Serge Yager

I like these, bit a couple of questions - presumably "See Auras" strictly refers to emotions and not something like their magical ability or magical influences laid upon them? And would it seem prudent that "In The Zone" carries with it a matching penalty to Perception-based rolls to notice anything going on around the caster, such as someone armed and hostile showing up, or someone urgently trying to make contact with them?

Those works, I think that Serge can probably make a more complicated rote to see auras that will tell him more about a person's magickal powers and the like if he adds Prime 1.

Good job Jeremy.

See Auras refers to auras that the M20 book can allows him to see. This is mostly just emotions but I think Serge can also learn when someone is magickal, supernatural, or a nephandus (he doesn't get any specific details though and he needs to be able to discern the colors).  Serge has used this before and was able to see Sierra and Cadence were fallen.  

But Serge definitely wouldn't be able to tell when magick is being used on his target or what type of magick they have.


And Yeah 'In the Zone' would definitely have a penalty . Probably not just for Perception but also to react to anything that isn't what he's focusing on. He is quite literally ignoring everything around him just to hyper focus on one task.


Thanks Anja!

Serge's Mind 2 and Mind 3 art mental illusion would also probably be rotes but I couldn't think of a good name/description for them at the time.

Yes whatever or not someone is a magick user will be visible in the aura, so will several other supernatural conditions Mage use the same chart for colors and symbols that Vampire do I think, but off course Serge would not know what black Diablerie stripes in the aura means or the pale aura of an undead but if he looks at the aura of a Fay that will probably be amusing he have seen the black disturbances that indicate someone is Fallen. He can not tell when magick is used or what it is used for but mages have rainbow hues in their auras for example so when he have seen that enough times then he should be able to identify that.

Just write up the mental illusions rote and change the name when you think of a good name for it.

I've been wanting to get another dot in Entropy and I think I have enough of a reason to justify getting another dot in it or at least arrange for Serge to have further study in it.

-Serge already knows how to sort through and view the chaotic strands of karmic fate [he has 1 dot in Entropy]

-He's talked about fate and luck with both Master Sharaya and Liv's father in the past. Liv's father in particular told him about the fickle nature of luck (He even taught Serge a rote only to find out that he can't use it yet )

-Also after seeing his Mentor badly injured Serge may be wanting a bit more control over over the cycle of good and bad luck. To help control and prevent bad things happening to those he care about. Not a big reason but can serve as motivation for learning it.

-And here's the big one. Among the many lessons in his seeking, Serge was told about the importance of small actions. How little seemingly insignificant actions can have enormous consequences or benefits. This can be interpreted as Karma [one way the Cult of Ecstasy view the Entropy Sphere]. Taking small selfless actions will lead to good luck in the future whereas taking bad selfish actions will lead to bad luck and large consequences in the future. By accepting that small helpful actions are just as important as any other he is furthering his understanding of the karmic cycle.

Is that enough of a reason for Serge to gain the next level of the Entropy Sphere or at the very least to arrange for him to have further study of it?

That works and seams a very well tought out rationale for getting Entropy. I will let Serge get it and get a 1 exp bonus for this explination.

Here's my attempt at making the temporary dot spell. Let me know if it makes sense.

Skillshare - Mind 3 optional: Correspondence 3

Tool: Art, Symbols, Language, or Eye Contact. Optional: Meditation [only when Correspondance is used]

Description: Their are many skills in the world and many experts of those skills. Everyone is good at something and bubbling within their heads is the knowledge of how to do those skills to the best of their abilities. Not only just knowledge on how to do those skills but the muscle memory that comes from repeated practice. After all, muscle memory is stored within the subconscious mind. If someone were to gain access to all of that knowledge it's feasible they could bypass all of the years of training some of those skills normally require....

Serge learned early that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So many shows or games featured such an episode or character, one that could mirror and copy the moved of the protagonist. Rogue, Kirby, Dark Link, Megaman, and so many other power copiers whose purpose was to mirror the abilities of the heroes and enemies.

This spell is inspired by those tales. By concentrating on a connection between himself and a target, Serge can enter into the mind of his target and borrow knowledge regarding a certain ability. By incorporating this knowledge into his own and imagining himself doing the feats he's trying to copy and embodying the person he's copying, Serge can gain sudden talent and proficiency in certain abilities.

System: Before using this spell Serge needs to know that his target possess the ability he wishes to copy and some kind of connection to his target. This can things such as a picture of the two of them (Art), items or clothing from the target (Symbols), or imitating his targets speech patterns (Language). Eye contact can also be used as a connection in certain face to face match-ups (like a boxing match or a heated game of chess).

