VI. The Emperor
“Power Incarnate is nothing compared to Power Controlled.”
The Emperor Arcana is a sexist Arcana, and it makes no apologies for it. It is the Arcana of the power masculine, of Andros, Jupiter Domini, the unfettered male. It is also the symbol of all secular and temporal authority. What it wants, it gets, and what it wants is lordship and dominion. There are no female Persona-users dealt under the hand of the Emperor.
Most Persona-users regard Emperors with more than a touch of asperity. A part of this comes from the arrogance Emperors naturally exude. They are the rulers of the Arcana, they say, tactlessly ignoring that each Arcana is supreme in its own bailiwick. Persona-users know better though. They know that something had to bring the Emperor down, for to be a Persona-user means to be intimate with death.
That is, they think they know better. Servitors of the Emperor Arcana are the ultimate survivalists. None of them ever felt the cold hand of death on their collective brow. They have been awfully close to it, but they cheated death by dint of their will to live and sheer determination to survive. Let the other Persona-users awaken because they had no choice but to submit. For the Emperor, power was deservedly seized.
Not all Emperors are haughty industrialists, though many would like to be. Some Emperors have no worldly goods to their name whatsoever. Their only strength comes from within. Many schoolyard bullies who nearly met untimely ends have grown to be social outcasts. Other leaders have been similarly displaced by a loss of a social mandate.
Ultimately, that is the crux of the Emperor’s quandary; in order for him to be an Emperor, he must rule. Unfortunately, vassalage is a thing of the past and the pickings are slim. The Emperor must carve out a place for himself and defend it from all invaders. He must somehow establish that he is better than others (a difficult task when Chariots come to play) or personally more qualified, a pinnacle of male achievement (which makes him butt heads with Strength Cards.)
Emperors will never admit it, but all their lust for power comes from a place of fear. The reason why they were able to awaken was because they were terrified out of their mortal stupor. Other Persona-users accepted their mortality and drew strength from it; Emperors run away from death, fighting to avoid the fate that leaves them with nothing, or at least, something out of their own control. They know collecting power is the only way to delay the inevitable.
It is for this reason that the Emperor Arcana has no known Dealer. Emperors are temperamentally unsuited to accept leadership other than their own anyway. Still, the Persona-users dealt under the hand of the Emperor have three Lord-Marshals--- Zagreus, Minos, and Rhodos---who have declared it anathema for any Emperor to undermine his brother Emperor without their express approval. Without this policing body the population of Emperor-users would surely be smaller; prideful men after all do prefer eliminating their competition.
This is not to say that there is no camaraderie between Emperors. There is. That is, it can only exist if one’s influence does nothing to leech from another’s. Additionally, for all that they awoke in fear, they are not cowards. If they MUST face death, they will. Many a noble hero was a king, after all. They just don’t see the point in dying to truly live.
The Powers of the Emperor
Zagreus, Minos and Rhodos are mysteries in their own right. They offer the mantle of Emperor to humans with potential just before they die. It is up to them to use the power to defeat the immediate threat to their mortality. Some succeed. Others fail. The three Lord-Marshals do nothing to prevent Emperors from doing as they please, save from the prohibition to undermine other Emperors. Because of this, Emperors are left to their own devices to train themselves in their native powers.
Emperor 1: Majesty of Man
Roll: Presence + Numina. 1, 3 or 4 Numina. (See below.)
Emperors use this ability to open doors that are closed to others.
Exceptional Failure: The power backfires; he cannot use this power for the rest of the day.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Emperor surrounds himself with an aura of smoldering masculine authority. Should he spend 1 Numen, he temporarily enjoys the effects of the Barfly Merit. Should he spend 2 extra Numina, he enjoys Striking Looks at its 2-dot value. Spending an extra 3 Numina lets him enjoy Striking Looks at its 4-dot value. The power lasts for a turn.
Exceptional Success: His aura of authority is exceptionally powerful; the power lasts for the duration of the scene.
Emperor 2: Clarion Words
Roll: Presence + Expression + Numina vs. Wits + Numina. Contested. No cost.
This ability gives the Emperor to remain memorable to the listener; people cannot tear themselves from his sterling voice.
Exceptional Failure: The power fails; the Emperor is memorable, but for all the wrong reasons. The character suffers a -2 penalty to his Presence rolls when dealing with anyone in the audience for a duration equal to his Emperor Arcana rank.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Emperor becomes the center of attention. As long as he speaks, his audience is captivated. He cannot do anything other than speak and move slowly. Should he attack, he breaks the spell but gains first strike. Those not affected by the Emperor’s words can act normally against the Emperor and/or gain +2 bonus dice to actions attempted on the mesmerized crowd. The ability lasts as a number of turns equal to the character’s Emperor Arcana rank.
Exceptional Success: The words are stirring and linger in the air; the duration is increased by 2 turns.
Emperor 3: Le Droit de Seigneur
Roll: Presence + Expression + Numina vs. Resolve + Numina.
This ability allows the Emperor to compel others to bend to his will.
Exceptional Failure: The power backfires, and cannot be used for the rest of the day.
Failure: The power fails.
Success: The Emperor can give a number of commands equal to his collected successes. Each command must be direct, simple and comprehensible to the target. The target is allowed to resist one more time with +2 bonus dice if the command is something that is morally reprehensible to him. Commands can also be programmed, such as “Don’t lock the door tonight” or “Shake the hand of the blonde man next door.” The commands must be carried out in a number of days equal to the Persona-user’s Emperor Arcana rank.
Exceptional Success: As Success.
Emperor 4: Bacchanalia
Roll: Presence + Strength + Numina vs. Composure + Numina. Contested. 2 Numina.
With this ability Emperors are able to unleash the inhibitions locked in people’s hearts.
Exceptional Failure: The power backfires; the Emperor finds himself acting as if he were suffering the effects of the power.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: For every success he accumulates, the Emperor can drive a crowd to madness for as many turns as the character’s Emperor Arcana rank. The crowd will rut, fellate, vandalize and act like a wild mob. Emperors tend to use this power when amidst rivals in highly public settings so as to humiliate and discredit them. Those suffering from the effects of Bacchanalia must roll Willpower rolls every time they attempt to do something other than give into their inhibitions.
Exceptional Success: As Success.
Emperor 5: Lordly Mien
Roll: None. Passive.
Emperors with this ability benefit from the 9-Again rule to rolls that involve Expression and Intimidation.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Priestess
V. The Priestess
“I’d rather be dead than ignorant.”
Among the Arcana, the Priestess serves as the incarnation of calm wisdom. Serenity, patience and acceptance are central tenets to this Arcana, which leaves many Persona-users wondering how on earth human beings can awaken to the power of the Priestess.
