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
The following custom/edited/alternate Merits are approved for play:
Supernatural Lore (O to OOOOO) (Glimpses of the Unknown, pg 15)
Effect: While the Occult skill and Specialty Skills provides information about both the mundane occult world and very basic supernatural matters, there are some secrets so tightly held that those outside of the involved groups have very little chance of ever stumbling across the information. A human high priestess may know about the beliefs and practices of 13th century Celtic Druids, or even about what herbs are used for cleansing an area of a poltergeist, but no amount of Occult ability will tell her about the in-clan Discipline spread of the Daeva vampire, or the history of the Ordo Dracul. That sort of specialized information is simply not the purview of even the most skilled mundane researcher. The information exists, however, and despite the first Tradition, it will eventually fall into the hands of those who seek it.
The Supernatural Lore Merit represents the sorts of in-depth, obscure or protected information that goes above and beyond what can be obtained through the Occult Ability. Perhaps the character had the fortune (or misfortune) to interview a vampire directly. Perhaps they inherited a book of lore once possessed by their grandfather who hunted werewolves in the 1800s. Perhaps they are a member of another supernatural group and have developed a connection of exchanged information for mutual protection. Regardless of the exact form it takes, the Supernatural Lore Merit represents in-depth information about one particular Supernatural ? eld. Higher dot levels represent more specific or off-limits information.
Players must choose a specific focus for their Supernatural Lore when purchasing it. No more than one type of Supernatural Lore may apply to any particular challenge. A player may purchase multiple instances of Supernatural Lore with different specific focuses. For example, she may have Supernatural Lore (Werewolves) •, Supernatural Lore (Bloodlines) ••, and Supernatural Lore (Fetches) ••. Ultimately the decision about what specific focuses are permissible for a given player to purchase is yours. Supernaturals do not need Supernatural Lore to learn basic information about their own creature type. Certain truths just resonate, and it doesn’t take Occult or Supernatural Lore to figure out, as a vampire, that you have to drink blood or that you want to avoid sunlight and flames. Nor is it necessary for a player to have Supernatural Lore to justify knowing information he has encountered directly in game. However, if he’s trying to learn about a certain Bloodline’s weakness, Supernatural Lore: Vampires (general knowledge about all bloodsucking creatures), Kindred (specifically covering Kindred vampires), Clans (in general, or specializing in a certain Clan) or Bloodlines (in general or focusing on a certain Bloodline) may be necessary to uncover this well-hidden information.
You as a Storyteller, have final say over what information a certain Lore can cover, and which Lore specialties apply to a given situation. This Merit can be used in two ways: Remembering or Researching.
The Remembering mechanic is used when a character wants to dredge his memory for a pertinent fact that relates to the situation at hand (essentially like Encyclopedic Knowledge, but for secret supernatural information.) The player rolls Intelligence + the appropriate Supernatural Lore Merit to determine if they are able to remember a pertinent fact based on their current situation. With a single success, the information remembered may be quite trivial. Additional successes indicate the information is more pertinent or useful. A failure indicates no pertinent supernatural information is garnered, and a dramatic failure results in false (and potentially dangerous) information being brought to mind.
Researching can be done aided by the Supernatural Lore Merit as well. In any situation where a character is doing an extended Research challenge about a supernatural topic in which he has Supernatural Lore, he may add the levels of his Merit to each dice roll he makes for the purposes of gathering information on the topic.
Mage II Custom Addition: This merit may also help with certain skill checks. For example - In skill checks to come up with specific weaknesses of sub-elements of a Supernatural Lore type you may garner a +1 to +3 to the skill check based on how specific the Lore type is to the information sought. Example: Supernatural Lore (Vampiric Bloodlines) will give you a +3 to figure out a specific Bloodline’s weakness, and for this skill check the merit Supernatural Lore: Vampires will give you a +1.
Mage II Custom Addition: As Lore types can be either general or specific, more specific lore checks will receive a bonus based on the commonality of the information. Example: Supernatural Lore (Vampiric Bloodlines) will give you up to a +5 bonus to figure out a common Bloodline’s weakness, and for this skill check the merit Supernatural Lore: Vampires will allow you to make a check with no bonus. Whereas Vampiric Bloodlines would not allow a check on the titles used in vampiric society, but Lore: Vampires would allow you to make a check with no bonus. These bonuses generally follow the common sense +-5 rule.
Note on all Merits: Because the Storyteller judges access to any Merit on a case-by-case basis, the application of this Merit is left deliberately vague — it essentially saves a player an experience point in exchange for adding cohesion to her Specialties. Individual Storytellers must decide what Skills are suitable to be paired through this Merit based on the background and nature of the character involved. Some combinations (Anatomy as a Specialty for Weaponry, for example) will seem appropriate in some cases and inappropriate in others.
Fighting Style Merit Guidance:
Notice: One of the great things about Fighting Style Merits are the synergies that can be reached by the combination of various techniques and abilities. How these work are ultimately up to Storyteller discretion but once a precedence is set on how a particular fighting style works it can only be overruled with consensus among the Storytellers. Use this guidance to help in that determination:
• Is the ability passive? Generally passive senses or proficiencies are considered “on” as long as the character is conscious and not hindered in some way. They usually grant thing like ignoring certain penalties and gain static bonuses for doing certain actions or circumstances. Certain stances can be assumed to be active while the character attacks.
• Is the ability active? Usually these abilities are actual attacks in which the character has to do something special, a full-on maneuver in order to get the benefit. Usually you can only do one of these per turn as part of an Instant action. Rare circumstances in which a passive stance requires a sacrifice of a benefit (like defense) and the active maneuver does not take that sacrifice, then the abilities can be allowed to stack effects in tandem.
