ANDERS MAGE PAGE 2.0

See the Astral World (Spirit 1, Mind 1)

To actually project into Astral Space is hard and requires training and immense strength of will. However, to just see what's in there requires much less preparations. Akashic brothers cleanse themselves and meditate on the mental world, while Dreamspeakers watch how the contents of the medicine pouch falls.

Find the Rift (Spirit 1/2, Corr. 2, Time 2, Entropy 1)

This rote is used by Nephandi, Marauders and others of their ilk to learn when and where the Gauntlet or Horizon will open enough to let them through. Marauders usually use this rote subconsciously, coincidentally appearing at the opening at the exact right moment.

The Invocation of the Four Archangels (Spirit 2)

Hermetic rote. The mage stands with his arms straight out to the sides, so that his body forms a cross. He invokes the four Archangels: "Before me Raphael. Behind me Gabriel. On my right hand, Michael. On my left hand, Uriel. For around me flames the pentagram, and within me shines the six-rayed star." By using this rote, the mage will scare away most spirits, fearful for the powerful Archangels and the powerful mage. The Rosicrucians have developed their own version, the Lesser Banishing of the Pentagram, which works in almost the same way.

The Archangels will normally not appear in person but will (if the mage is lucky) send subordinates to the mage. They will not manifest physically but their presence is often felt. The subordinate angels will scare away lesser beings from the vicinity. After they are done, they will report back to their superiors what happened. It is very unwise to misuse this rote.

Exorcism (Spirit 2)

The mage seeks to exorcise a spirit which has manifested on the physical plane. In practice, the mage is trying to throw it out in the Umbra again. Most spirits are naturally opposed to this, and will use any means necessary to prevent it. Most spirits try to sneak away on the physical plane if they can or the exorcist seems dangerous. Others attack the exorcist physically, mentally or with cunning.

The rite is an extended action, where each success of the mage temporarily decreases the Arete of the spirit during the exorcism. The difficulty is the Arete of the spirit +4. If it reaches zero the spirit is banished. If the mage botches the spirit can possess him if it wants to, or even banish the soul of the mage to the Umbra if it is powerful enough.

Summon Succubus/Incubus (Spirit 2, Mind 2)

Succubi and Incubi are as much beings of desire as actual spirits. They take their form from the wildest, most repressed desires of their partners, intent on fulfilling all their fantasies. This has made them excellent tools of corruption or spies in the past. Many mages have also fallen for the temptation of using them as lovers, which they are all too willing to become. The longer a succubus/incubus remain physical and the more lovers it has, the more powerful will it become until it is beyond the control of any mage. However, that hasn't detained many mages from summoning a few.

Feel the Grip of Paradox (Spirit 2, Corr. 2)

After some paradox backlashes parts of reality vanish into paradox dimensions, often taking irritating mages and innocent Sleepers with them. In these cases it is possible to find the affected places long afterwards due to the subtle distortions of space left behind and the strains on the Gauntlet. When such an area is found, a careful (as not to invoke more paradox) study using Spirit and Correspondence can often reveal the paradox dimensions and mini-realms which have appeared.

See the Dark World (Spirit 2, Entropy 2)

By singing and dancing the songs of mourning the Dreamspeakers are able to see the worlds of the dead and communicate with the wraiths who live there. To see the dark world, they look through the feather. To speak to the wraiths, they talk through it and hold it to their ears to hear the replies.

Guardian (Spirit 2, Matter 2)

The mage summons a lesser spirit, which is left guarding a place or an object. Usually it is connected to a certain object (idols or seals on parchments are popular). If something specified beforehand happens, the spirit contacts the mage and then leaves.

Each success increases the awareness and alertness of the spirit with 2. It will remain as long as the binding spell lasts.

Bless the Faithful Servant (Spirit 2, Prime 2)

The mage blesses a spirit, pouring quintessence into its pattern. This is something most spirits desire, as it will make them more powerful in the long run. Besides, at least to a human, they seem to derive pleasure from it. This rote is often used to thank spirits who have helped the mage. The Cabalists bless them in the name of Tetragrammaton and let the quintessence flow from their seal, while Dreamspeakers give them crystals and medicine as gifts.