In truth, those dealt under the hand of the Priestess have much in common with members of the Strength Arcana. They are mostly victims, targets of the intolerance and bigotry of others. While Strength users often return to life because of a desire to be more than what killed them, Priestesses experience a compulsion that wishes to inform. “If only they knew” is the desire that awakens most Priestesses to the power of their Personas.
Not all Priestesses are female, though a good deal are. Religious and spiritual members are plentiful. The typical Priestess tends to have a reservoir of faith to pull strength from when times get difficult. Perhaps it should be noted that the Priestess is calm in her knowledge and secure in her certainties, even the intangible ones. It’s under this paradigm that a large number of Priestesses are often religious martyrs.
In the past forty years however a division has erupted from within the ranks of the Priestess Arcana. Conventionally Priestesses came from the highly religious sector of society assigned to do the riskiest kind of missionary work. However, as the empowerment of certain sectors of society happened, intolerance grew, and in response to this heightened tension the Priestess Arcana suddenly found itself awash with the victims of hate crimes directed to minorities of race and sexuality.
Today black men, homosexuals and the religious right find themselves empowered by the same force that gives them power over various supernatural phenomena. It is a jarring tension that forces them to accept a certain truth: release one’s bigotry or die. It chafes at all sides but for the sake of survival all make an effort at mutual cooperation.
Still, there are those among the ranks of the Priestess who believe that if only homosexuals knew that their lifestyle was a sin, they would be saved. Conversely, there are the minorities who believe in time the tables will be turned and racial superiority will win out. The dichotomy only proves to show the two sides of the Priestess Arcana: at best, Priestesses are the symbol of a joint acceptance of facts and faith; at worst, they are the fervid zealots of the Arcana.
The current Dealer of the Priestess Arcana is drag sensation Lady Bunny. No one knows what she looks like without the drag and she’d rather keep it that way. She understands and respects the cultures and theology behind the tension between the members of her Arcana and does her best to accommodate the various sides, but there are times she wishes she could just wash her hands of the whole bloody mess. She realizes that she probably highlights the worst of the tensions in ALL groups and for this reason she was made Dealer. Still, it is a task she finds unpleasant and would rather give to someone else. But like any true Priestess, she has accepted this as her lot and perseveres.
The Powers of the Priestess
Lady Bunny prefers Servitors who are even-tempered. She has grown weary of all the in-fighting, and nothing is sadder than a tired out drag queen. She has had to step on a few heads in her role as Dealer, and while she might not have everyone’s alliance, she does command at least grudging respect.
Priestess 1: Shield the Flock
Roll: Willpower + Numina; 1 Numen per rank
Priestesses use this power to protect themselves from those who refuse to hear the truth the Priestess knows.
Exceptional Failure: The Numen backfires, injuring the Priestess with 1 bashing damage per Numen spent.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Priestess creates a field of spiritual force for every Numen she spends into Shielding the Flock. The field nullifies1 bashing damage per Numen, 1 lethal damage for 2 Numina and 1 aggravated damage for 3. The power has a range of 5 feet per rank in the Priestess Arcana and lasts for the duration of the scene or until worn out through damage.
Exceptional Success: The shield is particularly strong, being completely immune to bashing damage, and nullifies 1 lethal damage for 1 Numen and 1 aggravated damage for 2 Numina.
Priestess 2: Weigh Spirit
Roll: Willpower + Presence + Numina vs. Willpower + Numina. Contested. 1 Numen per contested turn.
Priestesses with this ability use it to look into the souls of believers and non-believers alike.
Exceptional Failure: The Priestess is blinded by the soul and cannot use the ability for the rest of the day.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Priestess is able to penetrate the thoughts of her target. She can scan surface thoughts and determine if her target is lying to her or not. She cannot probe any deeper than what her target is currently thinking or dreaming.
Exceptional Success: Her probe is very accurate and can delve into the memories of her target for a number of days equal to her Priestess Arcana rank.
Priestess 3: Protect Spirit
Roll: Willpower + Presence + Numina vs Willpower + Numina. Contested. 2 Numina per contested turn.
The power allows a Priestess to preserve the spiritual state of her flock.
Exceptional Failure: The Numina cannot preserve the spirit and injures the Priestess for 1 bashing damage per contested turn.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The power prevents its target from the effects of vampirism, lycanthropy or the forced changing of the faerie. As long as the Priestess can continue using this power, her target need not fear from becoming Awakened or Sired. Protected beings cannot become ghouls, even if the exchange was consensual, nor can one enter a Vinculum while the power is in effect.
Exceptional Success: The Priestess has garnered enough spiritual power to “lock” her target’s spirit in stasis for the rest of the scene. She no longer needs to enter a contested roll to keep her target’s spirit intact.
Priestess 4: Sanctify Location
Roll: Willpower + Wits + Numina. 3 Numina per rank spent.
Priestesses use this ability to secure a location of outside interference.
Exceptional Failure: The Numina backfires, dealing 3 lethal damage to the Priestess.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Priestess is able to create a secure zone where she is safer from supernatural entities. Any being with supernatural powers (including Persona wielders) who enters without permission from the Priestess receives 1 level of damage per turn spent in the Sanctified Location. At 3 Numina, the damage is bashing; at 6, lethal and at 9, aggravated. The power can secure a location as big as a small studio apartment.
Exceptional Success: As Success.
Priestess 5: Hallowed Mind
Roll: None. Passive.
Priestesses with this ability benefit from the 9-Again rule on all Willpower related rolls.
“I’d rather be dead than ignorant.”
Among the Arcana, the Priestess serves as the incarnation of calm wisdom. Serenity, patience and acceptance are central tenets to this Arcana, which leaves many Persona-users wondering how on earth human beings can awaken to the power of the Priestess.
In truth, those dealt under the hand of the Priestess have much in common with members of the Strength Arcana. They are mostly victims, targets of the intolerance and bigotry of others. While Strength users often return to life because of a desire to be more than what killed them, Priestesses experience a compulsion that wishes to inform. “If only they knew” is the desire that awakens most Priestesses to the power of their Personas.
Not all Priestesses are female, though a good deal are. Religious and spiritual members are plentiful. The typical Priestess tends to have a reservoir of faith to pull strength from when times get difficult. Perhaps it should be noted that the Priestess is calm in her knowledge and secure in her certainties, even the intangible ones. It’s under this paradigm that a large number of Priestesses are often religious martyrs.
In the past forty years however a division has erupted from within the ranks of the Priestess Arcana. Conventionally Priestesses came from the highly religious sector of society assigned to do the riskiest kind of missionary work. However, as the empowerment of certain sectors of society happened, intolerance grew, and in response to this heightened tension the Priestess Arcana suddenly found itself awash with the victims of hate crimes directed to minorities of race and sexuality.
