# [Mage: the Awakening] Legacy of the Stone Assembly



## Hella_Tellah (Oct 31, 2008)

*Legacy of the Stone Assembly

 A Mage: The Awakening Chronicle
*​ 
_   For three hundred years, Boston's Stone Assembly kept order among the mages of New England.  By the end of World War I, the mighty fathers of the Stone Assembly began falling, one by one. In 1917, Tobias Dalton, a master of Mind and Prime as well as a temperance sympathizer, was found overdosed on laudanum in a gutter in Back Bay. William Wolfe, the Consilium’s Sentinel and foremost member of the Adamantine Arrow, was arrested for “crimes against nature” and found dead inexplicably in his jail cell. Theodore Newbury was run over by a runaway automobile.  By 1923, the last bastions of the Stone Assembly’s control over Boston had disappeared, as had most of its members. More fled than were actually killed, but that mattered little. Their power was broken, as was the Consilium.

       Eighty-five years have passed, and new leadership has come to Boston.  Now that your training in the mystic arts is complete, your teachers have introduced you into the dangerous world of Consilium politics.  You and your cabal of fresh-faced willworkers are free to use the arcane powers you've accrued as you see fit, but be forewarned: now that you are out from under their protective wing, your teachers can no longer guarantee your safety, nor can they offer you immunity from the consequences of your actions._

 *The Pitch*
       Legacy of the Stone Assembly is a play-by-post Mage: The Awakening game set in Boston, Massachussets, in the present day.  I am looking for four to six players with interesting characters, strong writing skills, and time enough to post at least once per day.  I'll be including pictures in my posts of NPCs and locations, and will occasionally link to sound samples or music, so players with a dial-up connection may need a bit of patience.

*Mechanics*
 [FONT=&quot]   In this chronicle, [/FONT][FONT=&quot] players are not restricted in their choices of ruling and inferior Arcana, and need not choose a Path (unless, of course, you want to).  In lieue of choosing your arcana based on path, choose any two ruling arcana and one inferior arcanum, and gain 1 dot in your choice of Resolve or Composure.  If you want to use a legacy, you need to have at least one ruling arcanum from the legacy’s parent path.[/FONT]
       When formatting a post, please type all out-of-character information or questions in quotes, like so:


			
				OOC said:
			
		

> Casting Mental Wall (p.211) on the trucker with the fu manchu moustache.  Roll: Gnosis+Mind (4 dice)



       That, by the by, is how I'd like spellcasting to look, too.  Describe the act of casting in-character, say what you're doing mechanically out-of-character, and I'll roll the dice and describe the effect.  If you're using Creative Thaumaturgy, give a good description of what you're trying to do, noting which practice you think it falls into and how many dots in the related arcana it should require.  For other rolls, use the format "Attribute + Skill (X dice)."
*
Falling Behind in Posts* 
       If you won't be able to post for a couple of days, please let us know in this thread.  I won't fault you for a planned hiatus.  If we don't see any posts for three days, and you haven't given any warning, I'll have the character act in a way that I think is appropriate to what I know about the character until you return.  Characters whose players have been gone for more than a week are likely to ride off into the sunset.
*
Joining the Game* 
       If you're interested in joining the game, just say so in this thread.  Once you've got an idea for a character, PM me the build (standard, beginning mage), a one-sentence summary of your character concept and a short bit of writing.  The writing can be backstory, a short vignette that tells me something about the character, a link to a cool bit of writing you've done, or the like.  Preference will be given for:
 

Quality of writing.
Character concept.
Group cohesion and composure.
Bonus points if you have a portrait of your character to post when s/he talks.
 Thanks for your interest!


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## Shayuri (Nov 1, 2008)

*glomp*

Consider me interested.

Been ages since I had a chance to crack this book open. 

I shall PM you shortly.


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## BlueLotus (Nov 2, 2008)

I am all over this, if you'll have me. The last Mage game I played was with Mage: The Ascension revised edition. I assume The Awakening is a new edition that's significantly different enough to require a book purchase. 

I loved Mage: The Ascension. I'd love to play in this game, but I have a bit of catching up to do with the setting. Until I can get my hands on a copy of the book, which I won't try to do until I know I'm going to play in the game, I'm afraid that I can't offer game mechanics specifics in a character concept.

I'll work on a character concept and get it posted soon.

edit: On further consideration, I have decided it's probably best if I withdraw my request to join this game. I did some online research on the differences between The Ascension and The Awakening and found that they're almost two entirely different games. I don't think it would be fair to force everyone to hold my hand in such a situation. I'm basically asking to join a game where the extent of my knowledge comes from reading the introduction at the bookstore and not even buying the book. I don't even know enough to know if I like the overall setting.

Sorry for the inconvenience and good games to you all =)


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 2, 2008)

BlueLotus said:


> I did some online research on the differences between The Ascension and The Awakening and found that they're almost two entirely different games.




Awakening has a much more detailed system, but I don't think the learning curve is all that steep for someone who has played Ascension.  To me, it's much more important that a player know how to get into the style of the game, which in my games is very similar.

As far as the setting, you've probably heard that the default setting revolves around Atlantis.  This is somewhat true, although later supplements emphasized other explanations for the supernal realms.  In my games, I treat that as _one_ explanation for why magic works, and not even a particularly popular one.  Some mages think it's a way of accessing the mind of God directly.  Some mages believe that reality is inherently subjective, and only by realizing that fact can one alter reality.  Maybe it has always been around, and the Technocracy has been working hard at hiding the truth.  Who knows?

That's the major alteration I make to the game.  I don't like the certainty with which the book lays down the Atlantean myth, so I treat it as a particularly implausible, but somewhat popular fable.

Maybe all this won't change your mind much, but I think you'll find that the way I run the game shaves off some of the rougher edges of Awakening.  And I'm more than willing to work with you in PMs and such to explain anything you might need clarified.


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## Annalist (Nov 3, 2008)

I just wanted to chime in and say that I'm also interested in this PbP game. I'll begin working on a character application tonight.


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## BlueLotus (Nov 3, 2008)

Ah... Yes I do like your take on it better than what I read about the standard setting. It fits very well with the old feel of Ascension too. Very well, I'm in! I'll do some character brainstorming, and some more reading on some of the other aspects of this edition and PM a character concept for your consideration =)


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 3, 2008)

Great news!  I'm glad you've decided to play, BlueLotus.  And I'm going to take it as a direct complement that your first post on ENWorld was in my thread, Annalist. 

I guess now is as good a time as any to give you all this next bit.  In my real life, on the table games, I give each player the following as a handout during character creation.

Handout: The Informing
​ 
How to Succeed in "Legacy of the Stone Assembly" ​ [FONT=&quot]This game is about roleplaying above all else.  Do as your character would do, think as your character would think, and you'll be in the right mindset to enjoy the game.  Play it as a problem-solving exercise or a tactical simulator, and you'll probably find it lacking.[/FONT]
 [FONT=&quot]That said, it's a game, and there will be problems to solve and tactics to use.  Mages are at their best when they are creative and prepared.  Creative thaumaturgy is your best friend, and as you become more comfortable making spells, it should be your first resort.  In terms of preparation, mages tend to die when they rush in blindly.  The Consilium heirarch got to where he is by being clever, sure, but mostly because he always remembers to cast four different forms of magical protection before leaving his sanctum.[/FONT]
 [FONT=&quot]Therefore, be forewarned that World of Darkness has no yardstick for what constitutes a "balanced encounter".  There will be some characters you'll be able to steamroll with social skills, and there will be others from whom you should run swiftly, or better yet, have the Space mage teleport you someplace safe.  When in doubt and in danger, retreat, regroup, and deck yourself out with as many triggered spells and magical wards as you can handle.[/FONT]
 
The Paths of Magic​ The Paths and Watchtowers are merely descriptive terms used by a majority of mages.  Most of Awakened society accepts, or at least perpetuates, the idea of a bygone magical civilization, a diaspora, and five Watchtowers that guide the Awakened.  This does not mean that the stories are necessarily true.  Most mages take the Atlantean myth as seriously as we take Virgil's Aeneid, or the story of George Wash-ington and the cherry tree--which is to say, hardly at all.
 In game mechanics, this means that players are not restricted in their choices of ruling and inferior Arcana, and need not choose a Path (unless, of course, you want to).  Choose any two ruling arcana and one inferior arcanum, and gain 1 dot in your choice of Resolve or Composure.  If you want to use a legacy, you need to have at least one ruling arcanum from the legacy’s parent path.

Flavor Text That Matters​ As a player, you won't be required to provide me with ten typed pages of back story.  In order to flesh out your character, though, you'll need to decide on a few key principles that are sure to come up.
_Mentor:_ Somebody taught you how to use magic effectively.  Is that relationship still strong?  How do those lessons color your view of magic and mage society?
_Magical Tools:_ Most mages use special dedicated tools to reduce the Paradox chance of casting a spell.  What are yours?  Be creative here--wands are lame, zippo lighters are decent, but Jimi Hendrix's guitar pick is awesome.
_Nimbus:_ When another mage senses your magic, what does it look like?  Try to keep it from being specific to any particular sense, and allow for varied, specific descriptions.  "Academic" is a good descriptor, because some mages might smell old moldy books, others might hear squeaking chairs and tapping pencils, and another might feel enveloped by an ill-fitting tweed jacket.  "Blue" is not a good descriptor, and "Chaotic" is worse.
_Tradition:_[FONT=&quot] This one's optional, but potentially really fun.  If your mage interprets magic through a real-world myth tradition, what is it?  Did a childhood spent studying the Torah lead your character to imagine magic through Kabala imagery?  Maybe growing up on the bayou led you to think more in terms of voodoo.
 
 [/FONT]
Niche-Protection​ When building your character, try not to step on another player's territory.  If you're both kung fu masters who enhance your fighting prowess with Time magic, try to negotiate some area where you strongly differ, or emphasize some other aspect of that archetype.  Maybe your mentors were rivals, or one of you prefers the closed-fist techniques over open-palmed techniques, or one of you is more Jackie Chan and the other is Bruce Lee.  Just leave other players with enough room to be different from you.
 You can definitely use the same ruling arcana as another character, if you want to.  Just consider whether you might want to be the undisputed master of a particular field of study, or whether you want an in-party rival for that position.
 Talk to the other players.  Don't steal each other's thunder.
 
Acquiring Power​ To gain anything permanent, you must meet two conditions: justify the gain, and spend experience.  There will be periods in the game where we simply fast-forward for a few weeks or months, so it will be fairly easy to say, "I spent a month studying Latin really, really diligently with the use of Mind magic," and that will be justification enough for your character to learn Latin.  In most instances, learning mundane knowledge will be that easy.
 Learning rotes will require the player to meet with another mage who knows the rote, and that will usually need to be a mage of the order listed in the book.  You might also find a grimoire with the rote inscribed.  But you won't be able to say, "I spent a month looking for grimoires, and I found one with the rote I wanted."
 Improving an inferior arcanum, or improving a regular arcanum up to 5 dots, requires a mentor.  The nature of this mentor can be pretty flexible, from an old coot in a tower to a powerful spirit to a self-aware computer program, but learning these arcana will require roleplay time.
 Spending experience makes up the other key element.  We'll go be the maxim, "spend it to keep it," meaning that if you gain something through roleplay that you don't pay for in experience, it will be taken from you, possibly by things that can eat your soul and make Cthulhu look like Hello Kitty.

Wisdom, Hubris, and Paradox​ The major theme of Mage, what makes it a game of modern horror, is the emphasis on mages as their own worst enemies.  When you make a hubris roll, gain a derangement, or get slammed with a paradox, try not to think of it as a message from the Storyteller or from the game designers that what you did was a Bad Idea.  It was probably a pretty good idea!
 Instead, claim a personal victory that you advanced the major theme of the game.  Just like Call of Cthulhu is about being devoured by powers beyond the understanding of man, Mage is about personal corruption.  "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."  In fact, if your character isn't getting hit with hubris rolls or paradox, you're missing out on a lot of the fun.  If your character's Vice is telling you to go for the gusto and steal that enemy mage's soul, do it, hubris roll be damned.  It'll be awesome, and you'll probably get bonus experience for it.

The Cabal​ The players' characters are all members of the same Cabal.  The game just works better if the players cooperate to a large extent, and the Cabals put mages together in a way that is best supported by the rules.
 Most cabals have a place they meet, which is called a Sanctum.  In addition to Sancta, there are a number of other benefits for which players can pool their points: Library, Hallow, Artifact, etc.  In fact, you are welcome to pool points for just about anything that makes sense (no pooling three players' points to each learn 1/3 of kung fu, though).  If you pool points together for things, consider making those items part of a shared Sanctum, if only for ease of storytelling.
 The Cabal also needs to determine its stance in regard to the five Great Rights.  The Right of Crossing means that the Cabal allows other mages to pass through their territory, as long as they do so peacefully.  The Right of Emeritus is a statement that the Cabal will treat those who have earned respect with respect.  Cabals that grant the Right of Hospitality will not turn down a reasonable request for sanctuary from a mage in good standing.  Under the Right of Nemesis, the Cabal vows not to stand in the way of a mage who has declared another mage outside the Cabal his Nemesis.  Finally, the Right of Sanctuary is a promise to keep the Sanctum safe, both from outside forces and from one another.  Once the Cabal has decided on these Rights, they should include glyphs in the High Speech around their territory to let other mages know where they stand.  Most mages will assume by default that your Cabal upholds all five, but that doesn't mean that every other Cabal upholds them.  You might find that out if you go traipsing through the territory of a hostile Cabal that does not grant Crossing.


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## Shayuri (Nov 4, 2008)

Would you be okay with the PC's comparing notes on general concepts outside of PM's?

It'd make coming up with a good cabal a lot easier if we had some idea of where the others were going.


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## Annalist (Nov 4, 2008)

PM sent with character concept and build. I'm still working on the short piece of writing but will send that as soon as I'm done.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 4, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> Would you be okay with the PC's comparing notes on general concepts outside of PM's?
> 
> It'd make coming up with a good cabal a lot easier if we had some idea of where the others were going.




Absolutely!  In fact, I was about to encourage you guys to do that very thing.  I'm going to try to be hands-off about Cabal creation, beyond advising you guys mechanically, because I love being surprised and inspired by what players create.



			
				Annalist said:
			
		

> PM sent with character concept and build. I'm still working on the short piece of writing but will send that as soon as I'm done.




If you want to send me more writing, I'd love to read it, but as far as assessing the quality of your writing, you've already more than passed muster.  All three of you have, by the way; your character backgrounds all gave me a lot to work with and a good feel for your writing styles.  That said, the more you give me to read about your character, the more I can custom-tailor things to you!


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## Shayuri (Nov 4, 2008)

Okay, cool. I'm just gonna post a really quick capsule of the concepts I'm spinning now. 

1) Juno Reyes - Army brat, tough customer, probably Adamantine Arrow or heading in that direction. Mayan mythology ties with connection to solar imagery and jaguars. Crazy uncle mentor. Probably focusing on Life, Spirit and Forces, with some dabbling in Time and/or Death.

2) Ariel McKenzie - Police officer gunning for detective. Takes 'mortal life' seriously still, despite Awakening. Practices magic with a Romani/Gypsy orientation, focus on Fate and Time.

3) Allison Larkspur - Owner of a New Age bookstore Sanctuary. Wiccan/witchcraft practitioner. Knowledgeable and sociable, not so much a combatant. Space and Life and Spirit, most likely.

I figured I'd see which of these would fit best with y'all before developing them all out.


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## BlueLotus (Nov 4, 2008)

Quick synopsis of Sandra Dean - A twenty six year old corporate burnout who had her midlife/faith crisis rather early. She turned to new age spirituality for comfort, seeking for answers that would bring peace of mind. In the process, she lost her job and returned to blue collar work as a waitress. Her Awakening came unexpectedly. Focusing on Life and Spirit. From what I read on the internet, I think she'd fit best into the Free Council Order.

I'm going to buy the book today if I can find it in town. Otherwise I'm ordering it off Amazon. I still have to develop her training in magic.


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## Annalist (Nov 5, 2008)

Info moved to this post.


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## BlueLotus (Nov 5, 2008)

HT, is it okay if we post what we PM'd to you?


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 5, 2008)

BlueLotus said:


> HT, is it okay if we post what we PM'd to you?




Absolutely.  I only asked for PMs because some people like to keep their character sheets secret.  Far be it for me to keep you guys from collaborating!  If you have any character creation questions, this thread would be a good place to ask, since I can advise everyone at once.


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## BlueLotus (Nov 5, 2008)

[sblock=wall of text]Mage Character Concept


Life On Hold
Twenty six year old Sandra Dean had a good start on a career in the corporate offices of a successful New England restaurant chain as a junior accountant. There was not much remarkable about the budding young pencil pusher. She did her work up to performance standards, she filled up a cup of decaf coffee each morning, and she left at 5 pm on the dot. There was no apparent reason for anyone to suspect that over the course of three years, Sandra's hatred for her job simmered slowly over a low flame.

She had nowhere left to go in that career. She had risen up from being a waitress to an assistant manager. Her talent with keeping the books landed her a job in the regional office. But without a degree or a certification, which cost money, she was stuck.

Sandra crunched figures every hour of every day.  She tallied up the bottom line for various branches and delivered her reports to her supervisor who signed his name at the bottom of her work. She fretted over misplaced receipts or accounts that didn't balance out. But what truly wore her down was that she tried so hard to care, but couldn't. She didn't care about unearned revenue or depreciated assets. No matter how much effort she gave to the company, her check was still the same every two weeks. She was crossing off her life, one calendar day at a time, like a prisoner counting the days she has been in jail with tick marks on the wall.

Doubts And Rediscovery
Sandra's anguish truly came with a faith crisis when the weight of her mortality hit her like a freight train. The concept of oblivion, nothingness after death terrified her to the core of her being. She was twenty five years into her life. A quarter of it was already over, assuming she was lucky enough to reach a hundred. Her work performance, already starting to suffer, plunged dramatically. At the advice of one of her eclectic friends, she found comfort in the new age sections of bookstores.

Sandra eventually lost her job by quitting and being fired at pretty much the same time. By that time, she was forming a new circle of friends and accumulating a personal library of new age spirituality books. Though she felt a stronger, comforting connection to her idea of a soul, she was still wandering. She was lost in a sea of doubt and haunting questions. They weren't anything new. Who was she? Where did she come from? Where was she going? She drifted between jobs and residences as she searched for answers within herself and in her readings. She dabbled in Cabala, Wicca, Astral Projection, and other hedge wizardry, constantly trying to find something that would satisfy her curiosity and give her soul a sense of peace.

Awakening
A year passed. Sandra was barely recognizable from the blouse, skirt and heels wearing cubicle dweller she was before. She was back to waitressing and living with roommates to pay the rent and was still trying to find some sort of truth out of her existence. Sandra knew that there had to be more to reality than science could ever measure, no matter how far it advanced.

It happened without warning. It was a beautiful summer forest with warm sunlight washing through a swaying canopy of leaves that caressed the sky. The sound of the breeze was dull and muted, distant. The grass and dirt tickled her bare feet as she wandered naked for years through the woods. She never encountered anything else. Not a bird or insect nor rain or snow. Her worries and cares were gone.

As suddenly as Sandra found herself in the tranquil forest, she came upon a lake in a clearing. It drew her in with a siren song. She waded into the water that was neither hot, nor cold, nor wet. It devoured her and surrounded her in a vast and impenetrable void. It was a starless night of perfect silence. She screamed, thrashed, tore at her body. Breath and speech left her. She was smothered out of existence.

Then she woke, on her 4:30 bus to work that she must have boarded a lifetime ago. She was in her uniform, carrying her purse, and she had something else. A sixth sense that was totally new.

Sandra stepped off of that bus several stops after hers, a mage.
[/sblock]


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## Annalist (Nov 5, 2008)

Info moved to this post.


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## Walking Dad (Nov 5, 2008)

I'm very interested. I will try to post more tomorrow! 

Currently, I'm only able to post Tuesday to Friday. I hope this isn't a problem.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 5, 2008)

Walking Dad said:


> I'm very interested. I will try to post more tomorrow!
> 
> Currently, I'm only able to post Tuesday to Friday. I hope this isn't a problem.




Sure, that's no problem.  Glad to have you!


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## Walking Dad (Nov 5, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> Sure, that's no problem.  Glad to have you!



On writing skills: This is sadly not my native language, but I still hope, that I will pass your test with creativity and enthusiasm


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 6, 2008)

Let's talk about the Cabal a bit.  The Cabal needs a few things: a name, a base of operations, and a statement of intent on the five Great Rights.  Let's start with the headquarters.

The game will take place in the greater Boston metropolitan area, so any of the neighborhoods or adjoining towns will work well.  I can give you all kinds of information on these places, so just ask away.  The neighborhoods marked with a star have well-known mages living in them, so you would probably interact/compete/ally/fight with another Cabal or solitary mage from time to time there.  This is not a complete list, but a selection of neighborhoods that I think you'll find most appealing.
 

Allston:      loud, youthful and cheap; Boston College and Boston U are here.
Brighton:      quieter neighborhood near Allston, full of grad students.
Brookline*:      sleepy community of professors, also the main Jewish neighborhood.
The      Fens: a bog along the Muddy River, hotbed of illegal activity.
Mattapan:      formerly a Jewish neighborhood and a flashpoint for violence in the 60s,      now a quiet residential neighborhood home mainly to Middle-Class Blacks,      with some Haitians.
Dorchester:      racially integrated neighborhood of Victorian homes.  Good for mages looking for a quiet place to stay.

Roxbury*:      neighborhood most associated with crime, poverty, and urban decay.       The "wrong side of town".
Back      Bay*: wealthy neighborhood of brick row houses and upscale boutiques.
The      South End: by far the "hippest" neighborhood in Boston.       Home to the more affluent members of the gay community.
Beacon      Hill*: Old money, neither trendy nor hip.

North      End: Little Italy on the waterfront.  Home to the historic Copp's      Hill Cemetary.  A little loud since they put in a highway through the      middle of it.
Downtown*: Skyscrapers and big business.  Frequent construction has damaged the      once-potent Hallows that exist here.
Chinatown: Center of sex trade and gang violence, although progress has been made      recently.  The part of Chinatown known as the Combat Zone is rumored      to be a naturally-occuring demesne, as paradoxes are rarer here.
South      Boston: Usually called "Southie".  Blue-collar and Irish,      with nearly as many churches as bars.  Stuck in the '50s.
Roslindale:      Ethnically diverse; hip but a bit rough.
Cambridge*:      Harvard, MIT, Buddhist temples and new age bookstores.
Somerville: Cheap housing in a suburb favored by college graduates.
Salem*: A historical hotbed of Awakened (naturally), Salem is the seat of the Consilium.  It's also full of new age spiritualists and tourists.
Danvers*: a village on the edge of Salem, home to an insane asylum and a well-known hunting ground for Tremere liches.
I think Cambridge fits this group best, but the choice is entirely up to you guys.  What do you think?


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## Annalist (Nov 6, 2008)

As far as locations go, Cambridge (or even Somerville) would be a perfect fit for my character. So I'll toss in my vote for Cambridge, but will gladly defer to the group majority if they decide otherwise.


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## Annalist (Nov 6, 2008)

*The Great Rights*

I think that the Right of Sanctuary is a no-brainer and should definitely be included. And as a new cabal that's most likely the low man on the Consilium totem pole, it'd be prudent to institute the Right of Crossing and the Right of Hospitality. Though I think we can do without the Right of Emeritus since it doesn't seem like we're a pretentious bunch that would want it. I'm sure we could all be respectful to each other without requiring formalities. As for the Right of Nemesis, I'm wondering what the possible consequences are with or without it.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 6, 2008)

Annalist said:


> As for the Right of Nemesis, I'm wondering what the possible consequences are with or without it.




The Right of Nemesis basically means that if a Mage comes into your territory looking for one of their enemies, you won't interfere.  This can easily conflict with other Rights, though.  If a fellow Mage comes asking for protection under Hospitality, but another Mage has declared him a Nemesis, whose claim do you uphold?  If a Mage comes hunting for someone under Nemesis, and in the process of hunting that Nemesis triggers a paradox that taints your Hallow, do you go after her under the Right of Sanctuary, or let it slide under the Right of Nemesis?  On the other hand, it dovetails nicely with Crossing.  You allow other mages to pass through your territory unmolested by you, but you make no promises about protecting them from their enemies while they're in your territory.

Mages who do not uphold Nemesis see those who do as aloof and a bit vicious.  It connotes a Darwinian outlook on Awakened society.  Mages who do uphold Nemesis see those who don't as interventionist, territorial, and idealistic.  It's said that a Cabal that does not uphold the Right of Nemesis probably never had a Nemesis themselves.  The Consilium Heirarch, who is known as "The Nemean," is a _big _proponent of the kind of approach that the right of Nemesis suggests.


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## Annalist (Nov 6, 2008)

Hmm. Life as a Mage sure ain't simple. Ah well, here are my votes:

Right of Crossing - Yes
Right of Emeritus - No
Right of Hospitality - Yes
Right of Nemesis - No
Right of Sanctuary - Yes


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## Annalist (Nov 6, 2008)

Since Spirit seems to be a common Arcanum among the PCs, I figured that I'd suggest *The Twilight Vigil* as a possible Cabal name.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 6, 2008)

Good ideas, Annalist.  I don't want to give it the Official ST Blessing, because that stuff's up to the players.  What do you guys think?

Have you decided which one of those three characters you're going to run with, Shayuri?  I really liked the backstory you wrote up for Juno Reyes, but I'm sure anything you came up with for the other two would be equally fun.


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## Shayuri (Nov 6, 2008)

Arr, I'm sticking with Juno, I think.

She's younger, brasher...should be more entertaining, albeit also more trouble waiting to happen. 

I'll get some sheetwork up asap.


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## Solarious (Nov 6, 2008)

Hmn. A Mage the Awakening game. I happen to like nWoD, but have had trouble getting a group of interested people who would play/run a mature game (ie. no running yourselves and making broken custom prestige classes for yourself). I've recently been delving into Actual Plays at rpg.net, and it sounds really fun, so I would like to sink some of that wasted money into some enjoyment!

I would like to say for the record that I like the idea of paths and watchtowers. I don't neccessarily agree with some of the crap writing and assuptions that some of the writers have made in the core and in the Tome of the Watchtowers, but they do make for some of the most interesting ideas: the gross/subtle pairings of arcana (where one is the Supernal Truth and the other is a inverted Fallen reflection of the Supernal); the swearing on your Watchtower being as solemn an oath as you can make without making a Fate-bound oath; and the powers that come most naturally to you as a member of that watchtower's path defining you rather than the fluff of writers who didn't do as stellar a job as they could have.

