SubNetRotes in groups

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ROTES {LIST OF CATEGORIES} Ahl-i-Batin 🎟 Akashic Brotherhood 🎟 Celestial Chorus 🎟 Correspondence 🎫 Cult Of Ecstasy 🎟 Do 🎫 Dreamspeakers 🎟 Entropy 🎫	Euthanatos 🎟 Forces 🎫 General 🎫 Hollow Ones 🎫 Iteration X 🎫 Life 🎫 Matter 🎫 Mind 🎫 New World Order 🎫 Order Of Hermes 🎫 Prime 🎫 Progenitors 🎫 Psychopomp 🎟	Sisters Of Hippolyta 🎫 Sons Of Ether 🎟 Spirit 🎫 Syndicate 🎫 Templar 🎫 Time 🎫 Verbena 🎟 Virtual Adepts 🎫 Void Engineers 🎫 Wu-Keng 🎫

RotesG (General)

Ariadne’s Thread     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 144 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 1, Mind 1

Virtual Adepts have made the most recent use of this ancient rote, whereby a mage may fix any particular spatial location in her mind, then play out a mental line, memorizing her progression through space. A mage can thus memorize the pattern of any maze, labyrinth, freeway, interchange, or virtual reality flowchart sequencing routine. Landmarks may change on the way back, of course, and roadblocks may be erected, but the mage won’t be confused by any illusion or detours off the beaten path.

Used in conjunction with the Seven League Stride, Ariadne’s Thread guarantees a return to one’s previous location with even the slightest degree of success, although there are Effects to counter this.

Burn Out     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 145 ]

Spheres: Entropy 1, Forces 2

By randomly locating the most delicate part of an electric circuit or IC chip, the mage can surgically create and direct a small energy surge and cause the device to fail without totally destroying the whole device. This disrupts the device’s function for one turn per success. Note that technomagical devices typically have an Arete or countermagic to resist this.

Call Forth The Forgotten     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 147 ]

Spheres: Life 5, Prime 2, Spirit 2

This rote was created originally by the Marauders, but has since gained a certain popularity among the Tradition mages. Call Forth the Forgotten allows a mage to summon forth a creature of myth. While the beast is likely to be grateful for the summons, the mage has no control over the mythic creature, save deciding what type of creature appears.

While there’s a obvious risk involving Paradox, the mages have learned that summoning a dragon into this reality while fighting the Technocracy is likely to at least buy the mage time to escape while the Techocracy tries to restore order. Each success on the roll allows the summoned creature to maintain its tenuous hold on reality for one turn.

Spirit magic summons the (hopefully) appropriate spirit from the Umbra while the Life and Prime Spheres build the spirit a body to inhabit. Without Forces or other Spheres, the creature has only physical powers. A dragon, for example, couldn’t fly or breathe fire without additional magic.

Detect The Dream     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 145 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 1, Spirit 1

Dreamspeakers use this rote to inspect their immediate vicinity for spots where the gauntlet is weaker. This is especially important in the inner city, where a Dreamspeaker may detect that the archway of the Public Library (built by Masons) has a gauntlet of 3, compared to the 5 of the surrounding blight, while the jungle gym in suburban park may have a gauntlet of 2 in one particular corner. This is not so much a rote as it is a roll of Perception + Awareness to notice such features. However, a casting roll is still required to augment the mage’s awareness.

Hallmark     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 145 ]

Spheres: Mind 2, Prime 1

A mage’s magics are as his handwriting or fingerprints. With this rote, a mage may examine a magical working and gain insights into the personality and identity of the mage who made it, including the techniques and affiliation of the caster. With a roll of Perception + Awareness, he may attempt to match it to other magical workings or auras of mages he knows. Sometimes this is very easy, as some mages who know this rote (typically the Order of Hermes) use it to blazon an elaborate seal at the end of all their workings. Such hallmarks are visible to those looking with only the first dot of Prime, though it requires Mind to detect the personality behind the magic. Hollow Ones refer to this technique as “tagging” and sometimes scrawl psychic graffiti over things for sheer amusement value. Such seals and tagging are easily visible from the Umbra.

If a mage wishes to conceal his identity as the author of any particular Effect, he may roll Wits + Subterfuge versus the difficulty of the Effect being attempted. Partial successes will leave an indeterminate or smudged hallmark. If a mage wishes to forge the hallmark of another mage, he should roll Manipulation + Expression at the difficulty of the Effect being cast, with additional penalties for forging the impressions of mages he’s unfamiliar with or the techniques of other Traditions. The Verbena and the Virtual Adepts use very different methods, and the style of magical handwriting is equally distinct.

Pixie Lead     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 145 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 2, Mind 3

This rote changes a subject’s perceptions such that he easily gets lost, following one path while perceiving another in his mind. This is particularly useful when confusing pursuit in a large city, where wrong turns are a common occurrence. Virtual Adepts use a similar routine, called Confuse Pointer File, relabeling any given path to the point where the subject becomes hopelessly lost.

The Poison Maiden     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 146 ]

Spheres: Life 4

The Euthanatos pioneered this rote as one of the most insidious forms of assassination. After conferring immunity to a particular poison, the mage then infuses the subject with the toxin, so much that it sweats from her pores and comes out with each breath. This lasts for a number of months equal to the successes; five or more successes make it permanent. While the maiden given to Alexander the Great is the classic example, the subject needn’t be a maiden, and the poison needn’t be belladonna, although the Hollow Ones who have learned this rote find it stylish.

Prime Location     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 145 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 1 or 2, Prime 1

The old joke in real estate is that the three most important selling points of a house are location, location, and location. Mages know about the importance of locations, as the most valuable spots in any area are the focal points of magical energy called Nodes. Just as the temporal junctures often coalesce at times of transition and at the midpoint of certain cycles, Nodes tend to appear at borders and centers. The edge of a forest may have one, the middle another. The deepest part of the deep blue sea has a third, while a far more accessible spot forms at the constantly shifting shoreline. Generally speaking, they occur in the center and at the transition of the elements.

In Oregon, one of the most spectacular sights (and sites) is Multnomah Falls. Behind the curtain of the falls is a grotto, and in the center, just above the line of the water, is an altar-shaped stone. If you were to stand on the stone, the wind would blow spray through the curtain of the falls into your face, while the mountain would be directly over your head. It’s an ancient sacred site, the meeting of water, wind, and earth. The Node is there, despite the tourists, few of whom know or care enough to find the spot. The point of transition forms the node, the intersection of lines of magical force.

Wester lore refers to these paths of energy as ley lines, while Eastern traditions refer to them as Dragon Paths. Yin paths follow the course of valleys and the low places on the ground, while Yang paths follow the courses of mountains and hills. A mountain pass between two valleys would contain a prime Node, though the exact location would depend on minor geological features. Mountain passes are also areas of high wind and geological activity (which is formed by fault lines).

Nodes, however, shift, as do the elements, and human handiwork can affect a change in a Node’s position. For example, some of the most magically charged sites are crossroads. Folklore tells us that ghosts, devils, vampires, and witches all travel to crossroads for power (especially at the juncture of midnight). The power is obvious and the Node at a crossroad is well-marked. The psychic energy and stresses involved with the road keeps the existing ley lines fixed in place, or causes new ones to form (or old ones to shift). The excess energy Prime Force collects at the crossroads, forming the Node. By use of the Prime Location rote, mages may find the precise spot of a Node, and may roll Perception + Awareness to notice spontaneously created Nodes if they appear.

Pygmalion’s Paradigm     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 146 ]

Spheres: Life 3, Matter 4, Prime 2, Spirit 2

This rote was supposedly developed by the ancient mage, Pygmalion, in an effort to create another being who would understand his bizarre conception of Reality. Working with ivory and gold, Pygmalion transformed matter into a receptive vessel for a spirit-being. The result of Pygmalion’s experiment was the familiar he called Galatea.

Pygmalion is said to have originally intended to create a whole community of such familiars, but became so jealously protective of Galatea that he couldn’t bear the thought of any other creature distracting him from the profound link with Galatea. Some mages, however, maintain that Galatea soon became the dominant personality in the relationship, and simply told Pygmalion she would leave if he created another golem. These mages also insist that Pygmalion went into a state of deepest Quiet when Galatea eventually tired of this reality. The truth is a matter for debate, but legend claims Pygmalion became extraordinarily powerful following Galatea’s creation.

The number of successes determines the maximum familiar power level the prepared body is capable of holding. The mage is still limited by his own capabilities to attract a powerful familiar, however. To create a familiar out of living flesh, see the Life Sphere.

Song Of Orpheus     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 147 ]

Spheres: (Life 4 Or 5), Matter 2, Prime 2, Spirit 2, Time 2

Dreamspeakers tell of Orpheus, who so loved his wife Eurydice that he journeyed to the underworld to bring her back. Orpheus failed, but other mages have succeeded in this Effect. The mage must have the body on hand, restore the fragmented pattern, revivify the corpse, and summon the spirit back to its mortal shell. However, if the death wasn’t recent, it may be difficult to contact the spirit, and the mage may only succeed in restoring the body, but not returning the soul.

With the very recently dead (those still recognizable and without missing parts), Prime is unnecessary, while those mages who wish to give a nasty (or wonderful) surprise to a vampire have found no need for the Sphere of Spirit, as a vampire’s spirit is already there to revivify the corpse (unless it has been sold or stolen). The Sphere of Time is needed only if the body is missing, in which case the fifth level of Life must be used, while the second level of Matter is made unnecessary. The difficulty of this rote often depends more upon the circumstances than on the Spheres used. Also note that the revivification might not be permanent. Storytellers can, and should, make this rote as difficult as they like.

Entire Chronicles can be based on attempting to use this rote successfully. After all, there are forces that attack mages who attempt such impudent magic, and there can be very severe or bizarre consequences for mages who fail.

Talons     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 146 ]

Spheres: Life 3, Matter 2, Prime 2

The origins of this rote have been lost to antiquity; its popularity with Euthanatos, Verbena, and Akashic Brothers can’t be denied, and Iteration X uses a variant of it in their cybernetic enhancement programs. The mage in question extends the bones in her fingers through the skin, hardens them into steel-like claws, and fuels the resulting blades with Prime energy. The result, a gauntlet of blazing blades, is highly vulgar, but very effective in a knock-down drag-out fight.

The claws enable the mage to do her Strength + 2 in aggravated damage, with a difficulty of 6 on rolls to hit. The claws last for two turns per success scored and drain one Quintessence from the mage’s supply with each successful strike.

RotesHoO (Hollow Ones)

Be Cool     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 141 ]

Spheres: Mind 2

Wendy “Spider” Jones always needed to feel hip to whatever scene she indulged in at the time. Once she became Awakened, she realized that being cool was only a matter of conforming to the views of others and that their moods and attitudes could easily be drawn out of them.

“Spider” started by feeling out people by reading their surface emotions. Next she began to implant the feeling that she was “cool” into the minds of others around her. Finally she decided that she wanted to stop wasting time casting the magic each time she went out; it was bringing her too much Paradox. “Spider” found it was best to permanently cast the rote on a given bar or club. In this way, she was able to “be cool” at these magicked locations whenever she returned to them.

The Hollow Ones jealously keep this rote hidden from the members of the Cult of Ecstasy. Let ‘em find their own way to be cool! Using the second rank of the Mind Sphere, the Hollow One probes the emotions of others to see when he’s considered “cool.” Once the mage hits the right train of thought, he continues along it, using the same Mind rank to implant the impression that what he’s saying is cool, no matter what he might be babbling.

Hollow Ones have been known to cast this rote on places that they frequent. However, this leaves mystical residue that can be detected by other mages. This practice is strongly discouraged by tutors, but many Hollows don’t know any better. Such residue has lead members of the Technocracy to many Hollow One hang-outs.

Lecherous Kiss     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 142 ]

Spheres: Mind 2, Life 2, Prime 2

Howard “Rex” MacNesh practiced this rote while traveling the world in search of the perfect tutor. In his Awakened state, he quickly realized that he could easily augment his already proficient seduction skills. “Rex” studied pheromonal releases in humans. With practice, he was able to produce a pheromonal chemical on his lips that would amplify his own pheromones and increase the impact of the endocrine that he was releasing within the targets’ minds.

This rot is utilized to stimulate an individual int a state in which he’ll accept sexual advances or will make sexual advances himself. Using the second Sphere of Mind, the mage sways his or her target into thinking sexually. The second Sphere of Prime fuels the work done by the second Sphere of Life, producing both endocrine within the target’s mind and a pheromonal compound on the caster’s lips. A kiss seals the Effect.

Penny Dreadful’s Bright New Penny     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 142 ]

Spheres: Mind 3 or 4, Prime 2, Time 2

One Hollow One, Penny Dreadful, devised this rote to restore sticks of old rubbish into the beautiful furnishings they had once been. By perceiving them in their heyday, she returned them to their former splendor. Moreover, an antique tablecloth allowed her to conjure every meal that had ever been placed on it, gathering a fortune in vintage china and silverware. After tiring of Paradox, she devised several non-vulgar applications. After all, one never knows exactly what treasures you might find in the attics of abandoned houses or locked inside that antique hope chest willed to you by your Great Aunt Martha.

Time 2 allows the mages to look back across the “life” of her focus. The third rank of Matter reshapes old articles, while the fourth recreates them entirely. Prime fuels the created pattern.

RotesIX (Iteration X)

Antinoise    [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Forces 4

With this magic, the Technomancer erects a sonic dampening field around himself or a set location. The volume of this field depends on the number of successes. The sonic field samples all sound within range and creates a reflected, inverted signal at an equal volume. The result is complete silence. This, in turn, creates consternation among opponents. Most Iterators are unaffected, since they can communicate via microwave transmissions (a weak force). While originally developed to thwart Hermetic magic (which relies greatly upon language), Antinoise is also effective against certain magic of other Traditions: A Dreamspeaker’s drums, a Cultist’s music, the death-rattle of a Euthanatos, and the song of a Chorus member — all are silenced. Note that these components are all foci; mages of sufficient Arete no longer require such gimmicks to use their magic.

One Success: One target, who must be touched.

Two Successes: One target within five feet of the caster.

Three Successes: Everyone within a ten-foot radius of caster; can instead be cast on a location (which must be touched).

Four Successes: Selective targets within ten feet of caster; or one target within line of sight.

Five Successes: Any or all within sight; can instead be cast on any location within sight (remains in effect even if the mage leaves visual range). This isn’t permanent, but lasts a good while.

Attach Biomechanism     [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 50 ]

Spheres: Life 3, Matter 5, Prime 3

The attachment process is relatively simple. A BioMechanic clamps the prosthesis in place and performs an operation to knit the Life and Matter patterns together at the point. Five successes are required for the Life and Matter patterns to properly knit. A biomechanism operates as an extension of its owner, tapping the raw Quintessence which naturally flows through one’s body. No electricity is involved. If the biomechanism has special effects — such as shock-touch, eye-scanner, or rocket-assisted leaping — it uses its own “battery” of free Quintessence, just as would a Device (because it is one).

Audio Tap    [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 47 ]

Spheres: Forces 1

Knowledge is power. At rank one, Iterators learn how to adjust their perceptions to various frequencies so as to “overhear” enemy communications. A Disciple of Forces can “pick up” microwave transmissions, radio waves, telephone conversations, even the audio portion of television signals. To tap into cable TV or phone lines, at least two successes would be needed (unless you were touching the bare wires). By standing on the giant Arecibo satellite dish in Puerto Rico, a mage could even observe radio emissions from distant stars (though what he’d make of them is another matter).

