Monday, November 9, 2015

[Mage: The Awakening v1.9] Wisdom System

((Out of Character (OOC):
Chronicle: Mage 2: The Dethroned Queen
Venue: Mage: The Awakening
Chronicle Storyteller: Jerad Sayler))




VI.            Mage v1.9 Wisdom System

•          Sophia – Sophia is what the older Orders called it.  Prider’s partner and Gnosis’s counterpoint. A wise mage knows when and where to use her powers and when to show restraint.  Although most mages outwardly laud the very wise, it’s much like Sleepers agreeing that very moral people are upstanding – saintly mages exist, but most are content with being only as wise as they personally are, justify their excesses as pragmatism and point to those further down the slide as the real problem.  The Orders definitely don’t agree on what behaviors constitute “wise,” each having blind spots and behaviors they promote that can be counterproductive for a mage trying to practice restraint.

•           Precision & Regard Magic is a transformative act that leaves its mark on the soul of the practitioner. If you act without regard for consequences often enough, your grip on your spells becomes looser. Conversely, only enacting very precise imagos without side effects and keeping within the limits of your ability to deal with paradox helps build your control.  She casts spells without injuring the souls of others, and suffers fewer and lighter paradoxes.  Despite what the Orders think, morality and wisdom are not an automatic association.  Plenty of things that risk Wisdom are by their nature very immoral, such as mind controlling someone to get your way and not repairing the damage to their mental state, but mages no longer risk losing wisdom from committing mundane crimes.  This does not limit risking Wisdom to just casting spells however.


           Wisdom score as a game trait –. The Wisdom trait represents how much control a character has over her magic, and (as magic is channeled through the soul) the relative integrity and health of her soul. More than that, though, it represents how much the character cares about the impact of her magic on others.

-          High-Wisdom mages: cast magic subtly and carefully, minimizing the effects of witnessing the supernatural on Sleeper’s Integrity. They act with care for consequences, rather than abusing their gnosis to impose their own selfish ends.

-           Low-Wisdom mages: are direct and at times brutal with their spells, using too much power or creating indiscriminate spell effects because it’s easier and faster.

-          Wisdom is put at risk through acts of hubris, ignoring the consequences of one’s actions to achieve goals. Effects that damage the soul (some Death spells, or the attacks of a few supernatural monsters) can “injure” Wisdom temporarily, until their duration wears off.

-          Wisdom does *not* determine how “good” a character is – only how *careful* he is. You can have a high-Wisdom Seer of the Throne who practices extreme caution in using the Exarchs’ gift or a low-Wisdom firebrand with good intentions who casts before he looks. Mundane acts of hubris are less severe if they’re carefully preplanned; Mage is one of the few World of Darkness systems where premeditated murder is better than panicked killing in self defense!

Effects of Wisdom:

- While Gnosis determines how overtly supernatural a mage’s nimbus is, Wisdom determines how far it spreads – the lower the further.

- At permanent Wisdom 0 (not through “injury”, but hubris), a character becomes one of “the Mad”, a mage with a broken soul who has lost conscious control of her magic and “leaks” Supernal energy. Being Mad is incurable except perhaps through archmastery of Death.

- Mage characters attempting to contain a Paradox within their own pattern contest the Paradox roll by rolling Wisdom.

- High and Low Wisdom provides dice modifiers to interacting with Goetia and Supernal Entities, but not Spirits and Ghosts. Tiers and Acts of Hubris


Wisdom Tiers:Acts Of Hubris 

10. “Ascendant” Tier 10 (Sin Tier Bonus +5) (Roll five dice.)  Bonus to supernal entities, Goetia and other breaking points +2. No Nimbus Influence.
-          Making it:
o   Uses as little magic as needed and tries to not interfere with the fallen world except for the betterment of other with a resplendent hand.
o   Has an extremely well versed understanding of human nature, the supernal and fallen worlds
-          Breaking it:
o   Using magic to accomplish a task that could be achieved just as well without it
o   Selfish use of magic, using magic wantonly, trivializing the holy.
o   Selfish thoughts of what one could do with their power.