Haunting (Spirit 2, Entropy 2)

The mage summons lots of minor spirits into an area to spread an aura of eeriness. The result is a local haunting, where spooky sounds can be heard (or was it just a branch tapping the window?), plates fall from the shelves, small objects mysteriously vanish, light bulbs suddenly go out and similar eerie happenings. The mood becomes slightly darker, with barely perceived movements in the shadows and noise just below the threshold of hearing.

Spirit Messenger (Spirit 2, Corr. 2)

A rote which was often employed during the Middle Ages by the Order of Hermes. The mage summons a minor spirit, which is given a message to deliver. The spirit flies away to the receiver, delivers its message and vanishes (unless ordered to return with an answer). The Order had long tables with the names of suitable messengers and especially valued spirits who could communicate in several languages and work as interpreters.

Bind Servitor (Spirit 2, Matter 3)

This ritual allows a summoned being to inhabit a material object, like a knife, a statue or a fire. The being will gain the power to use the object as a body. A statue will be able to move, a knife will be able to stab or slip away, a fire will be able to choose whether it will burn someone or not. The ritual must be done during the creation or reshaping of the object, to make the link to the spirit the strongest. Sometimes mages divide the ritual process into parts and perform certain stages on the right days.

Ride With the Spirits (Spirit 2, Corr. 2, Mind 3)

This rote allows a mage to perceive what a spirit perceives, regardless of where it is. By using it again, the mage can "jump" onto another spirit which the first one perceives. It was used by a cabal of Cultists who used it to learn the deepest and most frightening secrets of the Deep Umbra. One day they were found dead or incurably insane. To use this rote on certain spirits is very unwise, partly because they might notice it and take objection to it, partially because certain beings are not wholesome for humans to contact or even see.

Rousing the Spirits to Spread the Word (3 Spirit)

By Stephen Johnson. Another ancient Dreamspeaker Rote that has fallen into disuse and disfavor, it was important during the Impergium and before the rise of the Technocracy but has become less so with the increasing power of the Gauntlet. This Rote calls all the available spirits near the mage to allow the spreading of news of potential dangers to all the Awakened.

Each success after the first increases the range and number of spirits called. All spirits called are compelled to pass along whatever message the mage wishes to spread.

Break Through the Veil of Dream (Spirit 3, Mind 2)

The mage breaks down the Gauntlet into the dreams of a sleeping person. In this way the mage can visit other people in their dreams and influence those dreams. There are often links to the chimerae from these dreams, which makes this rote useful to get there. Some mages even open portals others can use to pass into the dreams but this has of course the added risk that beings and things from the dreamworld can escape. The dreams of people who are awake can also be visited, since they often persist a short while after the sleep. Many such dreams have been linked stronger to the chimerae or started to dissolve. To remain inside a dream which dissolves is naturally extremely dangerous.

Using Correspondence the mage can visit dreams of people far away and Spirit 4 can open a physical portal. Inside the dream, the paradigm is largely decided by the subconscious of the sleeper and normally quite loose. Most magick is coincidental but some very inhibited sleepers may react negatively to it at a subconscious level, turning the dream into a nightmare.

Burnt Offering (Spirit 3, Prime 3)

Many spirits are extremely interested in the material world and its pleasures, especially those who for different reasons cannot manifest there. This is sometimes very useful for mages seeking their aid, as they can be placated with gifts of food and liquor (some spirits even prefer such gifts before Quintessence). A common method of sending gifts to the spirit plane is to ceremonially burn them, and thus let their essence appear before the spirits.

Kindred Spirits (Spirit 3, Prime 3)

Sons of Jupiter by Jack Dracula. This impolite rote is a dangerous way to get Quintessence from smaller spirits. The mage uses Spirit to call a smaller spirit (trust me, go for a small one) which the mage then attacks, and drains the Quintessence from. Also note how dangerous this can be, as many spirits are but servants of more powerful beings you don't want to piss off.

The Blasting Rod (Spirit 3, Forces 3 or 5, Prime 2)

Goetics. This rote uses a hazel staff, which is used to punish disobedient or aggressive spirits. The mage releases flashes of force against beings in the umbra while he is still in the physical world, damaging or driving away spirits. It is a very effective way to force spirits summoned into the Triangle to obey, as many cannot leave until given permission and the mage may beat them to submission.

