You never were an artistic person, Elizabeth being the one who had such an eye for those things. But your desire to catch this son of a bitch focuses your mind into a point, letting you sketch out a pretty good approximation of what this Doctor looks like. A knock on your apartment door startles you out of your work, realizing it's probably Jemma. A quick look through the door's peep-hole confirms your suspicions, and you let her in.

"So, what do you mean you found," she starts, walking in and seeing you and the apartment for the first time. "Uhh... Can you at least put on some pants?"

"Huh?" You look down, realizing that all you are wearing are your black boxers. "Shit, sorry," you murmur out, dashing to the bedroom in embarrassment. At least she gets a bit of a show as you run; barely any fat on your body, a pretty decent set of abs and subtle curves of muscles for your arms and legs, and a firm buttox that Elizabeth always loved to look at. "Long night," you yell back to her, opening up your dressers and closet, in an attempt to get her mind off you for the moment.

> Throw on a shirt and workout pants, its a day off
> Polo shirt and khaki pants, casual yet proper
> 3-piece work suit, tie and all, be dapper as all hell
> Other

>>36375116
> Polo shirt and khaki pants, casual yet proper

>>36375116
> Throw on a shirt and workout pants, its a day off

>>36375116
>Polo shirt and khaki pants, casual yet proper

File: mage quest reference sheet.png (97 KB, 2550x3300)

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Also, after reading through the God Machine Chronicle update for Mage: the Awakening, I've decided to use its experience system instead, after converting the Beats/Exp points from it into just straight exp. points that I dolled out at the end of each quest. The reference sheet reflects this change, and if there's any questions about the change itself let me know.

Note: you still have 9 experience from last thread, and that hasn't changed.

File: mage quest michael santos(...).png (1.24 MB, 1414x1835)

1.24 MB PNG

And Michael's stats sheet for those new to the quest.

>>36375116

> Polo shirt and khaki pants, casual yet proper

>>36375179
buy +1 willpower for 5 xp

>>36375116
>> Polo shirt and khaki pants, casual yet proper
We're not a slob here

>>36375116
>> Polo shirt and khaki pants, casual yet proper

>>36375276
I think we should save our xp until we can buy some arcana points.

>>36375354
That or more gnosis.

>>36375371
What does gnosis do?

>>36375354
willpower will keep us alive for long enough to get more magic imo.
but if it's only me, i'll let it go

File: spellcasting flowchart.png (674 KB, 2048x1332)

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>>36375392
It's used for simple spellcasting.

>>36375442
>that chart
Oh geez, I guess I'll get started

>>36375392
A whole lot of things. It's basically our "power" stat. Can have more dots in more arcana, resist magic and supernatural powers easier, more max mana, can spend more mana in a turn, and makes improvised spellcasting easier.

It's a good stat to bump up to at least 3 as that means we can then begin to combine arcana. Like use forces and space to blast someone with fire from 5 counties away if we got a good sympathetic connection.

Writing, sorry.

"Early morning," she yells back, a stifled yawn coming out when she gets to the 'o' in 'morning'. "I normally work the 5 PM - 5 AM shift, as the supernatural stuff tends to take place during the night time hours." You dig out a simple, solid red polo shirt and a pair of khakis, something that you feel comfortable going out onto the streets with, yet casual enough to not feel like you are getting ready for work. You step out to see Jemma silently looking at your apartment. "Nice place you have here."

"Thanks." You head into the kitchen and begin making a fresh pot of coffee for her. "Want anything to eat? I assume you want coffee to get you up and going."

"Just coffee for now, if I eat anything before I get moving, I end up just throwing it all back up." Rather odd predicament for a cop, especially a Mage, but it just reminds you that even with all this power available to us, we are still mortal. You grab a granola bar for yourself, running to your work room to grab everything you've scribbled down.

"Here, everything I remember from where I found Elizabeth," you say to her, handing off the documents and the drawing of the Doctor you met.

"Thanks," she murmurs back, taking a seat on your couch. She cracks her neck and yawns some more, just as the coffee pot buzzes, done brewing its payload. You spoon in a couple scoops of sugar and stir it for her, leaving the spoon in the cup. Her eyes sort of glaze over in desire as she sees - then smells - the cup, before taking a long sip. "Mmmm... Much better than the stuff at work," she sighs out.

"So, what do you want to know? I tried to write down everything I saw, but-" A raised finger comes up from her, motioning she wants you to be silent. She walks to the door, ear pressed up against it. She swings it open, gun pulled out onto:

> Jacob, your landlord
> Erika, the other tenant on the floor
> Rebecca, the intern you slept with at work
> A random FedEx driver with a package

>>36375069
>Revealed ourselves to doctor
>Told him our identity
>Threatened him
well, we couldn't have possibly fucked up worse.

>>36375602
> A random FedEx driver with a package
FUCK WAITING FOR YOU TO GET IT ON YOUR OWN

>>36375602
>> Jacob, your landlord

>>36375602
>> A random FedEx driver with a package
What did we get?

>>36375442
Good lord, that chart... I'm trying to make spellcasting simpler than that for the quest, but this looks more like a cheat sheet for all spellcasting in Mage.

And as for Gnosis, it affects how powerful we can eventually be, how many Arcanas we can master, how fast one can cast ritual spells, and how we craft Legacies.

>>36375634
Fuck you anon, now I have to vote for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A0Uix84PzA

>>36375602
> A random FedEx driver with a package

>>36375602
>> Rebecca, the intern you slept with at work

>>36375602
>Rebecca, the intern you slept with at work
the ginger godess

>>36375671
>>36375634
>>36375602
Fuck you guys.
Seconded

>>36375602
>reminds you that even with all this power available to us, we are still mortal
for now

also, can life be used to make us supernaturally /fit/ without excercising?

Hey, we probably should ask her where she buys her blessed and enchanted silver bullets

>>36375776
Dunno if you looked anon, but we aren't even the least bit proficient with guns.

>>36375817
I didn't. its not like guns are hard to use.
But for the sake of gamism we could go with a blessed silver knife then. We have a dot in those.

Or we could go with knuckles to use our two dots in brawling and the whole "I cast fist" joke.

>>36375629
We didn't reveal our identity, though it won't take him long to figure it out if he rifles through her otherwise "intimate" sympathetic links. He doesn't have a true name on us so he'll still be penalized on his roll by a good amount of dice (his roll for scrying on us will be at -6 without our true name). We haven't fucked up entirely, but things could have went better.

>>36375884
brass knuckles/ knuckle dusters are illegal as hell in most of the US, cheat like Dresden and get some heavy silver rings for a similar effect.

