These Wonders have all appeared as part of the feature, “Uncle Mikey’s Wonder of the Week” on the mage-rules, mage-st and sa_st lists. Veterans of those lists will note that some entries have been modified from their originally posted forms for compliance with the 6.0 rules. Deal with it. All Wonders have been reviewed for game balance and rules compliance by volunteer Storytellers from all over the world. Still, they are subject to a certain amount of interpretation. You may even decide that some of them are not appropriate for your Chronicle.
Some of these Wonders are not appropriate for all Paradigms. Restricting the knowledge and/or use of each item to the Traditions or Conventions listed with it (where applicable) is highly recommended.
Artifacts Charms Fetishes Talismans Libraries
Questions, comments and criticism may be addressed to Uncle Mikey himself (that’s Mike Walton in real life) at thunderdog_sa@yahoo.com. If you have ideas for additional Wonders, I’ll be glad to look them over. I’ll even add your Wonders to this document upon request, but you have to take credit for them.
All Wonders are listed in the following format:
Name (what the Wonder's called, duh)
Type (as in what category of Wonder it is)
Arete (n/a for everything but Talismans)
Trait Value (how much it would cost as a Background)
Required Spheres (what a PC would need to be able to make it)
Description (the game mechanics and what not)
Archdaemon
Type: Artifact
Trait Value: 5
Required Spheres: Master Mind, Adept Prime
This
Wonder, which is used by Virtual Adepts, is a self-aware program that does its
owner's bidding in cyberspace. Upgrading a program to Archdaemon status doesn't
effect its normal functions; the software simply becomes able to control itself
without operator intervention and can follow simple orders that are within its
capabilities (i.e. "Crash that system," or "Copy that file to my
hard drive"). Any program
other than an operating system can be made into an Archdaemon (a sentient
OS is an Artificial Intelligence); the most popular by far are viruses, search
engines and ICE. Archdaemons
don't generate Paradox with their actions, but creating one outside of a Sanctum
does. The greatest weakness of
Archdaemons is that they can only be backed up on Trinary systems.
Even then, it's impossible to run multiple copies of an Archdaemon
on different systems; the copies somehow interfere with each other. The same
holds true for installing multiple Archdaemons of the same type on a
single system. A character may have
multiple Archdaemons of the same type and install them on different
systems or put Archdaemons of different types on the same system.
An Archdaemon is an NPC whose only Traits are Mental Attributes,
Abilities and Willpower. The
program takes damage to its Willpower Traits and crashes when Willpower is
reduced to zero (it is, of course, immune to wound penalties).
The Storyteller in charge of the owner creates the program's character
sheet as if it were a 1-Trait Retainer.
IFF
Transponder
Type:
Artifact
Trait
Value: 2
Required
Spheres: Initiate Forces, Adept Prime
Smartgun
Type:
Artifact
Trait
Value: 3
Required
Spheres: Apprentice Forces, Initiate Matter, Adept Prime
These two Wonders are designed to work in conjunction with each other,
but they can operate independently. They
are used exclusively by the Technocracy.
An IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) Transponder sends out an
encrypted electronic signal which only receivers that are tuned to decrypt
Forces-based scrambling can pick up. Anyone
carrying an IFF Transponder is treated as a member of the Union by
certain automated security measures. This
makes the device a highly sensitive piece of equipment.
Technocratic agents keep their transponders well hidden, and some modify
their Transponders with self-destruct charges made from off-the-shelf (read:
mundane) technology. IFF
Transponders take many forms; cuff links, rings and lapel pins are common.
A Smartgun is a normal SMG in all respects save one; it has the
ability to receive and react to signals from an IFF Transponder.
This is achieved by means of a circuit that receives IFF-encoded signals
and sends the input to the firing pin. A
Smartgun that is pointed at someone who is wearing an IFF unit will not
fire. Even if used in burst fire or
full automatic mode, a Smartgun will shut down for the fraction of a
second that it is aimed at a recognized Technocrat.
The game effect of this is that the Spray and Full Auto
special abilities ignore anyone in the area of effect who is wearing an IFF
Transponder – targets adjacent to the Technocrat may be hit, but the agent
will not be. A Smartgun
comes equipped with a built-in flash suppressor, an integral laser sight and a
30-round clip (all of which are made from mundane technology).