Once a connection has been established the player rolls arete. The number of successes determines the amount of temporary dots that Serge's gains. These dots go beyond just simple knowledge of an ability, but also the muscle memory and subtle optimization that come with long-term practice. This spell can never give more dots than the target has. If the target has 3 dots in firearms than that is the maximum amount of dots in firearms that Serge can ever gain from that person.

These temporary dots last for a scene or for whenever they've served their purpose. After the fight, the performance or the event in which he uses the action passes, Serge will forget everything he learned and will have no recollection of how he performed those feats.

By adding Correspondance to the mix, Serge can reach out into a wide area and gain knowledge from someone on the other side of town/world. A connection is still required but can be mitigated/avoided by using Entropy, entering into the mind's of random people in an area and using their emotional connections to find the most probable path to the one person who can provide him with the knowledge he needs. This can be handy when Serge needs to know how to lockpick and their's a thief on the other side of town breaking into a house.

That works very well and nice write up of the rote. Give yourself a free EXP point for the job.

Thanks Anja!

My pleasure I like rotes with some details to them.

XP Expenditures requests for the downtime:

Sphere Improvements (Current ratings x 8 for non affinity spheres):

Correspondence 3 - 16 xp (Tutored by Narim)

New Abilities:

Drive 1 - 3 xp (Learning with help from Nicole)

Total Spent: 19 xp

Total remaining: 11 xp


Background Dot Improvement Request:

Resources 1 - Over the months Serge will try and create an online commission service for his art in order to try and get a little extra money. He will be posting his art on most social media services as well as linking them back to his commission page with a business email for those who want to request drawings from him.

Narim is apprantly a pretty good teacher.

Getting a Resources of 1 is ok that is approved and so is him getting Correspondence 3.

A couple of sample spells to help me understand how to use Correspondence/Entropy. Let me know if their all right (mainly the second one which is kinda extreme but I think works).

Blink - Correspondence 3
Tools: Symbols or Eye Contact
Effect:

Like the spell possessed by mages in World of Warcraft or Nightcrawler from the X-men, this rote allows Serge to teleport short distances, typically within line of sight.

Serge focuses on a symbol that represents a character or concept that breaks the illusion of space. These can be things like images of the aforementioned Nightcrawler, Deadpool (with his teleportation belt), or even the prolific anime characters who seem to have a tendency of appearing behind their enemies in a burst of speed.

Thanks to his training with Narim, Serge can also use digital and technological symbolism for this spell as well having learned just how connected the world is through technology.

By focusing on these symbols of space breaking, Serge can temporarily turn their mystique into reality as he realizes the connection between the world and break his own tethers, teleporting to a desired location within line of sight.

System:

This is a very basic form of the classic Correspondence 3 teleportation intended for quick hops between two nearby locations. When the spell is cast the player rolls Arete. Since this rote is intended to teleport between places within line of sight, only one success is needed (pg 504 M20 corerulebook). This makes this rote ideal for fast-casting.

Serge can also use eye contact as a tool for this rote, which would allow him to appear directly behind whoever he was making eye contact with. Combining this with other spheres can create some nasty surprises for those who don't expect such an effect.

The appearance of the teleportation changes based on what symbols Serge uses. Focusing on the apparating wizards from Harry potter will cause his teleporting to appear just like apparating. Focusing on classic video game depictions of teleporting will cause his teleporting to appear just like they do in the video games.


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Storyteller's Scenario - Mind 3, Correspondence 3, Entropy 2 Optional: Time 1

Tool: Art, Demesne (as a symbol of Serge's creative power), other symbols of control or command (ie, chessboard)

Description: A scene in a movie, a chapter in a book, an episode of a tv show, and a act in a play. All things describing a scenario happening between character in a fictional world. A daring escape, a fated encounter between to long lost friends, a meeting in a tavern, or a wacky event in a coffee shop. All created and told by a director, author, playwright, or some other mastermind.

This rote allows Serge to assume the role of the author/director/playwright in realities story, describing a scenario and watching unfold in front of him. For example, if Serge drew a picture of a blonde women walking into the coffee shop he was in and ordering a specific drink, if the spell was successful he would soon see a blonde women walk in who just so happen to want the drink he had specified.

Using this rote Serge can orchestrate events and scenarios to happen according to his specifications. A meeting with a man who just so happens to be selling something that Serge needs. Causing an jogger to turn on a street and bump into an Extraordinary Citizen, causing him to drop sensitive Technocratic documents.

System: The breakdown of the effect is as follows:

Entropy 2 increases the probability that a specific person is around or a specific situation will occur. This helps Serge manipulate things not under the purview of Mind as well as make sure his entire scenario is possible. This is the sphere which ensures, people trip, get blocked by traffic, miss the bus, or any number of scenarios that could happen.  

