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 "Am I a god? I see so clearly!" (Goethe, Faust) This is a game of Mage: the Awakening using the Imperial Mysteries book. You'll be playing as a group of relatively green Seekers tied together by a subtle but unyielding bond, exploring the nature of their connection and fighting to realize their ideals against a background of cosmic entities and fantastic worlds. If you like Roger Zelazny, Jorge Luis Borges, Planescape: Torment and/or Steve Ditko's run on Doctor Strange then you'll probably have fun! As for running this thing: I have a good amount of experience with nWoD and i'm currently running a standard Mage game in real life, but like most people I have never run or played Imperial Mysteries. I think this will work out if all of us are willing to be patient with each other and treat this as a learning experience, especially since Imperial spellcasting is a pretty involved process that we can take slowly. I'd like to run this on IRC once a week, probably on the weekend from like 2 to 5 PM CST. Tell me whether that time and format works for you! The World  We're working with the assumed world of Imperial Mysteries: there are a little less than a hundred Seekers, and about half of them are still sociable. You've grown to know the latter group personally, though maybe not well or kindly. Along with humble Earth, their public and private affairs take them to the Shadow, the Astral, the Underworld, and all those other Realms Invisible that any old sorcerer can perceive. But there is more, always so much more than they could have imagined as Travellers. Pocket worlds, as real as the Phenomenal but existing for the pleasure of a single person. Long-forgotten Wendings, the soul-worlds of dead Seekers filled with dreams that haven't been told they will never be realized. The Emanation Realms at the foothills of Heaven where all exists to support a single Truth. And the Supernal itself, so painful to the touch, so unlike anything you've seen before. There is also the Abyss. What I want to do is run a game where you can explore those furthest reaches of the Tellurian and face off against the gods themselves with incredible power at your fingertips. And I want to give context to that kind of epic scale by really focusing in on individuals and their relationships to each other in a world like this. Scenery porn is great, but a game like this is going to spin way the gently caress off the rails without being grounded in something human that we can relate to. Roger Zelazny is on the inspiration list because I really like the way he turns wars among godly beings across reality itself into personal conflicts between interesting characters. If the scope seems staggering, don't try to make a god- start from human feelings and see how they would react to power on a grand scale. Your Characters  You are a fairly new Seeker who crossed the Threshold in early 2012 and has since familiarized themselves with the basics- getting to know most of the Seekers who wish to make themselves known, carefully learning how to respect the Pax Arcana that was once a mere rumor, deciding your relationship with the ones you used to walk with as equals. You are notable because you and a small number of other new Seekers have been quite unable to escape one another. As far as you know you were strangers before, but not so long after, you started to feel each other. Reflections in the darkness of your Golden Road, faces and telling words. You began to find yourselves turning up in the same places, known meeting spaces mostly, only to learn to your frustration or relief that the others had no more answers than you. More experienced Seekers have remarked on your connection, and you detect concern. Not fear, but the worryingly close attentions of a contract lawyer. Cabals are not common the way they are among Travellers, nor so benign- a close group is a problem for the Pax, and possibly for more than that when beyond its members' control. If you are cordial with your Entente you have most likely been told that this is something you need to get under control before it becomes a liability- but you've figured that out already. -- Character Creation quote:Divide 6/5/4 among Attributes, plus an additional 3 dots as you choose. Buying an Attribute up to 5 and above does not cost two dots. This is assumed to include your free Resolve/Composure dot. Wisdom changes by Etherwind posted:Wisdom is no longer mechanically modelled in the game. You may not lower Wisdom to gain additional XP during character creation. For effects depending on Wisdom we will be using the following combinations of Attributes, Skills and Advantages: Other house rules posted:For this game, the 3rd attainment of a Legacy is assumed to be gained upon achieving Archmastery- that is, at Gnosis 6. Legacies generally become less important compared to the new worlds of power available to a Seeker, and crossing the Threshold generally grants the final insight needed. Along with or in lieu of a backstory, answer these questions. We can learn more about your past and future as we play. Tell us about the present in your answers! How did you cross the Threshold? Were you met by Aaliyah, or someone else? Now that you're a Seeker, what do you intend to do? What goal could you achieve, if only you had more magic? What would you break the Pax to attain? Who do you consider your greatest rival within your Entente? Who would you consider working with now that you never could have as a Traveller? Do you love someone? "Before, I was:" "Now, I am:" Kellsterik fucked around with this message at Feb 11, 2013 around 01:17 |
| # ? Feb 9, 2013 12:00 |
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| # ? May 22, 2013 06:38 |
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Space saved for more information. I hang around in #fortheworld on synirc if you have questions or anything else! You can connect to the channel here. Character sheet template quote:Name(s): Kellsterik fucked around with this message at Feb 11, 2013 around 01:19 |
| # ? Feb 9, 2013 12:05 |
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I am definitely interested in this, will probably make something as soon as I reread IM a bit.
Yawgmoth fucked around with this message at Feb 9, 2013 around 22:47 |
| # ? Feb 9, 2013 22:32 |
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 "A society is great only when its people plant trees whose shade they shall never sit in." Prior to breaking through the Threshold, Ursula had a modest life as Hierarch of Stockholm's Consilium. She lived with her wife and former Provost Maia and their daughter Hanna, and over the years they cultivated intimate friendships with many of the brightest minds in the Pentacle both at home and abroad. Through them she saw a society fractured by selfishness, factionalism and naked grabs for temporal power, and Ursula gradually came to envision a way to heal the rifts that drove both Awakened and Sleeper societies apart and limited their potential by cultivating a culture of selflessness and harmony - cultures willing to sow hope without any expectation of reaping the reward themselves. Eventually, and with the blessing of her family, her Cabal, and the Consilium, she sought the Imperial Mysteries in order to make her vision of paradise a reality. Upon returning in triumph, she found everyone she had known living charmed lives, the old rifts and in-fighting in her social and political circles mended or erased. However, every door she knocked on brought her nothing but blank stares, as not a one knew her name or face. Even Maia and Hanna regarded her as a complete stranger. She had achieved her goal, but the Supernal had extracted the price she had unknowingly bargained: every relationship she had ever had was gone. They had received her vision of paradise, but she would never be able to enjoy it with them. Almost a year later, Ursula now cultivates connections to Sleepers and Mages alike, loving and kind but detached, like a gardener may cultivate prized rose bushes. Using her ability to tap into the Dreamtime, she locates and seeks out those in which she sees the potential for certain achievements or actions, then creates a sapient, psychically-linked animal to act as their pet and guardian and - often without their knowledge or consent - guides them to outcomes that may yield valuable quintessence at the peak of their personal growth. To other Archmasters, she is cool but cordial, always maintaining a polite distance, for there are few she sees eye to eye with. She has most recently taken up residence in the Sanctum of a cabal of masters in London named the Scions of Dust when she is not otherwise occupied, disguised from them as a mundane housecat alongside her familiar. She has seen signs in her dreams pointing her to this cabal and its involvement in something great, portents powerful enough to justify her direct intervention. Their two-story flat - lived in, but empty often enough while they run errands - has a private but rarely visited roof garden that she utilizes for her magic when she must. --- How did you cross the Threshold? I stood on the roof of the world where erosion and new growth had nearly reclaimed a hidden temple whose location was whispered to me by old spirits in the Dreamtime. As I looked on the shattered roof, the crumbling walls, and the faces of gods worn smooth and featureless, I understood the nature of the path that laid before me. The Abyss held no fear for me, for pain and loss is a part of living. My lustrum blossomed into alien, verdant death, devouring and reinventing itself, the stone and steel remains of men and gods shattered and crumbling beneath forest and jungle and moor. I was forced to reflect on a savagery within myself I had never recognized or accepted, and what it meant for my goals. Reconciling the two within myself, merging them into a forge that tempered my soul into a white-hot imperishable flame, was the most painfully ecstatic experience of my meager existence. Were you met by Aaliyah, or someone else? Aaliyah found me as I reeled from the ruin of my former life. She told me that while it could not be undone, it did not have to be in vain. I knew then that our paths would be one, at least for now. Now that you're a Seeker, what do you intend to do? I will continue my work. I must leave the world a better place than how I have found it. It is all I have left. There are so many that need me and must benefit from my guidance, whether they are aware of it or not. I have this power, and it is wrong not to use it. What goal could you achieve, if only you had more magic? I could craft ever more flawless lifeforms, to move among Sleeper and Awakened alike and act as my hands and my voice. They are the keys, the seeds to our perfect garden, and such a vast garden will need many gardeners. What would you break the Pax to attain? The unity and peace of an eternal paradise. There will be no need for a Pax after that. Who do you consider your greatest rival within your Entente? Abzu. She Awakened in Pandemonium and I believe she has never recovered from the trauma. She believes that the true path to growth and enlightenment is through trial by agony, that only suffering cultivates true wisdom, and that any other method is doomed to fail or lead to false truths. It is vain and stupid; she cannot accept that not everyone needs to suffer as she has to earn enlightenment. Who would you consider working with now that you never could have as a Traveller? Sleepers. The material world is a microcosm of the Tellurian in which sleepers are a small but vital part. Where other Archmasters see obstacles or pointless extras in a cosmic play, I see valuable allies in the Ascension War. Do you love someone? My wife and daughter may not remember me, but I will always love them. I am glad they are happy, even if it is without me. Before, I was a mother, a lover, and a friend to many. Now, I am alone. quote:Name(s): Ursula (Cassandra Jakobson) Reene fucked around with this message at Feb 16, 2013 around 13:11 |
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Watching with interest.