• Most importantly: Is what is being done physically possible? Outside of transhuman abilities and the laws of physical fighting styles are largely mundane actions not fueled directly by supernatural powers. A fighter cannot hit every single honey bee attacking him in a single action despite an ability description that allows for anyone standing adjacent to be hit. It is just not physically possible without supernatural enhancements. [JS1]
Merit: Extemporaneous Affinity (•••, •••• or •••••)
Source: Banishers p. 41; Edited here into a new custom version.
Prerequisite: Awakened, did not receive formal magical training for extended period of time.
Effect: The mage has developed the ability to cast improvised spells of greater potency than is usual. This could be the result of an absence of formal magical training or representative of a mage who prefers to shape spells on the fly or has a knack for it.
At three dots in the Merit, the character gains a +1 die bonus to improvised spellcasting; at four dots, the character gains a +2 dice bonus, and at five dots, the character gains a +3 dice bonus. Only improvised spells gain the benefit of bonus dice.
This Merit is intended to represent a character who has been using magic for a decent length of time without much in the way of formal magical education. Banishers who prefer to burn books rather than read them are also likely candidates for this Merit.
Extemporaneous Affinity is considered a Yantra Bonus without counting against the Yantras limited by time or Gnosis.
Drawback: The mage is good at making improvising spells as they need but it makes formal and strict systems of arcane learning harder to grasp. Their minds are amorphous and it’s hard to get it down to the same bland method every time. It takes conscious effort not to elaborate.
Because of their affinity and lack of formal training during formative years (if that is the reason), it’s harder to learn rotes. Rote spells now cost 2 experience points. These costs are applied retroactively to any character with the merit.
Five Dot Version of Ritual Synergy/Symbolic Cast:
Prerequisites: Cabal Theme O, Shadow Name OOO, Gnosis 5,
a. Per the 5 dot Merit: Ritual Synergy (called Symbolic Casting on older sheets), a Cabal of mages which have a common theme and alignment have synced up their patterns enough to share magic almost effortlessly. Symbolic Cabals can Combine spells (per Combining Spell Rules) effects according to their Gnosis rating as if they were coming from the same mage.
b. Spells cast in teamwork are almost always extended acts of Ritual Thaumaturgy.
c. Successes on this type of symbolic casting add DIRECTLY to the spell’s components. They do not simply support the lead caster by giving him bonus dice. That way each member (per the number of spell effects that can be added to a spell is still based on Gnosis)
d. Additionally, Prime or the same Arcanum is no longer required. Members of the symbolic cabal can roll their raw gnosis to support the primary caster. High speech can also be used.
e. Extended castings of magic in a teamwork setting always follow the timetables of the LOWEST Gnosis rating in the group of Mages. The only exception to this rule is when making a Demense.
Fighting Style: Advanced Adamantine Hand (• to •••••)
Source: Adamantine Arrow p. 53
Prerequisites: Five dots of Fighting Style Merits (at least one of which must have ••• ranks), Awakened, Arcanum • (see below), Adamantine Arrow Status ••
Effect: Your character has learned to manipulate magical energies with physical techniques, above and beyond rote mudras. You must purchase this Fighting Style separately for each Arcanum (so there is the Death Hand, the Hand of Space and so on). Your character must have one more dot in the associated Arcanum than the dots of the maneuver you wish him to learn.
Just as other Fighting styles, you must purchase each maneuver in order. This rule applies, separately, to each style. For example, a character with Adamantine Hand: Forces ••• and Adamantine Hand: Life • can progress to Adamantine Hand: Forces •••• or Adamantine Hand: Life •• — not •••.
The names below are often used in old texts, but every school has a unique, cryptic name for each technique.
Thunder (•): Your character can sense the weak points in Shielding Practice spells without even using magic. Her psychic senses intuitively seek out flaws in these defenses, and she knows how to physically slip through them. If an opponent employs a Shielding spell using the Fighting Style’s Arcanum, reduce the spell’s effect by one point against the character’s spells, Brawl strikes or Weaponry attacks. Drawback: The character must make physical contact with a hand or held weapon, even when casting a spell, in order to benefit from this maneuver.
Diamond (••): Your character can alter her Shielding spells if they belong to the Fighting Style’s Arcanum. She dodges away from weak points in her shield and concentrates its strength in a reduced area. She can increase the strength of her shield by one point against one oncoming attack per turn, but suffers a one-point reduction in shield strength against all other attacks in that turn. She can improve or degrade the shield against different attacks or opponents on each turn.
If your character learns the third rank of the Fighting Style’s Arcanum, she can change the adjustment to +2/–2 if she wishes. She can apply this benefit to advanced spells that protect others, but only if she’s adjacent to the individual or group she’s protecting. Drawback: Using this maneuver costs one point of Willpower per scene.
Star (•••): Your character may cast a spell from the Fighting Style’s Arcanum and perform a physical action in the same turn. The spellcasting roll suffers a –1 die penalty. Drawback: This maneuver costs one point of Willpower per turn. Your character may not combine this maneuver with other abilities that grant multiple actions.
Blood (••••): Your character can sacrifice her own life force to enhance a spell from the Fighting Style’s Arcanum. She can choose to suffer as many points of aggravated damage as her Resolve. Each point of damage coverts into a bonus die on her spellcasting for that turn. She can also choose to make the damage resistant to magical and Mana-based healing to give the spellcasting roll the 9-again quality. Drawback: This maneuver costs one point of Willpower per use.