Ghostkiller
Type:
Artifact
Arete:
n/a
Trait
Value: 2
Required
Spheres: Adept Prime
All of the Traditions know how to make these items, but the Technocracy
never figured out how. A
Ghostkiller is a melee weapon that has been enchanted with a permanent Prime
Effect to give it an astral presence. Not
only can the wielder damage spirits and wraiths with the weapon, she can take it
with her while using Astral Projection. A
Ghostkiller does normal damage for its weapon type unless a separate enchantment
is cast on it to upgrade either the amount or type of damage (bashing to lethal
or lethal to aggravated). The Trait
cost listed above assumes that there is no secondary enchantment.
Power
Tie
Type:
Artifact
Trait
Value: 1
Required
Spheres: Apprentice Mind, Adept Prime
These items are practically required for members of the Syndicate.
A few modernized Hermetics and corporate Orphans also wear them.
A Power Tie bolsters the wearer’s self-confidence.
The game effect of this is to grant the wearer an additional Social
Trait. The Effect only reinforces
qualities that are already present; it can grant an additional Charisma-related
Trait of any type that the wearer has naturally but cannot add a completely new
Trait. The bonus normally remains
in effect for as long as the tie is worn, but the Wonder stops working for the
rest of the session if the additional Trait is lost in a bid.
While ties are worn almost exclusively by men, many women find that they
get a similar boost from the right pair of shoes.
Fashion designers who work for the Syndicate have been known to put the
same Effect found in a Power Tie into a pair of businesslike (yet sexy)
pumps. Many a lady Financier has a favorite pair of Ballbusters
that she wears to the office.
Steelwood
Staff
Type: Artifact
Trait Value: 4
Required Spheres: Adept Matter, Adept Prime
This
weapon comes in the form of a staff or walking stick (normal stats for a staff
or club, respectively, if used as a weapon).
It is made of wood but has the tensile and compressive strength of mild
steel. A Steelwood Staff can
be used to parry swords, as a lever or in any other application where the
strength of a steel bar would be useful. Making one of these Artifacts is vulgar unless done in a
Sanctum, but using it garners no Paradox. These
staves are commonly found among the Order of Hermes, Hollow
Ones and Dissonance Society.
Stompers
Type:
Artifact
Trait
Value: 2
Required Spheres: Initiate Matter, Adept Prime
These boots were made for walking – all over someone's face.
Hollow Ones who were more Punk than Goth invented this footwear with
thickened and/or sharpened striking surfaces.
The usual form is boots, but Stompers also come as spike heeled pumps for
the ladies. Anyone wearing Stompers
can claim +2 bonus Traits and does lethal damage when kicking.
Reach is a problem, though; Stompers
have the Negative Trait Short.
Type: Charm/Periapt
Trait Value: 3
Required Spheres: Disciple Life, Disciple Prime
The Celestial Chorus created this healing Wonder. The set of Charms consists of a single jar of aromatic ointment which is good for 10 uses. Rubbing a dose onto the body of an injured person immediately restores one Health Level. If the wound is aggravated, the Wonder automatically expends a Trait of its stored Quintessence to repair the damage. A jar of balm stores five Quintessence Traits.
Other Traditions have their own versions of this Wonder; the names –
and, in most cases, forms – are different but the function is the same.
The Cult of Ecstasy makes Spice of Life as a powder for sprinkling
on food, Verbena bottle Water of Life which is designed to be imbibed,
the Order of
Hermes makes Panacea Potion, Dreamspeakers mix herbs so that the wounded
can inhale Medicine Smoke and Sons of Ether use their knowledge of
biochemistry to formulate Anabolic Enhancer pills.
Cat's Pajamas
Type:
Charm
Trait
Value: 1
Required
Spheres: Initiate Mind, Disciple Prime
The Cult of Ecstasy created this Wonder during the flapper era.
The other Traditions and some Orphans have their own versions.
As the name implies, a set of Cat's Pajamas comes in the form of
sleepwear or intimate apparel. The
implanted Mind Effect activates at the wearer's mental command.