All this being said, I don't have the core nWoD book, but with the number of the supplements I have, there is a lot that can be infered from the statblocks and other things. My combat-foo is weak, however, so I'll leave that to others who are more familiar with the system.

As for the Five Great Rights, I think following 3 or 4 of them is best. People who don't follow at least 3 are usually considered lax and not taking them seriously (unless they have a good reason for it), while apparently only the most uptight of the Silver Ladder follows all 5 rights. Annalist's list of choices isn't bad, although we should discuss the goals of the Cabal itself and the location/terratory we'll claim before voting on them.

While I've always loved the enchanter's path, with Time divinations and Fate manipulations (broken 8 and 9 agains aside, everyone should grab a dot for Winds of Chance), but the cabal seems in desperate need of Space wards, while I have a love for Mind magic, which is incredibly powerful arcanum in it's own right. Looks like I'm putting together a Mastigos for my first character after all!


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 6, 2008)

Awesome, Solarious!  Glad to have you aboard.

To clarify my stance on paths and watchtowers: I don't ban them or remove them, but I make them optional.  I prefer having everyone's Awakening be different, and if swearing an oath to your Watchtower fits your character, then that's how it goes down.

Really, I just want to leave the option open for players who find the system restrictive.  When I first played Mage: the Ascension, I was _pissed_ that I had to be a martial artist in order to be really skilled in Mind.  I've also had one player complain that he wanted his character to be a mechanic, focused on forces and matter, and he didn't feel like either Obrimos or Moros really fit.  On the other hand, another player in that same game took one look at Thyrsus and said, "that's what I want, right there."  So you can go ahead and make a Mastigos mage, with my full support and blessing; I'm just leaving the options open.


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## Solarious (Nov 7, 2008)

Usually, I find the solution to that problem is to be either a Moros and pick up a Forces Legacy, or to be an Obrimos and pick up a Matter Legacy, and then use rotes to tide you over until you reach Gnosis 3. I do see how paths can be a character concept hindrance, but having these guidelines helps focus some character concepts as well.

I've seen some of the problems of paths too, usually when people want the Matter arcanum as a ruling, but don't like the zombies at dawn part of Death. One worked towards Mind, became a Uncrowned King, and eventually got over his hangups with Death (although zombies never entered the equation). The other picked up Mind for Aura Perception/Two Thoughts One Mind, and eventually joined a rocking GM-made Legacy for Moros with Time that uses a form of object postcognition as the first attainment, and has death optional attainment to sculpt ectoplasm and interact with Twilight. The second attainment can rewind or fast forward objects through time (grape juice to wine, nails to rust, and broken windows to... repaired windows), and the death attainment lets you draw objects out of Twilight back into reality. There is yet to be a third attainment, but be assured it'll probably be a fairly broken vulgar Time/Matter effect; various noises has made to the effect of speed excavation with a Time lock and a Matter Disintegration of everything else. I dare not imagine what shenanigans Death will add to the mix.

Speaking of Legacies, I know you've replaced Path requirements with Arcana requirements, but how are gaining new ruling Arcana? I've never been a fan of having some nice well-imagined legacy give one character a new ruling arcana, while it might offer someone else less punch because the primary arcana already is a ruling arcana for that character.

Last question: are order Legacies still in? Because everyone loves the Eleventh Question.


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Nov 7, 2008)

Solarious said:


> Speaking of Legacies, I know you've replaced Path requirements with Arcana requirements, but how are gaining new ruling Arcana? I've never been a fan of having some nice well-imagined legacy give one character a new ruling arcana, while it might offer someone else less punch because the primary arcana already is a ruling arcana for that character.




A mage with a legacy still treats the legacy's primary arcanum as ruling.  This means that most mages can manage to get three ruling arcana without too much trouble, so I suppose it makes the average character advance a bit faster, especially at higher levels of the arcana.



Solarious said:


> Last question: are order Legacies still in? Because everyone loves the Eleventh Question.




What kind of a monster would I be if I didn't allow the Eleventh Question?  Order legacies are definitely still in.


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## Shayuri (Nov 7, 2008)

Gah.

I guess I should read about legacies. I didn't understand a word of the past three posts, and I feel like I'm missing out on something important.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 7, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> Gah.
> 
> I guess I should read about legacies. I didn't understand a word of the past three posts, and I feel like I'm missing out on something important.




Legacies are pretty cool, but completely optional.  Also called "soul-shaping," legacies are a process by which a mage shares a tiny portion of his soul (experience) with his mentor in exchange for a small increase in power.  The student gains magical abilities, called attainments, which have no chance for paradox and usually don't even require a roll.  In many cases, the mage also gains an additional ruling arcanum.

You can start the game with a legacy, or you can seek out someone in game to instruct you in a legacy.  If you've played D&D 3rd edition, I'd compare them to Prestige classes: you can tweak and improve a character with them, but you can also make yourself crazy spending hours on end (and a bunch of money on books) hunting down the perfect one.


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## Shayuri (Nov 7, 2008)

Ahh ok


Well, definitely not something I want to deal with at starting.

My character is definitely shaping up to be a newbie mage...and young too. Recent high school grad, probably a junior member of the cabal...

If that's okay, of course.


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## Annalist (Nov 7, 2008)

A newly created Mage would have to spend six of his seven merit points just to raise his Gnosis to three, which is one of the minimum requirements to join an existing Legacy. So it's not likely that any of us will be starting out in one right away, so I wouldn't worry too much about them unless you're trying to plan ahead for a specific Legacy.


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## Annalist (Nov 7, 2008)

Solarious said:


> Speaking of Legacies, I know you've replaced Path requirements with Arcana requirements, but how are gaining new ruling Arcana? I've never been a fan of having some nice well-imagined legacy give one character a new ruling arcana, while it might offer someone else less punch because the primary arcana already is a ruling arcana for that character.



Here's a neat little house rule that I've run across that addresses this problem:

_We invented the concept of the "Key Arcanum". A Key Arcanum is what happens when a mage gains a double affinity to one of his Arcana, such as a Moros joining the Bokor (Death) or a Mastigos being taught Subtle One magic (Mind)._

_What are the benefits of having a key arcanum? One extra die for each improvised casting, two extra dice for rotes, and one less die of paradox for each spell using the key arcanum._

_That way, joining a legacy gives you access to a third Ruling Arcanum or it transforms one of your Ruling into a Key Arcanum._


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 7, 2008)

Annalist said:


> _We invented the concept of the "Key Arcanum". A Key Arcanum is what happens when a mage gains a double affinity to one of his Arcana, such as a Moros joining the Bokor (Death) or a Mastigos being taught Subtle One magic (Mind)._
> 
> _What are the benefits of having a key arcanum? One extra die for each improvised casting, two extra dice for rotes, and one less die of paradox for each spell using the key arcanum._
> 
> _That way, joining a legacy gives you access to a third Ruling Arcanum or it transforms one of your Ruling into a Key Arcanum._




That house rule addresses the imbalance from choosing a legacy that doesn't grant you a new ruling arcanum, but I think it favors specialist mages over mages who want to spread out and dip their toes in a number of arcana.  My own preference is for the Cabal to spread out and have a wide toolbox, rather than specializing deeply, so I'm going to pass on that for now.

It's a good rule, though, and later experience might make me rethink it.


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## BlueLotus (Nov 7, 2008)

I ordered a copy of Mage: The Awakening that shipped from amazon today. They're very good about getting it to me within 3 or 4 business days even on their cheapest super saver shipping speed. So I hope to have it early next week. 

In the mean time, I couldn't think of any other way to nail down Sandra in game terms other than to make her as if she was going to be an Ascension character and hope that I could get some guidance for translating her into an Awakening character.

Next on my to do list is to develop her training and mentor.

[sblock=Character Sheet]
Nature - Visionary
Essence - Primordeal
Demeanor - Rebel
Tradition - Dreamspeakers
Concept - The weird girl at the new age section of the bookstore that actually got magic to work.

Attributes
Strength 2
Dexterity 2
Stamina 2
Charisma 3
Manipulation 2
Appearance 3
Perception 3
Intelligence 3
Wits 4

Abilities
Alertness 2
Athletics 2
Awareness 2
Expression 1
Streetwise 2
Drive 1
Etiquette 2
Meditation 2
Academics 1
Cosmology 3
Enigmas 2
Investigation 2
Occult 3
Accounting 2 (I don't think this fit under any of the default selections, so I just added it under knowledges if that's cool)

Spheres
Life 3
Spirit 3

Backgrounds
Avatar 3
Dream 3
Library 2
Resources 1
Mentor 2

Arete 3
Willpower 5

Resonance
Dynamic 1 - Energetic

3 freebie points unspent (converted into experience points?)

Sandra's Paradigm
Sandra works magic by practicing the techniques she read about in various new age books and others that her mentor taught. Her methods are a mix of various techniques suggested from a range of different new age sources.

Spirit magic usually involves meditation or sleeping and utilizing techniques to induce astral projection to contact or travel to the Umbra. Unlike Mind, which projects a mage's conscious to dream realms or the dreams of people asleep, Sandra uses astral projection and meditation to physically leave the mundane world and pierce the gauntlet.

Sandra draws heavily on Wicca practices for her Life magic and Spirit magic that doesn't involve travel to the Umbra. She uses atheme, candles, sacred circles, a book of shadows, and other tools and rituals often associated with the religion. However, she is not a true practitioner of Wicca and to those that are, she would probably look like a poser or an amature.

Besides keeping herself and others in good health, she often uses Life magic to alter her features. She has found the ability to be extremely useful in various situations. (this would be the aspect of magic she is most likely to abuse and develop hubris)

Final Note/Question
I'm hoping that Spirt 3, Life 3 would allow Sandra the ability to "ghost" through solid objects like doors or walls. It makes sense to me that this effect would be a combination of spirit and life, though I could see an argument made for correspondence or matter. Would she be allowed to do this?[/sblock]


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## Solarious (Nov 7, 2008)

Okay, you need to look at that big blue shiny book again. See the cover? Turn that so you see the back with the blurb. Eye scarring, isn't that shiny? Now, open the book. See the golden pictures with the broken throne (that's the Throne of the Dethroned Queen, but I degress) and the snazzy occult themes? Turn the page. You'll see a Carmilla ad. Ignore that and turn one more page into the book.

You'll see that it's the back page of a Mage the Awakening character sheet. It tells you stats and distributed by points and derived statistics at the bottom in fine print (it's on the front of it)! Useful doesn't even begin to describe it.

I'll let you research/decipher/wait for someone who owns nWoD Core to tell you more about skills and stats. I'll try to instruct you on the wavy fingers part of mage: the arcana and the practices.

Speaking of the arcana, let's talk Spirit magic. Umbra is now the Shadow Realm, and it's an evil, evil, evil place. Think basically the metaphorical truths of the world, all of them, and then make them manifest. You'll have spirits of living creatures plant and animal, you'll have spirits of elements and nature (from straight water and fire spirits to vacuum and crushing underwater pressure), spirits of objects we create (so knives, cars, bikes, hammers, etc), spirits of conceptual thoughts and emotions (which include hope, love, pain, terror, murder, etc), and they all exemplify whatever they represent. They all fight for the Essence they desire, sometimes preying on others like them, and resources are limited. It's a Darwinian horror show out there. They don't have real emotions, ethics, or morality, so they will try to manipulate things in the material world to best reflect what they want, and thus generate of the kind of essence they want. And if they're ambitious (or desperate enough), they'll slip through, anchor themselves on this side of the Gauntlet, and possess someone as a meat-puppet for the purposes of staying and manipulating the world even further.

And you can't really get rid of them easily: as long as they have essence, they'll piece themselves back together in the Shadow Realm sooner or later. And they remember things. And they hold grudges. And they gossip amongst each other. The only real way to control them is to let them know you're bigger, and stomp down on them when they get out of line. Best just to keep them out of the material and try to clean up spillovers when they occur: wrangling them into submission is a Werewolf's job, the poor sods.

And trying to separate the material and the Shadow is always a bad idea, since it's a natural part of the world, and doing so will simply turn the place into a ghost of what it once was, drained of all literal and metaphorical vitality.

As for your 'ghost' spell, I think it would be more of a Death spell, which has the Twilight in it's purview, rather than a Spirit spell, which must reigns over the Shadow. Thinking on it, I would say a Death 3, Weaving, instant, transitory duration, vulgar spell, costing 1 mana.

Funny you should pick Dreamspeakers as a tradition; they're reimagined as a Legacy in nMage that melds together Mind and Spirit magics towards the mastery of the Astral Realms (which is in itself another wall of text topic in itself) through shamanistic lenses. They're a Thyrsus (that's life and spirit, which you have also chosen) legacy, and associated with the Free Council as well, both of which they share their wisdom with.

-----------------

I've started on an image of my character... a medical forensics examiner (mutable point) who is inducted into the Guardians of the Veil, but doesn't fit in as well as hoped. Mentored by a member of the Faceless, whom he never finds out what his name nor his actual appearance, face, or personality is (although he has suspicions). Understands the purpose and the necessity of the Veil and other distasteful aspects of the Guardians, but feels they try too hard to cover up too much purely for the reason of covering it up. Disliked for being a Guardian in the first place (and can't be trusted in another Order 'cause he could be a mole), and shunned by fellow Guardians because of his interest/contacts in the Eleventh Question, he's a hot potato who ended up in Boston's newest cabal because no one else really wants him and the new cabal either can't afford to or straight out can't say no.


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## Shayuri (Nov 7, 2008)

Solarious, I dunno if you intended it this way, but your post to me came off as pretty offensively sarcastic. That's not really a helpful way to introduce a new player to the fold, IMO.

Especially when he just said that the book was ordered and on its way...thus implying that it wasn't available for perusal yet.

It's good that you're trying to help...I would encourage you to be more careful with sarcasm though. Especially in this online format, where there's no tone of voice or nonverbal expressions to help soften the tone.


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## Solarious (Nov 7, 2008)

It was? Hmn. Looking back, I see you point about the rude sarcasm. I suppose it's a sign I should get some more sleep in when this kind of thing starts slipping into my posts. My posts tend to languish in the harsh light of a reply box for an hour or two, especially at that length, before being exposed to the searing nakedness of the forums.

I've made the appropriate edits... or at least I think I have, anyways. Does it still come off too strong?


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## Walking Dad (Nov 7, 2008)

Hi, it's me again.

What do you think about a former police officer, turned PI?
He will be viewing magic through the lens of Kabbalah (not the new age, but the real thing). Specializing in Spirit, Fate and /or Space.

After loosing his job for taking money from the wrong persons, DJ settled down as a private investigator. Loosing his apartment, sportscar and girl-friend (in that order) he began a new life Boston.


_I will wirte-up a day in life for DJ and post it at the beginning of the next week

I hope the initial concept is fine. Don't be afraid of  me playing a stereotype. I'm German myself, and while I'm no Jew myself, I study religions (especially the abrahamic ones) and can read Hebrew._



[sblock=character sheet]

Only mundane traits for now.

Daniel Jacob Goldstein, PI
Gender: Male Age: 26
Hair: Short, Brown Eyes: Green Ht: 6'2'' Wt: 185 pounds
Virtue: Faith Vice: Greed

PHYSICAL(5) MENTAL(4) SOCIAL(3)
Strength : ** Intelligence : ** Presence : **
Dexterity : *** Wits : *** Manipulation : *
Stamina : *** Resolve : ** Composure : ***

Skills:
Mental (4)
Academics * (Religion)
Computer *
Medicine *
Investigation *

Physical (11)
Athletics *
Brawl **
Drive *
Firearms *** (pistol, lt.)
Larceny *
Stealth **
Weaponry * (knife)

Social (7)
Empathy *
Intimidation **
Persuasion *
Streetwise *
Subterfuge **


Merits (7):
Status 1 (PI), Resources 2, Language 2 (German, Ifrit), 2 dots for communal sanctum

Health: 8
Willpower: 5
Morality: 7

Size: 5 Speed: 11 Initiative: 6
Defense: 3 Armour: -

Equipment (worn): light pistol, ammo, watch, clothing, poceket-knife.

Shayrui maybe recognizes a bit of the name and stats.
[/sblock]


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## Annalist (Nov 7, 2008)

Anyone else have any preferences for our Cabal name and Sanctum location? I suggested *The Twilight Vigil* as a name and Cambridge as a location so far.


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## Solarious (Nov 7, 2008)

Walking Dad said:


> _I hope the initial concept is fine. Don't be afraid of  me playing a stereotype. I'm German myself, and while I'm no Jew myself, I study religions (especially the abrahamic ones) and can read Hebrew._



You have my congratulations for learning a third (from what I can tell) language so well. I myself am only any good with english, and I can only speak a second well, not read it.


Annalist said:


> Anyone else have any preferences for our Cabal name and Sanctum location? I suggested *The Twilight Vigil* as a name and Cambridge as a location so far.



Absent any particularly compelling reason to settle down anywhere else, Cambridge sounds like decent starting area, although I'm not sure what the great draw for it is, that is, for us as mages. It would be nice to know more about the area than the blurb before we make a final decision.

As for the name, *Twilight* has a very specific definition in Mage, since that's the plane of existence that ghosts inhabit, so it makes us sound more like Death specialists rather than a cabal with many Spirit practitioners. I put forward the name *The Midnight Vigil*, which alludes to the Shadow rather than the restless dead.


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## Annalist (Nov 7, 2008)

Solarious said:


> As for the name, *Twilight* has a very specific definition in Mage, since that's the plane of existence that ghosts inhabit, so it makes us sound more like Death specialists rather than a cabal with many Spirit practitioners.



The Midnight Vigil is fine with me, but just so you realize, Twilight is not ghost-specific.

Core Rulebook, p. 20:

*Twilight:* The _state_ of existence _within the material realm_ for most ephemeral beings that find themselves on the material side of the Gauntlet, including ghosts and _spirits_.


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## Shayuri (Nov 7, 2008)

What about Shadow Hunters or Shadow Seekers?


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## Solarious (Nov 7, 2008)

My point about the word Twilight for spirit exorcists is largely due to the fact that Twilight can refer both to vengeful ghosts and intruding spirits, while the Shadow is the proper domain of spirits. We don't really have anyone with a serious amount of skill in Death, while we do have many mages with skill in Spirit, so I thought Midnight would have fit better.


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## Annalist (Nov 7, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> What about Shadow Hunters or Shadow Seekers?



While having "Shadow" as part of a cabal name would be pretty cool, there's already a cabal called The Shadow Chorus.  This is assuming Hella_Tellah's using the default Consilium from the Boston Unveiled supplement. The reason I'm guessing this is because Hella_Tellah mentioned The Nemean in an earlier post. (He's the Consilium Hierarch used in Boston Unveiled.)


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## Shayuri (Nov 7, 2008)

Ahh, ok.

For the record, I will probably have some dots in Death. I'm still juggling things, so I dunno for sure...

I'm considering 

Life 2
Forces 2
Spirits 1
Death 1

Still tweaking though.


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## Solarious (Nov 7, 2008)

That's also true. Besides, we're protecting the Sleepers from the Spirits, so Vigil is an appropiate term, and Midnight is such a classier word than Shadow.

No. Wait. Default Boston Consili? *flips through the Core*

I get that horrible sinking feeling we're going to be moving next to Seers of the Throne.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 7, 2008)

Whew!  That's a lot of replies since yesterday evening.  I'll try to address a few things quickly and come back at things in depth in a couple of hours.



BlueLotus said:


> In the mean time, I couldn't think of any other way to nail down Sandra in game terms other than to make her as if she was going to be an Ascension character and hope that I could get some guidance for translating her into an Awakening character.




Not a problem.  I'll PM you later on with a proposed translation to the new rules.  I feel bad that I omitted this, but in the new World of Darkness rules, you'll want two books: the core rulebook, which has all the rules for making mortals, and Mage.  Sorry I didn't bring that up before--$40 is certainly a fair sum of cash for me, and I hate to spring that on you.



Solarious said:


> Okay, you need to look at that big blue shiny book again.




I'm afraid that BlueLotus doesn't have that book yet, so I'm working with him/her to make a character while s/he awaits shipment.



Solarious said:


> Speaking of the arcana, let's talk Spirit magic. Umbra is now the Shadow Realm, and it's an evil, evil, evil place.




I prefer to think of it as an alien, alien, alien place, where our human morality simple doesn't map onto the more abstract existence there.  Most of us would find a spirit's motives pretty horrendous, though.



Solarious said:


> I've started on an image of my character...




I like it!  That character gives me a really good plot hook.  You've done this before, haven't you? 



Walking Dad said:


> What do you think about a former police officer, turned PI?
> He will be viewing magic through the lens of Kabbalah (not the new age, but the real thing). Specializing in Spirit, Fate and /or Space.




Love it.  Kabbalah is by far my favorite of the traditions.



			
				Solarious said:
			
		

> Absent any particularly compelling reason to settle down anywhere else, Cambridge sounds like decent starting area, although I'm not sure what the great draw for it is, that is, for us as mages. It would be nice to know more about the area than the blurb before we make a final decision.




Further information on Cambridge, including the way I'll be presenting it as an ST, to follow in a few hours.



Annalist said:


> This is assuming Hella_Tellah's using the default Consilium from the Boston Unveiled supplement. The reason I'm guessing this is because Hella_Tellah mentioned The Nemean in an earlier post. (He's the Consilium Hierarch used in Boston Unveiled.)




Good guess!  I decided to use Boston because I like having a printed source that players can check with for more information on a topic, if it interests them.  I feel like it helps players make more informed choices.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 7, 2008)

solarious said:


> i get that horrible sinking feeling we're going to be moving next to seers of the throne.




Dun dun DUN!!


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 7, 2008)

Solarious said:


> Absent any particularly compelling reason to settle down anywhere else, Cambridge sounds like decent starting area, although I'm not sure what the great draw for it is, that is, for us as mages. It would be nice to know more about the area than the blurb before we make a final decision.




The following represents just a little more information on the history of Cambridge Awakened society than the average mage would posess. You may determine for yourself how much of this your character knows.

--------------------------
Cambridge, Massachussetts has a rich history of Awakened residents and Awakened conflict. The Orders in Boston discover the majority of their members through the many colleges in the area, and Cambridge is home to two of the nation's most prestigious institutions. Since Harvard's inception, Boston-area Cabals have kept a close eye on students there for signs of Awakening, and they have competed, often fiercely, to induct newly-Awakened mages into their orders. For many years, the Stone Assembly kept things fairly orderly, allowing each Order its sphere of influence over Cambridge, even grudgingly giving over MIT to the Free Council when it moved to Cambridge in 1912. The Stone Assembly had a certain _understanding_ with the Seers of the Throne: the power-hungry, the elitist, and the vicious among Cambridge's fledgling Awakened would be inducted into the Seers.

After the fall of the Stone Assembly, Awakened society in Cambridge especially and Boston more generally was plunged into infighting, backstabbing, and outright warfare. Only the Seers were able to keep their members united, and for their patience, the Seers won a near-complete dominion over Harvard.

With the rise of the Ebon Noose in the 1980s as leaders of a new Consilium, many are keen to diminish the Seers' influence over Harvard. Consilium officials, however, seem more inclined to maintain the uneasy, centuries-old peace.

Sleeper society in Cambridge is vibrant, intellectually curious, and more welcoming than many other parts of the Boston metropolitan area. It is a town infused with the optimism of rich, talented young people. The bookstores host poetry readings, food comes from co-ops, and protests are weekly occurrances. It is also dead empty during summer vacation.
--------------

That's what I've got off the top of my head. Any specific questions?


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 8, 2008)

I'm not sure if you still want applicants, but if you're interested I'd like to apply.  That being said, I don't have a copy of Mage at the moment, but I intend to buy one as soon as possible (assuming I get in anyway, its difficult to find one of these offline).  I have read the book however, and would like to think I have a passable knowledge of the rules.

Here goes:

[sblock=Joseph Faust]
*Real Name:* Joseph Faust
*Shadow Name:* Icarus
*Concept:* The Hatchet

*Age:* 25
*Height:* 5'9"
*Weight:* 150 lbs.
*Hair:* Black
*Eyes:* Grey

*Place of Birth:* Wheelright, Massachusetts 
*Relatives:* Emily Faust (mother), Robert Faust (father)
*Mentor:* Charles Walker (real name unknown, (Forces Space Ruling), Tremere Lich)
*Marital Status:* Not attached

*Occupation:* Graduate History Student (University of Massachusetts or other)
*Current Residence:* Cambridge, Massachusetts

*Virtue:* Fortitude
*Vice:* Pride (Vanity)

*Ruling: *Prime, Mind
*Inferior: *Life
 *Order:* none yet

*Mental Attributes:* Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 2
*Physical Attributes:* Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
*Social Attributes:* Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 5

*Mental Skills:* Academics (History) 3, Occult 5, Politics 2
*Physical Skills:* Drive 1, Athletics 1, Survival 1, Weaponry (rapier) 1
*Social Skills:* Animal Ken 2, Subterfuge() 2, Empathy 1, Socialize 1, Persuasion 1

*Health:* 8
*Willpower:* 7
*Wisdom:* 7

*Size:* 5
*Speed:* 8
*Initiative:* 7
*Defense:* 2
*Armor:* 

*Gnosis:* 3
*Mana:* 7 (max: 12, 3/turn)(not sure if this is right)
*Pattern:* Restoration (1/day), Scouring (1/day)
*Nimbus:* Afraid to stray to far from his person

*Arcana:* _Mind_ 2, _Prime_ 3, time 1,
 
*Rote Specialties:* None
*Rotes:* None
*Dedicated Magical Tool:* The handle of King Solomon's Bronze jar (doesn't have one at the moment, but would like this)

*Mage Merits: *1 to shared hallow
*Social Merits:* 

*Background*
Born in a small rural town, Joseph found himself totally unprepared for awakening.  It wasn't until college that he fully understood or could control his powers, and in that manner they remained a secret.

He used his status as a history major at UMass to research all things arcane, using all resources he could get his hands on at the library there.  During his studies, he found another who shared his interests, Charles Walker, and the two grew fairly close.  One day, Joseph entered Charles' study unanounced, only to find the other moving books around magically.  Delighted at knowing another like himself, Joseph told Charles everything about his limited mystical career.  In turn, Charles taught Joseph some of what he knew of magic.

