[Mage: The Awakening] Mage Sight Part 1: Peripheral

 ((Out of Character (OOC):

Chronicle: Mage 2: The Dethroned Queen
Venue: Mage: The Awakening v1.9
Chronicle Storyteller: Jerad Sayler

Designed from MtA 2nd Edition Open Development documents on Mage Sight and Signs of Sorcery: Advanced Mage Sight as well ad house rules)) 

 IV.             The Mage Sights

These rules supersede current rules on mage sight found here: ( http://m45t1g05.blogspot.com/2015/10/ooc-m2tdq-mage-sights-v19.html )

Mage Sight represents searching for clues. It’s the mechanics of a Mage character’s insight into the world, and one of the ways a player’s choice of Path affects her character. Mage Sight is now also tied up with the Supernal World — while the “Supernal Realms” have been described as other dimensions in the past, we’re going to be much clearer in this edition that the Supernal is everywhere. The Aether is in every thunderclap, every wire, and every time a human approaches the divine.

Acanthus Sight: Choice (Fate) and Consequence (Time) – On the Path of Thorns, the world is replete with “trails”, odd time effects, and signifiers of fate acting on the world. Witches using Active Mage Sight often experience time dilation or contraction. Under Focused Mage Sight, many Acanthus see “mists” clouding mirages of past, future, or alternate times. Witches also see the thorns – visual metaphors for the branching timelines running behind and ahead of everything, which might appear as shining cracks in surfaces, ropelike, quicksilver vines, or shimmering lines in the air.

Mastigos Sight: Transgression (Space) and Confrontation (Mind) - On the Path of Scourging, the world shows how all thinking minds turn back on themselves, and how that illusionary separation and distance is. Warlocks experience warping distance, mirages, and feelings of being lost, watched, or chased. Thinking beings are surrounded by indistinct auras, wrapped in their own thoughts and emotions. Under Focused Mage Sight, many Mastigos sense chains, bars, uniforms, or other representations of imposed boundaries.

Moros Sight: Permanence (Matter) and Transition (Death) - On the Path of Doom, the world is a quiet, settled place — sounds dampen to the point of whispers, and movement seems to slow. Alchemists often see after-images of destroyed items or corpses, or look on the world through a lens of entropy and decay. Under Focused Mage Sight, Moros looking at places and people symbolizing distraction from the universe or holding on to things beyond their time (everything from a vampire’s touchstone or a ghost’s anchor to a fellow mage’s Magical Tool or a workaholic businessman’s office) see them set aside, discarded, or broken. Moros call these impressions shells or, when they’re locations, crypts.

Obrimos Sight: Power (Forces) and Command (Prime) - On the Path of Might, the world is bursting with power. Theurgists see the interactions of Forces and Prime within everything, with the sense that the material world is straining at the seams, barely able to hold the power within itself. Under Focused Mage Sight, Obrimos see the mandalas — complex, twisting patterns; visual interpretations of all forms of power and authority. Theurgists see the leader of a gang decorated in golden jewelry, hear the sun making its passage through the sky, and perceive halos around the holy.

Thyrsus Sight: Boundaries (Life) and Intercession (Spirit) - On the Path of Ecstasy, one experiences the world as the feeling of transcending the self to connect to the world around you. The world under a Thyrsus’ Mage Sight is alive – some Shamans experience a pulse, a rhythm connecting every creature, or see magic lapping in and out of Hallows like breath. Under Focused Mage Sight, every living being is clear as part of the superorganism, playing their part like individual cells in a body. Sometimes, Thyrsus deep in ecstasy glimpse totemic Beasts, supernal entities that symbolize animals, plants, spirits, and even diseases.

Mages call the world of magic they unveil with Mage Sight “The Supernal World”, and reserve “The Supernal Realms” for the experience of interacting with symbols devoid of Fallen Reality, something which only happens in Awakenings and, in theory, Ascension. The Fallen World lacks magic, but is a Lie. Under that Lie is the Supernal World, where the concrete and abstract mix. The abstract by itself is the Supernal Realms. Mage Sight comes in three levels of awareness…

Part I: Periphery 

(Peripheral Mage Sight)

Peripheral Mage Sight is the default—the baseline awareness of the strange all Awakened have. It used to be called Unseen Senses, but as that continually caused confusion with the Supernatural Merit of the same name, so we’re changing it. Every mage experiences her Periphery in a different way, linked to her Path and Nimbus. Many don’t experience it through literal sight, but as one of the other senses. 

Periphery is considered always active:

-     - Triggered: Any active/ongoing supernatural effect, condition or ability within direct sensory range, experienced through non-visual senses

-     - Triggered: Can detect the presence of a Mystery in a photograph or a video, or through a scrying window or reconstruction of the past via Postcognition

-     - Not Triggered: If these effects are veiled or masked or require a Clash of Wills to pierce it the check automatically fails.

-     - Trigger: Can actually wake a sleeping or unconscious mage with the source is within the range of their physical senses (sound, smell, touch, taste, etc).

Peripheral Mage Sight confers the following information upon a successful Perception Check if the phenomena are within sensory range:

-     - Does - Can detect the coverage area of any ongoing effect that isn’t veiled (items or wards are ‘highlighted’)

-     - Does - When a creatures spends its resources (Essence, Vitae, etc) the mage can detect the origin of the power or expenditure if within visual range.