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| # ? Feb 9, 2013 23:56 |
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Reading IM again before I do up mechanics. Work in progress. quote:Name(s): Kṛṣṇa Ananda, ब्रह्मन् ???  How did you cross the Threshold? I part the Veils of Māyā and snatched my dream from the claws of Soma Swami. I inverted myself into fantasy and achieved the Dream. Were you met by Aaliyah, or someone else? I was met first by the Dreamborn and informed of my mission, however it was Aaliyah who provided a means to the collective hold. Now that you're a Seeker, what do you intend to do? Reunite the Fallen World with the Dream. What goal could you achieve, if only you had more magic? Summon the UFO more fully into the Fallen. What would you break the Pax to attain? An escape from Karma. Who do you consider your greatest rival within your Entente? Rajah Māyā, lord of illusion. Agent extraordinary of Soma Swami. Who would you consider working with now that you never could have as a Traveller? The Aswadim. They seek orphan fragments of a greater truth. Do you love someone? Dharma. "Before, I was:" Suburban mystic, chaos magician and comic enthusiast. "Now, I am:" Illustrious Karmanaut Kṛṣṇa Ananda, agent of the Dreamborn. What is The UFO? The source of all fortean phenomena: The Dreamborn god of fear and mystery. OR profane envoy of the Abyssal Watchtower of Mind and Spirit, inverted lotus of the Sahasrara. Expression of the fear that god is simultaneously mundane and unknowable. OR something else??? An expression of the belief that Ascension is simply the first rung on the ladder to enlightenment, that there are an infinite number of worlds to be transcended, and that beings so advanced as to be perfect may still fall short of glory. Magic Philosophy: Magic is the violent imposition of will upon the universe. Enormous action, magnitudes larger than that occurring in the sphere of the Fallen. Conversely this action invites Big Karma, the feat known as Paradox. There is no inherent goodness in the Supernal but that it is the realm of great action, immeasurable evil and feats of soaring heroism. The Abyss is a realm of deflationary microaction. Synchronisation with Dharma is achievable via the unknowable streams of chaos magick. There is no right but Dharma and Dharma may cloak itself in silk Supernal or Abyssal. Whatever is remains is and remains the will of Dharma. Nimbus: Ananda's magic seems to diminish reality around it, more real than real, as dream spilled forth from the minds of onlookers. It touches those nearby deeply, as if it were a long-held fantasy fulfilled. (Will rewrite) Ascension: NPC ideas - Work in Progress Soma Swami - Dreamborn False god of a thousand false worlds, Maharajah of the Veils of Maya. Captor of Ananda's former self in a ploy to trick him out of Ananda's current self. Ananda's liberation of his current self from the claws of Soma Swami has enabled Ananda to go beyond infinity, enraging the Swami to no end. (Must visit former/"Real" self periodically for injections of reality?) Rajah Māyā - Alienated devotee of Soma Swami Fundamental disagreement over Ananda's commitment to the Mysteries and rejection of material desire. Follows a path of warm ignorance over cold truth. Seeks the truth within the illusion. Mutual frustration over the fact that he and Ananda are two sides of the same coin. Happy to work with Siddha of Prime (Of which there are one or two) and occasionally the Bodhisattvas Archmaster of Prime - At the forefront of investigation into Phantasms. His insight into the nature of Prime, expression of the highest supernal truth, has led him to believe that the Supernal Realms are founded on illusion. Syncop Attractor - Siddha Siddha Archmaster of Time, Life and Mind. Addicted to casting off its former selves, seeks to create itself anew in every moment. An ever-shifting morass of traits, colours and sounds orbiting itself in four dimensions. Bloom - Tetrarch Archmaster of Space and Prelate of The Eye, Bloom seeks to interpose himself between space and become the sacred channels through which all information is mediated. A system of gates through which every conceivable interaction is meted, cropped and surveilled. Occasion - Siddha Archmaster of Fate and Time, seeks to prove once and for all the inevitability of her own Ascension. Believes she does not exist but continually occurs throughout space and time at Fate's whim. Focus Anti-Shanti Santoor Blaster Reshifts the target's vibrations such that an overwhelming karmic struggle is produced, resulting in violent discorporation. Goals Forge an "Ambassador", a spirit fed exclusively on the essence of astral entities, bred to bridge the gap between the Shadow and the Dream. Acts as an Iris? Establish diplomatic relations with all other realms and their representatives. Chain dreamself inversions to infinity. Collapse every plane of the Tellurian into one. Bigup DJ fucked around with this message at Feb 28, 2013 around 02:44 |
| # ? Feb 9, 2013 23:58 |
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I'm going to have to dig into this book for a bit, but you can pretty safely consider me "in."
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| # ? Feb 10, 2013 00:37 |
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Never mind.