The only requirements are that the mage must be within range of the transmission’s source or destination and using some sort of a tapping device. Range depends on the number of successes achieved. If a number of transmissions overlap, the mage must roll Wits + Intuition, difficulty 8. The number of successes determines how much is understood; one would result in a garbled translation, but five would give the mage perfect understanding of whatever he was listening to.

Craft Biomechanism     [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 49 ]

Spheres: Matter 5, Prime 3

The first recorded biomechanism (not just a mundane prosthesis) was a hand created for Sun Tzu in 501 B.C. Since then, the BioMechanics have continued to improve upon the design. What would have been seen in ancient China as magic is now considered a near-future technology. Many modern biomechanisms are crafted from Primium. They’re strong, light, and somewhat organic-looking (but still clearly mechanical).

To create a biomechanism, the mage must achieve five successes. In game terms, the replacement part operates identically to the original — no superhuman strength or shock-touch. A biomechanism can be given magical effects of its own, but this would be considered a Device.

Emit Beam-Ray     [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 49 ]

Spheres: Forces 3, Prime 2

The Time-Motion Manager Tecson has perfected a deadly attack combining a number of weak Forces. Microwaves cause heat by molecular movement inside the target while a laser component blinds him. The X-rays have no immediate effect but may cause long-term complications in the form of cancer (assuming the target survives). This is a direct magic attack.

Each success causes two health levels of damage. If four successes are achieved, the beam-ray strikes the target’s face. If the target fails a Wits + Dodge roll (difficulty 8), blindness results. Only rank three Life magic can restore sight.

Machine God     [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 50 ]

Spheres: Forces 1, Matter 1, Mind 2

Do androids dream of electric sheep? Only Iteration X knows for certain. This spell was another favorite of Forge, who preferred automata to people. By means of this magic, he claimed he could think like a machine (whatever that means). This allowed him to make more effective repairs. Modern Iterators find this spell equally effective with computers, robots, and other aspects of high technology.

Each success temporarily adds one dot to the mage’s knowledge of Technology, Drive, or Computer. It can also be applied to Social rolls when interacting with HIT Marks or AIs. This spell lasts for one scene.

Organize     [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 47 ]

Spheres: Entropy 1

Everyone benefits from a little organization, but Time-Motion Managers have perfected the concept to an art. A very rigid, meticulous, unimaginative form of art, but an art nonetheless. This Effect is similar to Locate Disorder, but used for positive results — to increase efficiency.

Technomancers use this Effect before engaging in any complex (and potentially time-consuming) non-magical task. Possible tasks include Research, Search, Investigation, Leadership, Technology, Computer, and Science. With a successful magic roll, it’s assumed that the taskmaster has previously spent time preparing. This could have involved ergonomics, time management, numerical ordering, step-by-step instruction, whatever. The point is, it’s been done. In effect, each success on the magic roll reduces the task’s difficulty by one.

Perpetual Motion     [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 49 ]

Spheres: Forces 5, Prime 2

A 16th century astronomer and mage named Faustmann developed this spell. An associate of Kepler, he used it to set in motion a mechanical model of the solar system. He also kept the pendulum of his clocks swinging perpetually. When Faustmann theorized (correctly) that the moon’s orbit was slowing due to tidal drag, he decided to correct this fault of nature. The resulting Paradox shredded him. In Kepler’s study, Faustmann’s model of the solar system continues to spin to this day.

Despite its name, this effect requires five successes for permanence (Faustmann was a Master). Modern Technomancers have used Perpetual Motion to operate vehicles without fuel or provide a bullet with an effective range of line-of-sight.

Planned Projection    [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 49 ]

Spheres: Time 2

With this effect, a Statistician can reasonably predict the future of any single subject — person, place, or thing. She could predict the graduate most likely to succeed, future trends in the applied technology, or even where lightning will strike next. She simply enters all applicable data into a computer and runs a simulation. If the mage is thorough in learning as much as possible about the subject — that is, achieves 20 successes on an extended Intelligence + Research (or Investigation) roll — the Storyteller may lower the magic difficulty by one.

Positronic Brain    [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Mind 1

Statisticians are known for their ability to juggle data and perform complex mathematical calculations in their heads. Few mages realize that a magical Effect often assists them. Through knowledge of the Mind, they can access that greater percentage of the brain that humans never use.

Each success adds one dot to any Mental Trait. The duration of this depends on the successes, but is never permanent. Long-term enhancement can lead to brain damage. Every day after the first, the mage must roll her Willpower. Failure indicates that she falls into a coma for as many days as the Effect previously lasted. Upon waking, the mage discovers that the Effect has dissipated and she has permanently lost one dot in that Attribute. Only by spending Experience Points can she recover.

Recharge Device    [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Prime 3

The magical Devices and biomechanisms which Technomancers so frequently rely upon do require recharging. For this reason, most Constructs have a designated Power Station. Such places are carefully guarded. The mage or resident attendant (usually a BioMechanic) uses this effect to operate the recharger. Each success transfers five points of Quintessence into the Device. Attendants may ration Quintessence at their discretion. In emergencies, this effect can also be used to tap an open Node, but this act is considered vulgar.

Remote Programming    [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 47 ]

Spheres: Forces 2

Iterators use this Effect to program computers, robots, and so on, without ever having to touch a keyboard, though some apparatus must be used. One benefit is that the task can be completed at the speed of though. Also, potentially lethal “bugs” in a HIT Mark’s programming can be fixed in the field. Of course, knowledge of Computers is required. At the same time, the programmer can achieve only as many successes on the Computer roll as she did on the magic Effect roll. The title of this effect is a bit misleading. Range is limited by the magic roll, up to visual range. To be truly remote requires a Correspondence component.

Rigid Schedule    [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Time 1

This is identical to the Virtual Adepts’ effect Internal Clock. The same effect was once known as ticktockman. After the Adepts defected, they renamed much of their magic, as if to forget their Technocratic origins (or more likely to jazz up their terminology). Iteration X did the same thing, wanting nothing to do with the traitors. Their new nomenclature was somewhat less imaginative.

Smelt Primium    [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Matter 5

Arguably the Convention’s greatest discovery, Primium is a magical alloy of purified silver and gold. It has a number of unique properties. Primium is as light as aluminum, non conductive, virtually unbreakable, and noncorrosive. It can only be smelted and tooled by magical means (thus this spell).

Primium is rare and expensive, though not in the mundane sense. Money is of little concern to those who can transmute lead (or any other matter) into gold by rearranging the atomic structure. A nuclear furnace, however, is required as an apparatus. Masters of Matter are too rare and important to act as common blacksmiths.

Primium armor provides 5 dice of soak (without hampering Dexterity) and two free dice of countermagic. Weapons forged from Primium cause aggravated wounds to Kindred, Garou, and other supernatural creatures, although this damage can be soaked.

Social Science    [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Mind 2

Social scientists have become adept at conditioning the Masses. Usually this is accomplished by inundating the subject with depressing facts: “Oh my, this test indicates that your I.Q. Is only 87.” Other mages prefer intimidation while still others use subliminal suggestion. In any case, the effect is the same: The subjects lose their will and are more easily coerced.

Each success reduces the subject’s Willpower by one point, though she can resist the attack with a difficulty 7 Willpower roll or a difficulty 6 mental “Dodge.” This spell is limited to one use per person per day. There’s only so much effect such “bad news” can have in a short period of time. The effects can and do add up, however, if the conditioning is constant.

Statistical Mechanics     [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 47 ]

Spheres: Entropy 2

Statisticians are full of facts, from the record lifespan of Asian elephants in captivity to the odds of successful navigating an asteroid field. Not surprisingly, they’ve developed a magical Effect around this proficiency. When a nonmagical task is about to be performed, the mage merely states an applicable statistic. If the stat makes the odds look good, difficulty of the task decreases by as many successes as he achieved on the magic roll. If bad, difficulty increases. Note that some stats can appear both good and bad, depending on the point of view. Thus, this Effect is purely depending on the point of view. Thus, this Effect is purely subjective. But then again, what magic isn’t?

Targeting Computation     [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 47 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 1

From rank one, Iterators use their knowledge of Correspondence to locate, track, and attack their enemies. This first Effect assists in aiming projectile weapons. Through awareness of three-dimensional space, they learn to “calculate” many of the variables involved. The exact range and angle to the target can be calibrated. Darkness, smoke, foliage, and other “soft cover” are canceled. Though someone hidden behind a brick wall is safe from bullets, the mage can still “see” him and has a good idea where he’ll pop up next.

By figuring together all of these variables, a shooter can increase her kill ratio. A successful magic roll achieves three things. First, the base difficulty of the shot drops to 4, as if it were made at point blank range. Second, only “hard cover” difficulty modifiers apply. Third, the mage is effectively aiming. The amount of dice added to the shooter’s dice pool is limited to the amount of successes achieved on the magic roll.

Time-Motion Study     [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 49 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 1, Time 1

This spell was first used by a 19th-century Time-Motion Manager named Forge. It allowed him to determine the most efficient means of assembling HIT Mark IIIs, thus creating the first factory assembly line (from a Technocratic perspective). By extrapolation, a mage under the influence of this spell gains a precision of movement. This provides an edge when time is critical. For each success, add one success to the mage’s next initiative roll for one turn per success.

Unleash Nanotech Destruction [ Technocracy: Iteration X — Page 49 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 3, Entropy 3

All Iterators have a dormant nanotech virus implanted in their DEI. If one were to attempt defection (or otherwise displease the Convention), this spell enables a Comptroller to release the virus by remote. Most viruses simulate a rank-three Entropy effect by shutting down all of the traitor’s biomechanisms and causing all machines with which she interacts to malfunction. This usually causes coincidental death. Some Constructs replace the virus with a nanotech nuke (Forces 5, Prime 2), which causes spontaneous combustion — vulgar but effective.

RotesNWO (New world order)

Alter Paradigm     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 51 ]

Spheres: Entropy 5, Mind 5

By inflicting prolonged torture and indoctrination, a Servant of the Ivory Tower can destroy a mage’s system of belief. The process involved is the same as the Edit Memory Procedure, but each roll represents a week’s worth of effort. The indoctrination takes several steps. Successful completion of the Processing moves the mage one step along the conversation process.

Sons of Ether and Virtual Adepts begin Processing at Step Two. All other Tradition mages begin at Step One. The mage is moved from step to step until he’s been amended to conform to the Reality of the Technology.

Step One: The mage can still cast magic without using a focus in a nonscientific paradigm.

Step Two: The mage requires a focus whenever he works magic, although the Effects are guided by a nonscientific or alternate scientific paradigm.

Step Three: The mage requires a technological focus whenever he works magic, although the Effects are guided by a nonscientific or alternate scientific paradigm.

Step Four: A technological focus is required every time the mage uses magic or procedures, and the Effect of the mage’s magic accedes to a scientific paradigm.

Check The Corners     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 43 ]**

Spheres: Correspondence 2

An agent outfitted with proper sensory equipment, such as parabolic microphones, thermal detectors, or motion sensors, can detect movement around corners or behind walls. This procedure allows properly trained (read “Awakened”) agents to exceed the capacities of normal equipment. Remember, however, that a mage can only view a location he can pinpoint; this Effect doesn’t grant the ability to scan the entire world in a glance.

Counterintelligence     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 44 ]

Spheres: Entropy 3

Analysts also oversee the Security of the Constructs and Horizon Realms they live in. This Effect is used to counteract mages, Marauders, or Nephandi using the Entropy Sphere to plan attacks on a Technomancer base. By subtle influence (coincidental magic), the analysts will have remembered to have taken precautions against the strategy employed by the intruders. This Effect acts as countermagic against their attempts to find a weakness in the security system; each success deducts one from an attacker’s total.

Ivory Tower Servants specializing in computer security use this Effect to take precautions against intrusions by Virtual Adepts. The “counter-influence” will add to any countermagic against an attempt to enter the system. Each success subtracts from the Adept’s number of successes on his attempt to infiltrate or invade.

Create Drone     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 44 ]

Spheres: Entropy 4

If a captured mage is truly impervious to mind control and indoctrination, he might be rendered mindless through Intellectual Entropy. The resulting piece of animate meat will only be able to perform the simplest task. The psychological effect of seeing a former Chantry-mate reduced to a mindless drone is extreme.

The process can take days or even weeks; the difficulty is the subject’s Willpower + 3, and she may resist as if the Effect were Mind magic. Each success reduces the mage’s permanent Willpower by 1. one roll is made per day of psychic assault. When the mage’s Willpower drops to zero, she’s mind-numbed for one week per point lost. If she loses twice her Willpower to this Effect, her condition is almost irreversible.

Daedalus Gateway     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 49 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 4, Mind 3

The subject is transported by vulgar procedures, yet is discouraged from realizing that his locations has been moved. One application of this is forcing a cabal exploring a building or Construct to take the same route repeatedly, regardless of Correspondence influence or a great expenditure of Willpower (two points per success on the procedure roll).

Degree Absolute     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 50 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 4, Mind 5

A captured mage can be drugged and psychically isolated within virtual reality equipment to make her think she’s in another environment. A Servant of the Ivory Tower can then program a series of events to test the reactions and psychological limitations of the subject. Any environment can be created. The mage’s mind is in the machine.

One common version of this is a simulation of the state of Quiet: Other possibilities include placing the subject in a “world” parallel to this one, but acceding to another reality paradigm (a town in the Wild West, a children’s fable, a fantasy world), placing him back in his Chantry with Grey Men impersonating his Chantrymates, or, for extremely dangerous renegades, even a town or village isolated from the real world where he can be subjected to “retirement.”

If Paradox Backlash results, events may begin to go in the subject’s favor, the interrogator may take psychic damage from the ensuing battle of wits, or the mage may actually be shunted into another similar reality. In the case of artificial Quiet, the mage’s mind may be permanently ripped from his body, yet still exist in the machine.

Destructive Paranoia     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 50 ]

Spheres: Entropy 2, Mind 4, Prime 2

After one week of magical indoctrination, the subject becomes programmed to believe he’s in a world slightly different from his own, one where his persecution has drastically increased. After the conditioning ends, the paranoia remains, and lasts for the duration of the Effect.

The artificial reality will slowly drive the subject insane unless he resists. Friends will notice that he’s not exactly in the same reality as the rest of them. The subject can make one Willpower roll (difficulty 8) per day. Each failed roll results in the loss of one point of Willpower; each successful roll brings him one step closer to sanity. The victim needs to accumulate more successes than his programmer had to escape. If a mage is thus reduced to zero Willpower, he’s permanently in the other world and takes on an appropriate level of Quiet. The delusions have driven him to permanent insanity and an alternate interface with reality.

Typical delusions of destructive paranoia can range from the plausible to the extreme. The victim might, for instance, come to believe that his Chantry mates have split personalities and are conspiring against him when he isn’t around; that the neighbor’s dogs are plotting against him and making plans telepathically; that Progenitors have equipped all the roaches in his apartment with monitoring devices; that invisible men are watching him; that the television can watch him, too; that all kitchen appliances secretly serve the Technocracy; that the Technocracy is just a front for an alien invasion, and so on.

It’s common practice for the Technocracy to offer to “save” mages who seem to have suddenly slipped into Quiet. The subject often concludes her harrowing adventure by feeling remorse for living a life of Reality Deviance. The process sometimes backfires, however, and creates a Marauder instead.

