IC Awakening Guidelines Sketch

Will this work as a cheat-sheet for an IC Awakening? I'm not holding you to a "contract", of course, I just need something to give my prospective Awaken-ee.

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1. The Awaken-ee purchases Lore Mage with their own XP, to represent IC teaching sinking in. An IC teacher is not required, but warmly recommended, as it leads to more RP! Other possible lead-ins are Occult Library or a Mage Contact. Then again, an Awakening can be utterly spontaneous (although less spontaneous Avatars tend not to do this).

A non-Mage supernatural might even help bring it about (The "catalyst" could be the pain and trauma of a horrifying attack by a crazed were-lynx, for instance).

As a generalization, an Orphan might have no Lore Mage at all, while the Traditions try very hard to be responsible and impart Lore Mage 3.

2. The Awaken-ee chooses their Tradition and Faction OOC. An Awaken-ee need not be the same Faction or Tradition as their IC mentor, but if they differ, it's appropriate and polite to inform them of this before they opt-in to RPing the IC mentorship. :)

If the Awaken-ee decides mid-training that they're heading in a different direction, it's also appropriate and polite to inform their mentor before proceeding further.

Depending on circumstances and the Tradition, it could be a very strict and elaborate apprenticeship, perhaps with humble service as a Consor. At the other extreme, it might be very hectic and school-of-the-streets.

3. The Awaken-ee submits a +request to be Awakened. Only Mortals can be Awakened. Bloodbonded characters are eligible but not those who are currently Ghouls.

If the character possessed Numina, the points may be refunded. The Numina abilities are lost. (Depending on the Mage, it might be appropriate to take a cognate Sphere, for instance, 'Mind' if the Numina was 'telepathy', but this isn't required.)

The player writes up a Paradigm (as a +note). It always includes how your character believes Magick works. If you're drawing a blank, read Guide to the Traditions, which has a whole section on building Paradigms, or look up your Tradition online. A Paradigm is also how (physically/mentally/emotionally/spiritually) the character accomplishes a Magickal effect. Poses when doing Magick will spring from your Paradigm. (It can't just be 'I cast Mind and now I have a thought shield'.) Mages of the same Tradition have similar Paradigms. This enables them to share Rotes (well-studied "classic" Magickal effects) and to pool their talent and power to work on an effect together.

The player describes their foci for each Sphere (+notes). This is worth a bit of thought, as it's permanent. Foci must at least be about palm-sized. They can be fragile (a corsage orchid) or durable (a fat jack-knife), unusual (a statue of a monkey) or commonplace (a shoe). Foci are thematically harmonious with Tradition and Paradigm. A Verbena might require a branch of a particular tree while a Hermetic might use a symbol-laden wand. At the same time, Foci are also individualized; they reflect the predilections of the character and their avatar.

Arete 1 is added free. Higher Arete can be purchased at this time according to the usual XP schedule (Arete 2 for 8 XP, Arete 3 for 16 XP, etc.)

Avatar 1 is added free. There's a ONE-TIME opportunity to buy a higher Avatar via the +request at the normal Mage Freebie fee for Backgrounds (1 XP per dot).

6 dots are distributed to Spheres (maximum of their Arete) for free.

The player chooses their Essence: Dynamic, Primordial, Questing

The player chooses their Resonance: Dynamic, Entropic, or Static. (It can be more specific.)

There are a few Mage-specific Flaws that could appear at this point. Primal Marks or Strangeness, for instance. The event could cause other side effects. For extra drama, consider taking a new Phobia, a reduction in a stat (Appearance? Dexterity?), a physical disability (Celestial Chorister deafened by angelic trumpet?). There can even be personality changes (Code of Honor because the Avatar is Knight of the Round Table? Addiction to Alcohol because the Awaken-ee is having trouble coping?).

4. Before Awakening, the Awaken-ee is of course a mortal Sleeper. All Sleepers have Avatars but they are slumbering Avatars. In very rare cases, a mentor Mage may be able to wake this Avatar up. The identity of the Avatar is not granted by a mentor calling something new to fuse with the Awaken-ee, it is the activation of pre-existing entity. To add to the fun, however, the one running the Awakening PRP might write up an OOC Avatar Inspiration, describing the personality of the Avatar, give it an appearance if it manifests, give it an appropriate name, and so on.

To write this, the inspirer will need the Awaken-ee's Tradition, Faction, Essence, Avatar rating, and a handle on the Awaken-ee's background. (The Awaken-ee can accept or rewrite this; it's just part of the extra fun of experiencing an IC Awakening.)

5. It's great if an IC PRP Awakening scene can be run. It could be deliberate, such as an initiation. It could be incidental, such as a fateful traumatic event. In either case, it occurs immediately in the MUSH timeline, not retroactively.

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