>>36375933
didn't we say that she is our wife?
it isn't hard to look it up from there. assuming he didn't already have files on such.

oh, hey... he didn't instantly recognize us. This is another black mark against the notion that he mind controlled us to have that affair

>>36375943
>illegal
We are explicitly looking for an enchanted weapon. I am sure we can get a "muggles don't notice it" enchantment thrown on it for good measure

>>36375966
Of course, him being able to scry assumes he has a minimum Space 2. We don't know what his path and ruling arcana are or even what arcana he's even got period. Besides, he could have cut our link with a minimum of Prime 2 instead, which enables universal dispellation regardless of known arcana. Pity that's the one we suck at, prime is great for killing other mages. Really helps out in the spell resistance and counterspell departments.

We need to get info on this guy. He could be a reaper and thus the consillium might be out for his head.

"Holy shit lady," the driver says, hands raised in the air. "I'm just here to deliver a package!"

She sighs, holstering her gun, and nods for you to get it. "Sorry for that," you say to him, signing that you've received it. "She's a little jumpy without any coffee in her."

"I'd give her de-calf," he yells back, that comment aimed more for Jemma than you. He hands the package to you, a sealed envelope with no return address, and leaves. That in and of itself is a bit weird, it's when you see who addressed the package that sends chills down your spine.

"This is Elizabeth's handwriting," you say, tearing into the package itself.

"Wait you idiot, it could be a-" Jemma yells out, before she stops. Inside the envelope itself is a letter, addressed to you. You begin to read it aloud, so Jemma can follow along.

"Dearest Michael, if you are reading this, then I am probably dead or incapacitated in some fashion. I am writing this in the hope that you still love me, and I want you to know that I still love you, too. I know you can be a bit of a playboy at times, but never in my worst nightmares did I expect you to cheat on me. And honestly, I don't think you expected it yourself. So I started to dig into the background of the person you cheated with, to see what made her so special.

And it wasn't what made her so special, it was what was done to her that got me so riled.

I need you to do one thing for me hun. I need you to, for a moment, suspend all notions of logic and science, and believe that Magic is real." You look up from the letter at Jemma, now sitting on the couch.

"She knows Magic is real," you say to her. "Is she a Mage too?"

"I don't know, I never knew a Mage by the name of Elizabeth," she replies.

> Continue reading the letter
> Show Jemma a picture of your wife
> Other

>>36376111
> Show Jemma a picture of your wife

>>36376111
>continue reading the letter
>show Jemma a picture of your wife

Por que no los dos?

>>36376111
> Show Jemma a picture of your wife
then continue reading

>>36376111
>Continue reading the letter


Is that Virtue field on our char sheet ever going to be filled?

>>36376236
seconded

>>36376271
If/when you guys display a Virtue, then I'll fill it in.

>>36376111
>Continue reading the letter
We can get to that later for now read the letter

>>36375276
That's not how buying Willpower works. You start with a total permanent willpower (aka willpower dots, as opposed to temporary willpower aka willpower points) equal to Resolve+Composure, and increasing either Resolve or Composure likewise increases your Willpower dot total. Lots of things consume Willpower points, which are replenished by things like getting a good night's rest or fulfilling your vice or virtue. Certain other things (such as permanently relinquishing a spell in a way that means it can't be dispelled later) consume a willpower dot, reducing your total. The 5 xp cost on the chart is for buying those dots back up to your natural maximum of Resolve + Composure.

>>36375442
Casting in practice is not nearly as complex as that chart implies, for reference. For the most part it's just "I want to do a thing. Do I have the dots to do whatever practice that thing would be? Yes? Cool, I do it. Roll Gnosis+Arcanum."

"One sec." You dash to the bedroom and grab the picture next to your bed (the only photo that's not stored away in a box for now) and hand it over to Jemma. "That's my wife, it's a couple years old but-"

"Your wife is the Mystic," she breathes out, a sense of disbelief in her voice. "Holy shit, you have no idea how bad that is, for us or every other Mage in the city..." She pauses, thinking for a moment. "Hell, it could mean a whole lot of trouble for every other supernatural force in the city."

"What are you talking about? She's a Mage?"

"Not just a Mage, she was one of the true neutral powers in the city. If you had a problem with two factions, or inter-party conflict for the Mages, you met the Mystic and worked out a compromise. No one messed with her or the agreements she doled out because of how many people relied on her for guidance." She gets up, handing the picture back to you. "It... It's like someone went and nuked Switzerland."

"Only they didn't nuke it, some fucking Doctor has her," you yell out, pointing at the drawing you did of the doctor. "And this asshole has her."

[1/2]

They didn't notice such an important person vanishing without a trace?

>>36375510
>It's a good stat to bump up to at least 3 as that means we can then begin to combine arcana.
You don't need Gnosis for that (although you might in old Mage, I honestly don't know). Conjunctional arcana are a thing you can do at any gnosis level. Gnosis 3 allows you to combine two spells into one spell, which means you can have more effects going at once. Making Mage Armor and Mage Sight count as the same spell that does both things, for example, or a Spirit-based Mage Armor combined with a Spirit-based Shielding spell specifically designed to resist Spirit Numina.

>>36376533
resource sheet clearly states willpower cost 5 exp

Could we use Life magic to reduce the need for sleep? How many dots would that cost?

since our wife is this Mystic that makes deal that people keep groups from fighting; i say we become the force to make sure those deals remain intact the danger that will befall any one who brakes those deals

>>36376608
Yes. Which is used for buying back Willpower dots that you've spent, up to your natural total of Resolve+Composure.

My point was that we haven't spent any Willpower dots to my knowledge, so we're already at our maximum. If you want to increase our maximum, buy another dot of Resolve or Composure.

"Well, get back to reading, see if she left any clues to her location or this guy."

"Right." You clear your throat and continue from when you last left off.

"I am... or was... a force for good in the city, trying to stop some very powerful and very evil people from doing very bad things to everyone that wasn't them. But sometimes a Mage gets too full of themselves, thinks they are better or wiser than everyone else. Well, one of them thought they were wiser than me, so they somehow tracked me down, and went after me by going after you. They mind-raped the intern you slept with into being hot for you, and slowly, over time, she wore you down, with promises and teases and hints, until finally you caved in.

And then he just left her mind to rot, leaving her like a whining puppy for you to keep sleeping with. This Mage wanted to hurt me, but I don't think he expected me to go after him. Though, if you're reading this, then maybe he did.

Michael, you can't do anything to save me, I don't even know if I'm still alive. So please, forget about me, live your life, and don't cry for me. You are my star and moon, as I am the sun in your heart. Our time together may have been brief, but know I treasure every moment of it.

Yours forever, Elizabeth."

The letter trembles in your hand, as droplets of water fall onto it. Tears? You bring your hand to your eyes, feeling a stream of water running down them. You shouldn't get this worked up over it. She's still alive, still out there.

> Write-In

>>36376600
Good question, anon. Want it to be a question you ask?