Colette fucked around with this message at Feb 11, 2013 around 01:58 |
| # ? Feb 10, 2013 02:20 |
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 Name: Nadir Concept: Necromantic pioneer Virtue: Fortitude Vice: Wrath Supernal Realm: Stygia Legacy: Bokor Entente: Aswadim Intelligence: 6 (2+4) Wits: 7 (3+4) Resolve: 9 (5+4) Strength: 1 Dexterity: 3 Stamina: 7 (4+3) Presence: 7 (3+4) Manipulation: 6 (2+4) Composure: 9 (5+4) Academics: 0 Computer: 1 Crafts: 0 Investigation: 1 Medicine: 0 Occult*: 6 (abyss, underworld, alchemy) Politics: 0 Science: 1 Athletics: 0 Brawl: 1 Drive: 0 Firearms: 0 Larceny: 0 Stealth: 1 Survival: 0 Weaponry: 3 Animal Ken: 0 Empathy: 1 Expression: 0 Intimidation*: 6 Persuasion*: 6 Socialize: 0 Streetwise: 0 Subterfuge: 5 Merits: High Speech: Pawns Void Scourged Dream Whispers Body-Ravaging Magic Sanctum/Demesne (size 4, alchemical lab 3) Arcana: Prime 7 Death 6 Matter 5 Mind 4 Life 3 Forces 3 Sword of Doctrine 1 Gnosis: Current Mana/Max Mana/Mana per Turn: 20/20/7 Stored Mana: 42/50 Imperial Mana: 7/7 Paradox: 3/20 Size: 5 Health: 12 [][][][][] [][][][][] [][] Willpower: 13/15 (burned 3 WP dots on rotes) Wisdom: Saruman Defense: 3 Armor: 6 v. physical, 7 v. magic (death+prime mage armor) Initiative Mod: 17 (12+5) Speed: 9 Experience: 9 (41 spent) Arcane Experience: 8 (39 spent) Rotes
Path of Joining
Legacy Attainments
Miscellaneous Stuff I Made
Stuff I Picked Up 20 soul stones in the form of various small items like watches, keys, fountain pens, etc. ~The short version~ How did you cross the Threshold? I have been fighting all of my life, and my battles finally came to a crescendo. Were you met by Aaliyah, or someone else? I was met by Gamaliel, who told me of the truly limitless creative potential within the abyss. Now that you're a Seeker, what do you intend to do? Explore both the possibilities of my magic and what I have come to understand as the source of my power. What goal could you achieve, if only you had more magic? I would give the gift of realization to everyone. The abyss allows for all desires to be realized, even - especially - those that are impossible and contradictory. What would you break the Pax to attain? True understanding of the workings of the worlds. Who do you consider your greatest rival within your Entente? Rahab. Destruction for its own sake, to unmake everything just to see it destroyed, is as childish as it is wasteful. Who would you consider working with now that you never could have as a Traveler? Vampires. A constant thorn in my side as a Traveler, I believe that they could at least be put to some use; perhaps their blood holds some secret of value to us, or their so-called "blood sorcery". Do you love someone? I did, once. Once. Before, I was angry and hurt. Now, I am strong filled with purpose. ~The Long Version~ Nadir's awakening to the Moros path as a tough one. His parents were abusive and bordering on sociopaths, and the kids at school treated him about the same. He didn't even have a girlfriend until college, and she broke off their engagement for another man. After his fiancee left him and he couldn't find a job to literally save his life, he tried to end it with a knife down both wrists. What he found wasn't the release of death, but an unending mountain of decaying flesh and crumbling stone. No matter how hard he struggled or how high he tried to climb, he sank; it wasn't until he started digging that he made progress up towards the king of that foul place, cursing his luck and his fate and everyone who had caused him pain in the process. When he reached the top, a voice called to him, offering a throne of blood and bone, and all he had to do was swear to bring his vengeance down upon others. He gladly accepted, and Awoke, completely healed. His life as a mage was similarly wrought with strife. Unbeknownst to him, he had undergone the Scelesti ritual of the Joining, and his nimbus showed the marks. "Proper" mages all shunned him at best and tried to kill him at worst, a favor he was all too happy to return. He offered the souls of his enemies up to demons, acamoth, and gulmoth alike for more power, blazing a trail of pain and death (and undeath) across the upper midwest. When the creatures he had bargained with came to collect him, what resulted was a massive free-for-all between several nearby cabals, a host of abyssal intruders, and an army of the undead. At the height of the chaos, he had a revelation: everyone needs something to fight to have purpose, and what he had been creating all this time was something to make people band together, to become closer by driving something else apart. And then he vanished. His journey to the supernal was riddled with the corpses he had created and animated, demanding their freedom. He rejected them. He was beset on all sides by the demons he had fed, demanding his soul as he had offered up so many others. He denied them. And when he reached the borders of the supernal, the true Death was waiting for him, demanding he turn back, or suffer his wrath. He returned the sentiment as he had so many other times, forging a sword of the purest magic and driving it back into the storm of souls that surrounded them. He forged a lustrum from that blade and the memories of those he had to destroy, a throne of shining thaumium within a palace of his honored slain. When he returned to the Fallen World, much had changed. The world knew nothing of his battle, but in the place of several warring factions was a spread out but loyal band of cabals that worked to study the Invisible Realms and their denizens, to learn from them, bind them to service, or destroy them as they needed. And though they didn't remember him, they recognized his skills and desires were much like theirs and thus pledged their assistance wherever they could. ===Sanctum and Pawns=== Nadir's sanctum is a moderate collection of cabins surrounding a small mansion of similar style, all hidden deep within the woods without a hint of trail leading to them. The air is thick, the shadows are deep, and there is always the faint smell of blood - the effects of an Abyssal Demesne that covers the bounds of the campsite and allows magic infused with the power of the Outer Dark to flow with terrifying ease. There's a collection of small spirits that patrol the area, along with zombie groundskeepers that double as reinforcements, should they be needed to serve as such. Harvey, a sickly acquaintance of Nadir's when he was mortal, was given new life and new power after his threshold crossing; he now maintains order in the camp in Nadir's absence and prepares the occasional unwanted visitor's corpse for animation. Down a hidden doorway in his mansion lies the path to his alchemical laboratory - a small series of interconnected caverns where he can safely perform all manner of experimentation on the living, unliving, dead, and inanimate. His pawns, a loose confederation of mages from all over the midwest, make up the only consilium that both actively studies and utilizes the abyss and its denizens that have not been destroyed by power lust or an attack by the guardians of the veil. They meet here on a regular basis to receive instructions from Nadir and to learn from him, hoping to gain insight into the deep inner workings of the tellurian. He keeps them in the dark in regards to his true nature, and he has no official title within the consilium; but his requests are never refused, and he rewards their efforts well. Yawgmoth fucked around with this message at May 11, 2013 around 04:14 |
| # ? Feb 10, 2013 05:41 |
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 Every single time. That too is miraculous. What else happens every single time, without a hitch? Nothing but this, that I can think of. The smells, the flies, the whole horrible black miracle. Its as if somebody were trying to tell us something. Nothing else works that well. Birth? For most of human history it was one of the worst bets around. And even if the child was launched successfully, there were a million ways it could die. Thats why they didnt name the kid until it was older, likely to stay a while. A million ways to fool the demons, cut its hair in ways hard for their claws to clutchnone of which ever worked. Marriage, business, farming, warnothing works. Only death, our one and only absolutely reliable anti-Newtonian miracle. - John Dolan Roderick Galloway was once a legacy medical school student in Victorian England. He was of course an abysmal failure, much to the shame of his wealthy family. He abhorred the sight of death. A vegetarian when it was a curiosity, even the sight of meat could set his delicate constitution to wretching. Dissecting animals and handling cadavers was only made possible by an increasing reliance on alcohol and opiates, which, in the end, killed him. Upon returning from the tower of the Lead Coin, Roderick's adolescent frailties were rotted away. Taking the name Crypt, he joined the Mysterium, seeking only one thing: to understand the Mysteries of death. He cloistered himself away for years, engaged in study and experiment. This was no prurient obsession, no dark urge: Roderick hated death. The wastefulness, the misery, the grotesqueness, the smell and the violence. Sobbing families and bloodied jaws, prayers unanswered. After decades of study, and upon becoming a full Master in the common understanding of both Death and Prime, he had hit a wall. Worse, he felt his enemy closing in. His Quintessence came while studying a spell to gain immortality - something unknown to traditional Awakened magic. His path led to a tome rumored to be on a Tibetan mountaintop. Despite his magic, the cold ravaged his skin and hammered at his ancient bones, and there, buried in the snow amongst the mummified, blue corpses of a dozen English mountaineers, he found his own corpse, perfectly preserved as he had left it, needle still at attention in his withered arm. The Abyssal trial was void and eight-eyed skulls that screamed in song, yet death was of the abyss, and it was the only thing he knew. Stygia was a storm of shades that vivisected him and the air was molten lead. His Lustrum was to solidify its Stasis: a cold, barren expanse, harsh but survivable. A long explorer of the Underworld, he feared to return to these stranger realms. With his new Archmastery, he died a third and final time: constructing the Crypt, a vessel that would hold his soul now that his body had failed. Immortal, for a few decades more he hid within the catacombs in the Fallen World, but found that new Mysteries to help in progress in his goal were becoming scarcer. In a trip to the Underworld, an ancient Atlantean shade professed to him that his answers lay in the further realms he had neglected for so long. Were you met by Aaliyah, or someone else? Crypt was met by Aaliyah, but found the archmaster community of no value until recently. Now that you're a Seeker, what do you intend to do? To study the Mysteries of Death What goal could you achieve, if only you had more magic? Seal the Underworld. What would you break the Pax to attain? To end death. Who do you consider your greatest rival within your Entente? Mandala, an Indian mystic who preaches the cyclity of life. Who would you consider working with now that you never could have as a Traveller? The supernal gods, other archmages. Do you love someone? Crypt, despite his obsession and his secludedness, has a deep and abiding love for all life. Before, I was: A victim Now, I am: A survivor quote:Name(s): Crypt, Roderick Galloway t3h_z0r fucked around with this message at Feb 11, 2013 around 05:57 |