Detect Reality Deviant     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Spirit 2

Although Men in Black typically have limited understanding, their will is sufficient to allow them to see past subterfuge and obfuscation. A Man in Black can use this Effect to counter a vampire’s Obfuscation, any Effect rendering a mage invisible or undetectable, the Garou Gifts of Blur of the Milky Eye or Blissful Ignorance, or a wraith’s Enshroud Arcanos. Compare the level of the man in Black’s Arete with the level of the subject’s Discipline level, Rank, Sphere rating, or Arcanos level. If his rating is higher than the rating of his target, any magical success will let him spot his target.

Download Specialization     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Time 3

Many field agents of the Ivory Tower are experts in specific subjects. Any Servant of the Tower can quickly absorb massive amounts of information by rapidly assimilating written text. The agent can download information by rapidly assimilating written text. The agent can download information on one topic prior to a mission by studying for one day. Each success will increase his dice pool by one with any Knowledge Ability for one day’s duration. As an alternative, the Servant can use this Effect in conjunction with the Research Ability, reducing the difficulty of the research by 1 for each success on his Arete roll (up to a maximum modifier of -3).

Dragnet     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 44 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 3

This is similar to the Tradition Effect of Filter All-Space. Over a period of twenty-four hours, the Technomancer, with the assistance of his amalgam or collective, is able to locate an individual mage or group of mages. The agents must have some form of information about their target(s) to begin or continue the search. Dragnets typically require extended rolls against the area searched.

Countermagic is possible if the target mage is inventive and alert; each success subtracts one from the agents’. Mages may deduct their Arcane ratings from a Dragnet’s success as well; this is how Secret agent John Courage gets away with murder.

The type of coincidences used to explain this Effect depends on the Methodology using it. Operatives will often rely on reports from the field when tracking criminals. Several amalgams of Men in Black will perform a search of the area where the mages are supposedly present. Watchers primarily rely on surveillance. This may include satellite surveillance, hidden microphones, investigators with video cameras, and so on. Bureaucrats within the Ivory Tower have extensive access to computer records. By accessing Sleeper devices like automatic bank tellers, credit card records, and even phone lines, these Technomancers lend their assistance as well.

Area	Difficulty	Successes Needed
Small Town	6	5
Small City	7	10
Large City	8	15
State	9	20
Country	10	25 (30 to scan the world)

Edit Memory   ·  [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 47 ]

Spheres: Mind 3

This process is performed by Intelligence Analysts or technicians of the ivory Tower. Old memories can be replaced with new ones. The process usually takes several hours. Servants of the Ivory Tower typically perform this duty with equipment, such as sleepteachers or drugs and virtual reality machines. The subject is restrained and sedated while an alternate reality is created for him. A mage may try to actively deny the altered state. The result is an extended Arete roll against the subject’s Willpower + 3 (see Social Conditioning). The process is considered an extended action, and one roll is allowed per hour. The Reality Programmer must amass five successes. Once these are obtained, he makes his “Edit Memory” roll, rolling Sphere + 3 against a difficulty of 6. For each success, he may alter one memory in the subject’s mind.

Field agents can attempt crude versions of this with VCRs or editing bays, but the procedure becomes vulgar at that point. The most useful variant of this involves videotaping a real or staged scene and “splicing” it into the subject’s memory. The order and content of the subject’s memories are altered. Extreme mindscaping orchestrated to induce insanity can involve splicing experimental films, commercial films, or commercials into the subject’s memory to make the subject believe he has personally experienced them. The process used by Intelligence Analysts is, in terms of Storytelling, more complex.

Hail Of Bullets     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Forces 2, Time 2

After extensive training, with the assistance of “military weaponry,” a unit of Men in Black can drastically increase the effectiveness of their firepower. If ballistic weapons are used, the weapons involved have been altered to increase their rate of fire. If energy weapons are involved, the devices have been “hotshotted” to increase their destructive capabilities. In either case, the Men in Black use such a heavy barrage of firepower that the number of shots fired is impossible to estimate. This complex procedure is communal: Use normal Firefight rules to determine how many shots hit, then make a group Arete roll at difficulty 8. for each success, roll for an additional attack. The Effect must be repeated each turn to work continually.

Heat Seeking     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 2, Life 1

This spell represents surveillance devices that track individuals by body temperature. Amalgams can use these devices to search buildings for specific individuals. When tracking a cabal with heat-seeking surveillance, each success will uncover one individual in the group. Bricks and mortar won’t hide criminals from the watchful eyes of the Technocracy.

Holdout Weapon     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 49 ]

Spheres: Forces 3, Prime 2

The agent using this complex procedure is assumed to have some form of deadly energy weapon “up his sleeve.” As long as the user appears to be a government agent and is reasonably discreet, the procedure is usually coincidental in urban areas. The apparatus can be any type of pistol-shaped device. This procedure is easiest to use if no Sleepers are present.

Imaginary Friend     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 49 ]

Spheres: Mind 4, Prime 2

After one day of indoctrination, the subject is programmed to be the only one to see or hear from a fabricated persona. This can be anything from a Man in Black who’s always hiding nearby watching to a wraith of a dead friend or phone calls from someone who has defected from the Chantry. The subject can break this paranoia by an extended Willpower roll. One roll is allowed per day; the mage’s successes must exceed the successes of the programmer.

Manchurian Candidate     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 47 ]

At this level of efficiency, a Man in Black or Servant of the Ivory Tower can program a subject to perform a series of actions upon command. The difficulty for this Effect can be reduced by a conjunctional roll of Manipulation + Leadership or Instruction, but the first roll can be resisted by a roll of Willpower. If the Reality Programmer succeeds, a “trigger” can be specified to activate the sequence. After all, the human mind is like a computer — it can be programmed. Uses of this Effect include programming a mage to kill a member of his Chantry, programming a Sleeper to sabotage equipment, or programming a mage’s relative or family member to take action to reduce the mage’s renegade convictions. Refer to the “Social Conditioning” table for the number of successes necessary to program a subject to perform a specific task.

Monitor Communications     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 45 ]

Spheres: Forces 1

This Effect (similar to the Iteration X Effect of the same name) is used by the Watchers Methodology, and requires equipment for intercepting and interpreting communications (radio broadcasts, satellite images, microwave transmissions, etc.). At least two successes are required to interpret the communications; only one success is required if accessing the system physically (such as by tapping phone wires).

Move Along     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 45 ]

Spheres: Mind 2

When a unit of Men in Black carries out an operation, they will often station a few agents nearby to discourage bystanders from watching too closely or “getting involved.” Their intimidating presence has a marked psychological effect on anyone getting too close. Anyone desiring to get close must resist this magic with a Willpower roll to overcome the effect of the intimidation. Otherwise, he’ll ignore the encounter and move along.

Persona     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 49 ]

Spheres: Life 4, Mind 2

The agent has had plastic surgery to alter his appearance. With sufficient data, the disguise will be thorough enough to fool the subject’s acquaintances. The conjunctional use of the Mind Sphere discourages anyone from looking too closely. A roll is only required if someone suspects the agent of being in disguise. Perception + Awareness, difficulty 8 penetrates the disguise.

Phone Tap     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 49 ]

Spheres: (Correspondence 2 Or 3), Forces 2

Watchers are experts at sending encoded messages and monitoring enemy communications. Sending a message requires Correspondence 2: Intercepting a message requires Correspondence 3. if Watchers are monitoring a telephone, the subject will detect the intrusion with an opposed roll of Perception + Alertness. Note that hearing a conversation in a room with a telephone doesn’t require that a “bug” be in the telephone or even that the phone be off the hook.

Pirated Media Blitz     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 49 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 3, Forces 2, Mind 4

This can be a risky but effective complex procedure. The target(s) can be in any room where a television or radio is present. If the Watcher in charge has a sufficiently high Arete rating, the transmission can be used over a wider area, such as a city. Subjects may oppose with Willpower if they choose to be skeptical of the local media. The Watchers have the power to interpret commercial broadcasts with falsified “emergency bulletins” regarding “dangerous criminals.” if the complex procedure succeeds, all viewers will consider the “criminal” to be a menace and will report any sightings or suspicious activity that can be tied to the mage. The Effect also diverts any responses to a now set-up. However, if this complex procedure fails, Paradox will immediately slam on the pirating broadcast station, damaging equipment and possibly Technomancers as well. For this reason, pirate stations usually broadcast from very remote locations.

Plausible Denial   ·  [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 46 ]

Spheres: Mind 3

This Effect is used to make the subject forget that he has witnessed an event. Three or more successes wipes one offending memory away. With repeated uses, large gaps of the subject’s memory can be erased, although the subject will remember having “blackouts.” Keep in mind that a Sleeper who responds to a Technomancer’s statement. “You saw nothing,” with “Yes, I did!” will certainly attract serious reprisal.

Psychic Intrusion     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 45 ]

Spheres: Mind 2

Men in Black use this Effect to assist in interrogation. The agent may choose either to gradually weaken the will of his subject or to extract specific information. Each use of this Effect requires one hour.

If the agent is attempting to weaken the will of his subject, each success will reduce the subject’s temporary Willpower by one. If the agent is attempting to gain information, each success will lower the difficulty of an Intelligence + Interrogation roll by one, to a maximum modifier of -3.

Psychological Breaking Point     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Entropy 2, Mind 2

By using his access to psychological profiles, a Servant of the Ivory Tower can determine the psychological weaknesses of an individual. This can be advantageous during interrogation. If a subject is undergoing interrogation, lower the difficulty of all rolls by one (to a maximum modifier of -3). The psychologist can also, with a modified roll of Intelligence + Psychology, uncover a mage’s psychological “Achilles’ heel,” whether it’s a phobia, unusual sexual proclivity, or addiction. In game terms, a successful application of this complex procedure will also reveal Psychological Flaws.

Red Button     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 49 ]

Spheres: Entropy 3, Forces 3, Prime 2

This procedure is employed when raiding the laboratory of a Son of Ether mad scientist. If the Arete roll is successful, the agent can find the weak point of the Etherboy’s machine and sabotage the device with a roll of Intelligence + Repair or Technology, difficulty 7. If he succeeds, the device will self-destruct within thirty seconds, usually with a dramatic explosion (Forces + Prime). Many Ether mages are used to this type of persecution, and often prepare for this contingency by installing an aural or visual countdown to warn bystanders of the coming explosion.

Sense Node     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 2, Prime 1

Kirlian lenses are used to detect the presence of Quintessence. By using proper equipment, a Watcher can sense the presence of a Node in a building. The range at which this rote will work is based on the General Effects Table, not the Correspondence Ranges Table.

Social Conditioning     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 46 ]

Spheres: Mind 3

This Effect is for New World Order members only. This is one of the most useful procedures of the Ivory Tower. Over time, though Reality Programming, an agent can condition anyone to follow a set of beliefs or change the object of his loyalty. This process can take days or even weeks to achieve. By wearing down the subject’s beliefs, the magic weakens and eventually changes those convictions. The agent rolls his Arete against the subject’s Willpower + 3 (see Create Drone); successes don’t destroy permanent Willpower, but make the subject suggestible. When the victim reaches zero Willpower, Reality Programming begins.

Conditioning requires an extended resisted action against difficulty 6. other Abilities may reduce this to a maximum modifier of -3. The Storyteller ranks the degree of Social Conditioning on a scale of 1 to 10; the agent must achieve this number of successes on the extended action to alter his subject’s beliefs.

Under normal circumstances (working in isolation with a sleepteacher, Ivory Tower technician, and Men in Black), one conditioning roll is allowed per day. Note that the subject doesn’t have to resist; if she performs the Empower Mind Effect, however, the agent adds +2 to his conditioning difficulty.

Social Conditioning can be used as a subtle influence by combining it with mindscaping. Social Conditioning involves restructuring the belief system or emotional relationship of the subject, while mindscaping involves altering the environment of an individual to change his perceptions of reality. The levels of Social Conditioning are listed below, ranked by the number of successes the Reality Programmer must accumulate.

1	The subject will forgive minor grievances, like inadequate food or improper working hours. Example: An escapist film makes someone forget the unhappiness she has suffered over the last week.
2	The subject will submit to minor Technocratic procedures without question. Example: Minor procedures include such things as the “Bavarian fire drill” in Wilson and Shae’s Illuminatus Trilogy; fire drills, routine inspections, etc.
3	The subject considers another individual to be a friend, and will trust him and act friendly towards him. The subject strongly considers another individual to be a potential enemy and will watch him closely for signs of betrayal. A mage will refuse to perform minor Traditionalist procedures; the idea of using a candle to channel Quintessence or a blunted dagger to direct “magical energies” now seems ludicrous. Example: An Observer is programmed to befriend #6 in The Prisoner; children working with The Spies are conditioned to watch their parents for signs of treason in 1984; parents suspect their child is “up to something.”
4	The subject considers another individual to be a social leper, and will actively ignore him. Example: In The Prisoner episode “Piece of Mind,” #6 is declared “Unmutual” and no one will associate with him.
5	The subject becomes docile and pacifistic. He has no hostile impulses and can’t summon the will to fight. Example: Alex in A Clockwork Orange; #6 after “Social Conversion” in “Piece of Mind.”
6	The subject is actively hostile to another individual, and will actively work against him and possibly violently assault him. Example: An individual is programmed to hunt down another individual.
7	The subject considers another group to be an ally to his own, and will secretly work to aid them; the subject considers another group to now be his enemy and actively conspires against them. If the subject is a Tradition mage, he has been Processed and will be loyal to the Technocracy. If the subject is a Sleeper, she’s now an educated Sleeper and will work as a sympathizer. The sympathizer is no longer considered a “witness” for vulgar technomagic. Example: Conditioning the Masses against Emmanuel Goldstein during the “Two Minutes Hate” in 1984.
8	The subject forgets ever having met a close friend or a close family member. Example: The parents of a Tradition mage forget their son or daughter.
9	The subject will betray the object of his love or adoration, or treats a specific individual with reverence or religious devotion. Example: Winston’s betrayal of Julia, or the Masses’ worship of Big Brother in 1984.
10	The subject is homicidal towards another type of person and will risk life and limb to destroy the object of his hatred; the subject is suicidal with remorse at being rejected by another group and will do anything to gain the group’s favor again. Example: “He had come to love Big Brother.” — 1984.

Strengthen Gauntlet     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 49 ]

Spheres: Prime 2, Spirit 4

This is a rare rote possessed by a few Intelligence Analysts and Men in White. The Storyteller may choose to use it as part of an ongoing campaign. The results, under the proper circumstances, will increase the Gauntlet or Shroud of a captured area.

Although this ritual dates back to the destruction of Mistridge in the early thirteenth century, its most famous use was after the resolution of the Whitechapel Murders in 1894. Archibald St. Crispin and his black-clad Scotland Yard detectives eliminated a Chantry of mages summoning wraiths to ritually slay the living. In the course of his investigations, St. Crispin gradually learned about the menace of the unseen world. After the wraiths were destroyed, St. Crispin surveyed the remaining area ad proclaimed the words, “This house is clean.” This has become a tradition in this type of operation.

If an amalgam of Men in Black (or Void Engineer “ghostbusters”) can hold an area for 24 hours after cleansing it of the occult, an Intelligence Analyst may send in a high-ranking official to survey the results. The communal procedure is then performed with the assistance of all Men in Black present. If the amalgam obtains at least five successes, the Gauntlet rating of the area will increase by one for the duration of the Effect. Difficulties involving the Shroud will increase by 3.

Summon Paradox Spirit     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Spirit 2

This is a last-ditch effort used by desperate amalgams. If an operation isn’t working, or the secrecy of a mission is seriously compromised, the leader of the group will defer to the darkest impulses of his will. This Effect draws a Paradox spirit to the next magical act, vulgar or otherwise, that is performed. The number of successes dictates the level of the summoned spirit. Who it goes after will be anyone’s guess. Careless use of this process is frowned upon.

