General Questions
1. What is Awakening and explain its connection to Avatar.
The awakening is the term for the entire experience a human sleeper undergoes when it encounter's it's avatar and experiences/feels magick for the first time. Essentially, the avatar is a secondary presence within the mage. They are one, but they are separate. Every human has one, and the name of this process refers to the literal concept that the avatar ''awakens'' from sleep within the mage. It usually happens after or during an intense physical or mental ordeal or near death experience, and also triggers what's known as the epiphany, which is where the newly awakened mage feels/uses magick for the first time and also brielfy experiences the world in utter clarity. The avatar is essentially what gives a mage access to will his belief onto reality. While the mage is the artist, the avatar is the paint and paint brush; the mage might have the vision, but without the avatar and the enlightenment it bestows, they simply lack the tools to see it realized. More than that, though, the Avatar does it's best to guide, mentor, and assist the mage whenever it can. By no means does the avatar wish failure or death onto the mage (unless that failure teaches them a valuable lesson).

2. How does Avatar affect Seekings?
The avatar essentially controls the seeking and it's components. Since the avatar knows the mage the best (as they're one with each other), the avatar knows how to generate the deepest and most thought-provoking problems, riddles, and trials for the mage to overcome. A mage must prove themself as worthy to the avatar in order to advance their arete or enlightenment. The seeking is that test of worthiness. As a mage grows more enlightened, so to do the seekings grow more difficult. After all, the avatar is not going to make things easier for the mage; and on the contrary, the avatar goes out of it's way to make these seekings as difficult as possible so as to ensure that the mage is ready for the primal knowledge that they sought after. That's not to suggest that the avatar wants the mage to fail; in fact, the avatar desperartely wants the mage to succeed; but for whatever reason, it simply can't or won't make things too easy for them.

3. What is Resonance, and Synergy?
Resonance is the magickal signature or finger print that a mage has. It builds up over time as a mage grows in strength and generates it through the use of magick. Although it can manifest in seemingly positive forms, it's not really a good thing, and can easily give away the mages identity or otherwise put them into situations they don't want to be in. Synergy is the other side of the same coin; it's essentially the magickal resonance of an external source; like a haunted house or indian burial ground, and represents it's effect on the mage. Whereas one finds it's source from the mage itself, the other comes from objects, events, and the world around the mage.

4. Explain what Backlash is, and what it leads to.
Backlash is essentially the built up consequences of paradox. As a mage casts vulgar magick or otherwise accrues Paradox points, they're essentially generating a stronger impending backlash. For example, the further you stretch a rubber band, the harder it pops. Once you stretch it too far, it breaks, and it pops the hardest. Backlash is that pop. It's reality essentially correcting the mage and discipling them through raw pain or other unpleasantries like Quiet. Once enough paradox accumulates or a Backlash is strong enough, a Mage can be forced into an intense Quiet, suffer derangements, or even go utterly mad and become a Marauder.

5. What are the three components of Foci, and how does each of them affect Magick?
Paradigm, Practice, and Instruments. The paradigm is essentially the belief system of the mage; how they view reality and how they believe that they impose their will onto it. A mage has to have a true sense of belief and willpower to essentially /think/ change into reality, and that is their paradigm. Instruments make up the literal tools that they use to help employ their magick; a shaman might believe that the beating of the drum draws out the spirits from hiding, whereas a verbenae may believe that self harm shows sincerity of intent to a deity, these instruments serve as the tools in which a mage carves out change in reality. And finally, practice is essentially the system that a mage uses to employ their will. A dreamspeaker may employ shamanism as a practice, whereas a verbenae may utilize witchcraft. Essentially, the focus is comprised of pradigm(belief) plus practice plus instruments. Through all of that, the mage focalizes their will and shapes it into reality.

