From: blake1001@technologist.com
Subject: [M:tA]Foci, Merits & Flaws [long] (last one, I promise)
Date: 06 Oct 1998 00:00:00 GMTMessage-ID: <6ve0g7$qd9$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com>
To: MAGE-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM
Organization: Virtual Adepts
For definitions of Transcedence, Control, Integration, etc... see
my previous post on DejaNews:
http://www.dejanews.com/[ST_chan=rec]/getdoc.xp?AN=397208699.1
or the original "Resolving Foci" post on my web page:
http://www.oocities.org/Area51/1317/resolve.html
I promise, this is my last long-winded post on the subject.
The following are Merits & Flaws that modify how mages go
about Resolving thier foci, or are otherwise related to that
subject. As usual, I'm looking for feedback of any kind...
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Dogmatic: (1,2,3pt Flaw)
You believe very strongly in your Tradition's paradigm. All
others are clearly wrong. You tend to ridicule other traditions
and study only with your own kind. You may occasionally admit
that there is something to be learned by studying the
'superstitions' of others but, even then you gain only half the
experience you would have otherwise [1st Ed: you learn from them
with a minus five penalty to study points (instead of the usual
minus three)]. Of course, you probably won't be able to find
many masters willing to teach you anyway.
This flaw also colors your understanding of the Metaphysic of
Magick. At the 2pt level, you can never choose Transcendence or
Diversification when Resolving a focus. At the 3pt level, your
belief in your paradigm is so inflexible that you cannot ever
perform magick without the prescribed methods and trappings of your
Tradition, nor can you gain the insight necessary to Integrate one
of your foci into the larger paradigm - Control is the only option
available to you.
You can not take the Merit: Paradigm Flexibility.
Paradigm Flexibility: (1-5pt Merit)
You have an easy time understanding other paradigms and
adapting elements of them to your own. [1st Ed: When learning
from mages of other traditions, you reduce the study point
penalty by your rating in this Merit. You can even learn some
spheres from non-mages (Werewolves, Vampires, Mummies, etc).
Generally, a base study point penalty of 5 is assumed, so if you
have Paradigm Flexibility at the maximum level you can learn
anything anyone has to teach at no penalty.] Whenever you face a
penalty due to paradigm differences, that penalty is reduced by
your points in this merit (though you never get a bonus, of course).
Your investigation of alternate paradigms may well affect your
realization of the Metaphysic of Magic, as well. At the 3pt level,
you can learn to use rote-specific foci from other paradigms, one
at a time, even if you have not yet Diversified the Sphere(s) in
question. At the 5pt level, all of your spheres are considered
Diversified. And, though you never gain the -1 difficulty for
returning to your 'native' focus, as you advance in Arete, you can
Resolve spheres, gaining the ability to use any focus you've learned
for such a sphere with any other Resolved sphere.
You cannot take the Merits: Tradition Natural or Grand Theorist
nor the Flaw: Dogmatic.
Willworker (5 or 7tp Merit)
You perform all your magick without the use of foci - you
have never needed foci to utilize your understanding of the
spheres, and going through the motions of learning and using
them is a waste of time to you. You do not have the raw,
uncontrolled power of a Wild Talent but, like so-called 'Madwands,'
you are almost certainly an Orphan.
At the 5pt level, you count as having Transcended all your
foci, including the corresponding danger of subconsciously cast
magick. At the 7pt level, you have no such drawback. In neither
case do you gain the -1 difficulty when using an unneeded focus,
as you have no original foci to fall back upon. Though you can
learn to 'use' foci (that is, go through the motions), they are
never of any benefit to you.
You cannot take the Merits: Tradition Natural, Technomancer/
Magologist, Talented Amateur, or Grand Theorist, nor the Flaws:
Rotes Only or Path Dedication. You can take the Flaw: Dogmatic
at the 1pt level, in which case, you look down upon, and have
trouble learning from, any mages who use foci.
Tradition (or Convention or Craft) Natural (4pt Merit)
You take to the foci, rituals, techniques, and beliefs of
your mentor as though born to them. Perhaps it is the result
of fanatical study, inborn aptitude, or perhaps this incarnation
is only the latest of many spent in similar studies. For
whatever reason, you use all your spheres as if you had Resolved
them and chosen 'Control.' Thus, you have a -1 to all your
magickal difficulties, but will always be dependent on your foci.
You also have the disadvantages detailed under the Flaw:
'Dogmatic' - though you don't have to be haughty and acerbic
about it. You may not take the Merits: Paradigm Flexibility,
Willworker, Technomancer/Magologist, Talented Amateur or Grand
Theorist nor the Flaw: Path Dedication.