| # ? Feb 10, 2013 06:34 |
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Work in progress: Name(s): Nu(Ana Somnia to Travelers) Concept: Monist Boddhisatva tilting at Infinity Virtue: Charity Vice: Wrath Supernal Realm: Stygia Legacy: Dreamspeakers(death secondary variant) Entente: Boddhisatva Intelligence: 6 Wits: 2 Resolve: 2 Strength: 1 Dexterity: 2 Stamina: 5 Presence: 1 Manipulation: 4 Composure: 6 Size: 5 Health: 10 [][][][][][][][][][] Willpower: 8 Wisdom: 5 Defense: 2 Initiative Mod: 8 Speed: 8 Mental: Academics: 0 Computer: 0 Crafts: 0 Investigation: 6(Astral) Medicine: 0 Occult: 6(Mind) Politics: 0 Science: 3 Athletics: 1 Brawl: 0 Drive: 0 Firearms: 0 Larceny: 1 Stealth: 2 Survival: 1 Weaponry: 0 Animal Ken: 0 Empathy: 6(Astral) Expression: 0 Intimidation: 0 Persuasion: 6 Socialize: 0 Streetwise: 0 Subterfuge: 0 Merits: High Speech * Mentor(Onieros Supercomplex) ***** Pawns(Church of the Broken Axe) ***** Mentor(The Duke Of The Waning Moon) ** Dream *** Meditative Mind * Status(Astral) *** Allies(Astral) *** Allies(Boddhisatvas) ** Allies(Aswadim) * Allies(Alienated) * Allies(Tetrarchs) * Library(Mind, The Broken Axe, The Lie) *** Allies(Free Council) * Sanctum(Church of the Broken Axe in the Temenos): Size ** Security ** Hallow * Arcana: Mind 6 Space 5 Death 4 Matter 4 Gnosis: 6 Current Mana/Max Mana/Mana per Turn: X/15/6 Legacy:(As per Dreamspeakers at 1 - (permanently in astral, can meditate through astral as instant action or meditate normally at + Mind dots) Second attainment of the Dreamspeakers(death variant): Mind 3: Augment The Mind, but you take dots at a 2-1 basis from either the astral or real world version of yourself Optional Death 3: Ghost Gate 3rd attainment: Mind 4: Read The Depths, can incorporate into Metamind Death 4: Slay Spectacular Aura Rotes: Name (Arcana ): (Attribute + Skill + Arcana) 5 dice Psychic genesis (Mind 5) : (Intelligence + Empathy + Mind) - 18 dice Psychic reprogramming (Mind 5) : (Manipulation + Persuasion[rote specialty] + Mind) - 17 dice Summon astral archetype (Mind 4) : (Manipulation + Persuasion[rote specialty] + Mind) - 17 dice Revenant (Death 4) : (Manipulation + Persuasion[rote specialty] + Death) - 15 dice Portal (Space 3) : (Manipulation + Investigation + Space) - 15 dice Scrying (Space 2) : (Intelligence + Investigation + Space) - 17 dice Experience: 0 Arcane Experience: 0 118/120 8 summon astral archetype 8 Revenant 20 attributes - dex, wits 2 82 merits How did you cross the Threshold?: In a moment of peace after a time of great madness and death. It really wasn't all that bad, after all - not there, the supernal coalescing in front of me - no, it was alright. Everything is perfectly okay. There is good yet in these many worlds. Were you met by Aaliyah, or someone else? : I was met by Aaliyah, and I took it upon myself to follow in her footsteps, to learn all I can from all ententes. I was also approached by The Crone, Minister of the Psychopomp, who asked if I would take my place in the tyrannate. I am, after all, the fruition of the line of the Psychopomp. I declined politely. Now that you're a Seeker, what do you intend to do? : Cultivate compassion, make the world a better place. Love unbound. Become everything. Baby, you are the center of the universe, if you weren't? You wouldn't be here. What goal could you achieve, if only you had more magic?: Break down our barriers and expose the monism of this beautiful universe-I would make everyone me and me everyone and in that single moment of compassion, we could save this world. What would you break the Pax to attain?: The Pax is dear to my heart, as it keeps us together, and that is the vehicle through which we will all find we are not so different from each other, that we are all one thing. Yet it is broken time and time again, and I would break it - to protect my family. Who do you consider your greatest rival within your Entente?: My sister, Angela, took...difficultly to her psychomagical deconversion from the memes of the Seers, and the prelacies and dreams still roil away in her head. Something has gone wrong and we can't fix it. She is one of us and I would die for her, but she goes overboard sometimes. We all admit it, we all see where it's going, and we hope and we pray that she isn't someone we'll have to leave on the battlefield. She's one breach of the pax away from her head on the Psychopomp's scythe. Who would you consider working with now that you never could have as a Traveller?: EVERYONE. The Seers and Scelesti especially. Do you love someone? : Someone? Someone? Look me in the eyes and ask me again if I do not love every being and every mote of this infinite universe with everything I have. Ask me if I ever had any other choice. "Before, I was:" insane. "Now, I am:" everything. Ribs fucked around with this message at Feb 15, 2013 around 18:31 |
| # ? Feb 10, 2013 06:53 |
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 His life had never been especially grand or exciting, nor had he ever desired it to be so. He pursued the art he loved, he had a family he loved, and he was wise enough to demand nothing more of the universe. He passed his days with simple, peaceful things, walking the dog in a nearby park until the shadows grew long and cool. It all began with the illness, an intruder growing in his brain. First came the splitting headaches. Soon, it stole his vision and his art away. Tragedy stalked him like a predator: The children died, one quickly and one slowly. His husband, a man who would have burned his heart to light the world, was falsely accused and thrown from his profession in disgrace. They lost the house. Winter came. The pain of his own condition became unbearable, but it was his husband who first succumbed to the cold. Only he and the dog were left to attend the funeral. Eventually, his hearing followed his sight into darkness. On a morning like any other, he woke and patted the dog to find it cold and still. The tears he shed upon its corpse bound Jobs soul to the supernal realms, and would one day change the universe forever. How did you cross the Threshold? In a border town beset by cartel violence, a girl was born to two teenaged parents. She possessed a congenital stomach condition which caused her consistent, excruciating pain and died at the age of 2. For years, I studied her life. I traced every thread of fate and sympathy that emanated outwards from her birth and death, searching for meaning, purpose, vindication. All in vain. At the very end of the final ripple her existence left, I found the wife of a morgue worker annoyed that her husband was working late. The codex I created of her life and death was the quintessence of my golden road. In the supernal realms, I was challenged by a phantasm which took the form of God. It demanded to know who I was to challenge its design, why I whose sight and power was so limited dared to find fault with creation. I answered, I am a man, and I need be nothing more, and the way was opened. Were you met by Aaliyah, or someone else? I was met by Aaliyah. I am largely uninterested in the ententes, but at her encouragement I aligned with the bodhisattvas. Now that you're a Seeker, what do you intend to do? I want answers. I want to know the reason why we suffer; not just that suffering which produces growth, but that which degrades and murders the human heart and teaches nothing. If I am not satisfied with the answers I find, then I will act. What goal could you achieve, if only you had more magic? True ascension may someday give me the answers I seek. If I am unsatisfied with the answers I find, Ill need all the power I can get to change the world until I am. What would you break the Pax to attain? If I truly find emptiness or malice at the heart of all things, then no force on heaven or earth will restrain me. Who do you consider your greatest rival within your Entente? Polaris, who is indifferent to the damage he causes in his quest for mass awakenings. Who would you consider working with now that you never could have as a Traveller? The aswadim are living antithesis to everything that I hold dear. Yet, I suspect that they may know something Do you love someone? More than life itself. Now, I have the power to bring him back, but I am terrified. Could he even understand what I have become? I have endured every torment a man can experience. But I know that his fear or rejection would destroy me. "Before, I was:" In search of effect "Now, I am:" In search of cause quote:Name: Job quote:Temporary Statistics: Androc fucked around with this message at May 11, 2013 around 04:14 |
| # ? Feb 10, 2013 07:28 |
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I'm really glad people have such excellent concepts already! Everything posted so far is exactly the kind of characters I wanted to see. I'll wait until people have more details/more are posted before I comment on them, but first some rules updates/clarifications i'll add to the OP as well.Rules notes posted:Any Attributes or Skills above 5 are capped by your Gnosis. If you have Gnosis 6, your stats can't go above 6. I'm open to discussion about these last 3- what does everyone think? Does that sound fair? Dave Brookshaw posted:Watching with interest. 