6. What is Ascension, and how do different factions (including your character's) view it?
Ascension is the path of enlightenment, to greater arete and power, to learning the mysteries of the cosmos, peace and tranquility, and perhaps even godhood. Different factions and paradigms obviously have widely differed views on the subject matter, and figures who have allegedly attained Ascension are figures of legend and mythos, hardly grounded in truth. In the literal, game-system sense, it refers to a mage who has reached 10/10 Arete, and can therein alter reality on a whim. Some view it as a way to escape the mortal hellscape and move onward to a higher existence- whereas others see it as a way to take hold of the consensus and shape the world as they see fit. This widely disparate set of views lead to what;s known as the Ascension war, which is essentially the tug-o-war battle for consensus of reality. Each faction is essentially battling to have the most influence over what reality exists as.
Character Creation
Character Name: Kassiani Redflower
Character Age: 21
Character Starting Arete Rating: 3
Character Starting Spheres (6): Spirit 3 (Affinity), Life 3
Character Affinity Sphere: Spirit
Character Avatar Essence: Primordial
Character Avatar Rating: 4
Character Affiliation (Tradition, Technocratic Convention, Craft, Nephandi/Marauder): Tradition ; Dreamspeakers
Character Instruments: Pain, Blood, Bones, Emotion, Sex, Violence, Prayer, Dance
Character Story:
(Write a quick story about your character, including their Awakening, etc 500-1000 words)
Kassiani Redflower was born on the Crow Tribal Reservation, a 92,000 square kilometer plot of land in the state of Montana, USA. Unlike traditional shamanic protocol for her tribe, she was not destined to practice medicine work per her heritage or ancestry. As a result, she wasn't born into a shamanic lifestyle by default. However, the Dreamspeakers know all to well that sometimes the Spirits have a will of their own that simply will not be denied.
The first half of her life was guttural and poverty stricken, like most of the indigenous people on the reservation. Even though the land was fertile and riddled with streams, ponds, and game- their people suffered. Despite the ''reparations'' (if you could even call them that!) that the U.S. government tried to make in amends for the tyranny of earlier years, those old wounds still festered in the remnants of the Native American communities. Largely cut off from the true aspects of their culture and religion, they exist only as pale shades of their former selves, doing their best to thwart a slow and agonizing death of religion. The few stories and rituals that still exist only serve to remind the people of how ignorant they really are to what they once were, and could be again.
Though they rarely victimize eachother due to the remnant sense of fraternity that they still possess, drug abuse, crime and alcoholism run rampant in the community. Bigotry and hate fueled violence lashes out of the reservation and onto local white suburban and gated communities. The nation's education system is struggling to fund itself, as well are the tribal police. Being a sovereign nation within itself, the people hide behind the legality of that fact when committing to these crimes, often resulting in lengthy litigation battles.
Kassiani always felt detached from this life. Her parents were both alcoholics- which was normal. Neither of them had jobs or did anything really productive with their lives- normal. It was odd to her; everything about it felt completely unnatural and wrong. She felt the urge to thrive- to be productive, to set and accomplish goals; only with no direction, and no means to get there. They had nothing, and would continue to have nothing unless a drastic change was made.
She never placed any real stock in the pow wows or the prayer circles as a child, but when the tribal council notified them that she had the opportunity to partake in the Rite of Passage for her upcoming thirteenth birthday, Kassiani felt strangely... compelled. She, like her parents and almost everyone around her- was without faith. Why did she feel it so necessary to commit to this mumbo-jumbo? She couldn't shake the idea, and decided to send a letter in response, accepting their offer.
About a week passed, and she was brimming with anticipation. Finally, it was the evening before her birthday; in just a few hours, she would be of age, and would hopefully know her place and destiny in life. Kassiani knew she was young; she didn't expect to change the world or to have some great destiny. All she wanted was a better life than the slums around her; to just have a fair chance. Finally the time came, and she joined with the tribal council in the customary salvia divinorum ritual. She smoked of the sacred pipe for the first time, and felt her spirit leave her and her body go cold.
Kassiani had gone Elsewhere, and she stood before a great black pool of inky water. It was utterly and unnaturally still, and she stood there, too afraid to move; this was her vision quest, and she could not even muster the courage to take a single step.