Joseph learned much over the course of his time with Charles, learning about the essence of magic, Prime, Mind, and Time.  However, he learned nothing of paradox, cabals, or orders.  Only through natural caution did he not suffer from the first, nor the attention of the other two.

However, when graduation came around Charles had gained entry into the Tremere.  Through his true name, Charles has repeatedly attacked Joseph, and only through luck has he survived thus far.  Recently, Joseph has hidden his trail from Charles, but the problem remains unresolved.  Daily wards from scrying are all that separate him from his predator.

Through his experience with Charles, Joseph learned the rudiments of magic, but his knowledge is incomplete at best.  He depends mostly on his sheer power to perform spells, in a way that other mages might describe as brutish.  Pushing spells through carelessly, many of his spells go awry.  Furthermore, his knowledge of true magic is blended in with his knowledge of the occult in general (he can't read high atlantean).  Still to suffer from a paradox, he has no qualms about casting spells when he needs to.  Only his natural caution, and his fear of Charles, stay his hand.

Since then, he has experimented with Sleepers, attempting to figure out the things that go with awakening.  As of yet, he has had no success.  In fact, he has yet to witness an awakening other than his own.  In the cabal, he hopes to find out something of awakening from the other members, and to apply it to his study of sleepers.

He chose Prometheus as a shadow name to finally hide his true name, only several days before he joined the cabal.  He chose it to represent giving 'fire', or magic, to the sleepers.  In reality, its meaning more closely resembles 'forethought' of awakening a personal army.[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 8, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> I'm not sure if you still want applicants, but if you're interested I'd like to apply.




Pull up a chair, we're glad to have you. 



magic_gathering2001 said:


> ...Joseph Faust




That's a really cool, unconventional background.  Kudos!  I also appreciate the inclusion of a villain for me to grab up.  We're getting a good mixture of NPCs in these backstories--girlfriends, mentors, bad-guys--so I'm really optimistic about everyone's ability to add to a story.

We're starting to get to the point where we have more applicants than slots, so it's time to start talking deadline.  I'd like to make the selection and start playing one week from today, Friday, the 14th.  So have a character sheet written up by midnight, Pacific Standard Time (US West Coast), and I'll pick the best 4 to 6 based on:


Quality of writing.
Character concept.
Group cohesion and composure.
Bonus points if you have a portrait of your character to post when s/he talks.
I say 4 to 6 because I initially intended to run it with 4, but I want the flexibility in case there are one or two other really, _really_ cool characters that I can't bear to pass on.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 8, 2008)

I'm glad you like him.  As soon as I picked up the book, I knew I wanted to play a completely clueless mage, who wanted to 'educate' new mages.  This character is the final result of quite a bit of thinking.  That being said, some of the aspects could tie in a little better to the concept, especially the gnosis of 3 and the last arcana.  Speaking of which, I think I'll change the merit in resources to the shared hallow, preferably for the mana restoring thing that I forget the name of.

One thing I was wondering: would you allow me to create a legacy for the awakening of sleepers?  Here's the idea so far, if you can ignore the lack  of terms at the moment:

[sblock]
ruling arcana: prime
secondary arcana: unsure

mana restoration:
Participate in a sleeper occult ritual (such as demonic summoning).  Then, ensure that the ritual achieves its desired effect (through magic or otherwise).  Any mana used to achieve this <name> is restored in addition to the normal amount.  If a paradox occurs, increase its severity by one degree, and double the mana recovered.
*
Open the Eyes:
Gnosis 3(4)
Prime 2
Cast supernal vision on another.  Sleepers cannot be affected.*

Trial: The initiate must hear the story of another mage's awakening.  The story doesn't have to be a vivid descriptive ordeal.  However, the other mage must tell only the truth, and not leave out any important aspects of their awakening (as determined by GM).  After the story is over, the legacy must attempt to recreate the other mage's awakening as completely as possible, attempting to live the awakening of another to better understand how they work.
*
Spark the Essence
Gnosis 5(6)
Prime 3 or 4
Transfer a point of mana to a Sleeper by touch.  The affected sleeper will feel only a slight boost, as described by the spell <name>.  However, the mana will remain in the sleeper indefinitely, not subject to disbelief (rumor's state that a small number of Sleepers actually spent the mana, although more enlightened awakened attribute this phenomenon to another mage's interference.)*

Trial: (goes with the gnosis, not the effect)  The mage must attempt to live as a sleeper for an entire month.  He must consciously choose when to begin his trial.  Once he begins, he loses all knowledge of his awakened life (but is given a new sleeper name) until the month passes.  On the last day of the month, he undergoes his own awakening again, although the choices he picks may not be the same.  When the awakening is complete, he regains all lost knowledge.

*
Gnosis 7(8)
Open the eyes can now target sleepers
Prime 4 or 5
I think this may actually be where Spark the essence goes, but I have forgotten what I wanted for the third (or second?) attainment*

Trial: The mage must participate in the awakening of a sleeper.  The mage does not need to be aware of his part, but the part needs to be significant in the sleeper's awakening.  The mage does not need to meet the prerequisites of this attainment before completing this part of the trial.  When the mage wants to reach this level of attainment, they must enter the dreamworld (forgot the name, but its the dream of all people).  Therein, the person's dream will call them through a trial that mirrored the other's awakening.  Should the mage survive, they acheive this attainment.

Gnosis 10
Awaken the Sleeping
Prime 5
The two ruling arcana from any watchtower (I know you aren't using them, but it would be far too easy otherwise)
The sleeper awakens as a sleepwalker.  Depending on the caster's relationship with the sleepwalker, the caster may spend points in the sleepwalker merit.

If the caster chooses, and meets the secondary requirement, he can instead awaken the Sleeper as a mage following the path whose ruling arcana he used to meet the secondary requirement.  Again, this does not convey loyalty that wasn't already there, but the caster would be able to mold and instruct the new mage.

The mage must use all of his attainments upon a single sleeper every day for a week.  At the end of the week, they gain this attainment and the sleeper awakens on a path chosen by the DM(not sure about this trial, it seems slightly weird...)
[/sblock]

I would like to incorporate it into my character, either as the founding member, or if you want to use it as an organization.  If you do, I would like to have already completed the first trial with Charles.

Edit:
For rights, (thank you Annalist for the formatting again)
Right of Crossing - Yes
Right of Emeritus - Maybe
Right of Hospitality - Yes
Right of Nemesis - No
Right of Sanctuary - Yes

As for the place.  I would prefer somewhere that Joseph can attend grad school nearby, so Cambridge works well for me (I have absolutely no idea where UMass is, so if its not nearby, he could take grad school at Harvard)


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 9, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> One thing I was wondering: would you allow me to create a legacy for the awakening of sleepers?




I really, really try to be the ST who says "yes," but this chronicle will deal in part with Consilium politics, and a character based on spreading supernal knowledge to Sleepers would be massively unpopular with this Consilium.  From a group cohesion perspective, I don't think the idea will work--especially since Solarious' character will be a member of the Guardians of the Veil.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 9, 2008)

Alright, thats fine.  I can play him without that aspect of his character.  If thats the case though, I'll need to edit him a bit.  Ok, done.  What do you think now?


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## Solarious (Nov 9, 2008)

There already is a Legacy dedicated to awakening Sleepers - The Awakening Gambit, otherwise known as The Kingmakers. They're a Acanthus/Adamatine Arrow combined Legacy, so you need to be both part of the Adamatine Arrow and have Fate or Time as one of your ruling Arcana. They're a lot of fun, quite powerful, and they have this neat chess theme too.

Mages don't know what makes people awaken, really, so no Legacy can do that directly through attainments. So, The Kingmakers make do with putting promising prospects in positions where they must Awaken, or die. However, this doesn't really work consistantly, so there is always the Failsafe to keep them safe in case things go south. Their attainments revolve around manipulating people into their stages (Mind is primary), and abilities to put up safe, fast, and effective Failsafes (Time is used in the optional attainments).


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 9, 2008)

Sounds interesting, but I think I've been nudged away from that aspect anyway.  Otherwise, I'd look into it more.  Even still, I don't think its quite what I was looking for.  The awakening isn't as important as the means of doing it: pouring magic into sleepers and hope it does something.  While forcing them to awaken using life/death situations sounds interesting, its not what I was going for (although now that I think about it, it fits much better with the altered character).  By the way, is that actually in Mage?  I had thought I'd looked at the legacies...

In any case, I wouldn't have him start as one, especially because of the order requirement.  He has mind and time, so if it comes up in game, then he can persue it then.

Also, is your character, or a description thereof, posted on the thread anywhere?  I may have just missed it when reading through, but I can't recall him/her.


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## Shayuri (Nov 9, 2008)

Here's my sheet so far. Not completely complete, but getting there. Comments welcome.

[sblock=Juno Reyes]
*Real Name*: Juno Reyes
*Shadow Name*: 
*Concept*: 

*Age*: 18
*Height*: 5'6"
*Weight*: 130 lbs.
*Hair*: Black
*Eyes*: Green

*Place of Birth*: Albuquerque, New Mexico
*Relatives*: Hector Reyes (Father), Hugo Reyes (Uncle)
*Mentor*: "Papa Chango" (AKA Hugo Reyes)
*Marital Status*: Single

*Occupation*: Store Clerk
*Current Residence*: Cambridge, Massachusetts

*Virtue*: Fortitude
*Vice*: Pride 

*Ruling*: Life, Forces
*Inferior*: Fate
*Order*: Adamantine Arrow

*Mental Attributes*: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2
*Physical Attributes*: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3
*Social Attributes*: Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 3

*Mental Skills*: Academics 1, Occult 3
*Physical Skills*: Athletics 3, Brawl 3, Drive 1, Firearms 1, Stealth 2, Weaponry 1
*Social Skills*: Expression 2, Intimidate 2, Socialize 2, Streetwise 1

*Health*: 8
*Willpower*: 5
*Wisdom*: 7

*Size*: 5
*Speed*: 10
*Initiative*: 6
*Defense*: 3
*Armor*:

*Gnosis*: 2
*Mana*: 7 (max: 11, 2/turn)
*Nimbus*: Jaguar Sun

*Arcana*: 
Death 1
Forces 1
Life 2
Spirit 2

*Rote Specialties*: Athletics, Intimidation, Medicine
*Rotes*: 
*Dedicated Magical Tool*: Mayan Ritual Dagger

*Mage Merits*: Gnosis +1 ***
*Social Merits*: Striking Looks **, Mentor **
[/sblock]

[sblock=Background] [/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 9, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> Sounds interesting, but I think I've been nudged away from that aspect anyway.




Upon further consideration, I think the idea is workable.  It's not a bad idea for a character, by any means; I was just concerned that he might not jibe with the rest of the group.  But since Shayuri's character was Awakened through purposeful action, and Annalist's character is a member of the Silver Ladder (who ostensibly favor Awakening all of mankind), I don't think it'll be much of an issue.  Besides, our first chapter will be about bringing you all together in a Cabal, so there will be reasons besides philosophical sympathy for you all to work together.



			
				Shayuri said:
			
		

> Here's my sheet so far. Not completely complete, but getting there. Comments welcome.




Nice!  I really like "Papa Chango" as a Shadow Name for your Uncle Hugo.  Is he a member of the Adamantine Arrow, too?


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## Shayuri (Nov 10, 2008)

Hee! I will have the full story up soon. Also the 6 "levels" of freebie rotes we start with.

'Papa Chango' is not just his Shadow Name...it's the name he runs his shop under, though not his legal name. One of the weirder things he does is dress up in a Chinese getup and actually has one of those long thin goatee-type mustaches and the whole bit. Then he talks in a fake Chinese accent.

He's pretty obviously a Hispanic guy pretending to be Chinese though.

I suspect he's either Adamantine Arrow or Mysterium...I am still brainstorming him. Suggestions are always welcome.

One of the reasons I'm making Juno so young is to justify her lack of dots in Sanctum and Resources. I do plan on spending early exp on those things, to represent her becoming more independent.


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## Annalist (Nov 10, 2008)

For my own ease of reference, I'm consolidating all the stuff that I've come up with for my PC application. 

[sblock=Character Sheet]






*Real Name:* Mitchell Ward
*Shadow Name:* Gabriel

*Concept:* Neophyte Spiritualist
*Quote:* "I'm here to help."

*Virtue:* Faith (Conviction)
*Vice:* Pride (Vanity)

*Path:* Obrimos
*Order:* Silver Ladder
*Cabal:* The Midnight Vigil

*Mental Attributes:* Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Resolve 3
*Physical Attributes:* Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
*Social Attributes:* Presence 3, Manipulation 2, Composure 3

*Mental Skills:* Academics (Theology) 2, Investigation 2, Occult (Spirits) 2, Politics (Consilium) 1
*Physical Skills:* Athletics 2, Brawl 1, Firearms 1
*Social Skills:* Empathy 2, Expression 2, Intimidation 2, Persuasion 2, Socialize 1, Subterfuge 2

*Health:* 8
*Willpower:* 6
*Wisdom:* 7

*Size:* 5
*Speed:* 9
*Initiative:* 5
*Defense:* 2
*Armor:* 2 (_Ephemeral Shield_, Spirit 2)

*Gnosis:* 2
*Mana:* 7 (max: 11, 2/turn)
*Pattern:* Restoration (1/day), Scouring (1/day)
*Nimbus:* "Angelic"

*Ruling Arcana:* Forces 1, Prime 2
*Common Arcana:* Space 1, Spirit 2
*Inferior Arcanum:* Death

*Dedicated Magical Tool:* Splinter of the True Cross (Pendant)
*Rote Specialties:* Expression, Persuasion, Subterfuge
*Spirit Rotes:* _1 dot:_ Coaxing the Spirits, Exorcist's Eye, Second Sight, Spirit Tongue; _2 dots:_ Ephemeral Shield

*Oblation:* Ritual Prayer

*Mage Merits:* High Speech, Unseen Sense (All)
*Social Merits:* Status (Consilium) 1, Status (Silver Ladder) 1, Striking Looks 2[/sblock][sblock=Character Extras]
*Shadow Name:* Gabriel
*Concept:* Neophyte Spiritualist

_I'll be playing Mitchell Ward, a twenty-one year old seminary student working on his Masters degree in Theological Studies at the Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge. He had initially wanted to pursue a career in Law Enforcement, no doubt influenced by the fact that his father is a county sheriff back in their hometown, but plans took an unexpected turn academically when he Awakened a year ago. The days leading up to his Awakening were filled with visions full of religious symbolism - bleeding crucifixes, the reverberating sound of Gregorian chant when there was no one else around, Biblical passages written high in the night sky in fiery script, and more._

_As these alien visions increased, things progressed to a point where Mitchell, while walking back to his apartment, stumbled into the closest public building - a church - and passed out in a pew at which time he truly Awakened. And in a moment of chance? or destiny?, he was found by the man who would become his mentor in all things arcane, Father Albert Evans, or, Melchior the Exorcist, as he was known to Boston's Consilium._

_Now, faced with more questions than answers, Mitchell has enrolled at the school that Father Evans teaches at to begin his training as a Mage._

_(My character is essentially an Obrimos, Silver Ladder Mage working towards joining The Scions of God Legacy.)_

*Description:* 





*Age:* 21
*Height:* 6'0"
*Weight:* 180 lbs.
*Hair:* Brown
*Eyes:* Blue

*Place of Birth:* Carlisle, Massachusetts
*Current Residence:* Cambridge, Massachusetts
*Occupation:* Seminary Student (Harvard Divinity School)

*Mentor:* Melchior the Exorcist (Father Albert Evans, Obrimos/Silver Ladder/The Scions of God)
*Relatives:* Michael Ward (Father/Carlisle County Sheriff), Mary Ward (Mother/Concord-Carlisle High School Teacher), Margaret "Maggie/Mags" Ward (Younger Sister/Junior at Concord-Carlisle High School)
*Marital Status:* Linda "Linnie/Linz/Lin" Wentworth (Girlfriend)

*Background:* Mitchell had had his life all mapped out. He was going to go into Law Enforcement just like his father, but on a grander scale. After securing his undergraduate degree in psychology within the span of two years, he had planned on attending the FBI Academy at Quantico with the hopes of specializing in criminal profiling. But his unexpected Awakening a little over a year ago changed all of that.

It had first started with sporadic visions full of religious symbolism, such as fiery scripture burning in the night sky. But then the hallucinations began to grow in frequency and intensity until they became too overwhelming. Suffering from a headache so great that he needed to sit down, Mitchell stumbled into the first public building that he could find which happened to be a Church. He passed out in a pew and was later found by a kindly old priest. _You are Awake._ Those were the first words spoken to him by Father Albert Evans when he had finally regained consciousness. However, it wasn't until much later that he came to realize their dramatic significance.

And now in the present day, with Melchior's continued help and guidance, he has begun to come to terms with his life as a Mage.

*Motivation:* Since Awakening, Mitchell has become acutely aware of just how dangerous the world can be. The Darkness is _real_. And he seeks to increase his arcane knowledge so that he'll be equipped as best he can to defend against it.

*Academic Goals:* Complete Master of Theological Studies Degree
*Awakened Goals:* Continue Melchior's Work Protecting Sleepers from Malevolent Spirits/Join The Scions of God Legacy/Become a Sentinel
*Personal Goals:* Keep Family, Girlfriend, and Friends Safe[/sblock][sblock=Character Complications]
*Mage-related Complications*

*Re:* First Two Years at Harvard College

Although Mitchell did well in high school, he knows deep down that he's not exactly Harvard-level material. So it's always bugged him in the back of his mind: how he got accepted and how his parents can afford the tuition. However, he's never really broached the subject with them. Yet.

(As far as getting into Harvard Divinity, he assumes that that was Father Evans' doing. And in this case, he's correct.)

*The Twist:* Michael, Mitchell's father, actually knows the Dean of Admissions, Professor Dale Hamilton, and incidentally also knows Father Albert Evans. It was no coincidence that Father Evans was the one who found Mitchell when he Awakened. However, Mitchell doesn't realize that his father personally knows any of these people.

So how do they all know each other then?

Both Michael and Professor Hamilton are members of the Knights Templar (Magical Traditions, pp. 81-95). And they both believe Father Evans to be a member too, but in reality he's more like their Silver Ladder-appointed chaperone keeping an eye on the group for Awakenings.

Anyway, Mitchell has no inkling of his father's involvement with the Knights Templar. He simply believes that he sometimes goes to Mason lodge meetings, as a sort of social club function. And he figures that since his father's the sheriff, he's just trying to keep a public profile within the community and is using the meetings for exposure.

However, since Mitchell's Awakening, his father has been wanting to "induct" him into the Order but Father Evans has actually been keeping the Knights Templar at bay, for now. At least until he can train Mitchell and establish his foundation of Awakened knowledge before it gets muddled by the doctrines of a Sleeper tradition.

(Mitchell has also always wondered why his father never argued with his decision to drop Quantico in favor of Harvard Divinity. He still believes that he has disappointed him on some level in regards to that, when in actuality his father couldn't be happier with the change of situation.)

*Mundane Complications*

And just for fun...






Linda "Linnie" Wentworth _is_ Harvard-level material. She's smart, comes from a wealthy New York City (Manhattan) family, and her father is a Harvard Business School alumnus. He's also co-CEO of Wentworth, Prescott, and Montgomery Investment Counsel. And he dislikes Mitchell because he doesn't feel that the boy is good enough for his daughter. "Isn't he studying to become a priest for chrissakes? Why not marry an investment banker?" is something he's always fond of saying to Linda.

And in fact, he keeps trying to set Linda up with his business partner's twenty-five year old son, Kyle Prescott, who works for the company and is an elitist jackass. In other words, Mister Wentworth's ideal son-in-law.

So while Mitchell really isn't in any danger of ever losing Linda to Kyle, it certainly doesn't make visiting her parents any less stressful.[/sblock][sblock=Character Fiction]
*Higher Calling*

The light was on.

It was nearly three in the morning and Mitchell had hoped that he'd be able to sneak into bed unnoticed. But Linda, his girlfriend, never left the light on in their bedroom unless she was still awake. _This is not going to be good_, he grimaced. Steeling his resolve, he eased open the door and walked in.

There she was, sitting up in bed, the blankets pulled up to her waist, and a wad of crumpled tissues in her clenched fists. She looked up as he entered, her red-rimmed eyes staring at him accusingly. "Where have you been?" she rasped. Her voice was hoarse from all the crying she had done.

Mitchell instinctively raised his hands up in a placating gesture of innocence, "I was just hanging out with the guys. You know, our usual poker night get-together. I'm so sorry that I lost track of time. I meant to be home sooner than this." He really hated lying to her.

"You're lying," she said, knowing him all too well. "Bobby stopped by earlier looking for you. He said that you didn't show up for poker night. What's going on, Mitch? Are you seeing someone else?!"

"No! Of course not," he assured her. But what could he say to explain where he had really been? Certainly not the truth. _Linnie, I was with my Theology Professor all evening. You know, Father Evans. Not only is he my teacher but he's also an honest-to-God Exorcist. Like in the movies but with better lighting. And at his request, which I couldn't say no to, I had to assist him with performing an actual exorcism ritual tonight. Because evil spirits are real and they really do possess people._

Yeah, he definitely couldn't tell her the truth. At least not that truth.

"Then where were you?" Linda persisted. She was still angry but her face had softened just a bit.

"I can't tell you," he answered honestly. "Not because I don't want to but because I'm trying to protect you. The less you know the safer you are. I know you only have my word for it, but I promise you that that is the truth." Trying to reconcile his mundane life with his Awakened one was quickly becoming a monumental task. One that Mitchell wasn't sure he was prepared to handle.

But sometimes, loved ones were capable of surprising you. "I believe you," she whispered. "But I want to protect you too. I don't want anything bad to ever happen to you. Promise me that you're not involved with anything illegal, like drugs, or something worse."

"No, Linnie. It's nothing like that at all. I swear. It's like," he fumbled for the right words, "...a higher calling. I'm just out there trying to help those people who aren't able to help themselves." He knew that it was a woefully inadequate explanation, but his girlfriend seemed to grudgingly accept it, for now.[/sblock][sblock=Important NPCs]





*Real Name:* Albert Evans
*Nickname:* Father Evans, Professor Evans
*Shadow Name:* Melchior

*Concept:* Wise Mentor (and Catholic Priest/Theology Professor/Spirit Exorcist)
*Quote:* "Knowledge talks, wisdom listens."

*Path:* Obrimos
*Order:* The Silver Ladder
*Legacy:* The Scions of God

---






*Real Name:* Linda Wentworth
*Nickname:* Linnie, Linz, Lin

*Concept:* Concerned Girlfriend
*Quote:* "What's going on?"

---






*Real Name:* Margaret Ward
*Nickname:* Maggie, Mags

*Concept:* Teenage Sister
*Quote:* "Ohmigod, can you pleeease take me shopping?!"

---






*Real Name:* Michael Ward
*Nickname:* Dad, Sheriff Ward

*Concept:* County Sheriff (and Knight Templar)
*Quote:* "That's just great."

---






*Real Name:* Mary Ward
*Nickname:* Mom, Misses Ward (by her students)

*Concept:* High School Teacher
*Quote:* "Yes, this is going to be on the test tomorrow."[/sblock]


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## Solarious (Nov 10, 2008)

Just an update on my character, so I don't loose it, and also so other people won't miss it as easily.


I've started on an image of my character... a medical forensics examiner (mutable point) who is inducted into the Guardians of the Veil, but doesn't fit in as well as hoped. Mentored by a member of the Faceless, whom he never finds out what his name nor his actual appearance, face, or personality is (although he has suspicions). Understands the purpose and the necessity of the Veil and other distasteful aspects of the Guardians, but feels they try too hard to cover up too much purely for the reason of covering it up. Disliked for being a Guardian in the first place (and can't be trusted in another Order 'cause he could be a mole), and shunned by fellow Guardians because of his interest/contacts in the Eleventh Question, he's a hot potato who ended up in Boston's newest cabal because no one else really wants him and the new cabal either can't afford to or straight out can't say no.
-------------------------
To give my nameless character a little more detail at his current stage of life, he was, as said above, mentored by one of the Faceless, a faction of the Guardians of the Veil infamous for being able to become literally anyone, so much so, that they themselves become nobody - people with a neutral state of a hodgepodge of assumed personalities clobbered together into a pseudo-functioning state until he/she has a reason to stay in character. Now imagine that there is an entire cabal of these people, who regularly show up in your life as friends and family. In addition, these people have a tendency to violate minds, either by lifting memories from those they are impersonating, or heading straight to the source if they are good enough to get away with it (Read the Depths - Breach the Vault of Memory - and the first thing you forget is the fact you are being attacked mentally). And even if he manages to figure out if someone isn't who they say/seem to be (by throwing up a higher potency Mage Sight than the veiling in question and/or a good Gnosis + Mind roll while you have a Mental Shield up), there is *no way to actually know who is talking to you* (because with spells like Imposter, you don't get to see who is behind the mask without taking down the spell first - and even if you do have the Prime to dispel it, these people are Subtle Ones [MtAwk 352], and their Legacy attainments can't be dispelled).

Needless to say, he has developed a healthy (for a Guardian) sense of paranoia, while his more mundane social skills have atrophied at the same time. Many of his relationships have also suffered, irreparably at times, as he rants and raves at people with false memories, false expectations, and growing sense of isolation as he never quite knows when the next face he sees isn't another Veil. In response, he has grown more composed and reserved, carefully choosing his words and considering their impact before responding. On the other hand, he has drawn up his sense of ethics as one of the grounding principals in his newly awakened life, and the Eleventh Question's dedication to the truth attracts him. By the start of the story, he may or may not have made a Vow of Truthfulness.
---------------------
PS. Tellah, if you want to discuss some of the inspirations and roots of my character, PM me.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 10, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> Upon further consideration, I think the idea is workable.



Alright, I refixed the story to put it back in.  That being said, what do you think of the legacy?  I would be happy to use the other, since it fits with the hatchet idea i have going, but I as of now, I lack the book, and can't say for sure if it fits.  That said, I'm happy to change or remove the theoretical fourth attainment, because it is rather much.  But the other two I really liked, along with the oblation (is that what the ritual for mana is called?).  Its fine if you say no, but I want the character to build up to either, so I'd prefer to have an answer before we start.

Annalist, where do you find those pictures?  Do you just image search and pick ones you like?


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## Annalist (Nov 10, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> Annalist, where do you find those pictures? Do you just image search and pick ones you like?



Yeah, I just use Google Image Search. Depending on the character, I'll try to think of what he or she looks like in my head, then search using an appropriate actor's or actress' name. It's worked like a charm so far, and once I find a pic that I like, I just crop and/or resize it as needed.

