HOLLOW ONES

People are dying, ideals are dying, magic is dying, the world is dying. The Hollow Ones have known as much for some time, and they've
accepted it. Now, they know that the world is going downhill, but they plan to enjoy the ride. Reveling in nihilism and a rejection of social mores,
the Hollow Ones luxuriate in Gothic elegance and a decadent, romantic languor.
Background
Since they are not functionally a Tradition, the Hollow Ones do not occupy a seat on the Council of Nine, they have no recognition among the
Traditions and other mages generally consider them a pain. They don't have the luxury of an extensive library of history, either. Instead, they point
to Romantic poets, Victorian spiritualises, 1920s flapper counterculture and modern Goth culture as their architects. Hollow Ones themselves can't
agree on their foundations; instead, they're more concerned with what they get out of it. As a hodge-podge subculture, they take what they like and
discard the rest; this applies equally t o people, philosophies, magic and belief.
Still, Hollowers are a product of the modern age, or rather, a rejection of it. The Hollow Ones despise the frenetic pace of modern life, the toobright
yet tacky technology of mass marketing and the banal stratification of society. Instead, they cling to notions of a more elegant age. Hollowers
sip at absinthe, play at poetry, indulge in fetishistic fashion and follow the trends that lead them to death's door. The Reckoning that's at hand only
lends credence to their beliefs. If the world's spiraling into destruction, they'll be the ones who are ready for its untimely demise.
Organization
Cliques rule the day among the Hollowers. Instead of forming philosophical factions or Avatar-driven groups, these mages just hang out in
small clubs or social groups. Cliques tend to be fiercely competitive and jealous, but they can put aside their differences to work together
sometimes. Since Hollow Ones often come from broken homes or dysfunctional families (whether wealthy or poverty-stricken), they indulge in
whatever sorts of passive rebellion they can find — and that means hanging out with other people who've survived similar experiences and taken up
the same candlestick. There's no hierarchy. There are young Goths and dead Goths, but old Goths are just pretenders. The social cliques that
Hollowers form are the only real families they know, and they're fiercely protective of them, but without any political vision, they shrug off any
attempts at real "organization." About the closest that Hollowers come to any sort of recognition in their ranks is when they choose someone to
speak for a clique, or when they compete for pieces of unusual arcane lore or trivia in an attempt to seem spooky or knowledgeable in occult
esoterica.
Factions
As the Hollowers lack organization or much in the way of politics, they aren't terribly factionalized. For the most part, they can be simply
divided by their relation to the other Traditions and to magical society. Everything else is a matter of personal preference.
The term Councilor is sometimes used to refer to a Hollower who expresses a desire to see the Hollow Ones join the Traditions, but most often
such individuals are labeled "sell-out" or "fascist jerk." Some Hollowers think that there's much to be learned from the Traditions, or they desire a
sense of belonging; others have friends in the Traditions or are hungry for some political clout. These mages tend to burn out quickly. The Council
doesn't take them seriously, and the other Hollowers often ridicule their ambitions.
Those most violently opposed to the Council are the Revolutionaries, who may agree that the Technocracy sucks, but think that the Tradition
Council is just another oppressive system. These Hollowers want to evade the fighting groups altogether and just die in peace.
The majority of Hollow Ones don't have any recognizable faction. They hang out, enjoy the club scene, spend time with their cliques and shoot
the shit on topics ranging from the modern economy to the spirits supposedly haunting the local cemetery.
Philosophy
Although the Hollow Ones don't believe that the world is necessarily doomed, they do feel that it's ? pretty crappy place. As a result, they eke
out what satisfaction they can get, and they encourage others in t heir own morbidity. Still, they have an abiding curiosity, a desire to scratch beneath
the surface and see how things really work — the squirming guts inside the underbelly of society. Where other mages are driven by one view of
magical theory or a certain Awakened goal, Hollowers are as likely to be motivated by a tres Gothic evening of sybaritic relaxation as by the
opportunity to dig up some piece of esoteric trivia.
Failings
Some days, Hollowers can’t even be bothered to get out of bed. It’s an attitude that leads to defeat. Though Hollowers are accepting and
flexible, it’s hard to motivate them to give a damn about anything. As a result, they accomplish little. They’re poster children of wasted potential,
yet they won’t fit into “normal” society or change to accomodate it. A very few achieve some level of real ability and find a focus to drive toward
Ascension or some other goal, but many just spend their nights sitting on their collective asses and doing nothing productive.

Theories and Practices
The Hollow Ones' greatest strength may stem from thei? 1??k ?f ?onvictions. Since
they refuse in accept anything at f??? value, they dig up all sorts of wisdom and
incorporate it into their own styles. While Hollow Ones tend ?? center around any tiling
from late 1800s spiritual is in up to modern neo-Pagan nihilistic fetishism, they are
willing ro try just about anything ?nce — especially if it'll give them a unique angle or a
way to impress their clique.
To the Hollowers, Ascension is a far off goal, one that may never be reached. Sure,
they can feel the pull of the Avatar, but if you're going to die tomorrow without
achieving anything, why bother?
This lassitude gives them the leisure or explore many different avenues, though, and
ironically, it leads some to find enlightenment in the oddest corners and crafts. As a
general rule, Hollowers don't believe in any sort of global Ascension. People in general
are assholes who can't be bothered to get any better, so it's a waste of time to try to
change them. Since they develop eclectic techniques borrowed from many different
styles, Hollow Ones have no real magi?al specialty or typical focus. Man? start out with
a little light occultism and then veer off into a personal style, studying whatever magic
suits their fancy. As a result, Hollowers can use just about anything as a focus, as long as
they have some idea of what they think they're doing. A Hollower using a computer had
better have some understanding of the machine, while one using Santeria should've at
least read a couple of books on the subject. Ultimately, they bring a scattered approach to
magic that gives them a flexibility the Traditions can't match.
Specialty Sphere: None
Common Foci: Arcanology, blood, crystals, grimoires, poetry, runes, seances, spirit uality, Victorian ritual... just about anything, actually.
Concepts: Clubgoer, faux vampire, Goth band member, medium, occultist, poet
I plan to dance on the ashes of this burning world. Why are you wasting your
time with anything that'll be gone tomorrow?
Stereotypes
Akashic Brotherhood: They need to get their
heads out of their Akashas and see the world for
the festering hole it is.
Celestial Chorus: As if I didn't have enough
trouble with my parents trying to send me to
church and people telling me that I'm going to
Hell.
Cult of Ecstasy: Get up, get down, get bent.
Dreamspeakers: At least they realize the
world's dying. Now they should quit wasting
their time.
Euthanatos: These guys give black
trenchcoats a bad name.
Order of Hermes: What a bunch of stuck-up
assholes! Them and their phallic symbols.
Sons of Ether: You know, mad scientist chic
just doesn't work for me.
Verbena: All right, I can get into the Wiccan
experience, but why get so worked up about all
of it?
Virtual Adepts: Nice toys. But the one who
dies with the most toys, is still dead.

I'm a killer.
I've killed seventeen people. It would be trite to go on about remembering their faces or
feeling remorse or whatnot. I don't. For some of them, maybe, but not all.
Most people just don't have it in them to be killers. But I think it's not about the killing. It's
about the responsibility. When you're a killer, you take on responsibility for yourself and for
someone else. You decide someone's fate, then you have to live with the consequences of that
irrevocable action. Even the people who manage to get past the first part rarely deal with the
second. They break, they confess, they go insane. They want release from the burdens they've
placed on themselves.
I don't really have illusions about what I do, either. A couple of the people I've killed were
suffering. I feel bad for them, but I'd feel worse if they'd gone on with their broken lives. Some
of the others were monsters, real terrors who used their authority or their strength or just their
meanness to inflict pain on people around them. I don't feel so bad about killing them. Even if
they learned nothing this time around, they won't cause havoc to others any more. I did a couple
in self-defense. That's only natural once you've become a killer, though. Killers hunt one
another.
I'm on my way to do a little more killing right now. My target's a man who uses women. He
runs a large organization, and he uses his authority to force them into "compromising positions".
Then he uses that same authority to discredit them so they can't get jobs or defend against his
appetites. I'm going to put an end to it.
The few people who know what I do always question it. "You're taking lives into your hands,"
they say. "What gives you the right?" But they don't get it. It's not a right; it's a responsibility.
I've condemned myself in order to save others. I do things that nobody else will consider,
because I'm ready to put myself on the line for what I believe is right.
Fanaticism? Insanity? Hard to say. All I know is, when I'm done, I won't have changed. After
tonight, I'll still be a killer, but that man will never harm another woman again.

Chapter Three: Character and Traits
Just as the World of Darkness provides a twisted reflection of our own world, a dark background in which to tell stories, it is populated with its
own people. You take on the role of one of those people, telling dial individual's exceptional story.
This character serves as your protagonist, just like the hero in a novel or movie. Through your descriptions, you show how that character
behaves and interacts with his world. Together with the Storyteller and the rest of your troupe, you build a tableau of that character's life and
experience. From novice Initiate to experienced Archmage, you follow the character's exploits and dreams, watching him learn and live through
success and failure.
Here, you'll find the steps necessary in building a mage character. Like any good novelist or playwright, you start with a general concept, an
idea of the character's persona, motives and history. From this sketch, you can delve into the character's defining points. With game statistics, you
assign the character numbers that reflect concrete capabilities.
Traits
Everyone has different capabilities and limits. Every person is unique, as the saying goes, and so it is with Mage characters. The roles that you
can take in a Mage game are as varied as the kinds of different people you’ll meet every day. To address these differences, compare the levels of
ability between people and determine who’s good (or lousy) at something, you define your character with Traits. The character is an idea or
concept, a description of the personality, history and motivation for your alter ego; the Traits are the concrete measurements of the character’s
qualities.
When you create your character for Mage, you assign point values to Traits. Traits describe everything from the character's innate physical
strength to her abstract knowledge of magic. Most Traits score between 1 (poor) and 3 (good), but some exceptionally gifted individuals may have
scores of 4 (excellent) or even 5 (peak human capacity). Certain Mage characters may have learned to enhance their attributes magically beyond
even these levels, and supernatural entities may well exceed human limits. A few Traits (most notably Arete, Quintessence/Paradox and Willpower)
work on a different scale, and they're described later. Whatever the case, the number of dots indicates the relative strength of the Trait, and more
dots means that you get to roll more dice when calling on that Trait (see the rules in Chapter Five).
Common Traits and Terms
Just about all Mage characters draw upon the following Traits:
Name: The character's name could be the magician's given name, or a pseudonym, "craft name" or other assumptive. Some bizarre mages use
strange terms or even descriptors instead of simple names.
Player: That's you — the player who takes on the character's role.
Chronicle: Your chronicle is a series of linked stories telling of the adventures and mishaps of your mages. The chronicle's name encapsulates
the idea for this ongoing tale. Generally, the Storyteller names the chronicle, though that name may be affected by the sort of story that you and the
troupe want to play.
Demeanor: This is the mask that your character uses, not in a literal sense, but in the fashion of how she behaves to the world. Often,
Demeanor is different from Nature, since we all show the world a face that's different from our true, hidden selves.
Attributes: Base, raw capabilities are described with Attributes.
Abilities: Anything your character knows, learns, practices or has an intuitive talent for falls under the heading of an Ability.
Spheres: To better classify and explain magical phenomena, mages long ago categorize various types of magic into Spheres that describe
different facets of reality. With enough practical knowledge of the Spheres, a mage can alter parts of reatity and make things happen through magic.
Backgrounds: These Traits describe the character's social network and standing in both mundane and supernatural circles.
Resonance: This location holds your character's three Resonance Traits, determining how magic is "personalized" for the mage according to
Dynamic, Entropic and Static principles.
Experience: Your character garners experience through story and trial. With experience, you can improve your character's Traits or gain new
ones.
Nature: This term reflects your mage's true personality, the feelings and drives that motivate her to behave in certain ways.
Essence: From the Avatar, the character has a particular Essence, a specific attachment to the primal forces of the universe. This Essence
shows the way that the Avatar tries to structure the character's magic, and it drives the mage to enlightenment in particular forms.
Tradition: Mages learn their magic from wisdom handed down by others. The way that your mage learned magic, and the beliefs that she
holds about the cosmos, are shaped by her Tradition. Each Tradition is a collection of mages unified by a common thread of a particular way of
doing magic.
Concept: A brief description of your character's underlying history goes here. Often, the concept is tied to what your character did in "real life"
before Awakening, and maybe what the character does now. Concepts range from Eccentric Scholar to Outcast Loner to even Ass-Kicking Kung Fu
Master.
Cabal: Since mages tend to come together for mutual defense and study, they often form their own small networks, called cabals. The name of
your character's cabal may be haphazard, or it may have something to do with a common goal or power.
Arete: A measure of enlightenment, showing how well the mage understands the cosmos and manipulates its Tapestry.
Willpower: When the chips are down, Willpower measures your character's ability to give it her all. This Trait reflects inner resilience, drive
and motivation.

Quintessence/Paradox: The wheel of Quintessence and Paradox is an opposed Trait. As you garner Quintessence, you mark boxes clockwise
from the dot, showing that your mage is brimming with the power of creation. Paradox, on the other hand, accumulates counterclockwise from the
dot, as the bending, pulling forces of altered reality weigh your mage down.
Health: Mages have a tendency to get into all sorts of scrapes, so the Health chart measures your character's state of being. A few good
punches, bullets or lightning bolts will put a dent here, but thankfully, mages can heal with time and magic.
Getting Started
Before you sit down to build a Mage character, keep a few things in mind.
• Although mages come from all cultures, walks of life and ages, the systems here are designed for fairly inexperienced mages. Generally, your
character is assumed to have Awakened only recently, within the last few years or so. Such novices know a little bit about magic and their own
Tradition, and they may have a few scattered facts about other supernatural phenomena, but that's it. The world is a large, wonderful and dangerous
place. The wonder of magic hasn't yet worn off, and there's a lot left to see.
• The story of your character should define the Traits, not the other way around. There's no point to a Trait-versus-Trait slugfest; that's hardly a
route to enlightenment. Instead, characters should have a solid story, background and motivation. Then the Traits can be filled in according to their
predilections.
• You get a limited amount of points to build your character's Traits. This limit keeps everyone from playing a super Archmage with a mastery
over every Sphere. This chapter gives some guidelines for such creation, but the Storyteller has the final say on how many points a character may
have.
• Higher Trait ratings are better. For the typical Ability or Attribute, a rating of 1 is low and a rating of 5 is wildly exceptional. Just because you
don't have a good rating in a Trait doesn't mean that your character will always be terrible with it, though. Most characters will average around 2 or
3 in their primary strengths, with the occasional 4. You can develop your character with experience, too, gaining new areas of skill or improving old
ones.
• Remember to work with the other players and the Storyteller when you build your character. Although the moody, vitriolic loner can be fun to
play, it's a pain for the rest of the group if your character has nothing to do with the cabal, or worse still if your character is disruptive and hostile to
the group. Creating a character who doesn't fit in either makes for boring play (since you have nothing to do) or tears up the game (as you go headto-
head with the other players). Figure out a place for your character in the group and the story.

Character Creation Process
• Step One: Character Concept
Choose concept, Tradition, Essence, Nature and Demeanor
• Step Two: Select Attributes
Prioritize the three categories: (7/5/3). Your character gains the process with one dot in each Attribute.
Rate Physical Traits: Strength, Dexterity, Stamina.
Rate Social Traits: Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance.
Rate Mental Traits: Perception, Intelligence, Wits.
• Step Three: Select Abilities
Prioritize the three categories: (13/9/5)
Choose Talents, Skills, Knowledges.
No Ability higher than 3 at this stage.
• Step Four: Select Advantages
Choose Backgrounds (7).
• Step Five: Finishing Touches
Record Arete (1), Willpower (5) and Quintessence (equal to Avatar Background).
Spend freebie points (15). Choose Spheres (5, plus Tradition specialty).
Select Resonance Traits: Dynamic, Entropic, Static.

Sample Concepts
• Criminal — jailbird, Mafioso, drug dealer, pimp, carjacker, thug, thief, fence
• Drifter — bum, smuggler, prostitute, junkie, pilgrim, biker, gambler
• Entertainer — musician, film star, artist, club kid, model
• Intellectual — writer, student, scientist, philosopher, social critic
• Investigator — detective, beat cop, government agent, private eye, witch-hunter
• Kid — child, runaway, outcast, urchin, ganger
• Nightlifer — clubgoer, skinhead, punk, barfly, raver, istance-abuser
• Outsider — urban primitive, refugee, minority, conspiracy theorist
• Politician — judge, public official, councilor, aide, speech-writer
• Professional — engineer, doctor, computer-programmer, lawyer, industrialist
• Reporter — journalist, news reporter, paparazzo, talkshow host
• Socialite — dilettante, host, playboy, sycophant, prominent spouse
• Soldier — bodyguard, enforcer, mercenary, soldier of fortune, Green Beret
• Worker — trucker, farmer, wage-earner, manservant, instruction laborer

Traditions
• Akashic Brotherhood — Philosophical martial-arists, the Warring Fists espouse a union of mind, body and spirit through personal
discipline.
• Celestial Chorus — The schismatic Singers desire renewal of the original One, restoring the world to a whole and perfect form with their
dogmatic faith.
• Cult of Ecstasy — Seeking an altered consciousness through entrancing music, dance and experience, the Ecstatic pursue liberation of flesh
and soul.
• Dreamspeakers — The Spirit-Talkers embody the harmonious — although sometimes dangerous or terrifying — ways of primal existence in
concert with nature and the spirits. They follow the paths of shamans and medicine men.
• Euthanatos — Drawing inspiration from Hindu beliefs and responding to the suffering of an overcrowded uncaring world, the Deathmen
(and women) bring release to the pained and death to evil.
• Order of Hermes — Rational and studious, the Wizards of the high Order of Hermes practice carefully refined formulaic magic handed
down over centuries. Their magic derives from a set of forms built through rigorous application of mystical principles.
• Sons of Ether — Laboratories of weird science ?nd fringe technology embody the lunat ic inspirations of the Mad Doctors, who pursue the
cast-off remnants of discredited science and cutting-edge alternative systems.
• Verbena — Primal and deadly, the misnamed Pagan of the Verbena delve into the primal nature of life, birth, blood and sacrifice in their
communion with potent forces.
• Virtual Adepts — The pioneers of a new vision for reality strive to open the minds of the Masses with their renegade actions as Hackers and
virtual world-builders.
• Hollow Ones — Drawing from the nihilistic corners of a dying culture, the Soulless use a hodge-podge of their own making in the pursuit of
escape while the world crumbles toward Armageddon.
Archetypes
• Architect — You want to leave a lasting legacy.
• Autocrat — You desire control.
• Bon Vivant— Pleasure and joy are your hallmark
• Bravo — Rule stems from strength.
• Caregiver — You are a wellspring of compassion.
• Celebrant — Some cause gives you passion.
• Child — You never grew up.
• Competitor — Always struggling for the top.
• Conformist — You are the heart of a group.
• Conniver — Why work when you can get others to work for you?
• Curmudgeon — Nothing's ever good enough, so you point that out often.
• Deviant — You defy conventions and "normalcy".
• Director — You take charge and bring order.
• Fanatic — A cause consumes you.
• Gallant — The lights shine brightest for you, the center of attention.
• Judge — Balance, truth and justice are your quest.
• Loner — You make your own way.
• Martyr — Through your sacrifice, others survive.
• Masochist — Only pain can teach you your limits.
• Monster — Magic is damnation, so bring Hell to Earth.
• Pedagogue — Knowledge is the fruit of wisdom, passed on to the worthy.
• Penitent — Until you atone for your sins, you are unworthy of salvation.
• Perfectionist — Your accomplishments are never enough.
• Rebel — Rules? What rules?
• Rogue — You plan to be on top, by whatever means necessary.
• Survivor — Nothing can keep you down.
• Thrill-Seeker — Existence is best lived on the edge.
• Traditionalist — The old ways are good ways.
• Trickster — Laughter is the best medicine.
• Visionary — The world is greater than what everyone sees.

Spheres
• Correspondence — Understanding of connections and distances.
• Entropy — Study of chaos, decay and randomness.
• Forces — The power of the flashing elements: fire, electricity, light and sound.
• Life — Influence over living, growing things.
• Matter — Power over base materials and objects.
• Mind — Empowerment, telepathy and mental communication and control.
• Prime — Understanding of the fundamental power behind magic.
• Spirit — Sensitivity to the Invisible World, to place beyond the material.
• Time — Control over the perceptions of and flow the ticks of the clock.
Backgrounds
• Allies — Aides and friends who help in tasks.
• Arcane — A mystical ability to move about unnoticed by the masses.
• Avatar — The strength of the mystical soul.
• Contacts — Information sources and rumormills.
• Destiny — Some greater purpose that drives the mage.
• Dream — A tie to the primordial subconscious.
• Influence — Pull over the mortal world.
• Library — Access to metaphysical knowledge.
• Node — A place of magical power.
• Resources — Gold, hard cash.
• Wonder — A magical Talisman or Device.
Freebie Points
Trait Cost
Attribute 5 per dot
Ability 2 per dot
Sphere 7 per dot
Background 1 per dot
Arete 4 per dot (Max. Total: 3)
Willpower 1 per dot
Quintessence 1 for 4 dots
The Storyteller and Character Creation
Mages aren't just collections of numbers — they're visionaries, believers, villains and heroes. Building a mage character thus calls for attention
to details in personality, history and characterization, not just a simple list of Spheres and Abilities.
Although experienced players can build characters on their own, the Storyteller should always have at least a little something to do with the
process. After all, the Storyteller's going to guide the world, and he needs to make sure that the characters fit in.
Thus, the Storyteller's guiding hand can make sure that all the concepts mesh to some degree, and that every character has something to do. At
the same time, the Storyteller can gain inspiration from the unexpected choices of each player and add a few plot hooks according to the character's
special capabilities.
Obviously, diving into a complex game like Mage can be pretty daunting for new players. The Storyteller should hand out character records
and explain to the players how each of the Traits work and where it fits in. The players should check out the sample sheet and peruse the various
descriptions of Traits. Those who've created Mage characters before need to remember to explain what's important to mage characters and point out
options that other players might not spot right away.
Once players know what they're doing, help them to figure out an appropriate concept for the game. The Storyteller should have an idea of
what the story's about and where it's going; every good story needs a beginning and an end. From there, the Storyteller can determine how the
mages get involved. If the Storyteller wants to run a high-tech thriller, he might forbid primitivist Dreamspeakers or Verbena from the character
concepts. It’s the responsibility of the player to build a character that will move the story forward, and it’s within the authority of the Storyteller to
determine that a given character may not be suitable for the game at hand.
Because explaining the character creation process and Traits is a pretty lengthy task, and because it may take some time for the players to come
up with a group of working concepts, Storyteller should probably take an entire session to put characters in order. Once the basic story concept is
resolved, spend an evening working with all of the players, helping them to build their characters individually and then meshing them as a group. At
this point, it may be appropriate to give a short prelude, a “prestory” to explain how the characters got together, how they Awakened or why they’re
in the upcoming story.

Step One: Character Concept
A character starts as a basic idea, perhaps an impulse or a core element of identity. From there, paint broad brush-strokes to elicit a concept.
The base concept is an outline on which the rest of the character hangs. Ideas spin from this framework, perhaps building on the underlying idea,
possibly making notable exceptions to it.
To formalize your character's basic shape, pick a simple concept, a Tradition, a Nature, a Demeanor and an Essence.
Concept
Every human is unique, but the concept of a character lets you get a handle on core motives and design elements. Remember that mages spring
from human stock and Awaken into a broader world. Therefore, there's more to a mage than just her outlook on magic. Remember to define who
this person was (and is), how she lived and what her relation was (and is) to the rest of the mortal world. Start small, with a basic idea that gets
across a simple image or shows one or two talents of the character. From there, you can refine the concept to a sentence or so and use that sentence
to decide how the character's likely to progress.
Once you have a concept, refer to it while building the rest of your character. Your concept can provide hooks to the character's development
and suggest appropriate capabilities or problems. People surprise us all the time though, and you may be tempted occasionally to do something with
the character just to go against the grain. The concept also suggests some possible personality angles and serves to get your creative juices bubbling
over the fire of imagination. You can pick one of the sample concepts on p. 62, but those ideas exist only to inspire you. Use your imagination,
make something up, and give your mage a unique place in the world!
Tradition
Once Awakened, most mages train in a particular style of magical art s. These heritages determine the sorts of magic that the mage uses, but
they shape the mage's outlook on ethics, philosophy, belief, science, worldly matters and metaphysical theory as well. The heroic mages of the
Traditions hope to keep magic alive — at least for a few individuals — out of a desire for diversity, wonder or just something better than a banal
world. Check out the Traditions in Chapter Two and decide on one that seems reasonable for your character. Remember that the Tradition
influences the character's beliefs and guides her magical style, but your character is also an individual who may break from the Traditional "norm"
in some ways.
Depending on the nature of the chronicle, the Storyteller may disallow or encourage the presence of certain Traditions, so be sure that you work
with your Storyteller in this process.
Obviously, not all mages are Tradition mages. The exceptions fall into several different camps including the Technocracy, the Marauders, the
Nephandi and the Disparates. Most of these groups are covered in other source material. However, if you want to make up your own mage's belief
systems and magical practices, you can determine how your mage learned and developed a hodge-podge eclectica of magic. Simply note that the
character is an Orphan instead of following a particular Tradition.