The water rippled ominously before her as a large, quadripedal creature slowly crept it's way out of the depth of the ocean. It's fur was blacker than the water, if that was at all possible, and it's eyes shone like pale opals in the contrast. Staring at it's body was like staring into a void or abyss, it was impossible to make out the definitions of its muscle and sinew. The water seemed to both drip endlessly off of the ''fur'' of the creature, while also steaming off of it's back and into the air. It's jaws unhinged, and it released a powerful and primordial growl, intimidating the young adolescent that stood before it. The feline was gargantuan, many times the size of herself, and could have easily taken her into it's maw in a single bite. It took a single step toward Kassiani, it's paw shaking the reality around them and sending tremors through her soul.
"You have finally come." the Panther said, it's voice terrifying and powerful. But a sense of kinship seemed to convey in it's words, it was like He and Kassiani had always known each other somehow or some way. She felt some of the fear permeate out of her body and away, slowly looking up at the great beast and making eye contact with him. There were no pupils to lock onto; only milky saucers that seem to slowly swirl inward like a vortex. "You have finally begun to find yourself."
She mustered the courage to even respond, "I need help. Please."
The Panther bared it's monstrous teeth at the young girl, attempting to stifle her resolve. "Why are you worthy?" he asked grimly.
Kassiani paused for a moment, asking herself the question inside her head before finding the only answer she could.
"Because I'll never give up." the young girl said reaffirmingly, though still in shock from the experience itself. A small part of herself questioned the truth of what he just said; but she felt that doubt snuffle out as she peered up at the great Panther once more, fixating her gaze upon it's awesome, yet frightening, appearance.
"We'll see, won't we?" the Panther asked, before lunging forward and taking her into his maw. Kassiani felt the terrible pain of being crushed in the gargantuan jaws of the beast as it thereafter leapt back into the pool of inky water. She wasn't dead yet, but she could feel it coming- the Panther's mouth began to fill with the water as it dove deeper and deeper. Panic began to set in as she struggled to move, but it was to no avail, he was only biting down harder and harder it seemed with each passing second. She was suffocating and drowning at the same time, being crushed and rended apart between the hinges of the giant beast. Kassiani struggled to even muster a cry of anguish, but nothing but silence escaped into the void.
It was then that she felt it. ''Epiphany''. It was breath. It was life. It was relief. It was truth, and light, and validation. It was opportunity.
Kassiani's eyes frantically flickered open and she gasped for air, but found only that her mouth filled with dirt. She clawed at the thin layer of soil covering her body, feeling the warm touch of the sun and the gentle caress of the breeze. Bursting forth from the ground, she coughed and gagged on the soil, gasping for air as her nails clutched at clumps of dirt and earth. She looked up at the sky; noticing once again that the sun was out. But it was night time when she began her vision? What had happened?
Through survival instinct alone, the newly-awakened Kassiani crawled back to the tribal elder's camp as a familiar voice crept into the back of her head.
"Henceforth, you are Kassiani Redflower, the Thrice-Born." whispered the Panther into her ear.
Succumbing to unconsciousness, she felt the world go dark once again, only this time she would awaken beneath the comfort of several fur blankets and next to a warm fire. Slowly getting out of the bedroll, she looked across the fire to see the tribal elders, who fell quiet as they saw her stir. One of them began to speak in the ancient Crow language, known as Siouan, though she could not understand him. After some time, another elder spoke in english, translating for the other man.
"What did you learn upon your vision quest, Redflower?"
She hesitated to speak at first, before telling them in her best words the experience that she went through.
''Your Howahkan has given you many blessings, Redflower. You have become destined to walk the shamanic path of the medicine woman. Will you come under the apprenticeship of the tribe, and our Tradition; the Dreamspeakers?"
"Yes. I promise to never give up." she responded confidently.