Grand Theorist (5 or 7pt Merit)
You have a central theory or insight that you use as the
core of all your magickal (or Tecknological) workings. Furthermore
you can see ways to Integrate that theory into the broader paradigm
of Consensual Reality. At the 5pt level, all of your spheres count
as Integrated, though you also suffer the drawbacks of that form
of Resolution. At the 7pt level, you gain the benefits of Integration
without the usual drawback. In neither case, do you get the -1
difficulty for using your foci personally ("what difference would that
make? we're dealing with natural laws here!").
You cannot take the Merits: Paradigm Flexibility, Willworker,
Technomancer/Magologist, Talented Amateur, or Tradition Natural. You
cannot take the Flaws: Rotes Only or Path Dedication.
Talented Amateur (3 or 5pt Merit)
Often derided as a 'casual mage' or 'whoopee witch' or, among the
Conventions, reprimanded for 'not following procedure,' you never took
your study of the spheres too seriously. Maybe magick just comes too
easily for you, maybe it's actually intense study and brilliant insight that
lets you get away with apparently inadequate preparation. Whatever the
source of your talent, you can generally get by without using the full-
blown foci of your Tradition. At the 3pt level, all your spheres are
considered 'Abbreviated,' so you can get by with very simple versions of
the standard foci - if you're a Son of Ether you can skip the Abacus
and do the calculations in your head, if you're a Verbena instead of
sacrificing a black cock at a crossroads at the dark of the moon you do
the ritual using a frozen chicken leg in your driveway on whatever night
your significant other decided to stay out late - though you won't always
get the standard result either - so it was Bast instead of Hecate who
showed up, she still helped you out, and you've got this cool Abyssinian
cat familiar now. At the 5pt level, you use equally Abbreviated foci
for all your spheres but, your magick, almost miraculously, still works
the way it's supposed to. In neither case can you gain a -1 difficulty
for using your Tradition's full-blown foci, since you never really mastered
them, anyway.
Unlike some similar Merits, you can go on to Resolve your spheres -
you can choose to Diversify a sphere, allowing you to use a broader
range of Abbreviated foci, or to Transcend your already Abbreviated
focus for a sphere. You still don't ever get that -1 difficulty, though.
You cannot choose Control or Integration. You cannot take the Merits:
Willworker, Tradition Natural, or Grand Theorist nor can you take the
Flaws: Dogmatic or Path Dedication.
Technomancer/Magologist (3 pt Merit)
You are neither a Mystic nor a Mechanist. You may be an Iterator
who sees spiritual meaning in the gears and pistons of the great
machine or a Chorister who can't believe that God would 'play dice
with the universe.' Most likely, you are a Virtual Adept or a Son of
Ether. Normally, a mage will choose a single 'path' when Resolving
his foci, even when that is not the case, a mage can't normally choose
to Transcend one focus while Integrating another - you can. Further,
when you use a conjunctional effect involving spheres you have Resolved,
in different ways, you can choose which method of resolution that
particular effect will use. For instance, if you have Integrated Forces
and Transcended Prime, you could cast a fireball without using foci at
all, or build a laser gun useable by your acolytes.
You cannot take the Flaws: Dogmatic or Path Dedication, nor the
Merits: Willworker, Grand Theorist, Talented Amateur, or Tradition
Natural. You can take the Merit: Paradigm Flexibility, but not at
the 5pt level. Because of your 'balanced approach,' your Storyteller
might let you take the Merit: Perfect Resolution at the 4pt level -
but don't bet on it.
Path Dedication (2pt Flaw)
You have a narrow view of the Metaphysic of Magick (in as much
as such a thing is possible), and will Resolve all your foci in the
same way, regardless of the drawbacks or benefits of doing so.
You cannot take the Merits: Willworker, Grand Theorist, Tradition
Natural, Technomancer/Magologist or Talented Amateur. You can take
either Dogmatic at the 1pt level or Paradigm Flexibility for 1 or 2pts.
Perfect Resolution (2 or 4pt Merit)
When you Resolve a sphere, you aren't subject to the usual Drawback
for that form of Resolution. At the 2pt level, this only applies to
one type of Resolution (you could take 'Perfect Transcendence' or
'Perfect Diversification,' for instance). At the 4pt level, it applies
to all forms of Resolution.
Note that there is no such thing as 'Perfect Control' (Control doesn't
have a Drawback). Note also that taking Perfect Resolution makes your
character kinda boring and that your Storyteller more than likely won't
let you have it. (In fact, I wonder why I even wrote the silly thing.)
Wild Talent: (7pt Merit)
Your ability to use magick is not limited by your knowledge
of the Spheres. You can cast effects from spheres you do not
know or do not have the necessary foci to use. The only
limitation is that the effect you evoke cannot require any sphere
with a level greater than your Arete. However, whenever you
throw such an effect, you must make a Willpower roll (difficulty
is the highest sphere in the effect +3, no modifiers apply). As
long as you make more successes on your Willpower roll than on
your Arete roll, the effect manifests normally. Otherwise, the
effect gets away from you in some way, becoming more or less
powerful, affecting unintended targets, or going Vulgar. On a
botched Willpower roll, the effect backlashes on you (either an
actual Paradox Backlash, or a reverse/harmful effect).
