[Mage: The Awakening] Fetishes Indepth: Part VI: Design System

((Out of Character (OOC) Document))
Chronicle: Mage 2: The Dethroned Queen

Venue: Mage: The Awakening (Fallen World Chronicle)

Chronicle Storyteller: Jerad Sayler

Cannibalized from Werewolf: The Forsaken Source book: Lore of the Forsaken)) 

Fetishes In-Depth

A Pentacle Academy lecture series by Daduchos Gabrielle and Thunderbolt Guardian Anton (MD), Dean of the Adamant College.

Part Six: Fetish Design System (4 Steps)

This four-step system will help you evaluate the level of a fetish. It is important that you realize this is not a system for construction, just a means of assessing the relative level of a fetish. It works by assigning a numerical value of points to each ability or power of the fetish and then adding them up. Compare this total to the chart below, and you’ll have a good idea of the correct level to assign a newly minted fetish.

Talens can also be evaluated by this system for Storytellers and players who want to check that these items are not too powerful.

STEP ONE: FIND THE POWERS

First, you need to define all the fetish’s abilities — the powers or benefits it gives the character. The best way to keep track of this is to just write them down separately, or you may just want to underline or highlight them. For example, the Claw Stick from Werewolf: The Forsaken allows a mundane stick or blunt object to inflict lethal damage — that’s its power. Spirit Wings, on the other hand, has two powers: it allows the user to fall silently and levitate, and each power adds to the point total.

For the purposes of evaluation, it’s unimportant if the fetish has more than one spirit. After all, some single spirit fetishes have more than one power. The power level descriptions and the fetish point total for each one are the major guidelines.

STEP TWO: ADD ENHANCEMENTS

Take a look at the descriptions of the powers again, looking for words that describe how the powers function, how long they function and what kind of action it takes for them to be activated. Ones that give an extra benefit are called enhancements. Enhancements can make a relatively weak power strong. For instance, a fetish that gives a character +2 to all Mental tasks for an hour is certainly stronger than one that gives the same benefit for a mere turn.

Enhancements are broken down into major and minor forms. In almost all cases, two minor enhancements will increase the final rank of a fetish by one. One major enhancement will also likely increase rank by one. Add the points from enhancements to the fetish point total.

                                                                                                                    

STEP THREE: SUBTRACT RESTRICTIONS

Now, look again at the description, but this time, look for things that limit the power or powers of the fetish.  These work essentially like enhancements: they’re broken into major and minor restrictions, but they subtract from the fetish point total, rather than add to it. Paralleling enhancements, two minor restrictions or one major Restriction will drop the fetish’s rank by one.

This is a very tricky step. It’s easy to talk yourself into restrictions that really aren’t there. For example, look at the four-dot fetish from Werewolf: The Forsaken First Edition, Man’s Hammer. It’s a powerful fetish that completely destroys man-made objects. It does have some limitations that are pretty easy to pick out: “The object cannot be larger than the user himself and cannot be composed of more than one material.” Your first guess would be that both of these are pretty, well, restrictive. Think about this fetish in your game. Is this really worth two separate restrictions? Is not being able to destroy the entire Great Sphinx in one blow a restriction? No, clearly not, but not being able to destroy a car, a bomb or an ATM due to the many materials that make them up is a worthy restriction.

Take care that a restriction is not really a power in disguise. For instance, a pigment that only werewolves can see is not a restriction, but a powerful ability. Subtract the value of the restrictions, and you now have the fetish point total.

STEP FOUR: COMPARE FE T ISH POINT TOTALS

If the point total is way off from what you were shooting for, say by 5 points or more, this system should give you some ideas about how to tweak the fetish’s description to bring it in line. Perhaps you need to just revise your idea entirely. If the fetish is less than 5 points off, then it may not need any real tweaking. This is something that the Storyteller needs to make a call on based on her interpretation of the rules for the chronicle.

FE T ISH LEVEL ASSESSMENT CHART

Fetish Points Fetish Level

<= 10 1

11-20 2

21-30 3

31-40 4

41+ 5

<= 30 Talen

STEP FIVE: GUT CHECK

There isn’t a single rules system out there that can’t be broken or exploited. Once the final bit of math is done, look at the fetish overall and compare it to the general guidelines for fetish power (Werewolf: The Forsaken). The Storyteller has the final say here as to whether a fetish appears to be too powerful or weak for its final rating. If something seems to be a little off, it may have to have a duration tweaked. Overall, remember that fetishes should be useful, but they should not contribute more power to the character than his nature does. The greater focus of the game is on the abilities internal to the character, and fetishes shouldn’t shift that focus.

The Gut Check step is the most important one. The storyteller should take a look at the fetish, compare it to other powers and fetishes the character has, and look for any particularly unbalancing combinations. The storyteller should also compare the incoming fetish to published fetishes of the same level. If at any point the storyteller is not satisfied, or otherwise feels as though the fetish doesn’t work well with other elements within the scope of their authority, they should either go to the player with their concerns or, if this is not workable, deny the fetish.

Putting It All Together

Every single fetish needs to have the following information, for the storytellers to make informed decisions about your fetish. It should further be noted that each fetish requires its own application – multiple fetishes can be lumped into one application if they are similar or identical.

• Fetish Name: What is it called?

• Fetish Level: How many dots is it?

• Physical Description: What does your fetish look like? Does it always come in one form, or could this be crafted some other way?

• Spirit: What spirit is housed within the fetish?

• The Deal: What sort of chiminage was provided to the spirit to get it to agree to reside within the fetish? Or did your character lock the spirit in a binding circle and force it into the fetish?

• Descriptive Paragraph: Technically, this is optional, but highly recommended, as this describes how everything fits together.

• Point Breakdown: Each Power, Enhancement, and Restriction needs to be listed out, with its associated number of points alongside it.

• Durability: Described in corebook, Durability is the measure of the fetish’s hardness. Use the chart in the CoD Corebook or other source material determine your fetish’s Durability. Many fetishes will be rated at a one or a two – however, remember that Durability is enhanced by the rating of the fetish. Therefore, a 2‐dot fetish with a “natural” Durability of 2 has a reinforced Durability of 4. List this as the natural Durability, followed by the reinforced figure in parenthesis. For instance, the example above would read “Durability 2 (reinforced 4)”.

• Size: There is a chart for fetish sizes on p.139 in Lore of the Forsaken. Use this to determine the Size of your fetish, and list it.

• Structure: This is the sum of the (reinforced) Durability, and Size of the fetish. So, if the example fetish above is a Size 1 item (say, a skull of some sort), its Structure is 5

• Damage: If applicable, list the Damage rating of the fetish, followed by the damage type abbreviated in parenthesis afterward. By way of an example, a fetish greatsword would be listed “Damage: 4=3 (L)”.

Fetish Design Template

Fetish Name:

Fetish Level:

Spirit:

Physical Description:

Deal Struck:

Durability: (reinforced to) Structure:

Size: Damage:

Power List

Power: Points:

Power: Points:

Power: Points:

Enhancement List

Enhancement: Points:

Enhancement: Points:

Restrictions List

Restriction: Points:

Restriction: Points:

Point Total:

Total Fetish

Rank: