ANDERS MAGE PAGE 2.0

Midas.exe (Entropy 1/3, Forces 2, Mind 1)

This rote, which depends rather heavily on the scientific paradigm (specifically, electronics and digital hardware design) is a favorite of malicious-minded Virtual Adepts (and maybe Sons of Ether) everywhere in need of cold, hard cash and a longtime bane to the Technocracy's financial affiliates (particularly the Syndicate).

The caster approaches an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine), using Forces to simulate a (nonexistent) magnetic signature on the metallic strip of an ATM card. From there, he can directly interface a series of personal identification numbers at an alarming rate until he gets lucky, picks a lucky number on the first or second try or perhaps even cause the ATM's security software, backed up by hardware (fuses), to spontaneously jump states from 'authenticate' to 'accept'.

Once inside the system, the caster can, through 'random computer error', cause some exorbitant sum to be deposited in his fictitious account (this sum can be created from thin air or siphoned from a number of other bank accounts), withdrawing some/all of it as needed (the ATM's daily limit can be surpassed using the same 'jump states' effect as above, although this will leave a record somewhere of an abnormal withdrawal).

Most Adepts add insult to injury when finished with their transaction, burning out a vital component of the system or simply power-spiking it, shutting it down until reboot/repairs are made. Sufficient degrees of control (i.e., high successes/Computer ability) may enable the Adept to wipe, head-crash or otherwise efface the portion of memory containing the ATM's log file.

Note that the Technocracy really hates this one and may, depending on the level of paranoia in your Storyteller's world, implement tempest-hardened systems, technomagickal safeguards (recorders/countermagick) or even spiritual watchdogs (pattern spiders and the like) to watch over any suspicious modifications to their electronic holdings.

Heightened Senses (Life 1, Mind 1)

If more than one sense is augmented at a time with this effect, successes should be split between the senses.

1 success	musician/refined human	+1 Perception
2 successes	upper limits of human senses	+2 Perception
3 successes	potentially vulgar extremes	+3 Perception
4 successes	clearly superhuman senses	+4 Perception
5 successes	rivals advanced technology	+5 Perception

Extreme augmentation that lasts more than a few scenes should be subject to Pattern Bleed in a manner similar to Better Body, at the Storyteller's discretion.

Note that, unless some explanation can be concocted, acting on preternaturally heightened senses could result in Paradox. There are supposedly a few people whose senses naturally extend outside the human norm, although only they know for sure. I've been able to hear the high-pitched KHz 'whine' most U.S. television sets give off, for instance, since I was a kid, but have only just learned that most people can't. So maybe, once in a while, the mage might get away with something of the sort.

Ride the Lightning (Forces 3, Life 3, Prime 2)

This rote is named for one specific (but useful) application. The mage is able to transform his Pattern into electricity (or light, shadow, fire, frost, sound waves, neutrinos or anything else his paradigm accepts as a 'force') which, of course, offers him several new and exciting opportunities for mobility and perhaps modes of attack.

Now, nothing extravagant here. Mages changing themselves into explosions, pinprick gravitic wells or some such, are all the province of Forces 4 and beyond. Something along the lines of, say, that Glass Walker Gift Surf Telephone Lines ought to be possible.

Some forms, obviously, won't be too harmful to touch/be around, although even light might blind or be focussed into a laser. Storytellers may rule that Prime is not necessary, although, allowing for the grossness of Pattern transformation and Quintessence demands of a new (energy) Pattern, I'd require it. A Life 4 variant allows the mage to affect others.

The Mirror Has Two Faces (Corr. 2, Mind 3, Time 2)

This seemingly innocent rote, like many such Time effects, can be both very useful and very, very dangerous. The mage links with his consciousness sometime in the future (via a sort of mind-meld) and, for a very brief moment, can ask his future self the answer to a question, perhaps two. These questions can concern a probable outcome ('I'm about to invest $50,000 in Advanced Micro Devices. What will happen?'), a future fact which is unlikely to change ('Who's the governor of Massachusetts in 2007?') or various personal matters ('Is my marriage with Elizabeth going to work? How much do you weigh in the future? Did I test HIV positive at that clinic?').