>>36376720
RAGE and start looking for here

File: 1302983429980.jpg (60 KB, 1024x576)

60 KB JPG

>>36376720
Oh yes we can. We mage too.

>>36376781
whoops typo *her

Hey QM, feel like posting up the 13-practices cheatsheet up there with the 10-Arcana one?

>>36375204
Huh. Judging by this we're short 1 of our starting Arcana dots. We've got 2/2/1, but we're missing the extra dot that can be put anywhere. Is this deliberate?

>>36376720
>ask
>why did I get that letter now, a year after her disappearance?
>and if she's so important to the mages, why did no-one notice she was gone

File: mage quest 13 practices.png (146 KB, 2550x3300)

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>>36376828
Sure anon, here it is.

>>36376720
So let's find this fucker and get our wife back

>>36376856
Actually... That's me being an idiot and forgetting we have a free dot to put in any Arcana. So, where do you guys want to put it? I know previously that the last time we had a discussion about it, people were interested in Life, Space, Mind and Fate. But with the free point, we could go to Life 2, Forces 3 or Spirit 3... Or even put the free point into Prime 1 so we don't suck ass against other Mages.

>>36376911
we need to level up first. He's a LOT stronger than us.
Since our wife was so well-liked by the city's mages we'll probably find allies to help us, too.

>>36376939
Prime is the one we suck at, right?
Let's put the point there, it's the most xp efficient and I don't want to suck ass against other Mages.

>>36376939
Prime 1 would be the most efficient XP-wise now that scaling costs as dot level increases are gone. Life 2 would get us immediate access to self-healing, though, which would be useful. And Forces 3 opens up a lot of options...

I'd suggest Prime 1 at the moment, since buying it with XP would cost the most, and it opens up access to the "detect nature" version of aura reading. We'd be able to tell if someone's a Mage, or a Vampire, or a Werewolf or whatever at a glance.

>>36376939
i say prime so we can kill other mages and rescue our wife

>>36376720
Aks Jemma if there is a way to find the mage who messed with the intern, along with this >>36376861

File: Akihiko_Kayaba.png (193 KB, 757x688)

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I'll update the sheet shortly with Prime 1, I'm currently writing down the next scene.

Also, for those curious, the picture in this post is what the Doctor looks like.

>>36377004
And once we hit Prime 2 we'd get access to the Shielding Practice of Prime, which is EXTREMELY useful (Counterspell Prime alone is an excellent fuck-you against Mages regardless of which Arcana they actually have). The Veiling Practice of Prime would also let us hide the fact that we're a Mage, or suppress our Resonance...

Prime's really useful in general, especially the first two dots.

>>36377041
he's going to look like a fucking blood stain on the walls when we are done thought

>>36377084
Daily reminder that murder is bad in Mage.

Note that any spell we cast using Life or Prime does consume 1 Mana, unless it's a Rote. We may want to get Prime Aura Reading as a Rote, or possibly Prime Mage Sight.

ok so 2 points in prime and 2 points in life just to give us a good edge
i think we should try and max out time so we
can time travel even if it only 10 mins at most it enough to make a huge impact on any event

http://wodindex.wikispaces.com/Spells

Full spell list, if anyone is interested. I also support going with Prime magic.

>>36377232
Flat-out time travel requires Archmastery. Very minor time travel (as in "shit, that last turn went really badly, time for a redo") is Time 3.

"Michael..." Jemma places a comforting hand on your arm, as you wipe the tears from your eyes.

"Why did I get this letter now, a year after she disappeared from my life?" You look up at her, a new drive burning in your soul. You're going to find this son of a bitch, save your wife, and stop him in whatever plans he has in store for her, you, the city, or anyone else. You know how to turn this rage into something good, probably the one good thing you learned from all those boxing lessons years ago.

"Some Mages can predict future events, as two of the schools of Magic deal with Fate and Time, so maybe that's how she was able to delay the package until today?" She downs the cup of coffee in one large gulp, sensing the ramping tone in your voice. "It could also be she just told FedEx to not deliver the letter until today, and she wrote it shortly after she left."

You point towards the kitchen, Jemma knowing what you mean, and she dashes to it and pours another cup of coffee. Meanwhile, you grab your phone, wallet, and your duffle bag. Normally, you use the bag for carrying your workout clothes and gym equipment. Today though, you hope it'll carry something a bit... heavier. "And if she's such a big player in the city, why did no one notice her missing until now?"

"...Because she hasn't been missing," Jemma yells to you, a lightbulb going off in her head. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could I not have noticed!?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I met her a couple months ago at her office, mainly to get her help drafting up the documents I gave to Mr. Muscle you met the other day. But all of her responses were rather monotone and robotic in nature. I just waved it off to her being tired, but that wasn't her!" She rounds the corner, gulping the coffee in another large swig. "I know who this fucker is, AND I think I know where she's being held at!"

> What're we waiting for, let's go!
> We have to play this smart
> Maybe we should question Rebecca?
> Other

>>36377272
>> We have to play this smart

>>36377185
ya i know but that asshole had a hand in kidnapping Elizabeth and possibly fucking our marriage up if not murder then mind fucking him so hard he cant shit with out someone helping him

>>36377272
>> We have to play this smart
We want this done right, we plan and act once we're sure we can turn this dude into paste

>>36377238
Keep in mind that we're still free to invent our own spells on the fly, although this list is a good list of examples of what each dot can do.

>>36377272
>> Maybe we should question Rebecca?

>>36377272
>> We have to play this smart

File: mage quest michael santos(...).png (1.24 MB, 1414x1835)

1.24 MB PNG

Updated stats page with the free point, and also the Virtue you folks have decided upon.

>>36375442
That flow chart is beautiful. And mesmerizing.

>>36377353
>Forces/Spirit Mage with Justice
Nice.

We should find a Clavicularius to help us extract our sense of Justice and have it fight alongside us.

>>36377353
What can we do with 1 point in Prime?

>>36377413
see>>36377238

>>36377269
Major time travel yes. However, the free council has Time 5 rote aptly named "Save Point". Can only be cast once in a 24 hour period. But so long as it's up, you can immediately revert to it if you don't get instagibbed.

Sadly, it's like a free do-over only for a single given frame of 24 hours. Once used, you must wait until 24 hours after you cast it in real time before you can use it again. It's basically a single extra life provided, again, they don't just kill you/knock you unconscious in an instant.

>>36377272
> We have to play this smart
Allies, if she is a big deal, she would have people who want her out.
we need to round up a posse before busting his ass, he won't know what hit him

>>36377413
To put it into DnD terms (for people new to the system) not a lot. In general, it gives us:

Identify Magic Item
Mage Sight (if it's magical, we know what school it belongs to)
Dispel Magic (only on Arcana we have dots in)
Discern (see through Prime-based Illusions)

Most of Prime 1 falls under the first 3 terms of the 13 Practices thing mentioned in >>36376900 ,where you can see and know something is Magical, but not be able to do much to combat/counter/dispel it (unless under specific circumstances).