9. “Enlightened” Tier 9 (Sin Tier Bonus +4) (Roll five dice.) Bonus to supernal entities, Goetia and other breaking points +2, No Nimbus Influence.
-          Making it:
o   Magic has not changed your understanding of people or twisted your ability to see your limitations and faults
-          Breaking it:
o   Magically coercing another so that he acts against his own free will (he does not want to perform the actions the magic makes him do).
o   Minor selfish acts with magic (denying charity).


8. “Sagacious” Tier 8 (Sin Tier Bonus +3) (Roll four dice.) Bonus to supernal entities, Goetia and other breaking points +1, Nimbus influences Sensory Range
-          Making it:
o   Your sense of self may be slightly distorted, but you avoid being excessively arrogant and are mostly aware of your shortcomings. You are careful and subtle when using magic.
-          Breaking It:
o   Magically coercing another so that he violates his own moral code (i.e., he is forced to make a degeneration roll).
o   Injury to another (accidental or otherwise) as a result of magic (direct magical bashing damage or stat loss)


7. “Subtle” Tier 7 (Sin Tier Bonus +2) (Roll four dice.) Bonus to supernal entities, Goetia and other breaking points +1, Nimbus influences Sensory Range
-          Making it:
o   You use basic safety methods to reduce Paradox and Sleeper witnesses, but your implementation is not flawless. You have a few minor vices that are enabled through your magic.
-          Breaking it:
o   Laying a trivial curse on someone
o   Petty theft or spiteful/fickle magical acts such as minor tricks or pranks
o   Not attempting to limit Sleeper witnesses or cover up magic


6. “Measured” Tier 6 (Sin Tier Bonus +1) (Roll three dice.) Bonus to supernal entities, Goetia and other breaking points +0, Nimbus influences Intimate/Sensory Sympathetic Connections,
-          Making it:
o    You do not intentionally expose Sleepers to obvious magic, though you are not restrained enough to avoid the occasional accident. You’ve loosened the leash on your vices a little more; though your acts are selfish, they are generally not life-threatening and don’t cause massive harm.
-          Breaking it:
o   Forcibly binding an unwilling sentient being or spirit to a place (such as through Mind or Spirit magic) or task (such as casting a Fate geas upon a subject).
o   Magic used to commit Grand theft (burglary).
o   Getting sleepers caught in a spell or accidentally allowing your vulgar magic to be witnessed


5. “Incautious” Tier 5 (Sin Tier Bonus +0) (Roll three dice.) Bonus to supernal entities, Goetia and other breaking points +0, Nimbus influences Intimate/Sensory Sympathetic Connections,
-          Making it:
o   You take precautions with your magic when it is convenient to you, and ignore them at other times. You don’t mind inconveniencing others with your magic in up to moderate ways.
-          Breaking it;
o   Magically transforming a person into a lesser being against his will.
o   Intentional, mass property damage with magic.
o   Allowing Sleepers to witness Vulgar magic on purpose
o   Not attempting to contain minor paradox
o   Making an innocent person afraid for their life through displays of magic


4. “Heedless” - Tier 4 (Sin Tier Penalty -1) (Roll three dice.) Bonus to supernal entities, Goetia and other breaking points -1, Nimbus influences Acquainted/Intimate/Sensory Sympathetic Connections,
-          Making it:
o   Your control over magic has made you increasingly arrogant and permissive with yourself. You prioritize accomplishing your goals over taking precautions and avoiding causing harm.
-          Breaking it:
o   Using magic to harm someone (bashing damage).
o   Draining another's Mana against his will.
o   Creating a soul stone (and hence, limiting one's Gnosis potential.)
o   Impassioned crime (like manslaughter) because of magic.
o   Not attempting to contain a severe paradox
o   Creating sapient beings


3. “Reckless” Tier 3 (Sin Tier Penalty -2) (Roll two dice.) Bonus to supernal entities, Goetia and other breaking points -1, Nimbus influences Acquainted/Intimate/Sensory Sympathetic Connections,
-          Making it:
o   Your worldview and perceptions of others are becoming highly distorted. You can create all sorts of justifications for harming others with magic or using it recklessly.
-          Breaking it:
o   Forcefully abducting and/or exiling another person (mage or Sleeper) into the Shadow Realm
o   Causing someone to become possessed or dominated by a spirit or entity against her will.
o   Handling souls (with good intentions)
o   Premediated murder with magic (lethal)
o   Planned crime using magic that will harm someone gravely


