Difference between revisions of "IC Awakening Guidelines Sketch"

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<P>This is a "cheat-sheet" for an IC Awakening!  It doesn't hold MUSH or Staff to a "contract", it's just here to help the prospective Awaken-ee go through the OOC process. By being as complete as we can make it, hopefully that will speed things up for Staff.  :)</P>
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So you have an approved PC and you want them to Awaken in-game. How does ''that'' work?
  
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<P>Whooping Crane helped me write it.  Thanks, W.C.</P>
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* If you were approved as a mage and just want to RP through your Awakening, then go ahead and do so.
 +
* The remainder of these rules are for PCs who were approved as something else.
  
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=What types of PCs can Awaken?=
 +
* Mortal
 +
* Mortal+: Sorcerer/psychic, kinfolk, and/or kinain
 +
** Ghouls cannot Awaken
 +
** Possessed cannot Awaken, even if they are also Sorcerer/psychics
 +
** Merely being blood-bonded does not prevent Awakening
  
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<B>For a sorcerer/psychic Awakening:</B>
+
=What new things does the PC get/need?=
 +
* Faction
 +
** Traditions (major groups of people who use "magic" in the usual sense; includes Hollow Ones, sort of)
 +
** Technocracy (people who use "Enlightened Science" and protect the world against Reality Deviants)
 +
** Wyrm (for Nephandi, people who are permanently corrupted and strive to destroy the world)
 +
** Other (Orphans, minor Crafts, etc.)
 +
** PCs may not be Marauders (people who are insane and constantly warp their surroundings)
 +
* Tradition or Technocratic Convention (if any)
 +
* +note for paradigm
 +
** This informs the flavor of your poses whenever you perform magick
 +
** If someone ICly asked you how you perform magick, and you answered honestly and reasonably completely, what would you say?
 +
** Guide to the Traditions pages 58-65 has suggestions
 +
** Nephandi: Why do you believe the world should be destroyed?
 +
* +note for [[foci]]
 +
* Optional: +note describing what your Avatar is like
 +
** You don't gain an Avatar when you Awaken; it was there all along, just asleep
 +
** If you have no dots in the Avatar background, you still have an Avatar, just a weak one
 +
* Arete (starts at 1 to 3) and spheres
 +
** Spheres determine what you can do, Arete determines how good you are at them
 +
** No sphere can have more dots than Arete
 +
* Avatar background (optional but common)
 +
** Determines how much Quintessence you can hold (without needing the Prime sphere) and how well you can use it
 +
** Can be bought with XP when you Awaken
 +
** Cannot be increased with XP later unless you bought the Shattered Avatar merit
 +
* Essence and [http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/ncmta/resources/resonance.html Resonance Trait(s)]
 +
** Essence = Dynamic: at least one Resonance Trait should be Dynamic
 +
** Essence = Pattern: at least one Resonance Trait should be Static
 +
** Essence = Primordial: at least one Resonance Trait should be Entropic
 +
** Essence = Questing: Resonance Trait(s) can be any of the above
  
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<P> Numina and other Sorceror/Psychic-specific benefits (e.g. Mana background, merits) are refunded in XP. (You get as much as it would cost for you to buy that thing from 0 to its current level.) However, all such XP must immediately be spent on mage-specific stuff (e.g. Arete, spheres, Avatar, merits); any excess is lost. </P>
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=What does it cost?=
 +
* Arete
 +
** Arete 1: free
 +
** Arete 2: 8 XP
 +
** Arete 3: 8+16 = 24 XP
 +
* Willpower: You don't have to buy it up, but it's a good thing to consider
 +
* Mortal and Subrace:Kinfolk get 6 dots in spheres and 2 dots in Avatar free, and can buy more with XP
 +
** Sorcerer/psychic are expected to buy spheres and Avatar using the refund XP from their numina
 +
** Subrace:Kinain are expected to buy spheres and Avatar using the refund XP from their arts and realms
 +
* Mortal+: Anything specific to your mortal+ type(s) is refunded in XP. (You get as much as it would cost for you to buy that thing from 0 to its current level.) This includes (but is not limited to):
 +
** Sorcerer/psychic - Numina, Mana background
 +
** Kinfolk - Gnosis merit, gifts
 +
** Kinain - Arts, realms
 +
* XP refunded to a mortal+ must immediately be spent on mage-specific stuff (e.g. Arete, spheres, Avatar, merits). Any excess is lost.
 +
** You may spend existing XP in addition to the refund.
 +
** Flaws may be gained. Each dot adds 2 XP to the refund.
 +
** Flaws specific to your old mortal+ type(s) must be bought off. Each dot costs 2 XP to buy off. This can come out of the refund.
 +
** Spheres may be similar to your old powers (e.g. Telepathy -> Mind), but this is not required.
 +
** Merits and flaws gained may be mage-specific (e.g. Echoes) or general (e.g. Phobia).
 +
** Subrace:Kinfolk must buy the Kinfolk merit (4 dots = 12 XP).
 +
** Subrace:Kinain must buy the Kinain merit (4 dots = 12 XP).
  