>>36377474
Save point is monstrous and would basically let us wipe out entire threads' worth of content (you can only cast it once per 24 hours, but IIRC there's no time limit on when you can activate it to return to the time at which it was cast).

I doubt we're going to get to use it, at least not without heavy restrictions.

>>36377602
the threads aren't wiped out. since you remember what happened.

Also, we don't seem to have gone towards time manip in any way yet.

I am a bit surprised we dumped points into prime.

>>36377636
It was a free dot, and it was cheaper than grabbing something like Spirit 3 or Forces 3.

Of course, actually *casting* Prime spells is still going to be expensive...

We may want to look into a Familiar.

>>36377602
I'd make it so that it's only a day. If not used within 24 hours it goes to waste. Otherwise masters would go through life, get to be 90 and conclude their life sucked and jump back to when they were 20. Such a feat, I believe, should only be accomplishable with archmastery.

>>36377636
They are remembered, but aside from my complaints about it above it also becomes less useful the further out you get from it. Within a day or two it's damn useful to know what happens next. Once you make a few different choices after having jumped back, say, a year, the butterfly effect will kick in and your "future knowledge" will become next to useless.

And prime has the most useful anti-mage abilities. It's also our inferior arcanum so a "free" point in it is very helpful.

Writing, sorry.

>>36377683
familiars are a thing? awesome, I love familiars as a concept

how do they work in MTA?

hey.. is there a way to differentiate between mage the awakening and mage the ascension when using a 3 letter acronym?

"As much as I'd like to go in, guns blazing," he pauses, thinking on what Jemma might do. "Both literally and figuratively, if this asshole has Elizabeth he must be a decently powerful Mage in his own right. Can you think of any people that actually liked Elizabeth? Like what she did, or wouldn't mind having her owe them a favor?"

Jemma pauses for a moment, and smiles. God, you haven't seen a smile that sinister-looking since the last time you let Elizabeth "experiment" with you in bed. "Oh, I've got some people in mind. I'll let you pick who, since I assume I'm driving." She opens the door, letting you out first.

> Ezikiel, another Obrimos (Forces and Prime mage) like Jemma, only he focused on the "art of Magic itself"
> Diana, a Moros (Matter and Death mage), someone Jemma calls a "magical Blacksmith"
> Garen, a Thyrsus (Life and Spirit mage), a doctor for the supernatural
> TA, a Mastigos (Space and Mind mage), someone Jemma rather dislikes but admits might be useful

Note: She's pretty sure you both can get 1, maybe 2 of the above Mages to join forces with you, but getting all 4 will take a LOT more work/effort

>>36377683
>It was a free dot
where and when did we get a free dot in it?
and why couldn't we have put it in, say, space?

>>36377857
In character creation, you get to put 2 points in two different Arcana, 1 point in a third, and 1 free dot in any of the 10 Arcana. The only restraint is that in the first 2/2/1, two of the 3 options have to include your two ruling Arcanum.

>>36377852
>> TA, a Mastigos (Space and Mind mage), someone Jemma rather dislikes but admits might be useful

Also, I think we should try to summon Elisabeth's spirit. If it doesn't work, then that's confirmation that she's still alive. If it does work... well we'll get to know what happened.

>>36377852
>> Ezikiel, another Obrimos (Forces and Prime mage) like Jemma, only he focused on the "art of Magic itself"

>>36377852
>Ezikiel
Prime Master
>Diana
Powersmith
>Garen
Healer
>TA
Likely a demonologist, but those can be useful.

Tough choices, all would be very nice to have around, but whatever he's doing to her must be quite horrific and we likely don't have the time to get all 4 in the band.

I'll say Diana for first choice. We could definitely use some magic arms and armor.

>>36377852
>> Ezikiel, another Obrimos (Forces and Prime mage) like Jemma, only he focused on the "art of Magic itself"
>> Diana, a Moros (Matter and Death mage), someone Jemma calls a "magical Blacksmith"

>>36377832
Usually people use M:tAw and M:tAsc (or Asc), which isn't 3 letters, but gets the point across.

Familiars are low-ranking spirits (as in, from the Shadow) who are bound to the service of a Mage. Some of them are bound into the bodies of animals first, and if not then they're stuck in Twilight. An embodied familiar doesn't have to be a spirit of whatever its body is - a spirit doesn't have to be a Cat spirit just because it's inhabiting a Cat. It could be a Fear spirit, or an Electricity spirit, or whatever.

Most usefully, a Mage can spend one of his/her bonded Familiar's Essence points in place of Mana, and getting Essence back for a Familiar is much easier than getting Mana back is for a Mage. A Fear spirit could regenerate Essence by terrifying people, for example, or just staying in a place with lots of fear-based Resonance and soaking that up.

Familiars also come with two Numina (spirit powers). If the Spirit is inhabiting a physical body, one of its two Numina is always Innocuous (which does like it sounds like it does - it imposes a -2 penalty on attempts to notice it unless it's specifically drawing attention in some way).

You can also convert Mana directly into Essence (or vice versa) if you have enough Prime and Spirit.

>>36377857
We could have put it in Space. However, buying Space with XP is cheaper than buying Prime with XP, so if we want both, the smart thing to do is to put starter dots in Prime and buy Space with XP instead of the other way around.

>>36378055
>Electricity spirit in a cat
...
>Electricity spirit in a squirrel
PIKA PIKA!

>>36377852
>> Diana, a Moros (Matter and Death mage), someone Jemma calls a "magical Blacksmith"
I'm for this one first and
> Ezikiel, another Obrimos (Forces and Prime mage) like Jemma, only he focused on the "art of Magic itself"
this one if we can

>>36378055
>Usually people use M:tAw and M:tAsc (or Asc)
Meant M:tAs or M:tAsc

>>36377852
Being completely and utterly clueless about the setting. I have 0 clue as to which of those would be useful here

>Note: She's pretty sure you both can get 1, maybe 2 of the above Mages to join forces with you, but getting all 4 will take a LOT more work/effort
So, basically spend a few threads doing mini quests for them to get them to agree to help?
I am ok with that. we build up some alliances and then all 6 of us come down on him like a ton of bricks and wreck his shit up

>>36378055
How many familiars can you have?

>>36378167
Part of it might be doing favors to those Mages in particular. Other times it might just be bad blood between the Mages. Jemma mentions that TA and Ezikiel are not on speaking terms, Diana isn't a huge fan of TA, and the last time Ezikiel and Garen worked together on a job, it was in the 80's and both left on less than amicable terms.

