Mage The Ascension (WoD1.0) - Whose up for it?

[B4UTRUST]

I'm considering either VA Reality Hacker or Chaositican or some hybrid thereof or perhaps a SoE Animagician

[LadyTevar]

The HedgeMagic got nixed by the GM as 'too powerful', but she'll still have Medicine and Herbal Lore, as well as the Gift: Lick Wounds.

I have to see if she'll have her own DenRealm set up. Otherwise, there's no Umbra for this kitty.

[LadyTevar]

Ok... PMed my character to DS for approval.

By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' eastward to the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say:
"Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!"
Come you back to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay:
Can't you 'ear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

'Er petticoat was yaller an' 'er little cap was green,
An' 'er name was Supi-yaw-lat -- jes' the same as Theebaw's Queen,
An' I seed her first a-smokin' of a whackin' white cheroot,
An' a-wastin' Christian kisses on an 'eathen idol's foot:
Bloomin' idol made o'mud --
Wot they called the Great Gawd Budd --
Plucky lot she cared for idols when I kissed 'er where she stud!
On the road to Mandalay...

[LadyTevar]

Yay! I'm Approved!!!

Freebie Expenditures are marked by a *.
Points spent in Attributes and Abilities are marked as (Base + Freebies).
Merit was purchased with Flaw and final Freebie point.

Name: Supiyaw Ravu
Jellico Name: Mandalay

Tribe : Bagheera
Pryio: Twilight

Nature/Demeanor : Scholar/Searcher
Rank 1 (Renown 3: Clever, Sly, and Honorable)
Rage 2, Will 4, Gnosis 2

Attributes:
Physical (3 +5)
Str : 2
*Dex : 3
Stamina : 2

Social (5)
Char : 3
Manip : 3
App : 2

Mental (7)
Perc : 3
Int : 3
Wits : 4


Abilities:
Talents (7 +4)
*Athletics : 2
Alertness : 3
Brawl : 2
Dodge : 3
Intimidation : 2
Primal Urge : 2
Subterfuge : 2

Skills (5 +4)
Drive : 1
Etiquette : 1
Melee : 2
*Stealth : 3

Knowledges (13 + 6)
Enigmas : 2
*Medicine : 2
Occult : 2
Rituals : 2
*Herbal Lore : 2
*Mage Lore : 2


Backgrounds:
Allies : 1 (One Ally)
DenRealm : 1 (Size of house, base Gauntlet 5. See Below)
Rites : 2 (up to Second Level Rites)
Resources : 1 ($500/month)

Gifts:
Tribe: Treeclimber -- Dex + Athletics to climb any surface. (Diff 6 for rock/bark, diff 8-10 for ice, steel, glass, etc) Movement 10ft/turn.
Breed: Sweet Hunters Smile -- Manip + Primal-Urge (Diff = Target's Will). Add +1 die to all Social Rolls vs target that scene, +2 if over 4 successes. Works on only 1 target per scene.
General: Lick Wounds -- Spend 1 Gnosis, roll Int + Medicine (Diff 6). Heal 1 Health Level per Success.

Rites:
Rite of Cleansing -- Wits + Rituals Diff 7 (as per Werewolf Rite)
Rite of Dedication -- Char + Rituals, Diff 6 (as per Werewolf Rite of Talisman Dedication)
Rite of Recognition -- Char + Rituals, Diff 6 to perform, Char/Manip + Enigmas, Etiquette or Occult to impress the spirits with your deeds and raise in rank. GM's call.


Merit/Flaw:
*Mage Ally (2pts) -- Lady Rowan, Verbena mage
Intolerance (-1pt) -- To dogs. Especially the annoying little yap-dogs who think they can scare off a panther by barking.