She was apprenticed to a younger shaman, a Wermilo by the name of Slate-Sky. With this mentor, she learned the basic traditions of shamanism and medicine work, as well as a lexicon of words and knowledge about their culture, heritage, the spirit world, etcetera. Kassiani was a good student and was naturally gifted in the way of Spirit, showing an affinity for that sphere. It was then that Kassiani also learned that she was a Natural Channel and held a primal skill for penetrating the gauntlet and it's pericarps. She studied also in the art of Life magick, so as to tend to the sick and better understand phsysiology, pathology, botany and zoology, per the way of the medicine woman. Redflower was, in her own right and skill, a proper medicine woman. Though she was always a bit hot-headed when it came to certain issues, she held a just and fair temperament. Kassiani's goal was to protect the Mawiya and to bring back the Great Dream; to see her people restored to their former glory and happiness. She could finally do something to make the world a better place; that was all the motivation that she needed. Kassiani progressed through her next two seekings, though not with necessary ease. She finds her Howahkan, the Underwater Panther, unforgiving and short of temperament- but also full of endless wisdom and knowledge. They maintained a rather great relationship, especially as she advanced her studies beneath Slate-Sky, learning to properly hone her gifts and work her Spirit arts. However, like all good things, it had to come to an end. Her apprenticeship to Slate-Sky lasted for a total of 8 years until tragedy finally struck, cutting it short.
Slate Sky left one day to go hunting, and never returned. What instead returned was a mockery of the man that taught Redflower the true path. A force of evil had killed the honorable medicine man and taken his likeness and aura, impostering as the wermilo to gain free access to the tribe and nation. Redflower was none the wiser when this imposter suggested that they leave the village to further her studies in solitude for better focus. Redflower left the village with the Fake Slate-Sky. They build a small shelter and worked in the forest for several fortnights, this imposter seeding it's manipulative and corrupting magick into Redflower's spirit and mind. Utterly convinced that this was still her trusted mentor and greatest friend, Fake Slate-Sky began to infect her mind with more than just taint; but dangerous untruths. "The tribal council is evil and has been corrupted." "Only you can save your people from them." These were dangerous seeds that were planted, and unfortunately quickly sprouted. Bearing a new Taint of Corruption from the qlippothic infection, as well as a few other horrific flaws, Redflower returned to the tribe with a vengeance. She came upon the tribal encampment in the dead of night, making her way to the tent of the First Seat of the Crow Tribal Council. Quelling her fear, she resolved in her faith for her ''mentor'', the fake imposter who had been casually manipulating her for the last several months- and she struck a fatal blow to the sleeping medicine man, plunging a knife into his chest as he peacefully slumber. His eyes shot open and they made eye contact- Redflower froze with guilt, empathy and fear before turning away and fleeing into the night. It began to storm and the skies split with lightning and the earth quaked from thunder. Upon reaching the lodge, she discovered yet another horrible untruth - her mentor lay on the floor of the shelter, dead. The realization came to her as she looked around the shelter, seeing it's walls painted with blood and horrific glyphs and runes that the eyes should not behold. Dread and regret overcame her, tears welling in her eyes as she realized that she had been made a tool to be worked against her own people.
Voices in the distance broke her from her thoughts, and her survival instincts took over. She fled into the wilderness and into the night, fleeing from her brothers and sisters. Would they ever even believe her if she told them the truth? Even if they did, would they have mercy on her? She felt her heart break in two and her spirit waiver as the gravity of everything began to set in. She was exiled from her life and her home- everything she knew and loved, gone. They would probably hunt her down, too.
And so Redflower fled- she ran and ran from her problems until she could no longer do so. Finding herself in Red County, exhausted and penniless, Kassiani resolved to herself that she would either make things right- or die trying. She couldn't go back to her Tradition- but maybe she could find a spirit, another mage- or even the power to save herself. Either way, that was the only choice she had now.
Game Questions

1. When do you think is the right moment for a Mage to use Magick (Coincidental & Vulgar)?
A mage chooses when and where to use their arts, ultimately. But ideally a character would try to use as little magick as possible, especially the vulgar kind. Paradox is quick to accrue, and backlash is one hell of a bitch. But some times, mages rationalize to themselves that the ''ends justify the means'' and find themselves summoning fiery tornados, healing crippling and gaping wounds, etcetera, all for the name of their moral compass. Right or wrong is a point of view, but one thing's for certain, there are consequenmnces for working magick without forethough. Beyond just paradox, backlash, derangements and Quiet- a mage doesn't want to bring down the Technocracy on their head. Reality deviants are hunted down left and right as means to control the consensus and ascension war, and as a tradition mage, it's well known. Coincidental magick, fortunately, does not carry the same paradox risks as vulgar magick- but the resonance from such willwork can always leave a mage vulnerable to identification, and should be used sparingly as well. Magick isn't to be flaunted left and right.