This sends out a "vibe" that makes the wearer seem more
graceful and seductive – one could even say catlike. The change is not in the
wearer of the Cat's Pajamas but in the emotional state of the target (the
wearer must defeat the target in a Social Challenge to impose this change).
In game terms this translates into a 2-Trait bonus on seduction-related
challenges against the target during the one minute that the "vibe"
remains in effect. The limited
magical life of the garment (10 uses) encourages variety; the best lovers know
better than to wear the same thing to bed night after night.
Dit
Da Jow
Type: Charm
Trait Value: 2
Required Spheres: Disciple Life, Disciple Prime
The Akashic Brotherhood's famous "Hit-fall Wine" has spawned imitators among purveyors of Oriental remedies, but only an Awakened herbalist can brew the real thing. One jar of jow (10 doses) makes up the whole set of Charms. Applying the jow as lineament heals one Health Level of damage. This is coincidental for bashing damage but vulgar for lethal damage (using Dit Da Jow on burns or open wounds is not recommended). Dit Da Jow cannot heal aggravated wounds.
Eau d’Amour
Type: Charm
Trait
Value: 3
Required
Spheres: Initiate Life, Disciple Prime
No
one is sure which Tradition first created this eldritch fragrance; the Cult of
Ecstasy, Order of Hermes and Verbena all claim credit. The Hollow Ones, New
World Order and Syndicate also get quite a bit of use out of it.
Eau d'Amour turns the wearer's natural scent into an airborne love
potion (there are scents for both sexes). The
target must get close enough to smell the fragrance – within three yards –
to be effected. The wearer of Eau d’Amour is two Traits up on
seduction-related challenges versus anyone who is attracted to the wearer's
gender for the duration of the Effect (one scene/hour). One bottle contains 10
applications. The Effect is coincidental if the wearer is attractive enough
(i.e. has two or more appearance-based Social Traits).
Fission
Chips
Type:
Charm
Trait
Value: 3
Required
Spheres: Adept Forces, Adept Prime
This Etherite Wonder consists of a set of 10 fluorescent blue-green
wafers. Each one has a diameter of
1.5 cm. and is about 2 mm. thick. A
single Fission Chip can be wired into the circuit of a major electrical
appliance to provide power. The
chip can run the device constantly for a week or intermittently (no more than
three hours a day) for up to a month. Fission
Chips can't be used to power small appliances like flashlights, portable
music players and laser pistols; the power output burns out small devices but is
not high enough to fuel energy weapons. A
convenient source of house current (even if it's not being used) makes the use
of Fission Chips coincidental.
Love
Oil
Type:
Charm
Trait
Value: 2
Required
Spheres: Initiate Mind, Disciple Prime
The Cult of Ecstasy first made this purely recreational Wonder.
It has since come into vogue among the Hollow Ones and Verbena, and there
are jokes about pimply-faced Virtual Adepts dying for a chance to use it.
The oil intensifies pleasurable sensations while allowing the subject to
withstand more stimulation before going numb.
When using the enhanced sensation as persuasion, the one doing the
stimulating gets a free retest against the recipient. That the Effect is always
coincidental is a bonus. The duration is one scene/hour.
Love Oil must be applied somewhere other than the hands in order
to be effective (usually via massage). One
bottle is good for 10 uses.
Nephandi, Infernalists and Aghoris supposedly use a concoction that
enhances pain instead of pleasure but otherwise works the same as Love Oil.
Torture Salve is said to be in the form of a salt paste (no doubt for
rubbing into wounds). If the rumor
is true, no one who can confirm it has survived to do so.
Mother’s Kiss
Type: Charm
Trait Value: 3
Required Spheres: Initiate Life, Initiate Mind, Disciple Prime
The Verbena and Sisters of Hippolyta are the Traditions most likely to have invented this Wonder. Mother’s Kiss comes in a 10-dose bottle of translucent liquid – this form is probably why some irreverent Hollow Ones call it “Mommy Spit.” The liquid is a topical analgesic and antiseptic; the Mind Effect deadens pain while the Life Effect kills germs. In game terms, all wound penalties are reduced to the next lower level for one scene/hour (this will revive a person who is Incapacitated) while any disease or infection in the treated wounds is eliminated (this may require a test for especially virulent diseases).