Abyss (•••••): Your character hones the bond between her soul and body to such an extent that she can channel Supernal energies physically, without tempting of the Abyss. She does not suffer Paradoxes when she casts spells using the Fighting Style’s Arcanum if she channels them through physical contact. In combat, she must successfully initiate a grapple to use this maneuver on a moving target.
Cartomancer (• to •••)
Source: Keys to the Supernal Tarot p. 13
Prerequisites: Awakened, Occult Specialty – Tarot, Wits •••
Effects: A cartomancer is never without a Tarot deck. In the myriad possibilities of the Tarot lies true magical power and a way to make Awakened magic fit a bit more seamlessly into the Fallen World. A mage can become a cartomancer without training by another mage, but must still fulfill the prerequisites.
The Cartomancer Merit is progressive. Each dot is a prerequisite for the next dot. So your character cannot have the “Interpretive Draw” ability unless she first has the Divinatory Eye” ability
Divinatory Eye (•): This level of the Merit represents basic familiarity with the Tarot with respect to Awakened magic. This has two effects. First, the character gains a +2 to all attempts at divination, including spells that attempt to see the future or uses of the Dream Merit, if she uses a Tarot deck in the attempt. Second, the character can dedicate a Tarot deck as a magical tool. She can also dedicate individual cards as Arcana tools, but she needs a way to find a particular card quickly in a crisis situation if this is to be of much help.
Interpretive Draw (••): Before casting a spell, the character draws one card from her Tarot deck. Depending on what the card is, it can help her cast the spell or warn her against it. The system for this can either be a dice roll or a literal random draw from a Tarot deck.
If you choose to use a random draw from a deck, the Storyteller and the player must interpret the card in relation to the spell being cast and the situation at hand. If the card indicates that the casting is favorable, apply the bonus described below under “Success.” If the card is something extremely favorable, the Storyteller may deem it an exceptional success. But by the same token, if the draw indicates something truly disastrous, the character suffers a failure or a dramatic failure.
The dice pool, should you choose to use that system, is Wits + Occult. Drawing and interpreting the card is an instant action, meaning that the character casts the spell on the following turn.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The spell is the wrong choice for the situation. If the mage chooses to cast it, the player rolls a chance die. A dramatic failure on this roll is treated as a Havoc Paradox, whether or not the spell was vulgar in aspect.
Failure: The spell isn’t the best choice, but it might work. Apply a -2 to the character’s casting attempt if she chooses to go through with it.
Success: The spell is a good choice given the situation. Apply a +2 to the character’s attempt/ If the character has the High Speech Merit and chooses to spend the next turn chanting, this bonus stacks with the High Speech bonus for a total of +4.
Exceptional Success: The spell is exactly appropriate for the circumstance. The player receives a 9-again bonus on the casting roll.
Instinctive Draw (•••): The character can now use the Interpretive Draw ability as a reflexive action, meaning that she can draw, interpret and cast in the same turn. Alternately, the character can draw, interpret and then chant in High Speech, thus gaining the High Speech Merit along with the bonus from this Merit (if any) on the following turn. Although the mage does not have to cast the spell if the draw isn’t favorable, the mage can only make one draw per spell, even if the draw is a reflexive action.
Note: Use of the Cartomancy Merit is considered a Yantra Bonus, but does not account against the limitation of incorporating Yantras by Gnosis or time other than reflected above.
Atlantean Highborn (•••••)
Prerequisites: Awakened, Character Creation only
Effect: You were born with the soul of a King or Queen of Atlantis. Your soul is its own Supernal Truth, and a powerful Yantra for spellcasting. When casting a spell, whether ritually or instantly, you may choose to spend a Willpower to incorporate your soul into the spell as a Yantra. The effectiveness of your soul as a Yantra is measured by your Wisdom; Wise souls are more flush with Supernal power. You are still limited in the number of Yantras you may incorporate into a given spell based on your Gnosis. Additionally, your soul’s age and power resonate strongly with ancient supernatural creatures. Spirits, goetic entities and Supernal beings recognize the history you bring to bear. You gain 9-again on all social interactions with such beings. If another effect would already grant you 9-again, you gain 8-again, instead. Drawback: Your soul can be used as a powerful Yantra by other mages, as well. When used as a human sacrifice they gain your Wisdom as a Yantra bonus, in addition to the benefits of human sacrifice. Additionally, just because all spirits, Goetic entities and Supernal beings respect your inborn authority does not mean they like you; in fact, you may have powerful enemies that you do not remember due to the actions of your past selves.
True Friend (•••) (Edited from CoD Corebook)
Effect: Your character has a True Friend. While that friend may have specific functions covered by other Merits
(Allies, Contacts, Retainer, Mentor, et cetera), True Friend represents a deeper, truly trusting relationship that cannot be breached. Unless your character does something egregious to cause it, her True Friend will not betray her. Additionally, the Storyteller cannot kill her True Friend as part of a plot without your express permission. Any rolls to influence a True Friend against your character suffer a five-die penalty. In addition, once per story, your character can regain one spent Willpower by having a meaningful interaction with her True Friend.
True Friend between PCs: The True Friend merit bought between two PCs are slightly different. They can still die and betray each other. However, the PCs must actually have a strong in-character relationship and one-sided (only one PC has the Merit representing the other PC’s loyalty) get tricky. Attempts to get the PCs True Friend PC to betray the Merit holder against the True Friend’s wishes suffer a -5. The PC’s True Friend can still betray him but must succeed at a Resolve + Composure – 3 in order to proceed with the act. PCs can still regain willpower as the merit above. If a True Friendship dissolves the merits can be recycled per the Sanctity of Merits rules. A True Friend who betrays the Merit Holder may also suffer a breaking point at a -3 and suffer the Guilty Condition as a result in most cases.
