-SOUND KNIGHTS-

Adepts of the Forces Arcanum, if they wish to weaponize their powers, tend to use forces that are actually deadly. Stories of mages throwing fireballs and lightning from their fingertips are so well known they are recounted in even the most mundane of stories about magic. Even power of kinetic forces is common; telekinesis and control over velocity is a very common skill used among those proficient in this Arcanum. An eccentric few, however, decided to experiment with the limits of an oft-forgotten aspect of the Arcanum: sound.

Often called squanderers of lost potential, Sound Knights wish to use that which others often forget. They use sound not only for spying and simple distraction, but also for complete incapacitation and even use as a weapon. They use sound for endless perception, piercing unseen through space, people, and buildings. They incapacitate foes with great amounts of noise, and even damage their bodies with shockwaves of incredible volume. Sound Knights have equal capability for infinite subtlety or inability to be missed.

Sound Knights are a very tight-knit group, as the people who join tend to be social creatures and not many join.

	Possible Oblations: Listening to music for an extended amount of time, making music

	Concepts: DJs, Musicians, eccentric listeners

	Parent Path and Order: Acanthus and Free Council

	Nickname: Ravers

	Appearance: Sound Knights do not have any official dress code, but there being so few and of a certain "type" they tend to look similar. They are usually young, talented, with hair that is either unkempt or overly kept, wearing loose clothing and almost always some form of headphones.

	Backgrounds: Usually, Sound Knights are people who have always had an interest in music and the potential uses of sound

ATTAINMENTS

1st: Wave Perception

	Prerequisites: Gnosis 3(4), Forces 2 (primary), Space 1

	The mage gains powerful control over sound, and knowledge of how it can be used. The mage can command sound in a manner similar to the Forces 2 spell "Control Sound" (p. 165). An instant action is taken, and no roll is made. They are capable of increasing sound up to 6 times, or decreasing it to 1/6th of its original volume. If they wish to make it more effective, a Forces + Resolve + Science roll is made. Each success doubles or halves the sound further, so 2 successes could increase the volume up to 24 times the original volume.

	The mage also gains incredible perception of sound, granting them a form of echolocation. They have an unlimited duration spell similar to the Space 1 spell "Omnivision" (p. 233) and the Forces 1 spell "Read Matrices" (p. 163). It is activated instantly, but can be deactivated reflexively. It cannot be used to scrutinize magical resonance, but it can "see" sound waves as they reverberate off objects, allowing the user to see all around them and through objects. It can also detect sources of sound, such as a potential intruder. It also allows the user to detect sound normally outside human hearing range.

	Very loud sound can potentially disorient the user however; possibly stunning them and forcing the mage to disable the ability. Large amounts of excess noise can also disorient the mage. If they attempt to use it in an incredibly noisy area, the spell does not work the way it is intended and simply confuses the mage.

2nd: Noise Control

	Prerequisites: Gnosis 5(6), Forces 3

	The mage gains incredible control over sonic forces, able to sculpt them very carefully. They can control sound in a manner similar to the Forces 3 spell "Sound Mastery" (p. 170). An instant action is made, and the mage can, without rolling, silence any sound in a normal area or create a sound of volume up to a potency of his Forces Arcanum. If they wish to increase it, a Forces + Resolve + Science roll is made, and each success increases the potency of the created sound by 1. The mage can use this to silence any sound unless it is a sound created by another mage's spell; in which case they make a Forces + Resolve + Science roll and decreases the sounds potency by the number of successes.

	If the sound is used against a person in an attempt to disorient them, two checks are made. If the potency of the sound is higher than the targets Stamina, they lose dice in hearing-based checks for the rest of the scene equal to the potency of the sound minus their Stamina. Of the potency of the sound exceeds the target's combined Resolve and Composure, they are stunned for a number of turns equal to the difference between their Resolve + Composure + Wits and the sounds potency (they will automatically lose one turn though).