Type: Fetish/Periapt
Trait Value: 6
Required Spheres: Disciple Prime, Adept Spirit
An Epiphling of Sleep or Peace
is bound into a small wooden or bone club to create this Dreamspeaker weapon.
Touching someone with an activated Coup Stick, even without doing
damage, puts the target to sleep (treat this as an Initiate-level Mind Effect).
The target may resist by winning a Static Willpower Challenge versus (2 +
the maker's Arete at the time of making)* Traits or by spending
a Willpower Trait to remain awake. Each
use of this ability requires a separate activation at the cost of one
Quintessence. A Coup Stick
stores five Quintessence Traits that can be used only for its own activation. If
used as a melee weapon, a Coup Stick has the same stats as a normal club.
*I arrived at this figure by adding the Wonder’s Sphere level equivalent to
the maker's Arete; by this reckoning, a Fetish that was made by a Master and
produced a Master-level Effect would yield a difficulty of 10 Traits.
Faux
Paw
Type:
Fetish
Trait
Value: 4*
Required
Spheres: Adept Spirit
The Order of Hermes coined the most commonly used name of this Wonder,
but the Verbena and Dreamspeakers have been using it longer. The Faux Paw is a pair of shoes that houses some type
of animal spirit. When activated
the Fetish causes the wearer to leave spoor (tracks and scent) appropriate to
the animal species that the bound spirit represents. A Faux Paw remains active for one scene/hour.
*For
those who are curious, this figure was arrived at by combining two Initiate
Matter Effects; one to rearrange the footprints and one to tweak the chemicals
in the scent. As for how spirit Charms would produce those effects, I’m
thinking a modified version of Manifest or Appear.
Wand of Fire
Type:
Fetish
Trait
Value: 3
Required Spheres: Adept
Spirit
The Taftani created the first of these fearsome weapons.
The wands have since been duplicated by the Ahl-i-Batin and Order of
Hermes. When the Fetish is
activated, the fire elemental or ifriti imprisoned within spits forth a gout of
fire that does one Health Level of aggravated damage with a successful ranged
combat challenge (treat as a Disciple Forces Effect).
If the target has any flammable material on it, the attacker may make a
Simple Test. On a win or tie the
target ignites and continues to take damage every turn until the flame is
extinguished. The Fetish must be
activated by spending a Quintessence Trait before each use.
Once activated, a Wand of Fire
will go off within one minute whether or not the user has chosen a target; the
wielder is advised to refrain from activating the weapon until she are sure that
she needs it.
Type: Talisman
Arete: 1
Trait Value: 4
Required Spheres: Disciple Correspondence, Adept Prime
This Etherite device is sometimes called an “oscillation overthruster.” It uses a rotating magnetic field with a frequency in the terahertz range to synchronize selected subatomic particles within the area of effect (usually a vehicle and its contents). Synchronization aligns the particles’ rates, axes and directions of spin to create a quantum tunneling effect on the macroscopic level. Quantum tunneling allows the subject to pass instantly from point to point even through solid matter. The maximum range of a single quantum jump is 21 yards unless the user has plotted a course through subspace to the destination point (i.e. has an arcane connection to it); trying to make a quantum jump of greater distance without plotting a course is a Very Bad Idea. The process is as bug-ridden as one would expect of a massively vulgar Effect.
Type: Talisman
Arete: 1
Trait Value: 2 (Cheap Sunglasses) or 3 (Mirrorshades)
Required Spheres: Apprentice (Cheap Sunglasses) or Initiate (Mirrorshades) Forces, Adept Prime
These items are made not so much for utility as for practice; anyone who tries to make a multi-barreled, big damage messenger-of-flaming-death weapon on his first attempt at creating a Talisman deserves to be eaten alive by Paradox. Cheap Sunglasses allow the wearer to see in the dark while Mirrorshades protect the wearer from being blinded by bright light. These glasses were invented by and are most popular with the Virtual Adepts, especially the Cyberpunks. The Hollow Ones, Sons of Ether, Syndicate and Iteration X have copied both designs (but the Syndicate never uses Cheap Sunglasses that really are cheap). Mirrorshades are pretty much standard issue for Men in Black.