[sblock=Who's Who]Mitchell Ward = Chace Crawford
Father Albert Evans = Rutger Hauer
Linda Wentworth = Alona Tal
Michael Ward = Dennis Quaid
Mary Ward = Sela Ward
Margaret Ward = Lucy Hale

And I have pics of Jessica Alba that I'm dying to use. I just have to come up with a NPC that can do her justice. [/sblock]


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## BlueLotus (Nov 10, 2008)

woot! I got the book today. I'll be pouring over the material and I'll try to refine Sandra and post an updated version of her ASAP.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 10, 2008)

Annalist said:


> *Real Name:* Albert Evans




Oh man, I really want to make a Banisher who looks like Harrison Ford come chasing after your mentor!  You have a real eye for these character portraits--I hope my own NPCs will measure up!



magic_gathering2001 said:


> That being said, what do you think of the legacy?  ....I'm happy to change or remove the theoretical fourth attainment, because it is rather much.  But the other two I really liked, along with the oblation...




I think the legacy is balanced and will work for your character concept.  The fourth attainment, making a Sleepwalker, is powerful, but I think it will take us quite a long time to get that far, so if it needs changing we'll decide on that later.  The oblation is really cool, but to be honest I usually use oblations as a background, downtime activity.  I'll try to remember to get you some mileage out of it, though, because it's a novel and fun idea.



BlueLotus said:


> woot! I got the book today. I'll be pouring over the material and I'll try to refine Sandra and post an updated version of her ASAP.




Excellent!  Feel free to post any questions you have here or in PMs.  If you need a primer on the basic rules found in the core rulebook, there's a PDF of introductory rules for Mage on White Wolf's website: http://download.white-wolf.com/download/download.php?file_id=395


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## Annalist (Nov 10, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> Oh man, I really want to make a Banisher who looks like Harrison Ford come chasing after your mentor!



I was actually torn between using either Gabriel Byrne or Rutger Hauer for Father Evans' look. But it was catching a rerun of Blade Runner on TV that nudged my decision in Rutger's favor. I'm pretty happy with the choice, although Gabriel Byrne in priestly attire (such as in Stigmata) would have also worked well.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 10, 2008)

[sblock=picture]





I'm not as good as Annalist, but here's Joseph.
[/sblock]



			
				Hella_Tellah said:
			
		

> I think the legacy is balanced and will work for your character concept. The fourth attainment, making a Sleepwalker, is powerful, but I think it will take us quite a long time to get that far, so if it needs changing we'll decide on that later. The oblation is really cool, but to be honest I usually use oblations as a background, downtime activity. I'll try to remember to get you some mileage out of it, though, because it's a novel and fun idea.




Alright, I'll put up the other attainment once I think of it.  Actually, if anyone has any ideas that would help, but if not I'll come up with something.

As for the oblation, at the very least, its a way to roleplay that aspect of the character without taking too severe a penalty more than anything else.  That is to say, Joseph will probably make an opportunity to do so, even if you do not explicitly include it in the story.  If you roleplay downtime at all, there's that, but there are uses for it regardless I think.  After all, sleeper rituals are certainly a place where you can gather unusual information that a sleeper may have overheard or seen, even if they don't know its significance.  Not that I'm complaining if you want to incorporate it into the campain or anything.

On a completely unrelated note, what is the punishment for overstepping your ranks in arcana when improvising?  Does it cost mana, cause a paradox, fail entirely, some combination thereof, or something else entirely?


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 10, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> After all, sleeper rituals are certainly a place where you can gather unusual information that a sleeper may have overheard or seen, even if they don't know its significance.  Not that I'm complaining if you want to incorporate it into the campain or anything.




Oh, I'll definitely find a way to use it in service of the story, no worries there.  I just haven't quite thought of it yet.

My girlfriend has informed me that I have a (bad?) habit of thinking out loud and writing things just to make up my own mind on the subject.  My comments on your Legacy specifically and character concept more generally were of that variety; I put my thoughts out there, publicly, in an attempt to better know my own mind on the subject.  Know that I am not trying to dissuade you from taking your character in any direction you please.  I'm making up my mind on how to include the character in the story, and I'm making that thought-process transparent.  This is usually a sign that you've brought me something to think about, which is definitely good. 



magic_gathering2001 said:


> On a completely unrelated note, what is the punishment for overstepping your ranks in arcana when improvising?  Does it cost mana, cause a paradox, fail entirely, some combination thereof, or something else entirely?




*Rules Lawyer Answer: *As far as the rules are concerned, dots in Arcana are an upper limit on what you can attempt, so if I were parsing the rulebook as a logical function, I'd have to say "null/does not compute."  Attempting to cast a spell despite not having enough ranks to cast it just cannot be done.  Solarious might be able to give a more satisfying or correct answer to this; s/he has clearly read more deeply in Mage than I have, enthusiastic as I am for the system.

*Storyteller Answer: *Try it and see what happens.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 10, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> Oh, I'll definitely find a way to use it in service of the story, no worries there.  I just haven't quite thought of it yet.



 I'll look foreward to it.


Hella_Tellah said:


> ... I'm making up my mind on how to include the character in the story, and I'm making that thought-process transparent.  This is usually a sign that you've brought me something to think about, which is definitely good.



Alright I'll try to remember that for next time.  I've just always taken everything on a forum at face value, cause its so difficult to imply emotion reliably.  I'm glad I gave you something to think about though.



Hella_Tellah said:


> *Rules Lawyer Answer: *As far as the rules are concerned, dots in Arcana are an upper limit on what you can attempt, so if I were parsing the rulebook as a logical function, I'd have to say "null/does not compute."  Attempting to cast a spell despite not having enough ranks to cast it just cannot be done.  Solarious might be able to give a more satisfying or correct answer to this; s/he has clearly read more deeply in Mage than I have, enthusiastic as I am for the system.



Thats what I was thinking, but with improvised (read using the creative thaumatergy or whatever the name of it is) spellcasting, we won't know until after the spell is cast.


Hella_Tellah said:


> *Storyteller Answer: *Try it and see what happens.



I guess I'll find out... Joseph will probably do it at least once before he learns his lesson.


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## Annalist (Nov 12, 2008)

*pin drop* So... this thread seems to have lost all momentum.

Does anyone want any help statting up their PC? I'm all done with mine, so I'm available to lend a hand if needed.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 12, 2008)

We're pretty close to done with recruiting now, although we're still taking applications.  Here's an update on everyone's status:

*Application Statuses*
(Stati?  Do I get to be a Latin geek when it's a Mage game?  I think I do.)
Here's where everyone stands on their applications.  Remember, get them in and complete by Thursday at midnight to join!
*
Annalist*
Character sheet: complete
Character concept: complete
Writing sample:  complete

*BlueLotus*
Character sheet: complete (that is, if you want to use the "translation" I did)
Character concept: complete
Writing sample:  complete

*magic_gathering2001*
Character sheet: complete
Character concept: complete
Writing sample:  complete

*Shayuri*
Character sheet: complete (except for a shadow name)
Character concept: complete
Writing sample:  complete

*Solarious*
Character sheet: not yet submitted
Character concept: complete
Writing sample:  complete

*Walking Dad*
Character sheet: nearly complete
Character concept: complete
Writing sample: not yet submitted

Don't get the impression that, once submitted, your character is set in stone.  I usually let people in my real-life games fiddle with their character sheets for the first two sessions, so you folks are welcome to move and change things freely within the first week.  Just get something we can run with for now.

*Cabal Stuff*
Here's what we have on the Cabal so far:
*Name: *The Midnight Vigil?  Shadow Hunters?  Shadow Seekers?
*Location: *Cambridge (so far this is the consensus, at least)
*Great Rights:*
Right of Crossing - 2 Yes
Right of Emeritus - 1 No, 1 Maybe
Right of Hospitality - 2 Yes
Right of Nemesis - 2 No
Right of Sanctuary - 2 Yes


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 12, 2008)

I liked the twilight vigil for the cabal name, but if people do have a problem with the twilight part, midnight vigil sounds good to me.


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## Annalist (Nov 12, 2008)

This makes for an odd-sounding cheer but, "Hooray, the end* is near!"

*In reference to the chargen deadline, and _not_ the biblical Armageddon. 'Cause that would be bad.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 12, 2008)

Annalist said:


> This makes for an odd-sounding cheer but, "Hooray, the end* is near!"



 This might be an odd question (irregardless of the fact that it has little to do with the quoted text, but when is november 13? and when is midnight in GMT? (I can't figure out/am not motivated enough to change it...)



Annalist said:


> *In reference to the chargen deadline, and _not_ the biblical Armageddon. 'Cause that would be bad.



I don't know about that.  After all, it would make a great 10 minute story to tell all of the other dead before you all get resurrected.  And it would be a great I told you so moment.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 12, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> This might be an odd question (irregardless of the fact that it has little to do with the quoted text, but when is november 13? and when is midnight in GMT? (I can't figure out/am not motivated enough to change it...)




For me, it's midnight tomorrow.  That would be 8AM GMT on Friday...I think.

When I was studying abroad in Spain, I had an awful habit of calling people back home in the wee hours of the morning, so bad was I at converting time zones!  I can explain the economic trends and policy decisions that lead to the fall of the Spanish Empire, but an eight hour time change flies straight over my head.


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## BlueLotus (Nov 13, 2008)

I looked over the spheres of magic, the orders, and the paths sections of the Mage book so far. I'm pretty happy with Sandra as I made her with help from HT for the translation to Awakening. She'll be a Free Council Thyrsus mage specializing in Life and Spirit magic.

Reading these sections have given me various ideas to develop Sandra's backstory further. I'm still brainstorming on it, but I want Sandra to be a convert to the Free Council. She was originally recruited to the Mysterium or maybe the Silver Ladder.

Also, I think Solarious mentioned that the Dreamspeakers were in this edition. Can anyone please give me a page reference for them? I'm having trouble finding them.


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## Annalist (Nov 13, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> And it would be a great I told you so moment.



Lol, no doubt.



BlueLotus said:


> Also, I think Solarious mentioned that the Dreamspeakers were in this edition. Can anyone please give me a page reference for them? I'm having trouble finding them.



In Awakening, the Dreamspeakers are a Legacy that can be found in Legacies: The Ancient (pp. 14-24).


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## Walking Dad (Nov 13, 2008)

Sorry, cannot finish the character until tomorrow. My children and me are sick and I can only try to answer the other games with headache and fever, but I'm not able to write a satisfying writing sample. Maybe tomorrow, but I fear this will be to late.
Sorry 

Happy gaming  (it is the World of Darkness)


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## Solarious (Nov 14, 2008)

Apologies for disappearing, but the bane of the thing known as Real Life was visited upon me! Oh, the humanity... A preliminary character sheet, more or less complete, but probably subject to many edits. I'm still trying to finalize a Sleeper background, and I'm still not completely satisfied with my choice of Arcana. But anyways...

[sblock=Character Sheet]
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Real Name: Kenneth Scuito
Shadow Name: Jeremiah
Concept: Modern Sherlock
Quote: "Paranoia isn't a defect, it's a healthy survival trait."

Virtue: Fortitude
Vice: Envy

Path: Mastigos (Ruling Mind/Space, Inferior Matter)
Order: Guardians of the Veil
Cabal: The Midnight Vigil

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 2
Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
Social Attributes: Presence 1, Manipulation 2, Composure 4

Mental Skills: Academics 1, Computers 1, Investigation 3 (Forensics), Medicine 2 (Autopsy), Occult 2, Science 2
Physical Skills: Athletics 1, Drive 1, Firearms 2, Larceny 1, Stealth 2
Social Skills: Empathy 1, Subterfuge 3 (Half-truths and evasion)

Health: 8
Willpower: 6
Wisdom: 7

Size: 5
Speed: 9
Initiative: 6
Defense: 2
Armor: 2 (Space 2 'Untouchable')

Gnosis: 1
Mana: 7 (10/1 turn)
Pattern: Restoration 1/day, Scourging 1/day
Nimbus: "Watched" (As if eyes were everywhere/your secrets are laid bare/there is nowhere to hide)

Arcana: Mind 2, Space 2, Matter 1, Fate 1

Dedicated Tools: Polished Brass Coin, a stylized Eye with High Speech representing Truth on one side, a stylized Mask with High Speech representing Lies on the opposite end
Rote Specialties: Investigation, Stealth, Subterfuge
Rotes: Alter Conductivity (Intelligence/Science/Matter), Discern Composition (Wits/Crafts or Science/Matter), Detect Substance (Wits/Composure[Investigation?]/Matter), The Sybil's Sight (Wits/Occult/Fate), Reading the Outmost Eddies (Wits/Investigation/Fate), Winds of Chance (Wits/Subterfuge/Fate)

Oblation: Tracing the Maze

Merits: Sanctum (shared) 2, Resources 2, Area of Expertise (Investigation), Occulation 1[/sblock]
One of these days, I'll make it all nice and neat the way Annalist does. Wall of Text answers to magic's questions on the system to follow sometime.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 14, 2008)

We have five great characters, so I'm pleased to announce that Annalist, BlueLotus, magic_gathering2001, Shayuri, and Solarious are all cordially invited to start playing tomorrow!  Thanks for giving me such excellent material to work with.  It will be really interesting to see how these characters interact.

I want to start each of your characters off separately and roleplay the first meeting, so I think we should start in PMs.  This part will be pretty short, just establishing each character alone with a quick scene before picking things up together.  Doing it all in one thread might look messy--we could make 5 separate threads, but I think that might bring down the wrath of the moderators, so I think PMs are best.  Sound good?

Depending on how busy work is tomorrow, you can expect your first PM some time tomorrow morning (well, my morning).



Walking Dad said:


> Sorry, cannot finish the character until tomorrow. My children and me are sick and I can only try to answer the other games with headache and fever, but I'm not able to write a satisfying writing sample.




I hope you all feel better!  PM me something when you get the chance, and I can see about working you into the story later on.


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## Annalist (Nov 14, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> I'm pleased to announce that Annalist, BlueLotus, magic_gathering2001, Shayuri, and Solarious are all cordially invited to start playing tomorrow!



Whew, yes! I made it! 



Walking Dad said:


> My children and me are sick and I can only try to answer the other games with headache and fever



Get well soon!


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## Shayuri (Nov 14, 2008)

Hurrah! 

...

I mean, I humbly accept your offer, with thanks.

Been working on additional material for Juno...though for some reason a good Shadow name is hard to find! Hopefully I'll have a gussied up sheet up tonight.

And thanks again!


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## Solarious (Nov 14, 2008)

Hush there, Shay, everyone who submitted a full sheet got in.

On the other hand...  Cheerio!  I made it! [/hypocrite]

Still unable to make time for a proper Annalist-style sheet (I love it by the way, including all those juicy secrets/twists you've put in) or fully answer questions about either spellcasting (quick answer for magic_gathering is similar to Tellah's, because you lack the complete connection to the Supernal required and/or understanding of the practices, but if you try to push anyways, Tellah could either say -denied- or use the 'Pushing to the Limit' optional rules written somewhere, probably in the Time of Mysteries, the MtA Corebook #2), or give more description to the Dreamspeakers (who as Annalist has pointed out, are a rocking Legacy described in Legacies the Sublime: they are a Mind/Spirit focused Legacy that are rooted in the old traditions of shamanistic spirit guides who view the dream as the true reality, the Astral as the 'true' dreaming reality, and the Supernal Realms as a higher component of the Dream).

I'll have more time, probably tomorrow. See you then.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 14, 2008)

Yay, I got in! I'd do a dance of joy, but it would be wasted on the computer screen.  Speaking of which, how do PMs work anyway?  I don't know how to tell if I have one, how to read them etc... but I do know what they are!

Also, the only reason I asked about casting spells over the limit was because I, or anyone else, may do it unknowingly during improvised casting.  I think Hella said (although she may have been thinking aloud) that she would handle it as it happened, and that's what I'll go by until then.  Because while, "you can't do that" works fairly well face to face, it takes a lot of time in a PbP. (I'm not sure if that reply was necessary or not, but I hope it has made my thoughts clearer.)


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## Annalist (Nov 14, 2008)

Solarious said:


> Still unable to make time for a proper Annalist-style sheet (I love it by the way, including all those juicy secrets/twists you've put in)



Lol, I have a sheet-style named after me now? Hope you don't feel like you have to do your own character the same way if you don't want to. I just happen to have a tendency to want to format things. 



magic_gathering2001 said:


> Speaking of which, how do PMs work anyway? I don't know how to tell if I have one, how to read them etc... but I do know what they are!



Near the top right corner of your screen (scroll up if you need to), you should see a small, boxed area that says, "Welcome, magic_gathering2001." Two lines under that should be a Private Messages link that you can click on. Clicking on it will take you to your PM inbox where you can read any messages that you've received from other people.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 15, 2008)

Thanks a lot Annalist!  I think I've got it.


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## Annalist (Nov 15, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> I want to start each of your characters off separately and roleplay the first meeting, so I think we should start in PMs.



Guess we can let each other take a peek, right? 

[sblock=PM #1 (Hella_Tellah)]The Andover-Harvard Theological Library is small by Boston standards, although easily the rival of most American college libraries. Its stacks bear the weighty silence of oak bookshelves and think, padded carpets, while the lobbies and atriums uplift the spirit with the glowing expansiveness of white marble lit by skylight.

Mitchell Ward stands between two tightly-spaced bookcases in an under-used section of the library, one dedicated to the writings of Catholic heretics working at the edges of hermetic mysticism. Engrossed in searching for a book he cannot find, he looks up to see a smirking man in his mid-twenties standing five feet away, at the end of the row. Mitchell recognizes him: the spiked hair, pierced eyebrow and air of smugness all belong to Arathnos, the Consilium herald. A prickling sensation in the back of Mitchell's mind warns him that a supernatural force is present.





*Arathnos*
"Hello, 'Gabriel'. May I have a word?"[/sblock][sblock=PM #2 (Annalist)]This was unexpected.

Mitchell wearily rubbed at his eyes knowing how haggard he must probably look to the Consilium Herald. His confrontation last night with Lin hadn't exactly done wonders for his sleep schedule. And she was still pretty pissed, so he had promised to take her out to Haru later today for sushi, in order to start making amends. And he had even made reservations.

But with a sinking feeling, Mitchell turned to regard the other mage figuring that his plans would likely have to be canceled if this was an official visit. And it probably was. The guy had called him by his Shadow Name. Stifling a yawn, he forced a fake smile onto his face and replied, "Sure, Arathnos. What can I do for you?"

Inwardly, he gritted his teeth as he thought, _This better be good._[/sblock][sblock=PM #3 (Hella_Tellah)]"You've been studying under Melchior for a little more than a year now," Arathnos began. "You know what that means: the grace period is up."

Among the few policies instated by the Noose-led Consilium, the grace period was the most controversial--and the least contested. Newly Awakened mages were afforded a year to find their way, during which time the Consilium addressed only the most serious infractions against the Supernal Law. It was further understood that attempts at courting new Awakened into political alliances would not be tolerated. As Melchior explained it to you, the policy was so effective at reducing inter-Cabal conflict that even the Seers adhered to it, at least outside Harvard.

"The Nemean wants to meet with you and a few other mages who have just finished their first year. He would like to invite you to dinner at Cormant House Thursday evening, at eight o'clock. We'll be serving veal."

It didn't sound like an invitation.



			
				OOC said:
			
		

> Cormant House is the seat of the Consilium in Boston. You've probably been there once or twice with Melchior.



[/sblock][sblock=PM #4 (Annalist)]Mitchell listened impassively as Arathnos informed him that his grace period was up, which meant that his apprenticeship under Melchior was coming to an end. A surge of mixed emotions welled up inside of the young Obrimos, instantly purging the tiredness from his system as the jarring news slowly sunk in. He first felt a touch of fear and sadness at the thought of losing his mentor's constant guidance and protection, but was also struck by a twinge of excitement at the prospect of having a measure of independence. The moment was poignantly bittersweet.

With a firm nod of his head, Mitchell acknowledged the Herald's relayed message. "Thursday evening at eight. I'll be there," he promised. One didn't turn down a dinner invitation from The Nemean lightly. The most prudent course would simply be to accept and show up, and that was what he planned to do. It wasn't like he had much choice in the matter anyway.

But on the bright side, at least his plans with Lin tonight wouldn't have to be canceled after all.[/sblock]


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## Annalist (Nov 15, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> Thanks a lot Annalist!



No problem. Go forth and send many PMs.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 15, 2008)

Annalist said:


> Guess we can let each other take a peek, right?




Of course!  I'll probably compile them all into the beginning of the group thread once we get there--assuming I can figure out how to see my sent items.


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## Annalist (Nov 16, 2008)

What other RPGs do you guys like to play and/or run? (Just curious.)


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## Solarious (Nov 16, 2008)

Largely CRPGs and online discussions of RPG books I have picked up.

As to the systems I like... DnD 3.5 (not too keen on 4.0 as of yet), nMage, nWerewolf, and Shadowrun.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 16, 2008)

We usually play 2nd AD&D, 3.5 D&D, rifts, or some made up homebrew.


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## Annalist (Nov 16, 2008)

I'm a big fan of White Wolf's stuff, particularly Mage: The Awakening and Vampire: The Requiem. And I recently ordered Hunter: The Vigil. But my dream game would be an officially converted Demon: The Fallen to nWoD Storytelling rules. For PbP, I'd love to get a chance to play in a high Blood Potency Vampire game or a high Gnosis Mage game at least once. Imagine getting to be the deposed Prince or Hierarch that's forced to fight for survival and then has to attempt to reconsolidate his/her power base. That'd be so much fun. 

Other RPGs that I like: Artesia: Adventures in the Known World, Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Edition, and Unhallowed Metropolis.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 16, 2008)

Yeah, I really like the world of darkness stuff as well, although I'm not really big on exalted or their other stuff.  Unfortunately, I don't really get much chance to play it in real life, so this will actually be my first game.

When you say high blood potency/high gnosis, you mean from the beginning right?  That does sound like a lot of fun. If you ever find a game, let me know.

That being said, I would probably like the opposite, where the game starts off as mortals who eventually grow into supernatural creatures, quite a bit better.  I always liked the horror aspect of these, and being mortal would only make it better.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 16, 2008)

Games I love:
*Mage
*Changeling
*Vampire
*Victoriana
*Spirit of the Century
*Nobilis
I once loved D&D 3.5, and could again, but it would have to be a combat-lite roleplay-heavy game.

Right now, in real life games, I'm running a game of steampunk monster hunters in Victorian London, and playing in a D&D 4th Edition game.  I was hoping the DM for the 4e game would run Call of Cthulhu this year, but since he runs all of his games with a very narrativist bent, the 4e game isn't all that hack-and-slashy.  I probably wouldn't have joined the game if anyone else were running it, but this is the guy who GM'd a 2-year Nobilis game I was in, so I felt I could trust him not to bore me.  I just vastly prefer a game of cooperative storytelling to a game of problem-solving and tactics.


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## Annalist (Nov 16, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> When you say high blood potency/high gnosis, you mean from the beginning right?



Yep. Let's say a BP/Gnosis of 7. And while I don't mind roleplaying beginner PCs, it'd just be fun to start off with all the shiny toys (i.e. kewl p0w4z) from the get-go. Of course that opens up the game to a lot of potential abuse, but to get a chance to experience portraying the high-end spectrum of the power scale would be a nice change of pace (for me at least).


----------



## Annalist (Nov 16, 2008)

So how are everyone's preludes going? It appears that destiny is conspiring to gather our humble band of PCs together at Salem. *cue spooky music*


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 16, 2008)

It looks as though we'll be meeting up at the Cormant house.  Although I haven't been notified of a grace period or anything...  Maybe I've just been a hidden mage for a while and my grace period is ending too.  But more likely, we're being dragged to talk about an alliance with the consillium.  Well, it looks like that may be where the adventure begins, or at least we (all?) meet.


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## Solarious (Nov 17, 2008)

A high (7+) Gnosis Mage game sounds interesting, but it usually takes even more setup and character consideration than a regular game, as well as experience with the setting/system in question. Power usually means you have a history behind you, underlings to order around, motivations and ambitions to carry out, and chances you're the head of a cabal, maybe even an order. Politics usually take you into consideration one way or another: even if you have established a hermitage or opt out of normal Consilium politics, you're still a powerful force, a source of power, knowledge, experience, and possibly a shot out of left field.

Many Storytellers house-rule that only Arcane Experience can be used to advance Gnosis, or only Arcane Experience can be used past a certain point of Gnosis. But as highly experienced mages, what can you discover that will get you Arcane Experience? Some mages turn to their Legacy, taking on apprentices and taking a stipend of Arcane Experience in exchange for power. Others build Demesnes, and experiment with the most Vulgar of magics, creating fantastic beasts or delving into the far past for strange, alien insights. A few try to use their resources to better the Fallen World, striking a blow against the tyranny of the Lie in the hope that it would reveal greater mysteries if the curtains of the Quiescence were parted ever so slightly. And for many, the Astral Realms are the answer, where they bargain with the Aeons for scraps of their purity and explore the soul of the universe seeking answers to inaudible questions. These methods are not necessarily mutually exclusive: frequently, powerful mages take on apprentices, and then use them as aides or adjuncts to another method of their choosing.

This is the stuff high Gnosis chronicles are made of.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 17, 2008)

That sounded like an advertisement to me.  Who knows, maybe if someone's up for it, and this game pans out...


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 17, 2008)

Since we're apparently starting the thread soon, I thought I should tell everyone that I'll be out for the rest of today and most of tomorrow.


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## Annalist (Nov 17, 2008)

When you get back, don't be surprised to find that Joseph has challenged the Hierarch to a duel. Lol, just kidding.


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## Annalist (Nov 17, 2008)

Just a fluff piece that I decided to type up.

[sblock=Interlude]*Interlude*

The ambiance at Haru was decidedly cozy. Soft music was piped throughout the dining area while small candles flickered merrily, shedding their light from behind panes of multi-colored glass. The overall effect was soothing, velvety, and romantic.

Linda looked across the intimate table that she shared with Mitchell and regarded him with her soft brown eyes. "I'm still mad at you," she teased, not really meaning it. Apparently, she was duly impressed by his choice of venue, but was reluctant to admit that he was already back in her good graces.

"And I'm still sorry about last night," he told her, as he reached across to hold her hands. "But I promise that this entire evening, you have all of my attention. No distractions and no interruptions. Just us. And sushi."

She giggled, her eyes twinkling with reflected candlelight. "Yes, and sushi," she agreed.