Merit: Order Goodwill (Order Name) (••)
Source: Custom, based on Changeling: The Lost 1st Ed p. 93
Effect: This Merit reflects how well liked and respected you are in an Order other than your own. While members of a given Order will always be true to their own members and agendas above all, they are more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt in a dispute, or come to your assistance if it does not undermine their own position. Order Goodwill is entirely a social construct, and depends entirely on the opinions of the members of that Order. Mistreat those relationships, and Order Goodwill can disappear in a flash; cultivate their friendship, and they might rally to your defense when no one else will.
Order Goodwill essentially means you are treated as a Status 1 member even though you are not a member of that Order. It does not allow you access to Order secrets however.
The merit can reflect official standing, or merely informal respect. No matter the source, your character enjoys certain privileges within that structure. Each instance of this Merit reflects standing in a different group or organization and Order Goodwill can be purchased with multiple Orders, with justification.
Order Goodwill provides a number of advantages:
1. The character can apply her +1 to any Social roll with those within that Order.
2. The character has very limited access to group facilities, resources, and funding (no higher than 1 dot worth and not if it’s considered an Order secret.
3. Once per chapter, the character can stop a single one-dot Merit from being used by another character of the Order in question.
4. The character can access Artifacts, Imbued Items, mentors, libraries, Grimoires, and other magical resources according to the Storyteller’s assigned availability rating (these roughly conform to Merit dot ratings). Order Goodwill counts as one dot of Resources for the purpose of procuring these magical resources. Availability ratings assume the service or Merit will be assigned on a temporary basis (for a single story) and the character cannot keep any asset permanently. The Order assumes she’ll return it when done with it, or make amends if it’s destroyed or lost. Merits suitable for requisition include Alternate Identity, Retainer, Imbued Item, Grimoire, Mentor, Hallow, Sanctum, Library, Advanced Library, Safe Place, Familiar, and Resources, all with Availability equal to their dot rating.
5. Order Goodwill does not count for Status when it comes to Order specific Merits and advantages, as well, certain spells are taught to Order members.
6. The Orders are both global organizations and locally compartmentalized. If a character uses Order Goodwill in a Caucus other than her home one, reduce her effective rating in this Merit by –1 if the Caucus is a member of the same Consilium or Assembly, –2 if it is a member of the same Convocation, and –3 if it is unrelated.
Drawback: Status requires upkeep, and often regular duties. If these duties are not upheld, the merit may not be accessible until the character re-establishes her standing. Usually the dot rating of Status reflects the amount of prestige and upkeep that is required. In the case of Order Goodwill, the upkeep is essentially to respect members of the Order and conform to aspects of the Order’s interests and philosophies.
Merit: Cartomancer (• to •••)
Prerequisites: Awakened, Occult •, Occult (Tarot) •, Wits •••
Effects: A cartomancer is never without a Tarot deck. In the myriad possibilities of the Tarot lies true magical power and a way to make Awakened magic fit a bit more seamlessly into the Fallen World. A
mage can become a cartomancer without training by another mage, but must still fulfill the prerequisites.
Divinatory Eye •
This level of the Merit represents basic familiarity with the Tarot with respect to Awakened magic.
This has two effects. First, the character gains their Tarot Deck as a +2 Tool Yantra to all attempts at divination, including spells that attempt to see the future or uses of the Dream Merit, if she uses a Tarot deck in the attempt. Second, the character has the Tarot Deck as a Magically Dedicated Tool (+1 Tool Yantra, -2 to Paradox). She can also dedicate individual cards as Arcana tools (+1 Tool Yantras), but she needs a way to find a particular card quickly in a crisis situation if this is to help.
Interpretative Draw • •
Before casting a spell, the character draws one card from her Tarot deck. Depending on what the card is, it can help her cast the spell or warn her against it. The system for this can either be a dice roll or a literal random draw from a Tarot deck. The card draw is treated as a separate situational Yantra with an applicable bonus based on the roll or interpretation.
If you choose to use a random draw from a deck, the Storyteller and the player must interpret the card in relation to the spell being cast and the situation at hand. If the card indicates that the casting is favorable, apply the bonus as described below under “Success.” If the card is something extremely favorable, the Storyteller may deem it an exceptional success. But by the same token, if the draw indicates something truly disastrous, the character suffers a failure or a dramatic failure.
The dice pool, should you choose to use that system, is Wits + Occult. Drawing and interpreting the card is an instant action, meaning that the character casts the spell on the following turn.
Roll Results:
Dramatic Failure: The spell is the wrong choice for the situation. If the mage chooses to cast it, they lose 10s Again dice permutation to the Spell-casting roll and the card is treated as a -2 Yantra and the player rolls a chance dice. A dramatic failure on this roll is treated as a Havoc Paradox, whether or not the spell was vulgar in aspect.
Failure: The spell isn’t the best choice, but it might work. Apply a -2 Yantra to the character’s casting attempt if she chooses to go through with it.
Success: The spell is a good choice given the situation. Apply a +2 Yantra to the character’s attempt.
Exceptional Success: The spell is exactly appropriate for the circumstance. The player receives a 9-again and a +2 Yantra bonus on the casting roll.
Instinctive Draw •••
The character can now use the Interpretative Draw ability as a reflexive action, meaning that she can draw, interpret, and cast in the same turn. Drawing a card and interpreting it counts as a reflexive Yantra on top of the normal Reflexive Yantra you are allowed to have.