Blessing/Bane:
Heightened Senses: -2 Diff to all Perception in all non-Homid forms
Accidental Shifting: Fail/Botch Willpower, make second Willpower check (Diff 7). Failure causes Bastet to uncontrollably shift the spectrum, may stop at Crinos depending on circumstances of first Willpower check. Only spending a Will point stops and reverses the shift. (By then, it may be too late)


DenRealm: (Extends to Near-Umbra, inside former servent's quarters on Chantry property)
Stepping Sideways -- Anytime from within DenRealm (Diff 3, no shinies needed. Outsiders Diff higher)
Skipping -- (Gnosis Roll Diff 6) Vanish from one spot, reappear elsewhere within DenRealm. Don't Botch, you get stuck.
Sensing -- Percep + DenRealm (Diff 8) to locate trouble within DenRealm's confines, and identify probable cause.
Tracking -- Always know where 'home' is, no matter where you've traveled.
Peeking -- (Gnosis Roll Diff 3) See into DenRealm from either side of Gauntlet.
The Pride -- Take a friend when crossing into Umbra, no more than 2 per trip.

Yava -- GM EYES ONLY

[frigidmagi]

Okay my core concept for this guy is Indiana Jones the Mage. A two fisted tough guy questing for ancient knowledge and forgotten secrets. B4 has suggested Order of Hermes and Nitram has suggested Sons of the Ether.

Suggestions folks?

[Cynical Cat]

frigid, I would tend to favor Sons of Ether, Hermetic, or an Orphan for Indy.

Tev, DS, a mage can't do Hedge Magick. While useful, Hedge Magick is essentially semi-rote magick that works because the current paradigm allows it. Its like comparing medieval herbalism (mix of useful lore and bullshit) with modern pharmacology.

[Dark Silver]

Yes Cat...I'm well aware a Mage cannot perform hedge magick....

It hasn't been THAT long since I played MtA, that I'd let that slip by me.

But Tev is playing a Bastet, a Rank 1 Bastet who is a ally of one of the Chantry's "elder" Mages to help eliminate alot of the munchkinism that could have occured had she been a PC's familiar....


and I axed her Bastet using Hedge Magick for now, because it'd be to powerful.

[Cynical Cat]

They can't, anyway. Their connection to their avatars doesn't work that way. They can only use their Gifts (which are more powerful anyway. Sigh, its so hard being one of Gaea's chosen).

[LadyTevar]

They can't, anyway. Their connection to their avatars doesn't work that way. They can only use their Gifts (which are more powerful anyway. Sigh, its so hard being one of Gaea's chosen).

Show's what you know, Cat.
It's so rare when I can prove you wrong. Please forgive me as I gloat a little

Shadow Craft (Hedge Magic)
Not all cats are content with Gifts and Rites. Some Bastet, notably those among the Bubasti, Ceilican, and Qualmi, study "Human Magics" -- secrets that most beings have forgotten. All cats may learn such arts, but few ever do. These arts, often called Shadow Craft, allow a Bastet to shake the world's foundations a bit. They require a discipline and study to master, but pay handsome dividends.

In game terms, Shadow Craft is essentially Hedge Magic (See Ascension's Right Hand, chapter Five.) Like Hedge Magic, Shadow Craft is "static" compared to the Sphere Magick of the mages; it does not invoke Paradox, but demands specific spells, called "Rituals", for specific effects. Bastet cannot learn Sphere Magick, although they may think otherwise. Like all Changing Breeds, their Awakened Avatar (as magi would term it) is already set in a certain direction: belonging to their race.

(... skip GM info about which books to use and how to RP it ...)

Bastet are considered to begin with the Affinity of Hedge Magic, even if they don't begin play with any level of ability in the art. Some corrupted werecats even sell their souls for Dark Sorcery and Demonic Investments. ( ... skip GM info about how bad this idea is and what books to use ... )

Any Bastet can learn any Path presenting in the books above; the following tribes, however, specialize in certain Paths: (skip list of what the Bubasti, Qualmi and Ceilican use most)

So, by the book, any Bastet can learn Hedge Magic. They are limited only by the GM's ok; and DS said "No! Bad Kitty! No Hedge Witchery!"

[Cynical Cat]

So its a Bastet specific exception? Interesting.

[Dark Silver]

YEah, I said bad kitty to that one.
Furball death-tank meatshield with the ability to heal wounds is powerful enough anyway.

And since I'm nice, I decided to do some drawering to help the game

I haven't come up with a name for the Chantry yet, anyone who wants to, is more than welcome to.

