Mage: the Awakening

[Oneiros]

Looking for a group of five mature players to participate in a Mage: the Awakening game set in a Chicago. Players need to have a good grasp of the World of Darkness rules, have access to the Mage: the Awakening book, a willingness to post at least 3 times a week, and the want to explore the setting more than a need to crunch numbers.

The Chicago of this game is a Mage dominated one, where the Consilium rules over all other supernaturals. I may be running the sample story provided in the Chicago section of the book, so avoid reading that if you haven't already.

There will be no restrictions on character generation save for the fact that there can only be one of each path represented in the Cabal. The players will start out having been part of a Cabal for a few months. I will assist with the Cabal creation as part of the character generation process.

Right now, all I want is an indication of who would like to play. Just state your interest and what type of character you'd like to play (path/order/concept). Please include two different character choices so I have some options.

I will provide more details when I get at least five players. The tone of the game will be rather dream-like and surreal at times, and horrifyingly solid at others. If you like The Sandman comic series, anything by H.P. Lovecraft, or dark fantasy in a modern world, you'll enjoy this game.

If I get more than five players, I will pick the five best concepts that are submitted. I hope to get this started by the first week of February. I will start with less than five players if need be.

I have every Mortal and Mage book for nWoD, as well as the Vampire and Werewolf core book and assorted supplements. You're in good hands.

[TreyKincaide]

Heya, I'm extremely interested. I run a tabletop game set in Boston, but I have yet to be able to play.

Admantine Arrow - Acanthus - Older gentlemen who Awakened somewhat later in life believing himself to be a modern day knight suffering a bit from Quixote-like delusions and protected by the Luck of Fools.

Free Council - Thyrsus - Uneducated inner city gangster youth turned modern street shaman.

[Oneiros]

Trey - I like the Acanthus a lot. Welcome aboard.

I'll start character generation when I get a few more people.

[Darius]

Count me as interested:

Mastigos- Guardian of the Veil- prosecuting attorney who carries his ideals of justice and law into the supernatural world
Moros-Mysterium- would-be occultist following the Victorian tradition; tarot cards, seances and the like. Also into Egyptology.

[Kahluah]

I'd be interested also, with either a Mastigos Guardian of the Veil (a ex-cop turned private investigator, who has since figured out that sometimes the truth isn't the best option to tell his clients) or a Thyrsus Free Council (urban techno-shaman that works at cross purposes to the Mysterium where possible).

[Oneiros]

Excellent.

Darius- I'm leaning towards the Moros

Kahluah- The ex-cop Mastigos is great.

Welcome aboard you two.

[Oneiros]

Still looking for two more. Deadline is Thursday at noon, pacific time. Then I'll start with whoever is here.

[Oneiros]

Okay I'm locking this game for now. We'll start with Kahluah, Trey, and Darius.

Trey - I like your Arrow mage the best.
Kahluah - Mastigos cop, if you will.
Darius - Moros occult. And do you have the chicago book? Unrelated questions.

I'll put in a forum request tomorrow.

[Darius]

I do not have the Chicago book.

[TreyKincaide]

I have it, but I've only read the mundane city history chapter. Pretty much thumbed through the rest.

[Kahluah]

I do have the Chicago book, and I've read up to everything EXCEPT the sample Mage story chapter. Unfortunately for me, the Mage section was a little lacklustre in its execution compared to the other two, so I didn't get as heavily into reading it. Then I came to the character section, and the glaring holes and errors contained within there made it difficult to read (a Mastigos without any Mind or Space magic, for example - I realise that it should have been Obrimos, but exactly how does one miss something like that in editting?). But I digress...

Also, forgive me for not replying sooner - Real life caught up to me for a few days and didn't see fit to let me go much *grumbles about cheese-monkey Mage players* I'll get right on designing my character and send it your way for approval ASAP :)

[Oneiros]

Alright.

Hope things are going well with real life.

[Kahluah]

Oh, it's all good - I just had to deal with players in the Awakening LARP I'm going to be running here soon, so that was more than headache enough for me to deal with without facing a computer *grins*

Also, is it standard character creation for the game? Anything you don't want us to have access to as yet?

[Oneiros]

Since our forum hasn't been made yet, I'm going to give you lot the go ahead on the character generation.

Use the character generation rules in the core book, you can have anything you can afford. The only rule is one involving trading Wisdom for XP. You can only drop your Wisdom to 6, and you must roll for a derangement if you do. I'll trust you lot to be honest with your rolls.