2. Considering the faction you're applying for, should your character reveal his/her true nature to others?
Normally I would say yes, but since my character will be a rogue/fugitive member of the tradition, she will not be keen or eager on sharing her identity or powers with anyone whatsoever. Dreamspeakers are shamans and medicine workers who largely act selflessly in nature, going out of their way to aid and assist others whenever they can. Such archetypes tend to draw alot of attention, and usually results in them giving away their true nature to others at some point. After all, the ''I didn't do it, God or the spirits did" lie gets old pretty quick when you're performing faith healings and seances for others. On the other hand, Kassiani will be doing no such thing. She hasn't abandoned her shamanic journey, but due to the circumstances of her situation, she can't afford to act in such a way either. Especially considering that she's left the only sanctuary and home she's ever known, and is now in a technocracy-ruled world.

3. Describe how your character would cast a typical spell according to his/her Foci.
The foci or focus is the cumulative total of a mage's paradigm + their practice + their instruments. My mage's paradigm is Creation is Innately Divine and Alive; her practice is Shamanism, and her instruments are listed above.
Redflower croons in her native tongue of Siouan, ushering prayers to the great earth spirit, the Mawiya, as she humbly requests it's boon, trying to willwork a Life effect onto the injured man's patterns.
Prayer is the instrument, and she prays in her native language to the Mawiya, which is a part of the practice and paradigm both.
All three aspects of the foci have to be utilized to cast magick, at least at early stages of ascension. Some mages learn to discard instruments or practices for sheer force of will, but that does not come easily.

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i was told that i could include my merit/flaw/background app with this one by shadow, so here we go.
merits 13pts, flaws 23pts, backgrounds 0pts. ill be saving the remaining 2 freebies and 7 background points for a later date, after some rp.

Character name : Kassiani Redflower
Post the header/title of your /rpfs tab : n/a
Post a screenshot of your Activity log :
[+] Screenshot
Merits :
Natural Channel (3pt. Merit): Penetrating the Gauntlet is a primal homecoming at -2 difficulty.
Deathwalker (4pt. Merit): You are Thriceborn; one with death's resonance; vidare Mortem.
Deathwalker (Continued): The Underworlds welcome you; sidestep into them with only Spirit 3.
Deathwalker (Continued): Your aura matches that of the dead. Perc/Occult diff 7 to distinguish.
Legendary Stamina (5pt. Merit): You bear the legendary stamina of the Deathwalker.
Legendary Stamina (Continued): Your Stamina attribute can naturally be raised to 6 instead of 5.
Legendary Stamina (Continued): Gain an automatic success on all soak rolls.
Flaws :
Primal Marks (3pt. Flaw): Your blood and blood vessels are strangely dark in hue.
Rogue (4pt. Flaw): You are an ostracized fugitive of the Dreamspeaker Tradition.
Hit List (4pt. Flaw): Dreamspeakers have named you "Vision Mocker"; enemy.
Psychic Vampire (5pt. Flaw): Life withers in your presence at the rate of 1 bashing damage per hour.
Psychic Vampire (Continued): Your blood is dark, and it is putrid in smell and flavor to Vampires.
Psychic Vampire (Continued): Healing and ''positive'' Life magick is done at +2 difficulty.
Psychic Vampire (Continued): Damaging or ''negative'' Life-magick is done at -2 difficulty.
Psychic Vampire (Continued): Health Levels of damage transfer into healing when dealt by Life sphere.
Taint of Corruption (7pt. Flaw): Your spirit bears horrific and unmistakable Qlippothic taint.
Taint of Corruption (Continued): "Good" magick is at +2 difficulty and leaves traces of corruption despite success.
Taint of Corruption (Continued): Malignant or foul-intended magick is at -2 difficulty.

