common theme throughout the history and
mythology of Polynesia. The sacrifice of living
beings to volcanoes was not common, but neither
was it unheard of. By performing the proper rituals
and tossing a living creature into the lava of a
volcano (the volcano is the focus of the rote,) the
kahuna is able to harvest the escaping mana freed
by the death. While this has many drawbacks, there
are times when a kahuna is willing to risk almost
anything for extra fuel for his magical work.
System: The kahuna throws his sacrifice into the
volcano and uses Spirit to catch the departing ghost
and Prime to reap its Quintessence. A chicken will
yield a point or two, a goat or a pig up to five and a
human being will yield a full 10 points of
Quintessence. Certain other creatures (Rokea, old
vampires) may provide even more Quintessence,
and if they were preying on the kahuna's people, he
doesn't even have to worry about the spiritual
backlash.
Giving thanks to the spirits of the non-sentient
animals is generally enough to keep a mage safe
from the potentially negative effects of sacrificing
a living being for power, but in the case of human
beings, however, things get much more complex.
If, and only if, the sacrifice is giving up his life
freely and of his own will - a relatively rare
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circumstance - the mage suffers no repercussions.
That said, if the kahuna's work benefits many
people, some trusting soul approaching the end of
his life might volunteer to be the kahuna's
sacrifice.
Performing this kind of magic can easily result in
the kahuna's accrual of Jhor, and those who
practice it often are likely to develop a profoundly
Entropic resonance.
Kuoha (The Passion Prayer)
Correspondence 3, Life 2, Mind 2
Wearing only leis of the most fragrant flowers, the
kahuna sits (generally in his sanctum or a similar
locale) and beats a primal heartbeat rhythm on his
drum to incite passion in one target of his
choosing.
System: Roll Arete after each full hour of
drumming; this rote is, obviously, best performed
as an extended action. Once the mage has
accumulated a number of successes greater than
the target's Willpower, the target is overcome by
pure, unadulterated lust for the mage and does
everything possible to be with the mage sexually.
The Storyteller should roll the target's Wits +
Awareness every time the mage's player rolls Arete
to determine if he or she intuits what the mage is
up to; if the target catches on and interrupts the
passion prayer before the kahuna rolls enough
successes, the rote is ruined.
The effects last for one hour per success and affect
the target regardless of sex or orientation. Using
this rote on anyone whom one is not already
sexually connected to is tantamount to rape. It's
also a good way to provoke the target and his or
her every friend and family member into war onto
the mage if used inappropriately.
Mahu (Steam)
Forces 2, Prime 2
This rote turns a large volume of water into steam,
sending billowing white clouds skyward - and
scalding anyone caught in the area of effect. This
sudden, scalding blast is a potent (and popular)
form of battle magic among the Polynesians.
System: This rote affects 100 square feet (10 x 10
and square-ish unless the player states otherwise)
of the surface of the water per success. Not only
does it obscure vision, effectively creating a smoke
screen, but it is also a devastatingly lethal attack,
inflicting standard Forces damage on anyone
caught in the scalding vapors.
Some kahunas willing to use vulgar Effects have
used this rote to flash-cook opponents floating on
the surface of the water (or in their bath tubs.)
Used on the open ocean or on a lake, this rote only
affects the top few inches of the water's surface.
This rote affects nothing a foot or deeper under the
water in any way.
Maikai (The Seaward Pull)
Mind 3
The target of this spell becomes obsessed with
reaching the ocean, diving in and swimming out as
far as possible. It was one of the simple ways the
mages of Polynesia had of eliminating their
enemies. Obviously, if others detain the target and
prevent him from reaching the water for the
duration of the Effect, he won't drown (growing
gills or putting on scuba gear also help) but any
determined kahuna will wait to strike at the right
time (and have surprises waiting in the water for
his target as well.)
System: The kahuna uses potent Mind magic to
implant a deep and overriding obsession in the
target's psyche.
Mano Kahea'ai (Shark Call)
Correspondence 3, Mind 2
Sharks were (and, to a degree, still are) constant
companions to the early Polynesians. More revered
than feared, the shark was considered taboo to
women, but a powerful totem for fishermen. This
rote summons sharks from the surrounding waters
to the kahuna (or as close to him as they can
swim.)
System: The kahuna uses Correspondence magic
to transmit his mental call to all sharks in the local
water. If the mage wills it, he can also incorporate
the illusion of the smell of blood in their minds,
bringing them into a full-on feeding frenzy. The
sharks will not attack the kahuna who summoned
them if he uses the former version of this rote, but
if he uses the latter version, all bets are off.
Because of the shark taboo, female mages cannot
use this rote.
Variants of this rote can call other kinds of
creatures: Octopi, whales or any other marine life
available.
Mokupuni Palahalaha Wiki
(Coral Island Bloom)
Life 2, Prime 3, Time 3
Under most circumstances, coral islands take
centuries to grow. Mages who like to have islands
to themselves often don't have that much patience,
and so they put the coral into fast forward, causing
a reef to bloom upward toward the sun like a
crystalline cloud.
System: The conjunctional Life/Time Effect
causes the tiny coral organisms to build up the reef
at high speed. Prime is used to fuel the tiny
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animals; otherwise, they would deplete all
nutrients from the water in the space of seconds.
The difficulty of this rote increases by one if the
kahuna is performing it at night or at a depth
greater than 80 feet (the depth at which coral
normally grows.) Clever kahunas will create
islands in deep water by using this rote repeatedly
to create coral boulders that accrete around a
floating core. Once the boulder has grown to a
significant size (a thousand feet, say,) the mage
will let the boulder sink into the depths. He will
send these down, one after another, until he has
created a suitable island foundation.
Note: Coral islands are largely sterile and don't
erode into fertile soil the way volcanic islands do.
Most kahunas (who want trees and crops on their
islands) will use this rote only if they have no
means of creating a volcanic island.
Pele Wai'ula (Pele's Blood)
Correspondence 3, Forces 3 or 4, Matter 2
The forces of volcanism were instrumental in
shaping all of the Polynesian Islands and its effects
are still felt in a variety of very real ways, like
regular volcanic eruptions on Hawai'i. This rote
grants the kahuna a degree of control over those
elemental forces of creation, allowing her to
summon the lifeblood of the planet itself.
System: The lesser form of this rote uses Forces
and Matter magic to open up a volcanic fissure
somewhere within the mage's line of sight, reaches
deep into the planet and brings lava pouring out
while the Forces 4 variant causes a full-scale
volcanic eruption. Not only is the former version
easier to perform, it's easier to control.
The lava brought about by the lesser version is
relatively slow moving and unlikely to catch any
but the slowest or most accident-prone enemies,
upon whom it inflicts aggravated Forces damage
(that is to say, three dice of aggravated damage per
success rolled by the kahuna's player.) In the case
of a full volcanic eruption, the Storyteller is the
final arbiter of the mayhem caused by such an
enormous and violent feat.