Essence (Avatar Archetype)
Although mages guide their powers through enlightened will and belief, they are still influenced by the patterns of the universe echoed in their
own souls. Each mage's Awakened Avatar grants the mage the gift of magical power, but it also shapes that mage's approach to magic. Therefore,
the Essence is a roleplaying aspect that determines the direction of the character's magical inner self. This Essence influences the mage's path to
Ascension. Pick an Essence from the list on p. 70. Note that Essences seem to follow set categories. It is easier to choose one of the listed ones than
to try to make up a unique Essence.
Nature and Demeanor (Personality Archetypes)
Just as a character's concept describes her job or place in society, the Nature and Demeanor flesh out the character's personality and motives.
Obviously, people are too complex to be described in a couple of words, but you can establish some basic behaviors for your character with these
Archetypes. The character's Nature represents her inward self, the hidden persona that reflects the character's true goals and meshes with the
Essence to drive the individual forward. The Demeanor is a mask, a facade that the character wears in personality to show to the world. Look over
the list of Archetypes on p. 71-76 and choose one for each category.
Natures and Demeanors are important because they lie at the root of the character's behavior. Your character should often act in ways that
reflect her Demeanor or further the goals of her Nature. Each Archetype also has certain strengths and failings of personality. A mage can draw
upon renewed resolve by relying upon her strengths, but must overcome her failings to reach Ascension. In stressful situations, a mage might regain
Willpower by fulfilling the goals of her Nature. Conversely, she will have to confront the weaknesses of her personality during Seekings and quest
to overcome her flaws. See the individual descriptions for some details.
Step Two: Select Attributes
Once you've decided on your mage's identity, you can "run the numbers" to define the character. Your mage's Attributes reflect her inherent
qualities and personal characteristics. Like other Traits, Attributes are rated with dots, usually on a one-to-five scale. Mage characters have nine
Attributes in three categories: the Physical Attributes of Strength, Dexterity and Stamina; the Social Attributes of Charisma, Manipulation and
Appearance; and the Mental Attributes of Perception, Intelligence and Wits.
Obviously, Attributes depend on the base concept that you established earlier. An industrial worker or Third World miner is likely to be pretty
strong and tough (with good Physical Attributes), while a university professor or computer scientist will probably have high Mental Attributes. A
politician or revolutionary probably has good Social Attributes. Then again, some people manage to get past limited natural talent with lots of work,
but you can't be good at everything, so choose well.
Unless your mage is exceptionally unfortunate, she'll have at least one dot in each Attribute. When you begin the character-creation process,
you divide up the three Attribute categories — Physical, Social and Mental — and assign a priority to each area. In your character's primary area,
place seven additional dots; in the secondary area, five; and in the tertiary category, three. These Attributes can go up to five dots, the maximum
human capability, although you're more likely to have a mage who's competent in most areas and better than average in a few.
Step Three: Select Abilities
After assigning Attributes, your character needs Abilities. These Traits represent learned or practiced capabilities, or the honing of natural
talent. Talents are nat ural capacities of the character, while Skills are practiced and learned faculties. Knowledges represent academic or scholastic
study. Your character's concept should guide your selection of her Abilities. A diplomat should not only have natural charm, but training in
etiquette and social graces, while a boxer needs a great deal of skill in unarmed combat in addition to a good physique.
Again, you divide the Abilities into three prioritized categories: Talents, Skills and Knowledges. Unlike Abilities, you don't place a free dot in
each area. Your mage doesn't know everything, after all. In your primary Ability category, place 13 dots. In the secondary area, place nine dots, and
reserve five for the tertiary one. However, you can't place more than three dots into any single Ability right at the outset. You'll have the
opportunity to show exceptional prowess by buying more dots with freebie points, or you can improve your ratings through experience points after
play begins. However, such exemplary work is the exception rather than the norm.
Step Four: Select Advantages
Even within a given field of expertise, no two people are the same. While a few points of difference in Traits are to be expected, characters
really separate out with Advantages. These Traits represent the character's special bonuses and acquired unusual Traits — human social ties,
magical heritage, mystic study or just wealth and influence. You'll get different amounts of points to improve each category of Advantages, and you
can improve them lat er with freebie points.
Backgrounds
For measuring a mage's standing in various social groups, check out Backgrounds. A mage might have Backgrounds in various areas of human
endeavor (money, property, friends, co-workers, political pull and so on) or magical nature (a powerful spirit, access to magical items or energy, a
strong destiny or a connection to the universe). Based on your character's concept, Tradition and Essence, figure out some Backgrounds that would
make sense or facilitate the character's role. You can spend seven dots on Backgrounds in any combination that you like. Just remember that if you
don't put any dots into it, you don't have it — nothing is free.
Foci
Each mage has a different way of looking at and invoking magic. The Traditions teach fairly unified theories, but the individual practices are
unique from mage to mage. Choosing foci — the tools and techniques used to perform magic — for a given mage is an important individual step.
You don't place points into foci. Instead, you pick a signature focus for each Sphere of magic. That focus is the method or item with which
your mage is most comfortable and familiar when invoking that form of magic. Thus, you'll have a different item for each Sphere, but each item
will fit in some way with your Tradition's beliefs on what works and what doesn't. The advantage is that, when using the signature focus, it's a little
easier to perform magic, as long as you can work out a way that your character would use the focus in the spell. Your character can still do magic
without her signature focus for a Sphere, but she'll have to rely on other trappings of her Tradition. Without any appropriate focus, she can't do the
magic at all — she simply doesn't believe that it's possible to do magic other than the way she's learned already.
As your character grows in enlightenment, she may overcome her dependence on props, removing the need for foci. However, that day won't
come for a long time. For now, make a note of the signature focus used for each Sphere of magic, with items or techniques as suggested in the
Tradition descriptions.
Step Five: Last Touches
The home stretch — most of the points are down for the character, and you can nearly finish fleshing the mage out. Here you'll take care of the
last bits of number-crunching and spend a few freebie points to customize the mage.
Spheres
Each of the nine Spheres of magic describes a fundamental key to reality. By studying the Spheres, a mage gains power over them. The mage
can perform feats of will that bend the Spheres to her whim. Combining the Spheres allows a mage to affect greater portions of reality.
All mages start with one dot in a "specialty Sphere," the one Sphere that the mage best understands and for which the character has the greatest
affinity. This specialty is determined by the character's Tradition and faction (if you have one see Chapter Two). Furthermore, you can spend five
additional dots to improve your character's Spheres — but don't do so yet. No Sphere rating can exceed the character's Aret e, so you'll need to
spend freebie points first, to raise Arete, if you want any Sphere better than the rudiments. Note that if your character's faction teaches a different
Sphere than the Tradition, you should still put a dot in the Tradition's specialty Sphere to represent "basic training."
Some Orphans, especially Hollow Ones, have no specialty Sphere. These characters learn all Spheres equally and get six dots in whichever
Spheres you please.
Arete
As a mage's magical will, enlightenment and connection to the universe, Arete measures one's fundamental understanding and ability to control
magical forces. Upon Awakening, every mage gains at least a small measure of enlightened vision. Reflect this fact by noting that your mage has
one dot of Arete. You can purchase additional levels of Arete with freebie points. This option is important because none of your character's Spheres
can exceed her Arete. Your mage's practical ability to manipulate magic is limited by her basic theoretical understanding of magical principles.
Normal humans do not have an Arete rating. After Awakening, mages gain Arete through special visions and quests called Seekings. This road
to enlightenment is a difficult and dangerous one, so only the most exemplary mages have a high Arete. Thus, a normal mage character starts with
just one dot of Arete. You cannot raise it above a total of three dots with the expenditure of freebie points.
Willpower
Mages are headstrong and willful beings, as they must be in order to change the cosmos. The Willpower Trait measures that inner confidence
and drive. All mage characters start with a Willpower of at least five dots. You may add additional dots by spending freebie points, and doing so
can be crucial in the quest for Ascension. However, remember that Willpower, like other Traits, must bow to the concept of the character. Only the
rarest, most devoted and most fanatical of individuals have Willpower scores of nine or 10.
Quintessence and Paradox
Rare and valuable, Quintessence is the raw energy of Creation. A mage can channel Quintessence to aid in many magical feats. Your character
starts with Quintessence equal to his Avatar Background rating, and no Paradox points. Of course, once your mage has gotten into a little trouble,
these numbers tend to change quickly! You can buy a little extra Quintessence for your mage with freebie points, in order to give her a bit of a
magical edge at first. Later, Quintessence is regained through the use of Prime arts and meditation at Nodes.
Resonance
Near the bottom of the character record are spaces for three Resonance Traits: Dynamic, Entropic and Static. Pick one Trait for one type of
Resonance, and rate it with one dot. This rating reflects the sorts of emotions and drives that affect your mage's magic. Each Trait needs to key in
with the appropriate type of Resonance. Check out the descriptions of Essence and Nature and Demeanor (you did pick those in the first step,
right?) to get a handle on your mage's personality and motives, and then choose Traits for a st yle of Resonance as appropriate. You can make up
any sort of description; it's just an adjective that flavors your character's magic. Later, Resonance may increase as your mage becomes more
powerful or more hell-bent on a certain style of magic, but for now, this step is just a minor sort of characterization to magic
Freebie Points
The last step in customizing your mage is the expenditure of freebie points. You get 15 points to spend on additional Traits, even improving
beyond some of the limits described before (up to the normal Trait maximums). However, not every improvement costs the same amount of points.
Gaining more Spheres is much more expensive than increasing an Ability rating. See the chart on p. 64 for the freebie point costs of various Traits.
Pay special attention to the use of freebie points on magical Traits. You can raise your character's Arete with freebie points, which will develop
her magical talents. However, no character can start with an Arete above three in this fashion. Once you've settled on your Arete rating, you should
go back and spend the dots for your character's Spheres. If you've bought Arete above the preliminary rating, you open the door for your character
to have better knowledge of some Spheres.
The Spark of Life
After you've put down the dots and come up with the basic description of the character, it's time to work out the details that make her an
individual. Your mage needs to be more than a one-dimensional caricature or a skeletal model made of a collection of numbers. Breathe life into
your character; give her her own place in the world.
At this point, take a look at the interplay of all of your Traits and ideas. Start jotting down particular ideas or interests that spark in your head.
Look at the mage as a whole person, and develop the character's motives from the ground up. Explore the mage's days as a Sleeper, growing up,
living and looking to an uncertain future. Your mage certainly considers herself a complete person, so give her the appropriate treatment. Delve into
her history, psychology, personality and background. Work up a detailed description of her physique and her habits, and see how all the pieces fit
together.
Too many players skip through this detailed part of the creation process, either from a lack of effort or because history and personality aren't
"stats" on the character sheet. However, this step is arguably the most important part of characterization. Sure, your character with Melee 4 will
stand out from other mages for her great skill with swords, but how did she get that skill? What sorts of weapons does she actually use or prefer?
What's her style like? Why did she bother studying so much on primitive hand weapons? Does she do anything else? Your character will be unique
not just for having a particular Trait — anyone can have dots — but for having a particular persona. Make that persona stand out, and the character
will stand out in the story as well.
Remember that mages are driven, passionate and consumed by the quest for Ascension. Sure, they vary in degree, but one thing they aren't is a
"normal" human. Put some force behind the indomitable will that came with Awakening.
Draw from a few final ideas to put the last touches onto your character. What does he or she look like? How does her own personal magical
style work, and what sorts of foci does she carry? Choose any appropriate Specialties for your Traits (p. 90), and then decide how your character
developed them. Discuss with your Storyteller the sorts of mundane (or not-so-mundane) possessions that your mage might have, and the little
quirks, details, habits and mannerisms that make the character more human. And finally, don't forget the all-important development of the
character's mundane life. The mage doesn't spend all of her days in a library surrounded by magical tomes and other magicians, after all. She
probably interacts with normal people, has family, friends and a job — or does she?

The Prelude
A character with a history, background and concrete set of statistics is ready for play and well-detailed, but it takes a real effort to see how the
character turns out. The smallest quirk could wind up taking on unusual prominence, or a character that seems like an enjoyable role might turn out
to be more difficult than imagined. In order to work out the bugs, iron out the conflicts and get a real grip on the character, it's good to start with a
prelude: a sort of "test run" in which you build up the character's beginnings as a mage.
A prelude works much like an actual game session, but it's streamlined. Instead of throwing a mage headlong into total conflict, the prelude
offers a chance for the Storyteller and player to come to some conclusions about the character. The player gets to feel out the character's role and
play style, while the Storyteller can see how the player and character mesh in order to develop some chronicle ideas based on the character's design.
Run a prelude as a quick session of play that covers some highlights or interesting features of the character's life. Unlike a regular game of
Mage, the prelude needn't bother with dice rolls or statistics; the goal is to get a more finely honed feel for the character, not to struggle against
conflict situations. Preludes can work best as a one-on-one session between Storyteller and player, or possibly with a few characters in their
formative years. It's here that you'll play out some of the characterization that you decided on, and get a chance to tweak your character's design if
something doesn't work out the way you'd planned.
For the Storyteller's part, the prelude is a great chance to see the character in action. Here, the Storyteller gets to see how the particular player
takes on the role, approaches problems and develops the character. Throw in some curves, maybe a hint of the future, and it's even possible to plant
a plot seed or two for later germination. The prelude will give the Storyteller ideas for later games in the regular chronicle.
The prelude works best if it covers some earlier part of the character's life, often from before or right at the Awakening. Doing so lets the player
delve more into the formative experiences of the character, and it's a great opportunity for a novice player who needs to get a handle on roleplaying
before diving into the complexities of magic systems and dice-rolling. Pick one or two key events in the character's history, and play through them
over the course of an hour or so.
Don't bother with dice or points in a prelude session; just flow with the story and let the player's decisions guide the game. Avoid gritty
mechanics and get into the meat of developing a role, making choices and establishing the character's history. That's even good advice for some
regular games, too.
Character Questions
It’s all well and good to admonish players to build more detailed characters, but it helps to have hooks on which to hang some ideas! Read the
following questions and answer them for your character while you’re making her. A character isn’t really complete until these questions can be
answered easily by the player. A player who says, “I don’t know,” in response to questions about a character’s life just doesn’t have a handle on
that character yet. It’s often helpful, then, for players to write out short answers to these sorts of questions.

• How Old Are You?
Some mages Awaken at an early age, as children; others don’t Awaken until much later in life. Your character could be one of these
exceptions, or perhaps someone who Awakened in the years between. Has your character been a mage for a while, or is this all new?
• How Was Your Life Different?
Even before mages Awaken, they often lead strange lives or endure unusual happenings in their early years, especially if they have powerful
destinies. Did your character have an unusually placid life or a very odd one? How was your upbringing, and did your family and friends remark on
anything strange about you? Did you notice these events or just think that everyone had quirks in their lives?
• What Was Your Upbringing?
Aside from the magely difficulties of growing up, how did your character's normal life develop? Look at your character's Abilities and see how
they might have been learned. Were the character's parents present, or did she come from a broken home? Did she go to school or learn at home?
What sorts of values and mores did she learn? Delve into where your character grew up and whether she was satisfied with her life and the
consequences thereof.
• Who Are Your Friends and Family?
Since your mage came from somewhere, chances are that she has friends and family. Who does your mage count as her friends? What was her
family like? Are any of these people still around? If not, why not? If so, do they know about your character's magic? Do they approve of,
understand or despise it? For that matter, does your character still have any contact with them? Does your character actually have a good
relationship with her friends, or does she tend to just use people? See how your character's network offers opportunities and duties.
• When Did You First Encounter Magic? Many mages undergo some strange experiences even before they Awaken. Did your character have
unusual dreams or visions before Awakening? Did she encounter strange, supernatural creatures? Was someone in the character's family a
magician, vampire or other strange being? Or did the Awakening come as a total shock and surprise?
From the first encounter with magic, look at your character's response to this sudden revelation. Many people refuse to acknowledge the
existence or presence of magic, even after it 's shown to them. How long did it take your character to accept that magic is "real"? Did your character
have a feeling all along that something was missing, a hole that was filled with magic, or did she kick, scream and struggle to avoid shattering her
safe preconceptions of an orderly world?
• How Did You Join the Traditions?
Once Awakened, a mage-to-be finds many groups vying for her attention — Technocrats, Traditionalists, Nephandi and others. Presuming that
your character is a Tradition mage, how did she get inducted into a Tradition? What drew her to a particular group? Did she think that she could get
something out of a particular Tradition’s beliefs as a by -product of her own culture and lifestyle? Did your character have a specific mentor, or did
she simply “hand around” with Tradition mages and pick up some of their style?
Here you can determine whether your character had or has a mentor, and the relationship between the two. Was your mage’s mentor harsh and
cruel, demanding, domineering, helpful, compassionate, distracted, distant, enlightened? Did your character have regular contact with her mentor,
or just sporadic letters and mysterious notes ? Did the mentor develop your character into a full Tradition mage, or disappear somewhere along the
way, perhaps captured/ killed/ converted by another faction? Did your mage start out with a different group but later change to the Traditions due to
the influence of a good mentor on one side or a bad mentor on the other?
• How Did You Join Your Cabal?
Typically, a mage hangs out with other mages of similar mind. How did your mage get introduced to other mages? Did your character's mentor,
if any, introduce her to other neophytes? If the characters are of different Traditions, then what common bond caused them to stay together? If they
are of similar Traditions, then what diverse elements make them unique? Did your character join due to similar goals, or is she now stuck in a cabal
that doesn't really mesh with her own drives? Looking for an answer to this question is a good opportunity to talk to the other players and develop
some group concepts or hooks to make the characters mesh.
• How Do You Deal with the Mundane World? Despite their phenomenal powers, mages must deal with the mortal world. There are six
billion humans out there, after all. Few mages have the wherewithal to cross into the spirit worlds and live there, which means that the mage must
pay rent, deal with a job and handle all of the various exigencies of everyday living. Does your character still have a job, or does she try ?? use
magic to fulfill her needs? Does she deal well with Sleepers, or see them as "crippled"? What steps does she take to minimize exposure to the
Technocracy while maintaining something resembling a normal cover of life? Is she flashy with her magic in front of Sleepers, or has she learned
caution? There may only be half a dozen members in the cabal, while there are hundreds of mortals out there with whom the mage interacts every
day.
Player Questions
Now that you, as a player, have a handle on your character's background and motivations, it's time to look at some player ideas. The mage's
history is known to you (and, presumably, to the character), but you have the chance to build a picture of where the character will go. The mage
may have her own drives and desires, but it's you who decides how the mage will fulfill them. Since you have to determine what the mage wants,
how she plans to get it and how she'll respond to the trials in the way, you should ask yourself some questions about what you want to do with the character and how you plan to get there.

• What's Your (Player) Motive?
Roleplaying games are all for fun, but we all get fun from different things. Examine your motives in building your character. What do you want
to get out of this game? Do you want drama? Romance? Social interaction? Pure action? Puzzles? Philosophical conundrums?
Once you've got a few basic motives, decide how your character might achieve them. You've got a well-trained ass-kicker or a seductive
socialite, but what are their usual tricks and modus operand? What the character wants is important in how she gets it. The hope is that your
character will make the way to enlightenment eventually, but in the meantime, there are a variety of ways to deal with the world.
• Does Your Character Have a Sense of Her Future? Some mages have a powerful destiny leading them to some unavoidable fate. Others
have a more clouded vision, simply going wherever the winds of chance blow them. Your character may have some idea of her future, or some plan
other own. Some mages like to think that they are preordained for greatness and it's not always possible to sort the chaff from the grain! Do you
have a goal in mind for your character — something to accomplish or avoid — or is she just drifting?
• How Does Your Character See His or Her Mystic Path? Most mages had some sort of plan for their mortal lives before realizing their
mystical ones. Now, your mage might have a goal in mind for her mystical path — Ascension? Archmastery? Unlocking some fundamental
mystery or historical anomaly? Developing her Tradition's base of influence? On the other hand, your mage might try to reject her magical powers,
or just ignore her potential. Eventually the mage may have a slap in the face. How will you react to your mage's new development in magic, or lack
thereof, and what's your response if it doesn't turn out the way that she intended?
• What Conflicts Wait in the Road of Magical Development? Eventually your mage will have to choose between her magical heritage and
her mortal life, if she hasn't already. The Avatar also has a tendency to manifest in dreams or subconscious impulses while pushing the mage in
surprising ways. Your mage may find her magical and moral conflicts taking her away from her Tradition, away from her goals, into danger with
her flaws or into the forge-fires that will temper her into a true hero. Your mage can't see everything that lies ahead, but you can make some guesses
and think about how your mage will be affected by the inevitable conflicts.
Avatar Essences
Although the Avatar is generally seen as a shard of Prime energy possessed only of whatever consciousness and drives it's picked up through
previous incarnations, there is no denying that Avatars do seem to have certain intrinsic characteristics. Mages classify Avatars according to these
perceived differences and place them into broad categories. As with all things magical, there is a wide range of beliefs regarding the true natures of
Avatars and their actual categorization (or lack thereof). Still, most mages can agree on four general directions to Avatars: Dynamic, Pattern,
Primordial and Questing. Theoreticians sometimes further subdivide these groups into more precise types, and add a fifth Essence that has never
actually been witnessed in a mage: Infinite. These categories are thought to give some insight into the ways that different Avatars nudge mages
toward Ascension, as well as the sorts of goals that such Avatars pursue.
The exact limits and functions of the Avatar remain unknown. Fatalistic mages sometimes claim that the Avatar itself predetermines the mage's
actions, or that it tells which faction the mage will join. Reincarnationists point to the Avatar as the source of past lives and argue that the Avatar
seeks out a familiar home, so a mage can be determined to follow in the footsteps of his own previous incarnations. Mages struggling just to survive
and understand their unique nature generally don't have time to worry about such trivia, though. They take the Avatar at whatever level it's given
and get on with forging their own destinies.
Your character's Avatar plays a large, but subconscious, role in her development. Psychologically, the mage is driven by her Nature and
Demeanor, and by the motives and desires fostered in the course of living, as with any human. Once Awakened, though, the Avatar pushes its own
direction through dream-messages, subconscious urges and emotional patterns. The mage may find herself engaging in behaviors indicative of herAvatar: jumping from one interest to another with a Dynamic Avatar, seeking ordered perfection with a Pattern Avatar, looking for hidden
meanings in everyday occurrences with a Primordial Avatar or forging ahead into new hobbies with a Questing Avatar.
Most often, Avatars only show themselves through soft, barely -noticed whispers and flashes. A mage's Avatar might sound like a reasonable
voice in the back of her head, or come across as a sudden urge to do something. Rarely, strong Avatars will actually manifest, creating a material
form and then dealing with the mage directly. Ultimately, the mage may or may not believe in or be aware of the existence other Avatar, but it's
there as an unseen influence that pushes toward a vision of Ascension.
The various Essences describe an Avatar's specific composition in Prime terms. Although Avatars carry different sets of memories or goals,
most (if not all) can be classified according to the way that they operate. These methods, fractured as they may be, form Essences. Your mage's
Essence determines the basic motives and methods of her Avatar, and it determines what sorts of metaphysical systems she's most comfortable
with.
Dynamic
Just as mages are forces of change, so too are Dynamic Essences the incarnation of that change. The Dynamic Essence pushes a mage in new
directions constantly, unable to settle and simply interested in the raw creation of new ideas, experiences and horizons. Even mages with a powerful
Destiny may not be able to see their road with a Dynamic Avatar. The paths taken by such explorers are many and varied, and they often defy
conventional wisdom. Dynamic mages are true heralds of randomness and inspiration, as they bring forth concepts never before imagined. Though
powerfully unpredictable and often moving "outside the bo x", the Dynamic Essence also finds it difficult to focus on a single task or goal.
Subtle dynamism shows up by causing the mage to feel curiosity, impatience and flashes of inspiration. Such an Avatar may appear as a
strange shadow, a half-formed concept or a jagged abstraction, changing form constantly. Over time, the appearance, goals and emotional tools of a
Dynamic Essence often change. Even mages who heed the directions of these Avatars find that the completion of one task simply opens the door to
others. Dynamic Avatars do not rest, and their mages can rarely keep up.
Pattern
When other mages create new methods, Pattern mages refine and reuse these methods until they become stable and well-defined. The Pattern
Essence cements magic into reality, gives shape to the poorly executed and repairs the flawed. Instead of seeking new and dynamic means of
change, Pattern Essences stabilize existing elements or methodically build on solid foundations. Naturally, such Essences are vital to stability,
learning and society. As the Essence most driven by a need to form connections, the Pattern Essence fits naturally into such a role.
Mages who feel the push of Pattern often experience periods of crystal clear lucidity. They are commonly rational thinkers driven by a strong
desire for familiarity and most comfortable with clearly defined archetypes. These Avatars may manifest in dreams as authoritarian figures,
repeating patterns or fantastic machines, but they usually keep the same appearance from instance to instance.
Primordial
All things came from a great morass of unformed creation at the birth of the universe, be it the emptiness before a divinely inspired genesis or
swirling chaos before a big bang. The universe will return to such a state ultimately. Primordial Essences reflect the raw elements of such creation
and destruction. Driven to seek new experiences, yet always comparing them to the past, these Essences resonate with the humming vibration that
underlies all creation. Conscious of the keystones of the universe, the Primordial Essences thus seek the root of all things.
Most often, Primordial Essences take on very clearly defined archetypes, roles deeply seated in the subconscious. Such mages are driven by
deep and overwhelming emotional urges or needs, but they also seem to experience the heights of grand passion more powerfully than anyone else.
When manifesting, Primordial Avatars often take the roles of spirits, animals or gods, typifying the most basic elements of reality in the shells of
recognizable forms.
Questing
As a sort of balance between other Essences, the Questing Essence seeks knowledge and new frontiers with purpose and with a final goal in
mind. Not content to rest on foundations already laid, the Questing Avatar pushes to some goal and does not flag or change direction. Once a
destination is reached, the Questing Avatar sets a new goal and heads off again. Mages with this drive find themselves consumed by the need for a
journey, the need to be in motion with a goal to achieve. These Essences seek a union of the other elements, and they strive to find a wholesome
balance by treading the roads that lead between other Essences' paths.
Emotionally, Questing Essences are driven and visionary. Such mages often focus on a new idea and pursue it to its conclusion, then settle on a
new project. The Avatar ensures this constant progression by keeping the mage interested in the final steps, with a need to know, understand and
experience. In even herself. The Essence leads the mage through the internal appearance and demeanor, such Avatars most often appear in dialogue
that opens doors of self-discovery, and sends the mage a form carrying elements similar to the mage's companions or on quests to understand
herself and her world.
Personality Archetypes: Nature and Demeanor
Everybody adopts roles and masks. We play the parts necessitated by circumstance every day. Depending on the situation, we may be children,
lovers, warriors, students or teachers. Even in the underlying principles that make up "you," there's room for change. Are you the same person that
you were yesterday? Last month? A year ago? Ten years ago? For that matter, are you the same person when talking to someone you don't like as
opposed to enjoying a conversation with friends? As a way of looking at your mage's personality, we give you personality Archetypes —broad