Backgrounds :
(List your backgrounds here)
Post an explanation and book reference for your chosen merits, flaws or backgrounds :
M20 BOS page 72 Natural Channel (3 pt. Merit) You’ve got an innate affinity with the Otherworlds. Sliding through from the mortal realm to the Three Worlds is easier for you than it is for other Awakened folk. System-wise, you subtract -2 from the difficulty of your rolls to penetrate the Gauntlet. Story-wise, crossing over feels, to you, like a primal sort of homecoming, as if you exist between worlds on an elemental level.
M20 BOS page 74 Deathwalker (4 pt. Merit) The Underworld welcomes you. While most Umbral travelers are more or less barred from the Shadowlands and Low Umbra unless they possess special magicks (or have died), you can step sideways into the Dead Lands with a simple application of Spirit 3. When you do so, your aura assumes the pale tone of death, and you become essentially indistinguishable from a ghost unless some knowledgeable entity makes a successful Perception + Occult roll (difficulty 7) to see you for what you really are. If the Avatar Storm is still raging in your chronicle, you can pass into the Low Umbra without suffering the Storm’s effects. This sort of “gift” often leaves macabre traces on the mortals it favors. Hence, this Merit is well-suited for the Flaws: Echoes , Uncanny , and Primal Marks . Thanks to their innate ties to the Dead Lands, Deathwalkers, as a rule, view the Otherworlds through the Vidare Mortem, suffer from Morbidity Quiets, and tend to have a rather fatalistic view of life.
M20 BOS page 77 Legendary Attributes (5 pt. Merit) Gifted with the strength of Shango or the beauty of Lucifer, you may exceed the human capacity for one Attribute Trait.
That Trait is not automatically higher than usual (you still need to spend points to raise the favored Attribute), but you may purchase up to six dots in a given Attribute for your character, exceeding the usual limit of five dots. Beyond that higher maximum, you also get one heroic capability that’s linked to that Attribute. The Shango-strength mage might always inflict at least one health level of damage with hand-to-hand blows, while the Luciferian seducer could score an automatic success whenever he tries to charm someone who ought to know better. These bonuses are always subject to Storyteller approval, however, and they don’t kick in until you reach six dots in the given Trait. Not even Lucifer, after all, possessed his full charm when he was just a little devil…
M20 BOS page 90 Primal Marks (3 pt. Flaw) You’ve been marked by some god, spirit, myth, or other metaphysical entity… and the mark is not a pleasant one. Maybe you share Papa Ghede’s nasal voice and crude sense of humor, or Coyote’s grotesquely huge cock, or Christ’s bleeding stigmata. Essentially, this Flaw is the flipside of the Merit: Mark of Favor ; in your case, though, the mark complicates your life, twists your body, and alerts people who understand the significance of that mark. In certain circles – say, being marked by Satan while living in a deeply religious region – a Primal Mark can be a life-threatening affair. Such marks can also indicate the profound displeasure of the entity in question, like the Mark of Cain (in a non-vampiric sense, anyway) which set the First Murderer apart while sparing his life for a long-enduring punishment. But even if the entity in question likes you, this particular mark is more of a burden than a blessing. If, for instance, you stink like a goat and have the heavy, hairy features of Pan, that’s not going to make you terribly popular with the ladies… especially not if you’re female to begin with! This disconcerting legacy might come through as animalistic features that reveal your connection to a totem spirit, as described in the Totem Background entry and the appropriate section of Mage 20’s Appendix I. (See pp. 326-328 and 633636.) Or the “mark” might involve some physical manifestation of your inner Avatar. You could share the archetypal “look” of a notorious family, like the Borgias or Romanovs, even if you’re not actually related to that bloodline; or bear an uncanny resemblance to some sinister beast even if you’re not a shapechanger or totem-friend. Maybe you just look like what people think of when they say wizard, shaman, or witch – which, in many cultures, can be rather unhealthy for people so identified. In short, you look weird in the literal, uncanny meaning of that phrase, and people notice. Obviously, you should define the appearance of this feature, and decide the sort of reaction people have when they notice it. Because this is a Flaw, of course, that reaction should be negative in some way – the “primal mark of the Jolie-Pitt Clan” is not exactly a Flaw unless you’re dealing with paparazzi. The “mark” could also be a tone of voice, a distinct way of moving (birdlike, catlike, Papa Legba-like), or a certain vibe that nearly anyone can sense. Whatever their source and manifestation, these Primal Marks are obvious, and they tend to carry over even when a mage changes shape. People recognize you even when you’d rather not be recognized, and that sort of distinction can be rather unhealthy too. This Flaw goes well with Backgrounds like Blessing , Destiny , Legend , Past Lives , and, as suggested earlier, Totem . It could be taken as a genetic Flaw for Enhancements , or as a reflection of an especially potent Avatar . For extra fun, you might not even know why you’ve been so marked, who marked you, or what may come as a result of the mark. As with so many elements of a mage’s life, these Primal Marks could be mysteries whose answers lay at the end of a long and winding Path… if, indeed, those answers ever reveal themselves at all.