Amazingly, these rotes are coincidental throughout
most of Polynesia (as well as the Philippines,
Japan and Iceland) and a handful of other places in
the "Ring of Fire," the volcanically active zone
circling most of the Pacific ocean. Elsewhere they
are grossly vulgar.
Rokea'ole
Life 3, Spirit 3
The mages of Polynesia are more familiar with the
Rokea, the shark-changers, than any other
changing breed (and far more familiar than they
would like to be.) Whereas the true shark is
considered good luck, kahunas consider Rokea
brutish, lethal pains in the ass (even if they are
considered semi-divine.) This rote forces a Rokea
out of its large battle-forms, forcing it into its
natural form (usually a shark.)
System: Using magic to shape both the body and
spirit of the target, the kahuna forces the Rokea to
revert to its Breed form and prevents it from
changing again for 10 minutes per success. If the
player is willing to accept a +1 difficulty modifier,
he can choose which form (human or shark) the
target reverts to. Since the shark-changers detest
their human form (except when mating) forcing
them into that form really pisses them off. Rokea
will remember the face of any mage who uses this
rote and mark him for a quick and messy death.
Waipuilani (Waterspout)
Forces 3
A tornado over water produces a waterspout, a
funnel-shaped pillar of water sometimes hundreds
of feet wide extending from the water's surface up
to the clouds. While such a sight is truly awesome,
its uses are relatively limited and the few kahunas
who even remember this rote use it primarily to
enthrall or entertain. It has been noted by a few
mages, however, that waterspouts are a great way
to deal with Technocracy helicopters.
System: Forces magic can generate the waterspout
in either of two ways: If there are reasonable
clouds in the area, Forces magic manipulates the
local weather patterns to create the necessary
funnel activity to create the spout. This version can
be coincidental if the mage is careful.
Alternatively, the mage can use the sheer power of
the Forces Sphere to cause the whirling spout of
water to shoot up from the water's surface, even on
a perfectly clear day. This version is always vulgar.
Wide Awake in the Dreamtime - Native
Australia
Sing the Dreaming Earth
Mind 3 or 5, Prime 5, Spirit 5
This rote allows a mage to create an area of
Shallowing called a Sleeping Land. The area of the
Shallowing is directly related to the successes on
the roll. When performed in ceremony, this rite is
not considered vulgar.
System: In order to properly Sing the Dreaming
Earth, the mage must have a group of ceremonial
assistants willing to help the mage with this rite.
Non-mages are considered properly trained if they
have Occult 4 or Enigmas 4, or Dreamtime Lore of
2 or better. Note that the mage receives one extra
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die for every five of these non-mage helpers
participating. The non-mages actually form living
anchors for the initial points of construction for the
Sleeping Land. The rote uses the Mind sphere to
connect the assistants with the principle ritualist, so
that they all work together simultaneously.
Each extended dice roll represents one hour of
ceremonial dancing and chanting. The magic flows
from mind to mind in the pattern, which is
essentially a twisting, curling, snake-like hoop.
Each participant in the ritual must be within sight
of the other: close enough to see the pupils of each
other's eyes. The number of successes required is
determined by the number of people involved, and
thus the number of points on the looping curve.
Assistants Area Inscribed Successes 5 A bedroom
10 15 A suburban house 15 25 A football field or
similar large area 20 50 A small town 30 200 A city
40 10,000 A continent the size of Australia 50 The
mage must also have at least one Node available to
him to supply the necessary Quintessence to
maintain the Sleeping Land against the crushing
weight of Reason. Think of the Sleeping Land as a
giant hot air balloon of Spirit: the raw, free
Quintessence from the Node, channeled by Prime,
will be the warm air that causes the envelope to
rise and attain shape. Finally, using Mind 5 in the
rote aids the initial casting and makes the envelope
semi-aware and able to discern who should and
who should not have access within.
Casting: Either a single mage or a small core
group of mages will begin the rite, which will
introduce them and then call the People to respond.
One by one, the other participants filter through the
group or past the initiator. They touch hands with
this mage and then begin to walk. When they have
gone far enough, they will turn and wait for the rite
to continue. Each person participates by walking
along the boundaries of the future Sleeping Land
with their apprentices.
(Note: See page 54 of Dead Magic II for further
rules on Sleeping Lands and Shallow Realms.)
Call the Dreamborn Sibling
Spirit 2
This summons a spirit of the Dreamtime, usually
one affiliated with the surrounding area. Because
of the flexibility of time in the Dreamtime, spirits
rarely arrive on time. It takes persistence to get one
of the Dreamborn to come when you call: the
People have learned to simply send the Call and
wait patiently for Dreamborn to arrive.
During casting, the People will sit for hours
meditating and humming a Dreamtime drone,
either standing on one foot in the sand or sitting
cross-legged. They will become stone-like, looking
unseeing into the middle distance. They will
breathe so infrequently that they appear petrified.
Finally, after several hours of this, they will clap
their hands and welcome the spirit they called.
Usually there is no visible sign the spirit is near,
but those with the sense to see the Dreamtime can
see the spirit easily. The shaman will converse with
the spirit as if the spirit were as plain as day, and
will complain bitterly to anyone standing nearby if
they do not see or do not respect the spirit they've
called.
System: The only difference between this rote and
the standard Call Spirit Effect is that it facilitates
speech across the thin veil that is the Dreamtime,
whereas Call Spirit does not. Also, it taps into the
Dreamtime, not the Umbra; thus, there is no
reaching across the Gauntlet. Note that mages who
are the kin of a specific Dreamborn can call
siblings of that Dreamborn at a -2 bonus on the
difficulty.
Dingo's Touch
Entropy 1, Forces 2
Dingoes are known for their ability to get into and
out of situations they shouldn't be in. This rote is
known for its ability to find a way. Simple locks
spring open. Doors are unlocked. Windows slide
open. The Dingo gets by, and so do the People.
When casting, the mage walks circuitously this
way and that near the area he wishes to target,
keeping an eye on his shadow. When Dingo's
shadow emerges from his own shadow, he knows
in which direction to look for Dingo's Touch.
System: Entropy helps the mage see the weakness
in the system, while Forces releases potential
kinetic energy to jostle, rattle and otherwise jiggle
security systems. The obvious nature of the way
out or in is more apparent depending on the
number of successes rolled. The Storyteller can
choose to ask for a Perception + Awareness or
Perception + Security roll if the assistance isn't
very obvious. In no event is this rote vulgar: every
assistance Dingo gives is purely coincidental.
Dreamborn Rousing
Life 4, Matter 4, Mind 3, Spirit 2
This forbidden rite is used to rouse a quiescent
Dreamborn spirit. Only the most powerful
Dreamborn spirits can even potentially be roused:
the rest have succumbed to reality long ago. When
they awaken, they're ravenous for magical power
and life force and they have totally lost all sense of
who or what they are.
The beginning of this ceremony looks a lot like the
common beginning to all the Endless Sleep rituals,
except that the ceremony stops and starts in a
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seemingly random way and the rite ends with the
principle practitioner driving a stone shard through
his hand and into the body of the Dreamborn itself.