Type: Talisman (Fetish)
Arete: 1 (n/a)
Trait Value: 4 (3)
Required Spheres: Disciple
Life, Adept Prime (Adept Spirit)
The earliest version of the Excrutiator
was developed by the Aghoris. The
Order of Hermes has their own version while the Technocracy has technomantic
variants. Bata’a, Dreamspeakers, Kopa Loei and Verbena use Fetish
versions that house Pain spirits. The
wielder must first activate the Wonder and then touch the target (which requires
a Physical Challenge). If the
wielder of the Excruciator
succeeds the target is wracked with intense pain.
The game effect is to increase all wound penalties by one level (Healthy
to Bruised, Bruised to Wounded, Wounded to Incapacitated).
This cannot reduce the subject past Incapacitated.
Multiple hits from this Wonder do not further increase the wound
penalties, but subsequent real wounds do. For
example, a subject who is Bruised and then hit with an Excruciator
suffers wound penalties as if Wounded. If
that person is then reduced to Wounded by further damage, she becomes
Incapacitated. The Effect wears off
after one minute/conflict.
Type: Talisman
Arete: 1
Trait Value: 6*
Required Spheres: Disciple Forces, Adept Prime
The Ahl-i-Batin and Taftani developed these Wonders simultaneously. A Flying Carpet uses a Disciple Forces Effect to carry up to three people into the air for up to an hour. Maximum speed is (maker's Arete at the time of making x 5) yards per turn. The usual method of activation is by speaking a magic word or phrase. A Flying Carpet can be directed by verbal instructions or by shifting one's weight.
*This figure was arrived at by adding the Wonder’s Arete and Sphere level together and adding +2 Grades of Success to carry additional passengers.
Portable
Logistics/Object Template Device
Type:
Talisman
Arete:
1
Trait
Value: 7
Required
Spheres: Initiate Entropy, Initiate Matter, Adept Prime
The P.L.O.T. Device is a creation of the Sons of Ether but it is
also known to the Void Engineers and the Virtual Adepts' Chaoticians.
The Wonder consists of a container with some buttons and lights on one
side. When activated, the device
creates a simple item – one with no moving parts – which the user can then
pull out of the box. The catch is,
the user has no idea what the item in the box is going to be; the Effect creates
whatever the user is going to need (based on the intentions of the presiding
Storyteller). Use of the P.L.O.T.
Device is coincidental but overuse leaves one wide open for the Domino
Effect.
Type: Talisman/Periapt
Arete: 1
Trait Value: 6
Required Spheres: Adept Prime, Initiate Spirit
There are all sorts of fascinating things in the Digital Web. Unfortunately, some of them are dangerous. The Virtual Adepts created this Wonder for times when skill at hacking just isn't a potent enough defense. A Raster Blaster typically looks like a science-fictional hand weapon. It uses a conjunctional Prime/Spirit Effect to fire a bullet that does aggravated damage to any spirit that it strikes. Each shot costs a Trait of Quintessence. The gun stores 5 Traits of Quintessence and has a 5-round magazine. A Raster Blaster has the same bonus Traits, Negative Traits and damage characteristics as a Heavy Pistol. When used in the Digital Web it generates no Paradox, but the Effect may be vulgar in other Umbral Realms. The gun can, of course, be fired as a normal Heavy Pistol.
Type: Talisman
Arete: 1
Trait Value: 5
Required Spheres: Initiate Correspondence, Initiate Forces, Adept Prime
Only Bata'a, Dreamspeakers and neo-tribal Orphans are known to use this
Wonder. A Talking Drum sends
its rhythms through an arcane connection. Some
Mages use this Effect to torment the subject with the incessant pounding of
drums in his head (and sleep deprivation is the most effective form of
torture...). Others use it to send
simple messages – the traditional method is by playing rhythms that have
specific associations ("danger," "help," "keep
out," "victory," etc.), but some Orphans have also used modern
codes. Note that the former method
is culture-specific; a tune that means one thing to a Native American medicine
man could mean something quite different or nothing at all to an African shaman,
Caribbean mambo or Polynesian kahuna. Knowing
the drum code for a given tribe requires that Tribal Lore at x2 or
better. The Effect remains active
for one minute/conflict.