Chronicle: Mage 2: The Dethroned Queen
Venue: Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition
Chronicle Storyteller: Jerad Sayler
Assistant Storytellers: Hannah Nyland & Alex Van Belkum
Mage II: The Dethroned Queen
Chronicle Merit Addendum
The following custom/edited/alternate Merits are approved for play:
Supernatural Lore (O to OOOOO) (Glimpses of the Unknown, pg 15)
Effect: While the Occult skill and Specialty Skills provides information about both the mundane occult world and very basic supernatural matters, there are some secrets so tightly held that those outside of the involved groups have very little chance of ever stumbling across the information. A human high priestess may know about the beliefs and practices of 13th century Celtic Druids, or even about what herbs are used for cleansing an area of a poltergeist, but no amount of Occult ability will tell her about the in-clan Discipline spread of the Daeva vampire, or the history of the Ordo Dracul. That sort of specialized information is simply not the purview of even the most skilled mundane researcher. The information exists, however, and despite the first Tradition, it will eventually fall into the hands of those who seek it.
The Supernatural Lore Merit represents the sorts of in-depth, obscure or protected information that goes above and beyond what can be obtained through the Occult Ability. Perhaps the character had the fortune (or misfortune) to interview a vampire directly. Perhaps they inherited a book of lore once possessed by their grandfather who hunted werewolves in the 1800s. Perhaps they are a member of another supernatural group and have developed a connection of exchanged information for mutual protection. Regardless of the exact form it takes, the Supernatural Lore Merit represents in-depth information about one particular Supernatural ? eld. Higher dot levels represent more specific or off-limits information.
Players must choose a specific focus for their Supernatural Lore when purchasing it. No more than one type of Supernatural Lore may apply to any particular challenge. A player may purchase multiple instances of Supernatural Lore with different specific focuses. For example, she may have Supernatural Lore (Werewolves) •, Supernatural Lore (Bloodlines) ••, and Supernatural Lore (Fetches) ••. Ultimately the decision about what specific focuses are permissible for a given player to purchase is yours. Supernaturals do not need Supernatural Lore to learn basic information about their own creature type. Certain truths just resonate, and it doesn’t take Occult or Supernatural Lore to figure out, as a vampire, that you have to drink blood or that you want to avoid sunlight and flames. Nor is it necessary for a player to have Supernatural Lore to justify knowing information he has encountered directly in game. However, if he’s trying to learn about a certain Bloodline’s weakness, Supernatural Lore: Vampires (general knowledge about all bloodsucking creatures), Kindred (specifically covering Kindred vampires), Clans (in general, or specializing in a certain Clan) or Bloodlines (in general or focusing on a certain Bloodline) may be necessary to uncover this well-hidden information.
You as a Storyteller, have final say over what information a certain Lore can cover, and which Lore specialties apply to a given situation. This Merit can be used in two ways: Remembering or Researching.
The Remembering mechanic is used when a character wants to dredge his memory for a pertinent fact that relates to the situation at hand (essentially like Encyclopedic Knowledge, but for secret supernatural information.) The player rolls Intelligence + the appropriate Supernatural Lore Merit to determine if they are able to remember a pertinent fact based on their current situation. With a single success, the information remembered may be quite trivial. Additional successes indicate the information is more pertinent or useful. A failure indicates no pertinent supernatural information is garnered, and a dramatic failure results in false (and potentially dangerous) information being brought to mind.
Researching can be done aided by the Supernatural Lore Merit as well. In any situation where a character is doing an extended Research challenge about a supernatural topic in which he has Supernatural Lore, he may add the levels of his Merit to each dice roll he makes for the purposes of gathering information on the topic.
Mage II Custom Addition: This merit may also help with certain skill checks. For example - In skill checks to come up with specific weaknesses of sub-elements of a Supernatural Lore type you may garner a +1 to +3 to the skill check based on how specific the Lore type is to the information sought. Example: Supernatural Lore (Vampiric Bloodlines) will give you a +3 to figure out a specific Bloodline’s weakness, and for this skill check the merit Supernatural Lore: Vampires will give you a +1.
Mage II Custom Addition: As Lore types can be either general or specific, more specific lore checks will receive a bonus based on the commonality of the information. Example: Supernatural Lore (Vampiric Bloodlines) will give you up to a +5 bonus to figure out a common Bloodline’s weakness, and for this skill check the merit Supernatural Lore: Vampires will allow you to make a check with no bonus. Whereas Vampiric Bloodlines would not allow a check on the titles used in vampiric society, but Lore: Vampires would allow you to make a check with no bonus. These bonuses generally follow the common sense +-5 rule.
Note on all Merits: Because the Storyteller judges access to any Merit on a case-by-case basis, the application of this Merit is left deliberately vague — it essentially saves a player an experience point in exchange for adding cohesion to her Specialties. Individual Storytellers must decide what Skills are suitable to be paired through this Merit based on the background and nature of the character involved. Some combinations (Anatomy as a Specialty for Weaponry, for example) will seem appropriate in some cases and inappropriate in others.
Fighting Style Merit Guidance:
Notice: One of the great things about Fighting Style Merits are the synergies that can be reached by the combination of various techniques and abilities. How these work are ultimately up to Storyteller discretion but once a precedence is set on how a particular fighting style works it can only be overruled with consensus among the Storytellers. Use this guidance to help in that determination:
• Is the ability passive? Generally passive senses or proficiencies are considered “on” as long as the character is conscious and not hindered in some way. They usually grant thing like ignoring certain penalties and gain static bonuses for doing certain actions or circumstances. Certain stances can be assumed to be active while the character attacks.