	For example, if the mage creates a sound of Potency 7 against a target with Composure 3, Resolve 3, and Wits 3, the potency is higher than their combined Resolve and Composure (6), so the number of turns stunned is equal to the difference between their combined Wits, Resolve, and Composure. In this case, the combination of those Attributes (9) is larger than the Potency (7) so they only lose 1 turn. If the Potency was 11, however, they would lose 2 turns (because that would be 2 more than their combined attributes). The spell also does not incur penalties for multiple targets; the sound automatically affects everyone in earshot of the sound (unless the mage uses the Fate 2 skill Target Exemption).

	The mage also gains the ability to create high-frequency vibrations and channel them through a weapon. This is used reflexively, and affects them the rest of the scene. A Forces + Resolve + Science roll is made. The weapon this is used on gains a point of damage for every 2 successes. However, the weapon only works if the user is using it; they cannot enchant others weapons. This only works for bladed weapons; blunt weapons and firearms do not gain these bonuses.

	Finally, the mage gains a better grasp of sounds; Wave Perception no longer confuses the mage if used in a noisy area, and in fact can increase perception, due to the amount of noise bouncing off of everything. Loud noises can still disorient the mage however.

3rd: Sonic Shockwave

	Prerequisites: Gnosis 7(8), Forces 4

	The mage gains absolute control over sound, and can easily weaponize it. The mage can muster up a shockwave of sound. An instant action is made, and a Forces + Resolve + Science roll is made. The shockwave created does 1 bashing damage for every success, and disorients targets in a manner similar to Noise Control, with potency equal to twice the successes. However, this skill is aimed, and therefore only affects one target. While it is an aimed spell however, the sound can easily move through solid objects, so there are no dice or damage penalties for cover or armor.

	Optional Arcanum: Space 4

	With Space 4, the mage can encode their physical form as a sound and move it across large distances. The sounds potency is equal to the caster's size (usually 5). The caster also moves incredibly fast in this state, allowing them to quickly move from one place to another. The sound also does not degrade; it is focused and retains all properties. The mage can reflexively return to their physical state once they reach their destination. This is similar to the Space 4 spell "Teleportation" (p. 241), except that it also has the capability to stun.

"Sound is everywhere, control sound and you control the world."






-BLOOD MAGES-

1st: turn blood into Mana and health, can use others or their blood (must come into contact, awakened is x6 as effective, and if they use their own it only restores Mana)

2nd: can now store excess blood in their body, optional - disrupt blood, does lethal damage and small stamina reductions, food loses taste (except rare meat), skin begins to grow pale if they go a long time without blood

3rd: can heal others with blood, either with stored blood or using their own blood, control blood, can move blood through lethal wounds, causing lethal damage and stamina reductions. begin to require blood once a month or lose 1 stamina per week

"Blood is life."






-SPIRITWALKERS-

1st: ephemeral body, peer across the gauntlet, forensic gaze (see last 4 minutes before death)

2nd: reaching, manipulate object, telekinesis,

3rd: road master, possess body, with death can control a dead body

"The dead have more power than one may expect."






-ORACLES OF ATLANTIS-

1st: OMNISCIENT augur, multi-scrying

2nd: OMNIPRESENT divination, reflexive multi-scrying, portal, teleportation,

3rd: OMNIPOTENT prophecy, manifold presence (many do not make it to this level)

demon/demoness

"The future must come to pass, and only we are the protectors of the inevitable."






-FERRIERS OF CHARON-

death (primary) occult 2

1st: Animate Shadows

2nd: Quicken Corpse

3rd: Rend Deathly Servant; rotting flesh + revenant

"What are men but chariots of wrath by demons driven?"






-DESCENDANTS OF DECAY-

death (primary) intimidation 2

1st: decay, extended, successes per 15 minutes = death

2nd: destroy object, extended, successes per 15 minutes = death, decay time decreased to 5 mins

3rd: decay reduced to 1 minute, destroy object reduced to 5 minutes, can destroy magical objects at 15 mins

"The world is garbage!"






-KEEPERS OF EQUILIBRIUM-

life (primary), firearms 3

1st - automatically acquire ambidextrous, gunslinger, and body control with life dots as successes

2nd - once a day can increase dexterity by 2x# of life dots for 1 hour.

3rd - can attack 2 targets or one target twice with each hand, defense is doubled

"Magic is unreliable; don't risk failure, weave mana into your body and let your will do the rest."