Synchronize Watches     [ Technocracy: New World Order — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Time 1

Successful use of this Effect will allow the members of an amalgam to carefully coordinate the timing of an operation. This is particularly useful to Men in Black, allowing them to carry out procedures with shocking precision. Others may even suspect that the members of the amalgam are in constant telepathic contact. No one in the amalgam will need to actually check a watch or specify times at which actions are taken. This is performed as a communal Effect to make an amalgam appear to have orchestrated a battle plan second by second.

RotesOOH (Order of Hermes)

Book Of Whispers     [ Blood Treachery — Page 88 ]

Spheres: Mind 2, Matter 3, Time 3

Originally taught to Roderigo Melanzanno, bani Bonisagus, by his mentor, this Rote found use by the old man as a handy substitute for a scribe and a useful tool for self-examination. By keying a blank book to oneself, a mage can enchant it for a time, causing the very substance of its pages to manifest his surface thoughts verbatim. Needless to say, Melanzanno made himself famous by using the book for less studious pursuits. Keying such books to others by inscribing their names upon the covers, Melanzanno became a rather successful blackmailer. Thus, while the discovery of his body floating in a Venetian canal came as no real surprise to his contemporaries, the secret combinations of pentacles in which he wrote his subjects’ names found great favor among other Order mages more capable of balancing ambition with wisdom.

Mind 2 reads the surface thoughts of those without mental shielding, Matter 3 transforms the substance of the pages into words corresponding to those thoughts, and Time creates a duration of Effect (thus allowing the mage to perform other tasks, even use other magic, while the Rote maintains itself). The book must be within the subject’s immediate vicinity to be effective, but it need not be obvious (one of a few books tucked under a mage’s arm, for example, or one of the hundreds on the nearby shelves in a library). As the Rote does leave that telltale echo of willworking obvious to those with Awareness, it’s best used on the Awakened in places like Chantries, where there are likely to be several magical Effects in place at any given time, serving as a sort of “magical cover.”

Chaos Butterfly     [ Blood Treachery — Page 91 ]

Spheres: Entropy 2, Prime 2, Spirit 2

This Rote is for House Thig members only. Chaos theory states that a butterfly flapping its wings in China can be the trigger that causes a hurricane in the Caribbean. Thigs (and the occasional Fortunae) use this understanding to twist reality to their own desires. They might not be able to call a hurricane with the Ars Essentiae, but it just might happen with the right assistance.

The mage inscribes a sigil, focusing his intent upon it. A minor Umbrood — a butterfly with wings of fire — then materializes. The mage must then forget completely about the desired effect and let the butterfly flutter away. Somewhere down the line, what the mage desired will come to pass, albeit in the most unexpected ways.

Entropy, Prime and Spirit fix a starting point of probability in the Tellurian, giving that point form in the butterfly. Essentially, the mage creates a probability singularity. From that point, probability begins branching out into myriad different possibilities. What happens afterward depends on the mage’s desires and the number of successes the player rolls. A minor Effect — say, ensuring that the mage chances upon a malfunctioning ATM — will occur within a day or two and then dissipate. Effects that attempt to duplicate other Sphere Effects take days of intense concentration, vast amounts of successes and the willingness to deal with the karmic payback of being the root cause of, say, someone’s death. Should the player botch, take the desired intent into account when computing Paradox. Needless to say, there are just certain things that are beyond the scope of this Effect. This Rote is not a platform from which to do just anything, and the Storyteller should ignore any requests to attain divinity, slay an archangel or whip the Technocracy’s ass single-handedly. The Effect, regardless of size, should always take the character — and player — totally by surprise.

Gabriel’s Embrace     [ Blood Treachery - Page 88 ]

Spheres: (Correspondence 2, Matter 2), Or (Forces 3, Life 5, Prime 2)

Developed by Wolfram von Gruenberg, bani Tytalus, over a century before the siege of Mistridge, this Rote allowed the Teuton to call out his enemies, no matter how distant, with a telepathic certamen challenge and a painful blast of thunder for good measure. Those wizards who came later refined and altered his pentacles of Mars and invocations of Gabriel slightly to allow for fire, cold, spikes thrust from the floor and even internal hemorrhaging to act as the Gauntlet’s exclamation point. While perhaps not as commonly used for its original purpose today as when Wolfram created it, it still sees some use among certain sadistic bastards in the Order who like to taunt an enemy or ruin him with a particularly horrible bit of news before killing him.

This horrifically brutal Rote transforms the air around a subject (or, in the case of the Life 5 variant, the subject’s own flesh) into a flame that burns until the victim is reduced to ash. The mage does so by calling upon Gabriel, Archangel of Fire, and keying a pentacle of Mercury to the victim (whether with a name, a possession or line of sight).

Correspondence 2 allows the caster to fire this Rote from a distance and keep it locked on the victim. Forces holds the flames generated by the transformed Pattern tightly to the subject, and Prime keeps those flames fed (requiring a point of Quintessence per turn, but inflicting damage equal to that generated by the initial casting of the Rote automatically). The Matter version of the Rote inflicts damage as a normal Forces Effect, while the Life variant adds to that damage a number of aggravated health levels (as per a normal Life Effect) appropriate to the number of successes scored. Incidentally, casting the Matter and Life components of this Rote conjunctionally allows a mage to use the second variant of this Rote successfully on a vampire.

Glorious Sword Of Haven     [ Blood Treachery — Page 89 ]

Spheres: (Correspondence 2, Forces 2), Or (Correspondence 4, Forces 4)

From the arcane texts of the bizarre House (and family) Castrovinci comes this weapon against the Race of Caine. Pentacles of Mars and Enochian supplications to Michael, warrior Archangel and patron of the Sun, draw a lance of sunlight from elsewhere in the world with which to attack a vampire. More powerful mages can summon a literal shaft of light from Heaven, searing scores of massasa with holy illumination. Although the Rote is vulgar almost anywhere in the 21st century, it remains a valuable, if dangerous, trump for those members of the Order who have truck with vampires. (Mages who are known to use this Rote have a tendency to get tracked down and wiped out by potent vampire servitors, as they are obvious threats.)

The Correspondence 2, Forces 2 version of the Rote summons a single slender beam of sunlight that must be directed at a vampire’s exposed flesh in order to harm him. The more powerful variant of the Rote can draw a shaft of sunlight, around a city block in size, to the mage’s location, spelling almost certain doom for any vampire in the vicinity (as well as decreasing the mage’s odds for a long, happy life drastically thanks to Paradox). Note, however, that the mage must draw the light from somewhere, and he should familiarize himself thoroughly with the Time Zones before attempting this Rote.

Golden Apple, The     [ Blood Treachery — Page 91 ]

Spheres: (Matter 2, Mind 2), Or (Matter 2, Mind 3, Prime 3)

This Rote is for House Thig members only. Long ago, the gods of Olympus threw a party. They didn’t, however, invite Eris, Goddess of Chaos to the banquet, and she was understandably pissed. Furious, she grabbed a golden apple, carved “KALLISTI” (“To the Prettiest One”) on the side and threw it in. Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite all claimed it for themselves, and their bickering grew so intense that Zeus appointed a mortal named Paris to decide. The three goddesses each offered Paris something, but Aphrodite won when she offered him the most beautiful mortal in the world — Helen of Troy. So the Trojan War started, all because of a Golden Apple.

Modern Hermetics use this principle to imbue mundane objects with a magnetic pull that is nearly irresistible. No matter what, they are compelled to focus on that object. Some Hermetics claim television works in much the same fashion.

The first version of The Golden Apple pulls attention toward the imbued object. For the duration of the Effect, those affected must fixate upon the object, reacting with envy, hate, lust or any other emotion the Hermetic cares to create. The more advanced version is even more insidious, as the Effect channels the victims’ desires to fuel itself. It’s a vicious cycle; the more they want it, the stronger the Effect becomes.

Hermes Brand     [ Blood Treachery — Page 89 ]

Spheres: Entropy 1, Forces 3, Prime 2, Time 4

A vicious weapon forged in the darkest days of the Massasa War, the Hermes’ Brand Effect delivers an insidious and final punishment unto a vampire. By introducing a “sleeping fire” into the blood of a mortal creature, a mage may cause the vis synthesized by the vampiric “biology” to explode into flames, consuming the massasa from the inside out.

The mage uses Entropy 1 and Time 4 to enchant his own blood (or that of another living creature), essentially creating a “hanging” Prime 2, Forces 3 Effect that takes place a specified amount of time after being ingested by a vampire. The Rote uses the blood that the vampire gains from his feeding as the Quintessence to fuel the Effect. The more the vampire drinks, the bigger the burn. If the vampire doesn’t drink the enchanted blood, the blood doesn’t explode.

When the appointed duration is reached, each pint of blood consumed explodes into flame, inflicting two health levels of aggravated damage. Provided the vampire survives, he also loses one Blood Point per health level suffered (on top of the ones that fueled the magic, all of which are consumed), as it literally burns away.

A mage may only have one Hermes’ Brand in effect at any time, but it lasts until it is undone or triggered. Also, this Rote remains active even after death, provided the blood is fresh enough to retain the mystic energy vampires require. Thus, it is possible for a mage killed by feeding (or killed in a fight and then fed upon) to have his vengeance from beyond the grave, as it were. This Rote may be placed on any living subject, willing or no, and, when combined with memory manipulation, is a truly exquisite surprise to bestow upon a member of a vampire’s usual feeding circle.

As an important aside, however, it’s possible (if highly unlikely) that the mage casting this Rote specifies an exceedingly long time before the explosion or that the vampire runs through all of her blood very quickly. In this case, it’s important to keep track of exactly which blood was drawn from the enchanted individual, since they may be purged from the system before the specified duration elapses. An extraordinarily fortunate vampire might mitigate her punishment somewhat, or perhaps avoid it altogether, in this fashion. Finally, if your character is enchanting his own blood, make sure you don’t botch the roll.

Oak Of Sanguine Root     [ Blood Treachery — Page 89 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 2, Life 3, Matter 3, Prime 2

Subverting the power of the blood, this Rote creates life out of death, paralyzing a massasa with the legendary bane of the wooden stake. A sapling of oak springs with frightful swiftness from the vampire’s own flesh and bone, and out of the mystic power of her blood, spreading its roots in the heart and splitting free from the torso to sprout bloodied branch and leaf.

Correspondence 2 and Prime 2 allow the mage to latch onto the power of Quintessence in the vampire’s heart. Life 3 and Matter 3 build the Pattern of the swift-growing sapling out of that Quintessence and unliving flesh. If successful, this Rote inflicts standard damage for a Life Effect, in addition to transfixing the vampire’s heart with wood automatically. Without the normal nutrients needed by trees, the sapling will eventually die. Removing the “stake” will almost undoubtedly inflict an additional health level or two of lethal damage, as the heart is gouged and bones are split to free the roots.

Oathbreaker’s Lash     [ Blood Treachery — Page 87 ]

Spheres: Entropy 1, Forces 3

With this Rote, a canny Quaesitor may visit upon a liar the fruits of his falsehoods. As a lie leaves the subject’s lips, it’s literally transformed into a web of electricity and amplified, reflecting back on the oathbreaker and inflicting grievous harm. A Seal of Solomon and an invocation of Uriel, Angel of Judgment, are the implements by which the Quaesitor divides the deceiver from the honorable.

As per the Entropy Effect, Ring of Truth, this Effect’s successes subtract successes from a liar’s Subterfuge roll. If the liar still has successes left over, or if both sets of successes cancel one another out, nothing happens. If the Quaesitor’s player scores more successes, however, his excess successes are applied as Forces damage as the liar’s words are transformed into strands of electricity that snap back to scourge his body. (Add the extra damage success for Forces only after both sets of successes have been compared.)

Alternatively, the mage may opt for the “pain and incapacitation” version of the Rote, rather than causing real damage. In this case, the damage successes are applied as normal, but they only count for the purpose of determining wound penalties for the duration of the scene. If the subject drops below Incapacitated as a result of this application of the Rote, excess successes strip points of temporary Willpower. In this case, the subject may continue to speak (with great pain and difficulty), but further lashes will work automatically if the subject speaks a lie. He no longer has the presence of mind to conceal the truth effectively.

A subject reduced by this process to zero temporary Willpower will tell the whole truth as he knows it about any subject desired, and he will probably volunteer more and more elaborate information than is requested. Note that Oathbreaker’s Lash works against only a knowing liar and that, as his concentration is bound up in the Rote, the Quaesitor casting it will only detect a spoken lie if the Effect is triggered successfully.

Thunder’s Gauntlet     [ Blood Treachery — Page 88 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 3, Mind 3, And Either (Forces 3, Matter 3) Or (Prime 2), Or (Life 3)

Developed by Wolfram von Gruenberg, bani Tytalus, over a century before the siege of Mistridge, this Rote allowed the Teuton to call out his enemies, no matter how distant, with a telepathic certamen challenge and a painful blast of thunder for good measure. Those wizards who came later refined and altered his pentacles of Mars and invocations of Gabriel slightly to allow for fire, cold, spikes thrust from the floor and even internal hemorrhaging to act as the Gauntlet’s exclamation point. While perhaps not as commonly used for its original purpose today as when Wolfram created it, it still sees some use among certain sadistic bastards in the Order who like to taunt an enemy or ruin him with a particularly horrible bit of news before killing him.

A dubiously reliable story also exists about a Janissary who used this Rote while fleeing Quaesitor persecution to deliver a brief testimony to one of his pursuers and kill him. The Janissary later sent a coded message to a friend in another house containing only the dead Quaesitor’s name and instructions to summon and interrogate the man’s spirit. Truly, the Order is resourceful.

Correspondence 2 allows the mage to locate and scry a person known to him, and Mind 3 delivers the message. Prime and Forces deliver an energy-based attack. Prime and Matter deliver a physical one, and Life creates an assault similar to Rip the Man-Body. With time to plan and prepare, the mage may dictate a maximum amount of damage to be inflicted, allowing him to pull his punch deliberately if he wishes to be certain that the subject survives. A good Correspondence ward can negate the whole Effect, while a strong Mind shield will simply block the telepathic message.

Unraveling The Text     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 142 ]

Spheres: Entropy 2, Matter 2, Prime 2

This rote makes it impossible to read a book. No matter how hard the individual tries to concentrate on the words, the words themselves won’t allow the information to be transmitted into the reader’s brain.

This forces a person reading a text to start jumping around the page instead of being able to read it normally. This can be very frustrating to the reader. Most people will stop reading the book altogether. If a mage realizes what’s going on, she can take magical steps to thwart the rote in order to understand the written words.

Unseen Nomenclature     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 142 ]

Spheres: Matter 2, Mind 2, Prime 2

The Order of Hermes used this rote to disguise most of their teachings during the Inquisition. It allows information to be implanted into a text in a non-alphanumeric form. This rote is usually employed to impregnate the pages of a book with information in a non-standard order.

For example, a mage wants to implant a message into a book so that others won’t happen upon it. She uses the rote to put the message into the book so that if it’s read backwards, the information is transferred into the reader’s brain. These messages work on a primal level. If someone happens upon the method of activating the impulse, she may not recognize what she has stumbled upon, as the messages tend to be loosely connected images or feelings.

The Sphere of Prime is used to power the Spheres of Mind and Matter to place an emotional or subliminal message into the Pattern that makes up the book. The closer that message is to the original concept, the fewer successes a mage needs to place a hidden message “between the lines.” Putting a completely different message in a book can take five or more successes. The message can be sorted in any sequence the mage wishes. Of course, variations from linear implantation will mean that a student wishing to learn from the material must read the text in the proper order.