System: The ritual successes generated by this rote
are in direct opposition to the rote called Ensure
the Endless Sleep . Successes on the roll must go
towards first eroding successes generated by that
rote, and then are actively opposed by the spirit's
Willpower. When the Dreamborn awakens, it will
be ravenously hungry for Quintessence. Treat it as
a Totem Avatar spirit. It will drain every source of
Quintessence nearby and, if there is none, people
will start to look really juicy and interesting to it.
Ensure the Endless Sleep
Matter 2, Mind 3, Spirit 2
One of the jobs of the People is to ensure that that
which sleeps remains so. The People travel from
place to place in their territory performing this
rote. Anthropologists have done studies of these
complex ceremonies and believe them to be merely
worship of nature spirits. However, if the People
failed to perform their duty, the Dreamborn would
slowly begin to rouse and waken. Then, entities
that have been slumbering for centuries would
rouse, hungry, and begin to take their sustenance
any way they could.
Some of the weaker Dreamborn succumb over the
course of centuries because the last bit of their
spirit essence is leached away by the tides of the
Tapestry. The most powerful (and thus, the most
hungry) sleeping Dreamborn are rarely destroyed
in this manner.
Generations of Aborigines have created
specifically tailored ceremonies for each of the
People's sleeping Dreamborn. Each one is
different, incorporating a story about the
Dreamborn, dire warnings if the Dreamborn should
awaken, and honoring and revering the Dreamborn
as it sleeps. Many times, the People will leave a
token to the Dreamborn spirit should their
ceremony not be accepted and the Dreamborn
awakens later, when they are far away.
System: Ritual successes on this rote ensure that a
quiescent Dreamborn remains asleep. Even one
success is enough to ensnare another moontime of
sleep, while many successes ensure the sleep for
countless generations to come. This rote opposes
the dangerous Dreamborn Rousing rote, and has
been used in the past to thwart the plans of insane
or unwise People who attempt to waken those
Dreamborn who are best left asleep.
The Spirit aspect of this ritual opens a portal to the
Dreamtime, Mind first confirms the identity of the
Dreamborn in question and then begins to lull and
soothe the spirit. Finally, Matter is added to
strengthen the calcified spirit-body against the
ravages of time and erosion.
Goanna's Hiding
Matter 2
This rote causes the clothing worn by the mage to
take on a color, hue and visual texture close to that
of the surrounding area. It was originally designed
to take advantage of the heavy patterns of ochre
that the People sometimes wear. This coincidental
magic can be explained away by the People's
preference for wearing loincloths and such that
match their natural surroundings, and for their
tendency to wear different colors of ochre paint in
ceremonies.
When casting, the mage must stand very still near
the texture she wishes to mimic, and then brushes a
bit of ochre on her fingers, then on the texture, and
then on forehead. As soon as the ochre touches her
forehead, that which touches her skin changes
color and texture.
System: Successes add dice to any Dexterity +
Stealth roll.
Guncotton's Blessing
Matter 3
This rote allows an initiated mage to change the
nature of any organic substance to cause it to be a
fairly potent explosive. Because of the relative
availability of explosives in heavy mining areas,
this rote is coincidental in those areas.
The mage goes walkabout with the organic matter
in his pockets. After several days, when the matter
begins to truly stink, it will dry and then - and only
then - is it ready to be detonated.
System: The mage needs carbon-rich matter
(which can be as base as feces or as complex as
fried chips.) The successes indicate the lethal
damage that the explosive will deliver when
detonated. The mage must then roll Wits +
Technology to properly set the explosive and
detonate it. The substance proves to be a crude
explosive if examined scientifically, which has led
many authorities to believe there are explosive
laboratories hidden somewhere in the Aboriginal
slums of the cities.
Liquor's Calling
Mind 1, Spirit 2
There are those who say that alcohol replaces the
feeling of the Dreamtime for urban Aborigines
who have walked clear of the pathway of their
ancestors. This rote causes a remote and distant
connection with the Dreamtime that soon fades. It
requires enough alcohol to make the caster drunk,
preferably with the most revolting liquor that he
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can find. Then, if he doesn't pass out, he attempts
to gather the attention of the Dreamtime either by
playing the yidaki or rattling the bullroarer while
weaving slowly around in a drunken circle. During
this trance state, it is as if the user is on tribal land,
in tribal ceremony.
System: The Mind sphere helps the mage to focus
while intoxicated and the Spirit sphere calls the
Dreamtime down to suffuse the mage wherever he
is. This rote provides a -3 to all difficulties
involving Dreamtime Lore, in addition to a -3 to all
difficulties for crossing into the Dreamtime.
The difficulty for this rote increases by two every
time it is used in a seven-day period. The numbers
of successes determine how long the state remains.
The mage must roll Stamina + Survival to avoid
throwing up and ruining the preparation of this
rote. A botch on this roll means the mage passes
out.
Lull the Waking Dreamborn
Mind 3, Spirit 2
The droning call of the yidaki, the singing and
chanting of the People, can be turned to many
purposes. This rote is most often used to calm a
potentially violent or dangerous spirit who has
caused damage to the People.
In the early Dreamtime, when there was no
membrane separating the reality of the People from
the Dreamtime, Dreamborn who were put to sleep
this way became part of the natural environment of
the world. The end of the Mythic Age caused them
to calcify into solid material, creating rock
formations of wonderful beauty.
When casting, the People whisper to the wind with
verbal caresses akin to calming or quieting a child.
Then they play their yidaki, sending waves of
calming sound all over the area. Some of the
People in attendance must pinch their thighs or bite
their cheeks to avoid also going to sleep. The
shaman must keep his breath clean and even when
lulling his Dreamborn brother or sister. There is a
saying, "Nothing can be hurried about the
Dreamtime." This process takes as long as it takes -
which is to say hours, on occasion.
System: The ritual successes generated by this rote
are opposed by a spirit's Willpower roll. Mages
who are children to a specific Dreamborn receive a
bonus of -2 to the roll's difficulty. If the spirit fails,
it experiences a wave of sleepiness and spiritual
fatigue that results in its calming down, relaxing
and slowly falling into Slumber. A botch on the
mage's part will enrage the spirit, while a failure
may not be noticed if the Dreamborn is not
particularly intelligent or perceptive. The spirit
being lulled cannot be under attack or in any
danger. The Spirit sphere aspect opens the path to
the fractious spirit and begins to appease and slow
the spirit while Mind encourages the slumber.
Presentation of the Passage Stick
Spirit 3
This sends a kind of spiritual call out into the
Dreamtime of the land around the mage,
introducing her to all who are aware of such things.
Such a rote requires a Passage Stick focus to work
properly, and there are Passage Stick Wonders
which perform this rote automatically upon
crossing into a new territory. This rote does not
allow two-way communication: the visitor
announces herself and then waits to see what
response she'll get, if any. Note that it is considered
extremely inappropriate to traverse the territory of
another family group if you haven't performed this
rote.