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<P> Race-specific flaws may be converted to mage-specific flaws (e.g. Psi Focus -> Phylactery). If it's not a 1:1 replacement, then staff will decide how it affects XP. </P>
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=RP leading up to Awakening=
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* IC teachers are fun (more RP!) but not required
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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** You may end up with a different Tradition/Convention (or even faction) than your IC teacher, but you should OOCly discuss it as soon as possible
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** IC teaching may be strict and elaborate, or hectic and school-of-hard-knocks
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<B>1. ACQUIRE LORE MAGE.</B> 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).
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** Other possible lead-ins are Occult Library, a mage Contact, or an encounter with a non-mage supernatural
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** You may want to buy Lore Mage (to represent IC teaching sinking in)
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<P>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).</P>
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** Or your Awakening can be utterly spontaneous
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* For your Awakening scene, you can handwave that others (PC and/or NPC, friendly and/or hostile) saw it coming (e.g. Time sphere, Oracular Ability merit) and are ready for it
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<P>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.</P>
 
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<B>2. SUBMIT THE +REQUEST.</B> 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.
 
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<LI><B>Tradition and Faction.</B> 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. :)
 
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<P>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.</P>
 
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<P>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.</P>
 
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<LI><B>Obsolete Stats</B> You should include requests to remove stats that don't make sense any more, such as Mana.  At staff's discretion, the points may be fully or partially refunded. 
 
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<P>Numina abilities are lost in an Awakening.  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.</P>
 
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<LI><B>Paradigm.</B> 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.
 
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<LI><B>Foci.</B> 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.
 
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<LI><B>Arete.</B> 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.)
 
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<LI><B>Avatar.</B> 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).
 
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<LI><B>Spheres.</B>6 dots are distributed to Spheres (maximum of their Arete) for free.
 
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<LI><B>Essence.</B>The player chooses their Essence: Dynamic, Primordial, Questing
 
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<LI><B>Resonance.</B>The player chooses their Resonance: Dynamic, Entropic, or Static. (It can be more specific.)
 
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<LI><B>Optional: Mage-related Flaws and Merits.</B> 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?).</P>
 
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<LI><B>Optional: Mage-related Backgrounds.</B>
 
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<P>Some new things will be acceptable if it's plausible enough they were there all along.  If a Flaw/Merit conflicts with the character's established IC history, however, the character is ineligible.  For example, a pre-Awakened Mortal with Fame 3 could not have had Arcane 3 all along.  The MUSH allows purchase of many Mage-specific things  *after* character generation to represent acquiring them through related RP.  There's no particular need, for instance, to pick up "Node".</p>
 
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<B>4. AVATAR INSPIRATION!!!</B> 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.
 
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<P>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.)</P>
 
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<B>5. AWAKENING PRP.</B> Once the +request is done and your character sheet has officially been made into a Mage, 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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<P>When a new Changeling appears, it's canon for Changelings for miles around to converge and help them out (the 'Dream Dance', a.k.a. 'Chrysalis').  Similarly, we could do a PRP in which an Awaken-ee is discovered.  Many people in the World of Darkness possess oracular ability.</P>
 
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<P>For a Son of Ether, for instance, we could say that the character's arrival caused a significant fluctuation that several Mages simultaneously detected, and then triangulated its location.  A fun thing about this kind of IC event is that the arrival might also have been noticed by some bad guys.</P>
 
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Latest revision as of 20:12, 19 January 2017

So you have an approved PC and you want them to Awaken in-game. How does that work?

  • If you were approved as a mage and just want to RP through your Awakening, then go ahead and do so.
  • The remainder of these rules are for PCs who were approved as something else.