Mages can detect that printed materials have been effected by magic, but they won’t know what sort of magic was used. Even if they do, they won’t be able to figure out how to draw the information from the book if they fail a Wits + Intelligence roll versus difficulty 8.

RotesPr (Progenitors)

Alter Small Sequence   ·  [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 43 ]

Spheres: Life 2

Prerequisites: FACADE Genegineer

The Genegineer can change a single molecule in a specific gene. This can affect a single cell, as in the case of altering a baby at conception, or the entire body of a normal adult organism. The difficulty of the effect rises substantially with the quantity of cells needing change. The desired effect can range from correcting a single gene error in a fetus (difficulty 6) to causing cancer (difficulty 8) to creating a nearly instant illness (difficulty 10).

Augment Simple Lifeforms   ·  [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 41 ]

Spheres: Life 2

Prerequisites: FACADE Engineer

The FACADE Engineer can alter an organism’s Life Pattern to increase aspects of its form. For example, she could drastically increase its size. Because most of these organisms are very small — insects, spiders, mushrooms, algae — each success attained increases the size multiple by a factor of 10. Larger simple organisms, such as plants, are limited in their maximum size by Earth’s gravity. Thus, a single success would result in a tiny creature becoming 10 times its normal size; two successes, 20 times, etc. an augmented animal also undergoes physiological alterations necessary to survive (for example, an insect’s breathing spicules are enlarged, thereby enabling it to breathe at greater sizes.

Clone     [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 41 ]

Spheres: Life 5

The FACADE Engineer can replicate an animal or human agent, given a sample of tissue from the individual. Unfortunately in the case of replacement agent clones, and fortunately in the case of replacement bodies for Progenitors, this cloning doesn’t include any injuries, scars, or body alterations not made at the genetic level. If the genetic code of the sample is altered prior to cloning by a Genegineer, the altered DNA will determine the form. Clones, unlike the tissue grafts, aren’t subject to Paradox if the clone is properly prepared, and may live to indefinitely, though they will age. This effect is temporary unless the Sphere of Prime is used in conjunction with the effect.

Control Nerves     [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 44 ]

Spheres: Forces 3, Life 3

This spell controls the flow of electricity through the nervous system. A repeating loop can be created to cause a movement over and over, to halt all pain reception, or to make the victim feel constant pain. The first increases by two the difficulties of all physical actions. The second allows the recipient to ignore all wound penalties. The third causes the victim to suffer three health levels that can’t and don’t have to be healed. A person can be killed by this effect if he botches a Stamina roll when reduced below Incapacitated.

Create Mage Drugs     [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 44 ]

Spheres: Life 2, Matter 4, Prime 3

The chemicals needed to make the drugs are assembled in a flask and five points of liquid Quintessence are poured over them as this spell is cast. This imbues the chemical with raw Quintessence usable by anyone who consumes the drug.

Create Primessence Drug     [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 44 ]

Spheres: Life 3, Prime 3

Simple saline fluid is used as a medium to transfer a set Life Pattern into a living body. When injected, the fluid carrying the Pattern causes the patient’s body to begin producing large quantities of Quintessence. This effect lasts for up to six hours and is very uncomfortable. The patient is usually very queasy and dizzy, complains of headaches or body aches, and can’t sleep well.

Patients’ bodies become saturated with raw energy. Their blood, urine, tears, and hair are often collected (repeatedly) for “tests” or “study.” The physical matter is then broken down into a liquid form of Tass by a complicated series of centrifuge-like machines. The collected Quintessence is stored for later use in special vials and freezers.

In extreme cases where large quantities of raw Quintessence are needed, whole limbs have been removed and used (the limb “goes bad” quickly, however, and must be used right away). The effects of this spell on mages are slightly different; mages begin sweating Quintessence, leaking it out of every pore of their bodies. To anyone watching them, they seem to be bleeding a glowing golden liquid from their bodies, especially their eyes and mouths. The affected mage can use this Quintessence just as any other, but a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) must be made to perform any action whatsoever.

Generally, three points of Quintessence can be pulled from a sleeper who’s under the influence of Primessence, and only one or two from most animals. Five points can be gathered from a human body if the entire body (or most of it) is used, or three or four from an animal. This, of course, kills the “donor.” A mage produces twice her Avatar rating in Quintessence.

Delete / Insert / Alter Gene     [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 43 ]

Spheres: Life 3

By genetically enhancing the Pattern of her own body, the Progenitor can significantly improve her own form. Each success allows her to increase a Physical, Mental, or Appearance Attribute by one (even above 5). The effect lasts for a number of hours equal to the number of successes. This can’t be a permanent effect unless the Sphere of Prime is used in conjunction with the augmentation.

Similar to the Better Body Effect, the Progenitor will suffer the loss of one health level if she attempts to maintain the new Pattern beyond the predetermined time. She’ll continue to lose one health level each day she maintains the form. Stressing the altered form after the expiration of the time limit can lead to further damage. This damage can only be healed by bed rest and normal medical attention.

As a short-term effect, a sample of DNA from a regenerative organism can be temporarily integrated into the DNA of a wounded person; this effect requires one success. Such a procedure enhances the restorative process, healing one health level every three turns. Another reason that the Genegineers are interested in finding more werewolves is to analyze and use their regenerative properties.

Enhance Drugs     [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 44 ]

Spheres: Life 2, Matter 2, Prime 2

This is cast on large quantities of a given drug that the Pharmacopeists wish to enhance in some way. This works on typical street drugs and “drugs for the Masses.”

Gene Scan     [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 42 ]

Spheres: Life 1

Prerequisites: FACADE Geneginere

This effect lets the Progenitor read the genetic code of an individual. She can find damage wrought by disease, age, or another Progenitor; detect artificial alterations of the sequences; and perceive race, sex, species, genetic disorders, recessive genes for genetic disorders, and any oddities in the genetic code. The oddities can be identified only if the mage has previously scanned someone with a similar oddity.

Genetic Mastery     [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 43 ]

Spheres: Life 5

The Genegineer can now completely rearrange genetic sequences to produce a drastically different organism. This alteration doesn’t require any template, merely the Progenitor’s imagination. A botch produces a screaming sac of protoplasmic protein, while five successes create a completely functional new creature. This is almost always a vulgar effect unless the Genegineer takes a long time to research and implement a theory.

Genetic Pattern Matching     [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 43 ]

Spheres: Life 4

This ability is for FACADE Genegineer Progenitors only. The Genegineer can add entire sections of preexisting genetic code to another species. Example: Adding to a human woman’s DNA the sequence that permits a certain type of amphibian to reproduce asexually (parthenogenesis). This would allow the woman to give birth to a child that would be an exact genetic duplicate of herself — basically a natural cloning process.

Aside from the mad scientist aspects, this effect also permits a Progenitor to adapt someone to a hostile environment. An agent doing undercover work in a cold climate might be altered to grow fur all over his body, or someone working underwater might have seal, dolphin, or whale DNA added to his own, allowing him to dice for longer periods, resist cold water, and ignore the crushing pressures of the depths.

This effect also allows the completion of fragmentary sequences using current DNA for templates, or the juxtaposing of fragments with other fragments of the same species. Thus, an extinct species’ DNA could be recreated and the samples used to grow specimens in a clone tank.

Graft Alien Bio-Matter Between Animals     [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 41 ]

Spheres: Life 3

This effect allows the transferal of body parts between animals — for example, adding a frog tongue to a cat. The grafted section functions normally, but the animal must still learn how to use its new appendage. The aforementioned cat would have an awful time licking its fur in the beginning, and might have to adapt its bathing routine to the new tongue. Most FACADE Engineers alter fairly young animals, thus allowing them to mature using their new parts and become quite adept with them by the time they reach adulthood.

It’s also common practice either to use the Mind Sphere to enhance its potential intelligence, or to have a Genegineer enhance the creature’s intelligence by selective gene exchange and manipulation. Example: The otherwise normal cat who has adapted to the use of the tongue might enjoy catching mice from 15 feet away, while a more intelligent cat might try to grab the gun away from a person assaulting his master. This effect is temporary unless the Sphere of Prime is used in conjunction with the effect.

Graft Alien Bio-Matter With Humans     [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 41 ]

Spheres: Life 4

The FACADE Engineer can now exchange human or animal parts in a manner similar to that exercised at rank three. More obvious alterations include: Adding a human torso to the lower sections of an animal; replacing a human’s hands with paws or talons; or giving a human a monkey’s tail. Exchanges between human bodies are also possible: For example, adding extra sets of arms to a human or transferring a brain from one body to another.

An example of an elegant transfer within the constraints of a short period of time is the removal of the brain process) and the subsequent transferal of the brain into the body of a Hermetic mage’s pet Great Dane. The resulting spy dog would have all the knowledge and logic of the agent, with the form of the dog. He might not be able to talk, but he could probably thump his tail in Morse Code.

It bears noting that Paradox takes a heavy toll on such creations. The aforementioned Great Dane might live a week per success before the alien organ was rejected. Such reality can be tailored to the Progenitors’ pet theories. Even Technomancers are bound by the static reality they have created. This effect is temporary unless the Sphere of Prime is used in conjunction with the effect.

Nanotech Life Support     [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 45 ]

Spheres: Forces 3, Life 5, Matter 5, Mind 3, Prime 2

A joint effort of the Progenitors and Iteration X has produced a means of virtual immortality by using nanotech machines. These tiny machines are produced and mentally attuned to the intended recipient, then introduced into the body. The machines scavenge poisons, drugs, and diseases out of the system, destroy abnormal cells, remove the effects of aging, and rapidly regenerate damaged body parts.

Intense trauma, massive loss of blood, asphyxiation, and complete bodily destruction can still kill the host. Otherwise, however, the host is more enduring and therefore harder to damage o kill. The machines can temporarily replace damaged organs such as the eyes, eardrums, heart, or liver.

The recipient permanently gains a 5 Stamina and regenerates one health level every two turns. He’s immune to normal poisons, diseases, and drugs, and doesn’t age. The machines can be destroyed by someone with five ranks in Entropy and at least three ranks in Matter. These devices take considerable time to produce and insert; such an “effect” can’t be produced on demand.

Pattern Store     [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 41 ]

This effect is for FACADE Engineer Progenitors only. This effect allows the Progenitor to memorize the Patterns of the studied lifeforms. Patterns serve as blueprints for future surgeries or alterations; mages can superimpose the memorized Pattern over the section to be altered and make alterations using the stored Pattern as a map or working model.

Quintessence Net     [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 46 ]

Spheres: Life 2, Matter 2, Prime 5

Many hospitals have a Quintessence Net running through a number of their patients, especially those trapped in comas or in intensive care. At least one of the “life support” machines, “IV” bags, or “feeding tubes” is in truth the physical focus for the Quintessence Net. The Net is designed to channel a portion of the patients’ Quintessence into the physical storage device. When the Quintessence is removed from the body, it takes the form of a thick, viscous liquid that can then be stored or shipped to Progenitors in the area.

Simulate Inborn Errors Of Metabolism     [ Technocracy: Progenitors — Page 44 ]

Spheres: Entropy 4, Life 4

This allows a Genegineer to create a temporary but severe form of a simple genetic disease (one can’t simulate Down’s Syndrome with this spell). The duration of these spells is one hour for each success scored. Coincidental magic is almost impossible with these spells, but they’re quite effective. Examples include:

• Imitation Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome: The victim of this version of the spell has his Intelligence reduced to 1, very limited muscle control, and compulsively mutilates himself by chewing on his digits and lips, self-inflicting one health level per five turns of such abuse.

• Albinism: The victim immediately loses all pigment in his skin, hair, and eyes. His hair turns white, pale blue, or reddish, and his skin becomes extremely sensitive to ultraviolet light (sunlight). Being in the sun inflicts one health level per turn. After the duration has ended, pigment slowly returns to the skin and eyes, but any hard-won suntan is gone,and the hair remains white until the natural color grows out.

• Vitamin Deficiencies: The victim becomes weak and ill, and sores break out all over his body. He loses three health levels and is unable to concentrate or summon the energy to cast magic.

• Hemophilia: The victim bleeds uncontrollably when wounded (even bruising counts) and loses one additional health level in blood every two turns. Even a Pharmacopeist, controlling the clotting of the blood, can’t stop the bleeding, for there are no clotting factors in the blood to manipulate. Only by negating the spell and speeding the production of the appropriate proteins can the bleeding be stopped by anything short of an entirely mechanical approach (tourniquet, pressure, stitching) or placing the Life Pattern in stasis.

• Color Blindness: The victim sees only in shades of gray as all the pigments in the color receptors in his eyes are destroyed. This effect will last about a week after the spell wears off, when the body will have replaced enough of the pigments to permit color vision again.

• Connective Tissue Errors: The victim takes four health levels of damage per success attained in casting, as his connective tissue atrophies and his body literally falls apart. Muscles shred, bones fall out of their joints, and shapeless protoplasm remain. This spell has a difficulty of 10 and is exceedingly vulgar.

RotesSiOH (Sisters of Hippolyta)

Conclave Wellness Works     [ Book Of Crafts — Page 88 ]

Spheres: Entropy 2, Life 1, Mind 2

The epitropi performs this simple ceremony at the start of each new season. In concert, the Sisters burn heady incense and sing a song of welcome to the new season while extending their perceptions and consciousness to identify the status of their community (i.e., the health and mental pattern of the conclave in which they live). This alerts the epitropi to any potential problems or illnesses within the conclave.

Entropy targets disorders or fate-fluctuations, while Mind-empathy reads the community’s “vibes” and Life scans for illnesses. This coincidental ritual requires 10 or more successes, but is quite accurate.

Ease Of Passage     [ Book Of Crafts — Page 89 ]

Spheres: Life 4

The pain and joy of childbirth are part of the dialectic cycle the Sisters follow; the delight in bearing children is balanced by the agonies a woman must suffer. Yet in some cases, the lives of the child and mother hang precariously close to death. This ritual, usually accompanied by extensive massage and some sort of gentle exercise, allows the chorodia invoking it to make beneficial changes in the mother’s body, lessening the risks involved with childbearing. The Effect might widen the mother’s pelvis or enlarge her birth canal slightly; the ritual seeks to normalize the process, not detract from the experience of pain and excitement in any way.

Green Thumb     [ Book Of Crafts — Page 88 ]

Spheres: Life 2 Or (Life 2, Prime 2)

Throughout the spring and summer, the Sisters of a conclave work in several chorales to bless their gardens. They keep a close eye on the health of the plants during the growing season and don’t cease this ritual until they pluck the last stalks at harvest time.

Life helps the crops grow and sustains nutrients in the soil; adding Prime to the equation helps plants grow from damaged or infertile ground.

Massage Therapy     [ Book Of Crafts — Page 89 ]

Spheres: Life 3 Or Mind 3 Or Both

With specially prepared oils and herbs, a Sister skilled in massage can clean almost any blemish, ache, or wound from her client’s body. Another version lets her ease mental traumas as well, and an advanced variant allows her to heal both. With time and treatment, almost any amount of minor healing may be coincidental this way.

No Surrender     [ Book Of Crafts — Page 89 ]

Spheres: (Forces 4, Prime 2) Or (Entropy 4, Prime 2)

Every large conclave has at least one Sister who knows the fatal rite which destroys the place and everyone in it. Like most ritual magic, the larger the group, the easier the spell becomes. This suicidal ritual forms the last-ditch strike against a group of conquerors. It’s rarely used and rarely needed, but unleashes earthquakes, firestorms, plagues, or explosions that demolish the entire conclave area in a vulgar display of pure magic.