The Sign of Koth (Spirit 4)

Nephandi. This sign is placed on doors and openings to seal them from umbrood beings. When drawn, the mage must infuse it with Tass to connect it to Koth, whoever or whatever that is. Most Umbrood, even many of the most powerful respect it since they fear the power of Koth. However, there is a catch: If the door is opened, it lets the beings in and out. And there is the added danger and fear of whatever Koth is, and what happens when the mage contacts it. The Nephandi know but they don't tell anyone...

Vinculum (Spirit 4, Matter 2)

This rote is a classic method of binding spirits, mainly used by the Order of Hermes. Part of the spirit is simply forced into a material object and locked in place. The spirit has to choose between leaving the object, or ripping itself apart. Such spirit-fetters are a very useful way of taming dangerous spirits or to keep spirits imprisoned in the material world. A common addition to the rote is a condition which will hurt the spirit if it tries to affect the object, or even destroys the object plus the essence of the spirit if it is harmed.

Consecrate Circle (Spirit 4, Prime 3)

This hermetic ritual is used to consecrate a Circle and/or Triangle to make it easier to summon spirits into it, and strengthen its protective properties. Usually it is done by sacrifices to the invisible rulers of the spirit world, and long incantation of god names.

Each success will decrease the gauntlet inside the Circle and/or Triangle by 1 and increase it along the circumference.

Eat Spirit (Spirit 4, Life 3)

This rote was reputedly invented by a very eccentric hermetic mage, who boasted that he had tasted everything on earth. He finally decided to taste something not of this earth, and invented this rote. By drawing a complex hermetic circle, trapping a spirit inside and forcing it to manifest, he was able to make it material... and edible. According to the stories (which diverge on this), the etheric flesh of the spirit was either the greatest disappointment of his life or of such an exquisite flavor that he never could eat any earthly food again.

Charge Gauntlet (Spirit 4, Forces 3, Prime 2)

By Michael M. Moolick. Many Void Engineers have to spend at least some of their time on "border patrol", guarding and maintaining the Gauntlet. They often think of their gauntlet as a fence between the spiritual and physical worlds. There are things out there that can break the fence. The Void Engineers do just what Sleepers do when a fence has to hold something really big back, they electrify it! They use the gauntlet as a non-conductive material, and separate a charge into the material and spiritual worlds. The charges stick together due to electrostatic attraction but can't normally touch. Whenever something tries to cross the gauntlet, it becomes a conduit between these worlds. Zap! Mucho voltage. The dischage is quite spectacular (one of the rewards of the often thankless job of a border guard).

The discharge causes successes ×2 damage. In addition, each level not soaked also removes one success from any attempt to cross the gauntlet. One use of the rote can create a number of discharges no greater than the number of successes.

Rune of Ownership (Spirit 4, Matter/Life 4)

This spiritual sign is drawn on an item (or being), which will be marked forever as a possession of the mage. This will work as long as the mage doesn't sell, give away or free the marked. To mark something, the mage must own and control it at least for the moment. Even Avatars can be marked in such a way if the person in question truly agrees about his servitude with the marker for a moment. This is the way many Nephandi collect Avatars for their masters (who may have the ownership of their souls...). It is also used by some normal mages to mark their possessions (in this case Spirit 2 is all that is needed), and in old times many mages marked their possessions before their death to be able to bring them with them into the Underworld.

Creating the Magical Mystery Machine (Spirit 4, Matter 4, Prime 2)

By Stephen Johnson. This Rote was originally taught within the Order of Hermes as a quick method of creating reliable transport in the Umbra. After leaving the Technocracy the Sons of Ether used this Rote to create graceful and imaginative Ether sailing ships in the Umbra. Then an unknown Cult of Ecstasy member, on a very strange and powerful trip during the nineteen sixties, while listening to the Beetles Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band record, changed the perceptions of this Rote forever. Since that fateful day no Tradition Mage is ever sure of what this Rote will create. Cult of Ecstasy members claim that being in the midst of a real mellow trip when using this Rote makes the result look, "Really cool, man!"

With one success the Mage creates a breech in the gauntlet, usually manifesting as an invisible doorway, and a small slow Umbral craft which the mage can use the doorway to gain access to. For each additional success the Umbral craft created becomes larger and faster. Unfortunately the mage has absolutely no control over what the Umbral craft looks like or how it propels itself through the Umbra. This is totally in the hands of the Storyteller and is usually very wild. The Cult of Ecstasy thinks this effect is really cool, the comments of other Traditions are unprintable.