Today black men, homosexuals and the religious right find themselves empowered by the same force that gives them power over various supernatural phenomena. It is a jarring tension that forces them to accept a certain truth: release one’s bigotry or die. It chafes at all sides but for the sake of survival all make an effort at mutual cooperation.
Still, there are those among the ranks of the Priestess who believe that if only homosexuals knew that their lifestyle was a sin, they would be saved. Conversely, there are the minorities who believe in time the tables will be turned and racial superiority will win out. The dichotomy only proves to show the two sides of the Priestess Arcana: at best, Priestesses are the symbol of a joint acceptance of facts and faith; at worst, they are the fervid zealots of the Arcana.
The current Dealer of the Priestess Arcana is drag sensation Lady Bunny. No one knows what she looks like without the drag and she’d rather keep it that way. She understands and respects the cultures and theology behind the tension between the members of her Arcana and does her best to accommodate the various sides, but there are times she wishes she could just wash her hands of the whole bloody mess. She realizes that she probably highlights the worst of the tensions in ALL groups and for this reason she was made Dealer. Still, it is a task she finds unpleasant and would rather give to someone else. But like any true Priestess, she has accepted this as her lot and perseveres.
The Powers of the Priestess
Lady Bunny prefers Servitors who are even-tempered. She has grown weary of all the in-fighting, and nothing is sadder than a tired out drag queen. She has had to step on a few heads in her role as Dealer, and while she might not have everyone’s alliance, she does command at least grudging respect.
Priestess 1: Shield the Flock
Roll: Willpower + Numina; 1 Numen per rank
Priestesses use this power to protect themselves from those who refuse to hear the truth the Priestess knows.
Exceptional Failure: The Numen backfires, injuring the Priestess with 1 bashing damage per Numen spent.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Priestess creates a field of spiritual force for every Numen she spends into Shielding the Flock. The field nullifies1 bashing damage per Numen, 1 lethal damage for 2 Numina and 1 aggravated damage for 3. The power has a range of 5 feet per rank in the Priestess Arcana and lasts for the duration of the scene or until worn out through damage.
Exceptional Success: The shield is particularly strong, being completely immune to bashing damage, and nullifies 1 lethal damage for 1 Numen and 1 aggravated damage for 2 Numina.
Priestess 2: Weigh Spirit
Roll: Willpower + Presence + Numina vs. Willpower + Numina. Contested. 1 Numen per contested turn.
Priestesses with this ability use it to look into the souls of believers and non-believers alike.
Exceptional Failure: The Priestess is blinded by the soul and cannot use the ability for the rest of the day.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Priestess is able to penetrate the thoughts of her target. She can scan surface thoughts and determine if her target is lying to her or not. She cannot probe any deeper than what her target is currently thinking or dreaming.
Exceptional Success: Her probe is very accurate and can delve into the memories of her target for a number of days equal to her Priestess Arcana rank.
Priestess 3: Protect Spirit
Roll: Willpower + Presence + Numina vs Willpower + Numina. Contested. 2 Numina per contested turn.
The power allows a Priestess to preserve the spiritual state of her flock.
Exceptional Failure: The Numina cannot preserve the spirit and injures the Priestess for 1 bashing damage per contested turn.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The power prevents its target from the effects of vampirism, lycanthropy or the forced changing of the faerie. As long as the Priestess can continue using this power, her target need not fear from becoming Awakened or Sired. Protected beings cannot become ghouls, even if the exchange was consensual, nor can one enter a Vinculum while the power is in effect.
Exceptional Success: The Priestess has garnered enough spiritual power to “lock” her target’s spirit in stasis for the rest of the scene. She no longer needs to enter a contested roll to keep her target’s spirit intact.
Priestess 4: Sanctify Location
Roll: Willpower + Wits + Numina. 3 Numina per rank spent.
Priestesses use this ability to secure a location of outside interference.
Exceptional Failure: The Numina backfires, dealing 3 lethal damage to the Priestess.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Priestess is able to create a secure zone where she is safer from supernatural entities. Any being with supernatural powers (including Persona wielders) who enters without permission from the Priestess receives 1 level of damage per turn spent in the Sanctified Location. At 3 Numina, the damage is bashing; at 6, lethal and at 9, aggravated. The power can secure a location as big as a small studio apartment.
Exceptional Success: As Success.
Priestess 5: Hallowed Mind
Roll: None. Passive.
Priestesses with this ability benefit from the 9-Again rule on all Willpower related rolls.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Strength
IV. Strength
“Little bird flies high
Little bird conquers the sky
Little bird am I.”
While Chariots surge forward in the name of their principles, Persona-users of the Strength Arcana are rooted in theirs. Perhaps it shouldn’t so surprising that the other name of the Arcana is Fortitude. Indeed, Fortitude is the most common Virtue chosen by those dealt under the hand of Strength. It is the Arcana of reliability, consistency and enduring self-belief.
The awakening to Strength begins when the death of the Persona-user is caused by forces beyond the Persona-user’s control. He essentially dies at his weakest moment. The desire to prove that he is not---that he deserved better than this, that he was more than what felled him---is what keeps him in the world of the living.
This isn’t to say that the Strengths are a self-entitled crowd, but the trait is common enough to form a stereotype. Most Strengths are fond of training and self-improvement because they know they have it in them to be better. Though it’s never admitted, many Strengths acknowledge to themselves that they train so that they would never be unprepared for the situation that got them killed in the first place.
Most Strengths died by natural causes; floods, earthquakes and other disasters often show human beings just how weak and powerless they are and these conditions are ripe for the awakening of the Strength Persona-user. Social factors, however, are not without their contribution to the members of this Arcana: the victims of lynch mobs, muggings, kidnappings and other crimes have also swelled Strength’s ranks. Strength cards, it must be understood, died because they were on the losing end of a conflict. They were victims---and this does not settle well with their souls.
Just as with every Arcana, Strengths can be of any ilk. The feminist suffragist and the marathon runner can be called to the Arcana just as much as the gang member who died in a turf war. Who determines who is called back is still anybody’s guess—and the Dealer isn’t talking.
The Dealer of the Strength Arcana is a middle-aged woman named Helen Spalding. To all appearances she is the successful corporate lawyer and is just about as magical as a doorknob. She prefers it that way. Helen awoke to her Persona seventeen years ago after she suffered a miscarriage that took the life of her baby and almost took hers as well.
Her worst enemy was herself, and Helen took it hard. As far as she’s concerned she’s living in the body of an untamed killer and this body must be tamed. She’s subjected it to every training regimen and honed it such that it answers only her will and no one else’s. She expects her Servitors to do likewise with their own bodies.