>>36378055
Other, more obscure options for Familiars include Ghost familiars (which are obviously most popular with Moros), and Goetic familiars, where you manifest a part of your own psyche outside of yourself and bind it as your Familiar. We could do this with our sense of Justice, for example, if we found a Mage with enough dots in both Mind and Spirit (although if we did that our sense of justice would be completely externalized and we'd no longer be compelled by it as part of our own thoughts - as a result doing this with Vices is more common, but there are things to be said for actually being able to talk to your better parts).

>>36378203
One, barring a particular merit from the Thyrsus chapter of Tome of the Watchtowers (and that entire chapter is usually banned for being OP and generally in conflict with the game's themes - one merit in there is essentially Striking Looks except both cheaper and strictly better in all respects, for example, if I'm remembering right).

It's up to the QM which merits he allows, though.

>>36377852
I will note that Diana is almost certainly a member of a Legacy that grants Prime as a Ruling Arcanum (the Forge Masters, also called Powersmiths). If we're also interested in becoming a magical blacksmith, it's possible we might be able to get her to induct us in the future, at which point Prime would become Ruling for us too (and we'd no longer have an Inferior Arcanum). Among other things, this means we'd be able to freely cast Prime spells without paying a 1 Mana surcharge for spells we don't have as Rotes.

Ezikiel also seems focused on Prime in particular, so he might also be an option if we want to do this.

>>36378242
ok so.

>Ezikiel
Bad blood with TA and Garen
>Diana
Isn't a huge fan of TA
>Garen
Bad blood with Ezikiel
>TA
Bad blood with Ezikiel

Sounds to me like the biggest issue is Ezikiel. If we exclude him, than the other three can work together as long as we convince diana to put up with TA, as long as you weren't understating her view of him and "isn't a huge fan" is taken literally.

>>36378242
Hey MQM, mind if I make a somewhat ridiculous and selfish request? The size of the mage_quest_referene_sheet.png you posted above is too big for my mobile to open without crashing. Anyway you can get both dimensions to be less than 3000 pixels? If so, thank you for saving me a headache.

>>36378019
>>36378356
>Powersmiths

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBbnT-cIDVM

>>36378055
is there a specific limit on what you can spend your familiar's essence on? or it is for anything that mana can be spent on?

>>36378356
>If we're also interested in becoming a magical blacksmith
Considering that magical blacksmithing is based on our inferior arcanum, I don't see it happening.
Nor do I have a particular interest in playing a blacksmith (we could just do favors for those for the things we need)

Actually, what is a legacy and how many of those you can have?
Would using a legacy that turn your inferior arcana into a ruling arcana actually be allowed? that would place you with 3 ruling arcanas and 0 inferior arcanas.

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>>36378387
Sure, here you go.

>>36378398
>A familiar’s bonded mage is considered to be its anchor to the material world, although there is no limit to how far a familiar can travel from its mage. It does not lose Essence for every hour it spends in the physical world or Twilight. It must follow all the other rules concerning Essence, however, including spending one Essence per day. If it is reduced to zero Essence, it falls into slumber (see “Essence,” p. 319), but it is not transferred back into the Shadow Realm as long as the mage-familiar bond still exists. Like other spirits, it can gain Essence by being in proximity to something that it reflects, or its mage can spend Mana points to give it Essence.
>The master and familiar have an empathic connection; each can automatically feel the emotions of the other. (Magical effects that damage or manipulate the familiar through an emotional attack don’t damage or manipulate the master.) All familiars have a Sensory sympathetic connection to their bonded mage, meaning that a mage’s scrying spells can use the familiar’s senses in place of a scrying window, with no sympathetic penalty. This makes familiars superlative spies. Even more useful, however, the mage can spend his familiar’s Essence points as Mana points, no matter how distant the familiar is from the mage. He can also spend his own Mana points to give his familiar Essence.

I assume it's mostly intended to be used for spellcasting, but there doesn't seem to be any actual mechanical restriction.

>>36378447
Legacies are how most Mages end up "gaming" the system and solve the Inferior Arcanum problem. In a general sense, given enough experience, you can become an Archmage and sign your Name to more than one Tower. But generally at that point you start dealing with problems on a global scale, and sometimes not even in the present timeline.

>>36378449
Perfect! Thank you very much.

Also, writing.

>>36378510
So, this is more of an epilogue thing than something that will come into play during the quest?

>>36378055
Familiar question. Could we summon a familiar associated with our Sin (I guess Lust in this case) and just sort of idly overcharge it during our daily life? Or would it be more useful to have something aligned with whatever situations/mindsets we're most likely to need mana with? Like a spirit of creativity if we do a lot of research or one of secrets/revelation if we do a bunch of investigating?

>>36378447
>Considering that magical blacksmithing is based on our inferior arcanum, I don't see it happening.
I did just say that joining that Legacy would turn Prime from our Inferior Arcanum into a third Ruling Arcanum. We would have to buy up to Prime 2 the normal way first, though.

And yes, that is allowed, if a bit munchkiny. There are several Acanthus-specific Legacies that grant Forces as Ruling despite that being their Inferior, for example (the Tamers of Winds and the Storm Keepers immediately come to mind).

You can have one Legacy. Joining a Legacy permanently shapes your Gnosis (basically the shape of your soul) according to the Legacy's driving philosophy, and cannot be undone by any means (including removing your own soul and replacing it with a different one).

Along with granting a third Ruling Arcanum (unless you join a Legacy whose granted Arcanum is already Ruling for you), Legacies grant new Oblations (basically ritual acts you perform to regain Mana), the ability to perform Oblations to gain Mana outside of a Hallow, and three Attainments - effects that duplicate specific spells but don't actually require you to draw down the Supernal World and thus can never cause Paradox. Some Legacies have Attainments that don't duplicate preexisting spells (the Bearers of the Eternal Voice are an example, as are the Blank Badges), but their Attainments still work the same way any other Attainment does. Most Legacies have a first Attainment (attained at Gnosis 3, upon joining the Legacy) that duplicates a particular 2-dot spell, a second Attainment (attained at Gnosis 5) that duplicates a particular 3-dot spell, and finally a third Attainment (attained at Gnosis 7) that duplicates a particular 4-dot spell.

You can also found your own Legacy based on your own personal philosophy, but in this case the Gnosis requirements are increased by 1.

>>36378621
If you guys get enough experience to actually make a Legacy, and the quest is still going, then I'll let you guys make one. But for now, let's see where this takes us.

>>36378447
A legacy is a way for a mage to severely game the system in some respects. Legacy "attainments" are eternally subtle even if they should rightly be vulgar. (e.g. a "perfected adept" can boost his strength to superhuman levels temporarily with the second attainment and throw a car in the midsts of a bunch of sleepers and not eat the massive paradox roll he should have).

>>36378510
You don't sign your name to another watchtower. Archmastery means you crossed the abyss and made a place of power for yourself within the supernal realm. This direct lifeline to the supernal is what enables the archmasters to wield their immense power. It's a "second" awakening essentially when you become one.

