Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Talking the Talk
[Mage: the Awakening] Legacy of the Stone Assembly
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Hella_Tellah" data-source="post: 4533719" data-attributes="member: 52669"><p>Great news! I'm glad you've decided to play, BlueLotus. And I'm going to take it as a direct complement that your first post on ENWorld was in my thread, Annalist. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>I guess now is as good a time as any to give you all this next bit. In my real life, on the table games, I give each player the following as a handout during character creation.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"> <span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Medium'"><span style="font-size: 22px"><span style="color: Orange">Handout: The Informing</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Medium'"><span style="font-size: 22px"><span style="color: Orange"></span></span></span></p><p></p><p> <p style="text-align: center"><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Medium'"><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="color: #ffc000">How to Succeed in "Legacy of the Stone Assembly" </span></span></span></p> </p><p> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">[FONT=&quot]<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'">This game is about roleplaying above all else. Do as your character would do, think as your character would think, and you'll be in the right mindset to enjoy the game. Play it as a problem-solving exercise or a tactical simulator, and you'll probably find it lacking.</span></span></span>[/FONT]<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">[FONT=&quot]<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'">That said, it's a game, and there will be problems to solve and tactics to use. Mages are at their best when they are creative and prepared. Creative thaumaturgy is your best friend, and as you become more comfortable making spells, it should be your first resort. In terms of preparation, mages tend to die when they rush in blindly. The Consilium heirarch got to where he is by being clever, sure, but mostly because he always remembers to cast four different forms of magical protection before leaving his sanctum.</span></span></span>[/FONT]<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">[FONT=&quot]<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'">Therefore, be forewarned that World of Darkness has no yardstick for what constitutes a "balanced encounter". There will be some characters you'll be able to steamroll with social skills, and there will be others from whom you should run swiftly, or better yet, have the Space mage teleport you someplace safe. When in doubt and in danger, retreat, regroup, and deck yourself out with as many triggered spells and magical wards as you can handle.</span></span></span>[/FONT]<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"></span> </p><p> <p style="text-align: center"><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Medium'"><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="color: #ffc000">The Paths of Magic</span></span></span></p> </p><p> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">The Paths and Watchtowers are merely descriptive terms used by a majority of mages. Most of Awakened society accepts, or at least perpetuates, the idea of a bygone magical civilization, a diaspora, and five Watchtowers that guide the Awakened. This does not mean that the stories are necessarily true. Most mages take the Atlantean myth as seriously as we take Virgil's Aeneid, or the story of George Wash-ington and the cherry tree--which is to say, hardly at all.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">In game mechanics, this means that players are not restricted in their choices of ruling and inferior Arcana, and need not choose a Path (unless, of course, you want to). Choose any two ruling arcana and one inferior arcanum, and gain 1 dot in your choice of Resolve or Composure. If you want to use a legacy, you need to have at least one ruling arcanum from the legacy’s parent path.</span></span></p><p> </p><p> <p style="text-align: center"><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Medium'"><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="color: #ffc000">Flavor Text That Matters</span></span></span></p> </p><p> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">As a player, you won't be required to provide me with ten typed pages of back story. In order to flesh out your character, though, you'll need to decide on a few key principles that are sure to come up.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><em>Mentor:</em></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> Somebody taught you how to use magic effectively. Is that relationship still strong? How do those lessons color your view of magic and mage society?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><em>Magical Tools:</em></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> Most mages use special dedicated tools to reduce the Paradox chance of casting a spell. What are yours? Be creative here--wands are lame, zippo lighters are decent, but Jimi Hendrix's guitar pick is awesome.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><em>Nimbus:</em></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> When another mage senses your magic, what does it look like? Try to keep it from being specific to any particular sense, and allow for varied, specific descriptions. "Academic" is a good descriptor, because some mages might smell old moldy books, others might hear squeaking chairs and tapping pencils, and another might feel enveloped by an ill-fitting tweed jacket. "Blue" is not a good descriptor, and "Chaotic" is worse.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><em>Tradition:</em></span></span>[FONT=&quot]<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> This one's optional, but potentially really fun. If your mage interprets magic through a real-world myth tradition, what is it? Did a childhood spent studying the Torah lead your character to imagine magic through Kabala imagery? Maybe growing up on the bayou led you to think more in terms of voodoo.