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| # ? Feb 10, 2013 23:42 |
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Kellsterik posted:For this game, the 3rd attainment of a Legacy is assumed to be gained upon achieving Archmastery- that is, at Gnosis 6. Legacies generally become less important compared to the new worlds of power available to a Seeker, and crossing the Threshold generally grants the final insight needed. You may still buy up to Gnosis 7 for other reasons, including the 7th dot in an Arcana. quote:The Extemporaneous Affinity merit won't be used in this game. quote:Fate spells that affect dicepools (such as by giving them the 9-again or rote qualities), when applied to spellcasting pools, empower the Paradox roll in the same way. Common spells cannot affect the dicepool of an Imperial spell.
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| # ? Feb 11, 2013 00:18 |
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So after a discussion and straw poll in IRC, it sounds like there's more support for this rule on Gnosis:quote:Gnosis stays at 6 at character creation. Everyone's Gnosis will increase during the game at the same time after some combination of narrative milestones and accumulating enough Arcane XP total. The stone tablets of the law are being re-etched as we speak. So, do not raise Gnosis above 6 at character creation. Be sure to speak up in this thread or in #fortheworld if you have suggestions or opinions about rules changes, i'm very interested in figuring out what works for the players.
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| # ? Feb 11, 2013 01:16 |
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Never mind. I think I am feeling a bit out-of-place going by the IRC discussions, so I think I will back out of this game. The main reason why I feel out-of-place is that everyone else's character concepts look all lofty and filled with actual philosophies and whatnot, and I do not feel I can match up. Sorry. Colette fucked around with this message at Feb 11, 2013 around 02:01 |
| # ? Feb 11, 2013 01:34 |
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A thing I just realized: We should all probably figure out what our nimbus looks like, since that's a pretty integral thing to an archmage.
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| # ? Feb 11, 2013 05:15 |
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Around Nu, the lights dim on the world, ribbons of shadows undulate and radiate away from the casting. It feels like the moment in a dream where you think you have control but do not: the field of vision goes narrower, objects become indeterminate, time skips a beat, feels like being taken up by a wave. All the while, glitchy electronic beats sliding into static and fuzz underplay the action. The world goes choppy and then returns.
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| # ? Feb 11, 2013 05:21 |
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Job's magic is suffused with a sense of purpose. Minor ailments of the body and mind become trivial, and reality snaps into such sharp focus that one can nearly see something beyond the simple shapes and colors. An unknown object is scanned for and not found.
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| # ? Feb 11, 2013 05:33 |
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When Nadir's nimbus flares, it's like looking into a solar eclipse. Everything darkens around him except for a corona of impossible colors around him, and the shadows grow a predatory nature to them as if one wrong move could cause them to strike.
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| # ? Feb 11, 2013 16:04 |
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NPCs ideas: -The Waning Duke, Esoteric Cartographer, the Mercurian Quixote. http://threewordphrase.com/cosmic.htm , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-plA2ASX0Uw The Waning Duke is a former free council cartographer of strange geometries specializing in the underworld, however he's recently relocated his sanctum to the astral realms. He has discovered a planet in the astral realms that has a strange connection to the concept of Death: he thinks it might be where Death came from, a psychic signpost planted by the Psychopomp to trick humans into dying. "Dying's a mug's game" he says, like Hob Gadling, he claims that the only reason humans die is that their dying is a habit of the human mind - we were meant to be immortal and simply 'got into bad Habits'. He calls his moon Barbelo and meets his students on pagoda surrounded by a impossible misty waterfalllike mobieus strip of liquified metals. Archmaster of Mind, Space and Death and Nu's mentor in the Deathspeakers. (Mentor) -Dasein, who has broken the chains of Mammon and plunged into madness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmWGaKgXnHM Dasein, true name Angela Burke, is Nu's sister. Chosen by the Psychopomp from a young age thanks to the purity of her line, descending from the same exarch, Angela awoke before Nu and was initiated into the mysteries of the iron pyramid by a clever Mammon pylon. They grew to regret their steal, as Angela was young, driven, and, like Nu, unhinged. When Angela was about to pass the threshold, Nu intervened. The astral-supernal deconversion process managed to open the mind of Angela enough for her to see the ways of the Boddhisatvas. She took the shadow name Daesin as a Seeker, undergoing a supernal trial where she tore down a great kingdom of gold and brass, but her and Nu were not destined to be on the same side of the war for Ascension. Nu has yet to find a way to strip her of the Prelacies she learned, and both the Chancellor and Psychopomp wage a war for the soul and mind of Dasein, who grows mad and violent. She has taken to rash acts that risk the Pax Arcana, attempting to aid the Ascension of other Seekers non-consenually and often through violence and murder. The Chancellor promises her a kingdom. The Psychopomp promises her a chance to sate her bloodlust. All Nu can promise is love. Archmaster of Matter and Death. (Allies: Boddhisatva) -Twice, Abyssal saint of Freak Accidents. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPFluIOLz5k Twice is an Aswadim who has taken a particular interest in Nu, looking to convert her to the abyss, promising power and the ability to rescue her sister. He brutalizes sleepers and crafts a Siddha style incomprehensible chain of Quintessences and acts of terror that will lead to his Ascension. A butterfly flaps its wings and a child dies. A scream echoes through the cosmos and a man breaks his chains. Twice acts extremely indirectly, preferring to send Ochema and set Fate in line with his dark wishes so that everything will go according to his impossible plans. What might the world look like if Twice has his way in Imperium? Other Boddhisatvas rage against him as he skirts the Pax Arcana by the edge of his teeth, and mobilize for when he finally breaks it on his way to the heavens. What side will Nu fall on, with his tempting offers? Archmaster of Forces and Fate. (Allies: Aswadim) -Hippolytus: When Nu was Ana Somnia, she spent a few months in the Silver Ladder, found off the streets during a mental breakdown by a proud Thyrsus named Hippolytus, who put her in charge of a rehab cryptopoly. The structure of the Silver Ladder was too constraining for Nu, and they fell out violently. -Foucault: Nu's brother Michael, who she forced into Awakening while still a Traveler in an attempt to safeguard him from the predations of the Psychopomp's minions upon the Burke family. His Awakening to Stygia saw him as spectator to the death of everyone he loves, and he has since dropped out of contact with Nu and Dasein. Autistic, uses Mind magic to enhance his already prodigious intellect. (Allies: Free Council) -Fluxus of the Broken Axe, Nu's right hand man. Creates evolving magical gardens using Forces/Life/Prime which the Axe uses to meet in the real world.