Best not fail though, or you become a quiphloth, a mad wandering creature of the abyss inflicting paradox in your wake as you travel the fallen world.

>>36378684
Mages who don't join Legacies are usually considered lazy, unambitious, or uncommitted, but considering there's no going back once you do join one it's a pretty big decision.

>>36378668
>Familiar question. Could we summon a familiar associated with our Sin (I guess Lust in this case) and just sort of idly overcharge it during our daily life?
Yes, but we'd have to get a Mind Mage to do it for us or learn Mind ourselves (I believe manifesting a Goetic entity requires both Mind 4 and Spirit 4). There are entire Legacies based on doing things like this, including the Clavicularius (who are about taming the darker parts of your nature and making them work for you instead of letting them rule you), and the Bene Ashmedai (who are more about embracing your vices). The Clavicularius and Bene Ashmedai, for reference, really do not get along.

>>36378668
>Or would it be more useful to have something aligned with whatever situations/mindsets we're most likely to need mana with? Like a spirit of creativity if we do a lot of research or one of secrets/revelation if we do a bunch of investigating?
This is significantly more doable on our own, considering we're already good at the Spirit Arcanum. Dealing with the denizens of the Shadow is something we're eventually going to know how to do. Dealing with goetic entities, not really, unless we either learn the Mind Arcanum or start travelling to the Astral Planes a lot.

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You suggest Diana first, mainly because all you have to defend yourself at this exact moment are Law and Order (your joking nickname for your left and right hand, at which jemma facepalms). It's a decent drive out south, out of the city proper and into the old railyards that the city used at the turn of the 20th century to have all sorts of building supplies, food, cattle, and whatever else was shipped along the rails at that time. She pulls up to a large warehouse, a rather old brick building that smells of sulfur and rust. You hear the noticable ting of metal on metal echoing from inside.

"Di," Jemma says, walking into the warehouse proper like she owns the place. "Diana, you here?"

Your eyes gaze around you, and it dawns on you why she works out of a warehouse. All around you are large, half-assembled parts to things you didn't expect to see outside of a museum. She has an old Ford Model T half-taken apart in one corner, next to a tank that looks straight out of the old news reels from World War 2. Hell, she even has an engine for some large plane, and that doesn't include all the blades, guns, chains, and suits of armor she has set up all around her work station.

"Gemini, is that you?" You see a young woman look up from where she is sitting, next to a large furnace and a glowing red slab of metal in her hand, a large hammer in the other.

Wait, why is it in her hand?

"uhh... Is that normal," you ask, pointing to Diana holding onto the metal.

She almost drops it in shock, but stops. "... Wait, you're not a Sleeper," she intones, then sighs heavily. "Good, I'd hate to try and explain this," she says, waving her hand. It looks to be coated in some sort of alloy, as it has a black sheen to it.

> [1/?]

Have we picked a name yet or are we just going to tell everyone our real name?

>>36378926
We don't even know about Paradox yet, so I would be very surprised.

>>36378926
>Have we picked a name?
Not that I'm aware of. Any suggestions?

>>36378978
It's cliche, but how about Raguel? That's the name of the Archangel of Justice, Fairness, Harmony, and Vengence. Kinda fits really.

>>36378976
Yeah, I don't think we've even heard of the concept of Sympathetic Magic yet, so we have no idea why we'd need to hide our name.

>>36379025
it works and it fits

>>36379025
I'm okay with it

>>36379025
>>36379080
It also sounds vaguely like some sort of actual Hispanic name, depending on how we pronounce it. Judging from our name we're Hispanic anyway.

>>36379025
Ok, don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think that's a good idea. Raguel gets contracted to Ragu, a brand of pasta sauce. I really don't want to end up being known as "The Spaghetti Man".

If we're going that direction why not just go with "Law". It speaks to our profession, to an extent out purpose, and the fact that ours is an imposed morality and not some inherent stricture.

>>36378888
she looks familiar

>[2/3]

She murmurs to herself, dropping the metal bar back into the furnace next to her. Almost instantly the black sheen disappears, and she flexes her hand and arm as though nothing happened to it. "Gotta love Magic, makes all this hands on work a lot more intimate!" She runs up and hugs Jemma, who returns the gesture. "So, what brings you out this way?"

The two of you explain the situation to her, as she cleans herself off of all the soot and grime she had working on the forge. She barely looks 18, but with your relative inexperience with all things magical, and based upon how easily she dispelled whatever spell she had on herself, she must know a lot more than you.

"So, you think Chrom has the Mystic," she says, stretching out. "And you want my help?"

"More or less," Jemma says.

"Please, I'll do anything to save my wife. I'll pay you in favors, or money, or whatever else you want."

The woman grins, looking you over. "Don't write checks your body can't cash," a glint of greed in her eyes. "To be honest, Chrom is a really creepy asshole. He gave me some specs on a machine he wanted made a few months back, but I never figured out what it was for." She digs around in a file cabinet, trying to find something. "Ah, here we go." She produces a rather detailed blueprint of the helmet Elizabeth was wearing.

>>36379154
>>36379025
I do want something that ties to our job, so both of these are kind of tempting

"He had that on her head," you say. "And it was hooked up to like a dozen different machines."

She bops her head back and forth, before nodding. "Yeah, he wouldn't tell me what it was for, but he just wanted to make sure it had an internal power source in case of a blackout, and more wiring than something of that size could house."

"Why'd you help him out," Jemma asks. "If he creeps you out that much?"

"Because he paid me with a literal bar of gold! And not one of those Mage'd ones, I'd know if it was fake." She pauses for a moment, before nodding her head. "And sure, I'll help you guys out. I'm not too good in an actual fight, but if you need anything made, or a way inside, I'm your gal!"

> Thanks!
> I need a weapon
> So where is this guy located at, Jemma?
> Other

> Also, dinner time for QM, back in 20-30 minutes.

>>36379154
He goes by several names, all of them more or less refering to the same dude. Reuel, Rufael, ans Askrasiel would resolve your "problem" and still get the point across. Though I doubt anybody would use that shorthand for the first one in any way except as an insult.

I don't much care what my enemies call me, just that they fear me. Besides, fearing "the spaghetti man" is a very humorous mental image for me.

>>36379322
>I need a weapon
What weapon should we get? We don't have any skill in firearms, so that's probably out.
What is the Weaponry skill for?

>>36379322
>> I need a weapon
get geared up and ready for any thing

>>36379322
>> I need a weapon
Something that will let me smash his face in

>>36379322
>> I need a weapon
Magic bronze knuckles

>>36379322
For a powersmith, a mere bar of gold ain't shit. You'd need 10 of em'. Why? Because perfected gold is Oricalcum. Powersmiths want perfected materials (note, our ruling arcana is spirit, this is the key arcana in refinement).