The Powers of Strength
Though she’ll never admit it, Helen looks at her Servitors as the children she could have had. She has a soft spot for all of them, even the twisted ones who serve the Arcana in ways she couldn’t conceive of. She does play favorites however (like any parent---a parent who says he doesn’t have a favorite child is lying) and those who are worthy of her special attention tend to be the finer specimens of their sex. She likes them ripped and ready to serve.
Strength 1: Inner Strength
Roll: None. Reflexive. 1 Numen (see below.)
Strengths use this ability to summon reserves of power in times of great need. With this ability, a Strength user can raise any Attribute by 1 for every Numen that he spends on that Attribute. The boost lasts for one turn.
Strength 2: Restore Vitality
Roll: None. Reflexive. 1, 2 or 3 Numina
Strengths often find themselves at the forefront of physical combat because of this ability. This power allows them to heal themselves through the expenditure of Numen. 1 Numen heals 1 rank of bashing damage, 2 Numina heal 1 rank of lethal damage while 3 Numina heal 1 rank of aggravated damage.
Strength 3: Resist Mental Assault.
Roll. None. Passive.
With this ability the Persona-user adds his Strength Arcana rank to any rolls meant to resist attacks on his psyche.
Strength 4: Herculean Advancement
Roll: None. Passive.
The Persona-user has developed his own personal Strength so well that he benefits from the 9-Again rule on rolls that include Strength.
Strength 5: Raise the Sky
Roll: 3 Numina. Reflexive.
For the duration of the scene the Persona-user’s Strength is raised by 50%, rounded up. (1-2, 2-3, 3-5, 4-6, 5-8).
“Little bird flies high
Little bird conquers the sky
Little bird am I.”
While Chariots surge forward in the name of their principles, Persona-users of the Strength Arcana are rooted in theirs. Perhaps it shouldn’t so surprising that the other name of the Arcana is Fortitude. Indeed, Fortitude is the most common Virtue chosen by those dealt under the hand of Strength. It is the Arcana of reliability, consistency and enduring self-belief.
The awakening to Strength begins when the death of the Persona-user is caused by forces beyond the Persona-user’s control. He essentially dies at his weakest moment. The desire to prove that he is not---that he deserved better than this, that he was more than what felled him---is what keeps him in the world of the living.
This isn’t to say that the Strengths are a self-entitled crowd, but the trait is common enough to form a stereotype. Most Strengths are fond of training and self-improvement because they know they have it in them to be better. Though it’s never admitted, many Strengths acknowledge to themselves that they train so that they would never be unprepared for the situation that got them killed in the first place.
Most Strengths died by natural causes; floods, earthquakes and other disasters often show human beings just how weak and powerless they are and these conditions are ripe for the awakening of the Strength Persona-user. Social factors, however, are not without their contribution to the members of this Arcana: the victims of lynch mobs, muggings, kidnappings and other crimes have also swelled Strength’s ranks. Strength cards, it must be understood, died because they were on the losing end of a conflict. They were victims---and this does not settle well with their souls.
Just as with every Arcana, Strengths can be of any ilk. The feminist suffragist and the marathon runner can be called to the Arcana just as much as the gang member who died in a turf war. Who determines who is called back is still anybody’s guess—and the Dealer isn’t talking.
The Dealer of the Strength Arcana is a middle-aged woman named Helen Spalding. To all appearances she is the successful corporate lawyer and is just about as magical as a doorknob. She prefers it that way. Helen awoke to her Persona seventeen years ago after she suffered a miscarriage that took the life of her baby and almost took hers as well.
Her worst enemy was herself, and Helen took it hard. As far as she’s concerned she’s living in the body of an untamed killer and this body must be tamed. She’s subjected it to every training regimen and honed it such that it answers only her will and no one else’s. She expects her Servitors to do likewise with their own bodies.
The Powers of Strength
Though she’ll never admit it, Helen looks at her Servitors as the children she could have had. She has a soft spot for all of them, even the twisted ones who serve the Arcana in ways she couldn’t conceive of. She does play favorites however (like any parent---a parent who says he doesn’t have a favorite child is lying) and those who are worthy of her special attention tend to be the finer specimens of their sex. She likes them ripped and ready to serve.
Strength 1: Inner Strength
Roll: None. Reflexive. 1 Numen (see below.)
Strengths use this ability to summon reserves of power in times of great need. With this ability, a Strength user can raise any Attribute by 1 for every Numen that he spends on that Attribute. The boost lasts for one turn.
Strength 2: Restore Vitality
Roll: None. Reflexive. 1, 2 or 3 Numina
Strengths often find themselves at the forefront of physical combat because of this ability. This power allows them to heal themselves through the expenditure of Numen. 1 Numen heals 1 rank of bashing damage, 2 Numina heal 1 rank of lethal damage while 3 Numina heal 1 rank of aggravated damage.
Strength 3: Resist Mental Assault.
Roll. None. Passive.
With this ability the Persona-user adds his Strength Arcana rank to any rolls meant to resist attacks on his psyche.
Strength 4: Herculean Advancement
Roll: None. Passive.
The Persona-user has developed his own personal Strength so well that he benefits from the 9-Again rule on rolls that include Strength.
Strength 5: Raise the Sky
Roll: 3 Numina. Reflexive.
For the duration of the scene the Persona-user’s Strength is raised by 50%, rounded up. (1-2, 2-3, 3-5, 4-6, 5-8).
Chariot
III. The Chariot
“Let me do this. Failure is worse than dying.”
Persona-users in service to the Chariot are widely considered to be an odd bunch: militaristic, chaotic, organized, powerful, unsophisticated, tactical. For some reason, all the adjectives apply though they might contradict each other. In truth, the Chariot is all that and more, the Arcana that represents the spirit of progress.
Chariots awaken when their death is the result of being strangled by obstacles. They had causes, goals and ambitions that would have remained unrealized if they stayed dead. To them, their dream of what could be drives them on. They live for their ambitions to finally be realized.
Unsurprisingly, many Chariots are women: a few centuries of suppression, rape and the conquest of opportunities by men have more than contributed to women taking their own lives (or worse) in frustration. Yet others are killed by those who hate progress: the protester, the union rep, and the idealistic politician are other roles that make up the ranks of the Chariot.
Before one thinks that Chariots are bright idealists fighting for a better world, it might be wise to remind the reader that the reverse of the Chariot Arcana is blind ambition and progress for progress’ sake. The embezzling CEO and the most ruthless specimens of mankind are by and large Servitors of the Chariot, oftentimes marked for elimination by their equally ruthless rivals.