As Mitchell gave his girlfriend's palms a gentle squeeze, a looming shadow fell across their table. He glanced up, fully expecting to see their waitress delivering their order. But it wasn't her. _So much for no distractions,_ he thought with an inward groan of resignation.

Linda quickly sensed his tension through his touch and turned too. Recognition immediately set in. And with a tone of pleasant surprise, she blurted, "Father Evans! How are you? Are you here for the sushi too? Isn't this place wonderful?"

"Hello, children," he smiled. His voice was the texture of poured Bourbon, smooth and mellow with age. "I'm sorry to disturb you two, but I happened to notice you across the room and wanted to come over to say hi. And it's so nice to see you again, Linda. Do you mind if I borrow Mitchell for just a minute? Don't worry, I promise to bring him back."

"Sure," she replied as she reluctantly let go of her boyfriend's hands.

Mitchell hesitated for a second then stood, casting a dubious glare at his mentor as if to say, _I'm still in trouble for last night. This better not be something crazy._

Father Evans clapped him reassuringly on the back as he led him away, guiding him towards the restaurant's bamboo-lined entrance. They both felt a subtle glimmer of power as the older priest manipulated the sound around them so that their conversation wouldn't be overheard.

"So, Arathnos paid you a visit today?"

Mitchell couldn't hide the look of surprise from his face. "Wow, news travels fast. He came to deliver a dinner invitation from The Nemean."

"Beware the Hierarch," his teacher warned. "He will know that you are my student. There is no love lost between us. But he is also of our Order, so that might mitigate some of the preconceptions he'll have about you."

"Oh, great. Is there anything else important that I should know about?"

"Yes. Always remember that the salad fork is the little one on the outside," Father Evans joked.

The younger Obrimos rolled his eyes. "Thank you mighty mentor for that pearl of wisdom."

"You're welcome," he replied with a straight face. After a brief moment of silence, he added, "Just be yourself. You have a good heart and you will be a valuable addition to Awakened society. No matter what The Nemean may hold against me, he will still see that in you. Now go back to your beautiful girlfriend before she gets mad at the both of us."

Mitchell paused before parting ways. "Thank you, Melchior. For everything."

"You are like the son I never had. I'm proud of what you've accomplished in such a short period of time. Remember your lessons and seek me out when you are ready to tread the Scion's path."

The young mage watched as his beloved mentor exited the building and walked off into the night. With a heavy heart, he returned to Linda at their table. Their food had already arrived and was waiting.

She looked up at him with concern in her eyes, and asked, "Is everything okay?"

He smiled back at her, trying his best to appear reassuring. "Everything's fine. Let's eat."

And with that, the two of them spent the rest of their evening together enjoying a fine meal and each other's company, with all thoughts of mage-related stuff pushed to the side. For now at least.[/sblock]


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Nov 17, 2008)

Annalist said:


> Just a fluff piece that I decided to type up.




I'm Hella_Tellah, and I approve this message.  Awesome stuff, Annalist!  Feel free to post that kind of thing here or in the in-character thread any time.

The new in-character thread is up!  Unless I'm totally off my rocker, everybody should be at a point where they're ready to meet up at Cormant House.  If you're showing up with magical protections, note them in an Out-of-Character quote at the top.  As long as you have the dots, I'll assume you can keep trying until you succeed.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/playin...hapter-i-cabal-quill-concord.html#post4551990


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## Annalist (Nov 18, 2008)

Lot of strong writers in our group. I like it.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 19, 2008)

Annalist said:


> Lot of strong writers in our group. I like it.




QFT.  Here's to forty more pages of the same!


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 19, 2008)

I know, I feel like such a poor writer in comparison to yall.  Oh well, hopefully this will be a learning experience. (by the way, I'm back)

Edit: What does QFT mean? and here here!


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## Shayuri (Nov 19, 2008)

It means Quoted For Truth, and I have been favorably impressed so far with what I've seen! A good start!


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## Walking Dad (Nov 19, 2008)

Hi I'm back again. I just wanted to say, that I hope you have much fun with this game and I will continue to lurk, but I haven't the time to commit myself that much to this game as it deserves way to go and see you all in other games


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 19, 2008)

Walking Dad said:


> Hi I'm back again. I just wanted to say, that I hope you have much fun with this game and I will continue to lurk, but I haven't the time to commit myself that much to this game as it deserves way to go and see you all in other games




Thanks, Walking Dad!  Good gaming to you, too.

Does anyone know of a good site I can link to when I want to link to a song?  I linked to a YouTube video to put in the Jimmy Buffett song just now, but that embeds a big ugly video in the middle of the post.


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## Shayuri (Nov 19, 2008)

No idea.

Did Nemean just snub Juno, or is she not still walking with Gabriel?


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 19, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> No idea.
> 
> Did Nemean just snub Juno, or is she not still walking with Gabriel?




Oops!  Retconning now


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## Annalist (Nov 19, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> I linked to a YouTube video to put in the Jimmy Buffett song just now, but that embeds a big ugly video in the middle of the post.



Try this. Edit that post, and under "Miscellaneous Options" make sure that "Automatically embed media" is unchecked. Then, instead of a huge video box, it'll just show up as a clickable link to YouTube.

Example: YouTube - jimmy buffett - Fins - Box Set

Or you could just leave it as-is, but stick sblocks around it.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 19, 2008)

Annalist said:


> Try this. Edit that post, and under "Miscellaneous Options" make sure that "Automatically embed media" is unchecked. Then, instead of a huge video box, it'll just show up as a clickable link to YouTube.
> 
> Example: YouTube - jimmy buffett - Fins - Box Set
> 
> Or you could just leave it as-is, but stick sblocks around it.




Thanks!  I edited that way.  What would you guys prefer, link or sblocks?


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## Annalist (Nov 19, 2008)

Either way's fine with me. The link you used looks good.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 22, 2008)

No need to go in any kind of order in this section, I just want people to introduce themselves and get used to interacting with one another.  Terse or verbose, your call.

Anyone want to guess what the Nemean wants with you all? What do you think of the Nemean and Arathnos so far?


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## Annalist (Nov 22, 2008)

I think The Nemean wants to sacrifice us all to some dark, unnameable god. But, that's just me.  However, I do like how you've portrayed him as a seemingly down-to-earth aging biker dude. As far as Arathnos, he looks pretty shady to me. Just keep him away from Linda and Maggie.  Lol.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 22, 2008)

I'm not sure what the Nemean wants, although it seems like it might be leading up to us forming a cabal together for safety, or to make his job easier somehow.

As for what I think of them, given Arathnos' apparent temprament, I'd say the Nemean is putting on airs for us, new mages. Even if he's not, and especially if he is, then I definitely don't want to meet him when he's angry.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 23, 2008)

Consider yourself saved Annalist


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## Annalist (Nov 23, 2008)

LOL, thanks! Even The Nemean did some talking for me.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 23, 2008)

A point on recovering Willpower: if you feel your actions in a scene warrant regaining Willpower for acting out either your virtue or vice, say so.  It's a lot easier for me that way, rather than having to look over everyone's sheet each time.


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## Annalist (Nov 23, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:
			
		

> Gabriel: 4 dice, 0 successes



Lol, how appropriate. Practically mirrors how the IC banter is actually going. Just one question though, no one was entranced by Gabriel's Striking Looks? *shows off some leg* 

Wow, tough crowd.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 23, 2008)

I think Prometheus gets four dice (2 attribute, 1 socialize, 1 first impressions)


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 23, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> I think Prometheus gets four dice (2 attribute, 1 socialize, 1 first impressions)




Right you are! Corrected.  Unfortunately, that extra die rolled a 5


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 23, 2008)

aw...  oh well, at least it wasn't a live or die role (i hope).

So, Joseph wouldn't know anything about spirits, so its not like he can ask the important questions.  Speaking of which, does anyone have spirit 2 or 3?  That would make everything much easier.  Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough.


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## Shayuri (Nov 23, 2008)

Thorn has Spirit 2.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 24, 2008)

I thought you said that any spells we cast before the scene automatically succeded?  Or does that have something to do with studying resonance?

Edit: Shouldn't it be Intelligence+Occult+1/2(Density modifier on pg 278) for 8/9 dice, not that those dice will help Joseph with his horrible luck or anything. As for the action, just keep going each 'round' until he gains some amount of successes, or unless he takes some other action.

New edit:
I actually have no idea if I can use this to search for spirits or not.  It seemed like a good idea, especially because of the lack of actual spirit interacting spells I have.  But after reading, it seems like I have to be able to sense the object before I read its resonance.  I don't even know anymore.  If I can't find the spirits, its 8 dice on mages.  If I can, I think its 9 dice.  On the building itself, its only 5 dice.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 24, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> I thought you said that any spells we cast before the scene automatically succeded?  Or does that have something to do with studying resonance?




I was under the impression that you wanted to cast a new spell with a Mind 1 element, since you said you wanted to see "the things that the mind spell lets him search for."



> Edit: Shouldn't it be Intelligence+Occult+1/2(Density modifier on pg 278) for 8/9 dice, not that those dice will help Joseph with his horrible luck or anything. As for the action, just keep going each 'round' until he gains some amount of successes, or unless he takes some other action.



No, because you don't know the rote.  You're casting it improvised, so it's Gnosis + Prime.  It should probably be Gnosis + Mind, actually, but I was being a little charitable in making Mind conjunctional, assuming you'd drop your current supernal vision for a new one with a Mind element.  The Density modifier applies to attempts to scrutinize resonance; since I thought you were casting a new spell, I didn't factor it in.



> I actually have no idea if I can use this to search for spirits or not.  It seemed like a good idea, especially because of the lack of actual spirit interacting spells I have.  But after reading, it seems like I have to be able to sense the object before I read its resonance.  I don't even know anymore.  If I can't find the spirits, its 8 dice on mages.  If I can, I think its 9 dice.  On the building itself, its only 5 dice.



Supernal Vision will only let you see things in the material world with your own, unaided senses, and scrutinize their resonance.  You need a Spirit element to see into the Twilight, as Gabriel did.

Here's what I recommend now: Prometheus can cast Third Eye (Mind 1) with 5 dice to see Mind "stuff", or scrutinize with his existing Supernal Sight, and see everyone's Nature.  That would gain you a +1 density bonus.

Incidentally, it would really help me if you noted the attributes and dice pool you're rolling when you do things, preferably in a format like:

[sblock=roll]Scrutinize other mages' resonance with Supernal Vision: Gnosis (3) + Prime (3) + Density Bonus (1) = 7 dice[/sblock]


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 24, 2008)

Oh my bad.  I forgot that it was supernal vision I cast earlier, I'm sorry.  On second thought, I think Joseph will adopt a wait and see approach, especially considering that the spell wouldn't be able to analyze the resonance of the spirits anyway.  I'll change the in character stuff to reflect that if its ok with you?

Also, I'll try to remember to put the rolls in from now on.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 25, 2008)

Just realized my mistake at the bottom of my previous post.  It should be Intelligence + Occult + Density, of course.   DERP.

Have we decided on the wisdom (or un-wisdom) of Thorn's plan yet?


----------



## Shayuri (Nov 26, 2008)

It's awesome, of course. 

Question: Can Thorn cast a spell that lets her see spirits with Spirit 2? If so, can she mix in some Death to see ghosts too?

I have the book, but the rules on improvised casting are still fuzzy to me.

If I have that Spirit Sight rote, can I cast it with Death to see ghosts, or do I need the Ghost Sight rote too?


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Nov 26, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> Question: Can Thorn cast a spell that lets her see spirits with Spirit 2? If so, can she mix in some Death to see ghosts too?




Yup.  Spirit Tongue, which Gabriel and Levanna have active, is Spirit 1.  The corresponding Death spell is Speak With the Dead, Death 1, so Thorn could weave Death in and have an all-purpose "See Stuff in Twilight" spell.



> If I have that Spirit Sight rote, can I cast it with Death to see ghosts, or do I need the Ghost Sight rote too?



I'm afraid you can't weave another spell into a rote.  Rotes are like very specific instances of a spell: the intention, or "Imago", of the spell is already codified, so it can't be altered.  Also, I don't see a rote or improvised spell called Spirit Sight in the core book.  Do you mean "Second Sight," the Spirit 1 improvised spell?


----------



## Shayuri (Nov 26, 2008)

Ah! Yes! It seems I do. My bad. 

Thanks.

Okay...so...my dice pool for that improvised "see everything in Twilight" would be what? Gnosis is 2...but I haven't got any dots in Prime yet...I'll have to fix that asap...


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 26, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> Ah! Yes! It seems I do. My bad.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Okay...so...my dice pool for that improvised "see everything in Twilight" would be what? Gnosis is 2...but I haven't got any dots in Prime yet...I'll have to fix that asap...




It would be Gnosis (2) + Spirit (2) = 4.  Since she's in safe territory to act mage-y, she can feel free to use High Speech and add a +1 onto it, for 5.  Neither Spirit nor Death is ruling for you, so it will cost 1 point of mana.

It's my impression that mages can weave a related spell into a spell they're casting with 1 extra dot in the primary Arcanum, but I can't recall where, if at all, that's noted in the rules.  I might be making that up.

*Blows on his conch shell to summon Solarious and his rules knowledge*


----------



## Annalist (Nov 26, 2008)

Doesn't High Speech give a +2 bonus? (p. 117) Or is there errata I don't know about?


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 26, 2008)

Annalist said:


> Doesn't High Speech give a +2 bonus? (p. 117) Or is there errata I don't know about?




Bah!  Right you are!


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Nov 26, 2008)

Here's a diagram of the floor you're currently on, the ground floor.  More diagrams to follow as your characters go to those floors.  Let me know if anything's unclear--I know it's pretty rough.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 26, 2008)

Not to direct you guys too much, but those of you with Spirit 2 or greater can cast Spirit Tongue on those without ranks in Spirit, if you like.  In most cases, you can upgrade a "self" spell to touch with 1 more dot in the Arcanum.  You can also take a dice pool penalty to increase the range, number of targets, area affected, etc.  Check out the attached flowchart for more concise information on that.

Incidentally, this is the reference I use for adjudicating spells.  It's faster than flipping through the book.


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## Shayuri (Nov 26, 2008)

Oh hey, forgot about that. Hee.

Also: Thorn has 3 dice in Wits, not 2. No big deal in this case...just for accuracy's sake. 

..

Of course, I didn't take any rotes to do that, so my dice pool to do it would be really bad, and it'd cost mana.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 26, 2008)

I think I should have put Empathy instead of expression.  So, if you are going to let us change our sheets around, I'll change it for next time. (Joseph is really unlucky so far though... I don't think he's had two successes yet.)

Its a good thing he doesn't want us in the cellar, as there is no way to get there from the map...


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 26, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> Also: Thorn has 3 dice in Wits, not 2. No big deal in this case...just for accuracy's sake.




She's taking a -1 "unskilled" penalty, since she has no ranks in Empathy.  One of the fiddlier rules in WoD, in my opinion, but it does tend to make skill ranks more valuable, which I think is a positive result.



magic_gathering2001 said:


> I think I should have put Empathy instead of expression.  So, if you are going to let us change our sheets around, I'll change it for next time. (Joseph is really unlucky so far though... I don't think he's had two successes yet.)




I'm thinking that when the Cormant House scene is over, everyone will have a chance to move things around their sheets and finalize their character.  Sound good?



> Its a good thing he doesn't want us in the cellar, as there is no way to get there from the map...




You can get in there, if you want to.  The house was built in the late 19th century, so the cellar is accessed from outside the house.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 26, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> I'm thinking that when the Cormant House scene is over, everyone will have a chance to move things around their sheets and finalize their character.  Sound good?



Yeah, sounds good to me.  I wasn't sure how it was going to work, so I just thought I'd ask now.




Hella_Tellah said:


> You can get in there, if you want to.  The house was built in the late 19th century, so the cellar is accessed from outside the house.




<feels dumb> Wow, I completely forgot about that.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 26, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> It would be Gnosis (2) + Spirit (2) = 4.  Since she's in safe territory to act mage-y, she can feel free to use High Speech and add a +1 onto it, for 5.  Neither Spirit nor Death is ruling for you, so it will cost 1 point of mana.
> 
> It's my impression that mages can weave a related spell into a spell they're casting with 1 extra dot in the primary Arcanum, but I can't recall where, if at all, that's noted in the rules.  I might be making that up.
> 
> *Blows on his conch shell to summon Solarious and his rules knowledge*




I found the relevant section on pages 128-129 of the core book.  A mage that wishes to combine spells together must have 1 additional dot in each of the Arcana used, takes a -2 to the casting pool per spell over 1, and rolls the lowest pool out of all of the spells being combined.  Additionally, she must meet a minimum Gnosis requirement:
2 spells = 3 gnosis
3 spells = 6 gnosis
4 spells = 9 gnosis
Unfortunately, this means that: A) I've been doing it wrong in other games for a while now, and B) Thorn must cast both spells separately, which would cost her 2 mana altogether.


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## Solarious (Nov 26, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> Hella_Tellah said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You blow the horn, I'll answer. And take my attention away from my research paper which I really should be doing, but hey, this is what breaks are for.

When combining spells, there are approximately two ways you could go around about it. The first is a combined spell - the kind you just found in the Core. A combined spell is basically two spells smooshed together in one casting, either to squeeze off more spells in a single casting, or for spell control/spell tolerance purposes. A combined spell, despite being two spells in reality, it is counted as one, so you can have both a mage armor and a mage sight in a single tolerance slot, and still have the little things like Fate spells to smooth your path along, or buff spells to obscenely twink out your dice pools, and so on and so forth. These things are very carefully considered by mages who place themselves regularly in dangerous situations, especially Guardians of the Veil and Adamatine Arrow orders. They have the Gnosis and Arcana limits you listed above. If neither spell is a rote nor come from a ruling arcana, it would probably cost 2 mana.

Now, there is a second kind of method to mangling spells together - Conjunctional spells. Where combined spells need no harmony of purpose between the spells being cast together, Conjunctional spells must have a combined purpose that supplements each other in some way. For example, consider the Forces 3 'Autonomous Servant' spell (Core 167). It's base spell is Forces 3, and you can cast it that way if you want to manipulate something too dangerous for yourself to go within sight. However, with Mind 1, you can incorporate 'Two Thoughts, One Mind' so you can do two tasks at once without compromising either. Adding Mind 5 instead allows you to forget the servant completely while it goes about it's task. Adding Space 2 lets you send it out of sensory range and/or monitor it as it works. Keep in mind none of these effects/spells have anything to do with each other, but they all work together to achieve something, which makes it conjunctional. None of these effects have a specific Gnosis requirement, nor additional Arcana requirements.

However, there are limits to conjunctional spells without adding more dots. Take Portal Key for example. It's a simple Space 4 Patterning practice, but I don't believe you can combine it with the actual Portal spell, a Space 3 Weaving practice, without Space 5 (although it isn't really a big deal: take 1 extra turn and lock the portal with an instant spell that works with a single success). At which point, you'll throw up an instant portal with extended duration factors and Key it all in the same breath. I'm sure some people will disagree with me.

So really, it's a case-by-case thing. There are storytellers who allow some people to whip up a conjunctional mage sight of all their arcana once (but that was the once in the middle of a big action scene where you had to escape from an Astral oubliette before you starved/dehydrated to death IFRL). My proposed spell, which is a Mind2/Space2 concentration duration version of Sense Consciousness and Spatial Map, would be conjunctional (by my interpretation of the rules).

It's something that has a lot of loopholes and maybes. Balancing spells is an art, not an exact science. But as my favorite writer of MtAwk once said: balance it mechanically out of the game, but balance it with role-playing considerations in game.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 27, 2008)

So for a conjunctional mind 1/prime 1, I could get both vision effects?  Or would it be prime 2/mind 1, or mind 2/prime 1, or mind 2/prime 2?


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Nov 27, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> So for a conjunctional mind 1/prime 1, I could get both vision effects?  Or would it be prime 2/mind 1, or mind 2/prime 1, or mind 2/prime 2?




Since you have gnosis 3, you can combine two spells at a given time by increasing the dot requirement of both spells by one.  Hence, if you want to combine Supernal Vision with Aura Perception or Third Eye, you could do it with Prime 2/Mind 2.  You would use the lower of the two dice pools and take a -2 penalty, so it would be Gnosis (3) + Mind (2) - Combination Penalty (2) = 3.

I had the terminology mixed up on Conjunctional spells, as is the ever-present danger in Mage.  Conjunctional spells are spells that, by design, use multiple arcana, or that can have an additional element of an arcanum mixed in.  The Fate 1 spell Sharpshooter's Eye is a good example: by design, it combines Fate and Space, and you have an option of using Life or Matter to lock on to either a living thing or an object.

So my general ruling is this: if it's combining the effects of two existing spells, use the Combined spell rules.  When creating a brand new spell with Creative Thaumaturgy, it will be _conjunctional _if the spell seems to thematically require multiple arcana toward a related effect.  If the effects seem totally unrelated, we'll roll them as _combined _spells.  For example, if you'd like to cast a spell that transmutes a spirit into a block of steel, it will be conjunctional Spirit/Matter.  If, on the other hand, you want to freeze a spirit in place while liquifying a steel door, I'll rule it as combined.

In the specific instance of using two Mage Sight spells at once, I'm going to rule that they need to be cast as _combined_.


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## Solarious (Nov 27, 2008)

And, of course, Supernal Vision is specifically mentioned to be able to be cast conjunctionally with Mind 1 for Aura Perception, because both spells reveal a portion of the aura. Only the conjunctional spell reveals both at once. Just to clarify things.

Combining Third Eye and Supernal Vision will be a combined spell, per Tellah's ruling.

The spirit metal-petrification spell, on the other hand, would actually a Matter/Life conjunctional spell with Spirit 2 to allow it to affect spirits.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 27, 2008)

Ok, that makes sense.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 27, 2008)

Solarious said:


> The spirit metal-petrification spell, on the other hand, would actually a Matter/Life conjunctional spell with Spirit 2 to allow it to affect spirits.




Wait, I don't see where Life factors into it, if the spell affects a spirit.  Not that it matters much, since no one is casting it right now


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## Solarious (Nov 27, 2008)

It has something to do with the base petrification spell being a Matter/Life spell, and to allow it to affect spirits you add Spirit 2. I think it has to do with the rule of thumb of Life spells just needing a conjunctional arcana to affect other supernatural templates... spirit 2 for werewolves, death 2 for vampires, prime 2 for protheans, and so on.

I suppose Spirit/Matter could petrify a spirit. It'll be a weird spell though...


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Nov 27, 2008)

Solarious said:


> ...weird spell...




My favorite kind!

Your explanation of how the spells affect supernatural templates makes sense, though.


----------



## Shayuri (Nov 27, 2008)

Okay, so, on reading the description, I could have Juno cast Spirit Tongue with a Death 1 component, to be able to see both spirits and ghosts in the Twilight.

Is that conjunctional, or would that require bloated Gnosis and Arcana and all that?


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## Annalist (Nov 27, 2008)

It's a simple conjunctional spell. At least, by the book. The Storyteller has the final say of course, but I'm pretty positive that Hella_Tellah will agree.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 27, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> Okay, so, on reading the description, I could have Juno cast Spirit Tongue with a Death 1 component, to be able to see both spirits and ghosts in the Twilight.
> 
> Is that conjunctional, or would that require bloated Gnosis and Arcana and all that?




The description for Spirit Tongue says it has an option to add in Death 1 to see ghosts better, so yes.


			
				M:tA 246 said:
			
		

> The mage can see ghosts, too, but they appear hazy and indistinct and he cannot hear them unless he also uses Death 1 while casting this spell.



As a general principle, if the spell has a written additional component a mage can use conjunctionally, that's always going to be an option.  I'd be a jerk otherwise!   I just want to avoid a situation where a player wants to keep the number of spells s/he has active low, so s/he casts two or three unrelated spells at once "conjunctionally" to bypass that limitation.  With written spells, I'll approach things with some degree of rigor.  On the other hand, if you're making up spells from scratch with Creative Thaumaturgy, I'm likely to be very, very generous in what you can do by combining Arcana.

I'm quickly learning that play-by-post really is a more detail oriented style of play--if we were all sitting at the table playing together, the last two pages of text would have boiled down to me saying, "Go for it!"  I feel more of a responsibility to make consistent rulings in play by post, though, since it's all in writing.

Also: I'm going down to my parents' house from approximately now through Saturday, so my posting will be at best erratic for that time.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 27, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> Also: I'm going down to my parents' house from approximately now through Saturday, so my posting will be at best erratic for that time.




Same for me, except make it Sunday.

Also Shayuri, if you didn't catch it, Prometheus is waiting on Thorn.


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## Shayuri (Nov 28, 2008)

Arr, I got that. Sorry for delay. Yesterday I wasn't online much, and before that I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing. 

Posting will now continue!


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 29, 2008)

Here's a diagram of the second floor of Cormant House.  I am the Prince of Paint!


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 30, 2008)

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!  I spent it finishing the first Harry Dresden novel, which was excellent inspiration for describing stuff in Mage.  I also got about halfway through the novelization of The Temple of Elemental Evil.  I don't usually read D&D novels, but I bought it for a buddy for Christmas and couldn't help but read it while I had it.  Trashy paperback novels are seriously addictive.

Small heads-up: I'm getting knee surgery on Tuesday morning, so I may not be able to post that day.  I'll be house-bound for about 10 days after that, though, so I'll probably be downright prolific during that time.  So if it seems like I'm typing on painkillers for a day or so, you'll know why!


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 5, 2008)

Don't I need a roll to determine whether I recognize/remember it?


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 5, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> Don't I need a roll to determine whether I recognize/remember it?




1 success is enough to identify a resonance uniquely, and to recognize it if you've seen it before.  You've seen Tremere resonance, and you've seen the aftermath of a soul-stripping, but you haven't met this particular Tremere yet.



			
				Mage: The Awakening said:
			
		

> Identity: (1 success) Each resonance or aura is as unique as a fingerprint. If a mage has seen or studied a resonance before and is familiar with it, one success allows him to recognize the subject. He can recognize the resonance of the subject regardless of any sort of physical disguise or transformation, allowing him to detect people in disguise or under the effects of a transformative spell. With five successes, he can recognize shapeshifters in any of their forms. There are some means of disguising a subject’s resonance (see below).