In extreme cases, one or two final survivors might be able to enact this ritual, even if they normally wouldn’t have the knowledge to do so. Naturally, it means their death, but the enemy dies with them. Each assistant in the rite adds successes to the roll; with the Forces Sphere, the resulting destruction can be quite extreme.

Petals Of Love     Mind 2)     [ Book Of Crafts — Page 57 ]

Spheres: Mind 2

This potion brewed from rose petals helps to strengthen Sisters’ emotional ties to each other. It’s often cooked into foods and mixed with drinks, especially during festivals. Occasionally used to “sweeten” outsiders who need a “change of heart,” this magic subtly sets emotional wheels in motion through a coincidental Subliminal Impulse Effect.

Weeping Willow, The     [ Book Of Crafts — Page 89 ]

Spheres: Life 5

Perhaps inspired by the variety of classic “metamorphic” myths, this magical ritual is only used to aid women in dire situations with no means of escape. When a woman is pursued against her wishes and can’t defend herself, she has occasionally “disappeared” from her tormentor. In fact, a chorodia may have taken pity on her, turning her into a beautiful tree rather than allowing such suffering to continue. In rare instances, this ritual has been used on devoted lovers outside the conclaves who suffer too much at the coming and going of their partners.

RotesSy (Syndicate)

Conference Call     [ Technocracy: Syndicate — Page 49 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 4, Forces 4, Prime 2

Travel and security are always problems in the business world. Add complications when the occasional RDs drop in for an unscheduled raid and you can see why the Syndicate developed this impressive diversionary Adjustment. Using a complex system of holographic projectors, telephone lines, speakers, and computer equipment, a group of Managers can project themselves into a single meeting room to discuss business, even though the attendees might be sitting in separate rooms across the world. An observer would see a group of figures talking; unless he reached out to touch one of them, however, he would never realize that the room was actually empty and that his entrance had triggered a security alarm.

This intricate Adjustment requires a meeting room equipped with the necessary hardware plus connections to every attendee’s office to “time share” this way; early experiments have yielded satisfying results. So long as no one “steps through” another attendee’s space or passes a hand through a person who appears to be present, this Adjustment remains coincidental. A sudden disruption (i.e., a shift from coincidental to vulgar) shuts the system down. All figures disappear, the connections are broken, and an alarm sounds. Most Conference Call networks include a “trespasser alert” that goes off when an unauthorized person enters the meeting room. This alert triggers a silent alarm; by the time the intruder realizes that the room is empty, security guards have blocked the exits.

Permanent projection Devices (rank 5) duplicate this Adjustment for facilities that lack a Manager with the skill and patience to control the Call. Special Projects has sent a few modified projectors over to Pentex for testing. The shadowy megacorp has been pleased with the results. A pack of werewolves intruding on an important meeting were impressively frustrated when they discovered that the “Wyrm-keepers” they sought weren’t really there. The resulting melee wrecked the projectors, but Pentex, ever resourceful, ordered several more just like them.

Hands Of Death     [ Technocracy: Syndicate — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Forces 2 Or Life 3 Or Both

Martial arts is a marvelous thing; an expert can shatter bones, puncture organs, and sever nerves without rupturing the skin. A specialty of Enforcers and InSpectors, this Adjustment wrecks internal havoc on an enemy; with it, a “nerve pinch” or “well-placed punch” can kill a normal human and seriously injure most supernatural creatures.

Hands of Death disrupts the target’s internal organs (Life), increases the force of a blow (Forces), or combines both factors into a really devastating package. The first version adds aggravated damage to the character’s usual punch total. The second version adds Forces damage to the same amount. The third makes the added levels aggravated.

Obviously, a punch that turns organs into water is pretty vulgar. This Adjustment is rolled like a coincidental Effect (difficulty 6), but incurs a point of Paradox after the fact if the strike inflicts 10 health levels or more (before soaking).

Karoshi     [ Technocracy: Syndicate — Page 46 ]

Spheres: (Life 2, Mind 1) Or (Life 3, Mind 2)

Some Japanese workers focus themselves so intently on their jobs that they literally die of overwork. The Syndicate frowns on such waste. Un-Enlightened employees are given generous vacations before they crack; Enlightened Associates often learn this trick, and use it when something is just too important to put off until tomorrow.

By channeling everything he has behind a project, a good Associate can focus his mind, body, and spirit toward a superhuman effort. Cleansed of the need for sleep, food, or rest, the employee can achieve a massive amount of work in a short time. Skilled Managers can “motivate” their staff (Enlightened and otherwise) into similarly intense bursts of activity. The inevitable crash leaves the worker(s) exhausted for a week or so, but sometimes business demands sacrifice.

Each success on the Arete roll allows the worker(s) to go without refreshment or break for one day. Time seems to compress itself into a tight burst of frantic activity and all other needs are forgotten. Life sustains the worker(s) and requires an inspiring speech, frequent pep talks, and a generous reward to keep the employees from questioning the Adjustment’s effects. A careful Manager uses this Adjustment only under extreme circumstances. The long-term effects of overwork aren’t worth the short-term gains.

The Look / The Word     [ Technocracy: Syndicate — Page 46 ]

Spheres: Mind 2

Impression is everything. With the right look or a simple phrase, a well-trained Associate can turn a co-worker into jello or sway a roomful of people to her side. Any good Syndicate employee knows how to say a lot with very little; this Adjustment turns an already potent exchange into a commandment. In business, every edge is a plus.

Focused through a compelling look, phrase, or slogan. The Look is totally coincidental. A good Social roll can make this Adjustment pretty overwhelming; a good Arete roll can lock the impression into the audience’s subconscious memory, where it will shape their opinions for weeks or months to come.

Media Control uses a variation of this Adjustment in important advertising campaigns or broadcasts. By channeling subconscious impulses behind a slogan or image, the Controllers make sure the Masses remember the message. This has been known to backfire, of course; last year’s Pegasus Shoes promotion (“Shoes for the Superior Man”) led to a rash of shootings and muggings with Pegasus sneakers as the payoff.

PIN Drop     [ Technocracy: Syndicate — Page 47 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 2, Forces 2, Mind 2, Time 2

A Personal Identification Number is the equivalent of a modern person’s True Name. With it, you can unlock someone’s secrets, ravage his finances and access his private life. The prevalence of PIN numbers in modern “conveniences” isn’t a mistake. The Financiers know exactly what they’re doing. Magic, after all, is just another name for control.

By employing a special access card (a focus), an Associate with the proper skills can reach the central database where PIN numbers are kept. He inserts the card into an automatic teller, programs in his subject’s name and waits. After a short pause, a receipt pops out with the subject’s name, PIN, social security number, address, and bank-account code. Although the Adjustment only accesses “legitimate” names (most mages take “craft names” after their Awakenings), that information is available enough to cause a person very serious trouble.

The Associate’s Arete roll determines whether or not the information can be found. An accomplished search requires at least four successes — the world database is pretty damned huge — and takes several minutes of game time. Failure demands another roll and another wait. A botch eats the card. While most RDs go by assumed names, a mage or vampire careless enough to maintain bank records under her new name can be tracked down with a successful PIN Drop search. This Adjustment is coincidental.

Stacking The Deck     [ Technocracy: Syndicate — Page 47 ]

Spheres: Entropy 2

An obligatory Adjustment for any capable Associate, this trick allows a Syndicate employee to shift the odds of anything — from a roulette spin to a stock market gamble — in her favor. Channeled through lucky coins, catchphrases, ticker-tape machines, stock quotes or a thousand other forms of subtle manipulation, Stacking makes Fortune look like fate and magical look like coincidence.

Under most circumstances, the Storyteller should simply let a successful Stacking roll determine the outcome of a single event. Simple things (a card draw, a bullseye) would require a single success, while really complicated events (a 20% rise on a given stock) would demand four or five.

Most events can be handled through storytelling; adding a Stacking Effect to a combat event might reduce the difficulty of one shot or action by -1 for each success on the Arete roll (three successes equal -3 difficulty) if the focus seems appropriate. A lucky coin might help Tori Wittingham hit a werewolf between the eyes, but a ticker-tape machine would do her no good at all. Each new event requires a new Stacking roll — and don’t forget the Domino Effect.

Turkey Basting     [ Technocracy: Syndicate — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Life 3, Mind 3

Named for the horrific tortures inflicted on Mafia informers, the Turkey Baster allows an Enforcer to send her victim into a whirlpool of agony without leaving so much as a bruise. Strapping the stoolie to a chair or table, the employee goes to work; she stares into his eyes, speaks slowly and carefully about the tortures she’s prepared to inflict, attaches wires to his vital spots, and hooks him to a small black box. The resulting pains continue for as long as the tormentor desires. The victim, swept into his own mind, sees nothing, hears nothing, remembers nothing except unbearable torture. Time stops. Reflexes fail. Nothing is real except the pain. No normal human can stand up to a full-scale Basting. Sooner or later, almost everyone cracks.

A Mind loop sends the victim’s senses into overdrive; Life keeps him alive and conscious through the ordeal. An accompanying Manipulation + Torture roll from the Enforcer can make the Basting an even more excruciating experience. Unless the subject can keep his wits (Willpower roll; difficulty equals the torturer’s successes + 5), he breaks, telling the Enforcer anything she wants to know, whether it’s true or not. A botch on the roll sends the victim insane. Even if he “succeeds” and survives, echoes of the torture will linger for years.

Each hour the torture lasts costs the victim a Willpower Point and requires another roll. The Storyteller may turn the “session” into a resisted contest between the Enforcer and her victim (her Arete and skill versus his Willpower); otherwise, the torture continues until the “turkey” gives in — and perhaps even longer. This Adjustment makes a useful example for other wayward souls.

RotesTe (Templars)

Rotes: Templar

Disk-Doctor [ Book Of Crafts — Page 103 ]
Spheres: Entropy 3, Forces 1, Mind 2

This rote was developed in the mid-1970’s by a Templar systems-programmer. With it, a Knight may quickly scan a computer’s storage media — hard drive, CD-ROM, tape backup, etc. — for any given data. Such files can be systematically purged. This rote is normally used to search and destroy files that refer to the Templars — in word or idea — but it may be used for whatever key concepts or terms the magus seeks.

Successfully Disk-Doctoring requires at least one dot in Computers, and may demand a Wits + Computers roll to catch all references to the idea. This Effect does more than simply delete the file (an act easily countered with the right software); it removes its existence from the medium in question, replacing it with blank space, as though the files never existed. The larger the medium, the longer it takes for the process to occur — anywhere from a few seconds for a floppy disk to an hour or more for a mainframe. The larger the data store, the higher the difficulty.

Quo Vadis? / Whither Goest Thou? [ Book Of Crafts — Page 103 ]
Spheres: Correspondence 2, Mind 2, Time 2

Templars use this rote when trailing someone; the rote gives the Knight a good approximation of the suspect’s intended route, and how successfully it’ll be followed. A Templar could determine that the suspect will probably stop at a particular coffee shop, stay there for 30 minutes, catch the bus to a rendezvous, and arrive 15 minutes late. It won’t anticipate sudden changes of plan or unanticipated events (such as chance meetings or bus accidents) — but it does make following an individual that much easier.

This rote was developed in the mid-1970’s by a Templar systems-programmer. With it, a Knight may quickly scan a computer’s storage media — hard drive, CD-ROM, tape backup, etc. — for any given data. Such files can be systematically purged. This rote is normally used to search and destroy files that refer to the Templars — in word or idea — but it may be used for whatever key concepts or terms the magus seeks.

Recant [ Book Of Crafts — Page 103 ]
Spheres: Entropy 2, Mind 2

Heresy is a dangerous thing; it begins as a glimmering of doubt, a slight perception that maybe things are different than we were taught. From there it develops and grows into something greater, with layer upon layer of argument and justification further enforcing the original error.

Recant nips heresy in the bud. Full-fledged heretics, or those with long-standing beliefs, will be immune to this Effect, but those who simply flirt with the heresy will, after judicious use of this rote (in conjunction with conversation or debate), decide that their original heretical glimmering was false.

This rote doesn’t determine absolute Truth; the Knight himself determines what “heresy” is, and uses the Effect to dismantle the subject’s new creed. Far from true mind control, this Effect simply channels the subject’s doubts into more “agreeable” modes. Doing so requires some sort of convincing argument from the Knight, followed by more persuasive magical tactics.

Spatial Sheath [ Book Of Crafts — Page 103 ]
Spheres: Correspondence 2

The days of openly bearing swords are long since past, but this Effect circumvents the problem. Cast upon a scabbard, it transports all but the scabbard’s opening into a nether-space. A sword blade entering the scabbard may effectively disappear, leaving only the hilt in view — something more easily concealed with minimal covering like a leather jacket. Actually drawing a weapon from invisible space shouldn’t be done directly in front of the un-Awakened.

People or places sensitive to magical emanations will be able to sense this Effect in action. Any metal portion of the blade (like the hilt) will still register to metal detectors and practiced searches.

Thief In The Night [ Book Of Crafts — Page 102 ]
Spheres: (Correspondence 1, Forces 1), Or (Correspondence 1, Entropy 2, Forces 2)

This simple Effect developed to counter electronic alarm systems. A Templar using this Effect can detect the localized presence of electronic security systems of any sort, determine their effects,a and sense how they’re activated. Higher level versions of this Effect can render such systems ineffective.

Correspondence senses scan the surrounding area while Forces sense detect mechanical traps. Entropy-related versions disrupt the currents which supply the monitors (though this in itself may trigger some systems). Using this Effect successfully often requires a Wits + Technology to counter the alarms, though Streetwise, Computer, or Traps may be more appropriate for some systems. The difficulty may range from 6 for simple light-beams or electric locks, to 10 for layered grids or magically-enhanced systems.

RotesViA (Virt Adepts)

Adrenal Rush     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 143 ]

Spheres: Life 3, Prime 2

No one is sure who was the first to realize that the Adrenal Rush from playing video games could be utilized as a rote to hype an individual, but the Effect is known to many Sleepers as well. This rote is considered coincidental magic.

The Virtual Adept merely begins playing a video game. Within a short amount of time, her body begins to secrete hormones and chemicals that not only increase the body’s alertness and energy, but also flush toxins from the mage’s system.

Some Virtual Adepts believe that this state is achieved by locking into the Net and allowing the pristine nature of perfectly coded programming to flow through their beings, locking them deeply into the very core of the subroutines constantly called upon to carry information. Others believe they’re just excited by the thrill of destroying things without the fear of death getting in the way.

This rote allows the Adept to refresh his body and cleanse it of all toxins. Any poisons, foreign chemicals, diseases, or viruses within the mage’s body are flushed out through his sweat glands. With three successes, the Adept also gains an additional dot of Stamina, Strength, and Alertness for the duration of the rote. The Life Sphere stimulates the body to release the necessary by-products and purify the body, while Prime fuels the reweaving of the Pattern.

Override Signal     [ The Book Of Shadows: The Player’s Guide For Mage: The Ascension — Page 144 ]

Spheres: Forces 3, Or Sometimes Life 4

The Men in Black were signaling for backups. Ken Javlin was wedged into a tight spot. Using his laptop, Ken sent out a narrow beam signal from his wireless modem to jam the MiB’s call. Once he was sure that the MiBs would be unable to call in support troops, he called in the rest of his cabal. The MiBs were easily killed by the group of novice mages, as they were unaccustomed to being cut off from their organization, the New World Order.

