Awakening Addendum
From CamMelbourne
Chapter Four: Awakening [A.0.00] 24 This chapter is for incorporating Mage: The Awakening (WW40000) into the Camarilla’s largescale sanctioned chronicle.
Contents |
[edit] CHARACTERS [A.1.00]
[edit] Backgrounds
Player characters require High Approval to have existed since 1905 or earlier, Top Approval to have existed since 1855 or earlier, or Global Approval to have existed since 1805 or earlier.
[edit] Non-Player Characters
Ananke and the Bound require Top Approval for Storytellers to use.
[edit] Creation
At creation, each Primary character begins with a base XP of (Player’s Membership Class x 20)+30 XP. Secondary characters are created at MC 1, with no additional membership benefits.
[edit] Bonus XP
On top of this Creation XP, Primary characters have access to a pool of ‘Bonus XP’, some of which is granted at creation, with the rest being awarded in small amounts during each month of play.
At MC levels 3,6,9,12 & 14 players will get an extra 30XP, to a maximum of 150. Any remainder is ‘banked’ into an XP Pool. This XP Pool is slowly released to the character at a rate of 10 XP per month, until all 150 XP is on the sheet. All ‘creation’ XP must be spent at creation. After the creation process is completed, a maximum of 10 XP can be saved of that starting amount as per the global addenda.
This XP is in addition to any XP the player earns in a month, including months where over-cap XP may have been awarded. It can be “banked” as normal.
[edit] Age of Awakenings
Characters who have awakened at the age of 16 or 15 require Mid Approvals. Awakenings at the age of 14 or less requires High Approval.
Existing young characters are grandfathered.
[edit] Gnosis
Having the 6th -8th dot of Gnosis is High Approval. 9th to 10th dot is Top Approval.
[edit] ORGANIZATIONS [A.2.00]
[edit] Order
Player characters have "True Order Status" and are only members of a single order for the purposes of learning Rotes, accessing Merits etc.
It is High Approval to hold status dots in multiple Orders.
If a character learns basic mechanical advantages of an Order (e.g. Order specific Rotes or Legacy) or type-specific items such as Merits it is High Approval to change True Order Status. Characters that change their True Order Status to join an Order other than their first) do not learn new Rote specialties.
[edit] Legacy
It is Mid Approval to join a Legacy if recruited by a player character in game. Iit is High Approval to join otherwise. Storytellers should hesitate to approve Legacies that are specific to other geographical areas, or whose membership is supposed to be rare or restricted. It is Top Approval to join Left-Handed or antagonist Legacies. A character may be mentored into a Legacy at two approval levels higher if they don’t meet parent Path/Order requirements.
Custom Legacies don’t require the applicant’s character to be the creator, but the character must fulfil the Gnosis requirements. To enter play as part of a custom Legacy, the player of the active character most senior in that Legacy must agree. This requirement is waived if characters find a way to join in-game.
[edit] REALMS [A.3.00]
With the exception of a single Awakening per Mage, characters cannot access the Supernal World or other unique areas such as the Underworld. It is High Approval for characters to access the Abyss. Abyssal verges require High Approval.
[edit] MERITS [A.4.00]
[edit] Artifact
Artifacts are rare and require High Approval. Artifacts listed in the source books are unique but can serve as examples for Storytellers who are creating their own.
[edit] Enhanced Item
Enhanced Items can be created in game by spells of indefinite Duration but cannot have a total Merit rating higher than 5. Matter spells can make "Special Property" alterations. Specific listed alterations require:
- Alter Integrity (for Increased Durability or Increased Structure)
- Alter Efficiency (for Increased Equipment Bonus)
- Alter Size (for Decreased Size from Guardians of the Veil or Increased Size)
Several Enhanced Items cannot be combined (e.g. a self repairing engine cannot be placed inside a car with bulletproof windows). Enhanced Items can be treated as Imbued, e.g. a 3 dot spell and two 2 dot spells would create a 5 dot Enhanced Item.