Some Vital Stats:
Respected Chantry in it's second Summer Phase.
Chantry Has 4 nodes of varying power, allowing for up to 20 quintessence a day. Most of the Quintessence goes into powering the various Wards and defenses of the Chantry, along with the empowering of each of the "Pocket Realms" that belong to Chantry Members.

-- The Pocket Realms are the quarters of the individual Mages. They are linked to a room, but are "moldable" to the individual mages whims, allowing for their own personal touch within their room. As such, a room could be a great deal larger than the actual physical space alloted in the Chantry's floor plan.


This is the Chantry's floorplan. You get to choose one of the second level rooms for your character's quarters. I hope I left enough open space for all the players...if nessacry, I'll cut into more rooms. There's also a basement....but in all honesty, it's a basement subdivided into various rooms also. Nothing fancy there.

[LadyTevar]

So its a Bastet specific exception? Interesting.

Cats and Wizards, hon. Many of the Creation Stories in the Tribebook have the first Human Mate being a mage or wise woman, and nearly all of them talk about how close the ties to The Namers are.

And besides, do you know a more fascinating Secret than that of Magick?

[Comrade Tortoise]

I am in. I have an exam I am studying for presently. But you can expect a Son of Ether from me midweek...

[frigidmagi]

One would be grateful if the GM would spare the time to answer my question. I have to admit given CT's annoucement of playing a SoE I am leaning towards an OoH to avoid overlap. Any thoughts folks?

[LadyTevar]

Order of Hermes would make a nice Indy Jones, imho.

[Dark Silver]

One would be grateful if the GM would spare the time to answer my question. I have to admit given CT's annoucement of playing a SoE I am leaning towards an OoH to avoid overlap. Any thoughts folks?

What question Frigid?

Aside from your suggestion about the indiana jones-ish Mage....I answered your other questions on page one.

To be honest, either OoH or a Orphan Mage would be best for the Indy-adventurer type. But that's just me.

As for Overlap...wouldn't worry to much about it. Just because you belong to a Tradition doesn't mean you fall into their stereotypes. You could be a SoE also, and be entirely different from Doctor Zoom (Crazy Inventor/Mad Scientist type), or whatever CT is going to make.

[rhoenix]

Man, just from reading this, some of you appear to understand the intricacies of the 2nd edition Mage book better than I. Whether I actually join or not, I'm definitely going to enjoy reading this unfold.

[frigidmagi]

If it makes you feel any better rhoenix I'm flying completely blind.

[rhoenix]

If it makes you feel any better rhoenix I'm flying completely blind.

Quite honestly, it took someone sitting down with me and giving me examples before I truly began to see how the Spheres interact with one another.

Would anyone here care to give a crash-primer course on how Spheres work?

[Dark Silver]

I'm putting together a "Primer Package" of Ebooks for those who needs it. I'm sending it to frigid right now, and I'll upload it to the server later for others to download if they need it.

Honestly though...I've damn near every book (aside fromt he Players Guide for some odd reason) on Ebook....I'm sure Scottie can rectify any of those I don't have....


As for examples ofhow the Spheres play off each other.....heh...

I'll see how I can explain it. If anyone else wants to give a few examples....

[Dark Silver]

Since some others have asked, I uploaded a "Players Starter Pack".

It's three ebooks, Mage 2nd Edition Core, Mage Players Guide and Guide to the Traditions. Between those three, it's all you need to create a charecter.

When in doubt, ignore "Revised" fluff, we're using a less grimdark version of the 2nd edition fluff.

Mage the Ascension Player Ebook Pack

[Dark Silver]

Found a old Character Generation program from my old days of playing WoD.....


Download the program, use the Character Sheet found in the "Tradition Mage" folder. It'll help to keep track of the points you spend.

Charecturge CharGen

[LadyTevar]

But will that work for a Bastet?

[B4UTRUST]

I'd say well enough seeing as how there's a bastet sheet under the shifters folder.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Found a old Character Generation program from my old days of playing WoD.....


Download the program, use the Character Sheet found in the "Tradition Mage" folder. It'll help to keep track of the points you spend.

Charecturge CharGen

Are those Mac compatible, and if so, what program do I need to open them?