definitions of various motives, beliefs and ways of dealing with the world. A mage typically has a single Nature, representing her innermost
emotions, and a Demeanor, the mask that she presents to others.
Archetypes are not designed to limit or pigeonhole your character. Rather, they are ways to get a handle on the character's motives, a sort of
"default setting" from which you can play. The Archetypes allow you to play the character without having to fiddle with motive or direction
constantly. Instead, you can take a brief look at the character's Nature and Demeanor to come up with a course of action that suits the character.
Don't be limited by these conveniences, though. People surprise us all the time, and your character should be more complex than a simple phrase.
Each Archetype has a particular strength and weakness. The strength is essentially a "strength of character," the passion that moves the mage.
The mage can draw inspiration from her passion. The weakness is a character flaw that must be overcome if the mage is ever to achieve Ascension.
From this flaw, the mage might find a new inner resolve as she fights to overcome her problems, or she may fall to her own hubris.
Because a mage draws strength from her convictions, her Nature can also serve as a means for her to replenish her innermost defenses. A mage
who fulfills her Nature in some meaningful fashion (hopefully with strong roleplaying and a great deal of work!) may regain Willpower points, as
suggested.
Architect
You desire to leave a mark on the world by building something that lasts. You try to create things of value — objects, buildings, philosophies.
Not only are you a founder and a builder, but you intend to have a legacy that brings strength and a better life to those who follow after you.
Your strength is Purpose. You have a vision that will make the world better (for someone) after you've passed through. Your deeds will
hopefully live on and help those around you.
Your weakness is Obsession with your ambitions — you focus blindly on your plans. To Ascend, you must defeat this fixation and open
yourself to new possibilities and achievements.
— Regain Willpower whenever you create or establish something of import ance or lasting value.
Autocrat
You want control. To this end, you take charge, structure events around you and build in rigid hierarchies and procedures. Firmly convinced
that nobody else has what it takes, you step in to guide and direct.
Your strength is Leadership. You have a natural penchant for authority, and this confidence causes others to recognize you as a leader to be
respected or feared. You are ready to make the tough choices demanded of a true leader.
Your weakness lies in Dictatorship. Though you have the will to lead others, you do not necessarily have the interests of the group at heart.
You lead for the sake of leading, not to any given purpose. You must look without to find a reason to lead — or follow — if your leadership is to
mean anything. Before you can master others, you must master yourself.
— Regain Willpower when you take charge over a new group or organization.
Bon Vivant
Hedonist, sybarite, sensualist — these names and more describe you. Since we only live once, you live for the party! You aren't necessarily
averse to a little work or waiting, but you want to have fun at the end of it all — a lot of fun. If you can have fun all the time, so much the better.
Everyone should enjoy life. You certainly plan to do so.
Love of life is your great strength. You cling so feverishly to the joys of living that you are loath to give them up, and you infect others with
your happiness and passion.
Your weakness is Hedonism. As the old saw states, you can resist anything except temptation. If you're not having a good time, you're looking
for one, and this desire for gratification can lead you away from duty or enlightenment.
— Regain Willpower whenever you have a really good time and truly enjoy what you're doing, especially if you can get others to share your
joy.
Bravo
It's a tough world, but the Bravo got going early. Nobody else will look out for number one, so you cultivate strength and power. With that
power, you can do what you want, you can survive and thrive, and you can garner respect. Since the world revolves around the powerful, you
respect only those who hold similar views. You might be a thug who roughs up everyone to test their mettle, or you might be a careful manipulator
who pits your enemies against one another. Either way, you live by keeping the upper hand.
You have a great reservoir of Strength . Setbacks that would daunt others are just challenges for you to prove yourself. Since you've accepted
that it's a hard world, you'll tough it out by whatever means are necessary.
Unfortunately, your Anger often leads you into conflict. Unwilling to help others because you want to get ahead, you alienate people, cause
problems and get yourself in a rut. You must leam to compromise and to deal. Life is not a zero-sum game.
— Regain Willpower whenever you gain the upper hand in a long-running conflict, either through personal strength or the accumulation of
power.
Caregiver
Since the world is so dangerous and hurtful, you've taken it upon yourself to look out for others' welfare. Perhaps you were once hurt, or you've
seen too much suffering. Either way, you never want anyone to have to endure that pain again. You give of yourself to help others, and you mollify
pain, take up others' problems and lend a caring shoulder to those in need.

Your Compassion is your strength. Your willingness to share makes a community, so that everyone can draw strength from one another. Even
though you can't help everyone, you make a real difference for the few that you do encounter.
Your weakness stems from Smothering. Although you really want to help others, sometimes the best help is to let them take their knocks and
overcome their own problems. Unless you learn to let go, you'll keep your charges from making their own meaningful accomplishments, successes
and failures.
— Regain Willpower whenever you protect or nurture someone else.
Celebrant
A cause is at the heart of your soul, and that cause gives you joy. True enthusiasm drives you in a love, even a passion, for your chosen
expression. You might be an activist or an artist, a scholar or a performer; your calling gives you a deep and abiding satisfaction. From this pleasure
you are driven to move ever forward.
Passion is your strength: You love your chosen cause so much that you will push beyond the limits that would stymie others. You truly enjoy
and care about your work, and you inspire others as well.
Your weakness comes from Intemperance. Given a choice, you will indulge in your chosen pursuit above others. This immoderation can be
unhealthy and distract you from broadening your pursuits and horizons.
— Regain Willpower when you can follow the heart of your passion, especially if you convince another person to see the source of your joy.
Child
In response to the dangerous world out there, you never grew up. You rely on others to take care of you. You might just be incompetent, or
perhaps you really are still a child. Immaturity is part of your nature, but so is innocence. You rely on others to care for you, but you also inspire
them to be strong for you.
Your strength lies in your Innocence. Unexposed to the depths of the world's depravity, or unwilling to accept it, you are a beacon of what's
best in people. Others are attracted to your innocence, often to protect and nurture you. Even hardened souls find that you bring out some measure
of their own inner compassion and trust.
Because you do not accept worldliness, your weakness is Immaturity. You can't make up your mind, you take people at face value and you're
unprepared to deal with the world if you don't have someone holding your hand. You'll need to stand on your own if you're ever to accomplish
things of true merit.
— Regain Willpower when you bring out the caring, nurturing side of someone.
Competitor
Life is a challenge, and you are there to meet every contest. You don't necessarily have to "win" — and you can work with a team or see that
everyone benefits — but in the end, you're in it for the excitement of overcoming the challenges. You rush to meet any obstacle, and you strive to
succeed — and exceed.
Your strength stems from Striving. You're never satisfied with "enough," you want "newer, faster, better, best." Everything's a chance to
stretch your talents, learn something new, adapt and overcome.
However, you have a problem with your Competitiveness. Life is not a game, and there are no winners or losers. You must accept that events
can be more than just challenges, and that life experience can be grand just by living instead of fighting for it. Otherwise, you'll fight so hard that
you'll never have a chance to breathe.
— Regain Willpower when you succeed at a challenge that requires extended effort on your part.
Conformist
Others have already paved a safe way for you to go, so there's no sense in fighting or risking everything. You'll just take the blazed trail to
success, thanks very much. You aren't averse to a little struggle, but you follow the plans and the footsteps already laid out, and you try to fit in with
the group. There's no sense being on the outside or losing everything in some pointless exercise in rebellion, after all. You're happy to follow, to
rely on the good old ways and to throw in with the group.
Your strength comes from Cooperation. You work well with others, and you encourage people to function in groups. In a community, you can
achieve more than any separate individuals.
A Low-Self Esteem is your real problem. You aren't willing to risk going outside the boundaries or against the flow. You'll do what the crowd
does, even when it's dangerous or stupid. Sometimes you have to find your own path, and sometimes the group doesn't always show the best way.
You need to find the strength of your own convictions instead of relying on someone else's vision.
— Regain Willpower whenever you advance the cause of your group, especially when you get everyone to pull together.
Conniver
There's no sense in doing all the work when someone else can do it for you. As a result, you're adept at planning, manipulation and getting
others to do things for you, whether with or without their knowledge and consent. You might play elaborate cons and dodges, or perhaps you just
set up situations where you can avoid the hard work or have it all fall into someone else's lap.
It takes a quick and Clever mind to arrange matters as craftily as you do. Though not necessarily a leader, you do manage to keep your side
moving, and your elaborate plans can even get your enemies working for you.

You must overcome your weakness of Envy if you're ever to be truly satisfied. You're not really lazy, you just find it easier to get what you
want by tricking others. However, doing so gives you no real satisfaction, since you don't achieve anything yourself. You must find that satisfaction
by accomplishing something of your own and learning to be happy with what you achieve.
— Regain Willpower whenever you manage to avoid work or problems by tricking someone else.
Curmudgeon
The world isn't good enough for you, and you make that plain. You hold everyone to high standards, and you are quick to task them to greater
and greater exertion. Anything can have faults under your scrutiny, and you're not afraid to say so. It's never good enough, dammit!
Your Critical Eye is your greatest strength. You're adept at finding problems or flaws and identifying them. From there, it's possible to
improve, to innovate and to make things better.
Your problem is your Lack of Imagination. You're so caught up in finding what's wrong that you don't see what's right, and you don't bother
with how it could be better. You fail to acknowledge that problems often indicate places where new growth can occur. You must leam to be open to
new possibilities instead of shooting them down.
— Regain Willpower whenever you find a serious flaw or problem in something, especially if it stems from someone doing something really
stupid.
Deviant
There's no real way to categorize you; you're a freak, a sideshow and an outcast. Whether by choice or by nature, you fit into no niche. You just
don't mesh with the way that everyone else works, and you're unique for it. But it can be lonely, and you risk persecution for being so different.
You have the power to Shatter Boundaries because you aren't held to the limits imposed on everyone else. You do things that other people
wouldn't even think of, and you forge new paths as a result.
Your Perversion, though, drives you to test boundaries and walk outside the established norms constantly. Sometimes it's okay to be normal.
Instead of beating your head against the wall of society, you need to learn to fit in occasionally.
— Regain a point of Willpower any time you are able to "walk on the wild side" without retribution, and indulge in your truly deviant nature.
Director
You desire order. Whether by taking charge, building organizations or educating others, you seek to eliminate chaos and randomness. You
want things under control so that you have a nice, evenly predictable world, where you fit in easily and shape things to your desires. By bringing
separate visions together, you unify a group in search of classification.
From Organization you develop a hierarchy and a system under which everyone can prosper. Your aid establishes leadership, clear goals and a
concrete means to accomplishment.
In order to really unite a group, though, you must overcome your Lack of Tolerance. Your vision of order isn't the only one, or even
necessarily the "correct" one. You must compromise and learn that not everything will go your way, and that a little chaos and creativity is a good
thing.
— Regain Willpower whenever you influence a group in the orderly completion of a task.
Fanatic
Duty calls you to a purpose higher than yourself. Out of a sense of love or devotion, you support a cause with total zeal. Your chosen cause
occupies your entire life, and everything you do is devoted to furthering that cause.
You draw strength from your incredible Dedication. In pursuit of your cause, you will give up life, hope, morality — anything to achieve your
goal.
Your Stubbornness consumes you and keeps you from recognizing the merit in other ways, though. You are so convinced of the correctness of
your cause that you can't compromise. You must learn to open yourself to other possibilities, lest you burn yourself out.
— Regain Willpower whenever you accomplish an act that furthers your cause significantly.
Gallant
Flamboyance, artistry and glamour are yours! You seek to be the center of attention, and you're a shameless peacock in pursuit of your amoral
gallantry. With word and action, you make yourself noteworthy and you crave the affection and attention of others.
Artistry is your great strength. In the pursuit of attention, you will break boundaries and seek powerful forms of self-expression. You can find
what keys into your audience's souls and open the floodgates of adoration.
Your weakness is Flamboyance. In order to get others to notice you, you'll take unnecessary risks, do stupid things and generally make a fool
out of yourself. You need to tone it down and let people accept you for who you are.
— Regain Willpower whenever you manage to gain the attentions of others through some significant act, deed or show.
Judge
With careful insight and discernment, you hope to separate truth from the myriad multitudes of experience. Presented with facts, you make
careful conclusions, hopefully to improve the system for everyone. By solving problems and cutting through extraneous matters, you get to the
heart of disputes, resolve them and help people move on to more important matters. You ensure fairness and, often, justice.

Your strength comes from Justice. When you are truly concerned with the matters at hand, you apply impartial logic and wisdom to seek a true
resolution and one that is fair to all concerned.
Because you Lack Vision, though, you must step outside the boundaries. Sometimes there's no clear-cut case of right and wrong. Your logic
and objectivism cannot free you of the need for personal experience and subjective development.
— Regain Willpower whenever you manage to put together clues or build an argument that allows you to solve a mystery or problem.
Loner
Whether by choice or design, you stand out from the crowd. Although you're not necessarily any different from anyone else, you just don't find
any common ground with other people, or maybe you just don't like them. You're most comfortable when you don't have to deal with others to get
your work done.
Self-Reliance is your major strength. You get by just fine, thank you, without help from others. No one can bring another to Ascension. It must
come from within.
Your weakness is your Lack of Empathy. All things and people have value. By interacting with others, you can find a rewarding place in the
world.
— Regain Willpower whenever you achieve something significant on your own, especially if it helps to forward the goals of your cabal or
faction.
Martyr
When matters are so terrible that only the greatest sacrifice can hope to achieve anything, you're there, ready to make that sacrifice. You'll give
of yourself to make things better and to save others, without ever a single thought to your own welfare. Discomfort, pain and even possible death do
not dissuade you from trying to make a better world, and from trying to lighten the loads of others.
Your strength is Sacrifice. With your devotion to others, you make a better world. You give others opportunities by giving up your own.
This same Self-Deprecation leads you into trouble. You need to develop a sense of your own worth, not just by giving up of yourself. If
unchecked, you will give, give, give until you are consumed by others' needs.
— Regain Willpower whenever you manage to sacrifice yourself in a real and positive way to benefit someone else.
Masochist
To heck with helping others through sacrifice — you just need to feel suffering. Perhaps you're overwhelmed with guilt, or maybe you want to
push yourself to the ultimate limits. Either way, you exult in striving through personal suffering.
Your strength is Devotion. You will drive yourself to incredible limits to see what you're made of. Better than anyone else, you know your own
capabilities, and you will push to your limits and beyond.
You have a problem with Self-Destructiveness, though. If left unchecked, you'll destroy yourself when you finally take on too much. You
need to learn that pain isn't your only measure of accomplishment.
— Regain Willpower whenever you push yourself to the limit in a new fashion and discover a new form of pain.
Monster
There is evil in this world — and you are it. You're a beast through and through, and you don't bother with civilized niceties. Your best tools
are pain and suffering, and you're not above using them to secure your own base impulses.
Your strength stems from your Mirror of Villainy. As a creature of evil, you showcase the virtue in others by contrast. You drive people to
rise above your example and to fight against the evil that you represent.
Your real problem, of course, is your Depravity. You have no conscience, no higher aspirations and no hope. You need to get a vision of a
better world, or you'll Fall.
— Regain Willpower whenever you manage to indulge in a specific atrocity.
Pedagogue
Nothing fulfills you like teaching others. You want to raise the young, inform the unworldly and spread knowledge and enlightenment.
Through words and writings, you hope to bring the illumination of study to everyone. After all, you know so much and are so well-informed that it
would be a disservice not to lend your wisdom to others.
Your strength stems from Knowledge. Even if you're not terribly bright, you are always eager to share, to learn more and to teach others what
you know and they don't.
Your weakness is Logorrhea. Once you get started, you don't stop, and you'll bore people to death with useless trivia. Some knowledge is
useful, but not everything all the time!
— Regain Willpower when you see or hear of someone benefiting in a discemable way from the wisdom that you've shared.
Penitent
You are consumed with guilt. To make up for some sin, real or imagined, you take burdens on yourself, try to make up for your miserable
existence and generally suffer vociferously while flogging yourself for your slights. Nothing can erase your shame, though, and you strive
constantly for some sort of absolution, both in the eyes of others and from your own conscience.
You gain strength from your Responsibility. You take up burdens and accept iheir weight, willingly. When others would shirk blame or duty,
you are ready to accept what's come to you.
Obviously, your problem is Contrition. Until you come to terms with your grief, your desperate need to make up for your past will drive you
to dist raction and prevent you from making gains for the future.
— Regain Willpower whenever you achieve significant absolution for some grievous deed that you did or imagined is wrong. A sufficiently
strong redemption may result in a change of Nature.
Perfectionist
There's the best, and then there's everything else. You plan to be the best, and you'll hold for nothing less than that in everything you do, say,
and experience. You keep the highest standards, and you make similar demands of the people around you. Exacting attention to detail is your
hallmark; constant striving for the top is your way.
Your strength is Exactitude. Because of your unswerving desire to get things absolutely right, you have an incredible attention to detail and a
consuming desire to make the best out of every situation that you dive into.
You have a problem, though, with Incompleteness. You are unwilling to let go of a task until it's perfect or totally unsalvageable. You need to
learn to accept "good enough" so that you can move forward instead of working on the same things all the time.
— Regain Willpower whenever you manage to accomplish a significant achievement without the slightest hesitation or flaw.
Rebel
"The system" is your enemy, so you take it upon yourself to break the rules and try to remake society in your image. Walking the fine line
between perversity and anarchy, you bring a chaotic viewpoint to life, trying to tear down the old ways so that something better can be done. You
may not have a good idea of something better. You just know that you're not satisfied with the status quo, and you plan to change it.
Individuality is your strong point; no one is going to force you into a static mold!
Your weakness, however, is your Lack of Direction. Your power has no focus, and it cannot come to fruition without a goal.
— Regain Willpower whenever your rebellion against the status quo turns out to be for the best.
Rogue
You learned one important lesson: Look out for Number One. Nobody else is going to give anything to you, and they're all just as set on getting
ahead, so you have to take what you can get. Screw the rest! You're not going to be pushed around or ordered by others. You're going to make sure
that you've got your own little piece of the world.
You have a strength of Valor. You'll fight against anyone who tries to control you or jeopardize your survival, and you will struggle against
adversity to make your own safe place in the world.
Your problem lies with Selfishness. You're greedy, plain and simple. There's no room in your world for sacrifice or making room for others.
You need to open yourself to the worth of others to understand love and community.
— Regain Willpower whenever you manage to gain something significant through your self-centered nature.
Survivor
No matter what, you'll always pull through. You have only a simple goal of survival, and you're good at it. The world can throw anything
against you but you'll just keep on going. You don't need anything or anyone; you can get along just fine. When a curve is thrown your way, you
just deal with it and get on living.
Few others have your Perseverance. No matter what the odds may be, you come out breathing, if not winning. How many warriors can say the
same?
Your weakness if your Lack of Trust. You must open yourself up to the world to transcend it.
— Regain Willpower whenever you survive a difficult situation through your own cunning and perseverance.
Thrill-Seeker
You live for the next high, the adrenaline surge, the rush of victory. Over the next horizon and in the next battle you'll find the exhilaration that
comes from challenge and the surge of really feeling alive. Only on the edge can you find real satisfaction, and that's where you live.
You have the strength of Daring. You'll rush in where others fear to tread. Danger? Risk? Life's nothing without them, and you're up to any
challenge.
Your weakness is Recklessness. Until you leam to weigh risks, you put it all on the line every day of your life. Some things are too valuable to
be wagered so carelessly.
— Regain Willpower whenever you undertake and succeed at some very dangerous task, especially when your life, position or important
friends and possessions are at stake.
Traditionalist
You are an orthodox and conservative individual. What was good enough for you when you were young is good enough for you now. You
oppose change for the sake of change — what point is there in that? You find the status quo preferable to uncertain risk.
Consistency is good to have. With the world in a state of perpetual flux, someone must hold the center. That someone is you.
Excessive Complacency kills, however. A mage must summon the energy to enact new possibilities, rather than succumb to stasis.
— Regain Willpower whenever you are able to protect the status quo and resist change.
Trickster
The universe has no meaning; life is a comedy, experience a procession of the absurd. You revel in this chaos, drawing humor out of
senselessness and bringing a smile to tragedy. You can't face a world without reason or caring, so you invent your own meaning and plaster that
leering, grinning face over everything. Better still is when you can convince others to see this artiflciality. As much as you try to deny the
disorganized truth, you still see it, and you hope that others see it too. You make them laugh, but like any good clown, you make them learn, and
you make them cry.
Empathy is your strength; with it, you can cheer up others and find the banana peel in your cabal's path. When you stop joking, this empathy
can be put to other more constructive uses.
Your weakness is Hypocrisy. Focusing the attention of others on happiness leaves a deadly potential to ignore the dreadful. You must make
sure that your tricks and jokes teach and instruct instead of simply diverting.
— Regain Willpower when you manage to lift others' spirits, especially if you can deny your own pain in the process.
Visionary
Dancing through your head are truly wondrous sights — worlds without name and fantasies beyond number. You can see these strange
possibilities and elucidate them, opening the doors for others to live in a better, different world. Perhaps you seek something more than the
mundane, or maybe you have a particular idea that resonates with potential. Either way, you give people inspiration for the future, in new and
exciting ways that build on (yet differ from) the old. So determined are you to see your vision made reality that you fight to impress it on the world
regardless of the cost.
Inner truth is your quest, and Imagination is your strength. With this vision, you may guide others who need such wisdom desperately.
Your weakness is your Pride, pride in your ability to see and understand what others cannot. You must learn humility to Ascend.
— Regain Willpower whenever you are able to convince others to believe in your dreams and follow the course of action outlined by your
vision of the future.
Attributes
Your Mage characters, like any other human (or nearly -human) beings, have innate capabilities, weaknesses, limitations and strengths.
Attributes gauge such potentials. With the simple 1 to 5 rating system, Attributes show not only how well a character performs in a given area, but
elaborate on that character's potential compared to others. Most people have Attribute ratings from 1 (poor) to 3 (good), with a rare few holding 4
(exceptional) or 5 (world-class) capability. In rare instances, heroic mages or otherworldly creatures may exceed the limits of human potential, as
well.
For each of the Traits listed, we offer some suggestions for Specialties. A Specialty defines an area of a Trait in which your character is
particularly good. Feel free to customize your own Specialties with your Storyteller. In general, your character may have a Specialty in a certain
Trait if you have assigned her four or more points in that Trait. You may also choose a Specialty with less than that, just for the purpose of
character definition. Although you won't receive any special bonuses on your dice rolls when your base rating is less than four, the early choice of a
Specialty for your character helps you to describe your character more specifically, her goals and her history (see "Specialties," p. 90).
Physical
A character's Physical Attributes define how strong, agile and resilient she is. If you want to create an action-oriented character, you should
take the Physical Attributes as her primary category. Such characters might include those who have military or police experience, Akashic Brothers,
athletes or blue-collar workers. The character's history plus her focus on physical health help you decide how many points to assign to these Traits.
Strength
Hot smoke burned Donald's nostrils and filled his lungs with soot. Flames shot up the curtains and cast a devilish glow on the walls. The fire
licked at him like a starved dog. Donald anticipated the bite at any moment. He had to get out of the room, but the earthquake had dropped a beam
over the exit. just a couple of inches; that's all he needed to squeeze through the crack. His magic wouldn't help him — he'd used up all his juice
surviving the quake. So, Donald wrapped his arms around the beam and put his back into it.
The points you assign to your character's Strength Attribute represent how much brute strength she has. Strength determines how much weight
she can lift, carry or push. It directs how far she can jump. Furthermore, it expresses how hard she can hit another character or object, as well as
how much damage she can do during hand-to-hand combat. When determining the damage your character inflicts with a hand-to-hand attack, you
add her Strength score to your damage dice pool.
Specialties: Iron Grip, Powerful Arms, Reserves of Strength, Fists Like Anvils
x Abysmal: Lift 20 Ibs.; you're nigh unto dead.
• Poor: Lift 40 Ibs.; you're a wuss.
• • Average: Lift 100 Ibs.; you're Joe Average.
• • • Good: Lift 250 Ibs.; you're a stud.
• • • • Exceptional: Lift 400 Ibs.; you're an Atlas bodybuilder.
• • • • • Outstanding: Lift 650 Ibs.; you're a freight train.
Dexterity
The boat motor choked to a stop. The ensuing silence held a brooding menace. It and the unmistakable taste of dark magic made the hairs
stand up on the back of June's neck. Something had gone terribly wrong. Someone had made it go terribly wrong. And then she heard the sound,
Uke distant thunder—the roar of the falls. Theboat gathered speed, heading straight for destruction.
"Damn it!" June hissed, rushing up to the deck. She assessed her options. Perhaps she could swim to shore. Perhaps she could fight the
current. She wasn't at all sure she'd succeed. But there, just ahead, she spotted a vine hanging out over the water. If only she could make the leap
and grab onto the vine before the boat sped deeper into the white-water, she might have a chance. June crouched at the bow with one hand on the
rail....
The Dexterity Attribute measures a character's overall athleticism. It expresses a character's general physical prowess, including grace, speed,
physical reflexes, hand-eye coordination and agility. Dancers, mechanics, artists, speed skaters, gymnasts, surgeons and good bartenders all have a
high Dexterity.
Specialties: Lithe, Swift, Feline Grace, Lightning Reflexes
x Abysmal: No coordination; you have trouble just standing up.
• Poor: Clumsy; you trip on your own shadow.
• • Average: No klutz; you don't embarrass yourself often.
• • • Good: Smooth; you have athletic potential.
• • • • Exceptional: Graceful; you impress.
• • • • • Outstanding: Liquid; you inspire.
Stamina
The dunes stretched as far as the eye could see, but Haman knew that a road cut through to the north .He'd had a hard enough time escaping
the crazy Son of Ether who had wanted to experiment an him with all those whizyng, whirring, whining contraptions. His head still ached from the
din. His arm still hurt from the injection. There'dbe plenty of time to find out what the bastard had done to him once he got back to the chantry. For
now, he just needed to keep going so he would get back.
Haman had never appreciated the expression "cotton mouth" as much as he did at that moment. The wind blew hard, harsh as sandpaper on
his dusty skin. One step after the other, lift foot, put it down. Haman wanted so badly to lie down and sleep. He had no idea how many miles he had
walked or how many more he had to go. All he knew was that to stop was to die.
The Stamina Trait represents your character's ability to withstand physical stress. It is a measure other body's resilience, toughness and
adaptability. It expresses how long your character can continue to exert herself and how much physical punishment she can withstand before
suffering trauma.
Specialties: Tireless, Tough as Nails, Resilient, Pain Resistant
x Abysmal: Dying; your body is falling apart.
• Poor: Wimp; you're tired after brushing your teeth.
• • Average: Couch potato; you can run a mile, if you have to.
• • • Good: In shape; you work out regularly.
• • • • Exceptional: Stalwart; you swim in Arctic conditions.
• • • • • Outstanding: Formidable; even torture can't break you.
Social
In general, mages are social creatures who need one another to survive. They have their politics in the chantries and among those in their same
Traditions. Each Mage character has Social Traits that represent how well he maneuvers in social situations. Representing a character's social
graces and general attractiveness, these Traits express the character's ability to make an impression on other people. Characters who are performers,
politicians, models or con men will have high scores in the Social Attributes.
Charisma
Tina followed her mentor into the conclave, glancing around at all the strange faces with more than a little trepidation. She felt like a
debutante appearing for the first time in an unforgiving, closed society of demigods. Her mentor had warned her about the hazards of making
enemies in this crowd. With a deep breath, she lifted her chin and put on her most charming smile. The first introduction, of course, presented Tina
with the challenge of winning over the Hermetic mage, Marcus.
"How do you do?" Tina deferentially dropped her gaze. "I've heard so very much about you."
"?ll good, I hope," Marcus replied, crushing Tina under the hard scrutiny of his ice-green eyes.
Tina didn't bother to lie, "Your... discipline is legendary, sir." She peeked up at the man and caught the twitch of a near-smile on his Ups. She'd
said the right thing.
A character's Charisma score shows how charming and likable she is. It represents her ability to flirt, please, compliment and impress others.
She may do so through a look or a conversation, though having the Charisma Trait doesn't necessarily grant the character a silver tongue. She may
stumble over her words, but do it in such a charming way that everyone forgives her and likes her all the more for her clumsiness at expressing
herself. It also may indicate her ability to get along with people from all different walks of life. A charismatic individual doesn't necessarily get
people to do what she wants through looks or force of personality; rather, she causes people to like her and to want to help her.
Specialties: Sex Appeal, Winning Smile, Inspires Protection, Social Flexibility