When casting, the mage whistles into the air while
holding the Passage Stick in her hand. On the
receiving end, the initiated catches a glimmer of a
feeling of an encroaching presence on his territory.
System: All those in the area who are initiated and
possess Dreamtime Lore 3 or better can sense the
presentation with a successful Perception +
Awareness or Dreamtime Lore roll.
Sense the Dreamsong
Correspondence 1, Spirit 1
This rote allows a mage who is familiar with the
Dreamtime Song to listen to it and examine it for
special qualities. Essentially, it allows a mage the
opportunity to discern the boundaries and strength
of the Dreamtime in the area, what Dreamtime
spirits may or may not be nearby, and whether the
Sleeping Lands are on the wax or the wane.
The willworker enters into a light trance state by
either humming, moving silently in special
ceremonial patterns, or by painting himself. The
lines of his fingers as he dances, or the lines of
paint on his face, soon begin to reverberate silently
within the music of the Dreamtime. Then, and only
then, does the Dreamtime become clear.
System: Simple Perception + Awareness rolls
might give the mage a basic idea of the presence of
the Dreamtime, but it doesn't give much
information. Sense the Dreamsong will allow a
willworker who knows it to see the flows of the
Dreamtime as he makes his way through the world,
and catch glimpses of the events occurring within
the Dreamtime. With Mind 2 added, it could be
used as a scan to detect whether someone has ever
been affiliated with the Dreamtime. Note: This rote
can be used to sense other Shallow Realms outside
of Australia.
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Songline Soaring
Spirit 3
This enables the mage literally to merge with a
Songline and emerge from it at another point along
its length. Using this rote, one of the People can
cross huge distances across Australia at a fraction
of the time it would take anyone else to walk it.
This rote utilizes the Dreamtime's spatial distortion
to good effect: essentially, the mage does most of
his traveling in the Dreamtime.
Humming the Songline to himself, the mage walks
into the distance. Thermal haze pelting him, he is
soon a vision on the horizon, a dot, and then he's
gone. Coming into focus on the other side of his
walk, he moves into sight slowly - indistinct,
sometimes surrounded in a dust storm. Unless you
had timed him, you would never know that he
crossed miles and miles of Outback in the same
time it took for him to walk a mile.
System: After properly identifying a Songline with
the rote Songline Walking , the mage can
effectively mimic the Correspondence Seven
League Stride Effect . The only difference is that
the mage must walk for a period of time before and
after the transition to properly utilize the Songline's
power, and the mage cannot step off the path of the
Songline.
Songline Walking
Spirit 1
This enables the mage to follow the path of a
Songline, if she has been introduced to it.
When casting, the mage keeps her eyes open and
moistened with drops of life-giving natural water
as she walks, humming the Songline that is keyed
to the path she seeks.
System: Successes add to the Perception +
Dreamtime Lore roll to sense the path of a
Songline.
Wurnan Blessing
Entropy 2, Spirit 2
The Law Woman of the tribe comes to a new baby
and speaks to the other women about the destiny of
the child, giving advice to the women of the tribe
as to the child's guidance. This briefly connects the
child's spirit into the Wurnan Law, the inter-
relationship between all members of the tribe. The
Entropy facet of this rote helps to ensure that
minor accidents to not befall the baby in its first
days.
This rote is of particular use to non-native mages,
if they can get a native Law Woman to use it on
them, as it will grant them a brief connection to the
Dreamtime.
When casting, the Law Woman cradles the infant
in her arms and sings a history Songline of her
people, explaining to the child his place in the
great chain of life. Eventually, she bathes the
child's head and then paints his forehead with a dot
of white ochre, symbolizing purity.
System: Cast on an Aboriginal infant, this
introduces the child's spirit to the Ancestors and to
the Dreamtime. Because of the non-traditional
education given to all the children of the tribe as
they grow, this is just the first step upon the road
for the new person. The connection to the
Dreamtime is fleeting, but important, an ember that
can be fanned for the future. Cast on a non-
Aborigine, the successes reduce the difficulty for
him to sense the Dreamtime (up to -3.)
And the Beat Goes On - Shakti and
Shiva
Chakra Influence
Life 3 or Mind 3 or Prime 3
In Tantric practices there are seven Chakras, or
power points, on the body. One in the genitals, one
in the stomach, one in the sternum or solar plexus,
one in the heart, one in the throat, one in the third
eye and one at the crown of the head. These seven
power points are like small engines that fuel the
life of a person, coming down from the Heavens
through the body and exiting in the form of
exertion. This rote allows a mage to control his
Chakras and those of others to his own ends.
System: This multipurpose rote is designed to be a
way of controlling a body via a certain paradigm.
You could easily enhance someone's sexual arousal
via the Bottom Chakra (Mind 3,) or you could
silence someone's voice with the Chakra in the
throat (Life 3,) dull their emotions by using the
Heart Chakra (Mind 3,) or even close off their
Pattern's Quintessence flow by closing the Chakra
at the top of the head (Prime 3.) This rote is
multipurpose and could be used for any variety of
means to control someone. It is sometimes Vulgar,
depending on its use. Body Placement Color
Spheres Genitals Red Life 3 or Mind 3 Stomach
Orange Life 3 or Mind 3 Sternum Yellow Life 3
Heart Green Life 3 or Mind 3 Throat Blue Life 3
Third Eye Purple Life 3 Top of Head Gold Prime 3
Deity Form
Forces 3, Life 4, Prime 4, Spirit 2, optional
Entropy 5
The mage can actually become an Earthly avatar of
a god. The mage has phenomenal cosmic power -
for a while. Paradox eventually catches up with
her, bringing her back down to Earth - hard.
Nonetheless, this makes for a most impressive
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religious display and may spur a renewal in the
god's religion or cult.
System: When first cast, the mage feels fantastic,
suffused with power. It gives him a number of
Effects at once:Friction Curse (Mage Revised, p.
166) or Telekinesis (p. 167) to represent the deity's
raw power, Better Body (p. 171) to boost
Attributes, Mutate Form (p. 171) to take on the
aspect of the deity (multiple arms for
Kali,)Wellspring (p. 185) to replenish power, Spirit
2 to call the deity, and, optionally, Entropy 5, to
renew the deity's worship in the modern world -
reinvigorating the very idea of that deity among
those who witness its avatar.
It requires a minimum of 10 successes to achieve
the Effect, which lasts for one scene. Additional
successes can extend the effects and damage of the
various powers listed above.
The downside of this rote is that it is extremely
vulgar.
Karmic Inversion
Prime 4, Life 3
This rote represents one of the possible ways that
mages in India have found around Kali's dance of
destruction. It allows a mage to take the damage he
would normally suffer from an encounter with the
Avatar Storm and shuffle it off on another mage.
This usually ends up killing the recipient of the
shuffled damage.
It first requires the mage victim to be linked to the
caster's Pattern through a gruesome ceremony of
torture, bloodletting and abuse.