• Is the ability active? Usually these abilities are actual attacks in which the character has to do something special, a full-on maneuver in order to get the benefit. Usually you can only do one of these per turn as part of an Instant action. Rare circumstances in which a passive stance requires a sacrifice of a benefit (like defense) and the active maneuver does not take that sacrifice, then the abilities can be allowed to stack effects in tandem.
• Most importantly: Is what is being done physically possible? Outside of transhuman abilities and the laws of physical fighting styles are largely mundane actions not fueled directly by supernatural powers. A fighter cannot hit every single honey bee attacking him in a single action despite an ability description that allows for anyone standing adjacent to be hit. It is just not physically possible without supernatural enhancements. [JS1]
Merit: Extemporaneous Affinity (•••, •••• or •••••)
Source: Banishers p. 41; Edited here into a new custom version.
Prerequisite: Awakened, did not receive formal magical training for extended period of time.
Effect: The mage has developed the ability to cast improvised spells of greater potency than is usual. This could be the result of an absence of formal magical training or representative of a mage who prefers to shape spells on the fly or has a knack for it.
At three dots in the Merit, the character gains a +1 die bonus to improvised spellcasting; at four dots, the character gains a +2 dice bonus, and at five dots, the character gains a +3 dice bonus. Only improvised spells gain the benefit of bonus dice.
This Merit is intended to represent a character who has been using magic for a decent length of time without much in the way of formal magical education. Banishers who prefer to burn books rather than read them are also likely candidates for this Merit.
Extemporaneous Affinity is considered a Yantra Bonus without counting against the Yantras limited by time or Gnosis.
Drawback: The mage is good at making improvising spells as they need but it makes formal and strict systems of arcane learning harder to grasp. Their minds are amorphous and it’s hard to get it down to the same bland method every time. It takes conscious effort not to elaborate.
Because of their affinity and lack of formal training during formative years (if that is the reason), it’s harder to learn rotes. Rote spells now cost 2 experience points. These costs are applied retroactively to any character with the merit.
Five Dot Version of Ritual Synergy/Symbolic Cast:
Prerequisites: Cabal Theme O, Shadow Name OOO, Gnosis 5,
a. Per the 5 dot Merit: Ritual Synergy (called Symbolic Casting on older sheets), a Cabal of mages which have a common theme and alignment have synced up their patterns enough to share magic almost effortlessly. Symbolic Cabals can Combine spells (per Combining Spell Rules) effects according to their Gnosis rating as if they were coming from the same mage.
b. Spells cast in teamwork are almost always extended acts of Ritual Thaumaturgy.
c. Successes on this type of symbolic casting add DIRECTLY to the spell’s components. They do not simply support the lead caster by giving him bonus dice. That way each member (per the number of spell effects that can be added to a spell is still based on Gnosis)
d. Additionally, Prime or the same Arcanum is no longer required. Members of the symbolic cabal can roll their raw gnosis to support the primary caster. High speech can also be used.
e. Extended castings of magic in a teamwork setting always follow the timetables of the LOWEST Gnosis rating in the group of Mages. The only exception to this rule is when making a Demense.
Fighting Style: Advanced Adamantine Hand (• to •••••)
Source: Adamantine Arrow p. 53
Prerequisites: Five dots of Fighting Style Merits (at least one of which must have ••• ranks), Awakened, Arcanum • (see below), Adamantine Arrow Status •• Effect: Your character has learned to manipulate magical energies with physical techniques, above and beyond rote mudras. You must purchase this Fighting Style separately for each Arcanum (so there is the Death Hand, the Hand of Space and so on). Your character must have one more dot in the associated Arcanum than the dots of the maneuver you wish him to learn.
Just as other Fighting styles, you must purchase each maneuver in order. This rule applies, separately, to each style. For example, a character with Adamantine Hand: Forces ••• and Adamantine Hand: Life • can progress to Adamantine Hand: Forces •••• or Adamantine Hand: Life •• — not •••.
The names below are often used in old texts, but every school has a unique, cryptic name for each technique.
Thunder (•): Your character can sense the weak points in Shielding Practice spells without even using magic. Her psychic senses intuitively seek out flaws in these defenses, and she knows how to physically slip through them. If an opponent employs a Shielding spell using the Fighting Style’s Arcanum, reduce the spell’s effect by one point against the character’s spells, Brawl strikes or Weaponry attacks. Drawback: The character must make physical contact with a hand or held weapon, even when casting a spell, in order to benefit from this maneuver.
Diamond (••): Your character can alter her Shielding spells if they belong to the Fighting Style’s Arcanum. She dodges away from weak points in her shield and concentrates its strength in a reduced area. She can increase the strength of her shield by one point against one oncoming attack per turn, but suffers a one-point reduction in shield strength against all other attacks in that turn. She can improve or degrade the shield against different attacks or opponents on each turn.
If your character learns the third rank of the Fighting Style’s Arcanum, she can change the adjustment to +2/–2 if she wishes. She can apply this benefit to advanced spells that protect others, but only if she’s adjacent to the individual or group she’s protecting. Drawback: Using this maneuver costs one point of Willpower per scene.
Star (•••): Your character may cast a spell from the Fighting Style’s Arcanum and perform a physical action in the same turn. The spellcasting roll suffers a –1 die penalty. Drawback: This maneuver costs one point of Willpower per turn. Your character may not combine this maneuver with other abilities that grant multiple actions.
Blood (••••): Your character can sacrifice her own life force to enhance a spell from the Fighting Style’s Arcanum. She can choose to suffer as many points of aggravated damage as her Resolve. Each point of damage coverts into a bonus die on her spellcasting for that turn. She can also choose to make the damage resistant to magical and Mana-based healing to give the spellcasting roll the 9-again quality. Drawback: This maneuver costs one point of Willpower per use.
