[Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition] Legacy: Orphans of Proteus

 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

Legacy Conversion: Caissa's Orphans of Proteus

The following is a conversion by our very talented Hannah Nyland of the original Legacy: Orphans of Proteus to a version for use in Mage: The Awakening Second Edition for our friend Ethen's character: Caissa.

Source: The original version of the Orphans of Proteus can be found in the 1st edition of Mage: The Awakening corebook.

“Am I not both man and beast, one and the same? 

I say that this makes me more than man or beast alone.”

Parentage: Thyrsus (no Orders)

Nickname: Shifters, Ferals (derogatory)

Suggested Oblations: A sacred hunt; the ritual acting out of an animal’s behavior; the ceremonial offering of food to animals; the ritual arrangement of rocks and stones in a certain area; sacred gardening.

Yantras: Blood or organs from a recent kill (+1), Animal leather, fur, or teeth (+1), Howling, snarling, or other animalistic vocalizations/behavior (+1), Succeeding on a relevant Animal Ken or Survival check prior to casting (+2), Wild animal/s utilized in the casting (+2)

Concepts: Ecologists and conservationists, animal wranglers, rural hermits, tribal or “primitive” folk

Ruling Arcanum: Life

Prerequisites: Gnosis 2, Life 1, Animal Ken 2 and Survival 2, relevant specialty in Animal Ken or Survival

History:

They have been with us since before the beginning. Before even the Time Before and Atlantis called. Before apes learned to walk upright and pile stones atop one another to make their caves. Before man chose to set himself apart from beasts and trees and rocks, they knew the truth: that the circle of life is broad enough to include all things “organic” and “inorganic,” that this great wheel turns easily from one form to another, that man and beast and tree and rock are one.

It was they who first took to the grazing-fields, to follow the comings and goings of the herds. And when they had learned the steps of the herd-dance and could sing the words of the herd-song, they put on themselves the skins of the herd-dress and slept in the cold and rain until they became part of the herd itself. It was they who first ran with the wolves and learned the worth of honesty when the wolves pointed toward unseen prey in hopes of sharing the kill. And it was they who stalked against the great cats and learned the value of deception, letting other hunters pass by in hopes of keeping the “lion’s share” of the kill for themselves. They it was who flew with the birds, crept with the vines and slept with the stones. They went where others could not go and did what others could not do.

They learned the lessons that life taught from every angle and brought their knowledge back to their tribes to teach the business of living. They sought wisdom to lead their tribes out of darkness and cold and hunger, and set mankind on a path that would eventually lead to civilization. But mankind mistook its new powers of stewardship over the land as mastery, and regarded the animals, plants and rocks only as resources to be plundered rather than as partners in the circle of life. In their hubris, they forgot the wisdom that they had taught and dismissed their utterances as backward superstition.

They who had sacrificed the semblance of their humanity for the greater good were now cast out. Ostracized and despised, they were relegated to the status of monsters and bogeymen used to frighten unruly children. The mighty warriors who had once donned hide and claw and fang in the service of their people were now cast in the role of bloodthirsty murderer. Those who lived by the old lore of leaf and stone were hunted down and torn to pieces or burned in public spectacle. The horns and hooves of the most sacred were denounced as emblems of evil.

All the oldest languages of the world once had a name for them, most now forgotten. In modern English, they are known as the Orphans of Proteus, for their metamorphosis ability. Some say they, not the Atlanteans, were the very first humans to Awaken, and some even go so far as to suggest that all other types of magic are derived from theirs.

Whether that is true or not, many now consider them to be a dying breed. Marginalized by the encroachment of civilization, they are usually found only at the fringes of mage society. They engage in few formalities, and the kinship of spirit they share is something that is felt, unspoken, deep within their souls.

Inheritors of the Proteus Legacy can be unnerving, not only to other mages, but to those who know nothing of magic. Social customs and mores — at least, those of the modern civilized world — mean little to them, and they may at times break laws, cross boundaries or ignore table manners and dress codes without compunction. This is not to say that they are dumb brutes. Members may exhibit as much intelligence and compassion as any other sorcerer. They tend to be plainspoken, even rudely blunt, and act impulsively upon primal urges known only to them. For those who have experienced the non-human world directly, such phrases as “nature red in tooth and claw” or “the force that through the green fuse drives the flower” are no mere poetic conceits, but the very bedrock of reality.

Appearance:

The more time an Orphan spends using her attainments — whether they provide animal, vegetable or mineral features — the more likely she is to physically resemble that form in some way. Common features include excessive hairiness, a forward-slumping posture, enlarged teeth and nails, overdeveloped ears or nose, iridescent eyes, dermatological conditions that cause the skin to resemble the bark of a tree, or an angular craggy profile like the face of a cliff. In general, all scratches, scars, rashes, infections and other outwardly visible ailments that might mark the mage while in animal form remain visible in an analogous place on his human form, (although these features tend to fade over time if the Orphan avoids frequent use of his attainments).