System: The mage uses Prime and Life to tie his
Pattern to that of another person. This requires an
extended casting during which the mage must elicit
pain from the victim to be linked to him. He must
also mix his blood with that of the victim (he may
want to first be sure that the victim doesn't carry
any diseases.) The number of successes required is
equal to the Arete + Willpower of the victim - it is
much harder to link to a highly enlightened Master
then to a newly Awakened apprentice. Once linked,
whenever the mage steps sideways and suffers
Storm damage, it is delivered onto the rote's victim
instead. This rote only works on those with
Awakened Avatars - in other words, only a mage
can act as victim.
The very act of casting this rote on another mage
causes the caster to gain one dot of Entropic Cruel
resonance. If the rote causes the victim to die from
the damage suffered, the Resonance becomes a
level of Jhor. The caster reeks of blood magic and
is on the slow decline to corruption. This rote is
almost Nephandic in nature and could be
considered the gateway to corruption. Player and
Storyteller be warned.
Love Me, Love Me
Life 3, Mind 2
The perfect seduction is more than important to a
cult that sacrifices people. There is no easier way
to get someone to the altar block than making him
think that he wants to go there. And there is no
better way to lead him than his libido. This rote is
usually cast by the mage upon himself in relation
to a certain person. A guy would cast it on himself
to make himself more attractive to a female. The
physical body takes on small changes to make
itself more attractive to another ideal. Nothing
major occurs, like complete rearrangement of cells
or change in hair color; just small changes, such as
a clearing up of acne or a slight change in vocal
tone.
System: This is a cumulative effect. It starts with a
basic meeting where the first Mind Sphere scan is
done on the subject and Life magic adjusts to
appeal to him. Slowly over time, the person who it
is cast upon changes to be more liked by the person
who it is connected to. In game terms, this means
that the mage gains more dice over time for
Appearance and Charisma-based rolls.
A first encounter provides +1 to Appearance, the
second gives +1 to Charisma, and further
encounters each add one more bonus, alternating
between the two traits depending on the nature of
the encounters. The total bonus provided between
both traits is equal to the number of successes
rolled on the casting.
Just like with any other social interaction, the
difficulties can go higher depending on how the
last encounter went. If a character is completely
unattractive to a person, then his difficulty is going
to be considerably higher.
This rote is coincidental.
In the Shadows of the World Ash - The
Norse
Galdr Rotes
(Note: See page 95 and 98 in Dead Magic II for
further information on Rune Magic.)
Help Rune
Mind 1, Prime 1 or 2 or 5
With this rune, the user may fortify his soul in
times of hardship.
System: The character sings the runes of Naudhiz
(for self-reliance) and Sowilo (for hope and
salvation.) For each success on his magic role, the
character gains one temporary Willpower point for
the remainder of the scene. At the end of the scene,
the additional Willpower fades and the character's
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temporary Willpower is at two points lower than
when he began. At higher levels of power, the
character may add the rune Thurisaz (for defense
and primal force) in order to arm himself (as
the Holy Stroke effect on page 183 of Mage) or
even channel raw destructive energy at his foes.
Healer Rune
Life 1 or 2 or 4, or Mind 3 or 4
At its most basic, this rune-song simply increases
the user's effectiveness as a healer by enabling him
to better diagnose injury and illness and to
eliminate infections. More powerful rune-singers
are able to use this song to directly re-knit
damaged bones and flesh. This rune song may be
used to provide emotional and psychological
healing as well.
System: The character sings the runes of Wunjo
(for well-being) and Laguz (for primal life energy)
while performing the actions of a mundane healer
(Perception + Medicine for diagnosis; Intelligence
+ Medicine for treatment.) Acts of diagnosis and
sanitation (Life 1 and 2) are coincidental, while
direct healing (Life 4) is vulgar.
To perform psychological healing (Mind 3,) the
rune-singer must sing the runes of Gebo (for the
subconscious mind) and Wunjo (for well-being) as
he meditates over the sleeping target of the spell.
The mage then projects his own mind into the
subject's dreams in order to better understand and
to deal with the other person's inner demons (roll
Perception + Enigmas for diagnosis, Intelligence +
Enigmas to attempt to influence the sleeping
subject's dreams.) At higher levels of power (Mind
4,) the rune-singer may alter, erase or deal with
memories or mental conditionings that negatively
influence the subject's conscious actions.
Swordbreaker Rune
Forces 2, optional Matter 3
With this rune, the user may render an opponent's
weapons useless or even disarm him altogether.
System: The character sings the runes of Uruz (for
defense) and Kenaz (to attune to the forged
weapons,) calling upon its power to defend him
from harm. The most basic form of this rune song
creates a field around the character, deflecting the
kinetic energy of attacking weapons. More
powerful runesingers may add the Thurisaz rune to
the song, causing an opponent's weapons to
transform to much more brittle materials which
then shatter at the sound of the caster's voice. Both
uses of this rune are vulgar.
Chainbreaker Rune
Entropy 1, Matter 1 or Entropy 2, Matter 2 or
Entropy 3, Matter 3
With this rune, the user may free himself from any
physical forms of bondage.
System: The character sings the runes of Perthro
(for luck) and Naudhiz (for problem solving.) For a
beginning runesinger, this enables him to locate
weaknesses within his bonds and more easily free
himself (roll Perception + Enigmas, difficulty 7,
and add the number of successes to the character's
roll to escape his bonds.) As the character
progresses in mystical skill, he will be able to
unlock and ultimately destroy bonds with his
voice. The first level of this rote is coincidental.
The second level is vulgar unless the character is
able to successfully bluff witnesses into believing
he has performed a mundane act of escape artistry.
The final level is always vulgar.
Spearcatcher Rune
Correspondence 1, Time 3, optional Forces 3
With this rune, the user may catch arrows, knives,
spears and even bullets.
System: The character sings the runes of Kenaz
(for craftwork to attune to the weapons and for
applied energy) and Eihwas (for protection.) Time
seems to slow as the runesinger becomes acutely
aware of the position of each projectile coming
towards him. For each success on his Arete roll,
the character is able to safely pluck one projectile
from the air around him. In order to safely pluck
bullets from the air, the character must employ
Forces magic to dissipate the heat generated by the
bullets' kinetic energy, or else use gloves capable
of resisting such heat.
Counterspell Rune
[Special]
With this rune, the user may reflect harmful
magical effects back against their caster.
System: The character sings the runes of Raidho
(for justice) and Othalo (for protection) to serve as
a means of performing Countermagic (see page
154 of Mage.)
Fire Rune
Forces 3 or Matter 5
With this rune, the user may douse fires which
threaten homes and other buildings.
System: The character sings the runes for Isa (for
cold) and Othala (for home,) and is able to suck the
energy out of any fire that threatens a house,
building or other dwelling. At more powerful
levels, the character may temporarily render the
materials of the dwelling unable to burn at all.
Both uses of this rune song are vulgar.
- 66 -
Peace Rune
Mind 2 or 4, or Entropy 5
With this rune, the user may calm hearts and
minds, allowing cooler heads to prevail in delicate
and critical situations.