2. “Apathetic” Tier 2 (Sin Tier Penalty -3) (Roll two dice.) Bonus to supernal entities, Goetia and other breaking points -2, Nimbus influences Known/Acquainted/Intimate/Sensory Sympathetic Connections,
-          Making it:
o   You feel at least some remorse for your reckless or harmful actions, or question them somewhat, but do little about it. There is still not much you would not do, but there’s a small chance for a turnaround.
-          Breaking it:
o   Intentionally preventing an Awakening.
o   Handling of souls (without good intent)
o   Using magic to murder someone impulsively (lethal)
o   Casual/callous crime (serial murder) with magic
o   Making deals with the Abyss
o   Profaning the supernal
o   Allowing a supernal being to be destroyed by the Fallen World


1. “Unrepentant” Tier 1 (Sin Tier Penalty -4) (Roll two dice.) Bonus to supernal entities, Goetia and other breaking points -2, Nimbus influences Encountered/Known/Acquainted/Intimate/Sensory Sympathetic Connections,
-          Making it:
o   Your only limits are your imagination and the consequences which may come for your actions.  The world is your oyster and you are a god within it.  It is your right to do what thou wilt and use your magic freely and without all but the barest shred of restraint.
-          Breaking it:
o   Stealing a soul, devouring a soul, destroying a soul
o   Annihilating with magic (agg damage)
o   Utter magical perversion, heinous act (mass murder) with magic
o   Direct mental contact with the Abyss
o   Allowing a supernal being to be consumed by the Abyss
o   Extreme and cruel premediated harm with magic that causes the victim intense suffering for a prolonged period of time (especially involved torture as well as fates worse than death).


0. “Mad” Tier 0 (Sin Tier Penalty N/A) (Roll N/A dice.) Bonus to supernal entities and Goetia -3, Nimbus influences Encountered/Known/Acquainted/Intimate/Sensory Sympathetic Connections,
-          None, you are one of the Mad.
-          You have lost control of yourself and your magic
-          Your soul has cracked open and you are leaking supernal energy into the world uncontrollably.

Committing Acts of Hubris: Characters roll the appropriate dice for their current Wisdom Score based on their act. Depending on the tiers in-between the act of Hubris in question the roll for committing these special kinds of Breaking Points, the character takes bonuses or penalties based on how bad an act is.  Sub-Virtue and Sub-Vice (Obsession) can also add further bonuses or penalties. Being at a certain tier also adds its own bonuses against breaking points caused by other things.

Adding Breaking Points: When a player creates their character or moves to a new tier, they also define at least one custom act of hubris that would risk Wisdom for their character.  These are added to the Break Point surveys.

Each tier has a number of dice associated with it. When your character commits an act of hubris, you roll that many dice. If your act was in service to your Virtue, add a die. If it was in the pursuit of an Obsession (magical Sub-vice) lose a die. Failure loses a dot and imposes a condition (persistent for dramatic failure) from a different list for mages than those used in Integrity.

Attainments: Using a Legacy Attainment is never an act of hubris – the character’s gnosis and soul are altered to accept that act, so it doesn’t risk the soul’s stability.

Inuring: If a mage suffers Wisdom loss through use of a spell, she can choose to wipe that spell from future acts of hubris; any future uses will not incur Wisdom loss. If she chooses to do this, to inure herself to the spell’s hubris, it forever becomes Vulgar and a Paradox risk. From that point forward, every use of the inured spell forces a base +2 die Paradox risk. Your character may inure herself to the effects of one spell per dot of Gnosis.  These spells should be annotated on your Breaking Point sheet and Magic tab of your character sheet.

 What does this have to do with Integrity (Sanity/Sleeper Law/Social Convention?)  - Wisdom can drop from regular breaking points (theft, murder) or witnessing horrible mind-bending monsters.  This shift should make sense.  If the circumstances for the drop in Wisdom don’t make sense (The mage stole someone’s wallet without magic) then the Storyteller can opt to have the Mage retain their current tier of Wisdom and instead take a Persistent Condition (usually in the form of an applicable derangement)




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