The Mana capacity cannot exceed the Enhanced Item Merit rating. Thaumium is only available in game and requires significant monetary expense.
Any effect used to improve an item makes that item an Enhanced Item equal to the level of the effect used. E.g. Self Repairing Machines are 5 dot effects and items with such an improvement are 5 dot Enhanced Items. This is only used where another method doesn’t already apply.
[edit] Imbued Item
Imbued Items rated higher than five can only be made in-game.
When creating Imbued Items, Top Approval may allow for a mage to increase the number of successes allowed for an extended cast spell. These may not be increased by more than 50%.
[edit] Fetish
The Fetish Merit itself is Low Approval in the Awakening venue. Individual fetishes follow the standard approval levels listed in this document.
[edit] Society Status Merits (Consilium and Order)
Status mechanics employed for a Consilium must be included in a Venue Style Sheet for characters in that venue to have Consilium status. Consilium Status does not cost xp.
Order Status reflects a large scale system for a global game. Status 1 characters are well-established members of their order. Status 2 comes with long-term recognition and indicates a high level of importance within a city or interconnected multi-city area. Status 3 (High Approval) indicates significant prominence within a state, province, or other large regional area. Status 4 (Top Approval) represents a national influence, and Status 5 (Global Approval) indicates multi-national or truly global recognition.
Characters may not begin play with more than 2 dots of Order Status. True Status in multiple Orders is Top Approval. False Status is High Approval.
[edit] ARCANUM [A.5.00]
Arcana at levels 6 and above are not available in the chronicle. Archmasters and the Imperial Mysteries are reserved for the use of the Master Storyteller.
[edit] Counterspell (Any Arcanum)
The rote versions of Counterspell described on page 123 utilize Composure and Occult.
[edit] Create Demesne (Any Arcanum)
The caster can increase Duration using the advanced Prolonged Duration factors. One cannot create a demesne with someone else’s soul stone.
[edit] Wards and Bans (Space)
Objects and creatures cannot be the target of a Ward, but are protected within a Ward’s area. Once a banned phenomenon is within the Ban’s area, it is unaffected (i.e. spells can be freely cast within a Prime-based Ban area, and are only affected when crossing the threshold of the Ban).
[edit] Rewrite History (Time)
Ignore the example and stick with the normal restriction on keeping dots. Dots cannot be shifted into anything that requires a special approval or a notification in the approvals database. The shifting has to happen within categories, e.g. Mental Attributes to other Mental Attributes.
[edit] Grant Familiar (Spirit)
This spell’s Duration is Lasting (the Familiar Merit does not disappear at the spell’s end.)
[edit] Spells to Employ Spirits (Spirit)
Rank 3 spirits cannot be called, bound or otherwise controlled using the advanced Prolonged Duration factors. When calling, binding or otherwise controlling Rank 4 spirits, Prolonged Duration spells are considered Transitory. Spirits of Rank 5 cannot be called, bound or otherwise controlled short of Archmastery.
A Willpower point is spent for each spirit called, bound or otherwise controlled. This cannot be recovered until the spell ends or a Willpower dot is spent to release it. Each such spell can only affect a single spirit.
These restrictions don’t apply if a spell is used simply to justify the purchase of a Merit such as Familiar or Guardian Spirit. They do not apply to spells that just awaken spirits or make them more favourably disposed to the caster, e.g. Rouse Spirit.
Familiars are Rank 1 spirits.
[edit] Learning Arcana
Arcana are not inherently inspired or instantly gleaned insights. They require study and enlightenment to learn how the laws of the Supernal work. This requires study and research. To learn a new level of an Arcana, the character must spend a number of downtime actions equal to the dot level (Fate 2 requires two downtime actions, Death 5 requires 5). This is beyond the teaching requirements for Common and Inferior Arcana. Downtime actions may be mitigated by a Mentor. If the character has a PC Mentor with the desired level of Arcana, they can halve the study time (rounded down) required if that character uses a downtime action to teach. If the character has an NPC Mentor (represented by the Merit Mentor) which has the requisite dots in the desired Arcanum, then the character may subtract one of the required downtime actions for every dot in that Merit.
