[Mage: the Awakening] Legacy of the Stone Assembly

Don't worry about it, you haven't really missed anything other than the new players. You're usually prompt in responding IC though, so I was just a little worried.

Hope you get better!

I decided there wasn't much point in having a scene where you find out where Benefit is. It's not a secret, although people outside the Awakened community don't know who runs the place.

Int+Politics: Thorn and Prometheus each got one success, so they know that Benefit's cabal sends a very handsome young Apostate named Argos to represent them at Consilium meetings, as rare as those are. Levanna scored no successes, so she only knows the more general information given in previous posts. If Levanna has ever had any contact with them, they probably tried to recruit her--but I'll leave that to BlueLotus to determine.

OK, I actually got quite a bit done on charater creation so far, which I'll post soon.

Note - i havn't actually played Mage before (I've played and run nWoD and Vampire: the Requiem though) and may not have delved into things as deep as I should. Seems like a great way to actually get to know the system though.

question: how/do magical armours stack with mundane armour? Take Kevlar vest as an example armour 1/2. (I'm going to take Fate 2, Matter 3, Time 1). With matter I could have a 3 armour (that doesn't protect against a grapple but does protect against damage in a grapple) and with Fate I could have 2 armour (that does protect against grapples, but not damage in grapples).

I assume mystical armours don't stack on themeselves, you just take the best bonus for the condition.

I'm sure I'll have other questions later on. Thanks.

Thondor said:

question: how/do magical armours stack with mundane armour? Take Kevlar vest as an example armour 1/2. (I'm going to take Fate 2, Matter 3, Time 1). With matter I could have a 3 armour (that doesn't protect against a grapple but does protect against damage in a grapple) and with Fate I could have 2 armour (that does protect against grapples, but not damage in grapples).

I assume mystical armours don't stack on themeselves, you just take the best bonus for the condition.

I'm sure I'll have other questions later on. Thanks.

Click to expand...

I'm always happy to answer questions--my enthusiasm for this system is boundless.

Magical armor bonuses overlap one another, rather than stack, but additional effects are cumulative. If you were to cast Matter's Unseen Aegis, you would gain 3 points of armor (points equal to dots in the arcanum) that works like any mundane armor, but also applies a -2 penaltiy on enemy attempts to inflict damage on you in a grapple (I think of this latter effect as the spell's "rider effect"), but not to starting a grapple or overpowering you once you're in one. If you then cast Fate's Fortune's Protection, you would gain 2 points of armor, and that would apply a -2 penalty to attempts to grapple you, but not to overpower you or damage you in a grapple. With both up, you'd have 3 points of armor, but penalize grapple attempts by 2, and offer no penalty to overpower attempts.

Magical armor bonuses do, however, stack with mundane armor, so Unseen Aegis over Kevlar gives you 4/5, with a -3 to damage attempts in a grapple.

The ease with which mages get access to armor is a major point in their favor versus other supernaturals, so armor is meant to be cheap and powerful. This is mainly due to the relative difficulty mages have healing themselves--1 mana for 3 bashing or 1 lethal is pretty steep compared to vampires.

"Goliath" a tough, dirt-poor, hard-life bouncer/auto-mechanic who grew up in Roxbury.

Walking Dad -
It's possible that Goldstein actually knows Darryl from his good ol' days and Darryls brief, youthful gang life.


[sblock=character sheet]

Name: Darryl Thomson
Shadow Name: Goliath
Concept: tough, poor, hard-life bouncer/auto mechanic
Age: 24

Virtue: Prudence
Vice: Envy

Order: Free Council

Home: grew up in Roxbury*: neighborhood most associated with crime, poverty, and urban decay. The "wrong side of town"

Stats
Int: * * Strength: * * * Presence: * * *
Wits: * * Dexterity: * * Manipulation: *
Resolve: * * * Stamina: * * * * Composure: * * *

Skills:
Mental:
# Crafts (automobiles) * *
Occult *
# Science *

Physical:
Athletics * * *
Brawl (grappling) * *
Drive *
Larceny * *
Steath * *
Weaponry *

Social:
Empathy *
Intimidation (Staredowns) * * *
# Persuasion *
Streetwise *

# rote skill

Merits
Giant * * * *
Iron Stamina *
Stongback *
Destiny *
High Speech *

Arcana
Fate (ruling) * *
Matter (ruling) * * *
Mind (inferior)
Time *

Rotes
* Time, Strike True, Int+Comp+Time (6), p. 258
** Fate, Shifting the Odds, Wits+science+fate (6), p. 153
*** Matter, Transmute Earth Int+Science+Matter (7), p. 200

Dedicated Magical tools - great-grandfathers worn silver pocket-watch (initials DT), fathers gold fillings - shaped into dice (increased hardness as well)

Gnosis 1

Size 6 Defense 1 Iniative mod 4 Speed 9 Experience none?

Health 10
Willpower 6
Mana 7/10

[/sblock]

He quite recently joined the Free Council.

[sblock=background, etc]
Character background, concept etc:

Darryl Thomson has had a tough life. Mostly this he has just taken it an moved on, but it has made him rather cynical. His huge size and tattoos are enough to warn most people away. He grew up in Roxbury, which tells you a lot about his childhood. He spent some time in gangs in his youth. His dad found out when he was sixteen, "Son you have cautious about that kind of thing, you can get youself or your family in a heap of trouble, or worse dead." Two weeks later his Dad was found, the cops were never sure what happened, but then the cops are useless. All Darryl knows his that his Dad was found at an old building he was renovating, and they had to I.D. his teeth.