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span> </p><p> [/FONT]</p><p> <p style="text-align: center"><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Medium'"><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="color: #ffc000">Niche-Protection</span></span></span></p> </p><p> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">When building your character, try not to step on another player's territory. If you're both kung fu masters who enhance your fighting prowess with Time magic, try to negotiate some area where you strongly differ, or emphasize some other aspect of that archetype. Maybe your mentors were rivals, or one of you prefers the closed-fist techniques over open-palmed techniques, or one of you is more Jackie Chan and the other is Bruce Lee. Just leave other players with enough room to be different from you.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">You can definitely use the same ruling arcana as another character, if you want to. Just consider whether you might want to be the undisputed master of a particular field of study, or whether you want an in-party rival for that position.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Talk to the other players. Don't steal each other's thunder.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span> </p><p> <p style="text-align: center"><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Medium'"><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="color: #ffc000">Acquiring Power</span></span></span></p> </p><p> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">To gain anything permanent, you must meet two conditions: justify the gain, and spend experience. There will be periods in the game where we simply fast-forward for a few weeks or months, so it will be fairly easy to say, "I spent a month studying Latin really, really diligently with the use of Mind magic," and that will be justification enough for your character to learn Latin. In most instances, learning mundane knowledge will be that easy.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Learning rotes will require the player to meet with another mage who knows the rote, and that will usually need to be a mage of the order listed in the book. You might also find a grimoire with the rote inscribed. But you won't be able to say, "I spent a month looking for grimoires, and I found one with the rote I wanted."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Improving an inferior arcanum, or improving a regular arcanum up to 5 dots, requires a mentor. The nature of this mentor can be pretty flexible, from an old coot in a tower to a powerful spirit to a self-aware computer program, but learning these arcana will require roleplay time.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Spending experience makes up the other key element. We'll go be the maxim, "spend it to keep it," meaning that if you gain something through roleplay that you don't pay for in experience, it will be taken from you, possibly by things that can eat your soul and make Cthulhu look like Hello Kitty.</span></span></p><p> </p><p> <p style="text-align: center"><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Medium'"><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="color: #ffc000">Wisdom, Hubris, and Paradox</span></span></span></p> </p><p> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">The major theme of Mage, what makes it a game of modern horror, is the emphasis on mages as their own worst enemies. When you make a hubris roll, gain a derangement, or get slammed with a paradox, try not to think of it as a message from the Storyteller or from the game designers that what you did was a Bad Idea. It was probably a pretty good idea!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Instead, claim a personal victory that you advanced the major theme of the game. Just like Call of Cthulhu is about being devoured by powers beyond the understanding of man, Mage is about personal corruption. "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." In fact, if your character isn't getting hit with hubris rolls or paradox, you're missing out on a lot of the fun. If your character's Vice is telling you to go for the gusto and steal that enemy mage's soul, do it, hubris roll be damned. It'll be awesome, and you'll probably get bonus experience for it.</span></span></p><p> </p><p> <p style="text-align: center"><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Medium'"><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="color: #ffc000">The Cabal</span></span></span></p> </p><p> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">The players' characters are all members of the same Cabal. The game just works better if the players cooperate to a large extent, and the Cabals put mages together in a way that is best supported by the rules.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Most cabals have a place they meet, which is called a Sanctum. In addition to Sancta, there are a number of other benefits for which players can pool their points: Library, Hallow, Artifact, etc. In fact, you are welcome to pool points for just about anything that makes sense (no pooling three players' points to each learn 1/3 of kung fu, though). If you pool points together for things, consider making those items part of a shared Sanctum, if only for ease of storytelling.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'"><span style="font-size: 12px">The Cabal also needs to determine its stance in regard to the five Great Rights. The Right of Crossing means that the Cabal allows other mages to pass through their territory, as long as they do so peacefully. The Right of Emeritus is a statement that the Cabal will treat those who have earned respect with respect. Cabals that grant the Right of Hospitality will not turn down a reasonable request for sanctuary from a mage in good standing. Under the Right of Nemesis, the Cabal vows not to stand in the way of a mage who has declared another mage outside the Cabal his Nemesis. Finally, the Right of Sanctuary is a promise to keep the Sanctum safe, both from outside forces and from one another. Once the Cabal has decided on these Rights, they should include glyphs in the High Speech around their territory to let other mages know where they stand. Most mages will assume by default that your Cabal upholds all five, but that doesn't mean that every other Cabal upholds them. You might find that out if you go traipsing through the territory of a hostile Cabal that does not grant Crossing.