The blurb doesn't say what constitutes "studied", so I've decided that scrutinizing enough to get 1 success allows recognition of that resonance in the future.  Prometheus got 6 successes on scrutinizing so far, so he's definitely capable of recognizing this Tremere Lich's resonance if he sees it again.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 5, 2008)

Alright then, just checking


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 5, 2008)

Solarious won't be able to post for a little while.  Into each life, some Finals must fall.   Until s/he returns, I'm going to have Jeremiah help Gabriel out, since he's calling for aid now.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 7, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> Hm... It appears as though I can see this one.




I'm sorry, I was unclear.  Prometheus cannot see this spirit at all.  Were he to scrutinize for resonance, he might identify the emotional urging going on, but without any capacity to see spirits in Twilight, he has no way of knowing there's a spirit in this room.  Well, beyond what Thorn tells him.

Likewise, Prometheus has not heard the voice of the child in the other room.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 7, 2008)

So how do you want us to revise the dialogue in game.  Could we just write it off as a random fluke, or should I go back and fix Prometheus' words to reflect what actually happened.  For now, I'll simply keep going as if he never saw the succubus, but if I should edit the old post, let me know.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 7, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> So how do you want us to revise the dialogue in game.  Could we just write it off as a random fluke, or should I go back and fix Prometheus' words to reflect what actually happened.  For now, I'll simply keep going as if he never saw the succubus, but if I should edit the old post, let me know.




No worries.  Unless you guys decide to go back in there, it's pretty much a resolved issue.  Nothing came of it, so we'll just pretend Prometheus didn't say anything that suggests he saw the spirit.  You can change it if you like, but it's not a big deal.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 7, 2008)

Alright, I'll leave it then.


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## Shayuri (Dec 7, 2008)

Hee

Just to make sure I'm not misrepresenting things...as I understand it, Prometheus is at the Master Bedroom door, and Thorn is basically just, like...ten feet down the hall away from him. She hasn't really "left" yet. She had started to walk off, then stopped and said that last bit, then waited for him to catch up before walking again. 

It's not like she's out of sight, or has left him behind.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 7, 2008)

I had imagined Prometheus facing into the room, so when Thorn left, its like Prometheus just sort of stood there talking.  Does that make any sense?

On an unrelated note:  Prometheus succeded at something with only one roll!!!!

...Yes, that was necessary.

Second Edit: I'm going to give Mitchell, whose shadow name I can't seem to remember at the moment, a chance to act, since we took up a bunch of 'time' upstairs, and he hasn't really had a chance to respond to the other post.


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## Shayuri (Dec 7, 2008)

Ar, ok, I see now.

Cool! I think we're all clear then. 

Thanks.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 7, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> Can seeing into the twilight look past material obstacles?




Nope.  Twilight is a plane of existence, kind of, but it's more of a state of being.  Things that are "in Twilight" are ethereal, not composed of matter, but still on our side of the Gauntlet, sharing the mortal realm.  Twilight beings can move through solid objects, but not objects that also exist in Twilight.  They also can't see through solid objects.


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## Annalist (Dec 8, 2008)

Hey BlueLotus, do you want Levanna to answer Thorn's question? I think it'd be more appropriate for her to do so then Mitchell. Levanna's actually spoken to the spirit while Mitchell's only been exposed to the sheet music (AFAIK).


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## BlueLotus (Dec 8, 2008)

I profusely apologize guys. I'm simply swamped with responsibility lately. I've not had much time to myself in the past week at all. The good news is that finals week is this week. After friday, I will not have 18 hours of school bogging me down. Even better news than that is that next semester, I'll only be taking 12 hours, and it'll be my last semester =) I'll be cruising my way to a degree on easy mode.

I'd like to ask that HT or someone else run Levanna briefly as an npc for the next week while I wrap up these classes if possible. I promise to be more active and involved once this nightmare semester is over.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 8, 2008)

Annalist said:


> Hey BlueLotus, do you want Levanna to answer Thorn's question? I think it'd be more appropriate for her to do so then Mitchell. Levanna's actually spoken to the spirit while Mitchell's only been exposed to the sheet music (AFAIK).




Mitchell heard the spirit's rambling gibberish, since he still has Spirit Tongue up, but Levanna's the only one who has spoken to it.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 8, 2008)

BlueLotus said:


> I profusely apologize guys. I'm simply swamped with responsibility lately. I've not had much time to myself in the past week at all. The good news is that finals week is this week. After friday, I will not have 18 hours of school bogging me down. Even better news than that is that next semester, I'll only be taking 12 hours, and it'll be my last semester =) I'll be cruising my way to a degree on easy mode.
> 
> I'd like to ask that HT or someone else run Levanna briefly as an npc for the next week while I wrap up these classes if possible. I promise to be more active and involved once this nightmare semester is over.




No problem at all.  Absolutely everyone I game with in real life is a serious, straight-A 18 credit type of student, so I completely understand that school takes priority.  My catch phrase has always been, "It's a game, not an obligation."

I'll have Levanna help out the other three mages while they solve what remains of the mystery.  Good luck on finals!

This means that someone else who can hear the spirit should respond to it, though, since I know just what it is and what it wants.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 8, 2008)

What is the game mechanic for picking locks?


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 8, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> What is the game mechanic for picking locks?




Dexterity + Larceny +/- Tools.  You should also take a Wits + Larceny to see if you either brought tools along to pick locks (with 3+ successes) or can find something around you, like a bobby pin and pen knife (with 1 or more successes).  It'll be at a -2 because it's kind of an unlikely thing to bring along.

Of course, there's more than one way to get around a lock, especially for a wizard...


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 8, 2008)

Well, it seems as though Prometheus will not be picking locks... Mind and Prime just aren't the best for this one.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 9, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> Well, it seems as though Prometheus will not be picking locks... Mind and Prime just aren't the best for this one.




There are plenty of things you can do to get past the lock that don't involve picking it.  For instance, you know that the lock and piano both extend into the Twilight, which is not the usual state of affairs.  With Prime, you could analyze the items, and perhaps end that effect.  Also, the lock certainly has a corresponding key; maybe you can find it.  With Phantasm (Prime 3) you could probably make yourself a really nice set of lockpicks.  Alternatively, there are at least two NPCs that you can talk to without the use of magic spells.  Perhaps they could be of use?  And your Celestial Fire (Prime 3) can target things in the Twilight, as well, if you can manage a large enough ball of energy.

Some GMs put a lock on something so the guy who knows how to pick them has something to do.  I put it there hoping that you'll find a way to bypass it that I hadn't thought of.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 9, 2008)

That is true, but hopefully someone will have a more obvious solution for a problem this simple.  If no one speaks up, I'm sure Prometheus can save the day somehow, but for now he will be content to simply watch.  That being said, I think that trading with one of the ghosts/spirits seems like the best idea.


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## Solarious (Dec 9, 2008)

Quick pop in, my finals are underway, and I should be fully back in a few days; before the end of the week, I think. A few comments on locks vs. magic, since we're on the topic...

Mind's Gain Skill spell is a wonderful spell - just materialize points in Larceny at will (please note that dots gained are capped at Mind dots - an error I made earlier - to a hard cap of 5 until Mind 4). Matter 1 defeats electronic locks easily simply by turning them off with Alter Conductivity. Matter 2 can shape a water-form key with a combination of Animate Water and Craftsman's Eye, or simply command it to open with a Ruling practice (screw Silver Ladder - Moros don't need any stinking Spirit magic to animate objects, like it doesn't need Mind for zombies that follow commands). Most fraying practices can simply destroy them. Space can trace it's sympathetic connections to keys that were made to open it, then use Finder to locate it. Fate could be used to find the key easily, especially if it's casually hidden. Time can Postcognate the last time it was opened, then try tracing the key from there. Spirit can communicate with the sleeping spirit of the lock and make it co-operative, and Life can transmute/command tiny insects to muck around with the gears, not to mention Puissant Skill for the experienced lock-picker and stat boosts.

...

Or you could just ask for the key.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 9, 2008)

Can you make a check for knowledge about alpha for Prometheus?  I don't know exactly which skill it is, but I would like to know what he knows.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 10, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> "Can anyone play the piano?"




For anyone who wants to try this, the check would be your choice of Dexterity + Expression or Presence + Expression.  If you succeed at it, we'll assume that you had piano lessons at some point, rather that worry about "OMG it's not on your charsheet you can't!!1"


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 12, 2008)

I thought it might help to give you guys a quick refresher of just what it is The Nemean wants you to do:



Hella_Tellah said:


> "There's a spirit in Cormant House that doesn't belong here. While I get these dishes cleaned up, I want you five to try to get the spirit to move along. You're welcome to use any spells you like," he chuckled, "Just so long as you don't break anything."




Also,



Hella_Tellah said:


> "Figuring that  out [which spirit doesn't belong] _is _part of the test. You have to know where to look. I will save you some time, though: we have more than one spirit in this house. You need to pick the right one.  And don't get rid of any of the other ones; I like those ones.  Figure out the spirit that _doesn't belong_.  You know: 'one of these things is not like the others...'"




Remember that the whole point of this is to impress him, and convince him that you're capable enough to do some work for the Consilium in exchange for a sanctum and hallow.


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## Annalist (Dec 14, 2008)

Sorry Hellah, it's time I drop out. I just don't feel that fire or inspiration to post anymore. It's become more of a chore than something fun.

Don't get me wrong though, I think you're a badass ST and I really love my character but I'm just not feeling the inter-PC chemistry. I could churn out filler posts but it wouldn't be doing Gabriel justice. I put too much thought into his background to just put him through the motions.

Anyway, if you ever try your hand at ST'ing a Hunter: The Vigil game, _definitely_ look me up. I'd love to apply.

Have fun and give The Nemean a few noogies from G.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 14, 2008)

Well, the writing's on the wall: two players inactive, and one dropped out.  It's time we called it quits.

I think we just didn't get the kind of player interaction or buy-in that's needed for the kind of character-based games I try to run.  I wanted to see characters making choices, pushing the story forward with their actions and interactions, and we didn't get to that point.  As Annalist said, there's no chemistry here, and we can't force that.

For my part, I didn't do nearly enough to present a situation you guys found interesting to interact with, so I didn't get the interaction I was after.  The game needed a much more dramatic opening than I gave it.  Future PbP games I run will put the players directly in the thick of the story at the start, rather than nibbling at the edges.

I've enjoyed the game, but it's time to shut it down.  Thanks for playing, everyone.


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## Shayuri (Dec 14, 2008)

...whoa. That was...fast.

I can't leave you guys alone for a weekend without this going on. 

For my own sake, I'm not sure what people were expecting, character interaction-wise. These things take time to develop and grow. We were all total strangers. You don't just instantly leap from that into being buddybuddies...especially when y'all are relatively egotistic folks (as mages tend to be ). 

I'm sorry people weren't willing to give it more of a chance. I was enjoying it.

But so it goes.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 14, 2008)

Yeah, I don't really know what you were expecting as far as chemistry and interaction, but I think it would have developed over time.  I'd say we should at least keep going for a bit when everyone is actually here and participating, but in the end i'm not the one running the game.

Well, if this is the end, it has been a pleasure gaming with you.


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## Solarious (Dec 15, 2008)

Darnit, I leave to finish my finals, and I come back to see things just falling apart. I have to admit, the beginning was a little awkward, but the game Tellah was aiming for had a lot of potential. I'm sad to see it go, really.

If you want to give MtA another go, I'll be more than happy to join in the endeavor.


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## BlueLotus (Dec 16, 2008)

bah. I suppose I should have checked the OOC thread more. I'm back and I'm all caught up with the IC happenings and ready to go some more. I would have posted yesterday but I saw HT got Leva going again. I was gonna wait for some other players to respond.

But if people aren't feeling it, then I guess we should have a discussion about the future of the game. I didn't think the situation was that bad that it had to end. But if it's HT's final decision, I respect it and I'll say that it was good gaming with you guys while it lasted.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 16, 2008)

Wow!  I felt like the game was really grinding on you guys, and assumed that interest had flagged.  Admittedly, I've never done play by post before, so it was hasty to assume my assessment of the situation was all there was to it.  I thought we had a lot of "meh" out there, and it's encouraging to see so much positive reaction.  Above all, I don't want this to feel like a job, and I wanted to get out ahead of that if things were starting to get dull for everyone.

I've really enjoyed the game, and I think each of you has done interesting things and made surprising decisions--the very reason I GM/ST/DM/WTFBBQ is to see that.  You're all good players, and I definitely didn't choose any of you on some kind of a "warm bodies needed" basis.  I'd have been just as happy to run a solo game as one with five or six players.  I like the characters, and I like what each of you is bringing to the game.

I like running the game, and I'm getting the impression you guys are enjoying it, too.  I think I may have mistook "needed hiatus" for disinterest.  I thought I had lost three out of five players, but it looks like we've still got a strong, four-player contingent.  I still want to explore Boston's Awakened society.  I still want to describe spirits, ghosts, Clavicularii, Scelesti, Seers, and Tremere.  I still want to see brilliant plans put together in preparation for epic confrontations of powerful willworkers.  And I definitely still want to see how you and your characters react to the surprises and twists I've got packed up my sleeve.

So if you're still with me, even after a hasty crisis of confidence...

Game on.


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## Shayuri (Dec 16, 2008)

Hooray!

Yeah though, speaking as a veteran of sorts of PBP's, they can have lulls...especially as holidays draw nigh. This happens for all kinds of reasons, but usually it's a good idea to give a game at least a couple of weeks with no (or little) activity before scuttling.

Players will often try to notify you of absences, but sometimes things creep up, or spring out, and I for one know that a weekend can go by and leave me wondering just what I did with all the time.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 16, 2008)

YAY!!!

Actually, my first PbP ended when a two of the players took random absence, so I just guessed that sort of thing was normal...

In any case, Prometheus to the rescue IC!


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## Solarious (Dec 16, 2008)

I come looking for new games and the thread has new posts...

HOI! The game is not dead! Well then, as they say, play on.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 24, 2008)

Assuming we can get the car unstuck, I'm going to be away for Christmas stuff until the 27th.  Post on, though!


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 29, 2008)

Hope everyone had a good Festivus/Solstice/Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Nothing!  We got stuck at my girlfriend's parents' house for way longer than I'd planned for, and despite their excellent bandwidth, I didn't have access to a computer the whole time.  I did finish another Harry Dresden book, as well as Orson Scott Card's _Xenocide_, though, so some good came of it!



Solarious said:


> Another uncommonly known rule of spellcasting: sensory casting doesn't necessarily mean line of sight. Sensory range means you have to be about 200 yards, and have some way of perceiving the location of your target. Seeing isn't really necessary. It does form the best conditions for casting, but it is also possible to make do with hearing, or other methods, possibly granted through spells or other supernatural means. Don't quote me on the last part though: I'm not sure if spell-granted perceptions always count, or count at all.
> 
> Casting this way always imposes penalties though as opposed to seeing your target, and the harder it is for you to tell where your target is, the greater the penalties levied. For example, you are in a shootout with a Seer, and she has stopped to reload. You can hear that action clearly, so you take the opportunity to fry the her brain with a Psychic Assault, but it is done at a -2 penalty. Hearing soft footsteps from somewhere in your Sanctum in the middle of the night is a great deal harder to pinpoint, and may induce penalties of -8 or greater.



Well said.  To add on: spells of the practice of Unveiling improve or add sensory perceptions, so they can be used to get Sensory range.  Knowing practice spells, on the other hand, do not involve the senses, but grant knowledge _a priori--_they don't alter the senses or require the senses or any form of experience to gain that knowledge, and they therefore can't be used to get Sensory range.  Hence the Sense Mind/Life spells can't be used to target._

Spirit Tongue _is labeled Knowing, but I can't for the life of me figure out why.  It directly states that it grants the capacity to "see, hear and speak with spirits."  Knowing the language of Spirits is certainly Knowing, but the rest augments the senses, so it ought to be labeled Unveiling.  Anyway, I'd say you could target the spirit at a small penalty while he's talking, but if he keeps mum there's no sensory element to target on.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 31, 2008)

I found a couple of reference PDFs that you guys may find useful.  One's a cheat sheet for all kinds of stuff, the other is very similar to the link Solarious provided, but it goes up to 5 dots in each Arcanum.  Enjoy!


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 6, 2009)

Did the spirit just completely ignore what Prometheus said?


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 7, 2009)

Complete oversight on my part; I got so caught up in responding to the out-of-character part that I missed the in-character bit.  Sorry!


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 18, 2009)

Wow.  Shayuri, you just ended that scene with the best possible inner monologue.  Bonus experience for you!

Everyone gets...


1 experience point for playing.
1 point for good roleplaying--I saw a lot of interesting choices coming through from everyone, and some fun friction between personality types.  Keep it up!
1 point of arcane experience for your first encounter with a spirit of the Alpha.
Thorn gets 1 additional experience point for a great post to end the scene.
Additionally, post what your character learned in this scene here for a chance at a Learning Curve point.  _This is not automatic, so put some thought into it, please_. 

Now that we've finished the first scene of the game, you can go ahead and adjust your character sheets around if there are things you'd like to change.  Try not to make the changes _too_ major: if you weren't able to see spirits before, it doesn't make much sense to retcon three dots in the Spirit Arcanum.  PM or post your updated, refashioned, experience-added character sheets when you're ready!


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 19, 2009)

Well, as far as learning things:
Prometheus has discovered the trail that will eventually lead him to his reunion with Charles.

Or, if you are talking about more academic things, Prometheus has learned about spirits and bans, and has the idea that if a spirit is shown its ban, it will 'die'.

On another note:
Should you put some sort of in character refusal from Gabriel as to why his character will not be joining.  And what about Solarious?


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 19, 2009)

Good!  You have earned your Learning Curve point. 

I'll leave it up to you three, Magic, Shayuri, and BlueLotus, to decide what we'll do with Gabriel.  He can live on as a resource, hanging around your Sanctum, providing counsel on things he knows about (Theology and Spirits being specialties of his).  I can run him as a GMPC, if you like, but he won't be solving any mysteries or having any of the crucial insights that decide the storyline.  Or he can go on his merry way, and I'll find a way to have him gracefully bow out/get abducted by Scelesti and go stark raving mad.

Same will apply to Jeremiah, unless Solarious is coming back.


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## Shayuri (Jan 19, 2009)

Though Thorn was warned by her mentor, what she's taken away from this experience is:

1) Mages are -different-. This has been her first real exposure to mages outside of her own tradition, and she could barely understand some of them. Prometheus talks like a Shakespeare play half the time (exaggeration of course, Magic ), and Lotus is so quiet... 

2) For all the high talking and haunted houses, mages are basically people, and they follow the same basic law people follow. The law of the jungle. The ones on top are there because they fought tooth and nail to get there, and that journey made them hard and ruthless bastards. That doesn't mean they're homicidal or psycho. It just means working with them is like riding a tiger. Face forward, lie low, and _do not fall off/_. Ancillary rules: They don't want to be your friend...if they act like they do, it's because they want something from you. Use that. Also, the bigger the reward offered, the bigger the risk you'll be taking. Might be worth it, but only if you watch your arse.

Everything I Ever Needed To Know About Dealing With Wizards I Learned In A Street Gang. 

As for our AWOLers...I'm leery of "PC" NPC's. I like characters to really be connected to the story if they're to exist at all. If they're not really connected to the story...why are they there? If we need info, let us consult contacts and mentors. If we need help...hey, maybe an ally, or some other story element. 

Anyway, it's not a big deal overall. Just an aesthetic thing.


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 19, 2009)

Thorn also earns her Learning Curve point!



Shayuri said:


> As for our AWOLers...I'm leery of "PC" NPC's. I like characters to really be connected to the story if they're to exist at all. If they're not really connected to the story...why are they there? If we need info, let us consult contacts and mentors. If we need help...hey, maybe an ally, or some other story element.
> 
> Anyway, it's not a big deal overall. Just an aesthetic thing.




I completely agree--there's a reason DMPC is a dirty word (acronym?).  In any game, the players need to be the center of the action, and DMPCs get in the way most of the time.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 19, 2009)

Yeah, I was thinking that you would have put in some refusal on their part to even join the cabal with the rest of us, Gabriel saying that he already had access to those things through his mentor.  As for Jeremiah, I think we should give him longer, because he usually just takes a bit to post, but at some point let him go as well.  That being said, if we do get down to three, should we contact Walking Dad?  I mean, I'm not too sure about WoD, but in D&D the party always worked best with four people.

Also, thanks for the hint about what to look for Hella!


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 19, 2009)

[sblock=Joseph Faust]
*Real Name:* Joseph Faust
*Shadow Name:* Prometheus
*Concept:* Blind Leading Blind

*Age:* 25
*Height:* 5'9"
*Weight:* 150 lbs.
*Hair:* Black
*Eyes:* Grey

*Place of Birth:* Wheelright, Massachusetts 
*Relatives:* Emily Faust (mother), Robert Faust (father)
*Mentor:* Charles Walker (real name unknown, (Forces Space Ruling), Tremere Lich)
*Marital Status:* Not attached

*Occupation:* Graduate History Student (University of Massachusetts)
*Current Residence:* Cambridge, Massachusetts

*Virtue:* Fortitude
*Vice:* Pride (Vanity)

*Ruling: *Prime, Mind
*Inferior: *Life
*Order:* none yet

*Mental Attributes:* Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 2
*Physical Attributes:* Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
*Social Attributes:* Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 5

*Mental Skills:* Academics (History) 3, Occult(Resonance) 5, Politics 2
*Physical Skills:* Drive 1, Athletics 1, Survival 1, Weaponry 1
*Social Skills:* Animal Ken 1, Subterfuge 2, Empathy 1, Expression 2, Persuasion 2

*Health:* 8
*Willpower:* 7
*Wisdom:* 7
*XP:* 3 and 1 arcane

*Size:* 5
*Speed:* 8
*Initiative:* 7
*Defense:* 2
*Armor:* 

*Gnosis:* 3
*Mana:* 1 (max: 12, 3/turn) (3 tass in wand)
*Pattern:* Restoration (1/day), Scouring (1/day)
*Nimbus:* Afraid to stray to far from his person

*Arcana:* _Mind_ 2, _Prime_ 3, time 1

*Rote Specialties:* None
*Rotes:* None
*Dedicated Magical Tool:* The handle of King Solomon's Bronze jar (doesn't have one at the moment, but would like this)
*Enchanted Items:* Single Use wand of counterspell (made of Tass)

*Mage Merits: *1 to shared hallow
*Social Merits:* 

[sblock=Background]
Born in a small rural town, Joseph found himself totally unprepared for awakening. It wasn't until college that he fully understood or could control his powers, and in that manner they remained a secret.

He used his status as a history major at UMass to research all things arcane, using all resources he could get his hands on at the library there. During his studies, he found another who shared his interests, Charles Walker, and the two grew fairly close. One day, Joseph entered Charles' study unanounced, only to find the other moving books around magically. Delighted at knowing another like himself, Joseph told Charles everything about his limited mystical career. In turn, Charles taught Joseph some of what he knew of magic.

Joseph learned much over the course of his time with Charles, learning about the essence of magic, Prime, Mind, and Time. However, he learned nothing of paradox, cabals, or orders. Only through natural caution did he not suffer from the first, nor the attention of the other two.

However, when graduation came around Charles had gained entry into the Tremere. Through his true name, Charles has repeatedly attacked Joseph, and only through luck has he survived thus far. Recently, Joseph has hidden his trail from Charles, but the problem remains unresolved. Daily wards from scrying are all that separate him from his predator.

Through his experience with Charles, Joseph learned the rudiments of magic, but his knowledge is incomplete at best. He depends mostly on his sheer power to perform spells, in a way that other mages might describe as brutish. Pushing spells through carelessly, many of his spells go awry. Furthermore, his knowledge of true magic is blended in with his knowledge of the occult in general (he can't read high atlantean). Still to suffer from a paradox, he has no qualms about casting spells when he needs to. Only his natural caution, and his fear of Charles, stay his hand.

Since then, he has experimented with Sleepers, attempting to figure out the things that go with awakening. As of yet, he has had no success. In fact, he has yet to witness an awakening other than his own. In the cabal, he hopes to find out something of awakening from the other members, and to apply it to his study of sleepers.

He chose Prometheus as a shadow name to finally hide his true name, only several days before he joined the cabal. He chose it to represent giving 'fire', or magic, to the sleepers. In reality, its meaning more closely resembles 'forethought' of awakening a personal army.[/sblock]
[sblock=chronicle so far]
As a trial by the Nemean, Promeheus (partnered with thorn) encountered a really sad child ghost who likely had his soul sucked out by the tremere lich whos aura tainted the room. He also encountered a random succubus, who he never saw, and was not actually affected by. Then there was the _first_ spirit of alpha. He seemed quite out of it, but vanished utterly at pictures of real places in 'beta'.
[/sblock]
[/sblock]


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Jan 21, 2009)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> Yeah, I was thinking that you would have put in some refusal on their part to even join the cabal with the rest of us, Gabriel saying that he already had access to those things through his mentor.  As for Jeremiah, I think we should give him longer, because he usually just takes a bit to post, but at some point let him go as well.  That being said, if we do get down to three, should we contact Walking Dad?  I mean, I'm not too sure about WoD, but in D&D the party always worked best with four people.




Walking Dad is in my WFRP game, so I'll ask him.  As far as group size goes, it doesn't matter too much, although it's easier to come up with varied storylines appropriate to the PCs when a majority of the Arcana are covered.  WoD has no concept of a "balanced encounter" though (fair warning!), so there's no magic number there.



magic_gathering2001 said:


> Also, thanks for the hint about what to look for Hella!




Curses!


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 26, 2009)

*Re-opened the thread for recruiting*

I edited the first post and thread title to try and lure in a couple of new players.  Here's hoping!

Have you guys noticed the forums going _really, really_ slowly for the last couple of days?  I replied to Shayuri's post three times yesterday and it never took.


----------



## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 27, 2009)

Yeah, I thought it was just my computer, but the server's been timing out a lot for me as well.

Anyway, I was looking for the stats for the rolls, and I realized Prometheus only has 2 specializations.  I want one for subterfuge, but I'm not really sure what a good one would be.


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## Hella_Tellah (Feb 7, 2009)

I figured I should post in case you're concerned--I am here and reading!  I want to stay out of the group's way while you decide your course of action, but I'm definitely on hand to answer questions and provide info.


----------



## Shayuri (Feb 8, 2009)

Hee, that is good.

Did we lose Levanna? Haven't heard from her in a little bit.

Similarly, any nibbles on recruiting?


----------



## BlueLotus (Feb 9, 2009)

My apologies guys, my laptop is in the shop at the moment getting a large crack on the screen from a clumsy fall fixed. Luckily, I took that best buy insurance that covers accidental damage, but for the moment I can only get on university computers and usually I just want to get my schoolwork done and get home. Feel free to NPC Levanna if you want to HT, I'll be back soon.