Note that any derangement you get through Wisdom loss at character generation is a derangement you gained after or at the time of your Awakening.

Character Generation season is now open. Go ahead and post your characters here for my review.

[nightinverse]

I would be highly interested, but alas, I lack the book.

[Darius]

Name: Somber
Age: 20
Player: Darius
Concept: 21st Century Occultist
Virtue: Fortitude
Vice: Envy
Path: Moros
Order: Mysterium
Cabal:

Mental
Intelligence: ***
Wits: ***
Resolve: **

Physical
Strength: **
Dexterity: **
Stamina: **

Social
Presence: ***
Manipulation: **
Composure: ***


Mental
Academics:*** (History)
Computer:*
Crafts:*
Investigation:**
Medicine:
Occult:*** (Ghosts)
Politics:
Science:*


Physical:
Athletics: *
Brawl:
Drive: *
Firearms
Stealth: *
Survival
Weaponry: *

Social
Animal Ken
Empathy:*
Expression:*
Intimidation:
Persuasion:*
Socialize: *
Streetwise:*
Subterfuge: ** (Spotting Lies)

Arcana
Death: 2
Matter: 2
Prime: 1
Space: 1


Merits
High Speech * (free merit)
Language (Latin) **
Contacts: *
Hallow: *
Sanctum: *
Library (Egyptology): *
Mentor: *

Health
7

Size
5

Defense
2

Initiative
5

Speed
9

Wisdom
7

Gnosis
1



Mana
7


Rotes:
Entropic Guard (Death 2- Wits+Occult+Death)
Speak With the Dead: Death 1: (Wits+Occult+Death)
Find the Hidden Hoard (Matter 1- Wits+Crafts+Matter)
Supernal Vision: Prime 1 (Wits+Occult+Prime)
Finder: Space 1 (Intelligence+Investigation+Wits)

Somber (not his real name, but the name he took when he entered the world of willworkers) long had an interest in the occult. It started when he was in junior high, watching old movies of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, the Mummy and Dracula just grabbed his attention and never let go.

The fascination led him to the library, reading every book he could get his hands on. He realized early on that there was more fiction than fact in what he was reading, but he couldn’t shake the fact that there was something TRUE to what he was after. It was in high school that he started hanging around with the kids that wore dark eyeliner and listened to Sisters of Mercy and the latest David J. album.

Somber started getting into the music as well, even started dating a girl, something that his parents had almost given up hope that he would do. The girl, Jynx (hardly her real name either), shared Somber’s interest in the occult, but she lacked his dedication. She would latch onto whatever passing fancy caught her eye and indulged in Wicca, Chaos Magic, even Satanism.

Somber stayed with her even when he got into college (University of Chicago- history major), and she didn’t, and she stayed with him, off and on. They drifted apart for a while, wouldn’t speak for weeks at a time. Somber would still get dressed up and hit the clubs, but truth be told it was yet more research. He was starting to see parallels between what he thought was ancient history and things that were happening in the city. He couldn’t place his finger on it, but there were those in his clique that were confirming what he was seeing.

Then he got the call. Jynx wanted him to go to a private party with her. It was supposed to be a séance, but this person seemed to really have power. Somber was skeptical, but he felt that he owed her something for the years together.

It was the last time that he saw her. The séance was a resounding success, but whatever it was that the old man called up began to rip a whole between one world and the next. The old man disappeared, the thing, whatever it was, grabbed Jynx, and Somber found himself standing in the Watchtower of the Lead Coin inscribing his own name. When he awoke, he was surrounded by dour faced men and women who didn’t look happy at all to see him.

Somber was soon recruited into the Mysterium as they realized that he combined an investigators desire to find the truth with the ability to actually react in and around Sleepers.



Things like physical description and equipment will follow once the character is approved.