x Abysmal: Belligerent; people actively dislike you.
• Poor: Socially inept; you offend others often.
• • Average: Acceptable; you don't turn people off.
• • • Good: Likeable; you make friends easily.
• • • • Exceptional: Congenial; you impress immediately.
• • • • • Outstanding: Irresistible; you can't lose.
Manipulation
Charles put a scowl on his face. "I can't believe you would do this to me," he murmured to the young woman. Turning his back on her, he
wrapped his arms around himself. "Shit, Geri."
"I... Charles, it was only one conversation. I swear I didn't tell him anything he didn't already know."
Charles suppressed his smile. "You confirmed it though, didn't you?" Charles had needed some special information spread to the right people,
and his beautiful messenger had complied. But, me final play had yet to be made. "I'm so screwed." He put his hand over his face. He felt Geri's
hand touch his shoulder and /orced a /linch.
Geri pulled her hand away and said contritely, "I didn't mean to get you in trouble, Charles. Tell me how I can fix it."
This Trait has many nuances. It covers a character's ability to get others to bend to her whim, to spot when someone else is manipulating her
and to hide her true motivations. In many ways, it also represents a character's honesty and frankness. On one hand, a character with a low
Manipulation score will have more trouble getting others to see things her way or to do what she wants them to do. On the other hand, the same
character will probably seem more honest because she doesn't have the ability to hide her true feelings. She may want badly to bluff, but her poker
face sucks. A character with a high Manipulation score, however, can use guilt, blackmail or cleverly chosen arguments to control someone without
that person becoming aware of it. Doing so often involves dishonest methods. Manipulation is used to trick, bluff, fast -talk and railroad another
character.
If your character is attempting to manipulate someone, her target doesn't have to like her. Manipulating someone differs from using Charisma,
in that manipulating doesn't have to involve winning over the target's affections. Hate can be a powerful motivator, and a skillful manipulator can
get even her enemies to do what she wants by using subtle or deceptive methods. A botched Manipulation role may alert the target to the fact that
your character is attempting to bamboozle her, which could result in resentment and future distrust of your character.
Specialties: Persuasive, Seductive, Well-Reasoned, Guilter, Deceiver, Conniver
x Abysmal: Dispiriting; people ignore you.
• Poor: Transparent; you have no poker face.
• • Average: Inconsistent; you fool some of the people, some of the time.
• • • Good: Guileful; you have a few good lines and methods.
• • • • Exceptional: Convincing; you play people and usually win.
• • • • • Outstanding: Conniving; you always get your way.
Appearance
Dewy had a mission at the World's Ether Fair. He needed aid to pursue research on his invention, the Mass Super-Condenser. His turn at the
podium arrived. It took him a moment to get the papers in order, then he pushed up his glasses and peered out at the judges. "Good afternoon,
fellow Etherites," he began.
That's when Miss Lana Tulane entered the room , making her presence known by carelessly dropping a book. All eyes turned. As the entire
roam watched, Lana blushed and apologized. Several men rushed to pick up the book for her.
Dewy sighed. Once again, Lana had managed to steal his thunder. He finished his presentation, but he had lost the interest of the crowd. At the
end, they asked no questions. They thanked him, assured him they'd consider his proposal and then called for Miss Lana Tulane to please come up
and give her presentation. Dewy fumed and plotted his revenge.
The Appearance Attribute represents your character's overall attractiveness. It includes her physical beauty, her grace and those indefinable
qualities that make a person appealing. This Trait has little to do with verbal expression or social smoothness, but it defines the first impression the
character makes, even before she has opened her mouth. Though we would like to deny it, a person's physical appearance affects how others treat
her. A beautiful character will not always get special considerations from everyone, of course. On the contrary, there may be some who abhor the
beautiful people.
This Attribute affects not only a character's ability to flirt the newest member of the chantry into submission, but it also improves first
impressions, aids in making a musical or theatrical performance more affective and adds to a character's ability to convince others in a debate.
However, simply a high Appearance score, doesn't give a character the social graces to use it properly. Someone with a low Charisma Attribute
looks good standing around, but she ruins the effect as soon as she speaks. Some first impressions may rely on an Appearance + Ability roll while
later actions use a Charisma or Manipulation + Ability roll.
Specialties: Sexy, Respectable, Expressive, Otherworldly, Earthy
x Abysmal: Hideous; you barely pass for human.
• Poor: Ugly; you need a paper bag to get a date.
• • Average: Unimpressive; you blend with the wall.
• • • Good: Attractive; you get second looks sometimes.
• • • • Exceptional: Beautiful; you could work as a model.
• • • • • Outstanding: Exquisite; you stop traffic.

Mental
The three Mental Attributes define your character's mind. The scores you choose for these Traits reveal your character's memory capacity,
intelligence and alertness to details in her environment. If your character is a scientist, university professor, doctor, journalist, air-traffic controller,
stand-up comedian or any oilier concept that requires quick mental acuity or high IQ, then you'll want to make the Mental Attributes your primary
category.
Perception
The caller had said his name was "X" and that he had information Casey needed. He had named the meeting place and insisted on anonymity.
Casey couldn't pass up the opportunity. He waited in the cool stairwell, hoping desperately that it wasn't a set-up. Pitch darkness clutched at
Casey, putting his nerves on edge as footsteps echoed up the stairwell toward him. This was it — the moment of truth. X stopped on the landing
below.
An electronically altered voice spoke out of the darkness, saying, "I know who broke into your sanctum, Casey, but I need something from you
in return."
The scent of lilacs drifted up from below, tickling gently at Casey's nose and his memories. A smile touched across his lips, and his fears
drained away like dirty bath water. He knew that per fume. "Tell me what I can do for you," he answered.
This Trait expresses your character's ability to notice details in her environment. Sometimes, the character actively applies her perception, such
as when she's searching for something specific. The majority of the time, however, it's an intuitive awareness that allows her to catch details via one
of her five senses. Although she may see, taste, smell, feel or hear something that others would overlook, it doesn't mean that she has the experience
or knowledge to identify that thing.
A character's Perception score helps her find, spot or recognize things. This awareness includes spotting an ambush, noticing that lost keys are
peeking out from behind the dresser, finding clues in piles of useless junk, hearing the hesitation in one's answer to your question and catching
secretive glances exchanged by two people who are hiding something.
Specialties: Alert, Insightful, Intuitive, Thorough, Experienced
x Abysmal: Oblivious; you wouldn't notice an elephant if it sat down beside you.
• Poor: Inattentive; you don't pay much attention to what happens around you.
• • Average: Heedless; you catch the gist of your surroundings.
• • • Good: Sensitive; you're aware of moods and textures.
• • • • Exceptional: Alert; you have a keen awareness of your surroundings.
• • • • • Outstanding: Intuitive; you sense things most others never would.
Intelligence
Peenngsrillat the illuminated phosphors of the screen, Cathrine brushed an errant strand of hair back for the third time before turning away
and rubbing her temples. In her mind's eye, the numbers and symbols still flickered. For the last two days she'd fought over the code in most of her
spare time. Unlocking the original encryption proved difficult enough. Once she had the file open, it proved to be a mass of disorganized data. She
had to sort through it all to find the key numbers that would let her unlock the meaning behind it.
Leaning back in her chair, Ca thrine thought back to some of the flickering numbers. The patterns were there, just out of grasp of her conscious
mind. The numbers hadn't been bit'twiddled or reverse-encoded or tweaked in a fashion that she recognized... until she stopped and thought about
what a Technocrat would do. No Technocrat would ever encode a file without error-correction. In a sudden blast of inspiration, she spun her chair
back in front of the monitor and flexed her hands as she prepared for a night's work.
The dots in a character's Intelligence Trait define what most people would classify as "smarts." This Attribute represents her facility for solving
problems, remembering facts, evaluating situations, reasoning and making leaps of logic. It expresses her innate ability, though it doesn't
necessarily mean that she had years of education. A person can have a powerfully logical or deductive mind and still be a store clerk who didn't
finish high school. Other factors play into a character's career choice, though any character with a college education or an intellectually demanding
position should have that ability reflected in her Intelligence score.
This Trait deals with calculating skills and the character's memory threshold. It doesn't necessarily imply that the character has common sense,
street smarts or wisdom. A very intelligent person could also be the one who trusts the shady character in the alley, who pulls out her wallet to
count her money in front of the crack house or who keeps misplacing her car keys. On the other hand, intelligent characters are the ones who come
up with creative and thorough solutions to problems, who see situations from multiple sides and who learn quickly.
Specialties: Book-Smart, Creative, Analytical, Logical, Subject Authority, Good Memory
x Abysmal: Moronic; you can't rub two neurons together (IQ 60).
• Poor: Thick; you have trouble with child-proof lids (IQ 80).
• • Average: No dummy; you were a "C" student (IQ 100).
• • • Good: Smart; you do the hard crosswords for fun (IQ 120).
• • • • Exceptional: Brainy; your intellect leaves most others in the dust (IQ 140).
• • • • • Outstanding: Genius; you solve universal mysteries (IQ 160+).
Wits
The situation soured quickly. Minx cowered behind a couch with the newly Awakened girl, trying to think fast as she looked into the girl's
large, blue eyes. Those eyes held terror. Damn, Minx thought. I have to get her out of here. A brick came through the front window and soon the
agents would follow. Minx glanced around the house.