Simon Namarre is of the latter sort. A newly minted Dealer of the Chariot Arcana, he is arguably the most famous of the Dealers outside the World of Darkness. To the ignorant, he is the noble invalid strapped to a wheelchair who happens to be a popular spokesperson for a number of causes for the disabled. In truth however, he’s a vicious con-artist who preys on the softhearted for cash to help the disabled. Only Simon’s Servitors know that he has full use of his legs---Simon is known to chastise errant Servitors with a well-placed kick to the kidneys.
The Powers of the Chariot
Simon prefers Servitors who won’t be a threat to his own power---he himself is a warning to any Dealer who doesn’t keep a watchful eye on his Servitors---but he knows better than to contradict the precepts of his Arcana. He grudgingly supports charities and trains newly awakened Chariots to their power because he knows if he doesn’t a mutiny (or assassination attempts) might land on his head. The temperament of most Chariots ensures that his hold on their lives is a mild deterrent at best.
Chariot 1: Run to Your Goal
Roll: Stamina + Athletics + Numina. 1 Numen.
Chariots move with astonishing alacrity when they have to.
Exceptional Failure: The Chariot burns out his legs, and takes a -2 penalty to Athletics rolls for the rest of the scene.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Chariot’s Speed is multiplied by his Stamina for as many minutes as his Stamina ranking. Thus, a Chariot with a base Speed of 10 with a Stamina rating of 3 can run at a Speed of 30 for 3 minutes---easily outdistancing a horse at full gallop.
Exceptional Success: The duration of the Speed boost is doubled.
Chariot 2: Marathon Fitness
Roll: Passive. 1 Numen.
This ability enhances a Chariot’s ability to resist exhaustion. When activated, the Persona-user doubles his Stamina rating for the purposes of running, jumping and holding his breath and other Athletics based rolls.
Chariot 3: Hear Me Roar
Roll: Stamina + Presence + Numina vs. Stamina + Numina (if contested)
A Chariot with this ability can use his voice to channel his dreams and rally others to his cause. This ability cannot work if the Persona-user is silenced, overpowered vocally or the target is deaf. In addition, the Chariot must be understood by his audience and speak in a language they understand.
Exceptional Failure: Listeners can only hear the volume of his voice, and not the message. For the next 2 turns the Chariot is unintelligible.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Chariot’s words are eloquent and rally his listeners. He forms a separate dice pool in reserve for each success that he collects. When dealing with any of his listeners on a one-to-one basis, he can add these successes to his Presence/Manipulation rolls for up to 3 turns after his speech. He cannot accumulate more success by giving multiple speeches. Rolls for this ability are contested if the Chariot is competing for the attention of his audience.
Exceptional Success: The Chariot’s speech is memorable; his dice pool lasts for 5 turns instead of 3.
Chariot 4: I am the Best
Roll: Passive.
The Chariot benefits from the 9-again rule on rolls concerning Stamina.
Chariot 5: Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better
Roll: Stamina + Wits + Numina vs. Stamina + Resolve + Numina. 2 Numina per turn contested. Reflexive.
A Chariot with this ability can mimic the physical abilities of another creature for as long as he garners more successes.
Exceptional Failure: The Numina backfires, empowering his target to mimic the Chariot’s skills. This power does not cover specializations.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: For the space of the turn where he garners more successes, the Chariot can perform any Physical Skill he has observed his target doing, adding his own rating in that skill (if he has a rating in it.) Thus if Simon Namarre, who has a Brawl rating of 2, were to successfully mimic a martial artist whose Brawl rating is 3 , for the rest of the turn he would have a Brawl rating of 5.
Exceptional Success: As Success.
“Let me do this. Failure is worse than dying.”
Persona-users in service to the Chariot are widely considered to be an odd bunch: militaristic, chaotic, organized, powerful, unsophisticated, tactical. For some reason, all the adjectives apply though they might contradict each other. In truth, the Chariot is all that and more, the Arcana that represents the spirit of progress.
Chariots awaken when their death is the result of being strangled by obstacles. They had causes, goals and ambitions that would have remained unrealized if they stayed dead. To them, their dream of what could be drives them on. They live for their ambitions to finally be realized.
Unsurprisingly, many Chariots are women: a few centuries of suppression, rape and the conquest of opportunities by men have more than contributed to women taking their own lives (or worse) in frustration. Yet others are killed by those who hate progress: the protester, the union rep, and the idealistic politician are other roles that make up the ranks of the Chariot.
Before one thinks that Chariots are bright idealists fighting for a better world, it might be wise to remind the reader that the reverse of the Chariot Arcana is blind ambition and progress for progress’ sake. The embezzling CEO and the most ruthless specimens of mankind are by and large Servitors of the Chariot, oftentimes marked for elimination by their equally ruthless rivals.
Simon Namarre is of the latter sort. A newly minted Dealer of the Chariot Arcana, he is arguably the most famous of the Dealers outside the World of Darkness. To the ignorant, he is the noble invalid strapped to a wheelchair who happens to be a popular spokesperson for a number of causes for the disabled. In truth however, he’s a vicious con-artist who preys on the softhearted for cash to help the disabled. Only Simon’s Servitors know that he has full use of his legs---Simon is known to chastise errant Servitors with a well-placed kick to the kidneys.
The Powers of the Chariot
Simon prefers Servitors who won’t be a threat to his own power---he himself is a warning to any Dealer who doesn’t keep a watchful eye on his Servitors---but he knows better than to contradict the precepts of his Arcana. He grudgingly supports charities and trains newly awakened Chariots to their power because he knows if he doesn’t a mutiny (or assassination attempts) might land on his head. The temperament of most Chariots ensures that his hold on their lives is a mild deterrent at best.
Chariot 1: Run to Your Goal
Roll: Stamina + Athletics + Numina. 1 Numen.
Chariots move with astonishing alacrity when they have to.
Exceptional Failure: The Chariot burns out his legs, and takes a -2 penalty to Athletics rolls for the rest of the scene.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Chariot’s Speed is multiplied by his Stamina for as many minutes as his Stamina ranking. Thus, a Chariot with a base Speed of 10 with a Stamina rating of 3 can run at a Speed of 30 for 3 minutes---easily outdistancing a horse at full gallop.
Exceptional Success: The duration of the Speed boost is doubled.
Chariot 2: Marathon Fitness
Roll: Passive. 1 Numen.
This ability enhances a Chariot’s ability to resist exhaustion. When activated, the Persona-user doubles his Stamina rating for the purposes of running, jumping and holding his breath and other Athletics based rolls.
Chariot 3: Hear Me Roar
Roll: Stamina + Presence + Numina vs. Stamina + Numina (if contested)
A Chariot with this ability can use his voice to channel his dreams and rally others to his cause. This ability cannot work if the Persona-user is silenced, overpowered vocally or the target is deaf. In addition, the Chariot must be understood by his audience and speak in a language they understand.