[TreyKincaide]

Name: Quixote (Reginald Chapman)
Concept: Knightly Fool or Foolish Knight
Path: Acanthus
Order: Adamantine Arrow
Virtue: Justice
Vice: Pride

Attributes:
Power: Intelligence: 2 Strength: 3 Presence: 3
Finesse: Wits: 2 Dexterity: 2 Manipulation: 1
Resistance: Resolve: 3 Stamina: 3 Composure: 3

Skills:
Mental:
Academics: 1
Crafts: 1
Occult: 2

Physical:
*Athletics: 3
Brawl: 3
Drive: 1
Survival: 2
Weaponry: 2

Social:
Empathy: 2
Persuasion: 2
Socialize: 1
Streetwise: 1
*Intimidation: 1
*Order Specialty Rotes

Specialties:
Stare-Downs(Intimidation)
Formal Events(Socialize)
Streetwise(Rumors)

Merits:
High Speech: 1 (free)
Resources: 2
Allies: 1 (the Homeless)
Occultation: 1
Order Status: 1 (Adamantine Arrow)
Group Sanctum 1
Group Hallow 1

Arcana:
Fate: 2
Time: 2
Prime: 2

Rotes:
Counterspell (Prime 2) Comp + Occult + Prime 7
Exceptional Luck (Fate 2) Man + Occult + Fate 5
Fortune's Protection (Fate 2) Com + Athletics + Fate 9

Health: 8
Willpower: 6
Mana: 7
Gnosis: 1
Wisdom: 7
Size: 5
Initiative: 5
Speed: 10
Defense: 2

Reginald (Reggie) Chapman was a packer's son who followed in his father's footstep. Every morning he got up and walked down to the slaughter house for the daily blood letting before trudging where read stories of glorious days of yore. Despite the mundanity, Reginald who was self educated, led a charmed existence. He somehow managed to avoid epidemics and packing house accidents alike. The Fates favor the Fools and Reggie was no exception.

Chapman was a collector of all things Chivalry. Even after he'd married and settled down with children of his own, he'd sequester himself in the attic nightly so that he could escape his dreadful existence on one knee before King Arthur and Lady Guinivere. Chapman's marriage wasn't a happy one, but it what was expected so there it was. His kids who had once drank down his stories 'outgrew' them and their embarassing father as kids are wont to do.

On Reginald's 50th birthday, he found himself sitting upon his front porch to avoid his wife's harping. He looked upon the neighborhood with a saddened eye. Reginald heard a woman's scream. Now, in Reginald's neighborhood screams were a daily fact of life, but Reginald for reasons even Reginald couldn't explain he stood up and followed the mournful plee. The scenery distorted around the questing knight. Pushers became devils peddling Hell's wares. Gang tags transformed into heavenly frescos. For that one moment every building was a tower into Arcadia. Reginald ascended one of those very towers looking for his absent maiden. People that know him today wonder if he ever quite made it back down.

With good reason. Even without prompting Reginald dropped out of his former life becoming some of the "local" color on the street a mad man questing in a world that didn't want him. His outrageous fortune, not to mention a few accidentally vulgar displays, drew the attention of Consilium Sentinels and the rest is history. Quixote's name was given in jest, but has since stuck. The fae knight wears it like a badge of his noble station.

Description:
Quixote is an older man with an affected old English gentleman's style. Years of hard manual labor have kept him in better physical condition than a man 20 years his junior. His grey hair is cropped military short, and a handbar mustache hangs periously upon his upper lip. A monocle rests in his right eye. Except in formal occassions he dresses in garb better suited to safari than the cold streets of Chicago.


((Note to GM. I would have been willing to drop my wisdom to 6 and take a derangement to reflect Quixote's addled mind, but I didn't see anything that struck me as appropriate.))

[Kahluah]

Name: Trace
Real name: Daniel Khazinovski
Path: Mastigos
Order: Guardians of the Veil
Virtue: Prudence
Vice: Envy

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 4
Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 2

Mental Skills: Academics 1 (Law), Computer 2, Investigation* 3 (Crime Scenes), Occult 1
Physical Skills: Athletics 1, Drive 1, Firearms 2, Stealth* 1
Social Skills: Empathy 2, Intimidation 1, Persuasion 3, Streetwise 3 (Rumors), Subterfuge* 2
Merits: Contacts 2 (Criminal, Police), Resources 1, High Speech, Iron Stomach, Shared Hallow 1, Shared Sanctum (size) 1, Status (Guardians of the Veil) 1

Willpower: 6
Wisdom: 6 (Vocalization)
Initiative: 4
Defense: 2
Speed: 9
Health: 8
Gnosis: 1
Arcana: Mind 2, Space 2, Time 2
Rotes: Mind - Aura Perception (1), Misperception (2); Space - Correspondence (1); Time - Postcognition (2).
Mana/Turn: 10/1

XP Log
Earned
Dropping to Wisdom 6 - 5XP

Spent
Status (Guardians of the Veil) 1 - 2XP
Drive 1 - 3XP

Background/appearance/equipment being worked on.