Over the years, Ken’s rote has evolved to include the jamming of modems, both wired and wireless. In fact, some Virtual Adepts called Reality Hackers have gone so far as to jam only certain wavelengths of energy that correspond to the electrical current that passed across neural synapses. It’s extremely hard (difficulty 10) for even a mage to pinpoint such a small variation in frequency, but in-depth studies on one individual can lead to learning the exact frequency necessary to put an individual into a coma; the subject will remain in the coma until bombardment by this frequency creases. This variation requires Life magic.

The Virtual Adept blocks any transmitted signal that he wishes to jam using the Sphere of Forces. Most Adepts use this rote to jam radio wave, microwave, and infrared transmission. This requires an Intelligence + Technology or Wits + Investigation roll. The difficulty depends on the mage’s familiarity with the sort of technology being used:

• 10: Alien

• 8: Heart about it once.

• 6: Seen it work before.

• 4: “Have one right here.”

An Intelligence + Computer roll may be substituted if the target device is a computer. An Intelligence + medicine roll may be exchanged when attempting to jam medical equipment (or people). Roll Intelligence + Science if the rote is applied against scientific research equipment. Once the basic knowledge is discovered, a casting roll determines the degree of success of course.

RotesVoE (Void Engineers)

Most of the complex procedures below, especially the various weapon types, can also be found as Devices, allowing a Technomancer lacking the requisite Spheres to use the Effects anyway. Engineers with the proper Spheres can channel these procedures through apparati. Most weapons have an Arete of 5 and 25 Quintessence, expend that Quintessence at one point per shot, and require Dexterity + Firearms rolls (difficulty 6) to use. Really potent blast-cannons (which are rare and valuable, equivalent to four-point Talismans) have Arete 6 and 35 Quintessence. All magical bolts must hit their target to do damage.

In the reaches of space and technological outposts, such weapons are considered coincidental. In all but the most media-saturated locations on Earth, they’re pretty vulgar. Rather than making separate magic and weapon rolls every time someone shoots, simply assume that the weapon works and inflicts seven to nine dice of normal damage (difficulty 6) if it hits. Botching that damage roll brings Paradox upon the user. The risks involved keep Void Engineers from being too free with high-tech weaponry outside Technocracy Constructs and ships.

Adaptation     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 44 ]

Spheres: Life 3

An almost essential procedure for travelers in strange environments, this listing covers a variety of bodily modifications: Thicker skin, gills, lambent eyes, webbed fingers, respiratory filters, quick-healing systems, and even claws. Most forms of Adaptation require extensive treatments, cybernetic implants, or other plastic surgery as foci, and many of the wilder modifications are vulgar (see Better Body). Unlike Iteration X, few Void Engineers take on extensive or bizarre alterations; those who travel far beyond the Horizon or life in the Convention’s underwater outposts, however, require them to just survive.

For the most part, Adaptation procedures allow an Engineer to survive in a hostile environment, either for the Effect’s duration or (in the case of extended modifications) permanently. Short-term procedures usually employ survival gear instead. Obviously, having the Effect run out on you during an underwater jaunt is bad news; many travelers keep backup foci (i.e., other gear) on hand just in case.

Adjust Major Anomalies   ·  [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 44 ]

Spheres: Mind 3

By entering the patient’s subconscious and working through dream therapy and reverse sleepteaching, the healer can fix more severe mental damage. Complex anomalies can be adjusted to fit somewhere within normal human parameters. Examples of complex alterations include: Extended forced service to a Marauder, long-term Kindred Dominate and Presence effects, and most mundane brainwashing. This often demands a month of treatment, minus one day per success rolled, with one roll per day allowed.

Adjust Minor Anomalies     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 44 ]

Spheres: Mind 2

With a little work, the Sanitizer can enact simple mental alterations, allowing the mind to repair itself. This usually undoes the damage at a rate of one week minus one day for each of the healer’s successes. Examples of simple anomalies include: A brief contact with a Marauder, fae Enchantment, and short-term effects of the vampiric Discipline Dominate.

Area Scan     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 41 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 3

With a wide-area scanner, a Technocrat can sense across several places at once (see Co-locality Perception) in these procedures are used when plenty of opportunities to be ambushed exist. One Engineer usually sets a scan in motion, freeing the others to accomplish the mission.

Behavior Modification Device     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Entropy 3, Mind 4

Members of the NSC who are (a) educating new operatives, (b) reeducating operatives who have been conditioned by the New World Order, or (c) performing extreme mind-altering operations upon witnesses of supernatural and paranormal phenomena commonly use the BMD. During modification sessions, NSC educators attach electrodes to the subject’s scalp, then wire them to a TV monitor and computer. Using these displays, trained psychologists within the Sanitizers view, select and alter appropriate memories, Professionals at the Descartes Institute of Mental Health (DIMH) frequently employ the BMD, which can be used in the field with a small amount of preparation.

Breach Alien Gauntlet     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 42 ]

Spheres: Spirit 4

The other theoretically common application of this Effect level is the ability to pierce a Gauntlet created around other “physical” realms (i.e., planets), whether the barrier was created by magic, technology, or a completely alien group unconscious. The difficulty to pierce an alien Gauntlet naturally varies with the strength of that Gauntlet, but it’ll generally be +2 higher than the difficulty to breach a Gauntlet of similar strength on Earth (maximum 10).

Breach Gauntlet Undetectably     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 42 ]

This Effect allows a Void Engineer to enter the Near Universe without rippling the Gauntlet. A Garou, for example, forces her way through the Gauntlet, temporarily rippling the fabric of the dimensional barrier and alerting anyone with the proper technology to her presence. A careful Void Engineer, however, uses this Effect to move through the Gauntlet by partially dissolving the barrier and reassembling it behind him, which creates no “ripples” in the dimensional fabric. Such passage is harder to spot (+2 difficulty) than most “stepping sideways” Effects, though it requires two more successes than usual. Someone with this level of ability can also extract someone or something trapped within the Gauntlet proper (like a fly on flypaper) using the same procedures as he used to pass through.

Calculate Kinematics    [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 41 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 1

This procedure helps a Void Engineer estimate the distance to an object, calculate whether it’s moving toward or away from the observation point, and figure its orientation in relation to her. This can be used at either short or long range. Because most Void Engineers explore three-dimensional settings, such as space, the ocean, or underground, they’re better at “getting into a Correspondence mindset” than many other “ground-bound” mages. That is, Void Engineers tend to think in three dimensions, while others think in two.

Create Gauntlet     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 42 ]

Spheres: Spirit 5

At this level of Effect, a localized Gauntlet can now be created without any preexisting structure. This is often used to generate and build either a prison or a “shark cage” in the Deep Universe. One level of Gauntlet can be created for every two successes achieved (difficulty 8). The length of time the impromptu Gauntlet exists also depends on how many successes are achieved.

Create Horizon Realm Construct     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Matter 4, Prime 4, Spirit 5

With sufficient planning and blueprinting, a Void Engineer can create a basic Horizon Realm and the Construct within to the specifications of the individual patron group. Extremely large Horizon Realms, such as the Copernicus Research Center, can require anywhere between two and 200 construction specialists.

Building Horizon Realms is difficult. The exact parameters, variables, and specifications may take months to work out. As a general rule, assume that a tiny pocket Realm (house-sized) takes a month, a medium one (a city block) at least three months to a year, and a large one, several years to complete. Even then, a Horizon Realm comprises more than the pace it occupies.

Defense Screen Versus Higher Lifeforms     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 43 ]

Spheres: Life 3

This Effect works like the Defense Screen but harms or repels higher lifeforms, like sharks, dolphins, and people. The repulsion “setting” makes other animals within the area uncomfortable; most will flee unless they make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) to stick around.

If she wants to add Correspondence 3/Prime 2 to the Defense Screen, the Engineer can set the Effect to kill, which inflicts the usual aggravated damage. This can, off course, backfire on the Engineer’s friends if they happen to be caught within range. The larger or more aggressive the targets, the more successes the caster needs to make the procedure work. Supernatural or enhanced beings, like weresharks or sea monsters, may disregard the repulsion setting at Storyteller option, although the damage application would work as usual.

Defense Screen Versus Lower Lifeforms   ·  [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 43 ]

Spheres: Life 2

To use this Effect, the Void Engineers frequently employ high-frequency sound generators or repellent chemicals as apparati. A successful Effect roll repels lower lifeforms. This is particularly useful to the Aquanauts, who frequently have problems with dangerous coelenterates (jellyfish, anemones, etc.) and huge crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, shrimp). Those animals within the Engineer’s general area (one yard per success) will avoid her for the duration of the Effect. Although chasing away most lifeforms requires one to three successes, four or more successes are needed to disperse large creatures or aggressive groups.

By adding Correspondence 3, Prime 2 (and some form of ultrasonic field or chemical agent) to the Defense Screen, an Engineer can set up a killing zone. Any simple life form in the Effect’s path or radius will take aggravated damage based on the successes rolled.

Each Methodology uses a different focus for these procedures, which are often coincidental. Most teams carry effects if necessary. An Engineer must decide which option she wants to use before activating it; changing functions demands another roll.

Detect Mental Anomalies     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 44 ]

Spheres: Mind 1

With a brief mental scan, a Sanitizer can detect whether or not his subject has suffered any mental manipulations — insanity or mental control through magic, Quiet, vampiric insanity, or mental control through magic, Quiet, vampiric Disciplines, or Garou Gifts. With three or more successes, the nature and origin of the manipulations become clear; with five or more, the Engineer can discern the exact commands or mental torments his subject has experienced and treat her accordingly.

Disintegrator     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Matter 3, Prime 2

R&E produces Disintegrator Devices for the marines. With these Devices, a normal gun can be more dangerous than usual in the hands of a skilled Border Corps supervisor. By using bullets with coils of copper wiring, an Engineer can produce a brief but intense electromagnetic field that breaks down molecular cohesion in the target

The Biodisrupter, a similar Effect or Device, uses Life 3 to inflict a light blast of aggravated damage on living beings. Though this latter variation is quite vulgar, Border Corps working in subterranean environments prefer it. BCDs working in marine and rain forest environments prefer these weapons over the Matter variety.

Drain Node     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 46 ]

Spheres: Prime 4

This Effect completely drains a Node, transferring its Quintessence into another Node, a mage, or other suitable receptacle. If the Node can be recharged, however, it can still retain and replenish a supply of Quintessence. Draining a Node completely is difficult and time-consuming; each roll takes one hour of game time. After the Sanitizers complete this procedure, however, the Node is considered dry until someone taps it again.

Node Size	Difficulty	Successes Needed	Time Down
1 to 3 Point Node	+ 0	3 - 5	One day
3 to 5 Point Node	+ 0	5 - 10	Six hours
Realm-Powering Node	+ 1	10 - 15	Six hours
Place of Power	+ 3	15 - 25	Four hours
Botching a drain unleashes terrible forces. Everything within 20’ suffers an explosion worth three health levels of aggravated damage for each level of the Node being tapped. A backlash from a Place of Power would inflict 12 health levels of damage.

Establish And Exchange Temporal Event Fields     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 47 ]

Spheres: Time 5

This Effect permits the Void Engineer to create a Temporal Event Field around a distant point in time. With that TEF established, and a local TEF around the Chrononaut or other desired subject, the contents of the two TEFs can be exchanged. The result is effectively time travel.

Test subjects don’t experience wild sliding through pathways or time; they simply exist first in one time, and then in the next. To avoid the crippling effects of Paradox, this procedure is only used to travel to a point in the future. A return trip involves returning to the exact second of departure, again to avoid Paradox. Even this future travel is dangerous: If the Chrononaut is unfortunate enough to meet herself, the Paradox effect would blow both of them out of reality. Depending on the events in the game, a chain reaction could result. The difficulty of the roll to perform this Effect is a base 8 for the forward travel and 10 for the return trip (to return at the precise instant of departure in order to avoid Paradox).

Remember that Chrononauts are the Void Engineers most likely to be carried off by Paradox. Many Technocrats also believe that major time travel mistakes could conceivably unravel reality. Any Void Engineer Chrononaut who deliberately alters major points in time to affect the present day is summarily executed by his fellows.

Time-procedure botches take a number of interesting forms: Chrononauts who screw up might disappear, grow suddenly old or youthful, find themselves living life backwards, get displaced in time, or end up as the subject of mass amnesia, to wit: “You’re who? I don’t remember you.”

Establish Local Temporal Event Field (LTEF)     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 46 ]

Spheres: Time 4

With this procedure, a fixed Temporal Event Field can be established around the Engineer or other desired subject with this procedure, suspending the motion of time within the field. Common applications include creating a pocket of “no time” within the Digital Web, allowing a Cybernaut to work extensively (within a closed system, of course) without any time passing while a suddenly imperative subroutine is programmed, for example.

Evaluate Fourth Dimensional Fabric     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 46 ]

Spheres: Time 1

With this procedure, a Chrononaut can scan and evaluate the integrity of fourth dimensional space around him. Any external manipulations, like Time magic Effects, become readily apparent.

Evaluate Gauntlet, Scan Locality     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 41 ]

Spheres: Spirit 1

This Effect lets a Technomancer check the Gauntlet’s status in a specific location. With it, he can tell how strong it is in relation to both himself and to others and may spot breeches or thinning. With three or more successes, the Void Engineer with this ability can also detect a breach in progress before anything comes through.

Variations exist; adding Time 2 to the Effect allows the Technocrat to scan for breaches that have yet to occur. Correspondence 2 lets him check distant locations or monitor the Gauntlet’s strength in other places, while Correspondence 3 scans several areas at once.

Evaluation     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 44 ]

Spheres: Matter 1

This Effect allows a Technocrat to scan and evaluate physical objects within approximately 50 feet. Possible applications include: Evaluating the integrity and pathways of wires and circuits; localizing and identifying elevations, outcroppings, moving objects and vessels underwater; analyzing soil content and type, stone type, and quantity; and geological activity. With four or more successes, difficulty 8, she can also locate lifeforms by noticing the displacement of local matter (water, air, soil). Most scans pick up changes in the type of matter around the Technomancer; if that underground cavern begins filling with methane, some changes are going to be noticeable.

Fortify Gauntlet     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 41 ]

Spheres: Spirit 2

A single Void Engineer may use this Effect to shore defenses following a dangerous breach or to prevent such a breach from occurring in the first place. Suppose a Border Corps patroller detects incoming Garou at a laboratory. Overcoming a difficulty of 7, he raises the level of the Gauntlet by +1 for each success, possibly trapping the Garou, but definitely buying himself time to cal for help. This Effect can also be used over long periods of time to raise the Gauntlet in a location permanently, such as the area surrounding a mundane laboratory building.

Gateway Transport     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 5, Spirit 5

This operation “gates” a ship to a point in the Deep Universe, an operation that only an elite corps of pilots can perform — and only after a sizable amount of preparation. Before “gating,” pilots scout the arrival points to map potentially interfering objects. Only under the rarest and most dire circumstances does anyone “gate” to an unexplored region. The craft undertaking the gating must also be “wired for Gateway”: That is, R&E designers install a network of Tass conduits into the ship’s hull to conduct the Effect evenly over the entire structure. Early Gateways often suffered fluctuations that breached the craft — usually leaving a significant chunk of ship and crew behind, floating in the Deep Universe.

Because of the skill involved in running a gateway operation, good pilots are in great demand, particularly for large-scale transports and Deep Universe exploration. Because no “vulgar magic” exists in the Deep Universe, this procedure’s difficulty depends on the distance the craft covers. Under the best circumstances, Gateway Transport requires five successes at difficulty 8. unexplored or obscenely distant locations raise that difficulty to 10.