</span></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Hella_Tellah, post: 4533719, member: 52669"] Great news! I'm glad you've decided to play, BlueLotus. And I'm going to take it as a direct complement that your first post on ENWorld was in my thread, Annalist. :) I guess now is as good a time as any to give you all this next bit. In my real life, on the table games, I give each player the following as a handout during character creation. [CENTER] [FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium][SIZE=6][COLOR=Orange]Handout: The Informing [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] [CENTER][CENTER][FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium][SIZE=4][COLOR=#ffc000]How to Succeed in "Legacy of the Stone Assembly" [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] [/CENTER] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3][FONT="][FONT=Palatino Linotype]This game is about roleplaying above all else. Do as your character would do, think as your character would think, and you'll be in the right mindset to enjoy the game. Play it as a problem-solving exercise or a tactical simulator, and you'll probably find it lacking.[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3][FONT="][FONT=Palatino Linotype]That said, it's a game, and there will be problems to solve and tactics to use. Mages are at their best when they are creative and prepared. Creative thaumaturgy is your best friend, and as you become more comfortable making spells, it should be your first resort. In terms of preparation, mages tend to die when they rush in blindly. The Consilium heirarch got to where he is by being clever, sure, but mostly because he always remembers to cast four different forms of magical protection before leaving his sanctum.[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3][FONT="][FONT=Palatino Linotype]Therefore, be forewarned that World of Darkness has no yardstick for what constitutes a "balanced encounter". There will be some characters you'll be able to steamroll with social skills, and there will be others from whom you should run swiftly, or better yet, have the Space mage teleport you someplace safe. When in doubt and in danger, retreat, regroup, and deck yourself out with as many triggered spells and magical wards as you can handle.[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Palatino Linotype] [/FONT] [CENTER][CENTER][FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium][SIZE=4][COLOR=#ffc000]The Paths of Magic[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] [/CENTER] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3]The Paths and Watchtowers are merely descriptive terms used by a majority of mages. Most of Awakened society accepts, or at least perpetuates, the idea of a bygone magical civilization, a diaspora, and five Watchtowers that guide the Awakened. This does not mean that the stories are necessarily true. Most mages take the Atlantean myth as seriously as we take Virgil's Aeneid, or the story of George Wash-ington and the cherry tree--which is to say, hardly at all. [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3]In game mechanics, this means that players are not restricted in their choices of ruling and inferior Arcana, and need not choose a Path (unless, of course, you want to). Choose any two ruling arcana and one inferior arcanum, and gain 1 dot in your choice of Resolve or Composure. If you want to use a legacy, you need to have at least one ruling arcanum from the legacy’s parent path.[/SIZE][/FONT] [CENTER][CENTER][FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium][SIZE=4][COLOR=#ffc000]Flavor Text That Matters[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] [/CENTER] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3]As a player, you won't be required to provide me with ten typed pages of back story. In order to flesh out your character, though, you'll need to decide on a few key principles that are sure to come up. [I]Mentor:[/I][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3] Somebody taught you how to use magic effectively. Is that relationship still strong? How do those lessons color your view of magic and mage society? [I]Magical Tools:[/I][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3] Most mages use special dedicated tools to reduce the Paradox chance of casting a spell. What are yours? Be creative here--wands are lame, zippo lighters are decent, but Jimi Hendrix's guitar pick is awesome. [I]Nimbus:[/I][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3] When another mage senses your magic, what does it look like? Try to keep it from being specific to any particular sense, and allow for varied, specific descriptions. "Academic" is a good descriptor, because some mages might smell old moldy books, others might hear squeaking chairs and tapping pencils, and another might feel enveloped by an ill-fitting tweed jacket. "Blue" is not a good descriptor, and "Chaotic" is worse. [I]Tradition:[/I][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT="][FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3] This one's optional, but potentially really fun. If your mage interprets magic through a real-world myth tradition, what is it? Did a childhood spent studying the Torah lead your character to imagine magic through Kabala imagery? Maybe growing up on the bayou led you to think more in terms of voodoo. [/SIZE][/FONT] [/FONT] [CENTER][CENTER][FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium][SIZE=4][COLOR=#ffc000]Niche-Protection[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] [/CENTER] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3]When