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## Hella_Tellah (Feb 9, 2009)

Shayuri said:


> Similarly, any nibbles on recruiting?




Nothing yet.  Every once in a while someone on the White Wolf forums comes around looking for a game, and I extend an invitation, but openly advertising games is kind of frowned upon there. 



BlueLotus said:


> My apologies guys, my laptop is in the shop at the moment getting a large crack on the screen from a clumsy fall fixed. Luckily, I took that best buy insurance that covers accidental damage, but for the moment I can only get on university computers and usually I just want to get my schoolwork done and get home. Feel free to NPC Levanna if you want to HT, I'll be back soon.




Ooh, sorry to hear that.  I work in computer support, and fix five or six laptops a week, so if you have any problems with it once it's returned, feel free to send a message my way.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Feb 10, 2009)

Honestly, I would like to wait for BlueLotus to return before continuing.  Mostly because I don't know that a GM can ever do a PC justice, although certainly Hellah could make a valiant effort, but I also see the current point as a perfect introductory phase for new players, should any appear.  And while I don't propose that we postpone the game, or put it on hold, I think we should certainly not rush it past this point with a player missing.

...I sound like Prometheus.  Wow, I need to stop that. Do I do that a lot without noticing?


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## Shayuri (Feb 10, 2009)

Hee hee. It's a natural consequence of writing instead of talking.

People tend to be more erudite in writing.

It's a bit unfair of Thorn to needle Prometheus about how he 'talks' because of that...but I can't help it. 

As for waiting for Blue, I'm fine with that. I didn't read these posts before updating today, but I can put it on hold now.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Feb 10, 2009)

Yeah, I agree that its more formal to write than talk, but I've been making Prometheus purposefully wordy.  Maybe I'm getting to far into character.  Anyway, its an intentional part of the character, so feel free to needle.


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## Hella_Tellah (Feb 13, 2009)

Shayuri said:


> As for waiting for Blue, I'm fine with that.




That works for me.  It's pretty clearly the cusp of a new scene, so it's a good time for characters to come in and out of the game.


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## Walking Dad (Feb 23, 2009)

Hey, are you still looking for players? I'm still interested


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## Shayuri (Feb 23, 2009)

I can't speak for Hella, but I think we most likely still are.


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## Hella_Tellah (Feb 23, 2009)

Absolutely! If you still like the character you posted a few months back, we can go ahead and introduce him when the characters get to Benefit. You're also more than welcome to make up a new character concept if you like.

I'd like to start running things again a week from today, but we can add people in later on if that's inconvenient. We'll be starting up again as Thorn, Prometheus and Levanna go to a commune west of Boston called "Benefit." They're going there looking for the previous occupant of their sanctum and the last person known to have looked into the disappearance of the Stone Assembly, a sorceress called "Miss Jane." Benefit has been around for a long time, and it's known in the Awakening community to be run by a cabal of mages. WD, let's try to come up with a reason your character might be at Benefit.


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## Shayuri (Feb 23, 2009)

Hurrah!


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## magic_gathering2001 (Feb 23, 2009)

Yay!  I missed this while it was gone, even if it was only for a little while in PbP terms.


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## Walking Dad (Feb 24, 2009)

I will take a look at the other active characters to make someone that will fit in and (hopefully) increase the enjoyment for all.


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## Walking Dad (Feb 24, 2009)

What arcana are needed (if any)?

How much should the character know of the game so far?

Would this be an ok picture or is the actor already used in anyones background?


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## Hella_Tellah (Feb 24, 2009)

Walking Dad said:


> What arcana are needed (if any)?




Right now the group has Mind 2, Prime 3, Time 1, Death 1, Forces 1, Life 2, Spirit 2, Life 3, and Spirit 3, so we're light on Fate, Matter, and Space, if you want to make the decision on that basis. The plot is veering toward Spirit-based phenomena, though, so consider that. Remember that I've made Paths optional for this game, so you may choose any two arcana as Ruling and any one arcanum as Inferior--or you can just pick a Path, which does the same thing.



Walking Dad said:


> How much should the character know of the game so far?




Up to you, really, depending on how you'd like the character to meet up with the cabal. If he's living at Benefit, probably not much at all--they're a pretty insular community. If he's working for the Consilium, then he might know a few things that The Nemean, Heirarch of the local Consilium, would have told him. If he's in the Guardians of the Veil, he might be conducting a little espionage on the group, in which case he could know quite a lot about them. Regardless of his backstory, he could also roll Intelligence + Politics -3 (the cabal doesn't have much of a reputation--yet) to see what he's heard.

Off the top of my head, here are a few connections the group has that might connect your character up with them and make your character more likely to know them:


A Tremere Lich enemy
Cambridge, MA, home to both Harvard and MIT.
New Age mysticism
The Adamantine Arrow
The Mysterium (by way of Thorn's mentor)
The Free Council



Walking Dad said:


> Would this be an ok picture or is the actor already used in anyones background?




Very cool!


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## Walking Dad (Feb 26, 2009)

Former police officer, turned PI
He will be viewing magic through the lens of Kabbalah (not the new age, but the real thing). Specializing in Spirit, Fate and /or Space.

After loosing his job for taking money from the wrong persons, DJ settled down as a private investigator. Loosing his apartment, sportscar and girl-friend (in that order) he began a new life Boston.


_I will wirte-up a day in life for DJ and post it at the beginning of the next week

_
[sblock=character sheet]


Daniel Jacob Goldstein, PI
Gender: Male Age: 26
Hair: Short, Brown Eyes: Green Ht: 6'2'' Wt: 185 pounds
Virtue: Faith Vice: Greed
Mysterium

PHYSICAL(5) MENTAL(4) SOCIAL(3)
Strength : ** Intelligence : ** Presence : **
Dexterity : *** Wits : *** Manipulation : *
Stamina : *** Resolve : *** Composure : ***

Skills:
Mental (7)
Academics * (Kabbalah)
Computer *
Medicine *
Occult **
Investigation **

Physical (11)
Athletics *
Brawl **
Drive *
Firearms *** (pistol, lt.)
Larceny *
Stealth **
Weaponry * (knife)

Social (4)
Intimidation *
Persuasion *
Streetwise *
Subterfuge *


Merits (7):
Status 1 (PI), Language 2 (German, Ifrit), High Speech (bonus, Magical Tradition 2 (Kabbalah), Status 1 (Mysterium), Mentor 1


Health: 8
Willpower: 6
Wisdom: 7

Nimbus: Sacred Desert

Arcana (Prime & Space ruling, Death inferior)
Space 3
Prime 2
Spirit 1

Rotes
Twisting Threads / Untouchable (Space 2, Armor)
Nothing up my Sleeve / Apportation (Space 2)
Eye of the Magus / Supernatural Vision (Prime 1)
Analyze Enchanted Item / Artfact Hunt (Prime 1)


Mana 7

Size: 5 Speed: 10 Initiative: 6
Defense: 3 Armour: - (normally uses Untouchable)

Equipment (worn): light pistol, ammo, watch, clothing, poceket-knife.

[/sblock]

_The only reason I became a PI was because I lost my police job.
My granddad was a cop, my father, my uncles, all cops. Back then, cops were the law and cops had respect. By the time I became a cop, it was a whole another game. Sensitivity classes, social working, civilian review board, police brutality suits, corruption…
 Now, don’t get it wrong here, I wasn’t let go because I was crooked… ok, I was. I know it was foolish…
Thing is, being a PI wasn’t like being a cop. I used to love walking into a crime scene and trying to figure out what happened. As a PI, all you do is sleazy spy work, like trailing lying spouses getting a little extra on the side. That work gets old fast.
_

The car is a nice green metallic American Sedan badly in need of a wash.
Will add more later.


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Mar 3, 2009)

I love the character, WD! He'll add a great element of urban grittiness to the story, if I guess the direction you're taking him correctly.

As promised, I'd like to start up again now. When last we left off, the group had decided to visit Benefit. So who's driving, and what kind of car is it*? Go ahead and post in the IC thread when you've got something fun dreamed up.

[sblock=*]My real-life players call this sort of question, "Giving Jeff an excuse to award Roleplaying experience." [/sblock]


----------



## Walking Dad (Mar 4, 2009)

Could someone link the IC thread? I'm not able to find it


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 4, 2009)

http://www.enworld.org/forum/playin...e-assembly-chapter-i-cabal-quill-concord.html

Here's the first page.


----------



## Walking Dad (Mar 5, 2009)

Sorry, is there a RG, too?


----------



## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 5, 2009)

Not that I can remember, or have posted in.


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Mar 5, 2009)

Walking Dad said:


> Sorry, is there a RG, too?




What's an RG?


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## Thondor (Mar 6, 2009)

Hella_Tellah said:


> What's an RG?




It's a thread were the players post their character sheets/background. Usually over in plots&places . What it actually stands for . . . I'm not sure.

You still looking for another player? Unfortunately I probably won't be able to come up with anything before this time next week . . .


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## Hella_Tellah (Mar 6, 2009)

Thondor said:


> It's a thread were the players post their character sheets/background. Usually over in plots&places . What it actually stands for . . . I'm not sure.
> 
> You still looking for another player? Unfortunately I probably won't be able to come up with anything before this time next week . . .




We'd be happy to have you, Thondor! You'll pop into the story when the current crop of players go to Benefit, a commune west of Boston that's run by a cabal of mages.

I haven't made a thread for character sheets, because I just copy them into a Google Doc from wherever people post them. This thread's fine for a character sheet, as far as I'm concerned, WD.


----------



## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 6, 2009)

WOOHOO New Player!  Although, Where is Shayuri?


----------



## Shayuri (Mar 6, 2009)

*waves hand weakly*

Still here. I've been sick the past few days, and have fallen behind in posts. Sorry bout that. I'll try to catch up here.


----------



## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 6, 2009)

Don't worry about it, you haven't really missed anything other than the new players.  You're usually prompt in responding IC though, so I was just a little worried.

Hope you get better!


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Mar 7, 2009)

I decided there wasn't much point in having a scene where you find out where Benefit is. It's not a secret, although people outside the Awakened community don't know who runs the place.

Int+Politics: Thorn and Prometheus each got one success, so they know that Benefit's cabal sends a very handsome young Apostate named Argos to represent them at Consilium meetings, as rare as those are. Levanna scored no successes, so she only knows the more general information given in previous posts. If Levanna has ever had any contact with them, they probably tried to recruit her--but I'll leave that to BlueLotus to determine.


----------



## Thondor (Mar 10, 2009)

OK, I actually got quite a bit done on charater creation so far, which I'll post soon. 

Note - i havn't actually played Mage before (I've played and run nWoD and Vampire: the Requiem though) and may not have delved into things as deep as I should. Seems like a great way to actually get to know the system though.

question: how/do magical armours stack with mundane armour? Take Kevlar vest as an example armour 1/2. (I'm going to take Fate 2, Matter 3, Time 1).  With matter I could have a 3 armour (that doesn't protect against a grapple but does protect against damage in a grapple) and with Fate I could have 2 armour (that does protect against grapples, but not damage in grapples). 

I assume mystical armours don't stack on themeselves, you just take the best bonus for the condition.

I'm sure I'll have other questions later on. Thanks.


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Mar 10, 2009)

Thondor said:


> question: how/do magical armours stack with mundane armour? Take Kevlar vest as an example armour 1/2. (I'm going to take Fate 2, Matter 3, Time 1).  With matter I could have a 3 armour (that doesn't protect against a grapple but does protect against damage in a grapple) and with Fate I could have 2 armour (that does protect against grapples, but not damage in grapples).
> 
> I assume mystical armours don't stack on themeselves, you just take the best bonus for the condition.
> 
> I'm sure I'll have other questions later on. Thanks.




I'm always happy to answer questions--my enthusiasm for this system is boundless.

Magical armor bonuses overlap one another, rather than stack, but additional effects are cumulative. If you were to cast Matter's _Unseen Aegis_, you would gain 3 points of armor (points equal to dots in the arcanum) that works like any mundane armor, but also applies a -2 penaltiy on enemy attempts to inflict damage on you in a grapple (I think of this latter effect as the spell's "rider effect"), but not to starting a grapple or overpowering you once you're in one. If you then cast Fate's _Fortune's Protection, _you would gain 2 points of armor, and that would apply a -2 penalty to attempts to grapple you, but not to overpower you or damage you in a grapple. With both up, you'd have 3 points of armor, but penalize grapple attempts by 2, and offer no penalty to overpower attempts.

Magical armor bonuses do, however, stack with mundane armor, so _Unseen Aegis_ over Kevlar gives you 4/5, with a -3 to damage attempts in a grapple.

The ease with which mages get access to armor is a major point in their favor versus other supernaturals, so armor is meant to be cheap and powerful. This is mainly due to the relative difficulty mages have healing themselves--1 mana for 3 bashing or 1 lethal is pretty steep compared to vampires.


----------



## Thondor (Mar 10, 2009)

"Goliath" a tough, dirt-poor, hard-life bouncer/auto-mechanic who grew up in Roxbury.

Walking Dad - 
It's possible that Goldstein actually knows Darryl from his good ol' days and Darryls brief, youthful gang life.


[sblock=character sheet]

Name: Darryl Thomson
Shadow Name: Goliath
Concept: tough, poor, hard-life bouncer/auto mechanic
Age: 24

Virtue: Prudence
Vice: Envy

Order: Free Council

Home: grew up in Roxbury*: neighborhood most associated with crime, poverty, and urban decay. The "wrong side of town"

*Stats*
Int:      * *                   Strength:  * * *              Presence:    * * * 
Wits:   * *                Dexterity: * *        Manipulation: *
Resolve: * * *       Stamina: * * * *         Composure: * * * 

*Skills:*
*Mental: *
             # Crafts (automobiles) * * 
             Occult      *
       # Science *

*Physical:*
        Athletics * * *
 Brawl (grappling) * *
         Drive      * 
 Larceny * *
       Steath   * *
    Weaponry * 

*Social:*
                 Empathy *
Intimidation (Staredowns) * * *
         # Persuasion * 
                Streetwise  *

                            # rote skill

*Merits*
    Giant * * * *
    Iron Stamina *
    Stongback *
    Destiny * 
    High Speech *

*Arcana*
    Fate (ruling)    * *
    Matter (ruling) * * * 
    Mind (inferior)
        Time   * 

*Rotes*
    * Time, Strike True, Int+Comp+Time (6), p. 258
    ** Fate, Shifting the Odds, Wits+science+fate (6), p. 153
    *** Matter, Transmute Earth  Int+Science+Matter (7), p. 200

*Dedicated Magical tools* - great-grandfathers worn silver pocket-watch (initials DT), fathers gold fillings - shaped into dice (increased hardness as well)

Gnosis 1

Size 6  Defense 1   Iniative mod 4   Speed 9    Experience none?  

Health 10
Willpower 6
Mana 7/10

[/sblock]

He quite recently joined the Free Council.

[sblock=background, etc]
Character background, concept etc:

Darryl Thomson has had a tough life. Mostly this he has just taken it an moved on, but it has made him rather cynical. His huge size and tattoos are enough to warn most people away. He grew up in Roxbury, which tells you a lot about his childhood. He spent some time in gangs in his youth. His dad found out when he was sixteen, "Son you have cautious about that kind of thing, you can get youself or your family in a heap of trouble, or worse dead." Two weeks later his Dad was found, the cops were never sure what happened, but then the cops are useless. All Darryl knows his that his Dad was found at an old building he was renovating, and they had to I.D. his teeth.

Darryl focused on sports in school, hoping to get a rare out of the slum but his dreams were never realized, big and strong as he was, he just wasn't fast or nimble. At 18 his mom got sick, really sick, and spent most of the next two years in the hospital before she died. He took 4 months of schooling in auto machanics before he had to drop out, to pay the hospital bills and feed him and his little brother Allan. They were forced to sell their tiny house. Took a job as a bouncer, where his size and intimidating manner could be put to good use. He occasionally works at 'cousin' Ronny's garage (a distant relative, 3rd cousin) a shady place that fixes up cars that aren't always legal. When "Uncle" Benjamin has work (his dad's old partner in the renovation business) Darryl often helps out. Between the old hospital debt, and now trying to help Allan through University (probably Boston U) he never has any money. 

He'd worn out his welcome with most of his friends and relatives, and was geeting behind on payements, when a dirty cop made him an offer. He accepted the 'test' job but declined the final offer, far too risky. Besides, Darryl was pretty sure he saw some things that just weren't possible that day. . . he hasn't seen the dirty cop since and isn't sure he wants to. He got a kevlar vest out of it that actually fits his huge frame. 

Shortly after that, Darryl had a terrible nightmare and  . . . Awoke.

Since then life as been a little easier. He eventually found an unaligned (as far as Darryl could tell) mentor named Nacredos. Nacredos took him in taught him for about 5 months before dissappearing. He left his library behind, with a list of suggestions. Darryl studied hard and diligently between jobs, but didn't finish the (short) list before the library simply disappeared, all that remained was a note "Good luck Goliath." The next day the house was for sale. He's been very cautious with his magical abilities to date, but has bumped fate to help his brother get a loan and small scholarship (or maybe Nacredos actually did that, Darryl isn't sure.) He also used his new abilities to get his fathers old F-150 running and in decent condition again. 

After considering it for some time Darryl has joined the Free Council. He's currently looking for a place to stay, had a rough time with his most recent batch of housemates. His old boss just opened a new bar in Cambridge.
[/sblock]

Possesions pending approval, as is everything of course. . . 

[sblock=Equipement]
Darryl possesions are limited to a old-trunk with a few changes of clothes, A tool box his dad gave him for his 14th birthday (and added to at christmas's and birthdays till his death), and the families old and recently fixed 1988 F 150 (Allan sometimes uses it). And a kevlar vest he aquired through a shady deal.
+ his two magical tools.
Right now Darryl has virtually no disposable income, despite working several jobs





[/sblock]

Having trouble finding a decent picture. Hard to find large looking people with (short) beards and the yourng but rough life look. Never was any good at finding those things anyway.
[sblock=description]
Goliath is 7-foot 3, and 320 pounds. He sports a short red-beard, tattoos and a close cropped hair. He carries a little to much weigth for his frame. He often wears hoodies, ripped jeans and an old leather jacket. [/sblock]

Do you still want some writing?
Does this work for a fairly easy insert into the game?


----------



## Thondor (Mar 11, 2009)

Woot, I'm exited. Thanks for letting me join. Doing Mage in a play by post will sure help me figure out what my character can actually _do. _

You've all made a great story so far from what I've read.


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## Thondor (Mar 13, 2009)

OK, question about Paradox's.

If you cast a vulgar spell with a Gnosis of 1, you have a 1 die chance of invoking a paradox. If you use a rote, or a magical tool, you reduce that by 1 dice. I believe that reduction would leave you with a chance die of a paradox occuring, correct?
Supposing you did both, cast a vulgar spell using a rote and a magical device, (-2 dice). That would that still leave you with a chance die of having a paradox ?


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Mar 13, 2009)

Thondor said:


> OK, question about Paradox's.
> 
> If you cast a vulgar spell with a Gnosis of 1, you have a 1 die chance of invoking a paradox. If you use a rote, or a magical tool, you reduce that by 1 dice. I believe that reduction would leave you with a chance die of a paradox occuring, correct?
> Supposing you did both, cast a vulgar spell using a rote and a magical device, (-2 dice). That would that still leave you with a chance die of having a paradox ?




You've got it. You can also spend mana or take bashing damage to reduce the pool, but you can never get paradox lower than a chance die. The abyss is just too persistent. 



			
				Thondor said:
			
		

> Uh, is Levanna here at all? or did she drop out for the moment. If she is I've probably heard or her anyway seeing as we are both pretty new Free Council.
> Chopesh, back in your days as a cop, did you ever work in Roxbury? I'd like Goliath to have run into you during his brief, youthful gang life. That'd be about ten years ago.




Levanna is in the scene, quiet as usual; I'll run her along with you guys for a little bit, but unless BlueLotus is still around, she stands a good chance of being drafted into Gabriel and Jeremiah's thing.

As far as people knowing one another, I'll leave that to you guys to decide. People of the same order are fairly likely to know one another, but it's not guaranteed. As a result of the "Grace Period" policy that keeps newly-Awakened apprentices out of politics, your characters weren't brought along to Order or Consilium meetings. Which is to say that you're all equally justified knowing one another or not, as it suits you.


----------



## Thondor (Mar 13, 2009)

Hella_Tellah said:


> You've got it. You can also spend mana or take bashing damage to reduce the pool, but you can never get paradox lower than a chance die. The abyss is just too persistent.




You mean you can reduce the successes on a paradox roll by taking bashing damage right? (p.124 _Backlash_)

Hmm, sounds like _Backlash_ is my new best friend.

I wish I could have got the _Iron Stomach_ merit too for Darryl, but you can only buy so much.


----------



## Thondor (Mar 16, 2009)

I don't want to bog down the game waiting for one of the characters to answer, so if Hella wants to move the game forward (to inside) works for me. Walking Dad can always retcon his reply (ie. I said this before we went inside)

maybe I'm being a little to hasty but I think we're getting a good flow and don't want this intial meeting to get dragged out.

As an aside -- I thought that Walking Dad's character wasn't local to Benefit, so that's how I've been having Goliath act.  I've been playing it that my character thinks he remembers "Chopesh" from a long time ago before his awakening.


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Mar 16, 2009)

Thondor said:


> I don't want to bog down the game waiting for one of the characters to answer, so if Hella wants to move the game forward (to inside) works for me. Walking Dad can always retcon his reply (ie. I said this before we went inside)




Unless someone posts additional actions or dialogue outside, I'll have everyone move inside in my next post. That will be a new scene, by the by, so consider which spells you'll be carrying with you.


----------



## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 16, 2009)

Prometheus will have:
Conjunctional Mind 1/Prime 1 Improved Supernal Vision (That's what he's casting IC, so he won't dispel his current sight until he's done)(note to self: make rote)
Prime 2 Spell Shield?  the one that protects from spells by spending mana.  I'm pretty sure its spell shield.


----------



## Walking Dad (Mar 18, 2009)

Sorry, got a serious kind of pneumonia (that thing that is like a really bad cold, hope this is the right word) and have no online access at home.

I will try to continue as best as I can. Should be regular, starting next Monday.


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Mar 18, 2009)

Walking Dad said:


> Sorry, got a serious kind of pneumonia (that thing that is like a really bad cold, hope this is the right word) and have no online access at home.




Feel better, WD!

Sorry for the delay from my end, too--We've been bogged down at work, shorthanded, (...blah blah blah excuses excuses )



			
				Thondor said:
			
		

> Hella hopefully I'm not overstepping myself here.




Nope, you're doing just what I hope you'll do. I like it when players drive the action.


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## Thondor (Mar 22, 2009)

Are you actually using the material from Boston Unveiled ? Or is it more just the stuff from the main book?

I'd like to be the Storyteller for a nMage game at some point and I'm wondering if there is any supplement that's really helpful . . . I just find grokkin mage a lot harder then Vampire (but then again I got to play a Vampire quite bit before I tried being a Storyteller).

anyway. Lots of fun so far. Keep it coming.


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## Hella_Tellah (Mar 23, 2009)

I'm using Boston Unveiled for setting, plot hooks, and NPCs, but I've put my own twist on some things of course. Glad to hear you're thinking of STing Mage! I recommend _Tome of the Mysteries _as the first supplemental book to pick up. It adds rules for alchemy, explains magic in greater detail, and really functions as a second core book. _Sigil and Sanctum _is a great one for understanding how mages work together as cabals, and STs can get a lot of mileage out of that one. By far the most inspiring book for a storyteller is a newer one, _Keys to the Supernal Tarot_. It's just full of plot hooks--one for each card in a standard tarot deck, in fact, so you can use an in-character tarot reading to generate story ideas.

Other books are profoundly valuable, too, but more dependent on the type of story you're telling and the inclinations of your players. There's a book for each order, and each of those makes for a great afternoon's reading if you enjoy the setting; if your players involve themselves in mage politics, you'll find them very valuable. _Intruders: Encounters With the Abyss_ is about including Abyssal entities into your game, very dark and horror-oriented with about five pages dedicated to each entity. You'll want _Secrets of the Ruined Temple_ if your group is looking for an "Indiana Jones" feel to the game. And the new _Seers of the Throne_ book casts the one of the major enemies mages face in the game in a very intriguing and thoughtful way.

I would not recommend either of the Legacy books for an ST, though. There is some story potential in them, but they're mostly for players looking for options. If you've played D&D 3.5, I'd compare them to a book entirely of Prestige Classes: players salivate over them, but you'll probably only use one or two of the legacies in there. There's not a lot of bang for your buck.


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## Thondor (Mar 25, 2009)

Thanks for the info, I'll keep those in mind/maybe try to check out some reviews for some more details.
I'm usually not much of a supplement person but as I said, I feel I need to get some ideas, get a better feel for what a game of Mage _is_.

Quick anecdote: I went to a informal little convention in Ottawa a few weeks ago and a buddy got me some _Vampire: The Requiem_ dice. Their 10 d10s in a little red bag with a black vampire skull. The successes (8,9,0) are silver while the other numbers are black. Really sweet. 
Man they make me want to get in a face to face nWoD gaming!


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## Hella_Tellah (Mar 30, 2009)

*Good news, bad news*

I'm sorry to report that I won't be able to keep updating Legacy of the Stone Assembly. I've enjoyed working on it, and have been very lucky to have such creative, character-focused writers as players. Bad news as that is, the reason I'm leaving is pretty good news--I'm devoting the time I would have spent on this and other RPG writing finishing off a collection of short stories I've been writing. So, fingers crossed, look for the name Jeff Moore to conquer the world of genre fiction!

If anyone here has an interest in continuing this game and taking over as ST, you absolutely have my blessing, and I can send along a framework for where I was taking the story if you don't already have your own ideas. If you have any criticisms or tips for me as a writer, please do send them along. I'm only as good as the mistakes I recognize and eliminate.

Thanks for playing, and please know that it's not for anything any player did or didn't do that I give this up now. It's going to take a great deal of discipline for me to buckle down and get serious about my writing, and I want to free up the time and brain-space to do that.


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## Shayuri (Mar 30, 2009)

Congratulations!!

While disappointing on a selfish personal level, as someone who has tried to earn money writing in the past (if briefly), I can totally relate to what you're saying, and to your goal. 