System: The character sings the runes of Wunjo
(for harmony and friendship) and Tiwaz (for order
and good judgment.) At basic levels, this runesong
projects a sense of calm and peacefulness to those
who hear it. More powerful runesingers may
outright force listeners to cease conflicts, or even
temporarily eliminate the entire concept of conflict
from the minds of listeners.
Storm Rune
Entropy 3, Forces 3
With this rune, the user may calm the storms and
waves which threaten any nautical vessel.
System: The character sings the runes of Isa (for
control) and Ingwaz (for stability and rest,) and for
the remainder of the scene, the excess kinetic
energy is removed from the air and water, and
changes in the local weather patterns are
temporarily eliminated. Each success on the
character's Arete roll extends the radius of the
Effect by 50 feet.
Ward Rune
Correspondence 3, Mind 3, optional Spirit 2
With this rune, the user may prevent those who
seek to harm him from finding their way to his
location.
System: The character sings the runes of Hagalaz
(for chaos) and Othala (for protection and home.)
A barrier is created around the character's location
(for each success on the character's Arete roll,
extend the radius of the Ward by 10 feet) that
confuses and disorients anyone who comes across
it. Victims quickly lose their sense of direction,
becoming lost for the remainder of the scene. With
the addition of spirit magic, this barrier becomes
effective against ghosts and other spirits as well.
Battle Rune
Correspondence 3, Life 4, Mind 3
With this rune, the user may turn a number of his
comrades into a powerful fighting force.
System: The character sings the runes of Ehwas
(for teamwork) and Laguz (for vitality and virtue.)
For each success on his Arete roll, the runesinger
may enchant one person other than himself for an
entire scene. The magic of the rune song is spread
throughout the group, bringing each member to the
peak of physical health. All Bashing damage is
healed at the end of each turn, and all wound
penalties for Lethal damage are halved for the
entire scene. In addition, all members of the group
are inspired by the runesinger's confidence,
becoming highly motivated and in turn, feed off
each other's confidence. Everyone affected by the
rote has their temporary Willpower fully
replenished until the end of the scene, at which
time they return to one lower than their previous
level.
Ghost Rune
Entropy 1, Spirit 2, optional Correspondence 2
and/or Time 2
With this rune, the user may summon forth the
spirit of a völva (a woman gifted in the arts of
prophecy) and question her about the threads of
wyrd. This way, the summoner can gain knowledge
of the past, present or future.
System: This works just as the Call Spirit Effect
on page 187 of Mage, with a few minor
differences. The character must paint the runes of
Perthro (for divination,) Eihwas (for enlightenment
and bridging the worlds of life and death) and
Elhaz (for calling upon spirits) upon the corpse, the
skull or the grave marker of the spirit he wishes to
call upon and then sings the same set of runes. By
focusing on the forces of wyrd (using Entropy,) the
caster summons forth a female ghost capable of
reading the threads of fate. For players familiar
with Wraith: the Oblivion, this means
summoning a ghost skilled in the art of Fatalism.
Otherwise, the ghost serves as a vehicle for the
caster's own Correspondence and/or Time magic.
The use of Time enables the character to view the
past and futures, as the Divinations Effect on page
192 of Mage. Correspondence enables the
character to view events in the present, as
the Correspondence Sensing Effect on page 159
of Mage.
Baptism Rune
Entropy 4
With this rune, the user may bless a new-born
child, ensuring that he will never die as a result of
combat.
System: The character sings the runes of Berkano
(for birth rites,) Perthro (for luck,) Othala (for
protection) and Sowilo (for guidance and
salvation) while tracing these same runes on the
baby's forehead with pure water. By gently
manipulating the child's wyrd, it ensures that he
will never in his life fall in battle (or is at least
unlikely to do so.) However, this blessing does
nothing to protect the child from illness, poisoning,
drowning or any other form of death, nor does it
guarantee any success in war.
- 67 -
Lore Rune
Correspondence 1, Life 1, Matter 1, Mind 1, Prime
1, Spirit 1
With this rune, the user may identify any non-
human supernatural being within his sight.
System: The character sings the runes of Eihwas
(for enlightenment) and Mannaz (for
understanding the differences between the
mundane and the supernatural.) With a single
success, the character is able to see all spirits
within his line of sight, as well as recognize any
non-human supernatural being. This includes the
undead, werebeasts, changelings and demons. With
two successes, the character is able to differentiate
between broad types (telling the difference
between drones and abstracts, or between a
vampire and a werewolf, for example.) With three
successes, he is able to differentiate between
categories within each type (different breeds of
changeling or bloodlines of vampires.) With four
successes, the character has a basic understanding
of each supernatural creature's general powers
(which Charms a spirit might possess, or a type of
Changeling's ability to transform into an animal.)
With five successes, the character understands
what each creature is capable of (a vampire's
power to work black magic and craft illusions.)
For players familiar with White Wolf's other World
of Darkness game lines, this does not grant the
character any knowledge of those game lines'
character types or their ways. The mage will
understand related bloodlines rather than such
things as Clans or Tribes, and only a general
understanding of what a power is able to
accomplish rather than specific Disciplines or Arts.
Chiminage Rune
Prime 3 or 4, Spirit 2
With this rune, the user may offer power to spirits
in exchange for information and other items of
barter.
System: The character sings the runes of Elhaz (to
communicate with spirits,) Mannaz (to forge a link
between himself and the spirit) and Ansuz (for
power and inspiration.) The rote transfers
Quintessence from the runesinger's Quintessence
pool (or if the need is great enough, from his own
Pattern) into the spirit's power reserves. Each point
of Quintessence is transformed into a number of
Power points equal to the number of successes on
the character's magic roll. More powerful
runesingers are able to add the rune of Ingwaz (for
the power of the earth) to the song, drawing
Quintessence directly from the earth itself rather
than from his own reserves.
This rote only enables the mage to offer Chiminage
to the spirit. Negotiating the deal depends entirely
on the character's natural abilities.
Mind Rune
Mind 4
With this rune, the user may take control of
another person's mind and manipulate it toward his
own ends.
System: The character sings the runes of Fehu (for
social advancement) and Isa (for control,) and with
the power of his voice seizes control over the
conscious mind of another individual. Further
singing will allow the character to manipulate the
target's memories, in effect brainwashing her. This
works just as the Possession andManipulate
Memory Effects on page 178 of Mage.
Charm Rune
Mind 2
With this rune, the user may surround himself with
an aura of charm and friendliness.
System: The character sings the runes of Ansuz
(for social interaction) and Wunjo (for harmony.)
For the remainder of the scene, he radiates feelings
of trust, friendliness and charm. While under the
effect of this rune song, the character gains a
number of additional dice equal to his Arete rating
in all Social rolls that are non-confrontational in
nature (including fast-talking, seduction, fitting in
and performing for a crowd.)
Secret Rune
Entropy 5
With this rune, the user may ensure that
information he shares with someone he trusts will
be kept secret.