building your character, try not to step on another player's territory. If you're both kung fu masters who enhance your fighting prowess with Time magic, try to negotiate some area where you strongly differ, or emphasize some other aspect of that archetype. Maybe your mentors were rivals, or one of you prefers the closed-fist techniques over open-palmed techniques, or one of you is more Jackie Chan and the other is Bruce Lee. Just leave other players with enough room to be different from you. [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3]You can definitely use the same ruling arcana as another character, if you want to. Just consider whether you might want to be the undisputed master of a particular field of study, or whether you want an in-party rival for that position. [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3]Talk to the other players. Don't steal each other's thunder. [/SIZE][/FONT] [CENTER][CENTER][FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium][SIZE=4][COLOR=#ffc000]Acquiring Power[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] [/CENTER] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3]To gain anything permanent, you must meet two conditions: justify the gain, and spend experience. There will be periods in the game where we simply fast-forward for a few weeks or months, so it will be fairly easy to say, "I spent a month studying Latin really, really diligently with the use of Mind magic," and that will be justification enough for your character to learn Latin. In most instances, learning mundane knowledge will be that easy. [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3]Learning rotes will require the player to meet with another mage who knows the rote, and that will usually need to be a mage of the order listed in the book. You might also find a grimoire with the rote inscribed. But you won't be able to say, "I spent a month looking for grimoires, and I found one with the rote I wanted." [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3]Improving an inferior arcanum, or improving a regular arcanum up to 5 dots, requires a mentor. The nature of this mentor can be pretty flexible, from an old coot in a tower to a powerful spirit to a self-aware computer program, but learning these arcana will require roleplay time. [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3]Spending experience makes up the other key element. We'll go be the maxim, "spend it to keep it," meaning that if you gain something through roleplay that you don't pay for in experience, it will be taken from you, possibly by things that can eat your soul and make Cthulhu look like Hello Kitty.[/SIZE][/FONT] [CENTER][CENTER][FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium][SIZE=4][COLOR=#ffc000]Wisdom, Hubris, and Paradox[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] [/CENTER] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3]The major theme of Mage, what makes it a game of modern horror, is the emphasis on mages as their own worst enemies. When you make a hubris roll, gain a derangement, or get slammed with a paradox, try not to think of it as a message from the Storyteller or from the game designers that what you did was a Bad Idea. It was probably a pretty good idea! [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3]Instead, claim a personal victory that you advanced the major theme of the game. Just like Call of Cthulhu is about being devoured by powers beyond the understanding of man, Mage is about personal corruption. "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." In fact, if your character isn't getting hit with hubris rolls or paradox, you're missing out on a lot of the fun. If your character's Vice is telling you to go for the gusto and steal that enemy mage's soul, do it, hubris roll be damned. It'll be awesome, and you'll probably get bonus experience for it.[/SIZE][/FONT] [CENTER][CENTER][FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium][SIZE=4][COLOR=#ffc000]The Cabal[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] [/CENTER] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3]The players' characters are all members of the same Cabal. The game just works better if the players cooperate to a large extent, and the Cabals put mages together in a way that is best supported by the rules. [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3]Most cabals have a place they meet, which is called a Sanctum. In addition to Sancta, there are a number of other benefits for which players can pool their points: Library, Hallow, Artifact, etc. In fact, you are welcome to pool points for just about anything that makes sense (no pooling three players' points to each learn 1/3 of kung fu, though). If you pool points together for things, consider making those items part of a shared Sanctum, if only for ease of storytelling. [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Palatino Linotype][SIZE=3]The Cabal also needs to determine its stance in regard to the five Great Rights. The Right of Crossing means that the Cabal allows other mages to pass through their territory, as long as they do so peacefully. The Right of Emeritus is a statement that the Cabal will treat those who have earned respect with respect. Cabals that grant the Right of Hospitality will not turn down a reasonable request for sanctuary from a mage in good standing. Under the Right of Nemesis, the Cabal vows not to stand in the way of a mage who has declared another mage outside the Cabal his Nemesis. Finally, the Right of Sanctuary is a promise to keep the Sanctum safe, both from outside forces and from one another. Once the Cabal has decided on these Rights, they should include glyphs in the High Speech around their territory to let other mages know where they stand. Most mages will assume by default that your Cabal upholds all five, but that doesn't mean that every other Cabal upholds them. You might find that out if you go traipsing through the territory of a hostile Cabal that does not grant Crossing.[/SIZE][/FONT] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Talking the Talk
[Mage: the Awakening] Legacy of the Stone Assembly
Top