Abyss (•••••): Your character hones the bond between her soul and body to such an extent that she can channel Supernal energies physically, without tempting of the Abyss. She does not suffer Paradoxes when she casts spells using the Fighting Style’s Arcanum if she channels them through physical contact. In combat, she must successfully initiate a grapple to use this maneuver on a moving target.
Cartomancer (• to •••)
Source: Keys to the Supernal Tarot p. 13
Prerequisites: Awakened, Occult Specialty – Tarot, Wits •••
Effects: A cartomancer is never without a Tarot deck. In the myriad possibilities of the Tarot lies true magical power and a way to make Awakened magic fit a bit more seamlessly into the Fallen World. A mage can become a cartomancer without training by another mage, but must still fulfill the prerequisites.
The Cartomancer Merit is progressive. Each dot is a prerequisite for the next dot. So your character cannot have the “Interpretive Draw” ability unless she first has the Divinatory Eye” ability
Divinatory Eye (•): This level of the Merit represents basic familiarity with the Tarot with respect to Awakened magic. This has two effects. First, the character gains a +2 to all attempts at divination, including spells that attempt to see the future or uses of the Dream Merit, if she uses a Tarot deck in the attempt. Second, the character can dedicate a Tarot deck as a magical tool. She can also dedicate individual cards as Arcana tools, but she needs a way to find a particular card quickly in a crisis situation if this is to be of much help.
Interpretive Draw (••): Before casting a spell, the character draws one card from her Tarot deck. Depending on what the card is, it can help her cast the spell or warn her against it. The system for this can either be a dice roll or a literal random draw from a Tarot deck.
If you choose to use a random draw from a deck, the Storyteller and the player must interpret the card in relation to the spell being cast and the situation at hand. If the card indicates that the casting is favorable, apply the bonus described below under “Success.” If the card is something extremely favorable, the Storyteller may deem it an exceptional success. But by the same token, if the draw indicates something truly disastrous, the character suffers a failure or a dramatic failure.
The dice pool, should you choose to use that system, is Wits + Occult. Drawing and interpreting the card is an instant action, meaning that the character casts the spell on the following turn.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The spell is the wrong choice for the situation. If the mage chooses to cast it, the player rolls a chance die. A dramatic failure on this roll is treated as a Havoc Paradox, whether or not the spell was vulgar in aspect.
Failure: The spell isn’t the best choice, but it might work. Apply a -2 to the character’s casting attempt if she chooses to go through with it.
Success: The spell is a good choice given the situation. Apply a +2 to the character’s attempt/ If the character has the High Speech Merit and chooses to spend the next turn chanting, this bonus stacks with the High Speech bonus for a total of +4.
Exceptional Success: The spell is exactly appropriate for the circumstance. The player receives a 9-again bonus on the casting roll.
Instinctive Draw (•••): The character can now use the Interpretive Draw ability as a reflexive action, meaning that she can draw, interpret and cast in the same turn. Alternately, the character can draw, interpret and then chant in High Speech, thus gaining the High Speech Merit along with the bonus from this Merit (if any) on the following turn. Although the mage does not have to cast the spell if the draw isn’t favorable, the mage can only make one draw per spell, even if the draw is a reflexive action.
Note: Use of the Cartomancy Merit is considered a Yantra Bonus, but does not account against the limitation of incorporating Yantras by Gnosis or time other than reflected above.
Atlantean Highborn (•••••)
Prerequisites: Awakened, Character Creation only
Effect: You were born with the soul of a King or Queen of Atlantis. Your soul is its own Supernal Truth, and a powerful Yantra for spellcasting. When casting a spell, whether ritually or instantly, you may choose to spend a Willpower to incorporate your soul into the spell as a Yantra. The effectiveness of your soul as a Yantra is measured by your Wisdom; Wise souls are more flush with Supernal power. You are still limited in the number of Yantras you may incorporate into a given spell based on your Gnosis. Additionally, your soul’s age and power resonate strongly with ancient supernatural creatures. Spirits, goetic entities and Supernal beings recognize the history you bring to bear. You gain 9-again on all social interactions with such beings. If another effect would already grant you 9-again, you gain 8-again, instead. Drawback: Your soul can be used as a powerful Yantra by other mages, as well. When used as a human sacrifice they gain your Wisdom as a Yantra bonus, in addition to the benefits of human sacrifice. Additionally, just because all spirits, Goetic entities and Supernal beings respect your inborn authority does not mean they like you; in fact, you may have powerful enemies that you do not remember due to the actions of your past selves.
True Friend (•••) (Edited from CoD Corebook)
Effect: Your character has a True Friend. While that friend may have specific functions covered by other Merits
(Allies, Contacts, Retainer, Mentor, et cetera), True Friend represents a deeper, truly trusting relationship that cannot be breached. Unless your character does something egregious to cause it, her True Friend will not betray her. Additionally, the Storyteller cannot kill her True Friend as part of a plot without your express permission. Any rolls to influence a True Friend against your character suffer a five-die penalty. In addition, once per story, your character can regain one spent Willpower by having a meaningful interaction with her True Friend.
True Friend between PCs: The True Friend merit bought between two PCs are slightly different. They can still die and betray each other. However, the PCs must actually have a strong in-character relationship and one-sided (only one PC has the Merit representing the other PC’s loyalty) get tricky. Attempts to get the PCs True Friend PC to betray the Merit holder against the True Friend’s wishes suffer a -5. The PC’s True Friend can still betray him but must succeed at a Resolve + Composure – 3 in order to proceed with the act. PCs can still regain willpower as the merit above. If a True Friendship dissolves the merits can be recycled per the Sanctity of Merits rules. A True Friend who betrays the Merit Holder may also suffer a breaking point at a -3 and suffer the Guilty Condition as a result in most cases.
