[Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition] Peripheral Mage Sight

 Out of Character (OOC):

Chronicle: Mage 2: The Dethroned Queen
Venue: Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition
Chronicle Storyteller: Jerad Sayler

Assistant Storytellers: Hannah Nyland & Alex Van Belkum

Mage Sights: Part I - Periphery

My comments to the MtA 2e are in redand provide some guidelines on how we will implement and treat the conversion or re-creation of played Characters in our current Mage chronicle (Mage 2: The Dethroned Queen).  Effective implementation dates to be determined.  The following supersedes all previous rules regarding the Mage Sight System.

I know we have talked about Mage Sights for a long long time but these rules are it for the future... but it is important.  This one of the most important things that makes a Mage no longer completely human.

Additional explanation is in this font, when it helps drive the concepts home.  

What are The Mage Sights?

Although a mage regains awareness of the world when his Awakening ends, he never again sees the world without the Supernal symbols underlying it. This Peripheral Mage Sight cannot be turned off, but a mage soon grows used to the Supernal symbols that outline phenomena closest to his Path. 

If the mage chooses to concentrate on the symbols — an exercise known as Active Mage Sight — he perceives all the attributes related to those Arcana of which he has at least rudimentary understanding. 

Finally, the mage can direct all his attention toward a single subject, blotting out all material distractions to closely examine the Supernal symbols that surround it.  Such Focused Mage Sight can reveal the subject’s deepest Mysteries, but it can attract unwanted attention from the Supernal World. 

Once Awakened, a mage can’t go back to Sleep. The Lie is exposed, and magic filters and colors everything she sees, to a greater or lesser extent. A mage can intensify her perceptions of magic and glean a great deal of information about the world around her, but doing so has risks.

The Sixth Sense of the Magus: 

What is Peripheral Mage Sight?

Peripheral Mage Sight is always active. The mage sees — rather, perceives — magical occurrences through the lens of her Path and Nimbus. Many mages experience the Periphery through senses other than 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. 

A sensual Mastigos might feel brushing, light touches on his skin, while an Acanthus might hear mercurial laughter. Many Moros sense the supernatural through their sense of smell, tasting decay and chemicals on the air. 

Deeper levels of Mage Sight rely on knowledge of the Arcana, but the Periphery responds to all supernatural events. Note, however, that Peripheral Mage Sight notices only active supernatural effects. Any supernatural attempt at concealment hides the effect from the mage, without a Clash of Wills or any other mechanical effect. 

Peripheral Mage Sight, for instance, doesn’t detect a ghost lurking quietly in Twilight. If the ghost

spends Essence, activates a Numen, or Manifests, however, this attracts the mage’s attention. Nor does Peripheral Mage Sight give any clues as to what just happened — only that magic is afoot. If the mage doesn’t have the Death Arcanum to use Active Mage Sight with, the ghost will remain a nagging sensation of something out of place at the edge of the mage’s perceptions.

Triggered automatically:

-     - 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.

-     - Triggered: Can actually wake a sleeping or unconscious mage with the source is within the range of their physical senses

    Perception Check:

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

But wait, there is more... from the early draft of MtA2.0: Signs of Sorcery!

The following Merits are approved for immediate use after character conversion:

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.

Upgrading Periphery

Deeper levels of Mage Sight rely on knowledge of the Arcana,

Two-Dot Attainments that affect Peripheral Mage Sight

The second dot of an Arcanum grants a Lesser Utility Attainment and a form of Mage Armor. Lesser Utilities are Attainments that fit into the purview of the Arcana, but don’t map to the Practices and rely more on a general understanding of the Arcanum in question than of specific spells. Below are some of the most common Lesser Utilities, though the players and the Storyteller may devise others.

Death 2: Eyes of the Dead

Passive: Her Peripheral Mage Sight reacts to even the passive presence of ghosts. They also know if something attempts to tamper with the mages soul.

Mind 2: Mind’s Eye

Passive:  Her Peripheral Mage Sight reacts to even the passive presence of  Geotics, Astral beings and Twilight projections.

The Mage also knows when something is making preternatural contact with their mind. 

Spirit 2: Spirit Eyes

Passive:  Her Peripheral Mage Sight reacts to even the passive presence of spirits and Twilight phenomena.  

And here are some extras that are self-evident and you can get away with when I am Storytelling.

Gnosis 1: Supernal Senses

Ambient Paradox - Mage can detect how much Paradox has been incurred and exactly how much paradox a spell is accumulating as it is being cast.

 Mana in Pattern – Mage knows their own mana supply

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

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

Wisdom Harm – The Mage knows when they are about to commit a Wisdom sin if it would force a Wisdom check.  The Soul and their intuitive knowledge of the mysteries allows them to identify acts and spells that would be against these natures.

The Life 2: Biofeedback

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

Space 2: Thrums

The Mage can also detect when someone is  interacting with a direct sympathetic connection.

Time 2: Temporal Tampering

The Mage knows if their past or future is being manipulated without the source being in sensory range.  

Fate 2: Destiny Integrity

Know when someone is attempting to tamper with their fate.

Forces 2: Extreme Physics

The Mage can detect the presence and intensity of extreme physics, namely dangerous environmental Tilts and
their relative intensity.

Matter 2: Canary Sense

The mage can detect that a substance they taste or smell is harmful to their patterns.