Exceptional Failure: Listeners can only hear the volume of his voice, and not the message. For the next 2 turns the Chariot is unintelligible.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Chariot’s words are eloquent and rally his listeners. He forms a separate dice pool in reserve for each success that he collects. When dealing with any of his listeners on a one-to-one basis, he can add these successes to his Presence/Manipulation rolls for up to 3 turns after his speech. He cannot accumulate more success by giving multiple speeches. Rolls for this ability are contested if the Chariot is competing for the attention of his audience.
Exceptional Success: The Chariot’s speech is memorable; his dice pool lasts for 5 turns instead of 3.
Chariot 4: I am the Best
Roll: Passive.
The Chariot benefits from the 9-again rule on rolls concerning Stamina.
Chariot 5: Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better
Roll: Stamina + Wits + Numina vs. Stamina + Resolve + Numina. 2 Numina per turn contested. Reflexive.
A Chariot with this ability can mimic the physical abilities of another creature for as long as he garners more successes.
Exceptional Failure: The Numina backfires, empowering his target to mimic the Chariot’s skills. This power does not cover specializations.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: For the space of the turn where he garners more successes, the Chariot can perform any Physical Skill he has observed his target doing, adding his own rating in that skill (if he has a rating in it.) Thus if Simon Namarre, who has a Brawl rating of 2, were to successfully mimic a martial artist whose Brawl rating is 3 , for the rest of the turn he would have a Brawl rating of 5.
Exceptional Success: As Success.
Persona Basics, Fool/Magician
PERSONA
All Persona-users have the following abilities regardless of Arcana:
• Know Arcana: A Persona-user can extend his senses to the supernatural world and identify the Arcana of other Persona-users. This ability can only be used to read other Persona-users’ individual Arcana; it cannot be used to penetrate the masks of changelings, reveal Promethean disfigurements, etc.
• Reveal Persona: A Persona-user can manifest his Persona to other Persona-users; if desired, a Persona-user can add his ranks in his Arcana to his Intimidation dice pools if trying to Intimidate other Persona-users. Consequently, Persona-users also use their ranks in their Arcana to resist the Intimidation rolls of opposing Persona-users, subtracting their rank in dice from that opposing dice pool.
• Create Social Link: a Persona-user feels very strongly the psychic energies of well-defined personalities. If conditions permit (at the Storyteller’s discretion), a Persona-user can establish a Social Link with any being, regardless of background. A Persona-user can buy ranks in a Social Link’s Arcana and use the powers associated to that Arcana; he will not however, ever be able to reach full power in that Arcana save entering Servitude to that Arcana’s Dealer.
Dots are arranged as follows:
o Social Link 1: Serves as a one-dot Ally.
o Social Link 2: Serves as a two-dot Ally; Arcana Power Rank 1.
o Social Link 3: Serves as a three-dot Ally; Arcana Power Rank 2.
o Social Link 4: Serves as a four-dot Ally; Arcana Power Rank 3.
o Social Link 5: Serves as a five-dot Ally; Arcana Power Rank 4.
• Keep the Dark Hour/Enter the Fog: A Persona-user can enter either the Dark Hour or the Fog without ill-effects a rate of one day per rank of their Arcana. After this time, they must make Willpower rolls to avoid Apathy.
THE ARCANA
I. The Fool
“Live to laugh, live to play, live to put the fear away. Whatever your reason, just live and be merry.”
Human beings die of random causes all the time---the idiot who left the gas running and burnt his house down, the freak lightning strike, the drunk driving incident---but few die to awaken to the power of mischievous fate. Persona-users of the Fool Arcana are those who stayed alive because they were having too much fun---they’d expected a lot more out of life and they’ll be damned if they can’t enjoy a few more moments left.
Unfortunately, it is this leaning towards joy that makes those empowered by the Fool dangerous and unpredictable. For every Fool who gets his fun from practical jokes, there is the Cruel Jester who gets pleasure from the misfortune of others. A Fool can be of any type: the police officer who relishes the thrill of the chase and needs to arrest his greatest criminal rival or the sadistic killer who just loves to have his “guests” for dinner.
The Fool’s Dealer at the moment is a young girl named Thessaly Kemp. Like all Dealers, she is considered to be among the finest exponents of what it means to be a proper Fool. She’s courageous, reckless and enjoys every iota of her borrowed time.
For all that she’s but eighteen years old, she is still the most experienced of the Fools currently running amok in the world; almost strangled at birth, Thessaly is the youngest known human to awaken to her Persona. To serve her is to cater to a capricious girl’s whims---and what could be more foolish than that?
The Powers of the Fool:
Thessaly prefers to accept Servitors who died before they knew themselves, or had little to no awareness of who they really were; she’s very fond of the thrill of self-discovery. Still, she cannot contradict the primary precept of her Arcana: to live for joy and the pursuit of self-knowledge. It has distressed her to accept several “darker” types in the past, but she values her own existence far too much to question whoever is behind her Arcana.
Fool 1: Fill in the Blank
Roll: Presence + Numina
This ability allows the Fool to mask his Arcana and Persona and reveal another one in its place.
Exceptional Failure: The manifested Persona is the Persona of the onlooker, clearly revealing a fake.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The manifested Persona and Arcana is of the player’s choosing, lasting for the duration of the scene.
Exceptional Success: The manifested Persona and Arcana lasts for as long as the character wishes.
Fool 2: Aware of Self
Roll: Presence + Numina/ 1 Numen
This ability allows the Fool to traverse the Fog or Keep the Dark Hour without risk of Apathy for double the allotted period.
Exceptional Failure: The Fool’s Numen rebounds on him, forcing him to roll Willpower against Apathy.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Fool can stay for double the amount of time allowed in either the Dark Hour or the Fog without any ill effect.
Exceptional Success: The Fool can stay for triple the duration.
Fool 3: Placeholder
Roll: Presnce + Resolve + Numina vs. Presence + Numina/1 Numen per contested round.
This power smothers another Persona-user’s ability to make his Persona manifest.
Exceptional Failure: The Persona-user’s Numen rebounds on him, smothering his own Persona.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: For every contested success, the targeted Persona-user cannot manifest his Persona; this prevents him from adding his Arcana ranks for Intimidation rolls. Conversely, it also prevents others from reading his Arcana and Persona. This power is sometimes used to protect a Fool’s allies from detection. The Fool may not use this power on himself.
Exceptional Success: As Success.
Fool 4: Lesson Learned
Roll: 2 Numina; Reflexive
A Fool who uses this power can convert one skill into a Rote Action. Only one skill can be converted into a Rote one per scene.