(Pawns - Church of the Broken Axe) -Clean Steve: Runs the world's biggest lorehouse emporium! (Allies: Free Council) -Apogee: Waning Duke's former cabalmate, Seeker, former Mastigos, Tamer of the Cave martyr -Orjak: handsome young dragon seeker Libertine, Obrimos w/Spirit (Allies: Alienated) -Mauser: of the Entropic Ministry, an apocalyptic ministry of the Ruin, who believes that art should be a calling card of the end of the world, that art should terrify with its beauty and pave the way for the new world that the Exarchs will build when this, the Fourth Age, is over. (Allies: Tetrarchs) -Legion: The Boddhisatvas, the Guardian exemplars and other ententes are trying to figure out what to do since the first Seeker with the (Legion) virus has recently crossed the threshold -Cookie: minor archetype of Science that has been experiencing weird effects from being put in a zombie one too many times by Nu (Allies: Astral) -Our Lady Of Ways And Means: Obsessive compulsive, harried Tetrarch of the Gate (Allies: Tetrarchs) -Mona: Life/Matter siddha artist attempting to bring the two arcana together -The Supercomplex, not all of which is friendly, including: *The Librarian, Ana's intellect and the keeper of the Broken Axe's library *Hermes Trismegistus, three-headed god of knowledge/communication/magic *Nu, for all men and women are stars in the body of Nu *Demeter, perpetually seeking Persephone *Chinnamasta, the brutal self-decapitating goddess of awakening *Robspierre, a crumbling mad ghost of one of the Free Council's founders. Nu rescued his memories from the Underworld, and created one of the most perilous areas of the supercomplex. *Zero Liner: A malign astral entity, a deadly laughing panic that Nu managed to contain in the supercomplex but still hasn't found a solution for *Love And Fire, a macgath of the same concepts *Ana Somnia, a 'backup' of the troubled Nu before she crossed the threshold and a counterpart to her Daimon *Nibiru Waning, riddle-master revenant stationed on an Astral planet once visited by members of the Atlantean diaspora. Nu has yet to solve his greatest riddle and unlock their secrets. *The Monad, Ana's overworked Daimon Ribs fucked around with this message at Feb 16, 2013 around 14:58 |
| # ? Feb 11, 2013 17:17 |
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I'm adapting this character from another game I was in, you can see the thread here if you're curious, but obviously that's just a jumping off point and the events shouldn't be considered canon for this Maria. They tried to change me. They tried to take my into their orders, twist me, manipulate me, use me, and make me like all of them. If they could not they would throw me away like everything else. But I didn't let them. I don't need them and their secrets, their lies and plots and schemes. I can make something better. Something better than the weak being used and abused by the strong. Something better than this twisted, cruel husk of a world where the only reward for not trampling everything around you is getting trampled yourself. Erzulie was born to a Cuban immigrant family in the slums of Miami in 1970 with a genius that such an economic station could not support. She awakened when she was 17 amidst a hugely momentous event that left all the factions in the Miami consilium scraping for power after a recent vacuum was formed, and seeking to use the newly awakened mage to those ends. She was disgusted by the whole affair, and once she had learned enough to begin her own studies, she withdrew from awakened society and tried to cling to her old life. Years passed and her mundane life moved on, and her studies of the arcane continued. Withdrawing from awakened society proved easier said than done, but eventually she found that the transient lifestyle afforded her through work with international disaster and medical relief organizations helped keep her safe from the depredations of fellow Travelers. For her studies she found she greatly preferred the company of spirits to almost any awakened she ever met. Eventually her power reached a plateau. Her years of striving to defend herself and those around her from a world full of power-hungry beings of all shapes and sizes had propelled her to the very heights of arcane mastery. While other masters were content to use their position to consolidate their power over others, Erzulie's whole life had been devoted to avoiding such things. And that's when she heard a whisper from the shadow. How did you cross the Threshold? She followed voice through the deepest parts of the shadow until even she was lost. She followed it still and came upon a place where the gauntlet was little more than a window. Across it she saw woman somewhere in the African savanna. A group of soldiers had raped her and left her there to die. All around her carrion feeders were circling, waiting, but in the shadow nothing waited. There was already a feeding frenzy. Spirits were feeding off her suffering, her pain, her despair. They were feeding off the cruelty and satisfaction of the soldiers driving away. The plants and soil were feeding off the minerals in her blood pooling around her. She paused a moment to take it all in. And then she was gone. When at last she arrived in the Primal Wild she was confronted by an old god in the shifting guise of apex predators. It declared that the strong were meant to prey upon the weak, that only the strongest survived propelled life to ever greater heights. She countered that the potential for all life is limitless, and that by pulling another up to your level, you only double your combined power. And then her power was far greater than it had ever been. Were you met by Aaliyah, or someone else? Aaliyah, as much as a representative of the Bodhisattvas as her normal role. Now that you're a Seeker, what do you intend to do? Ease the suffering of those at the bottom, lift up those that she can. What goal could you achieve, if only you had more magic? End the petty squabbling and power-mongering of the Travelers so that they might turn their attention to loftier goals. What would you break the Pax to attain? The Pax is a great relief from the constant war of the Travelers, but she has done terrible things to protect her family and those who depend on her before, and she would still do such things if she must, all that has changed is the scale. Who do you consider your greatest rival within your Entente? There is one who believes that if you can ensure that one will awaken or cross the threshold it is acceptable to sacrifice ten who show no signs of ever doing so in their life. Who would you consider working with now that you never could have as a Traveller? The Pentacle Orders. Perhaps showing magnanimity and kindness from such lofty heights will show them the error of their ways. Or perhaps it is simply safer to deal with vipers when you are beyond their capacity to harm. Do you love someone? Her family. Even an archmage can't miss Christmas dinner. Before, I was: always running. Now, I am: making a stand. pre:Name(s): Erzulie, Maria Santiago (true name), Maria Alvarez (working alias) Concept: Champion of the downtrodden, hater of Awakened society Virtue: Charity Vice: Pride Supernal Realm: The Primal Wild Legacy: The Illuminated Path Entente: Bodhisattvas Intelligence: Wits: Resolve: Strength: Dexterity: Stamina: Presence: Manipulation: Composure: Size: 5 Health: 10 [][][][][][][][][][] Willpower: 9/9 Wisdom: is a silly mechanic Defense: 2 Initiative Mod: 8 Speed: 4 Mental: Academics: 3 Computer: 0 Crafts: 0 Investigation: 0 Medicine: 5 Occult: 6 (The Shadow) Politics: 0 Science: 1 -3xp Athletics: 5 Brawl: 4 Drive: 0 Firearms: 0 Larceny: 0 Stealth: 0 Survival: 1 -3xp Weaponry: 0 Animal Ken: 1 -3xp Empathy: 4 Expression: 0 Intimidation: 0 Persuasion: 4 (Spirits) Socialize: 0 Streetwise: 2 -6xp Subterfuge: 1 (Detecting Lies) -3xp Merits: High Speech Familiar Artifact The Far-flung Diplomat (Supreme Augmentation (Mind ) when pressed to wearer's lips, Universal Language (Mind ) and Spirit Tongue (Spirit , Mind & Death ) always.) Eidetic Memory Allies (Global Medical/Relief Organizations) () Allies (Black Market) () Sleepwalker Retainer (Fidel Castro) () Allies (Cuban Government) () Contacts (Mysterium, Free Council, Illuminated Path) () Pawns (Spirit Court) Supernal Allies (Spirits) Arcana: Life 7 Spirit 6 Forces 4 Matter 4 Time 1 Gnosis: 7 Mana: 20/20 (7) Artifact Mana: 13/13 Imperial Mana : 7/7 Rotes: Supreme Honing (Life ): (Resolve + Athletics + Life) 16 dice Healing Heart (Life ): (Composure + Medicine + Life) 19 dice Ultimate Degradation (Life ): (Strength + Athletics + Life) 15 dice Restore Corpus (Spirit ): (Composure + Empathy + Spirit) 16 dice Perfect Timing (Time ): (Composure + Intelligence + Time) 12 dice -2xp Legacy: 1st Attainment In the Dark Wood Free Nightsight on self. Presence+Empathy+Forces(10) to put it on another. Spend 1 mana to brighten any light source. 2nd Attainment Safeguard the Path 1 mana and Resolve+Persuasion+Forces(11) to create a bubble of light that gives [Forces] armor to friendly targets within. 1 mana and Strength+Intimidation+Forces(5) to push hostile targets back. 1 mana and Presence+Occult+Spirit(14) to give a sleeper Unseen Senses for my spells only. 3rd Attainment Light of Wisdom 1 mana and Wits+Subterfuge+Forces(9) to use a source of light to cause the truth of anything the light is shined on to glow. 1 mana and Stamina+Occult+Life(18) to reflexively prevent [Successes] backlash damage from a Paradox. Experience: 30/38 Arcane Experience: 0/36 pre:Name: Huginn Rank: 5 Attributes: Power 15, Finesse 13, Resistance 12 Willpower: 27/27 Essence: 50/50 Initiative: 25 Defense: 15 Speed: 38 Size: 5 Corpus: 17 Influences: Knowledge , Wind Numina: Greater Influence x2, Hallucinations, Innocuous, Omen Trance, Pathfinder, Seek, Telepathy Bans: Huginn can never perch on the left side of an object or person. Huginn cannot harm people with only one eye. Anyone who has experienced intense physical pain for nine days and nine nights may automatically succeed on any contested roll against Huginn's influences or numina. When presented with knowledge he did not already possess, written in Norse runes, Huginn must reciprocate with a piece of knowledge of equal value. GoatLord fucked around with this message at Apr 27, 2013 around 02:04 |