Sphere levels that you have actually learned can be used normally.
And, once you have learned a sphere, you can choose to Resolve it
as you advance in Arete.
Wild Talents often have merits like Ars Vulgaris, and Active
Avatar. Wild Talents always start play as Orphans, though they can
be adopted into a Tradition later, and do not get the 5 initial dots
in spheres.
Id Monsters (2,3 or 5pt Flaw)
The power of your avatar is accessible to your subconscious
mind. This is not a good thing. When you are under extreme
stress or suppressing intense emotions, the Storyteller may ask
you to make a Willpower roll. If you fail, an effect related
to the nature of your subconscious or emotional difficulties
will manifest. The effect actually uses up your Arete pool for
that turn, and will often be vulgar. At the 3pt level, you are
aware of what's going on - the manifestations are a sort of
momentary loss of control - and may spend a Willpower to seize
control of an involuntary effect, directing it more appropriately
or keeping it from going vulgar (this is basically the same as the
drawback of the Transcendening a focus). At the 5pt level you are
unaware that you are the source of the effects - and will probably
deny it, both vocally and to yourself, if confronted with the idea.
If you have Transcended foci in at least one sphere, or if you
have the Willworker Merit at the 5pt level, you can choose to take
this Flaw for 2pts - in which case you are unaware of and/or unable
to seize control the involuntary manifestations related to that
sphere - or, you can take it at the full 3 or 5pt levels, in which
case you receive no Willpower roll - effects manifest whenever the
Storyteller decides they do.
You cannot take the Merit: Willworker at the 7pt level.
Black Sheep (1 or 2pt Flaw)
You're on the outs with your own Tradition. It's not as severe
as Notoriety, but you're generally looked down upon as a second
rate example of your Tradition's style of magick. For 2pts, this
is because you lack a certain level of talent with or faith in
your Tradition's paradigm - you do not get a discount when buying
up your Tradition's specialty sphere and cannot use the 'Disbelief'
form of Countermagick. This is similar to the Drawback of Diversifying
a Sphere. If you ever do Diversify a sphere, your Black Sheep Flaw
is upgraded to full Notoriety within your Tradition.
Rotes Only (3 or 7pt Flaw)
You can only use previously researched Rotes, improvisational magick
is impossible for you. At the 3pt level, you can know as many Rotes
as your player wishes to design, and you still learn spheres normally.
At the 7pt level, you do not learn or use spheres at all. Instead,
you must buy each Rote individually. You start out with 12 dots that
you can distribute to starting rotes - each rote takes one dot per sphere
level in the rote (Ignes, for instance, at Forces 3, Prime 2 is 5 dots).
You can get additional dots of Rotes with Freebie points on a one to one
basis. Once the game starts, learning new rotes costs 2x the level of
the Rote for your Tradition's specialty sphere and either 3x the level
of the Rote or the total of all spheres involved in the Rote for others.
In either case, you can still Resolve your foci, but may only choose
Control or Abbreviation.
You may not take the Merits: Willworker or Grand Theorist. You
can take either Paradigm Flexibility up to the 3pt level or Dogmatic
at the 1pt level.
Loose Cannon (2pt Flaw)
Maybe you're sloppy, maybe you're just unlucky, but your magick
definitely doesn't always work the way it's supposed to. The
problem could even be implicit in your paradigm: you may just see
magick as innately unpredictable or you may work exclusively on the
'bleeding edge' of Tecknology. Whenever you roll more 1s than 10s
when casting an effect (and don't botch), your effect is skewed
slightly in an unpleasant or disadvantageous way. The effect still
works, just not exactly as intended. When you roll more 10s than
1s, the effect is slightly askew again, but in a way that might
benefit you - or at least won't be embarrassing. This is basically the
same as the Drawback associated with Abbreviation. If you Abbreviate
a focus or take Talented Amateur at the 3pt level, your effects are
always a little off - flip a coin or roll high/low to determine if it's
in a good or bad way. Note that it can get very tiring to have to
up with something odd or comical every time you cast an effect.
You cannot take the Merit: Tradition Natural or the Merit:
Talented Amateur at the 5pt level.
Unenlightened (4pt Flaw)
You have no grasp of the Metaphysic of Magick, possibly
you adhere to some other concept. You can never Resolve
any of your spheres as your Arete increases. Your chances
of Ascension are unchanged, however, in spite of the name.
You cannot take the Merits: Willworker, Wild Talent,
Grand Theorist, Tradition Natural, or Talented Amateur nor
the Flaws: Loose Cannon or Id Monsters. You can take either
up to two points of Paradigm Flexibility or the Flaw: Dogmatic
at the 1pt level, if you wish.
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Questions? Comments? Derisive Laughter?
--Blake 1001, Virtual Adept, Disciple
http://www.oocities.org/Area51/1317/
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