Fool 5: Careless Arrogance
Roll: 3 Numina
For the duration of the scene, the Fool’s Presence is raised by 50%, rounded up. (1-2, 2-3, 3-5, 4-6-, 5-8).
II. The Magician
“Hide if you want, I’ll find it anyway.”
If the life of a Fool is one long party, the life of a Magician is an extended experiment. Those whose power is dealt from the hand of the Magician lived to have their curiosity of the unknown satisfied. They are the cats of the Arcana, constantly living---and getting killed---for the sake of curiosity.
Perhaps it would be better to note what the objects of the Magician’s curiosity are---the things that go bump in the night, the monsters, the bestiary of the World of Darkness. Often they are the victims of the supernatural because they deliberately placed themselves in the path of those beings. They know firsthand the dangers of dealing with creatures more (and less) than human.
Despite having knowledge of this danger, it is that curiosity that allows the Magician to live. After all, he died for this information---shouldn’t he live for it as well?
The Dealer of the Magician Arcana is a disembodied spirit simply called the Missing One. Even the oldest Magicians aren’t sure what he is precisely. Some think he’s the victim of a magical experiment gone awry; others think that he’s a true mage who also happens to possess the power of Persona. Regardless, the Missing One isn’t talking and while he understands that Magicians are driven to seek answers, he also knows that this curiosity doesn’t mean they’re entitled to the answers they want.
The Powers of the Magician
The Missing One prefers Servitors who awakened due to a death caused by supernatural means. He plays his Cards towards psychics, other awakened Persona-users and various supernatural entities. He keeps his reasons to himself. Most Magicians believe he does this so that one of them could find a way for the Missing One to return to the corporeal world.
Still, Magicians aren’t limited to purely supernatural pursuits. Many Magicians were once scientists who died in the pursuit of their research. One notable Magician--- Marie Skłodowska---was 66 when she died pursuing her work on radioactive isotopes. She lives on 75 years later, puttering in her lab, using her Persona-granted abilities to good use.
Magician 1: Feel the Flow
Roll: Wits + Numina.
Magicians use this ability to detect the use of supernatural energies in their midst. The range of the ability is 20 yards/Arcana rank.
Exceptional Failure: The Numina reveals itself as it scans for supernatural energies; it fails to detect any, but alerts other supernatural creatures that they are being searched for.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: Supernatural energies are detected, but their type is not; Persona-users simply know that “something strange is in the air.”
Exceptional Success: The Magician detects and identifies the kind of supernatural energy: Vitae of vampires, Glamour of changelings, etc. However, this does not detect the strength of the creature’s actual power rating. As such, a Magician might know a changeling is his vicinity, but he will not know how powerful that changeling’s Wyrd is.
Magician 2: Reliquary
Roll: XP. (See below.)
For every XP spent, an object is enchanted to hold 1 Numen. The XP is forever lost. Spending the Numina in the reliquary drains the object until XP is spent to recharge the object. A Persona-user can invest an object with Numina equal to his effective rank in the Magician Arcana.
Magician 3: Studied Technique
Roll: Academics + Wits / 2 Numina
Magicians with this ability can use their chosen Persona abilities with greater familiarity than other Persona-users. This power can be applied to only one Persona ability per scene.
Exceptional Failure: The Numina fizzles, barring the character from using the selected Persona ability for the rest of the scene.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: For the duration of one scene, a Magician can designate one of his Persona abilities as a Rote Ability.
Exceptional Success: For the duration of the scene, the Magician can designate two abilities instead of one. He must still pay the cost in additional Numina, however.
Magician 4: Claim Essence
Roll: Wits + Resolve + Numina vs. Resolve + Numina.
Magicians who need more power to use their powers can take it from other Persona users if necessary.
Exceptional Failure: The channel of power backfires, giving the opposing Persona-user Numina equal to the number of failed dice.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Magician steals Numina equal to the difference of success in the contested roll.
Exceptional Success: As Success.
Magician 5: Convert Essence
Roll: Wits + Resolve + Numina vs. Resolve + Numina.
This ability works just like Claim Essence with the difference that the Magician can harvest the energies of other supernatural beings as well. The failures and successes operate in the same manner.
All Persona-users have the following abilities regardless of Arcana:
• Know Arcana: A Persona-user can extend his senses to the supernatural world and identify the Arcana of other Persona-users. This ability can only be used to read other Persona-users’ individual Arcana; it cannot be used to penetrate the masks of changelings, reveal Promethean disfigurements, etc.
• Reveal Persona: A Persona-user can manifest his Persona to other Persona-users; if desired, a Persona-user can add his ranks in his Arcana to his Intimidation dice pools if trying to Intimidate other Persona-users. Consequently, Persona-users also use their ranks in their Arcana to resist the Intimidation rolls of opposing Persona-users, subtracting their rank in dice from that opposing dice pool.
• Create Social Link: a Persona-user feels very strongly the psychic energies of well-defined personalities. If conditions permit (at the Storyteller’s discretion), a Persona-user can establish a Social Link with any being, regardless of background. A Persona-user can buy ranks in a Social Link’s Arcana and use the powers associated to that Arcana; he will not however, ever be able to reach full power in that Arcana save entering Servitude to that Arcana’s Dealer.
Dots are arranged as follows:
o Social Link 1: Serves as a one-dot Ally.
o Social Link 2: Serves as a two-dot Ally; Arcana Power Rank 1.
o Social Link 3: Serves as a three-dot Ally; Arcana Power Rank 2.
o Social Link 4: Serves as a four-dot Ally; Arcana Power Rank 3.
o Social Link 5: Serves as a five-dot Ally; Arcana Power Rank 4.
• Keep the Dark Hour/Enter the Fog: A Persona-user can enter either the Dark Hour or the Fog without ill-effects a rate of one day per rank of their Arcana. After this time, they must make Willpower rolls to avoid Apathy.
THE ARCANA
I. The Fool
“Live to laugh, live to play, live to put the fear away. Whatever your reason, just live and be merry.”
Human beings die of random causes all the time---the idiot who left the gas running and burnt his house down, the freak lightning strike, the drunk driving incident---but few die to awaken to the power of mischievous fate. Persona-users of the Fool Arcana are those who stayed alive because they were having too much fun---they’d expected a lot more out of life and they’ll be damned if they can’t enjoy a few more moments left.
Unfortunately, it is this leaning towards joy that makes those empowered by the Fool dangerous and unpredictable. For every Fool who gets his fun from practical jokes, there is the Cruel Jester who gets pleasure from the misfortune of others. A Fool can be of any type: the police officer who relishes the thrill of the chase and needs to arrest his greatest criminal rival or the sadistic killer who just loves to have his “guests” for dinner.