Now, keep in mind that the time-space continuum (or 'fabric' or 'stream,' depending on which Tradition you ask) is hardly engraved in stone. The power hungry Adept who, learning that Paul Celucci will win the Massachusetts gubernatorial election in 2000, decides to bankroll (and privately blackmail) him may inadvertently find that his clandestine financial activities have come to public attention, causing Celucci to withdraw from the election. In general, the less the mage attempts to interfere, the better. Also, past selves popping forward in time may unwittingly endanger their future selves by distracting them at a crucial time, or even call unwanted attention (Zigg'ra'laur, Marauder, Technocracy, etc).

It is said that the archmage Seer of Chronos, Zak Wells, after his infamous borrow-Quintessence-from-his-future-self stunts, knew of his death years in advance and prepared his estate and affairs accordingly. Using this rote, months after the original Quintessence-borrowing effect, to ask his future self about the best course of action in an alliance he was pursuing, he found that he no longer existed there. His future self had been/would be killed by the Technocracy.

The Correspondence Sphere is not required at all if the mage can make an educated guess (and be correct) about precisely where he will be at the moment in the future he wants to reach. Similarly, no amount of Correspondence will be sufficient if the mage literally has no idea where he will be in the future (e.g., out of a job and forced to move to the Midwest, etc.), although Filter All Time-Space might be tried, for a very long time...

Various bells and whistles can be affixed to this rote, including a Correspondence 4 tie-in that allows the mage to co-locate to the period in space-time where his future self resides, and even some Forces effects which enable visual interaction — but they are all unfailingly vulgar, some extremely so.

Filter All Time-Space (Corr. 3, Time 2)

Similar to Filter All-Space, except, with sufficient successes, this effect can narrow down with some certainty where a subject/object will be, when it will be there. Generally, the mage has to specify either a fixed location or a fixed time. Filtering through time-space to find an unknown in both time and space is so daunting as to be virtually impossible (hundreds and hundreds of successes).

This rote is very useful with temporal scrying or consultation, such as The Mirror Has Two Faces (above).

Time in a Bottle (Life 4, Prime 2, Time 5)

Sort of a last-ditch longevity rote (and somewhat cheaper than the Horizon immortality rotes), this effect actually retrieves a mage's physical/mental condition from the past, superimposing it onto his Pattern in the present. In effect, making himself that much younger (exact amount success-dependent).

Note that, because Mind is in no way involved here, the mage, unfortunately, will retain none of the knowledge, skills, and talents he has acquired since that far-off point in the past. He is, in fact, directly pulling a copy of his past self, exactly as it appeared and thought back then, and assuming its identity in the present, losing all that has transpired since. Sometimes, however, even this fate is preferable to death. There is always the chance, however slim, that the mage will relearn his present knowledge and personality, after all.

This, potentially, is a very confusing and mentally turbulent rote. Many who are not well-versed in the Sphere of Time boggle at the thought of a present self merging with a past self, and the potentials for Paradox this joining could trigger. As such, the caster often leaves at least a short description of what has just occurred, cognizant of the fact that their past selves may be rather confused. Even though the past personality is the mage's own, this future self he has become will seem like a mysterious, distant stranger.

Dear Me: At the ripe old age of 87, unsuccessful in my quest to perfect the Phoenix Elixir, I have begun to fear Death's coming and have assumed a younger, stronger (past) 47-year old version of myself in the present.

Unfortunately, this means that the past forty years of my work are now gone from my/your mind — but I have meticulously catalogued my findings on the shelves to your right. Hopefully, over the next decade or so, you/I will read and familiarize your/myself with my research. It is my hope that, once you/I have grown into my present knowledge, you/I will expand upon the foundations I have laid herein, perhaps even succeeding where I have failed. Failing this, at least (re)achieve mastery in the Sphere of Time, in order to once again enact this past-present transfer and give the next iteration of me another chance.

Good luck, and remember — take care of yourself.

Doc Eon, Man of Many Tomorrows