Merit: Order Goodwill (Order Name) (••)
Source: Custom, based on Changeling: The Lost 1st Ed p. 93
Effect: This Merit reflects how well liked and respected you are in an Order other than your own. While members of a given Order will always be true to their own members and agendas above all, they are more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt in a dispute, or come to your assistance if it does not undermine their own position. Order Goodwill is entirely a social construct, and depends entirely on the opinions of the members of that Order. Mistreat those relationships, and Order Goodwill can disappear in a flash; cultivate their friendship, and they might rally to your defense when no one else will.
Order Goodwill essentially means you are treated as a Status 1 member even though you are not a member of that Order. It does not allow you access to Order secrets however.
The merit can reflect official standing, or merely informal respect. No matter the source, your character enjoys certain privileges within that structure. Each instance of this Merit reflects standing in a different group or organization and Order Goodwill can be purchased with multiple Orders, with justification.
Order Goodwill provides a number of advantages:
1. The character can apply her +1 to any Social roll with those within that Order.
2. The character has very limited access to group facilities, resources, and funding (no higher than 1 dot worth and not if it’s considered an Order secret.
3. Once per chapter, the character can stop a single one-dot Merit from being used by another character of the Order in question.
4. The character can access Artifacts, Imbued Items, mentors, libraries, Grimoires, and other magical resources according to the Storyteller’s assigned availability rating (these roughly conform to Merit dot ratings). Order Goodwill counts as one dot of Resources for the purpose of procuring these magical resources. Availability ratings assume the service or Merit will be assigned on a temporary basis (for a single story) and the character cannot keep any asset permanently. The Order assumes she’ll return it when done with it, or make amends if it’s destroyed or lost. Merits suitable for requisition include Alternate Identity, Retainer, Imbued Item, Grimoire, Mentor, Hallow, Sanctum, Library, Advanced Library, Safe Place, Familiar, and Resources, all with Availability equal to their dot rating.
5. Order Goodwill does not count for Status when it comes to Order specific Merits and advantages, as well, certain spells are taught to Order members.
6. The Orders are both global organizations and locally compartmentalized. If a character uses Order Goodwill in a Caucus other than her home one, reduce her effective rating in this Merit by –1 if the Caucus is a member of the same Consilium or Assembly, –2 if it is a member of the same Convocation, and –3 if it is unrelated.
Drawback: Status requires upkeep, and often regular duties. If these duties are not upheld, the merit may not be accessible until the character re-establishes her standing. Usually the dot rating of Status reflects the amount of prestige and upkeep that is required. In the case of Order Goodwill, the upkeep is essentially to respect members of the Order and conform to aspects of the Order’s interests and philosophies.
Merit: Cartomancer (• to •••)
Prerequisites: Awakened, Occult •, Occult (Tarot) •, Wits •••
Effects: A cartomancer is never without a Tarot deck. In the myriad possibilities of the Tarot lies true magical power and a way to make Awakened magic fit a bit more seamlessly into the Fallen World. A
mage can become a cartomancer without training by another mage, but must still fulfill the prerequisites.
Divinatory Eye •
This level of the Merit represents basic familiarity with the Tarot with respect to Awakened magic.
This has two effects. First, the character gains their Tarot Deck as a +2 Tool Yantra to all attempts at divination, including spells that attempt to see the future or uses of the Dream Merit, if she uses a Tarot deck in the attempt. Second, the character has the Tarot Deck as a Magically Dedicated Tool (+1 Tool Yantra, -2 to Paradox). She can also dedicate individual cards as Arcana tools (+1 Tool Yantras), but she needs a way to find a particular card quickly in a crisis situation if this is to help.
Interpretative Draw • •
Before casting a spell, the character draws one card from her Tarot deck. Depending on what the card is, it can help her cast the spell or warn her against it. The system for this can either be a dice roll or a literal random draw from a Tarot deck. The card draw is treated as a separate situational Yantra with an applicable bonus based on the roll or interpretation.
If you choose to use a random draw from a deck, the Storyteller and the player must interpret the card in relation to the spell being cast and the situation at hand. If the card indicates that the casting is favorable, apply the bonus as described below under “Success.” If the card is something extremely favorable, the Storyteller may deem it an exceptional success. But by the same token, if the draw indicates something truly disastrous, the character suffers a failure or a dramatic failure.
The dice pool, should you choose to use that system, is Wits + Occult. Drawing and interpreting the card is an instant action, meaning that the character casts the spell on the following turn.
Roll Results:
Dramatic Failure: The spell is the wrong choice for the situation. If the mage chooses to cast it, they lose 10s Again dice permutation to the Spell-casting roll and the card is treated as a -2 Yantra and the player rolls a chance dice. A dramatic failure on this roll is treated as a Havoc Paradox, whether or not the spell was vulgar in aspect.
Failure: The spell isn’t the best choice, but it might work. Apply a -2 Yantra to the character’s casting attempt if she chooses to go through with it.
Success: The spell is a good choice given the situation. Apply a +2 Yantra to the character’s attempt.
Exceptional Success: The spell is exactly appropriate for the circumstance. The player receives a 9-again and a +2 Yantra bonus on the casting roll.
Instinctive Draw •••
The character can now use the Interpretative Draw ability as a reflexive action, meaning that she can draw, interpret, and cast in the same turn. Drawing a card and interpreting it counts as a reflexive Yantra on top of the normal Reflexive Yantra you are allowed to have.
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