| # ? Feb 12, 2013 02:09 |
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NPC idea post. Wharton, Spirit of Pyroromanticism. Storyteller, Archmaster of Fate. Very meta. GoatLord fucked around with this message at Feb 21, 2013 around 02:30 |
| # ? Feb 13, 2013 05:11 |
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NPC and other worldbuilding ideas are awesome and welcome! Posting a description of your Nimbus is a good idea too. I'm not sure how many more people are going to submit characters so i'll say that Friday the 15th is the deadline to submit apps or edit your current ones, since i'll be picking the ~5 players then or Saturday. I'll edit this post with individual comments and crits once i'm not dead tired woo
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| # ? Feb 13, 2013 07:59 |
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Can I take Whispers, the one dot merit that allows you to use Dream as an instant action at the risk of your sanity if you have over 5 Wisdom? We're not using Wisdom, I want it to represent being really connected to the Dream(and it's just a neat benefit), maybe we could come up with another drawback or something. The Church of the Broken Axe All the ugly glory, all the hurt and all the gasps and all the choir stomps and shouts to the sky. love pointed at your head like a cold steel barrel! The Church of the Broken Axe is Nu's greatest work, a hivemind monist religion worshiping Beauty, Freedom and Compassion. The Church includes members Awakened and not, in the former category it mostly recruits from the Free Council, though Nu has been known to plant spies and convert members of even the philosophically diametrically opposed Seers through persuasion and trickery. The Church exists to spread Nu's will, but without specific commands it functions as an autonomous organization dedicated to improving the world through a five-fold scheme: *Radical Art Politics *Queer Post-Science *Liminal Détournement *Strategic Lie Breaking *Violent Compassion The Temenotic representation of the Broken Axe is a brutally beautiful church, its entryway marked by three signs: at the top, the broken axe, to the left a neon sign blinking out and sizzling reading "LOST", to the right a bright and vibrant neon sign blaring "FOUND". The church is small and cozy, attended to only by the Librarian - a psychic construct mirroring the form Nu took during her awakening, a thought-form, a slip of lithe shadow jagged melting into black glass appendages - with room to sit, meditate, relax, and ball pits. Oh the ball pits and streamers ready to fall from the ceiling and fireworks ready to be shot off across the Temenos. What's really impressive about the Broken Axe though, beyond the creature comforts and the fun, is the library. A quick left from the pews, it contains an ever-growing, ever-shifting mass of books tended to by the psychic prowess of the Librarian, holding the thoughts of every member of the church, and many other topics. Within the real world, the Broken Axe meets covertly wherever they can, operating in a cell structure, but formal meetings are held within the gardens of experimental Libertine, Fluxus. Ribs fucked around with this message at Feb 14, 2013 around 18:52 |
| # ? Feb 13, 2013 15:10 |
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NPCs are pretty cool. A little hard for Job, since he's a bit of a loner and doesn't (yet) exert much influence on the world, but: As Below Job's old cabal. A mix of mysterium, silver ladder, and free council members, it focuses on both the discovery and research and the application of social and magical knowledge. Members use a tarot theme to aid ritual casting (Job's was initially The Tower and later Justice before he resigned). Based in the New Mexico counsilium. Lion- The Emperor, silver ladder, obrimos. Leader of the cabal. Has extensively studied the leadership structures of other counsiliums, now angling for the hierarch's chair. Lotus- Strength, free council, thyrsus. Tamer of rivers, focuses on the creation and destruction of potentiality. She was the first mage to encounter Job, and saved his life (along with his sight and vision) with her magic. Dust- The Hermit, mysterium, moros. Loremaster of the cabal and creator of a death/fate legacy focused on the concept of entropy. Signal- Wheel of Fortune, mysterium, acanthus. Responsible for the tarot theme, believes that certain spells of prophecy (which he refuses to share) are capable of divining the will of the oracles. Said spells might or might not be entirely mundane tarot reads. Considered kind of a crackpot. Fenrir- Judgement, free council, mastigos. Called in when the cabal needs something violent done. Believes that the literal end of the world is imminent and that servants of the abyss will storm creation. Definitely, absolutely not a member of the forbidden Fangs of Mara legacy. Androc fucked around with this message at Feb 15, 2013 around 23:17 |
| # ? Feb 13, 2013 22:16 |
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There's a lot of Death and Mind guys running around, so I made an alternate character.  The interesting part of the story begins in Iraq, the first time around. While I'd gone through ROTC years before, I wasn't deployed, in the traditional sense. Here's the problem: Iraqis have mages too, and they tend to get all emotional and stop caring about hiding it, just because a thousand-pound bomb lands on their daughters. Even in a war zone with a captive press, pissed-off wizards all hosed up on Islam and suicide ideation are hard to cover up. So, my job was to kill them. After we finished protecting the kiss-rear end Kurds, the Praetorians kept me on board on a consultant, running security for Seer ops in the Middle East, having me help out with pacification in the next country we're bombing, and the next, and the next. Job security. After I had put in my fifteen, the General spoke to me in dreams, in explosions, and in the dancing fire on the end of every lighter, and told me that a position was about to open up. Shortly thereafter, the Tetrarch of Washington was assassinated by a cabal of Pentacle Masters. I took the hint and "transitioned to a desk job." An Ochema of the General, a delightful spectre of burning flesh named Whiskey Pete, greeted me and guided me through my Threshold Seeking. My contacts, my power, and my favor among the masters lead me to have what is no less than effective control over the operations of the United States military. The powers that guided me the role made it clear it was something I was going to grow into. I think I have the eye of the General because I have a bit of a different style than other Tetrarchs. I've seen them, with their schemes and their mind control and their games of chess. I say drop a bomb. I can kill a man from across the world with a stroke, anthrax, a house fire, or just boiling all the blood in his body if I'm not feeling terribly underhanded. Men and other things five times my age are terrified of me because I don't play their games. I will plunder these embattled realms to squeeze every drop of power they have left, and claim them in the name of the Exarchs. My reward will be the seat of Heaven. How did you cross the Threshold?: In a ceremony, the General forced me across the membrane in need of a servant to fill a vacated role. They said that such a perverted Seeking might have driven me a bit mad, but I've yet to see a single Archmaster whose psyche wasn't two monkeys trying to gently caress a football. Were you met by Aaliyah, or someone else? : I was met by Whiskey Pete, who put me through orientation, showed me my dorm, burned away my weakness in the tortures of a thousand suns, etc. My experience with other archmasters is limited. What goal could you achieve, if only you had more magic?: Clearing the way for the creation of permanent staging bases in the Shadow realm staffed by lesser mages, enslaved Spirits and brainwashed Sleepwalker soldiers. What would you break the Pax to attain?: The conquest of the Fallen world. Who do you consider your greatest rival within your Entente?: Mises, a Mammonite who wishes to maintain the status quo instead of working towards the end of open rule. Who would you consider working with now that you never could have as a Traveller?: Pentacle archmasters. Most