-     - Does - Detects supernatural powers of beings in the state of Twilight but cannot detect things occurring in parallel locations (the Shadow or the Underworld for example)

-     - Does - Events of major mystical significance, like the arrival of a Supernal being or the Manifestation of a high-Rank spirit, sometimes cause disturbances that trigger the Peripheral Mage Sight of any mage in the general vicinity, sometimes even an entire city.

-     - Does Not - Detect supernatural creatures, only their non-mundane abilities and utilization of their energies

Peripheral Arcana Sensorium:  Even without a spell a mage has innate senses about the world around them.  The first dot of any Arcana grants a passive sensory ability that is always on (Mage’s start with 1 dot in each of their Ruling Arcana so those are the first).  All these Arcane Senses are extensions of this ability flavored with the knowledge of a learned Arcanum.  These senses are limited and triggered the same way as Peripheral Mage Sight. 

a.         Meta-Periphery (Gnosis 1)

                      i.      Ambient Paradox - Mage can detect the general intensity of Paradox in the area and exactly how much paradox a spell is accumulating as it is being cast.

                      ii.      Mana in Pattern – Mage knows their own mana supply

                      iii.      Personal Spell Tolerance - The mage knows how full their pattern is and what is causing it. 

                      iv.      Personal Spells Active  - within direct control

                      v.      Detect Sympathetic Casting – Know when someone is casting a spell on your sympathetically

                      vi.      Detect Incoming Spell – Know when someone is casting a spell and you are the target pattern

                      vii.      Detect Hallow – Knows when you are in the presence of a Hallow and able to perform Oblations

b.        “Dousing” (Prime 1)

                       i.      Detect the presence of a Leyline, Node or other supernatural wellspring.  No specifics and no direction, you just can feel the whelming mystical energy nearby.

c.         “Storm Caller” (Forces 1)

                       i.      Know when you are in sensory range of a focal point generating an intense force: electricity, electro-magnetic fields, heat, radiation, light, sound, kinetics.  The mage knows when they are within an area where the density of produced forces is being created. 

                      ii.      This can help know when there are subtle but rapid changes in the ambient forces around them such as subtle vibrations in the ground, a change in the barometric pressure, change in the weather, the fields produced by a person’s watch or cell phone, gets close and is transmitting.

d.        “Gauntlet Sense” (Spirit 1)

                     i.      Know the general thickness of the Gauntlet at present location.  This helps detect Loci, Verges, and other Shadow landscapes phenomena. 

                    ii.      A mage can also get a very rudimentary sense of the ambient Resonance in the area, limited to “positive” or “negative” resonance.

e.         “Biofeedback” (Life 1)

                     i.      Know the general state of your health, physical body and any sudden changes, regardless of source. 

                    ii.      They also know the general state of health in persons they touch.

f.         “Contact” (Mind 1)

                    i.      Know when something is making preternatural contact with their mind. 

                    ii.      The brain of a Mind Initiate is already a highly organized maze, they can hide memories, move things around and create a wall within his/her surface thoughts and usually this means that they have a fair chance of putting up a mental defense when contact is made (active resistance rolls). 

                   iii.      This detection allows them to take note that something outside and preternatural is attempting to influence their mind.

g.         “Trajectory” (Space 1)

                    i.      Know far they have traveled and what direction.  From the time a mage gains the knowledge of Space they continually track their relative position.  Once a route is traveled they can always follow that same path back. 

                    ii.      They also can detect inconsistencies in spatial landscape around them and follow up with Active Mage Sight. 

                   iii.      They also can measure precise distance between two points at a look on the appropriate scale. 

                   iv.      Can also detect when someone is supernaturally interacting with a direct sympathetic connection without the source being present.

h.        “Internal Clock” (Time 1)

                     i.      Know perfect internal time at all times.  Subjective amounts of time, strange dimensions, and time distortions do not interrupt the precision of the internal clock. 

                     ii.      They know when time is acting odd and can detect if their past or future is being manipulated on supernaturally them without the source being in sensory range.

i.          “Providence” (Fate 1)

                     i.      Know when someone is attempting to tamper with their fate supernaturally regardless if the cause is within sensory range. 

                     ii.      This sense can also be triggered when a highly fated event is occurring in sensory range.

                    iii.      Able to detect if they undertaken a course of action that has a serious impact on or aligns with their fate.

j.          “Discernment” – (Matter 1)

                     i.      Can spot minor imperfections in materials.  This can help spot forgeries, false walls, hidden caches, or notice fake materials.

                    ii.      Lastly the Matter mage can detect that a substance they taste or smell is harmful to their patterns. 

                    iii.      Having these ability does not bypass veils that force Clash of Wills such as a mental illusion.

k.         “Spiritual Integrity” (Death 1)

                      i.      Know if something attempts to tamper with the mages soul. 

                      ii.      Underworld gates are already detected by basic Periphery.

                     iii.      Know the density and thickness of darkness and shadows within sensory range.

                     iv.      Able to detect strong presence of Death Resonance in an area.

New Merit: Keen Periphery (••)

Prerequisites: Wits •••

Effect: Your character's Peripheral Mage Sight is unusually perceptive. When she senses an effect via Peripheral Mage Sight, she also automatically senses the Arcanum whose purview the effect falls under.

New Merit: Piercing Glance (•• or ••••)

Prerequisites: Gnosis ••

Effect: Your character may undertake a Clash of Wills to sense a concealed effect with Peripheral Mage Sight. For two dots, you suffer a -2 penalty on the roll. For four dots, your roll is unpenalized.