System: The character must be alone with a
second individual whom he trusts implicitly, either
a family member, a blood-brother or a lover. The
character speaks the information to be kept secret,
and as the secret keeper swears to keep the
character's trust, the character sings the runes of
Ehwas (for loyalty,) Gebo (for union,) Perthro (for
calling upon the wyrd) and Tiwaz (for
oathmaking.) If the secret keeper should ever break
the oath and tell anyone else the secret, she will
develop a single Flaw, the magnitude of which is
decided by the number of successes the caster
gains while performing the rune song. Each two
successes raises the Flaw level by one. Suitable
Flaws include (but are not limited to) the
following: Level One: Nightmares, Speech
Impediment, Echoes. Level Two: Amnesia,
Deranged, Phobia, Echoes. Level Three:
Degeneration, Permanent Wound, Echoes. Level
Four: Deaf, Mute, Echoes. Level Five: Mayfly
- 68 -
Curse, Dark Fate, Echoes. Level Six and Above:
Degeneration, Paraplegic, Mayfly Curse.
Spá-kona Rotes
(Note: See page 95 and 102 in Dead Magic II for
further information on weaving magic.)
Laying on of Hands
Entropy 1, Life 1, Time 2
Before a battle, a Norse woman would touch her
son all over his body, and through her
understanding of ørlög would know in advance
which wounds he would receive. Although used
primarily upon one's blood relatives, it will also
work on others. This advance knowledge makes it
possible to prepare necessary healing materials
(ancient or modern) in advance.
System: The user must touch the subject over the
majority of his body while concentrating upon her
natural understanding of ørlög. Entropy and Life
enable her to sense where the threads of fate touch
the person's body, while Time gives a clearer
picture of future events which center upon those
threads. The greater the number of successes, the
greater the details she knows about the future
injuries.
While this rote can be used to try and prevent
foretold wounds from occurring (through the use
of armor, protective magics or other means,) one
should be wary when attempting such tactics. Not
even the gods can escape their fated deaths, and the
Norns will sometimes frown on those who dare try
(i.e. Paradox.)
Gørningstakkr
Entropy 2, Life 2, Matter 2, Prime 2 or Matter 5,
Prime 2 or Life 3, Matter 2, Prime 2
One of the most famous creations of the spá-kona's
art is the gørningstakkr, or wound-proof shirt. By
working her magic through her spindle and loom,
the spá-kona weaves spells of protection into the
very fabric of a shirt meant for her brother,
husband or son.
System: Creating the gørningstakkr is always an
extended ritual. The spá-kona must speak spells of
healing and protection while spinning the thread
and weaving the cloth to be used in the shirt. The
shirt is then embroidered with runes of healing and
protection (Wunjo, Sowilo and Othala are the most
common, as well as Kenaz to represent the
craftwork involved.) The most basic version of the
wound-proof shirt weaves Entropy magic into the
shirt to bring luck, and Life magic to heal wounds
that are received (the nature of these shirts allow
self-healing magic to be applied to the wearer
rather than the user, similarly to the way modern
Technocracy medical patches can be used even by
those not trained in the arts of Enlightened
Medicine.) The amount of damage the shirt can
heal is dependent upon the number of successes the
spá-kona garners while weaving the shirt.
More skilled spá-kona are able to weave shirts that
are literally proof against the effects of blades,
spears and arrows. Such shirts count as Class 4
Armor (providing four additional soak dice,) but
do not hinder mobility. In addition, the shirt
converts lethal attacks from stabbing or cutting
weapons into bashing damage, as the blades are
unable to penetrate the cloth.
The art of weaving may also be used to harm as
well as heal. If the spá-kona speaks spells of death
and vengeance while spinning and weaving, and
soaks the threads in poison, she may create a
cursed shirt that will kill the wearer. The shirt is
embroidered with baleful and destructive runes
(Thurisaz, Hagalaz and Isa, as well as Tiwaz if the
vengeance is just.) The wearer of the shirt is
affected as if subject to the Rip the Man-
Body effect (page 171 of Mage.)
Wyrd Visions
Correspondence 2, Entropy 1, Time 2
At the heart of the spá-kona's craft is the art of
knowing. The spá-kona is intrinsically tuned to the
threads of fate and can understand the wyrd of
many things if needed. By attuning herself to the
ways of wyrd, a
spá-kona may divine understanding of the past,
present or future simply through personal intuition.
System: The mage must meditate upon the flow of
wyrd. Most spá-kona do this while spinning thread.
In addition to the sympathetic link between their
thread and the threads of fate, the spinning of a
multi-faceted spindle whorl creates a strobe of
flashing light that aids in meditation (effectively a
form of self-hypnosis.) By doing this, the mage is
able to gain knowledge of people, places or events
in the past or present that will influence present
and future events. Entropy magic is used to find
those things on which destiny hinges.
Correspondence magic is used to skry the present.
Time magic is used to divine the past and hint at
possible futures.
- 69 -
Sei r Rotes
(Note: See page 94 and 102 in Dead Magic II for
further information on sei r magic.)
Summon Völva
Entropy 1, Spirit 2, optional Correspondence 2
and/or Time 2
One of the most basic practices of the sei r worker
is to summon and question the spirits of the dead.
She will summon the ghost of a woman (usually a
spá-kona) gifted in the arts of prophecy and
question her about the workings of the wyrd.
System: This rote works identically to the Ghost
Rune rote above. However, instead of singing
runes, the sei r worker sits on her hen-feather
cushion and rhythmically taps her staff while
chanting the var lokur. Often, the mage will be
assisted by one or more unawakened female
assistants who chant the var lokur with her.
Going Under the Cloak
Life 2, Mind 4
By wrapping herself in her cloak and entering a
trance, the sei r worker is able to suspend herself
between the worlds of life and death, projecting
her soul into the lands of the dead.
System: The mage places her cat-skin hood over
her head like a shroud and covers herself entirely
within her blue cloak, symbolically becoming one
of the dead. She begins to chant the gand, slowing
her body's natural functions to a crawl until her
soul comes forth from her mouth and enters the
Underworld. Traditionally, this will be performed
while sitting atop a barrow or grave, where the
boundaries between life and death are thinner. The
mage astrally projects herself into the
Shadowlands, where she may move about as if she
were a ghost. As with all uses of astral projection,
this ability is unaffected by the Avatar Storm.
At present, travel in the Shadowlands is a
dangerous undertaking. Storms rage among the
lands of the dead, often with a force comparable to
hurricanes. These storms tend to spew forth
shrapnel, caustic chemicals and even worse. Enter
at your own risk.
Sjónhverfing ("Deceiving of the Sight")
Mind 2 or 4, or Entropy 5, or Forces 2
One of the hallmarks of the sei r art in the sagas is
the power to cloud the minds of men. With her
magic, the sei r worker is able to engulf others in
illusion, forgetfulness, fear or even real fog.