"This way!" Minx whispered. She scurried toward the kitchen door, pulling the girl along by the hand. The back door tempted, but Minx knew
they'd catch her if she left the house. She pulled the back door open, but kept the girl from fleeing. "No, not that way." Instead, she headed for the
basement. The two crept down the stairs, listening to their pursuers' footfalls cross the house and go straight out the back door. Minx and her
charge hid in a shadowy comer. They waited until nightfall, then slipped out under cover of darkness.
Your character's Wits score represents her ability to think quickly, to react with expedience to critical situations and to creatively find solutions
to immediate problems. This Attribute Trait reveals a character's level of adaptability to changing circumstances and her cleverness in extracting
herself from difficult situations. Unlike the Intelligence Trait, it expresses a more immediate and pressing mental acuity. It's not about how much
you know or could know, but rather about how quickly your mind reacts to surprises, ambushes, cutting comments and the unexpected in general.
Specialties: Ever-Ready, Witty Conversationalist, Intuitive, Combat Reflexes
x Abysmal: Dense; you just can't keep up with changes.
• Poor: Slow; you're an easy target.
• • Average: Paced; you figure things out eventually.
• • • Good: Snappy; you often have just the right response.
• • • • Exceptional: Sharp; you can handle almost anything.
• • • • • Outstanding: Instinctual; you don't even break a sweat in a gunfight.
Abilities
During character creation, you also choose and assign points to your character's Ability Traits. These Traits represent the more specific Talents,
Skills and Knowledges that your character possesses. They describe her level and field of expertise in the subjects t hat she has pursued during the
course of her life, as well as the natural talents that she has developed. For dice rolls, you use these Abilities in combination with the Physical,
Social and Mental Attributes to create your dice pool and determine how successfully your character accomplishes a particular task. This
combination represents more accurately how your character's innate abilities enhance or detract from the skills she has learned. For example, a
person may rely on her natural Dexterity to walk along the top of a stone wall, but if she attempts to sneak along that wall without making any
noise, her chances of success increase greatly if she has learned how to move stealthily as well.
The 30 Abilities listed here, in three categories (Talents, Skills and Knowledges) offer a jumping-off point for making your character unique.
Many of them are broad, general categories that you can customize for your character by choosing a Specialty, even if you're not yet assigning 4
points to the Ability. Choosing a Specialty early means that your character has a particular interest in this area, and (though it gives you no special
advantages on your dice rolls) it helps you define your character's interests and goals more clearly. Furthermore, with the approval of your
Storyteller, you may come up with new Abilities and Specialties that fit your character but that aren't represented by the ones listed in this chapter.
Talents
These Abilities represent the intuitive talents that your character possesses and has honed over the years. Your character has developed certain
instinctual abilities through the course of her job, education or lifestyle. These abilities come to her naturally, and she usually doesn't have to choose
consciously to invoke them, though she may employ them quite insightfully in certain situations. Talents result from her other studies, and they are
side effects of how she lives her life. Her experiences and personality dictate which of them she possesses. For example, an ex-ganger will be more
alert to his surroundings than a debutante from the social set, merely because the ex-ganger has always had to watch his back.
Unlike Skills and Knowledges, you take no penalty to your Attribute dice pool if your character attempts an action that involves a Talent.
Talents merely stem from developments of the character's natural Attributes in concert with special tricks, traits and instincts.
Alertness
Something nagged at Mark's mind as he made his way out of the gas company building. The crumbling facility certainly didn't inspire comfort
in its visitors, but that wasn't the problem. He paused to collect his thoughts as he wondered what it was that made him feel particularly edgy, and
he pulled his coat a little tighter against the ever-present chill.
Squinting briefly, Mark watched the woman who'd been working with her car in the parking lot, changing the flat front tire. He couldn't readily
make out her features but something about her movements was wrong. The drag on her leg... Mark's military mind immediately recognised the sign
of someone wearing a concealed piece in an ankle holster, and he quietly turned back into the building to find a different exit.
Your character's Alertness score describes how intuitively aware she is other surroundings. Such a charact er naturally pays attention to her
senses and has learned to note changes in her surroundings and environment. Generally, it relates to physical aspects of the area and a character
with a high Alertness may be more likely to spot an ambush in the shadows, notice a particular person's perfume, hear the snap of a twig or taste the
taint of poison in a drink. She has honed her senses to the point where she instinctually notices things without having to look for them. More often
than not, the Alertness Trait pairs with the Perception Ability in creating dice pools.
• Novice: Slow; you're an easy target.
• • Practiced: Paced; you figure things out eventually.
• • • Competent: You keep an eye on things.
• • • • Expert: You don't miss much.
• • • • • Master: You sense changes in barometric pressure.
Possessed by: Criminals, Bodyguards, Journalists, Detectives, Hunters
Specialties: Concealed Weapons, City, Forest, Followers, Ambushes
Athletics
Jared had been a long-jumper in high school. Standing at the edge of the roof, pursued, with options that boiled down to jump or jack-shit, he
really hoped that he still had it. He debated. He pondered. He backed up and paced off the approach.
Crash! The gun-toting gangers nearly broke the door off the hinges as they plowed through it.
No class, Jared thought. He took only a moment to glance back, then focused on the leap. He set up, set his target and set himself in motion.
One, two, three... six, seven, leap! Jared threw himself into the air. His arms and legs failed as he flew forward. In seconds, it was over. Jared
landed with a roll on the far roof. He had made it, but dodging bullets wasn't going to be as easy.
This Talent describes the basic athletic ability that your character has developed through physical training, sport s or other rigorous physical
activities. It differs from the Physical Traits (Strength, Dexterity and Stamina) in that it takes your character's natural athleticism and adds the
benefit of any training or sport aptitude to her innate physical potency. Athletics governs your character's ability to jump, climb, throw, run and do
any other athletic feat for which she may need to have trained or learned specific methodologies.
• Novice: You're good at watching sports.
• • Practiced: You played basketball in high school.
• • • Competent: You learn new moves with ease.
• • • • Expert: You put most other athletes to shame.
• • • • • Master: You defy the laws of physics.
Possessed by: Athletes, Kids, Dancers, Actors, Trainers
Specialties: Acrobatics, Dancing, Flexibility, Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, specific sports
Awareness
Though she'd been about to head home from the coffee shop, Lee Ann stopped short as the hairs rose on the back of her neck. The idle chatter
of the shop faded into a background buzz in her min d while she turned slowly to survey the area. The outdoor plants waved under the low breeze as
people went about their lives obliviously, but a chill rose on her skin. She felt, rather than saw, a presence. Something was moving through the
crowd, unseen and unheard, without substance yet nevertheless very much real and possibly dangerous. Sliding around the doorjamb, she ducked
toward Kyle's table. She couldn't see it, but if it was spying on them or planning something malicious, she wanted a little help.
Unlike Alertness, which measures a character's sensitivity to mundane events, Awareness is a gut reaction to the presence of magic. Usually,
only mages (and a few other creatures like spirits and ghosts) possess this particular Talent. Once attuned to the supernatural, such students of the
arcane just get hunches, chills, or sudden flashes of inspiration. Magic calls to magic, and the character recognizes instinctively when something's
just not right in the area. Of course, knowing that something's wrong doesn't mean that the character knows what it is; that's the province of proper
knowledge.
A mage can use Awareness deliberately if he suspects that something is mystical, in order to determine a general impression of the item or
creature. However, the Storyteller rolls Awareness sometimes to determine whether a mage notices a strange event or magical Effect that's not
immediately visible.
• Novice: You sometimes get strange feelings or vibes from certain places or people.
• • Practiced: You've felt the supernatural all around you, and you're sure that there are "things out there."
• • • Competent: When you concentrate, you can feel the ebb and flow of magic in things, and you sometimes even pick out specific types of
Resonance.
• • • • Expert: The very world around you hums with the power of the supernatural, and you are keyed to its harmonies.
• • • • • Master: From the tiniest spell to the grandest spirit, you've seen and sensed them all. You can feel the tug of magic from across a city or
pick out the subtle flavors of an enchanted object with but a touch.
Possessed by: Psychics, Gypsies, Mystics, New Agers, Paranormal Researchers
Specialties: Talismans, Spirits, Effects, Mystical Places, Resonance
Brawl
The jerk had it coming. Michele grabbed that finger he was pointing at her and pulled it around behind his back, stepping to one side and
widening her stance. Smooth and graceful, she positioned herself and thrust his wrist up between his shoulder blades. In the flash of an eye, she
had wiped the smug look off his face and planted him flat on his belly on the floor — right where he belonged. Straddling him, she asked, "Do you
have anything else to say?"
The man coughed and shookhis head. He groaned, "No, ma'am."
The Brawl Talent represents your character's hand-to-hand combat prowess. The Brawl Ability covers everything from scratching, clawing and
biting to martial arts. Unarmed combat comes in many forms, and your character may have picked up her techniques on the street, in bar brawls, in
the boxing ring or in a dojo. She may have trained and studied hard, or she may simply have lived a lifestyle that gave her enough experience to
take care of herself in a fight. The Brawl Ability assumes that your character isn't using any weapon aside from her body.
• Novice: You can throw a jab or poke someone in the eye.
• • Practiced: You hold your own when necessary.
• • • Competent: You've fought regularly and usually won.
• • • • Expert: You could be a contender.
• • • • • Master: You've made fighting into an art.
Possessed by: Military, Police, Akashic Brothers, Thugs, Assassins
Specialties: Boxing, Wrestling, Disarming, Dirty Fighting, Kicks, Self-Defense, specific martial arts
Dodge
Cochrane sighed as he walked through the deserted parking garage to his car. Never in his life had he been so humiliated. He didn't
understand why Markov insisted on treating him like a personal servant, but Cochrane had had enough.
The car came out of nowhere, squealing around, the turn and speeding straight for him. Cochrane lurched to one side, twisting away. He
landed with a hard jolt to his body, but the car missed him. So, Cochrane thought, eyeing the license plate of the retreating vehicle, it seems
Markov's tired ofme too. So be it. He got up, brushed himself off and went home to call Librescu. Maybe the Hollow Ones would be more
appreciative ofCochrane's particular talents.
When someone's shooting at, throwing a punch at or trying to tackle your character, the Dodge Ability tells how well she can get out of the
way. It represents her skill at diving to one side, taking cover or otherwise maneuvering to remove herself from danger.
• Novice: You crouch reflexively, arms over your head.
• • Practiced: You have taken a self-defense class.
• • • Competent: You dive, bob and weave with gr ace.
• • • • Expert: You rarely get hit.
• • • • • Master: You tip your head to avoid the bullet.
Possessed by: Criminals, Police, Street Kids, Martial Artists, Boxers
Specialties: Cover, Sidestep, Footwork, Leap
Expression
Layton lowered his voice, "This story ends, my darling Lisa, two days later when Carma went in search of her lover. She found him on a
desolate expanse of road, lying with his feet in the ditch. Even from a distance, Carma could tell. ...He lay there so still and so empty. The man she
had loved was gone, and all that remained was an empty shell. She didn't dare spare herself the horror of seeing him. One small hope pushed her
forward, but his blood painted the concrete black in the moonlight and his dead eyes stared off into space, into the universe he had explored and
loved so much. Carma knew, in that moment, where to find him. She lifted her eyes to stars."
The silence following Layton's story rang in Lisa's ears. Though Lisa fought them, tears escaped and slid down her cheeks. Her heart broke for
the woman in the tale. She didn't know Carma, but she felt the pain of loss as distinctly as if it had been her own. She whispered, "I'll see what I can
do."
The manipulation of words comes easily to characters with a high Expression score. This Talent covers the ability to use words (either verbal
or written) to sway others, to evoke emotions and to get a point across to an audience. A politician character might use this Talent to make his
speeches so moving that he wins voters, whereas a poet character might use this Talent to write poetry that touches the heart and makes his readers
feel with him. This Ability ties directly to the Social Attributes. A Talent for Expression can help a character motivate others, tear down someone's
ego with bit ing criticism, charm an audience or manipulate a person into doing something he normally wouldn't do.
• Novice: You express stuff.
• • Practiced: You have a good vocabulary.
• • • Competent: You choose your words well and make your point.
• • • • Expert: You touch people with your words.
• • • • • Master: You could found a new religion.
Possessed by: Actors, Writers, Poets, Politicians, Priests, Brown-nosers, Celestial Choristers
Specialties: Acting, Poetry, Prose, Improvisation, Conversation, Inspiration, Game Design
Intimidation
Billy grumbled, "Look, I'm jus' sayin I really don't think she's got her shit under control. ? ? not tryin' t' slam your girlfriend. She's nice and
all, but she's gonna bring us all down if she keeps this shit up. Know what I mean, man!"
Billy's throat clenched when Duke lifted his eyes and turned his head slowly — too slowly. A sense of impending doom scrambled up the back
of Billy's neck, like rats escaping a sinking ship. Under the scrutiny of Duke's hard eyes, Billy experienced the unmistakable urge to flee right along
with the other vermin.
"You listen to me," Duke growled. "I don't glve a fuck what you think. Know what I mean? Man? Get outta here."
Billy was already on his way.
People have many fears, so they can be intimidated in many ways. It can occur subtly without your character even realizing she's doing it.
Perhaps her strength of character alone makes her an intimidating figure. Perhaps her physical stature intimidates. In certain instances, she may
wish to intimidate someone actively as well, through verbal or physical assault. The Intimidation Talent represents your character's awareness of
her ability to overshadow others and her skill at using this factor to get her way, draw information from an unwilling target or frighten others away
from taking action against her.
• Novice: Your bark is worse than your bite, and it shows.
• • Practiced: You intimidate those smaller than you.
• • • Competent: You make people think twice before acting.
• • • • Expert: You don't try; people just avoid pissing you off.
• • • • • Master: You scare vicious pit bulls.
Possessed by: Bullies, Executives, Military Officers, Bouncers, Gangsters, Gypsies
Specialties: Physical Scariness, Grit, Bluffing, Implied Threats, Crudeness, Fearlessness
Leadership
Marcia stood slowly and lifted the crystal wine glass in her hand. She spoke up, "Here's to Blackwell. We re all going to miss you, love." The
sobs quieted a bit and all eyes turned to Marcia. She drank from her glass and licked the bitter fruit from her lips. Her gaze traveled from person to
person, her own sorrow, sympathy and strength revealed openly. They all lifted their glasses and toasted. She waited until they had finished, then
said, "And now, we have to go on. The crisis isn't over, and we can't afford to lose anyone else. We have to stick together, work together and help
each other. It's what Blackwell would have wanted."
"What should we do!" someone asked.
Marcia replied simply, "1 have a plan."
Some characters have a knack for taking the leadership role with others. They exude a certain quality that makes people follow their orders,
listen when they speak and embrace their agendas. The Leadership Talent has more to do with Charisma than it does Manipulation. It represents
those indefinable qualities of appearance, mannerisms, vocal tone and eye contact that makes one a leader. A high score in this Talent doesn't
necessarily mean, however, that the character makes all the right decisions for her group, only that her people will follow her like lemmings off the
edge of the cliff, just because she seems to know what she's doing.
• Novice: You could be a scout leader.
• • Practiced: You have held office in college clubs.
• • • Competent: You exude an aura of confidence.
• • • • Expert: You inspire loyalty and excitement in your followers.
• • • • • Master: You could lead a nation.
Possessed by: Politicians, Gang Leaders, Corporate Executives, Chantry Heads, Police
Specialties: Oratory, Expertise, Nobility, Tense Situations, Friendly
Streetwise
A cigarette flared in the darkness. Andy moseyed that way. He pulled up beside the street rat and lit a cigarette of his own. "Hey," he greeted
simply and received an equally taciturn reply. Blowing his smoke up into the night, Andy said, "Heard the Head's got a boner for yellow meat."
"Yeah," grunted the grungy kid. "That's the word. Man's boy was stuffed in the grinder. Sushi."
Andy nodded, "Ugly shit. Any green comin' down on it?"
The kid huffed quietly, glancing down the alley. "Fuck yeah," he murmured. "Chitown gigolo moved in last night."
The conversation turned into silent smoking, then Andy pushed away from the wall. "Gotta go,"he grunted. "Take it easy, man." He restrained
his smile until he'dtumed the comer. So, he thought. Zephyr's hired a hit-man to go after Lu. This should get interesting.
He tossed his cigarette into the gutter and hailed a cab.
The streets have a language and a rhythm all their own. This Talent allows your character to fit in on the streets, gather information from the
street rumor-mill and take advantage of other street resources. It gives your character the necessary knowledge and understanding to tap the black
markets successfully, to stay safe and to blend with the people who belong to the street.
• Novice: You're not trusted entirely, but you can talk to people.
• • Practiced: You're accepted, and you can find what you need eventually.
• • • Competent: You know how to earn respect on the streets.
• • • • Expert: You blend with the gangs and the drug dealers.
• • • • • Master: You haven't heard it, it hasn't happened.
Possessed by: Homeless, Criminals, Reporters, Detectives, Vice Squad, Free-Clinic Doctors, Cultists of Ecstasy
Specialties: Rumors, Drugs, Gangs, Petty Theft, Local Slang, Weapons
Subterfuge
"Are you lying to me?" Mary-Joan asked bluntly, straightening her jacket's satin collar. She looked up at the new apprentice, gauging him.
How many times had she stood in this same situation! She knew about secrets. Everyone had them — even the most distinguished Choristers. This
"altar boy" hadn't learned the fine art of hiding his yet.
"No, Lady," the young mage replied, averting his eyes.
Mary-Joan decided to let him believe that he had hoodwinked her. She put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm glad to hear that," she lied back with a
smile. "I think you have a bright future in the Choir."
This Talent represents your character's ability to conceal her true motives and act in a manner completely different from how she truly feels.
Usually, a character will use this Talent to manipulate people, to hide an emotion that would not be well-received or to fit in with those around her.
The Subterfuge Ability also allows her to recognize when others are acting contrary to their own feelings or are pretending to do something for
reasons other than their true motives. Characters with a high score in Subterfuge have a knack for secrets, double-dealing and intrigue.
• Novice: You can pull off the occasional lie.
• • Practiced: You hide your true feelings well.
• • • Competent: You put on a believable act.
• • • • Expert: You have no cracks in your performance.
• • • • • Master: You're the last person anyone would ever suspect.
Possessed by: Politicians, Lawyers, Teenagers, Actors, Con Artists
Specialties: Seduction, Impeccable Lies, Hidden Emotions, Politics
Skills
Skills include those things your character has learned through training and practice. Usually, they involve some sort of physical interaction with
a tool or the use of a learned method. These Traits require a conscious effort and practice to improve. If your character attempts an action involving
a Skill in which she has no points, then your Storyteller may allow you to roll with a dice pool made up of the appropriate Attribute alone, but she
increases the difficulty number by one.
Crafts
The machinery in the workroom whirred and buzzed. Unlike most people, Rafter needed the background noise to think and to create. She ran
her hand down the smooth surface of the steel plate, sensing every minute warp and imperfection. "How would you like to be immortal?" she
muttered absently to the piece. "I hope you're ready, baby, ??us? I'm gonna give you wings to fly." She flipped down the face-plate of her mask and
fired up her blowtorch. The first stage of her greatest masterpiece had begun.
The Crafts Skill includes anything related to working with your hands, such as engine repair, electronics, plumbing, carpentry and the creative
arts. Your character can even create a lasting work of art with enough successes. If you put points in Crafts for your character, then you must
choose a Specialty for her, even though you won't get any roll bonuses until you have four dots in it. Because this Skill encompasses so much, the
Specialty helps you define exactly what your character has learned.
• Novice: You can handle the simplest projects.
• • Practiced: You know little tricks to improve your work.
• • • Competent: You make things others want to buy.
• • • • Expert: You amaze people with your work.
• • • • • Master: Your artistry sets you apart from the mainstream.
Possessed by: Mechanics, Artisans, Artists, Designers, Inventors, Quakers, Sons of Ether
Specialties: Home Repair, Vehicle Repair, Clothing, Appraisal, Pottery, Watercolors, Carving
Drive
When faced with a choice between a brick wall, a narrow alley and a car full of armed gunmen, Missy chose the narrow alley. "Just like
threading a needle," she reassured herself as she guided the speeding car into the tight passageway. Sparks flew past her window as the left-front
panel scraped against hard stone. Missy kept her eyes straight ahead and prayed there weren't any dumpsters or child ren waiting to leap into the
beams of her headlights. Finally, she saw the end of the tunnel, sotospeak. The alky opened onto aparking lot. Just as she sped out into open space,
she heard the crash and crunch of metal on stone behind her. Glancing in her rearview mirror, she spied the gunmen's vehicle wedged askew in the
alley. During the leisurely drive home, she debated what kind of car she wanted to buy next.
Although a character can usually handle a car without specialized training, it takes some level of the Drive Skill to handle a car in dangerous
situations, tough terrain or really nasty traffic. The higher your character's Drive score, the more expertise she has with different driving conditions
as well as different kinds of vehicles. You should establish with your Storyteller what kind of experience your character has, because a person
skilled at riding a motorcycle may not have the first clue about driving 18-wheelers.
• Novice: You can drive an automatic transmission.
• • Practiced: You can drive a stick and handle rush hour in New York.
• • • Competent: You're as good as a professional chauffeur.
• • • • Expert: You could be a stunt driver.
• • • • • Master: You and your Porsche share one mind.
Possessed by: Cabbies, Truckers, Chauffeurs, Racers, Bikers
Specialties: Off-road, Motorcycle, Fancy Maneuvering, Losing Tails, Sudden Stops, Skids
Etiquette
"So there I was, man, up to my eyeballs in Paradox and these freaky spirit things were closin' in." Brandon gestured with the pipe ? his hand.
Things seemed to be going well. His new friends had gone silent, listening to his story. They all stared at him through their drug-induced hazes —
expectantly. Brandon opened his mouth to continue the story, but someone interrupted.
"Dude," the Cuitist named Blue said, "you gonna hog that bowl all night! Pass it on!"
Brandon blushed all the way to the roots of his hair and handed the pipe to the girl on his left. "Sorry," he uttered.
Someone else jumped in, "Did I ever tell you guys about the time..."
Etiquette gives your character the knowledge and grace she needs to do all the right things. This Ability helps your character when she's trying
to impress others, fit in unobtrusively, be diplomatic or haggle. A character with a high score in Etiquette understands the nuances of proper
behavior in both mortal and mage society. You may choose a Specialty for her that represents the culture with which she's most familiar.
• Novice: You manage to stay out of people's way.
• • Practiced: You know some of the lingo and don't insult anyone.
• • • Competent: You impress others with your ability to blend.
• • • • Expert: You're the epitome of tactfulness.
• • • • • Master: You'd make others feel like oafs in your shadow, but you're too smooth to let someone feel that bad around you.
Possessed by: Diplomats, Debutantes, Leaders, Celestial Choristers
Specialties: Street Culture, High Society, Boardrooms, Mage Society
Firearms
Nothing happened. Reny pulied on the trigger again, but still nothing. He stared down at the gun in his hand as if it were an alien.
Susan reached over and efficiently flipped off the pistol's safety. "Try it now," she said with a chuckle. "Like this." She raised her gun and
aimed it at the target. Boom! Boom! Boom! In three quick shots, the paper man had a neat, tight shamrock in the middle of his /ace. Boom! Susan
grinned and lowered her weapon. "My lucky day. A four-leaf clover."
Paradox keeps mages from using their magic to deal with every situation. Sometimes, a good, old-fashioned revolver does the trick very nicely.
Leading the dangerous lives they do, mages learn to defend themselves in a variety of ways. This Skill represents your character's familiarity with
various firearms, from pistols to heavy machine guns. It doesn't, however, include heavy artillery such as mortars or tank guns. Someone skilled in
Firearms can recognize, clean, load and shoot most types of small arms. This Ability is also used to unjam a gun (using Wits + Firearms).
• Novice: The bullets come out of that end, moving very fast....
• • Practiced: You spend time at the shooting range.
• • • Competent: You've had to use your gun in a firefight or two.
• • • • Expert: Marksmanship is more than a hobby; even skilled gunfighters come to you for tips. The gun is an extension of your hand.
• • • • • Master: Your gun is an extension of your eye. If you can see it, you can hit it.
Possessed by: Police, Military, Survivalists, Hunters, Gangers, Hit men
Specialties: Fast -Draw, Gun-smithing, Sniping, Automatics, Shotguns, Handguns
Meditation
Beatifically still, Lee Ann breathed in deep, even suspiration. Despite her usual casual attire, the cold seemed to roll off her as if she were
sheeted in a layer of perfect contentment.
"I'm still fuh-freezing!" moaned. Kyle, his arms wrapped about his body. "Isn't there an easier way to do this?"
"Hush," Lee Ann said in a quiet voice, without even opening her eyes. "The important things are rarely easy. For now, Just breathe."
Concentration and dedication are paramount in the working of magic, and a little serenity doesn't hurt either. Through Meditation, a character
centers her mind, stills her thoughts and casts off the cares of the world for a time. Meditation allows characters to focus their thoughts and
concentrate on specific problems or tasks. Thus, t hey draw their awareness inward to ignore harsh conditions or injury.
• Novice: Those gurus on the street sure make it look easy, right?
• • Practiced: Meditation helps sometimes when you're agitated.
• • • Competent: A staple of your lifestyle, meditatio n keeps your mind clear.
• • • • Expert: Even under highly adverse conditions, you can find your center.
• • • • • Master: You could practice Zen archery unruffled in the midst of a raging firestorm — with your teeth.
Possessed by: New Agers, Martial-Artists, Psychological Patients
Specialties: Stress Management, Clarity, Biofeedback, Zen
Melee
The cowboy had bad news written all over him. He was itching for a fight. Standing from his barstool, he pulled a switchblade out of his pocket
and flicked it open.
Vern should have known better than to antagonize the man, but with a name like Vern, you have to keep your testosterone on high. "Come on,"
Vern egged, wiggling his fingers. He backed toward the pool table, and, when the man advanced, he grabbed a pool cue.
The fight lasted longer than Vern had expected, but he couldn't use his magic there — too many bystanders. Relying on his training, he wielded
the cue like a staff and slowly dissuaded the cowboy from cutting him to ribbons .By the end, the man was face-down on the pool table, and Vem
had suffered only a cut to his leather jacket. That hurt more than anything, of course. The jacket had sentimental value.
In close proximity, a melee weapon — such as a knife, club or sword — can be just as lethal as a gun. This Skill describes your character's
expertise with a variety of bladed and blunt weapons. It includes the use of clubs, knives, daggers, rapiers, stakes, katanas, axes, staffs, nunchaku or
any other such weapon. Thrown weapons, though, operate under the province of Athletics.
• Novice: You know the right way to hold a knife.
• • Practiced: You've had experience with street fighting.
• • • Competent: Sword, axe, club, severed limb — if it's a weapon, you can use it.
• • • • Expert: Carving up your opponents is just like cutting a Thanksgiving turkey.
• • • • • Master: You flick your wrist and heads roll.
Possessed by: Assassins, Gangers, Martial-Artists, Police, Duelists, Adventurers
Specialties: Knives, Swords, Improvised Weapons, Stakes, Disarming, Axes, Throwing
Performance
"Mum's the word!" the announcer shouted, and the band ran onto the stage. Lights flashed and lasers skipped over the anonymous faces of the
screaming crowd.
Klaus strutted across to his microphone and put a big kiss to it for his fans, with a shrieking, "Mmmmmwah! Hello, everybody! We're Mum and
we're gonna rock ???? universe'" The drumbeat kicked it off, an echoing bass heartbeat felt in every stomach in the auditorium. The other
instruments joined in, providing the hum of blood and the crescendo of adrenaline. Klaus grabbed the collar of his T-shirt and tore it straight down
the middle.
The crowd went wild. In that blend of adoration, exultation and sheer screaming ecstasy, there was magic.
86
Whenever your character attempts to perform something in front of an audience, this Skill governs her success. It covers all performance arts,
such as singing, dancing, playing an instrument and acting. She will undoubtedly have a Specialty in one area, but truly talented performers may
have developed expertise in several. This Trait not only represents your character's skill with the act itself, but also her ability to work the audience.
Combined with the Expression Talent, the character can not only sing, dance or act, but can evoke strong emotion and improvise or create powerful
messages for a given medium; with Subterfuge, the character can easily feign specific emotions or motives — perfect for a strong actor.
• Novice: You sing and the audience doesn't boo.
• • Practiced: You're relaxed and comfortable on stage.
• • • Competent: You have a following of groupies.
• • • • Expert: You wow audiences with your talent.
• • • • • Master: Your performances draw awe-filled standing ovations.
Possessed by: Vocalists, Actors, Musicians, Dancers, Mimes, Celestial Choristers, Cultists of Ecstasy
Specialties: Dancing, Singing, Rock and Roll, Acting, Stand-up Comedy, specific instruments
Stealth
Oz melded with the darkness, seeking its comforting embrace during the long night ahead. He barely breathed, barely blinked. At times,
especially when the screams of outrage and pain rose like hot nettles into his throat, he found his own stillness nearly unbearable.
But this, he reminded himself silently, this is the cycle of renewal, just a step in the process. He was a believer. He watched, for his own
edification and because it was too late to save the victim.
Still, the insane cruelty of the killer made his stomach uneasy. Had the world changed so little that it still produced a man who could
systematically torture and kill another? The blood flowed across the floor, one small stream of it passing no more than an inch from Oz's toe. He
didn't move. He didn't flee. And when the time came, he emerged from the shadows like Death and released the killer's soul too. He, unlike his
victim, had no time for terror and knew no pain.
The points you assign this Skill determine how well your character can sneak and hide. It applies whether your character is moving or not. In
many cases, your Storyteller will ask you and your opponent to roll as in a resisted action. The player with the most successes either succeeds in
avoiding detection or detects the other. For simplicity, however, the Storyteller may simply set the sneaking character's difficulty number equal to
her opponent's Perception score. If she succeeds, then she manages to remain hidden. If she fails or botches, then she gets noticed.
A particularly crafty Storyteller will make your Stealth rolls for you and let you sweat over whether your character is. actually hidden or nor.
• Novice: You can hide behind big things.
• • Practiced: You sneak like a teenager escaping the house.
• • • Competent: Shadows are friends to you.
• • • • Expert: Even dry leaves and branches do not betray your passing.
• • • • • Master: Ninjamatics-R-U.
Possessed by: Assassins, Reporters, Thieves, Eavesdroppers, Spies, Commandos
Specialties: Hiding, Silent Movement, Shadowing, Crowds
Survival
Remy tended the small fire and listened to the sounds of the animals in the swamp; the distant roars of the 'gators, the birds calling their mates
and the hummed songs of the insects. He almost didn't notice that Shima had wandered off until it was too late. Lurching to his feet, he rushed after
her and grabbed her by the arm just in time.
"What are you doing?!" Shima turned on him and demanded.
"Have you lost your mind?" Remy hissed. "I told you to stay with me,"
"Go to Hell. I have to piss."
"You piss where I tell you." He glanced around and picked up a thick, dry branch. He tossed it up ahead, in Shima's intended path. Slowly, the
branch melted down into the quicksand. "Any questions?" Remy asked.
Every person has a special environment in which he's particularly comfortable. With this Skill, your character has learned all the little tricks
necessary to survive in the environment he knows. Dangers abound everywhere and often a person unfamiliar with the terrain won't know how to
avoid these dangers. Whether the environment is natural (such as a jungle or a desert) or urban (such as cities or sewers) it can be treacherous if you
don't know what you're doing. You should choose a Specialty for your character to reflect what type of environment she knows. When your
character uses Stealth in an environment foreign to him, you cannot roll more dice than his score in Survival.
• Novice: You know enough not to drink stagnant water.
• • Practiced: A few camping and survival trips are under your belt.
• • • Competent: You could lead an inexperienced group into your environment and bring them out alive.
• • • • Expert: You avoid even major discomforts easily with your skills.
• • • • • Master: You know your environment inside and out.
Possessed by: Military, Outdoors Enthusiasts, Park Rangers, Homeless, Mountaineers, Nomads, Verbena
Specialties: Urban, Forest, Desert, Tropical, Jungle, Mountainous, Arctic, Medicine, Hunting, Foraging
Technology
Slamming the cover shut on the fuse box, Cathrine backed up, pulled the lever and gave the box a swift kick.
After only a moment's hesitation, the lights in the room came back on. The generator patched into the box hummed merrily, and the rest of the
onlookers rushed to check the computer systems, monitors and speakers.
"Amazing what you can do with a strip of tinfoil, isn't it?" Cathrine smirked. "Too bad they don't make them like they used to."
Skill with Technology covers all manner of repairs, electronics, mechanical aptitude and other gew-gawgery with devices. Characters skilled in
Technology can not only use all manner of devices, but they can also repair or modify such items. Of course, tools and diagrams are most helpful in
this endeavor, but sometimes there's no help for it but to trust to luck. Characters without this Skill can probably operate a toaster or a microwave
oven, but they wouldn't even know how to change the oil in a car.
• Novice: Fuse boxes, broken toasters and oil changes are your purview.
• • Practiced: You've done some electrical or mechanical hobbying, and you put together all sorts of useless crap in your garage.
• • • Competent: Electrical and mechanical engineering are well within your range of skill, and you can repair many objects or make new
ones.
• • • • Expert: You can even program a VCR.
• • • • • Master: If it works on a technological principle, you can break, build, repair or rewire it.
Possessed by: Engineers, Repairmen, Technocrats, Inventors, Saboteurs, Security Specialists
Specialties: Electronics, Mechanics, Engines, Tinkering, Security, Technomagic
Knowledges
Knowledge Traits represent your character's areas of scholastic and mental expertise. Most often, they require your character to have studied
the topic involved activ ely, and for this reason, they are described in collegiate terms. Although most of them require formal training, your
character may have learned them through self-study and reading. You should clarify with your Storyteller if such is the case, because your character
may have the benefit of the information without the prestige of a degree. In the case of Medicine, for example, she may know how to set bones, but
she may not have the certification to practice medicine legally. Your Storyteller may cap how many dots you can purchase in an area of Knowledge
without pursuing a formal education.
If you have no dots in a Knowledge Trait, you cannot even attempt a roll involving it without direct Storyteller permission. If your character
doesn't speak Russian, for in stance, she can't fumble her way through a conversation with just her wits.
Academics
"So... what do you think?" Montreaux twined his rooty fingers together, glancing around nervously at the people studying his latest painting.
He watched as Jack Black tu rned away with a harrumph of disapproval. His expression of anticipation crumpled as others slowly followed Jack's
example — all but one: Gerard.
Deep-voiced and academic, Gerard spoke with authority. "Montreaux, you have captured the whimsy of a Monet watercoior, here, where you
have explored the evanescent effects of light. You evoke, with your use of broad areas of color, the desolation and loneliness expressed by Munch.
You pull taut the lines of sexual irreverence just as Picasso did during his Rose Period. Your use of Realism against a background of
Impressionism, particularly in the pigeons and the fruit, strikes me as reminiscent of the Expressionist compositions found in a Gauguin. Tell me
that you have studied the great works and sought to emulate them, or I shall surely die of wonder."
Blinking, confused, Montreaux replied, "Umm?" He looked around for someone to explain to him what Gerard was saying, and he saw that the
others had all turned back with renewed interest.
Study in Academics represents your character's expertise in the "liberal arts and sciences." It covers many possible fields, and you should work
with your Storyteller to choose a Specialty for your character. Academics includes the theoretical and sometimes practical study of anthropology,
music, history, sociology, psychology, philosophy, literature, art and any other of the so-called "soft" sciences. Although you may choose a
Specialty, your character will still have a basic knowledge of all other topics that fall in this category, simply because learning one often leads to
learning bits and pieces of others. If college-educated, your character will have had to take electives, after all. Furthermore, this Trait represents an
overall level of education and familiarity with the academic world, such as the politics and traditions of universities.
• Student: You've read all the basic high school books on the arts.
• • College: Casual intellectual discourse is no problem for you.
• • • Masters: You could publish a paper in an academic joumal.
• • • • Doctorate: New theories and techniques result from your studies.
• • • • • Scholar: You're recognized as one of the foremost experts in your areas of study.
Possessed by: Professors, Artists, Musicians, Writers, Trivia Buffs, Literary Critics
Specialties: History, Arts, Music, Literature, Medieval Studies, Architecture
Computer
Cathrine's fingers flew across the keyboard, tick-tacking in the commands almost as quickly as the prompt appeared on the screen. She held
back the urge to call an some of her incredible toys. This time, she couldn' t afford to use her magic. This time, she had to do it the normal way. Of
course, all things being relative, she knew she still had an advantage.
The screen flashed blue and Cathrine's heart missed a beat. She held her breath. Had she hit a glitch she hadn t anticipated? But then, the logo
of Dextron Inc. formed on the screen, and Cathrine smiled. She'd made it in. All she had to do was find and delete the records on Solomon. When
they went looking for the hacker, they'd never suspect her. They'd start by looking for a Sleeper, and all because she hadn't left the signature use of
hypertech.
Computer operation and programming fall under the sway of the Computer Knowledge. Though the Technocracy makes great use of
computers, today's highly information-based society relies on them a great deal as well. Those characters with low scores in Computer may know
how to manipulate their way through simple software, whereas those with high scores can program, build their own and hack.
• Student: You can play computer games.
• • College: With some help files, some reference manuals and a little time, you can install or work through most software.
• • • Masters: Programming is one of your talents, and you craft utilities to your own standards.
• • • • Doctorate: Not only do you write code, you can hack or debug other peoples' products, and you're familiar with the most recent and
efficient innovations of computers.
• • • • • Scholar: You created the most recent computer technology.
Possessed by: Hackers, Programmers, Office Workers, Students, Virtual Adepts
Specialties: Programming, Hacking, Code-Breaking, Viruses, Data Retrieval, Internet
Cosmology
Pushing KyIe forward, Lee Ann struggled to get purchase on the slippery "ground," such as it was. The hideous Realm into which they 'd
stumbled wasn't at all friendly, and unless they found an exit soon, they'd run afoul of more of its hungry inhabitants. Despite Kyle's inexperience,
Lee Ann didn't plan to let him slow her down.
"Wait a minute... that door, shouldn't it be the other way around?" Kyle asked as he struggled to stay on his feet.
Lee Ann blinked and regarded the portal that Kyle indicated. Sure enough, it was wider at the bottom than the top — a definite change of pace.
She knew that the symbolism of the Realm linked to its passages, and she grinned unexpectedly.
"Nope," she replied to Kyle's query. "It's exactly what we need."
Mages spend a great deal of time studying other worlds and dealing with spirits. The Cosmology Knowledge represents this sort of education.
Of course, the ways of the Umbra are diverse and strange, and there's no way to guarantee that what works in one place or time will work again.
Still, certain landmarks and traits are mostly reliable, and some spirits have a habit of meddling with mages more than others. From such
benchmarks, the mage can make guesses about aspects of the universe and its denizens.
• Student: You've heard that there's more than just Earth.
• • College: You know the names of a few Umbral places and spirits.
• • • Masters: Having visited the Umbra, you're no stranger to other worlds or creatures.
• • • • Doctorate: Spirits drop in to chat with you.
• • • • • Scholar: Spirits ask you for advice about the Umbra.
Possessed by: Umbral Explorers, Shamans, Werewolves, Armchair Theorists
Specialties: Spirit Names, Realms, Deep Umbra, the Gauntlet, Nodes
Enigmas
The clock continued to tick as Mark rubbed his eyes. He'd always hated logic puzzles, but he knew he'd seen something like this be/ore. That
old puzzle about getting the fox, the goose and the other thing across the river... whatever it was...
It all boiled down to recursion, he guessed. There was an underlying pattern that could be repeated to build an answer. Quickly, he started
sketching out combinations on the hem of his coat, using the nearly empty pen that he'd had in his pocket. Then, he started hopping from tile to tile
and hoped that the spirit guarding the place wasn't feeling too trigger-happy.
Mysteries are stock in trade for magic-workers. Some magicians make an especial study of puzzles, riddles and mysterious circumstances,
though. When gut instincts fail and logic can't offer a solution, the character with a broad knowledge of Enigmas sees clever solutions, hidden
meanings and the motives behind such tricks. The Enigmas Knowledge can be used for figuring out the best way to approach a puzzle, the answer
to a spirit's riddle or even just the morning crossword.
• Student: How'd those riddles go in The Hobbit?
• • College: Towers of Hanoi, foxes and geese and a plethora of riddles all fill your head.
• • • Masters: You can puzzle out the motives of spirits and madmen.
• • • • Doctorate: You do crosswords in pen — in 10 minutes.
• • • • • Scholar: You are an enigma.
Possessed by: Detectives, Analysts, Game Players, Philosophers, Psychologists, Raving Nutcases, Really Annoying Old Masters
Specialties: Deduction, Riddles, Quick Solutions, Historical Puzzles, Codes and Ciphers
Investigation
"Did you move him?" asked David, crouching down beside the corpse. The smell of blood and other final bodily excretions put a mask of
distaste on the Verbena's /ace.
"No," replied the other man. "I found him and called you immediately."
David nodded and pointed to an odd discoloration on the dead man's arm. "This arm has been moved. These discolorarions show the pooling
of blood in the dead flesh. They should be on the bottom, but here they're on the top. Something was taken from that arm. Here, a ring is missing.
See the wear-mark it left?" David looked up into the barrel of a gun. "Hmmm. Tell me, Victor," he said. "What was so special about the ring that
you'd kill for it?"
Whenever your character investigates a crime scene, looks for clues or performs more detailed forensic exploration, the Investigation
Knowledge is invoked. This Trait implies that your character has learned to read specific clues that give her information. More than just the ability
to notice things, it shows that your character has learned specific methods for discovering the truth. She may have studied Criminology or
Forensics, for example. It's more than just noticing a clue, it also involves interpreting that clue.
• Student: You've read plenty of detective novels.
• • College: Beat cops and amateur stalkers are in your class.
• • • Masters: Experienced detective work is under your belt.
• • • • Doctorate: You could profile crimes for a living.
• • • • • Scholar: You rival Sherlock Holmes.
Possessed by: Detectives, Police, Coroners, Profilers, FBI Agents
Specialties: Forensics, Crime Scenes, Poisons, Weapons
Law
Climbing vines draped the white house on Marshall Street, their cheerful green painting a contradictory backdrop to the black limousines. The
vehicles proceeded down the long, curving driveway to the front door. Each in turn, the judges entered the house. The last car brought the
defendant, his advocates and his guards.
The judges had already seated themselves at the front of the courtroom by the time the defendant entered. One from each of the Traditions, they
waited with stiff impatience. It appeared that they had already made up their minds about the verdict, but the defendant deserved to have his case
heard. That was the law.
Wescott set his briefcase upon the table and opened it. He knew he had a tough job ahead of him. Clearing a man so carefully framed might
well prove to be his greatest challenge. At the call for Wescott's opening statements, the advocate pulled a bloody heart from the plastic bag in his
case and held it high. The entire room gasped.
A character with a high score in the Law Trait knows local or national laws well enough to manipulate them to her benefit. She can find
loopholes in the law, prosecute a defendant with aplomb or advise people on how far they can go without breaking the law. Furthermore, this
Knowledge can represent an understanding of the Protocols and allow a mage to use the laws of the Traditions to her own advantage.
• Student: You watch late-night civil court shows.
• • College: You may have done professional law studies, or else you've done a lot of reading.
• • • Masters: You could have your own law practice.
• • • • Doctorate: Your reputation for winning precedes you in court.
• • • • • Scholar: You could find loopholes in a contract with the Devil.
Possessed by: Lawyers, Criminals, Police, Legislators, Judges, Bounty Hunters, Quaesitori
Specialties: Criminal, Civil, Tradition, Police Procedure, Contracts, Corporate
Linguistics
The Etherite from Paris stood slowly. "Je suis desole, mats je vous trouve absolument betes. Vous ne comprene? pas l' importance de mes
travaux." He strode out of the room.
"What did he say ?" Preston asked, looking toward the Etherite's interpreter.
"He said," the interpreter answered, "that he must excuse himself. He's not feeling well. And if you will excuse me, I believe I should go tend to
him." The stick-legged man hurried after his companion.
Blandine chuckled softly from her end of the table. She spoke French and knew the interpreter had smoothly covered his friend's insult. She
assumed he had rushed off to entreat the Etherite to make amends rather than lose every chance of making an alliance on this side of the Atlantic.
Moments later, she excused herself as well. She had a card to play in this little game.
All characters are assumed to be able to speak, read and write their own native tongue. Any other languages known are represented by this
Knowledge. Additional dots in Linguistics give a character a broader range of languages. You determine, with your Storyteller's approval, what
languages you want your character to speak. These languages can come from any country, either modern or ancient, and they generally include
written forms as well. A high level of this Knowledge often indicates a broad, general knowledge of language theory, and your charact er may take
"Linguistic study" in place of a language, thereby studying the underpinnings of language itself.
• Student: One extra language.
• • College: Two extra languages.
• • • Masters: Four extra languages
• • • • Doctorate: Eight extra languages.
• • • • • Scholar: 16 extra languages.
Possessed by: Linguists, Diplomats, Foreign Nationals, Spies, Tour Guides
Specialties: Hieroglyphs, Latin, Local Dialect, Written Expression, Slang, Ciphers, any modern language
Medicine
"It's because of my knowledge of the human body that I can do what I do, Maphis. Do you doubt me?" Jodi chewed coyly on a fingernail. "You
see, there are certain locations where, if you disrupt the natural order, you can kill a person within moments." Her dark eyes slid down Maphis'
body to his chest. "The heart... the ventricles are like wires. Close them and the whole system panics. Feel it?" Jodi smiled as Maphis gasped and
pressed himself back against the wail. "Such terror in your eyes," she commented, releasing the organ from her magical control. "As it should be. I
can squeeze specific muscles and make your body do as I wish. Or... I can render you completely vulnerable." With a gesture, she sent her magic to
press Maphis' jugular closed. The mage's eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed
to the floor, unconscious. Jodi laughed while she unbuttoned his shirt — just for
demonstration. She was still laughing when Maphis awakened. "So, "Jodi asked, "do you
understand now why you hare to pay very... close... attention... when I address you?"
The Medicine Trait gives your character an understanding of the human body, for
both constructive, reparative and destructive purposes. It represents knowledge of
medication, ailments and first -aid. At higher levels, it allows diagnosis, treatment of
disease, surgery and the use of highly technical medical equipment. A character with
Medicine is not necessarily formally trained or licensed, but she can practice with the
best of them as long as she's careful not to let anyone know! Of course, this Knowledge
can also represent a character who is a certified medic, doctor or nurse.
• Student: You know basic first -aid and CPR.
• • College: You can handle basic trauma and diagnosis.
• • • Masters: General practice is within your range of skill.
• • • • Doctorate: Surgery, specialties and the big bucks all await your practice.
• • • • • Scholar: At the cutting edge of medicine, your skills are in demand
throughout the world.
Possessed by: Med Students, Lifeguards, Nurses, Doctors, Paramedics, Euthanatos
Specialties: Research, Pediatrics, Emergency Care, Pathology, Poisons, Surgery, Pharmaceuticals
Occult
Xian made a conscious effort to loosen her death-grip on the steering wheel, flexing shaky fingers. She glanced over at her passenger. "We're
lucky to be alive, aren't we?"
Terry nodded, his gaze locked on the passing landscape. "They let us live." He drew a deep breath. "I've seen giant wolves like that before.
They're supernatural. I don't know why they let us go. Our magic wouldn't have helped us if they had chosen to attack."
"Their eyes..." Xian whispered. She shivered, imagining for a moment that she could still feel them watching her. She pressed on the gas pedal.
This Trait describes your character's depth of occult knowledge, including mysticism, curses, magic, folklore, Umbral lore and various other
lore related to the strange creatures and occurrences in the world. It doesn't necessarily imply that everything your character knows is correct, but it
does give her insight to weed out the total nonsense. (Although she may still think that voodoo doesn't work, for example, she does know the
general way others think that it does.) A character with a high level of Occult also knows a good amount about mages and magical practice, though
again such knowledge may be incomplete or inaccurate. It's better than nothing, though!
• Student: You have some friends who are into weird stuff.
• • College: Curiosity has gotten you into the occult, but it's bigger than you've imagined.
• • • Masters: Bizarre phenomena haunt your dreams, and you can place the significance of all manner of symbols and artifacts.
• • • • Doctorate: You're a true believer, and you can usually weed out the crap from the valid.
• • • • • Scholar: Not much surprises you anymore.
Possessed by: Occultists, Pagans, Parapsychologists, Exorcists, Pulp Writers
Specialties: Voudoun, Witches, Ghosts, Death Mythology, Infernalism, New Age, Folk Tales
Science
Habeeb adjusted the rubber gloves carefully, pushing his fingers deeper and tugging them up over his wrists. The crinkle comforted him. It
sounded clean and precise. The scientist had prepared the samples and run them through the equipment. If he had done everything right, he'd know
for sure whether the soil around Monchello's farm had been contaminated. Carrying the slide to the microscope, Habeeb sat and peered through
the eye-piece. The chemicals had selectively highlighted certain properties and there, among them, was the parasite. Habeeb sighed. So, it was
true. Someone had caused Monchello's iliness on purpose.
This Knowledge describes your character's familiarity with the physical sciences, such as biology, chemistry, physics and geology. If you
choose a specialization for your character, she still has a broad understanding of all the sciences, but her expertise lies in a particular field. The
Storyteller sets the difficulty number of any rolls based on Science according to the complexity of the task. Science can cover a great diversity of
topics, from astronomy to physics to chemistry to biolo gy and beyond. Practical applications of Science may require the use of Technology or
Crafts Skills.
• Student: You survived high school science.
• • College: With a broad general picture of science, you're familiar with most prominent theories and a few experimental procedures.
• • • Masters: Overseeing or setting up new projects and experiments is within your capabilities.
• • • • Doctorate: Discovery is your watchword, progress your goal.
• • • • • Scholar: You may soon solve science's greatest mysteries.
Possessed by: Scientists, Drug Designers, Engineers, Technicians, Technocrats, Pilots, Sons of Ether
Specialties: Chemistry, Biology, Geology, Aeronautic Engineering, Astronomy, Metallurgy, Physics and many, many more
Specialties
To represent extreme dedication in a narrow
field, or just to show a special interest or
concentration of study, you can pick specialties
for your character's attributes and abilities. 'The
specialty is a role-playing tool, but if your
character has a rating of 4 or more dots in the
base trait, it gives a game benefit as well. When
you roll a dice pool involving your specialty, you
get to re-roll any 10s and include the re-rolls in
your successes. If the re-rolls score 10s, they can
be rolled again, and so on. (A botch on a re-roll
does cancel a success as always. The perils of
overweening pride in your special knowledge....)
As an additional option, the Storyteller may
allow you to declare additional specialties for
each dot past four in a given ability or attribute
(so you could have two specialties with five
dots)
Backgrounds
Throughout your character's life, as described in her background, she will have acquired contacts, material belongings and personal strengths
that aid her. She hasn't learned them and she can't train for them; they stem from happenstance, social ties and history. This broad category of Traits
covers everything from the friends a character has made to her innate magical power. It's a catch-all category, and you assign points to your
character's Backgrounds during character creation just as you do Attributes and Abilities.
Your character's Backgrounds have direct ties to her history. Thus, they help you to flesh out your character. As you choose and assign point
values to these Traits, the Backgrounds help to define the character's exact nature. With the help and approval of your Storyteller, you establish how
these Backgrounds fit into your character's life.
Allies
William sneezed. "Excuse me." The realtor's offices had a dusty, dry interior that bothered his sinuses. "I'm interested in taking a closer look at
the oldplantation house out on Honeysuckle Lane," he explained.
"Oh, yes!" the realtor said, grinning. "I had a call yesterday warning me that you might be coming. I'd be very happy to show you that house.
It's a magnificent structure, sturdy and with a style unmatched in these parts. J think you'!! like it very much."
William smiled. His friend who knew the owner of the real estate company had worked fast. "How much are they asking for the house!" he
queried.
"Well," the realtor replied witha friendly wink. "I have it on good authority that we can make you a deal you won't be able to refuse."
Allies are people (or other beings) who are willing to help your character. They may be friends, anonymous sponsors or someone for whom
your mage did a favor at one point. Each dot that you purchase in this Trait gives your mage one ally or increases the usefulness of one particular
ally. For example, if you put three dots in the Allies Trait, your character can have either three allies who are somewhat useful or one ally who is
extremely helpful. Or, she can have one one-dot ally and one two-dot ally. You determine this allocation with your Storyteller and give your
character's allies names, professions and personalities. Allies are generally Sleepers; more esoteric sorts of creatures fall under a different heading.
Also, your allies may know that you are into some unusual things, but they are rarely in on the whole picture of mage society or even the facts of
magic. Allies are more useful as warm bodies to give you a hand or a place to crash.
An ally can give your character access to information she wouldn't normally have, access to products and services or even more direct aid.
Your Storyteller may wish to create statistics for the ally and actually play the ally in the game as a character. Note that your allies have
personalities and goals of their own, and from time to time they may cause problems, ask for favors in return or do things that further their own
interests.
x No allies — you don't have any friends at all.
• One ally of moderate power.
• • Two allies or one more powerful ally.
• • • Three allies or a combination of more powerful allies.
• • • • Four allies or a combination of more powerful allies.
• • • • • Five allies or a combination of more powerful allies.
Arcane
Flynn studied his reflection in the glass. Behind him, a neverendingstream of people walked either one way or the other, brushing shoulders,
laughing, talking, glowering. Flynn noticed new wrinkles at the corners of his cherrywood eyes. He straightened the blue-bla ck locks that writhed
on his forehead and fixed his embroidered collar. Just tired, he told himself. I'm just tired. Slowly, his gaze shifted down to the diamond ring
displayed in the window. He sighed.
The hammer in his pocket felt heavy as Flynn drew it out. He swung it toward the window, sending a bolt of magic along to increase the
impact. The window shattered with a satisfying crash and the scream of alarms. Flynn reached into the window and took the ring. Shouts
surrounded him, but he simply stepped back and blended into the crowd. As he walked away, he heard someone say, "It was that guy! That guy over
there! Wait... where'd he go! I had my eyes on him just a minute ago. He went that way."
Mages walk the edge of what normal people consider reality. Because of their magical nature, they sometimes escape the notice of Sleepers.
Their very existence is an anomaly, and some of them just evade notice. This effect manifests differently for different mages.
Although the Arcane Background doesn't make mages invisible, it makes them less noteworthy. An Arcane mage seems nondescript and not
particularly noticeable. Features just seem to slip away from memory, and the mage just never seems to get caught on film. Records disappear,
people forget the mage's name or even assume that discussions are about someone different, and witnesses can't garner more than "That guy. Girl.
Whatever." The mage doesn't trigger these effects actively; they just happen. The mage can, however, consciously dampen the effect and allow
others to see her as she truly is.
You add your character's Arcane score to any Stealth rolls you make, and your opponents reduce their Perception or Investigation dice pools by
a number of dice equal to your score in Arcane. Note that Arcane only helps when the mage is inconspicuous or absent; if the character is
screaming, waving around a sword or otherwise drawing attention to herself, Arcane doesn't help. Of course, people might give conflicting
descriptions later or be hard-pressed to remember her name. When your character is directly involved in combat, this Trait gives her no benefits.
Note also that a character with specific, extremely unusual traits — like purple hair, a peg leg or huge size — will not be able to conceal those
traits; they stand out too much in peoples' minds. Still, "that one-armed guy with... uh... hair... of some color" is a start.
x You're just as noticeable as anybody else.
• You blend in with the crowd.
• • You're easy to forget.
• • • You're difficult to follow.
• • • • There are scant photos, papers or records of you, and people can't even agree on what you look like.
• • • • • In other people's minds, you don't even exist.
Avatar
Azure slid down the wall until her rump landed on the cool tile floor. The room echoed with dripping water, and the steam rising off the hot
spring held an ethereal glow. Azure didn't f??l too well. She could sense the disturbance in her body — internal injuries. No Quintessence. No Tass.
Azure had come here, home, to regenerate her power so that she could heal.
Closing her eyes, Awe focused on the spinning crystal in her head. She knew the risk. Relaxation might bring unconsciousness, but she had to
meditate. Focus, she repeated over and over, like a mantra. Azure wondered briefly if she would ever wake up. Focus. Focus. Focus. The crystal
exploded with rainbow colors and expanded to consume Awe's consciousness. She followed the white path, dancing along with butterflies and
rabbits, toward the purple grove she knew waited at the end.
All mages have an Awakened Avatar, and through that Avatar the mage alters reality. However, not all Avat ars are created equal. The strength
of your character's Avatar affects her Quintessence score directly (see "Quintessence"). It also determines how much Quintessence your character
can reabsorb at any one time. It is wise to put at least one dot in this Background. Mages with extremely weak Avatars cannot channel Quintessence
at all, which can make many magical feats difficult or impossible.
Whenever your character's Quintessence score drops below her score in this Trait, she can meditate at a Node, for at least one hour, in an
attempt to rebuild her Quintessence levels. You roll a dice pool based on Meditation (Perception + Meditation; difficulty 7) for each hour spent at
the Node, and the number of your successes determines how much Quintessence she regain s. No matter how many successes you roll, however,
your character cannot reabsorb more Quintessence than the number of dots you placed in her Avatar Background. Her Avatar score serves as a
ceiling to the Quintessence points she can soak in through meditat ion at a Node. For example, if she has an Avatar score of three, she cannot absorb
more than three points of Quintessence per sitting, no matter how many successes you roll.
The Avatar rating is also the limit to the amount of Quintessence that a mage may channel for an Effect. A mage cannot channel more
Quintessence than her Avatar rating, so mages with weak Avatars are limited to smaller Effects.
Quintessence stored in the Avatar is "personal" and inviolable; it cannot be taken from the mage with Prime magic.
Note that the role of the Avatar may vary with the Storyteller's slant on the game, and as such this Background may be changed to represent
other powers....
x Your Avatar is barely capable of magic.
• May rebuild a pool of/ expend one Quintessence.
• • May rebuild a pool of/ expend two Quintessence.
• • • May rebuild a pool of/ expend three Quintessence.
• • • • May rebuild a pool of/ expend four Quintessence.
• • • • • May rebuild a pool of/ expend five Quintessence.
Contacts
Sliding the note under the collection plate, Father Shelley moved up the pew and toward the front of the church while the nondescript old
woman slipped out. Ever since the disappearance of his most promising student, he'd been working to find some lead, some clue to who might want
to kidnap his apprentice or get at him. He still had to perform his duties, but even if he couldn't spend every waking moment looking for the poor
girl, he could keep an ear to the street.
Father Shelley knew people, and they knew and trusted him. Although his congregation was small, they were a closely-knit neighbor -hood. He
knew that if any one saw Sybil, he 'd hear about it within the hour.
"Word on the street is..." For a mage with contacts, the word is right in her ear. Contacts simply give your character information. They're not
as reliable as allies, but they are well-informed, and what a contact doesn't know, he or she can usually find out. By calling on your contacts, you
can usually dig up information about happenings, people or general weirdness in the area, although you may have to shell out a couple bucks 01 a
few favois in die process.
When you choose some contacts, you should, of course, work with your Storyteller to determine the sorts of people your character knows.
Contacts are essentially casual acquaintances, usually from your character's own walks of life. Outside their areas of expertise, contacts may have
some trouble finding information, but they can usually get in touch with someone who will know what your character needs. Of course, contacts
aren't an excuse to short -circuit the adventure; they're hardly all-knowing. Worse still, unreliable contacts might sell the information that your mage
is looking for something, or tell other people the same things that they told your mage.
When calling on contacts, use a Social Attribute + Background roll (difficulty depending on the information desired). Success usually garners
some information, while a failure indicates that your contacts don't know and can't find out. A botch means that your contact lies or sells your
character out.
Each dot in Contacts represents a major contact, a fully fleshed character who can help you out. The Storyteller should design such a contact.
Your character also can call on minor contacts in other locations and for other purposes, but the difficulty of getting information out of such "casual
contacts" is usually a little higher, and the mage must first pay up or prove himself.
x No contacts: You have to do all the legwork yourself.
• One contact.
• • Two contacts.
• • • Three contacts.
• • • • Four contacts.
• • • • • Five contacts.