I will be sorry to see the game go though; the plot and narrative style were both excellent, and I was really getting into the mystery of it.

Good luck, and if you find yourself with time and inspiration do come back and play again!


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 30, 2009)

Congratulations from me as well.  I'll definitely read your stuff if I see it, especially considering the storytelling experience of this game so far.

Still, I have to admit that I too am sad to see you leave.  This was probably my favorite game I've played in, due in no small part to you.

In the end, I wish you luck, and if you do get published, PM me.


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## Thondor (Mar 30, 2009)

Wonderful and sad news. I'm a bit of an aspiring writer myself. Havn't put enough effort into it in a long time though. 

It may be a bit of a strange transition, but I'm certainly considering taking over as ST. As I've mentioned my knowledge of the rules of Mage is a little rough but with the base we have I think we could have a lot of fun RP-ing.
If anyone else thought "I could maybe take over" after reading Jeff's last post let me know.

Conversly, I've thought of running a few other games too (1e AD&D, Vampire, Amber). It's nice to work with an established base though.

The game has been a lot of fun. Thanks for the good times everyone, I for one would like to see them continue.
Good luck with your writting Jeff.

Joshua


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 31, 2009)

I'm pretty attached to Prometheus at this point, so I would continue the game with you as ST.  My knowledge of the rules is pretty basic as well, but I think between the other three of us and you, we could work something out.

That said, while I'm definitely more inclined to continue mage than start a new game entirely, I would be willing to learn Amber, and have the stuff for Vampire.


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## Walking Dad (Apr 1, 2009)

I would also love to continue. But I will not be a that great help. My knowledge of the (new) world of darkness is not so great and my knowledge of the magic rules is worse 


Oh, and good luck, Hella_Tellah.


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## Thondor (Apr 2, 2009)

Cool, well that's two.

If Hella_Tella's able to forward me the notes that'd be a great help. (you could send it to thondor underscore of underscore thay at hotmail dot com ) I'm sure I'll do a few things different, but want to make sure there is continuity. And the notes will probably be great inspiration. 

Thanks


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## Shayuri (Apr 2, 2009)

Urp! Almost missed this.

Wow, cool...didn't expect this to happen.

I'm game to keep going too. It's my first game of nWoD Mage, though I do have the core game book.


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## Thondor (Apr 2, 2009)

Awesome. 

Just a heads up, I'll be heading into my last exams of my last year of university soon, so that may slow things up a little. (Hasn't before but there's always a first time.)

Hella_Tella sent me some notes today (Thank you!). I'm going to try to start things up again on Monday. 
Goliath will be put in his proper place as an NPC. Which will be easy considering he never really 'joined' the group. 

I got some brainstorming/reading to do this weekend. Fun.


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## Thondor (Apr 4, 2009)

It just occurred to me that you all have probably sent some character background stuff to Hella_Tella in PMs (I know I did). If you can pass some of that info on to me that would be helpful.

Thanks


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## magic_gathering2001 (Apr 4, 2009)

Um... Actually everything about my character is openly displayed on the site.  Sorry to get your hopes up.  That said, if you feel the need to develope something about my character outside of the thread that's fine with me too.  I've probably got an idea about it, but nothing concrete.


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## Shayuri (Apr 5, 2009)

No deep dark secrets to Thorn either, that I ever knew of.

Her story thus far is fairly straightforward, and I think it's told in the OOC recruitment thread. I'll see if I can find it and repost it. If not, I'll write it up again here.


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## Thondor (Apr 5, 2009)

Cool. Well if its all in this thread then I'll find what's here, no worries. I think that actually leaves us with some good space to manuver in defining characters, setting up links with the 'world' etc. Thanks for the quick responses.

Note: just to assuage any curiousity I may have created, the PM's I sent where mostly on how we'd be introducing my character. It let Goliath know a few things about Benefit before you did, seeing as he was there. There may have been a nugget or two of character in there, but i can't remember anything significant.


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## Thondor (Apr 6, 2009)

Alright so for organization reasons I’ve tried to gather the scattered details of characters in the next couple of posts. I’ve added a few comments.


We’ll do this one at a time. 
*
Prometheus*
[sblock=Picture and description]
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





*Age:* 25
*Height:* 5'9"
*Weight:* 150 lbs.
*Hair:* Black
*Eyes:* Grey

[/sblock]

[sblock=Character sheet]
*Real Name:* Joseph Faust
*Shadow Name:* Prometheus
*Concept:* Blind Leading Blind


*Virtue:* Fortitude
*Vice:* Pride (Vanity)

*Ruling: *Prime, Mind
*Inferior: *Life
*Order:* none yet

*Mental Attributes:* Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 2
*Physical Attributes:* Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
*Social Attributes:* Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 5

*Mental Skills:* Academics (History) 3, Occult(Resonance) 5, Politics 2
*Physical Skills:* Drive 1, Athletics 1, Survival 1, Weaponry 1
*Social Skills:* Animal Ken 1, Subterfuge 2, Empathy 1, Expression 2, Persuasion 2

*Health:* 8
*Willpower:* 7
*Wisdom:* 7
*XP:* 3 and 1 arcane

*Size:* 5
*Speed:* 8
*Initiative:* 7
*Defense:* 2
*Armor:* 

*Gnosis:* 3
*Mana:* 1 (max: 12, 3/turn) (3 tass in wand)
*Pattern:* Restoration (1/day), Scouring (1/day)
*Nimbus:* Afraid to stray to far from his person

*Arcana:* _Mind_ 2, _Prime_ 3, time 1

*Rote Specialties:* None
*Rotes:* None
*Dedicated Magical Tool:* The handle of King Solomon's Bronze jar (doesn't have one at the moment, but would like this)
*Enchanted Items:* Single Use wand of counterspell (made of Tass)

*Mage Merits: *1 to shared hallow
*Social Merits:* 

[/sblock]

You don’t have ‘rote skills’ or high speech because that requires and order. (Aside - are you looking to have you character join one at some point during the chronicle, or do you want to keep him more of an outsider?) However, you should still have:

Rotes - You have 6 dots to spend. To help keep the ‘raw power’ idea you could buy fewer high dot rotes (1 or two 3dot rotes).

Merits - I’m not sure this adds up. What’s the rule for raising your Gnosis with merits? I can’t seem to find it.

Specialties - You seem to be missing one. Was it suppose to be with subterfuge? There’s nothing between the brackets.

Experience - Did you do anything with it yet? 

[sblock=background]

*Place of Birth:* Wheelright, Massachusetts 
*Relatives:* Emily Faust (mother), Robert Faust (father)
*Mentor:* Charles Walker (real name unknown, (Forces Space Ruling), Tremere Lich)
*Marital Status:* Not attached

*Occupation:* Graduate History Student (University of Massachusetts)
*Current Residence:* Cambridge, Massachusetts

Born in a small rural town, Joseph found himself totally unprepared for awakening. It wasn't until college that he fully understood or could control his powers, and in that manner they remained a secret.

He used his status as a history major at UMass to research all things arcane, using all resources he could get his hands on at the library there. During his studies, he found another who shared his interests, Charles Walker, and the two grew fairly close. One day, Joseph entered Charles' study unanounced, only to find the other moving books around magically. Delighted at knowing another like himself, Joseph told Charles everything about his limited mystical career. In turn, Charles taught Joseph some of what he knew of magic.

Joseph learned much over the course of his time with Charles, learning about the essence of magic, Prime, Mind, and Time. However, he learned nothing of paradox, cabals, or orders. Only through natural caution did he not suffer from the first, nor the attention of the other two.

However, when graduation came around Charles had gained entry into the Tremere. Through his true name, Charles has repeatedly attacked Joseph, and only through luck has he survived thus far. Recently, Joseph has hidden his trail from Charles, but the problem remains unresolved. Daily wards from scrying are all that separate him from his predator.

Through his experience with Charles, Joseph learned the rudiments of magic, but his knowledge is incomplete at best. He depends mostly on his sheer power to perform spells, in a way that other mages might describe as brutish. Pushing spells through carelessly, many of his spells go awry. Furthermore, his knowledge of true magic is blended in with his knowledge of the occult in general (he can't read high atlantean). Still to suffer from a paradox, he has no qualms about casting spells when he needs to. Only his natural caution, and his fear of Charles, stay his hand.

Since then, he has experimented with Sleepers, attempting to figure out the things that go with awakening. As of yet, he has had no success. In fact, he has yet to witness an awakening other than his own. In the cabal, he hopes to find out something of awakening from the other members, and to apply it to his study of sleepers.

He chose Prometheus as a shadow name to finally hide his true name, only several days before he joined the cabal. He chose it to represent giving 'fire', or magic, to the sleepers. In reality, its meaning more closely resembles 'forethought' of awakening a personal army.[/sblock]
[sblock=chronicle so far]
As a trial by the Nemean, Promeheus (partnered with thorn) encountered a really sad child ghost who likely had his soul sucked out by the tremere lich whos aura tainted the room. He also encountered a random succubus, who he never saw, and was not actually affected by. Then there was the _first_ spirit of alpha. He seemed quite out of it, but vanished utterly at pictures of real places in 'beta'.
[/sblock]

[/sblock]

Cool background. Is there anything that should be added possibly came up later in either thread?


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## Thondor (Apr 6, 2009)

*Thorn*

[sblock=Picture and description]





Age: 18
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 130 lbs.
Hair: Black
Eyes: Green

[/sblock]

[sblock=Character sheet]
Real Name: Juno Reyes

Concept:?

Virtue: Fortitude
Vice: Pride

Ruling: Life, Forces
Inferior: Fate
Order: Adamantine Arrow

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2
Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3
Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 3

Mental Skills: Academics 1, Occult 3
Physical Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 3, Drive 1, Firearms 1, Stealth 2, Weaponry 1
Social Skills: Expression 2, Intimidate 2, Socialize 2, Streetwise 1

Health: 8
Willpower: 5
Wisdom: 7

Size: 5
Speed: 10
Initiative: 6
Defense: 3
Armor:

Gnosis: 2
Mana: 7 (max: 11, 2/turn)
Nimbus: Jaguar Sun

Arcana:
Death 1
Forces 1
Life 2
Spirit 2

Rote Specialties: Athletics, Intimidation, Medicine
Rotes:
Dedicated Magical Tool: Mayan Ritual Dagger

Mage Merits: Gnosis +1 ***
Social Merits: Striking Looks **, Mentor **

[/sblock]

Rotes - You have 6 dots to spend. (rotes lower the mana cost by one and paradox chance by 1die)

Merits - Your missing the 1-dot High Speech Merit p 84 (You get it for free for being part of and order). What’s the rule for raising your Gnosis with merits? I can’t seem to find it.

Specialties - You didn’t pick any. You should have three.

Experience - Did you do anything with it yet? 

[sblock=background]
Place of Birth: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Relatives: Hector Reyes (Father), Hugo Reyes (Uncle)
Mentor: "Papa Chango" (AKA Hugo Reyes)
Marital Status: Single

Occupation: Store Clerk
Current Residence: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Hee! I will have the full story up soon. Also the 6 "levels" of freebie rotes we start with.

'Papa Chango' is not just his Shadow Name...it's the name he runs his shop under, though not his legal name. One of the weirder things he does is dress up in a Chinese getup and actually has one of those long thin goatee-type mustaches and the whole bit. Then he talks in a fake Chinese accent.

He's pretty obviously a Hispanic guy pretending to be Chinese though.

I suspect he's either Adamantine Arrow or Mysterium...I am still brainstorming him. Suggestions are always welcome.

One of the reasons I'm making Juno so young is to justify her lack of dots in Sanctum and Resources. I do plan on spending early exp on those things, to represent her becoming more independent.

[/sblock]

Is your father a police officer? Were you simply leaving that as undefined at the moment?
I  feel I may have missed something for your background . . . Did I?


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## Thondor (Apr 7, 2009)

Chomesh

[sblock=Picture and description]





 He wears a grey suit that was expansive one-day, but is now a bit out of style.
[/sblock]


[sblock=Character sheet]
Daniel Jacob Goldstein, PI
Gender: Male Age: 26
Hair: Short, Brown Eyes: Green Ht: 6'2'' Wt: 185 pounds
Virtue: Faith Vice: Greed
Mysterium

PHYSICAL(5) MENTAL(4) SOCIAL(3)
Strength : ** Intelligence : ** Presence : **
Dexterity : *** Wits : *** Manipulation : *
Stamina : *** Resolve : *** Composure : ***

Skills:
Mental (7)
Academics * (Kabbalah)
Computer *
Medicine *
Occult **
Investigation **

Physical (11)
Athletics *
Brawl **
Drive *
Firearms *** (pistol, lt.)
Larceny *
Stealth **
Weaponry * (knife)

Social (4)
Intimidation *
Persuasion *
Streetwise *
Subterfuge *


Merits (7):
Status 1 (PI), Language 2 (German, Ifrit), High Speech (bonus, Magical Tradition 2 (Kabbalah), Status 1 (Mysterium), Mentor 1


Health: 8
Willpower: 6
Wisdom: 7

Arcana (Prime & Space ruling, Death inferior)
Space 2
Prime 2
Spirit 1

Rotes
Twisting Threads / Untouchable (Space 2, Armor)
Nothing up my Sleeve / Apportation (Space 2)
Eye of the Magus / Supernatural Vision (Prime 1)
Analyze Enchanted Item / Artfact Hunt (Prime 1)


Mana 7

Size: 5 Speed: 11 Initiative: 6
Defense: 3 Armour: - (normally uses Untouchable)

Equipment (worn): light pistol, ammo, watch, clothing, poceket-knife.
[/sblock]

Acanum - your short one arcanum dote. I think you may have meant to put a third dot in space.

Merits - besides High Speech you have “Magical Tradition (Kabbalah) 2" I’m not sure what this means. Is there a scection on magical traditions that I have overlooked?

Speed- it should be 10 not 11

Nimbus – have you decided on one?

Magical Tool(s) – have you picked one?


[sblock=background]
Former police officer, turned PI
He will be viewing magic through the lens of Kabbalah (not the new age, but the real thing). Specializing in Spirit, Fare and /or Space. (actually prime and space)

After loosing his job for taking money from the wrong persons, DJ settled down as a private investigator. Loosing his apartment, sportscar and girl-friend (in that order) he began a new life Boston.


I will wirte-up a day in life for DJ and post it at the beginning of the next week

The only reason I became a PI was because I lost my police job.
My granddad was a cop, my father, my uncles, all cops. Back then, cops were the law and cops had respect. By the time I became a cop, it was a whole another game. Sensitivity classes, social working, civilian review board, police brutality suits, corruption…
Now, don’t get it wrong here, I wasn’t let go because I was crooked… ok, I was. I know it was foolish…
Thing is, being a PI wasn’t like being a cop. I used to love walking into a crime scene and trying to figure out what happened. As a PI, all you do is sleazy spy work, like trailing lying spouses getting a little extra on the side. That work gets old fast.


The car is a nice green metallic American Sedan badly in need of a wash.
Will add more later.

[/sblock]

Feel free to determine any background with Goliath if you want to. Could he have been a small part of the sour deal that got you kicked off the force? (Just one possible suggestion)

Need to indicate your mentor. I know you mention she/he was a member of the consilium previously . . .


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## Walking Dad (Apr 7, 2009)

Thondor said:


> Chomesh
> 
> 
> Acanum - your short one arcanum dote. I think you may have meant to put a third dot in space.



Yes, that would be great.



Thondor said:


> Merits - besides High Speech you have “Magical Tradition (Kabbalah) 2" I’m not sure what this means. Is there a scection on magical traditions that I have overlooked?



It is something from the Magical Traditions Supplement. I can PM you the infos, when needed.



Thondor said:


> Speed- it should be 10 not 11



 oops.



Thondor said:


> Nimbus – have you decided on one?



I think the nimbus should be something between holy and desert. Think of the place they found the grail in the Indiana Jones Films. Not old and stinky, but ancient. Light, but not holy light, but fire light, filtered through a thorn bush. The taste of smell between incense and oriental spices.




Thondor said:


> Magical Tool(s) – have you picked one?



He already used a seal of solomon (hexagram), For the other, he will use hebraic words: Written papyri or writing the words himself. 




Thondor said:


> Feel free to determine any background with Goliath if you want to. Could he have been a small part of the sour deal that got you kicked off the force? (Just one possible suggestion)



Sounds good to me. But more a bystander at the deal, not the other side.



Thondor said:


> Need to indicate your mentor. I know you mention she/he was a member of the consilium previously . . .



The Lion of Zion, rabbi and high ranking member of the consilium, more to come...


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## Shayuri (Apr 7, 2009)

Rotes - You have 6 dots to spend. (rotes lower the mana cost by one and paradox chance by 1die)

-- Odd, I thought I included those on my sheet. I'll fix that tonight. I did finally pick rotes, and they're on my sheet at home. I guess I just spaced on updating my online sheet. Sorry!

Merits - Your missing the 1-dot High Speech Merit p 84 (You get it for free for being part of and order). What’s the rule for raising your Gnosis with merits? I can’t seem to find it.

-- Ah, I missed that rules, thanks. As for raising Gnosis, there are two special Merits in the Mage book that allow this to happen. It's analogous to the merits in other books that let you raise the "magic trait" in Vampires, Werewolves, etc... In the main Mage book, look under Merits and it should be there. I'd quote it, but I don't have the book with me now.

Specialties - You didn’t pick any. You should have three.

-- Gah, yeah. I picked some of this stuff late in the process, and must've forgotten to update. Grumble. 

Experience - Did you do anything with it yet? 

-- Not yet. I was going to bank a little, and maybe wait for some downtime to narratively 'explain' the improvements.

Is your father a police officer? Were you simply leaving that as undefined at the moment?

-- Mew. Her father is actually ex-military, now working as a security guard. 

I feel I may have missed something for your background . . . Did I?

-- More than likely, since it seems I didn't put it on my sheet.

Hee. Okay...all this has a pretty easy solution. I need to update my online sheet from my home one.   I'll get that done tonight.


----------



## magic_gathering2001 (Apr 7, 2009)

Thondor said:


> You don’t have ‘rote skills’ or high speech because that requires and order. (Aside - are you looking to have you character join one at some point during the chronicle, or do you want to keep him more of an outsider?)



Hm... I think joining an order is something thta would have to be handled in character.  By that, I mean I'm not really sure if he'll be joining a faction, but its more because I haven't planned on it than because he won't if it comes up.



Thondor said:


> Rotes - You have 6 dots to spend. To help keep the ‘raw power’ idea you could buy fewer high dot rotes (1 or two 3dot rotes).



I had actually just given up the rotes entirely, because without rote skills, they don't really work.  Well, that and the fact that he hasn't actually had much formal training.  I could pick some, but I'm also fine the way it is.


Thondor said:


> Merits - I’m not sure this adds up. What’s the rule for raising your Gnosis with merits? I can’t seem to find it.



It does.  At character creation you can spend 3 merit dots to increase gnosis by 1 as many times as you want.  Prometheus used 6/7 merits to increase it by 2.


Thondor said:


> Specialties - You seem to be missing one. Was it suppose to be with subterfuge? There’s nothing between the brackets.



I had wanted one for subterfuge, but I didn't really understand the way the skill works.  I'm looking for somethng relating to maintaining a strait face under duress, but don't know what to call it.


Thondor said:


> Experience - Did you do anything with it yet?



Nope, just saving it.  When I spend it, I'll have a record on the sheet.


Thondor said:


> Cool background. Is there anything that should be added possibly came up later in either thread?



Not that I know of... Although the thread spans farther back than my memory.  Still, I can't think of anything that isn't on the sheet, so that means probably not.


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## Thondor (Apr 7, 2009)

Thanks for the detailed responses everyone. I'll get to some of the particulars of those in a moment. However I wanted to let you know that the story is now continuing. I made a judgement call on the time of day (it was 8:00pm when you arrived at cormant house, its gotta be pretty late by now)  and decided to kickstart things with some movement. For a quick link just click here 

I did find the rule for increasing Gnosis, it's on p. 66. That idex is actually pretty darn useful.


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## Thondor (Apr 7, 2009)

Walking Dad said:


> It is something from the Magical Traditions Supplement. I can PM you the infos, when needed.




Guess you'll just have to let me know when it becomes relevant. I just don't want to ignore things that players 'spent' stuff on.



Walking Dad said:


> I think the nimbus should be something between holy and desert. Think of the place they found the grail in the Indiana Jones Films. Not old and stinky, but ancient. Light, but not holy light, but fire light, filtered through a thorn bush. The taste of smell between incense and oriental spices.
> 
> He already used a seal of solomon (hexagram), For the other, he will use hebraic words: Written papyri or writing the words himself.
> 
> ...




Cool. If you could and these modifications to your character sheet/background when you get a chance that'd be great. The nimbus description is nice an openended "sacred desert" can be experience a lot of different ways.


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## Thondor (Apr 7, 2009)

Shayuri said:


> - Mew. Her father is actually ex-military, now working as a security guard.
> 
> Hee. Okay...all this has a pretty easy solution. I need to update my online sheet from my home one.   I'll get that done tonight.




I kinda of thought he might be a security guard.

Looking forward to seeing the updated version of Juno Reyes AKA Thorn


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## Thondor (Apr 7, 2009)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> Hm... I think joining an order is something thta would have to be handled in character.  By that, I mean I'm not really sure if he'll be joining a faction, but its more because I haven't planned on it than because he won't if it comes up.




All right we'll see what comes up in game.



magic_gathering2001 said:


> I had actually just given up the rotes entirely, because without rote skills, they don't really work.  Well, that and the fact that he hasn't actually had much formal training.  I could pick some, but I'm also fine the way it is.
> It does.  At character creation you can spend 3 merit dots to increase gnosis by 1 as many times as you want.  Prometheus used 6/7 merits to increase it by 2.




It's your choice obviously. But it does make you 'mechanically' weaker. Without rote skills you just giving up a bonus dice for a select number of rotes. Rotes lower the mana cost by one and paradox chance by 1die. You have a higher chance of paradox because of your high Gnosis. So that could be significant.




magic_gathering2001 said:


> I had wanted one for subterfuge, but I didn't really understand the way the skill works.  I'm looking for somethng relating to maintaining a strait face under duress, but don't know what to call it.




The one I'd use that's suggested in the core book is "Hiding Emotions". Or you could just make up your own, maybe "Pokerface".


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## magic_gathering2001 (Apr 8, 2009)

Hm... would you allow me the option of leaving the rotes open for now, and filling them in later in the chronical without spending xp?  If not, I'll probably just pass on them.

Also, I like the Pokerface specialty, so I'll go with that.


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## Thondor (Apr 9, 2009)

Hmmmm probably. but I may be a little restrictive on how you spend them. (eg. I probably won't let you get two 3 dot rotes with your character creation points, so you can spend less experience on cheaper ones.)


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## Thondor (Apr 11, 2009)

Hmmm, unbelievable how fast the play-by-post forum has moved over the past few days. Right now our thread iss on the third page! There are a couple new 'posts' from me. Maybe I didn't give you much to work with . . . a post again on Monday if I havn't heard anything from anyone. (You could just post here and say 'move it along please')

If you want to look up the rules for temenos, look up "The Astral Planes" p. 283-286 in _Mage_, and "Meditation" p. 66 in _WoD_ core book.


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## Shayuri (Apr 11, 2009)

Hey there. Sorry, just had a busy few days, couldn't update more than a few threads.

I read my little note too, but I'm kind of torn about what to do about it. I'll make up my mind and post today though. Sorry for the delay!


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## Thondor (Apr 20, 2009)

Well I should be able to devote a little more time to this now. 

Questions:
*Levana*
What do you folks want to do about Levanna? The main issue here is that I can't find any character sheet for her, so that makes keeping her involved hard. 
My thought was to have her stay out of the Temenos to be the 'trusted' person on the outside. After that, maybe slowly have her written out.
*Goliath*
If you want Goliath to go with you into the Temenos, he will. If not he won't. let me know.

If you folks can repost your updates of yout characters that I asked for soon that'd be super. 

For my part I'm going to try to make up a quick list of Characters you've met (and or heard about) and post it up here in the next few days.


PS: is it just me or did they shorten the number of threads that are displayed per page? 
I think I may have to add the links to these threads to my signiature, just so I can find them easily.


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## Thondor (May 2, 2009)

I'm moving tomorrow so I may not respond to posts for a little while. I'm going to move the story boldly forward with the next post unless something of particular interest comes up in the meantime.


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## Shayuri (May 2, 2009)

Mew. Is anyone still posting but me?


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## Thondor (May 3, 2009)

Hmm, hopefully. I have noticed that in another game I'm in Walking Dad hasn't posted in some time. Hopefully he gets back to it. (Mind you I think he usually only posts twice a week or so.)

Hopefully we'll here from them soon.

After I jump things forward if we still havn't heard anything from them, I'll send them PM's, Linking the game thread, (which hides so fast these days), abd seeing if they're still up for it.

I havn't posted much thats clearly inspiring for actions yet, so I'll try to work on that.


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## Shayuri (May 3, 2009)

Doh! I didn't even think. 

Walking Dad has left the building. Awhile back he posted in Talking the Talk that he had to stop posting for an indeterminate period.

Anyone else?


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## Thondor (May 5, 2009)

Hmm How did I miss that. 

Thoughts are peculating. Not sure how to approach this. Good thing i have sketchy access to internet at best right now. Or I might be tempted to do something . . . 

we'll wait a bit to see if Magic checks in


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## Walking Dad (May 25, 2009)

Shayuri said:


> Doh! I didn't even think.
> 
> Walking Dad has left the building. Awhile back he posted in Talking the Talk that he had to stop posting for an indeterminate period.
> 
> Anyone else?




I'm back


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## Jezrav (Jun 1, 2010)

Hi,

My name's Jez, I've been hankering after a MtA game to play in for a while now, but have been unable to find any local gaming groups willing to run or play in one, so was wondering if I could join this one?

I've never played by post before, and get busy from time to time so may not always post everyday, but shall endeavour to post at least every other day during those busy periods.

The character I have in mind to join with is an inventor and craftsman, a Free Council mage who is very much a bleeding edge technology type, trying to use it to bring magic to the masses and hoping to do away with paradox as a result of the force of collective belief an awakened world would have.  Of course, he is aware other factions don't consider this desirable or correct, and so does his best to do it in such a way that he avoids the attentions of the Veil Guardians, Banishers etc.

Hope this sits right with everyone and the game and that there is room for one more player.

Jez.


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## Shayuri (Jun 1, 2010)

This game died, I'm sorry to say. Been dead well onto a year now.

Best of luck to you though.


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