of them, from what I've seen, tend to drift quite immediately away from their Orders' lofty goals to the end of the accumulation of personal power or some individual philosophy. Suits me fine. Do you love someone? : I love the General as much as a Mexican grandmother loves the Virgin Mary. "Before, I was:" Ops. "Now, I am:" Brass. Name(s): Prgel (PUR-ghell), Michael Matthews Concept: The Hammer of the General Virtue: Justice Vice: Wrath Supernal Realm: Aether Legacy: Perfected Adepts Entente: Tetrarch Intelligence: 3 Wits: 3 Resolve: 4 Strength: 2 Dexterity: 7 Stamina: 8 Presence: 6 Manipulation: 2 Composure: 3 Size: 5 Health: 13 [][][][][][][][][][][][][] Willpower: 7 (7/7) Defense: 3 Initiative Mod: 15 Speed: 14 Mental: Academics: 1 Computer: 1 Crafts: 0 Investigation: 4 Medicine: 3 Occult: 0 (elements) Politics: 1 Science: 6 (physics) *Athletics: 5 Brawl: 3 Drive: 0 Firearms: 1 *Larceny: 0 Stealth: 0 Survival: 0 Weaponry: 0 Animal Ken: 0 Empathy: 0 Expression: 1 *Intimidation: 5 (terrifying nimbus) Persuasion: 0 Socialize: 0 Streetwise: 0 Subterfuge: 1 Merits: High Speech: Dream 1 Pawns 5: All Praetorians in the Washington, D.C. metro area Body-Ravaging Magic 3 Occultation 3 Ministry Status: Praetorian 5 Allies: Military 5 Allies: Senate 3 Language: Arabic Flaws: Mystery Commands Arcana: Forces 6 Life 5 Space 4 Prime 4 Sword of Fury 3 Crown of Doctrine 1 Sword of Doctrine 1 Sword of Vision 3 Gnosis: 6 Current Mana/Max Mana/Mana per Turn: X/19/6 Legacy: Perfected Adepts 1st Attainment: +5 Initiative, effectively invulnerable to fatigue, drowning, toxins, regenerate 1 Bashing per 5 turns. Constant Prime 1 Mage Sight. 2nd attainment: +5 Stamina, Telekinetic Strike (13 dice) 3rd attainment: +5 Dexterity, Lethal telekinetic strike, Control Velocity (18 dice) Sword of Fury 3: Add 3 automatic successes to any successful damage-dealing Forces spell. Crown of Doctrine 1: Add Prime score to Maximum Mana. Sword of Doctrine 1: Spend 1 Mana to gain a single +2 to any spellcasting roll Sword of Vision 1: Reduce Fame and Occultation merits by Space dots. Sword of Vision 2: Never suffer from Unknown connection. Sword of Vision 3: Sympathetic magic doesn't require an extra level to be cast on a pattern, doesn't require Mana and doesn't remove Defense. Rotes: Human Minion (Life 5:) Presence + Intimidation + Life - 18 dice Invisible Fire (Forces 4) Stamina + Science + Forces - 20 dice Transform Energy (Forces 4) Intelligence + Science + Forces - 16 dice Apportation (Space 2) Dexterity + Investigation + Space - 15 Dice Nimbus: An unusually powerful, terrifying apparition of a blackened skeleton exploding with energy - fire, radiation, electric sparks. Life nearby mutates impossibly. Experience: 0 Arcane Experience: 0 t3h_z0r fucked around with this message at Feb 16, 2013 around 03:07 |
| # ? Feb 15, 2013 02:21 |
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hey Kellerstrik, you've not been in IRC for a while and you don't have PMs, so I'll post this here so it can be considered within the time frame: Can we drop the Space 1 bit off the Bokor 1st attainment? If, yes, I want to drop Life 4 and Space 1 and buy Matter 5 instead.
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| # ? Feb 15, 2013 05:33 |
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In this thread: some really, really neat archmasters.
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| # ? Feb 15, 2013 10:04 |
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Okay, my more-or-less final draft should be up now. Man, I didn't start this concept as a cat lady, but it sure ended up there. 
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| # ? Feb 15, 2013 13:10 |
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So, in IRC there was discussion of having imperial mana instead of using arcane xp for the purposes of spellcasting. We should probably figure out how we want to make that work, as far as acquiring/storing/using it goes. My thoughts on it:
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| # ? Feb 16, 2013 16:53 |
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I'm not sure if I'm in favor of Prime archmasters gaining exclusive access to free imperial spell factors forever.
Androc fucked around with this message at Feb 16, 2013 around 17:50 |
| # ? Feb 16, 2013 17:45 |
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Would the Prime 6 version of siphon integrity or whatever require a quintessence and would we be ditching the arcane xp spending altogether or just adding another option in? I feel like I like the idea of Imperial Mana but giving it to just Prime archmasters is weird, maybe make it something everybody can acquire(Imperial Oblations?) but Prime mages have certain advantages, like regular mana.
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| # ? Feb 16, 2013 18:07 |
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I'd be fine with Imperial Mana being hard to come by, so that gigantic archmaster spells are still a big deal, and there is still reason to cast spells with regular spell factors. Getting Imperial Mana proportional to xp gains would be a decent place to start.
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| # ? Feb 16, 2013 19:26 |
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From what I can gather, the whole point of arcane experience post-threshold is to essentially act as a second mana pool (any actual quintessence you find is also worth arcane experience, after all). I personally don't mind but I can see why making them separate things would be thematically cool. It shouldn't be as hard to gain as a real quintessence but I wouldn't mind Imperial Spells being something you have to go out of your way to cast instead of just doing on a whim.
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| # ? Feb 16, 2013 22:18 |
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It might be cool if earning arcane XP produced a parallel pool of imperial mana. Prime archmasters getting it free is a bad idea.
Bigup DJ fucked around with this message at Feb 17, 2013 around 03:09 |
| # ? Feb 16, 2013 23:35 |
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Yeah I could see how that might suck, I was just tossing ideas out. My thoughts re: Prime 6 granting imperial mana was something along the lines of making the aforementioned spells grant smaller amounts of IM than reg mana, like 1 per 5 successes or something. But I can see how that might get annoying since prime mages already get a ton of "I'm the magic-est" spells. I really like the idea of oblations for imperial mana, it's a much better idea than just hunting down "this reminds me of magic/mana/mages, I use it to snag a couple IM" things. Maybe say that your legacy oblation can produce either type?
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| # ? Feb 17, 2013 03:31 |
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Tying it into oblations is a cool idea. And then you have to choose in either stockpiling for "regular" spells or saving up for Imperial-flavored spells when you do your daily oblation.
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| # ? Feb 17, 2013 04:43 |
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Sorry if this is hard to parse I'm a bit sick. Upon actually reading the bits on imperial spell factors, I think spending an AXP on them makes sense. I think the problem is that we're going on a Gnosis per certain amount of AXP threshold so the only two things we can spend AXP on are Arcana and spell factors. There's no easy solution, given how imperial spell factors are in an awkward place conceptually and mechanically. They're not really great enough to justify spending AXP on, nor are they great enough to justify a mini-quintessence per spell sort of narrative solution. On the other hand they're good enough that you don't want players to be able to use them on a whim. We should throw out an AXP solution. Yawgmoth you might have the right idea looking at oblation and mana mechanics! If imperial spell factors could be tied to something like resistant damage, attribute loss or temporary loss of willpower capacity we could create enough of a disincentive that they wouldn't be used at every opportunity. Some kind of resource pool which can be replenished but which has hard limits on its use. Edit: We could also use some kind of imperial mana per certain amount of mana generated pool but that would be a bit fiddly. Bigup DJ fucked around with this message at Feb 17, 2013 around 04:48 |
| # ? Feb 17, 2013 04:45 |
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| # ? May 22, 2013 06:38 |
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Maybe people can have an 'imperial mana pool' equal to gnosis-5?
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| # ? Feb 17, 2013 04:59 |
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