Program Expert System (Spirit 4, Mind 3/4, Prime 2)

The Virtual Adepts are very interested in the possibility of creating their own customized expert systems and AIs. This is by no means a simple feat, and AI programmers are regarded as very Elite by the Adepts. To create a simple expert system, the programmer must first create a system which can hold information and act on its own. Then it must be programmed with the necessary skills, behaviors and personality to become functional. This is usually done by having the programmed download part of his memories and skills into the system, and then modifying them to fit in. The result is an autonomous system, which exhibits personality traits and behaviors almost like a real being, although it is not really intelligent or self-aware. The expert system is not truly intelligent, it's just a crude simulation (true AI is much harder), but it's often hard to tell a cleverly designed Expert from true intelligence.

Each success lets the mage download one skill point into the system (it's often a good idea to slowly build the system under a long time as an extended action). The skills and memories must come from the mage's self, or be downloaded with Mind 4 from another person. Personality is up to the designer to determine, but often elements from himself sneak in. If the mage doesn't succeed in making the magick permanent, the expert will crash after a while and have to be rebooted.

Purify Paradigm (Spirit 4, Entropy 3, Prime 3)

This rote is coincidentally used by technomancers when they build their central laboratories and other installations. By making sure that everything inside is perfectly ordered and that no one questions the paradigm, and then channeling some quintessence (funding) into it, they can fix the paradigm to become "hyper-static". The Gauntlet is quite impermeable. Randomness and decay is banished. Experiments will be completely repeatable, and follow theory exactly. The whole area follows their paradigm and actively dampens all forms of magick not compatible with it. A weaker version of this rote is used around important people or in the homes of technomancers.

Each success will increase the Gauntlet rating one step and give the area and anything within an extra die of countermagick against everything not consistent with the paradigm.

Dissolve Spirit (Spirit 4, Entropy 4)

To actually destroy a spirit is often extremely hard but it is possible. This rote dissolves the spiritual essence of the spirit and scatters it to the winds. This will destroy lesser spirits but really powerful spirits can sometimes reappear after a considerable time, often both weakened and desperate for revenge. To make sure the spirit is destroyed, either the True Name of the spirit has to be used or Prime 4 can be used to unravel the remaining patterns into nothingness (but even then, extraordinarily powerful spirits may return sometime in the future).

The rote does aggravated damage against Spirits. If they are reduced below Incapacitated, they are destroyed or banished for a very long time if they are powerful enough.

Spirit Flask (Spirit 4, Matter 3)

Another classic rote. By making a material container impervious to spirits, they can be trapped inside and only escape if someone opens it. The trick is to get them inside...

Sustain Existence (Prime 2, Spirit 4)

A great but fortunately uncommon danger is the risk in being trapped in a decaying reality. This problem is most often encountered under the creation of Horizon realms, since many early attempts often break down as the reality crumbles due to unexpected internal stresses, or near the chaotic and Wyld zones left in the Umbra by Marauders. An unprotected mage trapped inside a reality whose existence is unravelling will vanish together with the reality unless he can enforce his own reality strong enough or at least uphold reality around him. The Order of Hermes has developed an effective version where the mage protects everything inside his circle while constantly drawing powerful symbols along the perimeter with the seal, while the Virtual Adepts (whose early realms had an unfortunate tendency to crash at the drop of a hat) weave a web of network connections around themselves, protecting themselves by the built-in defences and inherent stability of the network.

The mage must constantly refuel all patterns around him with quintessence to prevent them from loosing their reality. Spirit is used to supply "base reality" in the vicinity regardless of the nature of surrounding reality. Often the local gauntlet is hardened as much as possible to bring more stability to the region.

Rain of Fire and Brimstone (Spirit 5, Forces 2)

This rote is a classic, and like all classic rotes it is practically never used. The mage simply opens a gate to the Realm of Fire (close to the Shard Realm of Forces) and lets the destructive power descend unpon his enemies, buildings or whole cities. Of course, the gate must be big enough to let through the almost liquid fire. When the rote is used on a large scale, storming clouds will appear around the opening portal and then a huge rain of destruction will fall on anything beneath. Lesser openings often appear as erupting craters or explosions.

Note that the mage has absolutely no control of what passes through the gate, and often extremely powerful and malevoent elementals or djinns escape. The destruction caused is untold, and is in no way dependent on the power of the mage, who only serves as gatekeeper.