[edit] Masteries
Masteries are rare, and characters should have spent a good portion of their Awakened lives studying to acquire them. Single Masteries are to be considered Low Approval, every additional Mastery after the first requires a level of Approval higher than the level before (all Masteries of fourth-degree and higher require Top Approval). Masteries of Ruling Arcana are exempt from Mid Approval.
[edit] SPELLCASTING [A.6.00]
[edit] Rotes
If a rote title includes an Order name, assume the rote is common, with versions available to all mages. If an alternate test system is allowed for another Order, only that Order may learn the test system without High Approval. This includes Rotes presented in Order books.
When a rote title includes the name of a Legacy, Tradition, faction or other group that isn’t an Order, there is no common version. It is High Approval to learn the rote if a character is not a member of the relevant Legacy, Tradition, faction or other group.
Improvised Spells that duplicate the effects of existing rotes requiring an approval also require that level of approval.
Approved custom rotes are Low Approval to learn in game from another player character.
[edit] Australian
All rotes listed in the core book are considered common. Each order has their own version but, unless specified in the text, uses the same dice pool as the original. Rotes found outside of the core book are to be considered unique to their character class, and require the appropriate approvals.
[edit] Instant Spellcasting
Penalties taken when forming an instant spell’s Imago may not reduce the caster’s dice pool below 1. Any further penalties (aiming penalties, resistance, etc.) applied after Imago creation may reduce this further.
[edit] Extended Spellcasting
A ritual spell can achieve maximum successes equal to the caster’s base pool – Gnosis + Arcanum or Attribute + Skill + Arcanum + Rote Speciality. Modifications to these values don’t increase the maximum allowed successes. Maximum successes can only be increased with helpers, High Speech and Willpower.
[edit] Limitations to Bonuses and Traits
No single Trait or bonus created by a spell can exceed the level of the Caster’s relevant Arcanum. This only applies to Traits or bonuses that are variable based on successes. It is not applicable to summoned creatures.
If a Mage activates a Prepared spell against a living target the target can resist the spell as per the following:
- If the spell is Resisted then it becomes Aimed. When activated the caster must gain at least 1 success on an activation roll with the same dice pool used to cast the spell, modified by the target’s defenses (See Awakening rules on Aimed spells). If the activation succeeds then the spell takes full effect. If it fails then the spell disappears.
- If the spell is Contested then the caster must gain 1 more success than the target on an activation roll with the same dice pool used to cast the spell, modified by the target’s defenses. If the activation succeeds then the spell takes full effect. If it fails then the spell disappears.
If a player requires information from another character’s sheet (e.g. if contested, resisted, etc) then their character cannot ritually cast and hold Prepared for offensive use.
Bonuses added to an item from Arcana do not stack, only the highest bonus is applied.
Prepared spells, including environmental effects, are limited by the damage cap.
[edit] Failed Social and Mental Tests
For the purpose of determining which failed tests are not repeatable within the same scene, consider improvised spells to be Social or Mental tests if their rote version are opposed by Composure or Resolve. (See Mind’s Eye Theatre , page 162.)
[edit] Paradox
After all Paradox mitigation, the remaining Paradox is tested using a "multi-draw" system like the one employed with Morality draws.
[edit] Sympathetic Magic
Any spell affecting multiple targets always uses the weakest sympathetic connection of those targets, unless all targets are within sensory range. For example, targeting yourself (Sensory) and a “Known” Mage, out of sensory range without their real name, with New Threads would be cast as “Encountered”.
If a casting penalty for sympathetic magic is reduced to greater than -10, the target is still able to be affected by the sympathetic spell. The only instance where they would be unable to be targeted is if a penalty directly lowers their degree of sympathy to Unknown (for example, an “Encountered” or “Described” target where the caster does not know their real name.)