Darryl focused on sports in school, hoping to get a rare out of the slum but his dreams were never realized, big and strong as he was, he just wasn't fast or nimble. At 18 his mom got sick, really sick, and spent most of the next two years in the hospital before she died. He took 4 months of schooling in auto machanics before he had to drop out, to pay the hospital bills and feed him and his little brother Allan. They were forced to sell their tiny house. Took a job as a bouncer, where his size and intimidating manner could be put to good use. He occasionally works at 'cousin' Ronny's garage (a distant relative, 3rd cousin) a shady place that fixes up cars that aren't always legal. When "Uncle" Benjamin has work (his dad's old partner in the renovation business) Darryl often helps out. Between the old hospital debt, and now trying to help Allan through University (probably Boston U) he never has any money.

He'd worn out his welcome with most of his friends and relatives, and was geeting behind on payements, when a dirty cop made him an offer. He accepted the 'test' job but declined the final offer, far too risky. Besides, Darryl was pretty sure he saw some things that just weren't possible that day. . . he hasn't seen the dirty cop since and isn't sure he wants to. He got a kevlar vest out of it that actually fits his huge frame.

Shortly after that, Darryl had a terrible nightmare and . . . Awoke.

Since then life as been a little easier. He eventually found an unaligned (as far as Darryl could tell) mentor named Nacredos. Nacredos took him in taught him for about 5 months before dissappearing. He left his library behind, with a list of suggestions. Darryl studied hard and diligently between jobs, but didn't finish the (short) list before the library simply disappeared, all that remained was a note "Good luck Goliath." The next day the house was for sale. He's been very cautious with his magical abilities to date, but has bumped fate to help his brother get a loan and small scholarship (or maybe Nacredos actually did that, Darryl isn't sure.) He also used his new abilities to get his fathers old F-150 running and in decent condition again.

After considering it for some time Darryl has joined the Free Council. He's currently looking for a place to stay, had a rough time with his most recent batch of housemates. His old boss just opened a new bar in Cambridge.
[/sblock]

Possesions pending approval, as is everything of course. . .

[sblock=Equipement]
Darryl possesions are limited to a old-trunk with a few changes of clothes, A tool box his dad gave him for his 14th birthday (and added to at christmas's and birthdays till his death), and the families old and recently fixed 1988 F 150 (Allan sometimes uses it). And a kevlar vest he aquired through a shady deal.
+ his two magical tools.
Right now Darryl has virtually no disposable income, despite working several jobs

[/sblock]

Having trouble finding a decent picture. Hard to find large looking people with (short) beards and the yourng but rough life look. Never was any good at finding those things anyway.
[sblock=description]
Goliath is 7-foot 3, and 320 pounds. He sports a short red-beard, tattoos and a close cropped hair. He carries a little to much weigth for his frame. He often wears hoodies, ripped jeans and an old leather jacket. [/sblock]

Do you still want some writing?
Does this work for a fairly easy insert into the game?

Woot, I'm exited. Thanks for letting me join. Doing Mage in a play by post will sure help me figure out what my character can actually do.

You've all made a great story so far from what I've read.

OK, question about Paradox's.

If you cast a vulgar spell with a Gnosis of 1, you have a 1 die chance of invoking a paradox. If you use a rote, or a magical tool, you reduce that by 1 dice. I believe that reduction would leave you with a chance die of a paradox occuring, correct?
Supposing you did both, cast a vulgar spell using a rote and a magical device, (-2 dice). That would that still leave you with a chance die of having a paradox ?

Thondor said:

OK, question about Paradox's.

If you cast a vulgar spell with a Gnosis of 1, you have a 1 die chance of invoking a paradox. If you use a rote, or a magical tool, you reduce that by 1 dice. I believe that reduction would leave you with a chance die of a paradox occuring, correct?
Supposing you did both, cast a vulgar spell using a rote and a magical device, (-2 dice). That would that still leave you with a chance die of having a paradox ?

Click to expand...

You've got it. You can also spend mana or take bashing damage to reduce the pool, but you can never get paradox lower than a chance die. The abyss is just too persistent.

Thondor said:

Uh, is Levanna here at all? or did she drop out for the moment. If she is I've probably heard or her anyway seeing as we are both pretty new Free Council.
Chopesh, back in your days as a cop, did you ever work in Roxbury? I'd like Goliath to have run into you during his brief, youthful gang life. That'd be about ten years ago.

Click to expand...

Levanna is in the scene, quiet as usual; I'll run her along with you guys for a little bit, but unless BlueLotus is still around, she stands a good chance of being drafted into Gabriel and Jeremiah's thing.

As far as people knowing one another, I'll leave that to you guys to decide. People of the same order are fairly likely to know one another, but it's not guaranteed. As a result of the "Grace Period" policy that keeps newly-Awakened apprentices out of politics, your characters weren't brought along to Order or Consilium meetings. Which is to say that you're all equally justified knowing one another or not, as it suits you.

Hella_Tellah said:

You've got it. You can also spend mana or take bashing damage to reduce the pool, but you can never get paradox lower than a chance die. The abyss is just too persistent.

Click to expand...

You mean you can reduce the successes on a paradox roll by taking bashing damage right? (p.124 Backlash)

Hmm, sounds like Backlash is my new best friend.

I wish I could have got the Iron Stomach merit too for Darryl, but you can only buy so much.

I don't want to bog down the game waiting for one of the characters to answer, so if Hella wants to move the game forward (to inside) works for me. Walking Dad can always retcon his reply (ie. I said this before we went inside)

maybe I'm being a little to hasty but I think we're getting a good flow and don't want this intial meeting to get dragged out.

As an aside -- I thought that Walking Dad's character wasn't local to Benefit, so that's how I've been having Goliath act. I've been playing it that my character thinks he remembers "Chopesh" from a long time ago before his awakening.