The refining process eliminates 90 percent of the mass. What's left, however, is far better than the original material could ever hope to be and even houses enchantments easier. The bread and butter, though, is siderite, perfected iron. Stronger than any steel, this is what you want your new sword or platemail to be made of.

>>36379322
> Get more details on the helmet and Chrom
How hard will it be to remove? Is he the type to install safeguards to prevent tampering?

> I need a weapon
We need a weapon. Something we can run with and not worry about dropping.

>>36379446
i like that we do have boxing training

>>36379283
For the other guys, can we not mention she is our wife right off the bat? or state we will pay anything?

just go with a smooth
>Crom has the mystic
>We are gonna rescue her
>We thought you might want in on it
if they are not interested then entice them with promises of whatever.

Back from dinner, writing.

>>36379819
>guys, we're a law clerk, try to stay in character and not overplay our hand!

Probably a good call.

"Thank you so much," you say to Diana. "Now, I'm going to need a weapon."

"What do you want made," she asks, literally beaming in pride. "Name your material, name your weapon, even if its a gun, and I'll whip it up for you like it just rolled off the assembly line! Or if you're looking for something a bit more, intimate," she says, noting the calluses on your hands. "I can whip up a pair of knuckles or gauntlets for you."

"Uhh... Well..." Brass knuckles are pretty illegal, as are most weapons of any kind in the city. You look at Jemma, who shrugs, averting her gaze for the moment. "Some kind of knuckles will work, like a brass or bronze pair. I wouldn't mind having a knife of some kind as well, maybe something I can hide in a boot? And I don't know about armor... Uhh... I guess something that'll stop both a knife and a gunshot?"

"The knuckles won't be a problem, and the knife is easy too. The difficult part will be in the armor, as that's personal preference more than anything else." She tosses about some loose pages, finally tracking down what looks like some measuring tape. She begins taking measurements of your hands, fingers, chest, collar, and arm width, making annotations as she goes.

"Is there anything else about the helmet that you know of that would stop us from removing it from the Mystic's head," you say, as she begins measuring your legs and your thighs.

"Nah, it's just got a bicycle helm strap to keep it in place, if he did anything else to it other than that I wouldn't know. Do you want to be light and nimble, or slow and heavy, something that'll let you take a beating and keep on moving?"

> Light and nimble
> Slow and heavy
> Other

>>36380286
>> Light and nimble

>>36380286
>> Slow and heavy

>>36380286
>> Other
a mix of both medium armor

>>36380286
>Light and nimble

>>36380286
>Light and nimble

>>36380286
>"Weight is no issue, if I can compensate with magic."

>>36380286
> Light and nimble

>>36380286
>Light and Nimble
We trained as a boxer. Stick and move son, stick and move!

>>36380435
oh hey... we COULD eventually do that using life
but I don't think we can yet.
Also, a disadvantage of heavy is that it will be high profile, very clearly combat armor. unlike light armor..

actually the most important thing we could get is some sort of muggle-b-gone. does she know where we can buy a ring of that?

>>36380484
No, but we can compensate with force.

>>36380286
Is dex still the god stat in mage?
> Light and nimble

>>36380612
Mage doesn't really have any god-stats as such, considering spellcasting is completely decoupled from your stats.

Resolve, Stamina, and Composure do come up when RESISTING spells a lot, with Composure coming up most often as well as factoring into both Initiative and Willpower.

>>36380286
Just as a note, we do have higher Strength than Dexterity at the moment. Not that that makes a difference when using melee weapons unless we have the Fighting Finesse merit anyway, since otherwise you use Strength regardless.

"Light and nimble, please," you say to her.

"Great!" She hops along with her notes and begins looking through what looks like a large pile of scrap metal. "Nope, nope, not this.... Ahh, here we go." She pulls out a rather large brick of what appears to be iron, and carries it over to her forge. "I'll be at this for most of the day, so come on by tomorrow and I'll have all of it made."

Jemma returns with a rather large gun in her hand. "Can you get this set up to fire though metal, Di?"

"Yep. Want me to lump him together on your tab, or start up a new account for him?"

"New account please, I can't afford what he's looking to buy." She pats Diana on the back. "Have fun."

"I always do." She begins to murmur, and the solid brick begins to turn into a metallic goop, which she begins to pull apart as though it was made of clay.

"Let's go." Jemma pulls you outside, and into her car. "So, want someone else, or just wait for her to finish up?"

> Ezikiel, another Obrimos (Forces and Prime mage) like Jemma, only he focused on the "art of Magic itself"
> Garen, a Thyrsus (Life and Spirit mage), a doctor for the supernatural
> TA, a Mastigos (Space and Mind mage), someone Jemma rather dislikes but admits might be useful
> Begin staking out Chrom's place of business, where Jemma thinks Elizabeth is located
> Other

>>36380908
>> TA, a Mastigos (Space and Mind mage), someone Jemma rather dislikes but admits might be useful
This guy can do teleports, right?

>>36380908
>> TA, a Mastigos (Space and Mind mage), someone Jemma rather dislikes but admits might be useful

>>36380908
>> Ezikiel, another Obrimos (Forces and Prime mage) like Jemma, only he focused on the "art of Magic itself"

>>36380908
>Ezikiel
Whatever magic he's worked on her, we'll need a good dispeller to unfuck her existence.

>>36380908
Ezikiel is the only hard sell, since he has a serious feud with two of the others.
So yes, we should go to garen now followed by TA.

>>36381050
What we need there is to defeat him. after/if we defeat him, we can then drive her comatose body to ezikiel to fix.

>>36380908
>> Garen, a Thyrsus (Life and Spirit mage), a doctor for the supernatural
Considering what we saw, a doc could be useful.

>>36380908
>> TA, a Mastigos (Space and Mind mage), someone Jemma rather dislikes but admits might be useful

>>36381252

Shit you're right. Can't get her out of the building if we don't know how to unhook her from the systems safely. I change my vote from >>36381050 to this.

>>36380908
>> Garen, a Thyrsus (Life and Spirit mage), a doctor for the supernatural
seems smart to have a doctor on stand by

>>36380908
>>36381058
I just double checked
Ezikiel bad blood is with both TA AND Garen
meaning our choice is actually
>Only ezikiel
>Both TA and Garen

Was just about to post a scene I had ready for TA, then you guys lock in on Garen. Gimme a few minutes to write it up.

>>36381577
sorry but we still love you tho

>>36381577
Actually, it looks like the votes are tied between TA and Garren.

>>36381577
Do a vote cutoff. It'll save both you and readers some annoyance.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

Huh, I miscounted. It is a tie between TA and Garen.

1 for TA, 2 for Garen.

>>36381713
2

>>36381774
You're not very bright, are you?