Ugly Stick
Type: Talisman
Arete: 1
Trait Value: 6*
Required Spheres: Disciple Life, Adept Prime
The first Ugly Stick was made by a particularly mean Orphan.
The Hollow Ones and Cult of Ecstasy have since adopted the design.
This weapon appears as an ordinary walking stick or club (with normal
weapon stats as a club). Activating the implanted Life Effect allows a successful
attack to raise vicious welts on the target's skin in addition to doing damage.
Each such wound inflicts a Repugnant Negative Social Trait on the target
(up to x5). The Negative Traits inflicted by an Ugly Stick remain
for
one day or until removed by Life magic.
*This figure is based on the Wonder’s Sphere level plus Arete plus +2 Grades of Success for duration.
X-ray Specs
Type: Talisman
Arete: 1
Trait Value: 2
Required Spheres: Apprentice
Matter, Adept Prime
The Sons of Ether invented these sensory devices for looking through
walls and the like. The fact that X-ray
Specs can also see through clothing makes them popular with the Cult of
Ecstasy and Virtual Adepts as well. When
activated, X-ray Specs render up to six feet of solid matter transparent
to the wearer's sight. This
enhanced sense lasts for as long as one minute/conflict.
The Effect is generally vulgar but creative use can make it coincidental.
While not strictly Wonders, Libraries are a vital magical resource.
Not all Mages have collections of dusty tomes – many use other media to
store their arcane knowledge. Any
of the forms below may be used by a PC whose Paradigm allows it, but
Storytellers are encouraged to limit them to the groups listed in each example
in the absence of written justification (that is, a character background).
Exception: an Orphan may use any form of Library that is appropriate to
the character’s Paradigm.
This type of Library is named after the classical example. The original Albemarle Dictionary appeared to be an old pocket dictionary with the name “Albemarle Willis” written in the front cover. The book is written in an unusual style but is not noticeably an arcane work. Included with the dictionary are 2-5 cards that are the same size as the pages and with slots in them. Placing a card onto a page reveals one word through each slot. This effectively makes the dictionary a book within a book – the catch is that the right card has to be placed onto the correct page in the proper orientation (a card can be inverted or turned to the opposite face to change the slot placement). Individual Mages use their own unique codes to denote how to use the cards. Albemarle Dictionaries are used mainly by Hermetics and Hollow Ones. They have also been found in the hands of Technocrats (mostly New World Order).
Advantages: an Albemarle Dictionary is very compact; instead of many books, the Library is contained in only one. It is lightweight and easy to carry or conceal. The dictionary is also not identifiable as a mystic tome without the cards.
Disadvantages: because the full word count of the book can’t be utilized, an Albemarle Dictionary can only hold a limited amount of information. The book can never be more than a 2-Trait Library. It is also completely useless without the cards. Worst of all, anyone who wants to deprive the Mage of his Library only needs to destroy one book.
Variations: the book may be in some form other than a dictionary; textbooks and works of fiction have also been employed.
Primitive peoples often designed their art – pictures, sculptures and even crafted items – to have cosmological significance. A Mage who is schooled in the ways of a people can glean magical knowledge from their arts and crafts. Art Collections usually consist of tribal art pieces owned by Dreamspeakers, Bata’a and Kopa Loei. Ecstatics and Euthanatoi may use art based on Hindu or Buddhist philosophy while Akashics and Wu Nung may have Libraries of Buddhist, Shintoist or Taoist art and Choristers use religious icons. Technocrats, Sons of Ether and modern Hermetics sometimes hide complex formulae in abstract paintings or sculptures. Art in any form but sculpture is useless to the blind – but blind Mages sometimes tailor their collections to reveal their secrets through touch rather than sight. Some pieces (i.e. ice sculptures and sand paintings) usually exist only in photographic form.