Mind 3 provides the mental compulsion to perform the task Serge specifies. Walking into a bar, getting confused and bumping into someone, a sudden desire to talk with that strange young man drawing in the corner, etc. As per usual at this level Serge cannot compel anyone to do anything they would be vehemently against doing, but can easily coax people into doing things they would have no opinion against doing. Things that they strongly feel against doing require Serge to put more successes into this portion of the spell.

Correspondence 3 hold these effects together. Allowing the other spheres to work harmoniously together to draw on people within a large area and coordinating them so that the desired scenario occurs within a localized location.

As expected, an extended arete roll needs to be done in order to gain enough successes to facilitate this effect. This can be done by carefully drawing the scenario Serge wishes to occur or retreating into his demesne and crafting it there (getting a -1 to difficulty due to the nature of mind realms).

Serge must specify exactly what he wants to happen and the ST determines if it is possible and how many successes are needed based on how likely those events are too occur. Being vague (a blonde women walking into a bar, spilling a drink, a taxi driver riding past and picking him up) lowers the amount of successes needed while being specific (a russian werewolf named sergei yells at a european punk rockstar in his 40's) increases them.

If Time 1 is added, Serge can cause specific events to happen at specific times. He could specify that he wanted a certain person to arrive at 8:00 and then leave at 8:30. Or cause the the line in front of a rollercoaster to shorten at 5:30 when he would just so happen to be walking past that particular ride. Without Time the event occurs around the time the spell was completed and the time between events are determined by the ST.

Both rotes work including the second one. And both fit very well with Serge's Paradigm well done. Have one free exp for the rotes.

The last Rote, while I rather do like it, seems ever so slightly off - Time 1 to adjust the timing of it? Seems that should be at least 2, maybe 3, to affect timing (1 is mainly sensory, to notice time manipulation, after all, while 2 is needed to scry through time), but aside from that, I think it looks good.

By the way, it's "compel someone", not "compulse someone". Minot nitpick.

Also, the second rote is probably going to have nasty repercussions if Paradox decides to strike.

Warpmind wrote:The last Rote, while I rather do like it, seems ever so slightly off - Time 1 to adjust the timing of it? Seems that should be at least 2, maybe 3, to affect timing (1 is mainly sensory, to notice time manipulation, after all, while 2 is needed to scry through time), but aside from that, I think it looks good.

Thanks for the suggestions .

That part of the spell is based off of the fact that Time 1 also allows the mage to perfectly time their actions. To see the flow of time and doing things at the perfect time.

Hitting at the right time, entering at the most dramatic moment, and, in this case, timing when and how to compel/probability manipulate people to performing action at the exact time that he wants.

It made sense in my head but I'll let Anja decide if it works or not.

Warpmind wrote:Also, the second rote is probably going to have nasty repercussions if Paradox decides to strike.

I'm sure Anja will have a lot of fun with that

Yeah, I see where you're coming from, but comparatively, Trigger Effect, which makes an effect stay on hold until a given event occurs, is all the way up to Time 4. That seems a bit extreme in the other direction, though...

I'd probably drop the Time requirement entirely, and just add successes to duration, narratively explained as the effect gently nudging the events prior to the scene along as they'd have to happen before the assigned time - in effect setting the stage.

Warpmind wrote:I'd probably drop the Time requirement entirely, and just add successes to duration, narratively explained as the effect gently nudging the events prior to the scene along as they'd have to happen before the assigned time - in effect setting the stage.

It's not a requirement. It's a optional effect you can add. Though it can probably be ignored since it probably won't play much of a role as Serge isn't going to get Time 1 for a while. He'll likely only ever use the base form of the spell.

Misunderstand me correctly here, please - you listed Time 1 as an optional requirement for the delayed effect.
That's what I'd recommend simply dropping and just adding successes for.

Bonus: Serge will be able to set up things like that much sooner.

Time 1 would be more to sense the right time not adjust things I think. However getting a blond woman to walk in at just the right time can be done wit Entropy 3, it is never completely sure with Entropy but if chance can be made to have her appear then and there then she will, Mind can help nudge her to come into the shop, Time would help with the right dramatic moment and would help if style over function are the goal.

Anja wrote:Misunderstand me correctly here, please - you listed Time 1 as an optional requirement for the delayed effect.
That's what I'd recommend simply dropping and just adding successes for.

Bonus: Serge will be able to set up things like that much sooner.

Sorry about misunderstanding you. Looking at it like a delayed effect I can see what you mean now.

Thankfully it was just an afterthought for style points. So dropping it isn't too difficult.

You can do the rote without the time element but then it might not have the movie liked perfect timing.

Sure thing. I actually wrote what would happen without time in the spell description. Would this be an accurate description of what would happen:

Spell wrote:...Without the Time sphere the event occurs around the time the spell was completed and the time between events (if their are multiple) is determined by the ST.

Yes that would be about it.