Destiny
The strange cylinder gave off a grating, throbbing, pulsing noise just at the low end of audibility. Standing a full eight feet tall, two feet across,
and dappled withstrange cracks and protrusions, it looked like some haphazardly-carved piece of modern stone art, but Cathrine new that it was
much more. As she pushed closer, she could feel the waves of sound emanating, rippling through her body painfully. Nearby, a lone corpse
sprawled across the floor, testament to the thing's unusual destructive power.
As her nose bled, ears rang and vision blurred, Cathrine pushed forward to reach the cylinder. Pain rocketed through her body but
determination filled her mind: she still had work to do in the Digital Web, and no thrice-cursed stone monolith would stop her! Her fingers glowed
with light as energy collected in her virtual gloves, and she reached out to plant her counter-resonator on the thing — lesser souls might've
cracked, but she still had a date to keep.
Some mages — or even Sleepers! — stand out heroically, pulling the threads of the Tapestry around them as they charge blindly on to an
undeniable destiny. The fate of such a mage is generally known, though in a vague way. A prophecy, a vision or even just a "sense of greatness"
follows this sort of mage. Her fellow mages sense this fate, as does she. Although none of the characters will know the exact nature of her fate, you
should work it out behind the scenes with your Storyteller, or have your Storyteller determine it for you secretly. This final fate should remain
mysterious — an enigma — within the context of the story.
The knowledge that she will go on to do great things gives your character a stronger sense of purpose and, thus, it increases her ability to exert
her will. She knows that she will not die an ignominious death and this knowledge gives her the courage to go on when times get rough. Once per
story (not each game session), if your character faces an end that goes against her destiny, you may roll her Destiny score versus a difficulty number
of 8. Each success you roll allows you to regain one spent Willpower point. You may use these points to help your character avoid a cheap death.
Destiny steps in and helps your character when she needs it the most.
However, your Storyteller may decide, at any time, that the danger your character faces meets the criteria other destiny and disallow you any
special saving rolls. Your character's fate, in this case, has come calling and she must survive on her own or fulfill that destiny.
A mage can fulfill his destiny, and at such a time, the Background goes away. The fulfillment of the destiny usually culminates in some large
change for the character's life, though. Conversely, an otherwise mundane person may suddenly discover a powerful destiny. The course of fate is
fickle indeed, and even mages cannot see the future with total certainty.
x You're just a tar-heel like everyone else.
• A minor destiny; roll one die.
• • An impressiv e destiny; roll two dice.
• • • A crucial destiny; roll three dice.
• • • • A world-changing destiny; roll four dice.
• • • • • An earth-shattering destiny; roll five dice.
Dream
Dakota stood at the edge of the mesa, looking out over a landscape made rich in the light of the setting sun. The windplayed in her longhair
and kissed cool her sweat-misted brow. She spread her arms to the world, welcoming it, breathing it in. She closed her eyes....
Every one of her senses came alive, and she heard again the syncopated beat of her heart-drum. She let the music fill her and followed its lead
into the sky. She flew, in her dreamplace, with her dreamfriends, with Eagle. Across the great waters, she drifted, holding close the image of Maria.
Maria, sweet Maria, had a baby inside her — a baby that carried a strange curse. Dakota flew tonight in search of the curse. She saw it lurking
there on the horizon. Her dreamcompanions left her, unwilling to get too close to the dark, cancerous entity. She continued on alone, toward the
answers she sought.
With the Dream Background, your character has the ability to meditate and tap into the wealth of information carried within the universal
mind. She must focus on a particular problem while meditating, and the amount of time it takes her to glean the information will vary based on its
complexity. This process has its drawbacks. She may not get exactly what she wanted, but instead may find herself possessing an intuitive
understanding that she didn't expect. The universal mind knows better than she does what will help her, but that doesn't mean she'll figure out why
this particular bit of information applies to her dilemma. Furthermore, she only has access to the information until she sleeps again. Once she
sleeps, the knowledge flies out of her mind and she loses access to it.
Your Storyteller may ask you to roll Perception + Dream to see how well your character can focus and reach a meditative state. Each character
will have her own unique way of bringing forth the dream. It doesn't have to be sitting in a full lotus with incense burning. Some take long walks by
the beach or vegetate to rock music. Whatever method your character uses, she must have no interruptions for the amount of time the Storyteller
determines necessary. The information your character receives isn't concrete information, but rather an intuitive, guiding sense about something.
She can't find a person's address this way, but she can sense that the person probably lives near the river, for example. Roll your charact er's
Perception + Dream (difficulty 6) to determine to what extent the information she receives is helpful.
Once per day, after your character has meditated successfully, you can substitute her Dream score for an Ability in a dice roll pertaining to the
topic of her meditation. This applies whether she has the Ability or not. For example, if she's seeking some insight into her friend's emotions, you
can roll Intelligence + Dream instead of Intelligence + Alertness, even if your character has no Alertness score. If she does have an Alertness score,
you can still substitute, if you choose. However, you cannot add her Dream and Alertness scores. You roll either one or the other.
x The collective intuition of the cosmos is a mystery to you.
• You catch hazy bit s of information.
• • You gain helpful insight.
• • • You can access worthwhile lore.
• • • • You glean a wealth of knowledge.
• • • • • You make amazing leaps with your insight.