What types of PCs can Awaken?

  • Mortal
  • Mortal+: Sorcerer/psychic, kinfolk, and/or kinain
    • Ghouls cannot Awaken
    • Possessed cannot Awaken, even if they are also Sorcerer/psychics
    • Merely being blood-bonded does not prevent Awakening

What new things does the PC get/need?

  • Faction
    • Traditions (major groups of people who use "magic" in the usual sense; includes Hollow Ones, sort of)
    • Technocracy (people who use "Enlightened Science" and protect the world against Reality Deviants)
    • Wyrm (for Nephandi, people who are permanently corrupted and strive to destroy the world)
    • Other (Orphans, minor Crafts, etc.)
    • PCs may not be Marauders (people who are insane and constantly warp their surroundings)
  • Tradition or Technocratic Convention (if any)
  • +note for paradigm
    • This informs the flavor of your poses whenever you perform magick
    • If someone ICly asked you how you perform magick, and you answered honestly and reasonably completely, what would you say?
    • Guide to the Traditions pages 58-65 has suggestions
    • Nephandi: Why do you believe the world should be destroyed?
  • +note for foci
  • Optional: +note describing what your Avatar is like
    • You don't gain an Avatar when you Awaken; it was there all along, just asleep
    • If you have no dots in the Avatar background, you still have an Avatar, just a weak one
  • Arete (starts at 1 to 3) and spheres
    • Spheres determine what you can do, Arete determines how good you are at them
    • No sphere can have more dots than Arete
  • Avatar background (optional but common)
    • Determines how much Quintessence you can hold (without needing the Prime sphere) and how well you can use it
    • Can be bought with XP when you Awaken
    • Cannot be increased with XP later unless you bought the Shattered Avatar merit
  • Essence and Resonance Trait(s)
    • Essence = Dynamic: at least one Resonance Trait should be Dynamic
    • Essence = Pattern: at least one Resonance Trait should be Static
    • Essence = Primordial: at least one Resonance Trait should be Entropic
    • Essence = Questing: Resonance Trait(s) can be any of the above

What does it cost?

  • Arete
    • Arete 1: free
    • Arete 2: 8 XP
    • Arete 3: 8+16 = 24 XP
  • Willpower: You don't have to buy it up, but it's a good thing to consider
  • Mortal and Subrace:Kinfolk get 6 dots in spheres and 2 dots in Avatar free, and can buy more with XP
    • Sorcerer/psychic are expected to buy spheres and Avatar using the refund XP from their numina
    • Subrace:Kinain are expected to buy spheres and Avatar using the refund XP from their arts and realms
  • Mortal+: Anything specific to your mortal+ type(s) is refunded in XP. (You get as much as it would cost for you to buy that thing from 0 to its current level.) This includes (but is not limited to):
    • Sorcerer/psychic - Numina, Mana background
    • Kinfolk - Gnosis merit, gifts
    • Kinain - Arts, realms
  • XP refunded to a mortal+ must immediately be spent on mage-specific stuff (e.g. Arete, spheres, Avatar, merits). Any excess is lost.
    • You may spend existing XP in addition to the refund.
    • Flaws may be gained. Each dot adds 2 XP to the refund.
    • Flaws specific to your old mortal+ type(s) must be bought off. Each dot costs 2 XP to buy off. This can come out of the refund.
    • Spheres may be similar to your old powers (e.g. Telepathy -> Mind), but this is not required.
    • Merits and flaws gained may be mage-specific (e.g. Echoes) or general (e.g. Phobia).
    • Subrace:Kinfolk must buy the Kinfolk merit (4 dots = 12 XP).
    • Subrace:Kinain must buy the Kinain merit (4 dots = 12 XP).

RP leading up to Awakening

  • IC teachers are fun (more RP!) but not required
    • You may end up with a different Tradition/Convention (or even faction) than your IC teacher, but you should OOCly discuss it as soon as possible
    • IC teaching may be strict and elaborate, or hectic and school-of-hard-knocks
    • Other possible lead-ins are Occult Library, a mage Contact, or an encounter with a non-mage supernatural
    • You may want to buy Lore Mage (to represent IC teaching sinking in)
    • Or your Awakening can be utterly spontaneous
  • For your Awakening scene, you can handwave that others (PC and/or NPC, friendly and/or hostile) saw it coming (e.g. Time sphere, Oracular Ability merit) and are ready for it
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