Background:

 It is generally assumed that Orphans come almost exclusively from beyond the fringes of civilization — rural areas, remote wildernesses or underdeveloped nations — and this is often the case. As such places dwindle and disappear, however, more inheritors of the Proteus Legacy can be found in cities and suburbs, taking on the forms of domesticated animals, cultivated plants and manufactured objects. Of these, some may be descendants of tribal cultures that knew and respected the power of the Orphans, while others have rejected modern culture and attempt to reconstruct and/or reclaim earlier values that they consider to be safer, healthier and (so to speak) more humane.

Organization:ir

 All Orphans are Thyrsus, Awakened to the Watchtower of the Primal Wild. While they are often initiated into one order or another (although some are nameless), they tend to spurn the traditional politics and schemes of Awakened society, retreating to the wilderness as soon as they adopt this Legacy. Most Orphans tend to be either solitary hermits or isolated, clannish groups, so they have little in the way of overall social organization. Affinity groups may spontaneously form along the lines of preferred habitats, species, phylum or kingdom. Regional groups tend to form around places like virgin wilderness, wildlife refuges or well-conceived parks as protection, or as a response against urban expansion, dumping sites and other ecological crime scenes. Communication is generally conducted through non-human media, with speech expressed in the languages of animals, and with “written” messages formed by anomalous plant growth or geological formations. Orphans tend to claim certain territories, which brings them into conflict with other supernatural beings that might want such territories for their own purposes. Some Orphans are nomadic, following the migratory patterns of birds or herd animals, or the hunting habits of certain predators.

Attainments

Most Orphans work to emulate a particular life form, such as a bear, cat, eagle or even a tree. Some eccentrics choose to delve into the mysteries of mineral “life.”

1^st: Animal Friend

Prerequisites: Initiation
Practice: Knowing
Primary Factor: Potency
Duration: Defaults to Advanced Duration Table, the basic Attainment lasts a scene.

The Shifter embraces their bestial nature, bringing them closer to true communion with nature. This Attainment functions as a fusion of Life 1 “Speak with Beasts” and Life 2 “Enhanced Senses” that can be turned on with a simple act of concentration. The Shifter is able to communicate with animals and animal-like creatures, and gains a bonus equal to the initiate's dots in Life on these interactions. In addition, their senses become sharpened for the hunt - hearing, sight, and sense of smell are improved. The mage can track scent trails with their nose, and gains a bonus to Perception checks equal to the initiate's dots in Life.

2^nd: Lion’s Hide
Prerequisites: Gnosis 2-3, Life 2, Another relevant specialty in Animal Ken or survival

Practice: Shielding
Primary Factor: Potency
Duration: Indefinite 

As an Orphan of Proteus grows in strength, their human body will changes to emulate the natural world. Many of these changes are largely cosmetic - feathers, pointed ears, tufts of fur, yellow eyes - while others are drastic - barbed stingers, unhinged jaws, fins, even shells. But the one change that all Shifters have in common is a toughening of the body; like the fabled Nemean Lion, they develop a hide nigh impervious to blades or bullets.

System: The shifters gain natural armor equal to their dots in Life against physical attacks, such as arrows, swords, claws, gunshots, etc. This stacks with mage armor and body armor, but doesn’t apply against attacks that don’t rely on piercing skin or maiming organs to do damage - for example, a mental assault, certain spirit numen, an electrical current, etc.

Optional Component “Stone Skin”: Matter 2.  When struck, the Orphan of Proteus briefly shifts their skin, blood, and vital organs into hardened stone. At any time in the round, the Shifter may reduce Lethal or Aggravated damage they take to Bashing damage by reflexively spending 1 mana , so long as it’s against a source of damage where Lion’s Hide would normally apply. This can be applied against multiple attacks in a round, but the total amount of damage that can be reduced per round is equal to the Shifter’s dots in Matter. Lethal damage is always blocked before Aggravated damage. This does not stack with the merit Iron Skin, as it’s effectively a much more powerful version of it.

3^rd: Beast Gift

Prerequisites: Gnosis 4-5, Life 3, Animal Ken 3 and Survival 3
Practice: Perfecting
Primary Factor: Potency
Duration: Defaults to Advanced Duration Table, the basic Attainment lasts a scene.