Influence
Nicky sat down on the ratty couch and stared at Patricia in amazement. "It's the weirdest freakin' thing," he said. "Yesterday, the cops dropped
the charges against me. This morning, the lab called an' offered me my job back. And, this afternoon, this publisher guy asked if I would be
interested in writing a book about my... what was that word he used... travails." Nicky watched Patricia look down and try to hide her smile. A light
bulb went off over his head. "You had somethin' to do with this, didn't you?"
Patricia shrugged elegantly. "I couldn't let Dedmund destroy you. I pulled a couple strings, that's all. Dedmund'son asshole, a child playing in
a grown -up game. As soon as I realized that he was the one who set you up, I just... dropped a word or two to the right ears and... well..." She
grinned crookedly and waggled her eyebrows.
As visionaries and leaders, mages have often held some influence over the course of the mortal world. You tailor your character's influences to
her background and decide, with the help of your Storyteller, what type of influence she has. This sway you hold may be political, business-related,
fame-based or religious in nature. Perhaps your character owns a major corporation, is a successful politician, sings in a popular rock band or has
many followers who listen to her speak each week at the lo cal ? ? ? meeting. Whatever the case, your character can direct certain currents in society
to flow the direction she wants. She can use her influence to get things done or to block the activities of others.
You can roll your character's Influence score in conjunction with Social Traits in order to have your character gain special favors. When
combined with Mental Traits, it could represent your character's search for information via her connections in the area of her influence. This
Background can also help your character acquire new acolytes. By rolling Charisma + Influence, you determine her success at swaying others to
follow her. Unlike the Allies Background, Influence just enables your character to get things done; it doesn't supply you with "mooks." Similarly,
you might hear a few choice tidbits from a local scene with Influence, but for the full range of dirt in the city, you need Contacts.
x Nobody pays much attention to you.
• Your peers recognize you.
• • You have many local associates, and you know who to call.
• • • You're respected regionally; people seek your opinion.
• • • • Your word is gold on a national level.
• • • • • You are vastly influential on a global scale.
Library
Barbara went straight to the library, as instructed by the note, and found Chin seated on the floor surrounded by books. In amazement, she
watched the diminutive old man fuss and cluck over the tome in his lap. He had the look of someone who'd been up all night, further evidenced by
the empty pizza box and soda bottle on the desk.
"What are you doing!" Barbara asked.
Chin lifted his round face, shocked out of his concentration. But then, his wrinkles spread and rearranged to produce a broad smile —
including that one missing tooth. "Barbara! Come. Come! Look at this. I found it! It took me all night, but I finally found it. You remember that
name Mosha mentioned! I looked it up. The man was a Tibetan monk in the late 1800s who supposedly Awakened and turned to the dark side."
Chin adored movies. "Well, look at this. He's still alive, and I can prove it."
With this Trait, your character has access to a great wealth of information. This "library" may take the form of books, old scrolls, computer
databases or even of friends who have it all in their heads and who are happy to share it with you. Most importantly, your character can access this
information whenever she wants and study it at will. The knowledge contained in your character's library can include both mundane and occult
elements. Although it may not always prove entirely reliable, more often than not your character can take her time, cross-reference and check her
information. Best of all, such a library is often a wealth of information that your particular mage considers important, so it has useful knowledge
about magic, the supernatural and other obscure topics that wouldn't be found in a more mundane collection.
Libraries are especially useful in unearthing new lore, Sphere knowledge or specialized information. Use a Mental Attribute + Library roll to
look up information regarding an arcane or obscure topic. Success helps your character in such an endeavor, possibly justifying the expenditure of
experience on such Traits.
Depending on the nature of the "library," your character may choose to keep it somewhere that everyone in her cabal can use it. In such a case,
all players involved can pool their Library scores and benefit from the increased wealth of information (pending Storyteller approval). However,
they may run into duplication of information. Thus, a pooled library is only as effective as the best Library rating in the group, plus one for each
additional Library thrown in.
x You have no particular information resources.
• You've got some New-Age paperbacks.
• • Your library is 90% pulp and 10% substance.
• • • You have numerous useful texts.
• • • • You have an enviable collection, both occult and mundane.
• • • • • You can access lore, lost secrets, common wisdom and obscure facts.
Mentor
The concrete room had steel bars and magical barriers. Ashe couldn't get out. She couldn't avoid the smell of sewage that burped up from the
drain in the floor. She could only watch as the drain gurgled and began to overflow with dirty, brownish water.
Ashe didn't begin to panic until the water had reached her neck. She couldn't climb the walls. She had no escape. Someone's per verted mind
had imagined drowning her in sewage, and the plan was succeeding. Ashe floated to the ceiling and waited for the water to cover her head.
"Ashe..." The call came softly into Ashe's mind, whispering across her consciousness. She knew that voice. It was Nicole! Nicole! Ashe had
never loved her mentor as much as in that moment. Surely, Nicole had come to save her. But the .filth kept rising and Ashe went under. "Ashe... dive
down, grab the bars... hold on, Ashe..." Ashe did as instructed, holding her breath until her lungs ached. "Don't give up... Ashe... don't gire up..."
With a sudden, rolling rush, the pressure of the water burst open the door and it all flowed out, trying to drag Ashe with it into the grinding teeth of
the processor. Ashe held on for dear life, taking grateful gulps of the rancid air.
Only the most naive Orphan discovers magic without some sort of help, training and instruction. Often, a character's mentor has a more
profound influence on her personality, beliefs and knowledge than any other person since her Awakening. If she has no mentor, then she doesn't
have the benefit of a teacher. If she has a lousy, abusive or over-protective mentor, then the things she learned could scar her. A mentor can be a
mage, a spirit or any other Awakened being. You should work with your Storyteller to give your mentor an identity and personality.
Your character can use ber mentor in many ways, though her mentor may also use her in return. The mentor-student relationship can be a
complex thing, especially if the mentor requires favors in exchange for the wisdom he imparts. Furthermore, your character's actions reflect on her
mentor, just as her mentor's reputation reflects on her. If your character does something to disgrace herself, her mentor may step in with a hard
lesson in retribution for the stain to his own reputation.
Mentors are key in teaching characters about new skills, knowledge and magical practices. A mentor could instruct a mage in some obscure
lore or special techniques, offer the advice of experience, loan a magical item or intervene in a nasty situation. Obviously, a mentor is much more
active than a library, but using this help requires that the character repay the debt in some fashion.
x No mentor or teacher — how did you leam to do magic ?
• Unimportant or distant mentor.
• • Helpful, but eccentric, mentor.
• • • Good and notable mentor.
• • • • Wise and respected mentor.
• • • • • Powerful or influential mentor.
Node
The spirit swelled and. manifested, bringing with it the stench of decay. Its maw gaped, lined with row upon row of razor teeth. Its eyes
gleamed a rancid nuclear green. "You trespass!" it howled, voice pitched to break glass.
Xavier stood his ground and his cabal stood with him. "No!" he shouted back at the creature. "You are the one who trespasses. We claim this
Node and will defend it with our lives!"
"Pitiful, tiny creatures, you are," the spirit screeched. "So be it! Today, then, you will lose your lives!" Power surged in the air around the
place, the lines of magic almost becoming visible as spirit and man clashed for the forces of reality itself.
One of the most hotly contested prizes in the war between mages is the possession of Nodes. A character with a Node has access to a place of
power where she can replenish her Quintessence and gather Tass. Your Node can be located anywhere — in a cellar, a grove, a high-rise, a glade, a
crystal cave or an old church — but mages protect them like the treasures they are. Quintessence thieves may attempt to overthrow the current
custodians of a Node and take the location for themselves. Your character may have to fight to keep her Node.
You and your fellow players can pool your characters' Node scores to increase the value of one particular Node rather than having several small
ones scattered around the area. The Node's rating determines how much Tass the place produces and how much "free" Quintessence a character can
absorb from it per week. Your character can stockpile Tass, but t he magical energy may lose its potency after a short time if not used. The form this
Tass takes reflects the nature of the Node. If the Node is in a cemetery, the Tass may take the form of grave moss that your character will have to
boil down to remove the Tass. Or, if the Node sits in a cave by the ocean, the Tass may take the form of salt-like deposits that your character will
have to gather up and sift out to separate sand and silt.
The Quintessence available from a Node counts for all uses of absorption. Thus, characters who meditate to refresh their Awtar rating must
draw on the Node and deplete it, and the Node may temporarily run out of power. The exact amount of power that a Node holds is up to the
Storyteller. For a game with scarce magic, a Node might only supply one point of Quintessence per week per dot, while a more generous Storyteller
might give ten points per week per dot. The higher the rating of the Node, the more energy it holds and the weaker the Gauntlet in its location.
x No access to a Node: Like most mages, you only have what power you can scrape up.
• A minor Node, barely worthy of mention.
• • A small Node, holding a useful trickle of energy.
• • • A significant Node, able to power several mages.
• • • • A major Node, hotly contested.
• • • • • A powerful Node, one of the few sites of magic left.
Resourses
"You can't keep living this way, Jamie," Boyde commented. He started to lean on the table, but it wobbled so badly he almost stumbled.
"Christ!" Brushing his hands off, he shook his head.
"I've got a job interview," Jamie replied. He, in turn, eyed the diamond in Boyde's ear, the gold tie-tack, the silk tie. "Tomorrow. Down at
Bateman's."
"Bateman's? That's good." Boyde stood in the center of the room. "You own a suit!"
Jamie shook his head, "No. I figured I'd just go down to the laundromat, wash my jeans, maybe my blue shirt." His confusion showed on his
face as Boyde reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He stared in amazement as the other man put five one-hundred-dolla r bills on the
table. Never in his life had he even seen one of those.
"Get a suit," Boyde said, sliding the calf's leather back into his pocket.
Even mages must eat. This Trait represents the financial assets and income your character starts out with at character creation. It describes your
character's standard of living and helps to determine what kind of property she owns. If your character has no dots in Resources, she has the clothes
on her back, a few belongings and a small amount of spending cash. Sh e may have to live with someone else and she doesn't have a job. Work with
your Storyteller to decide where your character's income and assets come from, what kinds of property she owns and what she will have to do to
maintain her standard of living.
Any mage can make a little money with some clever magic, but such feats tend to attract the unwanted notice of other mages, especially the
Technocratic Syndicate. For beginners, it's usually easiest and safest just to have a "real" source of income.
x Flat busted: No job, no money, no prospects.
• Small savings, tiny apartment, cheap vehicle, can liquidate $1000, monthly income of $500.
• • Middle class, apartment or condo, sturdy vehicle, can liquidate $8000, monthly income of $1200.
• • • Large savings, small house, mid-sized vehicle, can liquidate $50,000, monthly income of $3000.
• • • • Well-off, large house, luxury vehicle, can liquidate $500,000, monthly income of $9000.
• • • • • Rich, mansion, limousine, can liquidate $5,000,000, monthly income of $30,000.
Wonder
Though normally self-reliant, Lee Ann wouldn't pass up a little help when offered. She hadn't counted on running afoul of... critters... at the
soup kitchens, so she wasn't totally prepared for the rotting, zombie-like birds that had swooped down to drive away all comers. People were
depending on that place, and flighty as some people might call her, Lee Ann did her part to help her community. She just needed a little magical
hand, herself.
Digging through her duffel bag while crouching behind a stairwell, Lee Ann wrapped her hands carefully around an aged statue depicting
Kali. Some would consider the goddess an ill omen, but Lee Ann knew better—besides, the simple object had a power of its own, if you knew how to
tap it. Heaving a deep sigh, she let its ambient energies flood into her, filling her with a sense of enormity, of cyclical beginning and. endings. Then,
letting the talisman guide her consciousness, she cost out with its power to set the dead back into their natural place....
Wonders are objects like Talismans and Technocratic Devices that have power and that produce magical Effects (usually when wielded by an
Awakened being, such as a mage). Although they are rare, a few lucky mages have objects that carry their own power; legend holds that Masters
can even manufacture their own. For the most part, only an Awakened being can use a Wonder, although your Storyteller may make exceptions to
this rule. Your Storyteller may also limit the number and/ or power of the Wonders that she will allow into the game.
Any item can be a Wonder if it has somehow been imbued with magic. Tree branches, mechanical devices, jewelry, wands, bones, and stones
can all suffice as magical items.
When triggered, Wonders produce magical Effects just like mages do. Each Wonder has a special purpose. A Wonder's Effect comes from one
of the magical Spheres, and you determine with your Storyteller exactly what occurs each time that your character triggers the item. Sometimes, it
may misfire or the Effect may not turn out exactly as your character intended, but for the most part, your character has an idea of what to expect.
When creating a Wonder, you also determine what exactly each of its Effects does. You base these effects on the magical Spheres. You may
choose the Sphere that represents the Effect, but the Effect is limited to a Sphere level equal to the level of the Wonder. Note that the level in this
Background docs not correspond directly to the level of the Wonder possessed. A Wonder is rated by the power of its Sp heres, but the level of this
Background simply indicates a general categorization of the Wonder's powers.
A Wonder may have an Arete rating that allows the holder to use the Wonder's score when rolling for its Effects, and it may store its own
Quintessence. (Some Wonders, called Periapts, are little more than Quintessence batteries.) Others simply have one magical Effect that's always on,
or that works automatically when called.
Spirit Wonders, called fetishes, may work differently in story terms, but you purchase them the same way. These objects contain spirits who
have, either by force or by choice, entered into the items and who perform a service. Some of these spirits have strong personalities, and they may
cause the wielder some frustration and trouble, depending on how the mage treats the spirit. When your character uses up all the Quintessence in a
fetish, the spirit departs. Your character cannot refuel a fetish, though your mage might undertake a quest or deal with a spirit to try to keep a fetish
empowered.
Many mages use Wonders as foci. Although doing so may not make the magic coincidental, it usually helps the mage to focus. Any Paradox
triggered by a Wonder's Effect goes directly to the item itself, possibly destroying it.
As always, the Storyteller has final say on the potencies and potentials of any Wonder.
x You haven't run across any magical items.
• A Wonder with a trivial Effect, or a small stash of Quintessence.
• • A Wonder with a useful Effect, or a reasonable battery of Quintessence.
• • • A Wonder with a reasonably handy Effect, or a large supply of Quintessence.
• • • • A Wonder with a very useful or commonly used Effect, or a generous helping of Quintessence.
• • • • • A Wonder with an associated potent Effect, or a legendary power source.
Arete
Many have will, many have vision and many have purpose. Only an Awakened few, though, have true Arete — the intuitive awareness of the
universal ebb and flow, the channel for will through which the mage understands and directs the Tapestry. Once Awakened, a mage forever sees the
universe through altered eyes. Arete is a measure of that understanding and mystic will. It is through Arete that the mage grasps the Patterns of the
Tellurian and bends them in conjunction with his will and belief.
Not all mages have Arete. Sorcerers who practice static paths of wizardry invoke simple effects through their rigorous efforts. Only with Arete,
though, can a mage truly reach the full power of dynamic magic. The Avatar stirs and the mage's Arete binds her mundane understanding with her
mystic self to allow her to change the universe.
Awakening may come slowly or quickly, but once a mage finally Awakens, she often experiences a sudden flash of insight — the character
gains an Arete of one to three dots. Further development of this enlightened state comes only with long effort and introspection. The mage must
strive to understand the Tellurian, to delve into her innermost being and to overcome her flaws. Experience is part of the process of developing
Arete, but an ephemeral wisdom is more important. By strengthening her resolve, unlocking sublime mysteries and passing through the gates of
Seeking, the mage refines and improves her Arete until her magical will radiates like a shining beacon pointing toward Ascension.
Every mage has a personalized view of Arete. Some mages, like most of the Order of Hermes, try to quantify Arete as a base knowledge of
mystic principles. More subtle magicians quantify Arete as a sort of harmony, the placid stillness of an internal self. Arete could be seen as the
connection of the soul to the cosmos, or as the bond to the very powers of life. In truth, Arete is all these things. It transcends any simple
categorization or limitation, for it is the enlightenment that surpasses the human mind.
Arete also serves to measure a mage's raw mystical power. While understanding of the Spheres is necessary to actually cause directed change,
the depth to which a mage can study the Spheres and the breadth of her magical power stems from her Arete. A highly enlightened mage can
discover more complex universal structures and turn reality on its head with greater force. Through a powerful understanding of herself, the mage
reflects great change.
x Sleeper
• Unschooled
• • Talented
• • • Novice
• • • • Disciplined
• • • • • Commanding
• • • • • • Aware
• • • • • • • Understanding
• • • • • • • • Wise
• • • • • • • • • Enlightened
• • • • • • • • • • Transcendent
Game Effects of Arete
• Arete measures pure magical strength. Almost all rolls for magical feats use the mage's Arete as the dice pool.
• Truly great understanding allows a mage to overcome her dependence on props and foci. A mage with a high enough Arete rating — six or
more dots — comes to understand that it is his will that moves the universe, not his dependence on a particular form of magic. Once a mage's Arete
rating reaches six, he no longer needs to use foci for one of his Spheres. For each additional point of Arete gained, the mage may discard the
requirement of foci for two more Spheres. Of course, the mage may choose to continue using foci, and doing so can be helpful. Furthermore, the
mage must come to some personal realization of this; the knowledge does not spring unbidden into the mage's mind. (Storytellers may alter this rate
to suit their whims, though.)
• A mage's practical understanding of the universe can never exceed her abstract, theoretical level of enlightenment. Thus, no Sphere rating can
ever exceed the mage's normal Arete rating.
• A mage's ability to work magic stems from willpower as much as belief and comprehension. Thus, Arete cannot exceed the mage's permanent
Willpower rating. If the mage's permanent Willpower rating drops, his higher levels of Arete and Spheres become inaccessible. He retains his
mystic understanding, but he cannot exert the will to use it.
Willpower
When the weight of the world seems too much and only the most monumental, heroic effort can possibly triumph against adversity, the true
hero draws upon the last shreds of inner resolve to prevail. Even the common man has a point at which his spirit stirs to fight. When a mother fights
to save a child, when a soldier makes a final effort to defend his companions, when a magician must overcome the cares of living to invoke real
magic, that's when the character summons the reserves of Willpower.
The Willpower Trait measures confidence, drive and resolve. A character with a high Willpower rating is steady and self-assured; one with low
Willpower has limited self-control and determination. Willpower normally runs anywhere from one to 10, but it has two ratings: a permanent rating
and a temporary pool. When rolling against a character's Willpower, use the permanent rating; when using Willpower to perform feats, spend
temporary points from the Willpower pool. Points get crossed off from and restored to the pool, but the permanent rating usually stays constant.
The temporary pool can rise until it equals the permanent rating, so a character with a high Willpower rating not only has a stronger will when
rolling to resist certain effects, but he also has more reserves of inner strength.
When calling on Willpower, a character makes a determined effort to finish some task or overcome extreme adversity. Such an expenditure
usually costs one point from the Willpower pool. Over the course of play, the Willpower pool may be diminished or refreshed. A character who
runs out of Willpower is in dire straits indeed. He's tired out, exhausted and unable to muster any more spirit. A character's resolve may return
slowly, but he just can't rouse himself to give a damn in the meantime.
Because mages literally wrap reality around their desires through force of enlightened will, they tend to have strong Willpower ratings. Most
mages start with a permanent Willpower rating of five or more. Sleepers, by contrast, can range anywhere in the scale of one to 10, though an
average of three is usual, and extremes are quite rare.
x Spineless
• Weak
• • Timid
• • • Unassertive
• • • • Diffident
• • • • • Certain
• • • • • • Confident
• • • • • • • Determined
• • • • • • • • Controlled
• • • • • • • • • Iron-willed
• • • • • • • • • • Unshakable
Using Willpower
• By spending a Willpower point, a mage can get an automatic success on an action. He can use only one point per turn this way, though an
extended action over several turns could benefit from multiple expenditures. Such a success adds directly to the roll, without counting against any
of the dice. Obviously, such an expenditure also prevents the possibility of a botch. Use of Willpower in this fashion must be declared before the
action is actually taken, but the use is then considered reflexive.
• Willpower can be used in resistance against Mind magic, usually against difficulty 6. Successes scored on such a roll subtract from the
successes of the Mind Effect. Note that resistance may not be possible or automatic in some cases (at Storyteller discretion). Supernatural entities
gain this resistance at no cost, but normal mortals must spend a point of Willpower to exert this defense.
• A point of Willpower is sufficient to banish a hobgoblin or Quiet -induced hallucination for a scene. You must roll Willpower (se p. 157) to do
so successfully; otherwise the Willpower point is expended to no avail. If successful, the phenomenon goes away, and the mage asserts command of
his senses for a short time. This expenditure also burns out a point of Paradox, if the mage still holds any. Only one point per day may be used in
this fashion.
• When faced with an overwhelming urge or compulsion — "You flee in horror from the Umbral monstrosity," or "The wiles of the succubus
draw you closer against your better judgment" — you may expend a Willpower point to override the compulsion and act normally. Your mage
musters enough self-control to assert himself in the face of a monstrous urge. Should the source continue, though, you may need to spend additional
Willpower over successive turns, just to keep control. If you ignore a situation and call for your mage to do something in the face of an
overwhelming reaction, the Storyteller may require you to spend a point of Willpower even if you do not specifically ask to do so. Although you
[the player] may be rather blase about the prospect of your mage's confrontation with an Umbral monstrosity, your character is much less certain
about the outcome!
• Spending a point of Willpower allows a mage to ignore all penalties from wounds and injury, up to but not including total incapacitation, for
one turn. The character struggles to put out a last-ditch effort. This expenditure lets the character perform one action without dice pool penalties, or
move at full speed in spite of injuries.
Losing Willpower
Because mages set the force of their will against the weight of reality itself, it's inevitable that the mage will come out worse for wear
occasionally. Besides magical compulsion and attacks, people can also be subject to humiliation, exhaustion and torture that sap their will. With
enough trauma, anyone can be broken — his mind snapped like a twig under too much pressure.
Loss of permanent Willpower is rare — it takes a concerted effort to strip away the ego and lay bare the mind. Repairing such damage requires
time and a great deal of effort, as the subject must overcome the hideous emotional scars. Thus, characters lose permanent Willpower only if the
Storyteller judges that they've undergone trials terrible enough to break them in mind and spirit. Such lost Willpower can only be recovered through
roleplaying and experience.
As guidelines, characters might lose permanent Willpower when:
• Suffering a terrible mental shock, such as a Mind attack, an emotional upheaval or some other disaster, while at a Willpower pool of one or
zero;
• Undergoing prolonged torture, brainwashing, conditioning or some personal hell;
• Failing a Seeking disastrously, getting stuck in a severe Quiet or Paradox Realm for an extended period of time, or losing a powerful magical
bond like a familiar.
Regaining Willpower
Over time, confidence returns and mental fortitude rebuilds. A character who's had a chance to rest and regain her strength can refresh her
Willpower. Many other events can return Willpower to the character's pool as well, up to the limit of the character's Willpower rating. Raising the
Willpower rating permanently comes only with experience.
• At the end of a story (not a single session), the characters regain all of their Willpower as long as they manage to achieve some significant
goal. The characters don't need to do everything they set out to do, but as long as they held their own and got a few licks in, they regain some
measure of confidence. After a nasty failure, the characters might not regain all of their Willpower, although making such a decree is a particularly
vicious way to end an already harsh story.
• At the Storyteller's option, a character may regain one Willpower point each time she gets a full night's sleep and starts a new day (or
whatever; some of those Virtual Adept hackers keep pretty weird schedules). Refreshed and ready to face the new day, the character gets a small
measure of return. This reward shouldn't apply to characters under a great deal of stress, captive in a hostile environment or otherwise under duress.

