((Out of Character (OOC):
Chronicle: Mage 2: The Dethroned Queen
Venue: Mage: The Awakening
Chronicle Storyteller: Jerad Sayler))
Venue: Mage: The Awakening
Chronicle Storyteller: Jerad Sayler))
VI. Mage v1.9 Wisdom System
• 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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