Advantages: no one who isn’t familiar with the cultures from which the art originates has any chance of recognizing an art collection as a Library. Even those who are aware of the collection’s nature can’t make use of it without an appropriate Academics Ability (Anthropology for tribal art, Theology for pieces based on religion or Mathematics for abstract formulae) or the Lore for that culture or the owner’s Tradition/Convention.
Disadvantages: art collections take up a lot of space, and those that include large pieces are quite heavy. Such a Library is difficult to transport and cannot be moved on short notice (many pieces will require careful packing). Using the collection also requires a significant investment of contemplation time and the pieces are vulnerable to physical destruction.
Variations: a collection of machines can serve in place of art. Such a Library reveals its secrets through the functioning of the devices – many a Mage has gained insight into Correspondence or Spirit from watching an orrery. Shop-type Libraries require Technology instead of the usual Ability and are only used by technomancers. Rock gardens (which are usually Akashic Libraries) require Meditation.
Modern Mages often forgo collections of tomes in favor of electronic databases. Those in the form of text files are always written in some arcane language (the more difficult to translate the better) or heavily encrypted. Others use fractal patterns and CGI graphics to conceal formulae. Databases are the default form of Library for Virtual Adepts but are also common among Sons of Ether, Technocrats and Hermetics of House Thig.
Advantages: databases can’t be used or invaded by those who don’t have Computers Ability. They are also lightweight and highly portable. The ease of copying a database makes it convenient for Masters to pass on Libraries to their Apprentices or for the owner to have backup copies in case the main copy is lost.
Disadvantages: in any situation where the computer isn’t available the Library isn’t either; databases are vulnerable to power outages, incompatibility (for example, a system that takes 110 current can’t be used in a building that has 220 current) and electromagnetic pulses. Anyone who manages to defeat the database’s security can copy files to her own system and/or delete files from the owner’s computer.
A popular method of hiding mystic knowledge in plain sight is to incorporate symbols into a building. The shape and orientation of the building itself can be symbolic (i.e. flying buttresses on European cathedrals, the dome of a mosque or the feng shui of a Chinese estate). The choice of materials is also a factor; some are chosen for their reflectivity or translucency and only give up their secrets during a certain time of day from the right perspective. Mages also hide information in decorations; tapestries, murals, floor mosaics and even artful arrangements of bricks can all contain magical knowledge. The Celestial Chorus sponsored the invention of stained glass for this reason. This is the rarest form of Library, but nearly all Traditions and Crafts have used it at some time. Only the Technocracy remains ignorant of this method and most Orphans are too poor to use it. The size and complexity of the edifice limit its level as a Library.
Advantages: few suspect something so obvious of being a Library. The secrets contained in the edifice are also unreadable to anyone who lacks Academics: Theology or Cosmology Ability (as appropriate to the owner’s Tradition). An edifice is the most difficult to destroy of all Libraries.
Disadvantages: while an edifice is hard to destroy, it is almost impossible to move and hiding it is out of the question. No other Library is so expensive to maintain; doing so requires a huge investment in time, a lot of money and sometimes a number of Retainers.
Variations: Dreamspeakers and Verbena sometimes use monuments instead of actual buildings. Native American medicine wheels, Aztec stone calendars and druidic monoliths are all examples of this.
As with art, music can contain essential truths. This can be accomplished in a number of ways. Mystic secrets can be enciphered in the lyrics or mathematical formulae can be hidden in the progression of notes. Sometimes the secret is not in the music but in the hearer; the right piece can evoke an epiphany in someone who listens with the proper mindset. Music collections are most commonly used by the Cult of Ecstasy, Celestial Chorus, Hollow Ones and Ahl-i-Batin (who all favor different styles of music).
Advantages: music collections are difficult to recognize as Libraries, and those who lack an appropriate Ability (Crafts: Composing, Expert: Music Appreciation, Expression or a music-based Performance) cannot use them. The owner also need not own a recording of each piece; simply knowing which pieces to listen to and having access to them (i.e. performances on the radio or recordings in a public library) is sufficient. As long as the Mage has some sort of listing of the pieces in her Library the resource is almost impossible to destroy.
Disadvantages: listening to music is time consuming and requires the Mage’s total concentration; any distraction can ruin hours of work. A large collection can also be difficult to transport and take up a lot of space. Most music collections are useless to a Mage who is deaf, but sheet music is an exception.