• A character who manages to pull off a particularly heroic or spectacular stunt may regain a point of Willpower as a result of this success, at
the Storyteller's option. The character's phenomenal feat restores a measure of her confidence.
• Through roleplaying your character's Nature, you may enable her to regain one or two points of Willpower. Although the Nature is just a
convenient handle to help you get a basic idea of the character, it lies at the core of many other motives. Therefore, when your character manages to
act out her inner drives, she reaffirms her place in t he world. This award should be given only if the Storyteller feels that the player has roleplayed
the character's process of self-expression and discovery successfully, not just for randomly wandering about and performing trivial tasks that
somehow relate to the character's Nature.
• The Destiny Background can allow your mage to regain some Willpower, simply by drawing upon the knowledge that she's destined for
better things. Once per story, you can roll your character's Destiny rating against a difficulty of 8. Each success refreshes one Willpower point in
her pool.
Quintessence
As the archetype of all things, Quintessence forms the Patterns of reality. Prime Force can be channeled into magic, directed in defense, used to
fuel potent attacks and turned into new Patterns of creation.
Prime energy is tracked on the 20-box Quintessence/ Paradox wheel. As the mage gains Quintessence, it fills up the boxes clockwise from the
starting dot. As the mage spends Quintessence, these points are erased from the wheel. A mage starts with Quintessence points equal to his Avatar
rating. Further Quintessence is gained from Nodes, Tass or even from the universal pool, if the mage is powerful and knowledgeable enough.
Quintessence has many quirks, but it tends to obey certain rules:
• A mage can never channel more Quintessence in a turn than his Avatar rating. Thus, a mage with an Avatar of 3 dots can channel only three
Quintessence in a turn, from any source. This limit applies to refueling his Pattern, casting Effects, creat ing new Patterns, working countermagic or
striking with a Primal attack.
• Quintessence does make working magic easier. As the mage reinforces his spell with the power of reality, it bends the cosmos more
smoothly. Each Tradition has its own views on what, exactly. Quintessence is and why it serves as a power source like this. The upshot is that each
point of Quintessence channeled into an Effect lowers the Effect's difficulty by one point, to a maximum net difficulty modifier of three — so you
can cancel some penalties and perhaps lower the difficulty by as much as three points.
• Quintessence can be stored in a mage's Pattern or spent directly into an Eftect. Urawing Quintessence out of a Node requires a rudimentary
knowledge of Prime (one dot); using Tass requires a high degree of proficiency in Prime (three dots); Masters of Prime (five dots) can draw
Quintessence from the universal pool itself, with a vulgar Effect. Any drawing of Quintessence tends to be noticeable, however. Winds surge, lights
flicker and the mage glows with a palpable aura as the raw power of creation flows through the area.
• Although Quintessence is invisible to those without Prime 1, its effects often manifest in some form, simply because of its raw power.
Channeled Quintessence makes things seem more "real" and "solid," and it almost always enhances Resonance to a noticeable level. Beings with
the Awareness Talent can usually sense the channeling of Quintessence (difficulty 6 to 10, depending on the nature of the channeling), but they may
not realize immediately what it is.
• Any magic that pulls on large amounts of Quintessence — five or more points in a turn, or 10 or more points overall — is automatically
vulgar and noticeable. The monumental energies released thus cause pyrotechnic displays, ripples in space-time and auroras of power.
• Quintessence can be stored directly in a mage's Pattern, held by her Avatar. Such "personal Quintessence" cannot be pulled away from the
mage or used against her will. This amount equals the mage's Avatar rating. This personal Quintessence can also be refreshed simply through
meditation at a Node. The power of the mage's Avatar draws the Node's energy into itself, even if the mage is unfamiliar with Prime magic. A
simple Perception + Meditation roll (difficulty 7) refreshes the mage's Quintessence after an hour of meditation at a Node, one point per success, up
to the limit of the mage's Avatar rating or the Node's power supply. Any power beyond the mage's personal power (Avatar rating) must come by
drawing from another source, using Prime magic.
• Under the right circumstances, Quintessence can counter Paradox (see Prime 5) or fight against other mages' magic (see "Countermagic" on
p. 118).
Paradox
The bane of magicians, Paradox strikes all mages at some point in their careers. As the mage twists the universe to his whims, the universe
bends back and strikes change on the mage in return. As with Quintessence and Resonance, full details on Paradox and systems are handled in
Chapter Four. Paradox tracks on the same wheel as Quintessence, but it proceeds counter-clockwise from the opposite side of the starting dot.
Usually, large quantities of Paradox will burn off in startling ways or explode, but it's possible for a mage to gather a significant amount of Paradox
and Quintessence at the same time. However, Paradox always wins out. If the mage has too much Paradox, it prevents her from storing further
Quintessence, and additional Paradox removes Quintessence as it's gained. The more that a mage screws with reality, the less that he can hold the
power of Creation in his hands, until he's paid the price.
• Each time a mage calls on vulgar magic, he garners at least one point of Paradox.
• Attempting magic and failing badly (botching) can indicate that a spell has gone awry, which also incurs Paradox.
• Often, Paradox rebounds and twists a mage's Effects in some unexpected fashion. Sometimes, though, Paradox waits, an almost palpable
distortion in the mage's Pattern. Such Paradox energy, tracked on the Quintessence/ Paradox wheel, could explode out in a spectacular display any
time the mage garners additional Paradox, or it might just stack up. There's no telling when Paradox will behave in a given fashion.
• A mage who holds Paradox energy can bleed it off slowly. For each week of relatively mundane existence — that is, each full week in which
the mage does not gamer any additional Paradox — one point dissipates as the mage's Pattern "unbends" and settles back into reality. Such is true
even if the mage isn't involved in "normal" places and actions, as long as he manages to avoid any additional Paradox. However, once the mage has
over 10 points of Paradox, this escape no longer works. The mage's Pattern is so twisted up with Backlash energy that something's got to give
sooner or later. A mage who manages to store all the way up to 20 Paradox may enter a permanent Quiet, vanish completely from reality or explode
in some spectacular fashion, at the Storyteller's discretion.
• Mages with too much Paradox energy can sometimes pick up permanent Paradox Flaws, manifestations of change that rebound to alter the
mage in question permanently. These flaws could be physical, mental or supernatural Effects. A mage might suffer a withered hand, a constant
buzzing noise or a luminous glow about his head. Such changes become part and parcel of the mage, and they are as difficult to remove or alter as
changing any other fundamental aspect of the mage.
• Mages who hold a large quantity of Paradox tend to draw attention. People, always sensitive to the fact that mages "just aren't right," are even
more nervous around beings who hold the pent-up seizures of reality. Although few beings other than mages recognize the feeling of Paradox, most
creatures instinctively fear such forces and are wary of a mage with too much Paradox.
Resonance
As a mage creates magical Effects, she invests them with her own wills, desires and drives. Naturally, the results reflect such strong emotions
as the mage imprints her own vision of reality over the cosmos. Each mage has a few Resonance Traits, a set of adjectives that describe the sorts of
Resonance that the mage normally builds. A mage normally starts with one dot in one Resonance Trait: a Dynamic Trait, an Entropic Trait or a
Static Trait. Through further actions, the mage may develop additional Traits of the different sorts or gamer additional dots.
During character creation, you need to select the Resonance characteristics for each Trait. Your character's Dynamic Resonance might be
Energetic, Violent or Fiery; Entropic Resonance could be Destructive, Languorous or Seething; Static Resonance might manifest as Accurate,
Geometric or Smothering. These Traits describe how your character's magic tends to change according to her emotions. Every magical Effect that
the mage does is affected in some way by Resonance; the more dots the mage has in a Trait, the stronger its manifestation.
Dynamic Resonance reflects the pure creative force of the universe, the drive to make new and different things, action wit hout thought to
consequences and continuous motion and evolution. Such Resonance Traits are fast, moving and mutating, though the Trait itself tends to stay the
same for any given mage.
Entropic Resonance reflects the mage's tie to primordial energy, the bubbling morass that melts Creation back down into fluid emptiness and
makes room for new birth. Entropic Traits show decay, destruction and death, though not always in a wholly negative way. Jhor is a special kind of
Entropic Resonance, garnered from too much interaction with death energy (see Chapter Four).
Static Resonance shows up in patterns, constants and the solidification of Creation into permanent or semi-permanent forms and repeatable
ideas. Such Traits are often intellectual, heavily patterned or highly organized.
x Negligible Resonance.
• Quirky.
• • Odd.
• • • Noticeable.
• • • • Influential.
• • • • • Overwhelming.
• Each dot in a Resonance Trait indicates a certain level of Resonance that appears in the mage's magic. With high levels of Resonance, the
mage is likely to have every Effect twisted in a noticeable way to reflect his personal Resonance. A mage with low levels of Resonance might show
only subtle changes, and he might not manifest any noticeable Resonance in very small Effects.
• Resonance is traceable to those who know what to look for. A mage can often determine if a particular Resonance fits a certain mage's style.
With a Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty of 10 minus the Resonance score), a mage can determine the type of Resonance present in an Effect
if it's not otherwise immediately noticeable. ("Aha! My old nemesis Dr. Lugan always used Vindictive magic, and this Effect fits his style
perfectly".)
• A mage who builds an Effect that works with her Resonance often finds it easier to work such magic. A mage with the Fiery Dynamic
Resonance has an easier time with fire magic, a mage with the Static Resonance of Perspicacious is better with insightful Mind magic and so on.
This effect translates as a reduction in difficulty (by one) to Effects that play on the mage's specific Resonance, as long as the player describes a
specific way to make the spell use his Resonance Trait. It's not enough just to say "I have Static Resonance for Thinking so I get a bonus on all
Mind Effects." The player must make some part of the Effect reflect the appropriate Resonance deliberately.
• A mage's Resonance usually changes only when she's heavily influenced by strong magical powers. This change can occur during a Seeking,
after botching an Effect in a spectacular fashion or when visiting a strange Horizon Realm.
Health
Given that mages are on the run not only from the Technocracy, but often from fearful mortals, magical monsters and each other, magicians
have a nasty tendency to get banged up, shot, stabbed, scraped, burned, dropped from a height, folded, spindled and mutilated. The Health Trait
tracks the effects of such injury and applies the necessary penalties to a mage who's trying to fight while his body's falling apart.
Basic characters have seven health levels, shown on the character record. Each time the mage takes damage, he loses one or more of these
health levels until magic or rest restores it. As the mage becomes more and more wounded, he suffers increasing penalties to movement and actio ns,
reflected by penalties to her dice pools. Should a penalty remove the mage's dice pool completely, she can't even attempt the action in question —
she's too badly wounded to try. Even experts have problems when they've got leaky holes in their torsos.

Arete rolls are an exception to die penalties. The power to work enlightened magic is exempt from the injuries of the body. However, a mage
who is Incapacitated or otherwise knocked unconscious cannot work magic at all (barring the use of some bizarre Mind Effects).
See Chapter Eight for specifics on damage, but keep in mind:
• Bashing damage, marked with a "/", represents battering and bruising. It heals quickly, and it is usually nonfatal. Mages can often "roll with
the punch" and absorb some amount of such damage.
• Lethal damage, marked with an "X", comes from stabs, slices, crushes, avulsions and other nasty and often-fatal attacks, including many
forms of magic. Mages, as mortals, aren't terribly resistant to such damage, but they can heal it with magic.
• Aggravated damage, marked with an "*", shows up when a mage suffers supernatural Pattern damage, like a Prime attack or injury from fire
or extreme trauma. Such attacks not only tear apart the mage's body, but they are extremely difficult to heal with magic.
Experience
Living is a process of growing and learning. As they seek enlightenment and magical power, mages delve into self-discovery just as much as, if
not more than, anyone else. From the revelations of everyday life or magical practice, mages improve themselves and hope to move toward
Ascension — or, at least, toward surviving another day. Experience reflects the tangible rewards of such growth.
Although mages can and do learn many things that aren't modeled directly in the game system, some T raits can be developed to new levels of
usefulness. The experience system allows you to improve your mage in areas like her Abilities and Spheres. Delving into the mage's personality and
learning about her place in the world, in terms not reflected by Traits, is a job solely for you, though.
At the conclusion of each story (or part of a story for long sessions), the Storyteller may award experience points. These points go toward
developing better or new capabilities. Players can track these points on their character records and then use them between stories. Of course,
experience points are not mandatory; the Storyteller doesn't have to award them. On the other hand, who wants to come back to the table if the
characters aren't going anywhere or learning from their mistakes?
However, although experience points can be used for many improvements, the Storyteller always gets to step in and determine what's
appropriate. A player cannot decide that his mage simply gains more Arete just by spending experience; nothing's that simple. Instead, the player
may suggest improvements in his character, and the Storyteller determines whether the character truly would have improved in such areas. The
Storyteller decides when the character has learned enough, fought and suffered enough to develop. This limit isn't a mandate to keep characters
from improving, but rather a requirement that you as a player must make sure that your character acts and works in a manner consistent with the
improvements of experience.
In no case should a character's Trait improve by more than one dot in a session (or between sessions, unless there's a particularly long time
between games). It takes a lot of work to show real improvement, especially in difficult endeavors like magic.
New Traits
Mages st udying to gain new Traits, like a new skill or Sphere, should have an appropriate teacher. In some cases, this teacher could be another
player's character; in others, a mentor or library might be appropriate. As always, the Storyteller is the final arbiter of what qualifies for such
teachings.
As talented as they are, mages don't pick up new capabilities overnight. Learning a new trick can take some time, both for student and teacher.
A student who's interrupted constantly might have to spend Willpower to justify the purchase of a new ability, or he may simply fail to grasp it.
Conversely, a character who goes out of his way to try new things in the course of a story may find it easier to develop those nascent skills.
New Abilities are simple to develop as long as the mage gets some practice, often with an instructor or a good set of books. This developmental
period takes anywhere from a couple of days to a few months, depending on the Ability. Learning to navigate Windows is probably marginally
easier than learning Cantonese if you're an English speaker, after all.
New Spheres, on the other hand, are difficult propositions at best. A mage must undertake quite a bit of study, often with a more advanced
member of his own Tradition, in order to unlock Spheres that he hasn't yet learned. A mage might be able to garner some insights from members of
other Traditions, but their practices are so far apart that it can be hard to turn such knowledge into tangible lessons. Unlucky mages or loners may
have no choice but to study through practice or through old books. In such cases, it may take months or years for the mage to develop the most
rudimentary proficiency in a Sphere. As always, the Storyteller is the final arbiter of when a mage can develop a Sphere.
Awarding Experience Points
Experience awards are great incentive for the players, but they are also a balancing act. Too much experience will cause the mages to progress
rapidly through any problem, becoming invincible demigods. Too little experience will make sure that the mages never develop; the players will
feel hampered by the stagnation of the characters. The Storyteller must balance these extremes to find a happy level of experience that lets the
players improve their characters, but keeps them hungering for more.
Experience awards should come at the end of a game session or story. Thus, it's easier to track them and to have an opportunity to gather
around and discuss experience expenditures.

End of Each Chapter
A chapter is a part of a story, often told in one session, or even with several chapters to
a session. Chapters are natural breaks, so it's good to award a couple of points here.
One Point — Automatic: Each mage learns in spite of herself and gains a little
experience just for surviving.
One Point — Learning Curve: For those mages who truly learned something shocking,
inspiring or new, award an additional point to reflect the new vistas opening in their minds.
The player should explain what the mage has grasped.
One Point — Roleplaying: A player who went above and beyond the call of normal
roleplaying to portray a particular role, especially delving into the quirks and hindrances of
the character, may gain a bonus point as a reward for enhancing everyone's game
experience. The standards for such a reward should get successively higher!
One Point — Heroism: A player whose character bravely and selflessly puts life and enlightenment on the line may come out stronger from the
experience. That which does not kill us, is worth extra experience points.
End of the Story
A story concludes after several chapters and game sessions. At the close of the story, award a few extra points to those characters that made it
all the way from beginning to end, on top of the reward for the last chapter.
One Point — Success: If the characters achieved all or at least some of their goals, they should get a point for advancing their agendas and
carrying out their tasks successfully.
One Point — Danger: If the story was particularly harrowing and the characters were forced to stay on their toes constantly, they may learn
quicker just by surviving.
One Point — Wisdom: If a player came up with a brilliant plan that saved the day in mid-story, adapted to the circumstances, adjusted for a
new and clever use of the characters' capabilit ies or just plain rocked, give a bonus point to that character for sudden insight.
Of course, the Storyteller can always award more or less points, as dictated by the needs of the chronicle and the group.
Experience Costs
Trait Cost
New Ability 3
New Sphere 10
Willpower new rating
Ability new rating x2
Attribute new rating x4
Specialty Sphere new rating x7
Other Sphere new rating x8
Arete new rating x8
Background new rating x3

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