The Fool’s Dealer at the moment is a young girl named Thessaly Kemp. Like all Dealers, she is considered to be among the finest exponents of what it means to be a proper Fool. She’s courageous, reckless and enjoys every iota of her borrowed time.
For all that she’s but eighteen years old, she is still the most experienced of the Fools currently running amok in the world; almost strangled at birth, Thessaly is the youngest known human to awaken to her Persona. To serve her is to cater to a capricious girl’s whims---and what could be more foolish than that?
The Powers of the Fool:
Thessaly prefers to accept Servitors who died before they knew themselves, or had little to no awareness of who they really were; she’s very fond of the thrill of self-discovery. Still, she cannot contradict the primary precept of her Arcana: to live for joy and the pursuit of self-knowledge. It has distressed her to accept several “darker” types in the past, but she values her own existence far too much to question whoever is behind her Arcana.
Fool 1: Fill in the Blank
Roll: Presence + Numina
This ability allows the Fool to mask his Arcana and Persona and reveal another one in its place.
Exceptional Failure: The manifested Persona is the Persona of the onlooker, clearly revealing a fake.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The manifested Persona and Arcana is of the player’s choosing, lasting for the duration of the scene.
Exceptional Success: The manifested Persona and Arcana lasts for as long as the character wishes.
Fool 2: Aware of Self
Roll: Presence + Numina/ 1 Numen
This ability allows the Fool to traverse the Fog or Keep the Dark Hour without risk of Apathy for double the allotted period.
Exceptional Failure: The Fool’s Numen rebounds on him, forcing him to roll Willpower against Apathy.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Fool can stay for double the amount of time allowed in either the Dark Hour or the Fog without any ill effect.
Exceptional Success: The Fool can stay for triple the duration.
Fool 3: Placeholder
Roll: Presnce + Resolve + Numina vs. Presence + Numina/1 Numen per contested round.
This power smothers another Persona-user’s ability to make his Persona manifest.
Exceptional Failure: The Persona-user’s Numen rebounds on him, smothering his own Persona.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: For every contested success, the targeted Persona-user cannot manifest his Persona; this prevents him from adding his Arcana ranks for Intimidation rolls. Conversely, it also prevents others from reading his Arcana and Persona. This power is sometimes used to protect a Fool’s allies from detection. The Fool may not use this power on himself.
Exceptional Success: As Success.
Fool 4: Lesson Learned
Roll: 2 Numina; Reflexive
A Fool who uses this power can convert one skill into a Rote Action. Only one skill can be converted into a Rote one per scene.
Fool 5: Careless Arrogance
Roll: 3 Numina
For the duration of the scene, the Fool’s Presence is raised by 50%, rounded up. (1-2, 2-3, 3-5, 4-6-, 5-8).
II. The Magician
“Hide if you want, I’ll find it anyway.”
If the life of a Fool is one long party, the life of a Magician is an extended experiment. Those whose power is dealt from the hand of the Magician lived to have their curiosity of the unknown satisfied. They are the cats of the Arcana, constantly living---and getting killed---for the sake of curiosity.
Perhaps it would be better to note what the objects of the Magician’s curiosity are---the things that go bump in the night, the monsters, the bestiary of the World of Darkness. Often they are the victims of the supernatural because they deliberately placed themselves in the path of those beings. They know firsthand the dangers of dealing with creatures more (and less) than human.
Despite having knowledge of this danger, it is that curiosity that allows the Magician to live. After all, he died for this information---shouldn’t he live for it as well?
The Dealer of the Magician Arcana is a disembodied spirit simply called the Missing One. Even the oldest Magicians aren’t sure what he is precisely. Some think he’s the victim of a magical experiment gone awry; others think that he’s a true mage who also happens to possess the power of Persona. Regardless, the Missing One isn’t talking and while he understands that Magicians are driven to seek answers, he also knows that this curiosity doesn’t mean they’re entitled to the answers they want.
The Powers of the Magician
The Missing One prefers Servitors who awakened due to a death caused by supernatural means. He plays his Cards towards psychics, other awakened Persona-users and various supernatural entities. He keeps his reasons to himself. Most Magicians believe he does this so that one of them could find a way for the Missing One to return to the corporeal world.
Still, Magicians aren’t limited to purely supernatural pursuits. Many Magicians were once scientists who died in the pursuit of their research. One notable Magician--- Marie Skłodowska---was 66 when she died pursuing her work on radioactive isotopes. She lives on 75 years later, puttering in her lab, using her Persona-granted abilities to good use.
Magician 1: Feel the Flow
Roll: Wits + Numina.
Magicians use this ability to detect the use of supernatural energies in their midst. The range of the ability is 20 yards/Arcana rank.
Exceptional Failure: The Numina reveals itself as it scans for supernatural energies; it fails to detect any, but alerts other supernatural creatures that they are being searched for.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: Supernatural energies are detected, but their type is not; Persona-users simply know that “something strange is in the air.”
Exceptional Success: The Magician detects and identifies the kind of supernatural energy: Vitae of vampires, Glamour of changelings, etc. However, this does not detect the strength of the creature’s actual power rating. As such, a Magician might know a changeling is his vicinity, but he will not know how powerful that changeling’s Wyrd is.
Magician 2: Reliquary
Roll: XP. (See below.)
For every XP spent, an object is enchanted to hold 1 Numen. The XP is forever lost. Spending the Numina in the reliquary drains the object until XP is spent to recharge the object. A Persona-user can invest an object with Numina equal to his effective rank in the Magician Arcana.
Magician 3: Studied Technique
Roll: Academics + Wits / 2 Numina
Magicians with this ability can use their chosen Persona abilities with greater familiarity than other Persona-users. This power can be applied to only one Persona ability per scene.
Exceptional Failure: The Numina fizzles, barring the character from using the selected Persona ability for the rest of the scene.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: For the duration of one scene, a Magician can designate one of his Persona abilities as a Rote Ability.
Exceptional Success: For the duration of the scene, the Magician can designate two abilities instead of one. He must still pay the cost in additional Numina, however.
Magician 4: Claim Essence
Roll: Wits + Resolve + Numina vs. Resolve + Numina.
Magicians who need more power to use their powers can take it from other Persona users if necessary.
Exceptional Failure: The channel of power backfires, giving the opposing Persona-user Numina equal to the number of failed dice.
Failure: The power fails to function.
Success: The Magician steals Numina equal to the difference of success in the contested roll.
Exceptional Success: As Success.
Magician 5: Convert Essence
Roll: Wits + Resolve + Numina vs. Resolve + Numina.
This ability works just like Claim Essence with the difference that the Magician can harvest the energies of other supernatural beings as well. The failures and successes operate in the same manner.
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