System: The art of sjónhverfing draws upon the
"evil eye." By chanting the gand, the sei r worker
weaves a spell of illusion over all those within
eyesight. At the most basic level, the mage may
strike all of those in her presence with feelings of
fear and dread. Each success from the spell adds
one automatic success to any Intimidation rolls. At
more powerful levels of skill, she may place
illusions within men's minds, causing them to
perceive people and objects as something else, or
even make people believe that she has summoned
storms or even turned the world upside down
(completely distorting the victim's ability to tell up
from down, or even to be able to properly process
the sensory information his brain takes in.) In
addition, some sei r workers also know how to
physically blind men's sight by summoning thick
fog and mist.
Huli Shjálmr ("Helmet of Hiding")
Prime 2 or 3, with Forces 2 or Mind 4,
or Entropy 5
In addition to the powers of illusion, the sei r
worker also knows the arts of invisibility. Although
it is easiest for the mage to make herself invisible
(by pulling her cat-skin hood over her head,) she
may also use several methods to render another
person invisible as well.
System: To make herself invisible, the sei r worker
uses her own ritual cat-skin hood, enchanted with
the powers of her magic. The magic takes effect
instantly as the hood is pulled down. At basic
levels, the sei r worker bends light around herself
(and can only see in the IR and UV spectrums.) As
her power grows, she becomes able to force others
to ignore her presence or be unable to even
recognize the very concept of her presence.
The mage can make others invisible as well, either
by placing her hands on the person's head and
chanting, or through the application of herbal
powders.
Gand-rei ("Chant Riding")
Mind 4
With the power of the gand chant, the sei r worker
is able to project her soul out into the world,
entering the dreams of sleeping men, possessing
the bodies of animals or even taking the form of a
bodiless shade. With the power of the gand-rei, she
is able to spy upon others, torment enemies with
night terrors or even cause animals to attack.
System: The mage sits upon her hen-feather
cushion, wrapped in her blue cloak while chanting
the gand. Her soul then exits her body, traveling
out towards her intended target. As an astral spirit,
the sei r worker may enter the minds of those who
are asleep, or she may possess the body of an
animal. In the sagas, sei r workers are shown
taking the forms of cats, wolves, ravens, horses,
walrus and other animals.
- 70 -
Weather Working
Forces 4
By calling upon the spirits of storm and sea, the sei
r worker can unleash and disperse powerful storm
winds, summon or banish blizzards, and enrage or
calm the ocean waves.
System: The mage sits atop her sei-hjallr and
chants the var lokur to summon the powers of the
Vanir. With the blessings of the ancient gods of
earth, sea and sky, she is able to alter the weather
in a manner of her choosing. This rote works as
the Storm Watch effect on page 167 of Mage.
Other Magics
Wearing the Bear Shirt
Life 3, Mind 1, Spirit 4
Perhaps the most famous signature magic of the
Norse, the wearing of the bear shirt (also known as
berserking) enables the user to become a terror on
the battle field. By channeling the spirit of the bear,
the warrior is able to call upon the creature's
strength and stamina, as well as its ferocity. Such
magic may be among the most universal, as
variations of the berserker warrior are found in the
cultures of India, Africa and North America as well
as among the ancient Germanic and Celtic peoples.
System: To perform the ritual, the user must have
a shirt made of bear skin, preferably from a bear he
has hunted and killed himself. Offerings must be
made to appease the bear's spirit so that it will
agree to lend the berserker its power. By drawing
upon the natural connection between the bear-shirt
and the bear's spirit, the mage is able to channel the
spirit into himself. The bear's power then serves to
increase the mage's physical strength and
endurance, as well as help steel his mind against
the pain of wounds, injury and exhaustion.
Singing by Moonlight - European
Shamanism
Irish Rotes
Fatherless Birth
Entropy 5, Life 5, Prime 5, Spirit 5
Long before the Virgin Mary, women were giving
birth without the touch of a man. Great men such
as Väinämöinen and gods such as Raven were born
from women who had not conceived them in the
normal way. These conceptions were forced, using
magic in the form of having the unsuspecting
mothers swallowing tainted water, a wortleberry, or
a pine needle. Väinämöinen's mother was thought
to have been impregnated by the wind itself.
Despite this rote's name, these babies who are
conceived through unusual means do actually have
fathers -- of a sort. Spirits are responsible for the
majority; the only ones without an obvious father
spirit are Raven and Taliesin, who fathered
themselves. The rote's name refers to the fact that
insemination was accomplished by means other
than sexual.
To create the Fatherless Birth, it takes exquisite
control of all involved Spheres. The target doesn't
have to be a virgin, but cannot be someone who
has conceived a child before or thinks that she
might (i.e. she has a regular sexual partner.) There
are other things to consider -- how the mother will
react in this day and age of several options for
unwanted pregnancies, whether the caster can (or
wants to) control the mother and/or child, etc.
System: The target of the Effect must be of
childbearing age. The mage uses Spirit to call the
child's father, then adds Life and Prime to create
the "seed" of the magical child (a berry, a special
draught of water, or other innocuous but natural
object which must be ingested by the target,) and
finally Entropy to place a destiny upon the child
(and the ensure that the seed causes a pregnancy.)
Three successes are required on a single roll (no
extended Effects;) extra successes strengthen the
destiny. This rote is coincidental -- nobody really
believes you can get pregnant from a magical
berry, so others simply assume the mother simply
doesn't want to identify the father.
Major Geas
Entropy 5, Mind 4
A more powerful and doom-ridden version of
the Minor Geas (see below.) The Major Geas is not
chosen voluntarily -- it is imposed on a target by
the mage.
System: Similar to the Binding Oath Entropy
Effect, except that Mind allows the Mage to force
the compulsion upon a target. If he breaks the rule
imposed, willingly or not, he suffers the terrible
effects of ill fate. Successes determine how long
the Effect lasts. This rote is coincidental.
- 71 -
Minor Geas
Entropy 2, Mind 2
The geasa -- an oath bond magical in nature --
were commonly used in Ireland. They were oaths
or promises that had magical weight behind them,
outweighing any and all personal morals. Bearers
would often take the Minor Geas voluntarily,
considering it a supplement to their already
significant honor code.
In today's age, a Minor Geas can be used for
anything as trivial as helping someone lose weight
to forcing them to be polite in a tense diplomatic
situation. A mage must always take on a Minor
Geas voluntarily, as the Effect is not strong enough
to force a will upon someone.
System: Mind forces the target's honor code to be
bound by rules he has agreed to follow. Entropy
punishes any who break the geas with bad luck.
Casting successes dictate not only how strong the
compulsion is, but how badly things go for
whoever breaks the geas. This rote is coincidental.
Shapechange Curse
Life 5, Mind 4
p.121 de Dead Magic II
Salmon of Wisdom
Mind 3, Time 2, optional Spirit 2
p.121 de Dead Magic II
Warp-Spasm
Forces 3, Life 4, Prime 3
p.121 de Dead Magic II
[PS: More on Dead Magic II… Britain, Finland,
Germanic Tribes and Etruscan magick.]