Laser Enhancement     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 42 ]

Spheres: Forces 2

This enables a Technomancer to raise the power of any direct light source into laser beam. Laser pointers, therefore, can become extremely dangerous in the handle of a Void Engineer security specialist, and their lectures are rarely ignored. Many carry a low level laser gun anyway, use the normal laser light for a built-in targeter, then enhance the beam to deadly proportions (don’t play Laser Tag with these people). Damage is figured like any other Forces attack.

Laser Production     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 42 ]

Spheres: Forces 3

At this level of ability, any light source becomes a deadly weapon. The Engineer needs to have some kind of directable light source and a lens — a clear piece of plastic, a prism, a pair of eyeglasses, etc. — to focus the light. The laser thus produced is elementary, but extremely dangerous, causing normal Forces damage. Void Engineer weapons focus Prime 2 through some power source and combine it with this Effect to create self-contained laser guns. Both versions of this procedure are essential to the BCD and other security forces working in the Deep Universe.

Laserblast     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Forces 3, Prime 2

The traditional science fiction weapon; by generating and firing a high-powered blast of focused light, a BCD marine burns her target. Like all Forces Effects, the Laserblast inflicts more damage than most magical attacks, even if that damage isn’t aggravated.

Lobotomize     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 45 ]

Spheres: Mind 5

The scientists at the Descartes Institute of Mental Health rarely use this Effect. In the case of a hopelessly insane or compromised Void Engineer who held at least a modicum of respect and status, however, a magical lobotomy may be preferable to death. This procedure completely erases certain areas of the mind and usually damages the patient’s memory of his Avatar. After his recovery, he may be sent off to serve as a technician or menial worker. This practice have received much criticism from many of the younger Void Engineers, who believe that a death with dignity is better than a life as a vegetable.

Locate Quintessential Flow     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 45 ]

Spheres: Prime 1

This procedure allows a Void Engineer to find and trace the lines of Quintessence that lead to a Node and to evaluate the local Prime force power level. Strong sources are easy to spot, while weak streams require more work to uncover. Checking Quintessence levels is often coincidental.

Long-Distance Universal Travel, Puncture Reality Barrier     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 42 ]

Spheres: Spirit 5

Traveling Void Engineers use this level of the Effect to move long distances in the Near and Deep Universe in a relatively short period of time. When combined with Correspondence, this Effect becomes Gateway Transport. This Effect level also permits an Engineer to pass from one reality domain to another, allowing passage into a Horizon Realm without accessing the Realm’s portal, a favorite tactic of space marines with the power to pull it off.

Major Environmental Alteration     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 44 ]

Spheres: Matter 3

This Effect resembles the one above, but with more powerful results. A machine can be rewired to do things it was never intended to do, and stone and other stubborn materials can be destroyed and reshaped. The denser the material, the more successes the Technomancer needs. An Aquanaut might be exploring an ice cavern under Antarctica. The cavern shifts and traps her, seemingly forever. Fortunately, she’s toting along her Aquatic Vibrational Resonance Drill, which she sets against the ice. Using her apparatus to produce this Effect, she quickly chips the ice away and digs herself free. The player rolls four successes against difficulty 6 because ice is fairly simple to manipulate.

Manipulate Time Fragment     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 46 ]

Spheres: Time 2

By tracking the temporal currents, a Chrononaut can read 10 minutes into the future or past. Naturally, these insights are hazy at best. A nearby temporal resolution screen apparatus, however, can show the Engineer a possible ambush unfolding or the identity of the mugger who robbed his friend a few minutes before.

Naturally, the irregularities of time scramble reliable perceptions beyond the proven 10-minute mark. Engineers who claim to have advanced past this record are generally ignored, as their claims can’t be proved scientifically.

Matter-Energy Converter     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Prime 2 Or 5

Like the Biodisruptor and Disintegrator PFTs, Border Corps troops focus this Effect through exclusive weapons. By touching their targets with a conducting rod, enforcers disrupt their victims’ Life Patterns.

MECs are hand weapons — an attacker has to succeed with a Dexterity + Melee roll (difficulty 6). Because it can be set either to stun or to kill, this weapon is preferred by BDC members who work as guards in the Constructs. Level 2 stuns the target like the Rubbing of the Bones Effect; Level 5 allows an Engineer to destroy a living target.

Minor Environmental Alteration   ·  [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 44 ]

Spheres: Matter 2

This Effect permits an engineer to manipulate matter in her immediate vicinity (one yard per success). This includes rewiring connections and circuit paths, extracting breathable oxygen from water, and rearranging or destroying solid matter such as soil or stone. The denser the matter, the more successes the Effect requires; small amounts of soft material demand only one to three successes, while altering a cavern wall would require four or more.

Nitrogen Narcosis (The Bends)     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 48 ]

Spheres: Life 3, Matter 2

Anyone who goes from an area of high pressure to an area of lower pressure without slowly de-pressurizing is subject to nitrogen narcosis, a potentially fatal condition characterized by gas bubbles forming in the blood. This agonizing sickness affects not only marine divers, but pilots and explorers who may encounter different atmospheric pressures.

This Personally Fueled Technology (PFT) must be used under coincidental circumstances — in a decompression suit or chamber, or through a sudden pressure change. Under such conditions, the damage is calculated as usual, can be soaked, and isn’t aggravated. If the target suffers even one health level per turn until she either dies or is cured by reversing this Effect or by undergoing mundane decompression.

Reconstruct Gauntlet     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 42 ]

Spheres: Spirit 4

If the Gauntlet has been damages beyond stopgap reinforcement measures, an advanced Void Engineer can use its shreds to recreate a functional barrier that can be strengthened later. This Effect creates one level of Gauntlet for every three successes achieved (difficulty depends on the extent of the damage and the local Gauntlet strength, usually between 6 and 9).

Scan Life Signs     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 43 ]

Spheres: Life 1

This simple scan indicates the presence of, identifies, and detects magical weakening or enhancement in lifeforms. This Effect helps an explorer make the decision between fighting or fleeing. Storytellers should use Genetics Scan as guide for specific effects.

Scan Non-Local Universe     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 42 ]

Spheres: Spirit 2

Astronomers, or explorers in the Near and Deep Universe, use this Effect for long-range scanning. Difficulty depends on the size and power level of the object or entity being scanned: A small, distant or insignificant object would be hard (difficulty 8 to 10) to spot, whereas a huge, powerful or very close target would be correspondingly easier (difficulty 4 to 7). Like Fortify Gauntlet, such scans are usually combined in a procedure with Correspondence.

Shuttle     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 41 ]

Spheres: Correspondence 3 Or 4

By setting her estimated coordinates and current location into a Fluctuation Matrix, an Engineer can teleport between those locations. This can be chancy — a botch might scatter her atoms (causing physical damage) or lock her in “between space” (i.e., a Paradox Realm). A larger Matrix — and four dots in Correspondence — allow her to bring other people or objects with her.

A minor adjustment, Shuttle Inhibitor, makes it more difficult for others to teleport in her vicinity. This adds +1 difficulty to others’ Correspondence travel Effects within three yards of the Engineer, and lasts for the Effect’s duration. For larger areas of shuttle inhibition, add +1 to the Engineer’s difficulty for each three additional yards (Correspondence 4 or higher required).

Tap Node     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 45 ]

Spheres: Prime 3

This Effect enables the user to channel or dissipate a Node’s Quintessence, rendering it temporarily useless. The Technocrat himself must be at the Node to perform this procedure. The power level of the Node determines the procedure’s difficulty. Each roll takes 15 minutes of game time — apparati must be aligned, reset, warmed up, etc. Really large Nodes take a lot of work to shut down, and they don’t stay drained for long. Draining or transferring large amounts of Quintessence at once is considered vulgar magic; after all, it involves shifting around the essential fabric of reality.

Node Size	Difficulty	Successes Needed	Time Down
1 to 3 Point Node	+ 0	3 - 5	One day
3 to 5 Point Node	+ 0	5 - 10	Six hours
Realm-Powering Node	+ 1	10 - 15	Six hours
Place of Power	+ 3	15 - 25	Four hours
Botching a drain unleashes terrible forces. Everything within 20’ suffers an explosion worth three health levels of aggravated damage for each level of the Node being tapped. A backlash from a Place of Power would inflict 12 health levels of damage.

Terminal Sanitization     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 46 ]

Spheres: Prime 5

This Effect annihilates a Node’s ability to channel Quintessence. For the most part, this is only done if the wellspring’s Resonance has been tainted through Nephandic rituals or marauder corruption. All Prime Force is lost, and the Node must be sanitized before its Quintessence is completely drained. Each roll to sanitize the Node takes an hour of game time.

Universal Travel     [ Technocracy: Void Engineers — Page 42 ]

Beyond the Gauntlet, this level of expertise permits the Void Engineer to travel short distances outside the Penumbra with minimal gear. By attuning her apparati to match her environment, an Engineer can withstand any Otherworldly Realm’s effects with only a breathing mask and respiration gear, although she’ll still be subject to harsh weather, zero gravity, water, vacuums, etc.

RotesWK (Wu-Keng)

The Crippled Lotus Curse / Luck Of The Lotus     [ Book Of Crafts — Page 119 ]

Spheres: Entropy 3, Mind 3, Often With Correspondence 2

To those he favors, a Wu-Keng can bestow the Luck of the Lotus, a gift which makes fortune smile upon the mage’s Ngan. By painting a picture inspired by his intentions, and then sprinkling dried lotus petals onto the wet ink, the mage calls upon the spirits and asks their favor. This boon causes things to go just right, gives the recipient a mental lift, and makes others feel happy to be around him. The reverse blessing, the Crippled Lotus Curse, makes everything that can go wrong do so.

Entropy manipulation causes things to go either very well or very poorly for the person in question. Correspondence allows the gift to work at a distance. The additional Mind Effect generates a “good feelings” impulse which spreads to others in the area, at least for a while. A Wu-Keng might cast this spell on his Ngan at the beginning of the day, every day, showing the benevolence that the gods shower upon her for her association with the wizard. Some Wu-Keng even use it on themselves, to increase their own good fortune. Obviously, a run of really bad luck can be attributed to the Curse, particular if the victim has received a broken lotus in the last few days. Even so, this magic is so subtle that its effects often remain coincidental.

Field Of Yin     [ Book Of Crafts — Page 120 ]

Spheres: Entropy 5, (Life 1 Or 3)

Wu-Keng can completely disguise themselves as women by generating a field of chaotic yin energy around their static yang natures. Even when a Wu-Keng mage is naked, onlookers see a woman.

Lesser Wu-Keng actually alter themselves with Life magic rather than use this Effect. Mastering the Field of Yin Effect, however, is considered superior magic, and far more honorable than “lowering” one’s self to Life.

Footbind     [ Book Of Crafts — Page 119 ]

Spheres: Forces 2, Life 2, Prime 2

Usually performed by an a-ma on a mui when the subject is initiated into the Wu-Keng, the caster must have two 10-foot-long strips of cotton, prepared by soaking them for a day in a mixture of four-parts salt water and one-part loess, a fine-grained yellow dirt. The cloths should still be wet from their treatment when wrapped around the subject’s feet, and his toes are folded under the flats of his feet. The process takes 10 minutes to complete, and will not have effect without the cooperation of the subject. Once the wrapping is complete, the bindings store magical energy which may be channeled for various purposes. When this energy is used up, the bindings remain but must be magically reinvested to channel energy again.

For every success the a-ma rolls in performing the wrapping Effect, the wearer absorbs one point of Quintessence from his surroundings into the bindings. The total Quintessence absorbed by the bindings may exceed the caster’s Avatar rating. After the process is complete, the wearer may spend the stored Prime Force in all the usual ways. The presence of the bound Quintessence is invisible even to masters of Prime.

When he wishes to, the wearer of the bindings may also use an additional Forces Effect to warp light around himself, rendering him largely invisible (treat this as a Forces 2 Effect). This Effect “burns” one Quintessence each time it is used.

Unfortunately, the nature of this magic is excruciatingly painful. When the Wu-Keng taps the Quintessence in his bindings, all difficulties increase by +1. Botching an Effect that involves tapped Quintessence mangles the subject’s feet permanently. The caster thereafter suffers the same Dexterity and movement penalties as those Wu-Keng who have Demonic Investments.

Once all points of Quintessence have been burned up, the wrappings may be reinvested by their wearer through a ceremonial re-wrapping. The bindings remain on the subject’s feet, as the Wu-Keng’s deal with infernal powers demands; the wrapping motions are simply feigned by the wearer. The Effect reinvests the caster’s wrappings with Quintessence as if his a-ma had put them on all over again.

Lotus Bloom     [ Book Of Crafts — Page 119 ]

Spheres: Forces 3, Spirit 5

This vulgar magic is usually reserved for magical battles when staying alive is more important than staying quiet. Upon command, giant purple lotus flowers unfold and explode from the caster’s bound feet. Their outlines flicker like ghostly flames as they immolate the mage’s chosen foes.

This Effect requires that the Footbind Effect, below, has been applied to the caster of this magic. By harnessing the stored Quintessence, the Wu-Keng can summon up an unearthly flaming lotus and direct it at his enemies. Each point of Quintessence so “burned” reduces the Bloom’s difficulty by -1, up to the usual -3 maximum. This is usually enough to do some serious damage.

Shih-Huang-Ti’s Marvelous Game     [ Book Of Crafts — Page 119 ]

Spheres: Life 3, Often With Correspondence 2
This horrific doom, often reserved for the Wu Lung but occasionally used on others, boils a victim alive in his own skin. The pain begins when an a-ma fashions a fine sculpture of the victim, then immerses it in boiling oil or water. As the Wu-Keng tosses bits of parchment inscribed with riddles into the fire beneath the pot, the victim grows fevered, hot, then agonized as his vital organs stew in a cauldron of his own blood. Eventually, the victim dies and his boiled corpse sogs to the floor, spilling gruesome soup from his ears and nose. When someone dies in this horrific way, most Hong Kong triads know that the victim questioned the wrong orders, and they endeavor to learn from his example.

Sometimes, the Marvelous Game is only performed as a warning; the figure is fished out of the oil before the victim dies. The point thus made, the a-ma sends new orders or issues some other statement. Not surprisingly, the victim usually obeys.

Correspondence is necessary to cast this Effect from a distance, which the Wu-Keng often do. The Life damage is aggravated, of course, and cannot be soaked, but occurs at one Health Level per turn. The symptoms build gradually unless the a-ma wants to kill her victim quickly. In game terms, the damage from a single roll is calculated from a single Arete roll, then “dealt out” one Health Level at a time. If the subject still lives, the a-ma can roll again or may elect to stop the torture. Obviously, this spell is a vulgar one, and often leaves investigators puzzled but intrigued.

Silent Promise Of The Spring Tortoise     [ Book Of Crafts — Page 119 ]

Spheres: Entropy 1

The Wu-Keng who made it to the coast during their escape from the First Emperor were struck by the ironic combination of humility and ferocity exhibited by the spring turtles which lined the ocean shore. They took to adopting the turtles as pets, impressing their psyches onto them by painting beautiful patterns on the animals’ hard green shells.

Only one turtle may be adopted at a time. It takes a week for a mage to become one with it, after which the turtle is boiled and eaten. The shell, when held over the cooking fire, cracks in a pattern from which the mage may divine the probable success of his next undertaking.

By detecting the currents of probability, the Wu-Keng reduces the difficulty of one non-magical roll in his next mission by -1 per success. Multiple Silent Promises are not cumulative, at least not for the same mission.