A Library doesn’t have to be an object – it can be a person. A Rememberer is someone with an Eidetic Memory and/or special training in remembering history and lore. Rememberers are employed almost exclusively by Dreamspeakers, Bata’a and Kopa Loei.
Advantages: no one who hasn’t heard a Rememberer recite or hasn’t been told of the person’s nature has any chance of recognizing the individual as a Library. Rememberers are also trained to recite in tribal languages, so only those who speak the correct language can understand the recitation. Best of all, this form of Library must actively cooperate with the user in order to reveal its secrets – a Rememberer can choose not to speak and can even lie to unauthorized persons. It isn’t even safe to use torture; the pain will interfere with recall. This form of Library is beyond easy to transport; a Rememberer is the only Library that can transport itself.
Disadvantages: this Library is not a mindless object that only does what the Mage wants, it is a person with her own agenda. A Rememberer will sometimes be unavailable as she lives her own life. This Library must also be purchased as a Retainer if the PC wants the Rememberer to be able to perform tasks other than reciting mystic knowledge. Either way the Mage must exert conscious effort in maintaining the Rememberer’s loyalty. A Rememberer can be injured or killed just like anybody else; no other Library can die in an unexpected accident. A Rememberer is also the only Library that can have its mind read.
Variations: instead of a Rememberer reciting stories a Mage might have a Bard singing songs or reciting poems. This form of Library is known only among the Verbena; reports of Hollower Bards performing enlightened rave music remain unconfirmed at this writing.
Not all Mages use collections of books for their Libraries, but many do. This most familiar kind of Library has been in use by Western Mages longer than any other type and is still the most common form. This is the default Library type for the Order of Hermes, Celestial Chorus, Verbena, Sons of Ether and Technocrats (especially Progenitors). Tomes are invariably written in some form of language that most people don’t understand. This is generally an arcane tongue for Traditionalists. Technocrats tend to rely on jargon (legalese, medicalese, etc.), codes or ciphers.
Advantages: tomes are heavy and take up a lot of space, which makes them difficult to steal. Being written in arcane language also makes them useless to anyone who doesn’t speak the appropriate language and/or have an appropriate Ability – a Progenitor Library might be illegible to those without Medicine while a Syndicate Library might require Finance, for example. Books that are ciphered require Enigmas.
Disadvantages: the same qualities that make tomes difficult to steal make them difficult to transport, store and hide. They are also easily recognizable as magical resources to anyone who has the ability to use them. Tomes are vulnerable to damage from a variety of sources, most notably fire and water. The paper and bindings also decay over time.
Variations: scrolls are easier to transport and conceal due to their light weight and greater compactness. The trade-off is that scrolls are more fragile than books; a Library composed entirely of scrolls can be destroyed in just a few minutes of ripping. Scrolls are the default Library type for Traditions originating in the Orient (Akashics, Wu Keng and Wu Nung), the Middle East (Ahl-i-Batin and Taftani) and the Near East (Cult of Ecstasy and Euthanatos).
Instead of collecting art or music some Mages collect living things. The Mage can learn lessons from the qualities of a plant (i.e. how it smells sweet but tastes bitter) or it may yield information symbolically (like a combat technique revealed by a reed bending in the wind). Animals reveal knowledge in their behavior (Akashics derived many Do techniques from the movements of animals) or their response to stimuli and drugs. Verbena have gardens more than all other groups of Mages combined. Akashics sometimes have menageries while Progenitors and life scientist Etherites keep lab animals.
Advantages: vivaria are impossible to use or even detect as magical resources if one lacks the proper Ability (Science: Botany or Zoology; Verbena may use Survival instead). Animals also come to know their keepers and may resist use by anyone else. An animal intended to be a guardian as well as an information source must be purchased as a Retainer.
Disadvantages: animals require food and water and sometimes get sick or reproduce. Plants require specific environments, and plants from different regions have different requirements. Either way vivaria are expensive to maintain and take up a lot of space. While the magical nature of the resource is undetectable, a vivarium is nearly impossible to hide and almost as difficult to transport.