>>36381789
No I'm not

You suggest Garen, as maybe he can figure out what some of those machines mean, and if it's safe to pull Elizabeth free of them. Along the way, you ask her some things you've had in mind: why all the codenames, what a Paradox is, and what all the various schools of Magic mean. She gives you a brief rundown (Names have weight to them, they make it easier to scry someone's location. Paradoxes are bad, don't cast spells around a Sleeper. She gives a brief idea of all 10 schools, look at the resource pages for more info.), and by the time you reach where TA is located, it's already 2 PM. "You ok if you miss out on work," you ask her.

"Hell no. After this, I probably have to stop being your chaufer, as I need to get ready for work." She parks the car outside a small, two story townhouse located on the north side of the city, in one of the blue blood corners of the city. She rings the doorbell, and a moment later an older man steps out to meet you both, wrinkles in his hands and face, a couple liver spots starting to form. The few hairs he has are a solid white, and he looks like a stiff breeze could knock him over. About the only noteworthy thing about him is his rather trimmed mustache.

"Gemini, how good to see you again," he glows, giving her a quick peck on each cheek. "You look even better than before." He glances behind her, looking at you. "And this gentleman is...?"

"Another Mage," she says, motioning for you to follow after her. "A friend who's in a bit of a pickle."

"Oh? What's the problem?"

You wring your hands in anxiety a bit. This old geezer's going to help you rescue Elizabeth? "Well, some Mage who calls himself Chrom has the Mystic. We are going to rescue her, and though you might want to tag along."

He gives Jemma a grave stare, and takes a step back. "Is this true?"

"I'm afraid so."

>[1/2]

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>[2/2]

You nudge on Jemma, pulling her aside. "Uhh... I don't mean to be rude, but this old guy's gonna help us rescue Elizabeth," you whisper into her ear.

"Appearances can be deceiving," she replies. "Garen, would you be so kind as to show my friend why I suggested you in the first place?"

The man nods, handing her his lab coat. In mere seconds, you see the old, decrepit man before you shift, grow, and literally de-age before your eyes. Muscles start bulging, his hair turns from white into a healthy blonde, and he starts flexing, the shirt he was wearing bursting into little shreds of cloth. You thought you were in pretty decent shape, but this puts even Mr. Muscle to shame.

"This is why," she says, and you swear there's even a slight hint of lust in her voice.

"Magic is truly a wonderful thing," he says, his voice now deep and booming. "If there is anything I can do to aid in this venture, just say the word and I shall join in earnest!"

> Quest End

> 7 exp. gained

>>36381938
Life is super sweet

>>36381900
Garen, not TA, fuck. My bad, but it's a small typo.

Thread archived here: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/36375069/

> QM Twitter: https://twitter.com/MageQM

I should be back tomorrow or Wednesday.

>>36381938
GLORIOUS GAREN FAMILY MAGIC PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS!!!

>>36381985
>If/when you guys display a Virtue, then I'll fill it in.
Hey, Mr. Mage, we already happened to display feats of courage or resolve or both when we dramatically beat Mr. Wolfballs.

>>36381938
question, did he illusion himself to look old, or did he transform just now?

>>36381994
this actually raises a good point, the children of a mage are sleepers are they not?

>>36382367
>>36381938
the reason I ask is, if he transformed, why does he not stay in the awesome shape all the time.

>>36382335
Well, keep in mind that before you became a Mage you ran from a vampire like a scared little girl, so...

>>36382407
Stick around and ask that next quest thread.

>>36382381
Not sure. Maybe. Probably if both parents are mages, but if one parent's a sleeper then maybe not.

>>36381938
Goddamit an hour too late

>>36382381
Yes, although it's possible you could end up with a Proximus instead if you're very lucky.

>>36375069
>>36375179
Thank you for switching over to a linear cost system :)

There's been some confusion about how willpower works throughout the quest threads:
>>36375276
>>36375427
>>36376608
Could you include a note in the pasta of future threads?
>>36376533 and >>36376666 already touched on it, but here's a short version:
>Max Willpower Dots = Resolve + Composure
>Max Willpower Points = Willpower Dots
>Start with Max Willpower Dots and Points
>Spend Willpower Points on Merits or to get +3 on a roll
>Spend Willpower Dots on major character advancement (learning rotes, item crafting, etc)
>Regain spent Willpower Points by completing Virtues and Vices
>Regain burnt Willpower Dots for 5exp each

>>36383157
You can "spend" on most any roll. Even a combat roll (you *really* want this guy dead so you give it your all). It can either grant you 3 extra dice or the 9 again rule for the roll.

>>36382532
One could argue that we have already did some virtuous things (like being loyal to your wife or being courageous when NOT being chased by a supernatural predator we don't know shit about), but they have all gone unnoticed because no virtue was set preemptively like we did with the vice (we decided that our vice would be "lust" and started flirting heavily). If we would know in advance that courage, for example, is our defining characteristic we would've just slammed that vampire with the pipe or something.

>>36383200
Neat, never knew about the 9again option. Nor can I find it now that I'm looking for it
There's also the option of adding 2 to a Resistance trait (Stamina/Resolve/Composure) during an instance, but that's niche as hell and 3 dice on a roll is better in most circuimstances.

>>36383484
I don't think the 9-again option is actually an option, and I'm also pretty sure that would be strictly worse than +3 dice in pretty much all circumstances (maybe not when your dicepool is already absurdly high, but you don't need to spend WP in that situation anyway)

>>36384173
What if you really, really want an exceptional success?

>>36379526
To refine perfect metals you need to send it 24 times to the Twilight as ephemera and pull them back. Moving objects into twilight is the domain of Death, not Spirit.

>>36382407
He probably does underneath and keeps the old man look as a disguise overtop. People tend to underestimate old geezers.

>>36384247
Then you're better off setting up something through RP for 8 again. In Mage, Fate is amazing for that.
Fate 2: Exceptional Luck = 1 mana for [successes] rolls with 9 again.
Fate 3: Superlative Luck = 1 Mana for [successes] rolls with 8 again.

But as >>36384173 points out, 9-again isn't an option and >>36383200 is probably remembering a houserule.

>>36383136
what is a proximus?

>>36387516
Sleepers born of magical lineages that mages believe to be more likely to awaken. It's a merit in 1e that doesn't actually do anything.

>>36387632
They do gain some magic powers actually. Enhanced lifespan, some spells, ability to use magic items w/o Paradox, and at least one organization of reality warpers looking out for you, kinda. For a 4-dot merit, it ain't bad.

>>36388162
We're looking at different Merits then. I'm looking at the 1-dot merit on p334 of the Core.

>>36388199
Yup, forgot that Proximi is actually a 1-dot merit that requiores Sleepwaker, a 4-dot merit

UP for good quest and system discussion.

Reading about you guys talking about magic system, gnosis and etc.

Why don't we all use this site here?
http://www.thesubnet.com/portal/wod2/mtaw/index.html

It's pretty good and easy to use.