As animals develop adaptions to their environment, so does the Shifter to theirs, spontaneously manifesting the features of another living thing. This attainment functions as Life 3 “Transform Life”, with Potency equal to the mage’s dots in Life, but can only be applied to the Shifter themselves. They gain one new animal feature per point of Potency assigned. Note that these adaptions must be something that a mundane animal could plausibly develop in nature, even if the Shifter then takes the feature to an extreme.  Some examples include:

• Claws: The subject gains savage claws, granting her a +1 weapon damage bonus and do lethal damage.
• Environmental Adaptation: Like creatures adapted for life deep underwater or inhospitable deserts, the subject gains the ability to survive pressure, extreme heat or cold (up to level 4 environments), and arid or moisture-heavy environments. 
• Gills/Lungs: The subject may breathe underwater (or in air, if normally aquatic) freely. 
• Immunities: The mage may grant resistance to toxins or poisonous materials, like a rat’s ability to devour even rotten food unharmed or herbivores’ ability to fully digest plant matter. 
• Leaping: Gaining powerful legs like a frog’s or kangaroo’s, the target gains a bonus to jumping rolls, increasing the distance leaped by each success on the Athletics roll. 
• Prehensile Tail: Gain a bonus to rolls related to balance or climbing equal to Potency. 
• Senses: The subject gains a new sense, such as echolocation, primitive infravision, or a keen sense for vibrations, granting a bonus to Perception rolls and the ability to perceive phenomena outside the human senses. 
• Tentacles: The subject may make grappling attempts against targets up to her Size in feet away. 
• Venom: The subject gains fangs or small stingers (damage bonus 0) capable of injecting venom with a Toxicity equal to the spell’s Potency. Must grapple first unless a second level of this adaptation is taken. If taken with Tentacles, the Venom may be delivered automatically by any successful move during a grapple. 
• Wall-Crawling: The subject (which can be no larger than Size 7) gains the ability to climb on surfaces without equipment or even handholds, provided the surface can bear her weight

I would allow stacking of certain features to gain additional bonuses.

Optional Component “Perfect Shifting”: Matter 3. The Shifter bolsters their animal form through non-organic features that make them physically stronger and more durable, such as bones reinforced with hard crystal or powerful stone hands. When using Beast Gift, the Shifter may choose to assign the points in Potency to boosting their Physical attributes (As with Life 3 “Honing the Form”) in addition to or instead of giving themselves physical adaptions. They may mix and match between the two as they like, so long as they do not exceed the Attainment’s Potency with their combined adaptions, or exceed the Shifter’s Attribute caps.

4^th: Mend the Hunt’s Wounds

Prerequisites: Gnosis 6-7, Life 4, Another relevant specialty in Animal Ken or survival
Practice: Patterning
Primary Factor: Potency

Living things must come into conflict with others to survive; so nature decrees. This Attainment helps the Shifter to recoup after such an encounter. With an instant action, they heal one point of Bashing or Lethal damage to themselves per their dots in Life. By spending a point of mana in the casting, Aggravated damage can be healed as well, and by spending a point of Willpower, the healing can be made reflexive (though it can still only occur on the mage’s turn).

Optional Component “Heal the Earth”: Matter 3. Functions as a variation on Matter 3 “Nigredo and Albedo”. When the mage uses this power on themselves, they may also choose to also heal the earth in an area around them equal to their Gnosis in yards. Within this zone, inorganic structures or tools made from natural materials (stone, wood, clay, etc) are mended by a number of Structure equal to the Shifter’s Matter, dead plants burst into full bloom, poisoned earth is revitalized, and impurities in ore and jewels disappear. Individual elements cannot be excluded from the area of effect, but the attainment does not affect animals or sapient creatures.

]

5^th: Free Shape

Prerequisites: Gnosis 8-9, Life 5, Animal Ken 4 and Survival 4

Practice: Patterning
Primary Factor: Potency
Duration: Defaults to Advanced Duration Table, the basic Attainment lasts a scene.

Sometimes, true wisdom comes from the ability to become something else, and no one is better than that than an Orphan of Proteus. This attainment functions similarly to Life 4 “Shapechanging”, but with some additional benefits. The shifter may become any natural living creature that exists (or a mixture of several different ones), but they must still obey the laws of physics in their new body - fantastical creatures such as dragons are not possible. The shifter does not have to contend with animal instincts in this new form, and their clothes and equipment become a part of their new form unless they deliberately choose to exclude them. Unlike Shapechanging, it’s a easier to become a huge creature; their new size can range from anywhere from 1 - 30 (rodent to whale sized) without needing to make a roll. In addition, the transformation can be made into a reflexive action by spending a point of Willpower.

System: The mage can incorporate a number of animal shapes as their dots in Life.  The stats provided by these shapes are left up to the Storyteller and Player to design and approve.  Refer to the bestiary stats of animals through the nWoD/CoD sourcebooks.  Like all the other shifter abilities, they can only act upon the shifter.

Optional Component “Man-made Beast”: Matter 5. By incorporating Matter into the spell, the Orphan of Proteus can work inorganic structures into their transformation; diamond tipped claws, stone wheels, metal spikes, and stone plated skulls are only a few of the potential options.  These mineral features must be made from naturally occurring materials.

System: The shifter can add their dots in Matter as an equipment bonus split between certain skills and natural weapons.  Alternatively they can spend a Willpower point and shape-shift into an inanimate materials that naturally occur in nature.