M20 BOS page 68 Rogue (4 pt. Flaw) The loosest of cannons, you’re gonna do whatever you damn well please, and to hell with any and all consequences! You might still belong to a group, but your membership is more a matter of habit or convenience than of loyalty. Alternately, you may have gone your way and now exist in a nebulous state between fondly remembered comrade and total outlaw. Certain Backgrounds ( Requisitions and Secret Weapon ) are forbidden to you now, and others ( Allies , Backup , Chantry , Resources , and potentially many more) are hard to access – perhaps even impossible to access – if their connection to you depends upon your allegiance to a group. Former peers consider you a liability, and the main reason no one has taken you out yet is because nobody’s gotten around to doing so successfully. For Technocratic operatives, this Flaw is a slow-motion death sentence; for other mages, it could involve similar threats to longevity, although many Crafts (aside from the Templars, Wu Lung, and Hippolytoi) and most Traditions (aside from the Chakravanti, Akashayana, and Order of Hermes) take a more liberal approach to rogue members. Either way, your relationships with former allies are strained at best (+3 to the difficulty of most social rolls involving their goodwill), and you’re on rather hostile terms with your so-called (or former) superiors. Some mages manage to live for quite a while in this state of mutual antagonism. Most, however, do not.
M20 BOS page 67 Hit List (4 pt. Flaw) A rival group wants you dead. You might be a Templar who’s made enemies among the Etherites, an Etherite who crossed the line with the New World Order, and so forth. Whatever happened, it’s personal and extends to the entire group. As with the Vampire 20 Flaw: Clan Enmity , this is a deadly business, far worse than the one-point Sect Enmity , above. Social rolls when dealing with members of this group add +2 to their difficulty – if you get a chance to make such rolls at all. Whether or not the enemy group actively attacks you on sight, its members will go out of their way to make your life solitary, unpleasant, nasty, brutish, and short.
M20 BOS pages 93-94 Psychic Vampire (5 pt. Flaw) Also known as the Reaper’s Touch, this dreadful curse makes you a life-force siphon. Your presence consumes vitality from your surroundings and the living things who happen to get too close to you. Unless you do so, however, your own lifeforce withers. Despite your best intentions, you’re essentially a walking void into which life itself pours in order to sustain your own existence. Story-wise, you’re a drain on the energy of your companions. Insects and small plants perish in your presence, while children and animals smaller than a horse feel ill when you stand near them. System-wise, any character who’s in physical contact with you for an hour or more loses one health level per hour to bashing damage. If you’re unable to soak up someone else’s life-force, though, then your own vitality drains away. In system terms, you lose health levels in the reverse order that you would heal lethal damage, dropping to Bruised after one day, to Hurt after three days, to Injured after one week, and so on. (For details, see Mage 20, p. 406.) If you employ Life Sphere magicks, your difficulties for healing or improvement-type Effects are raised by +2, while your difficulties with corrupting, damage, or illness-related Effects are lowered by -2. (In both cases, the usual maximums and minimums still apply.) Each health level you inflict on someone else with Life Sphere magick heals you of one health level if you’re injured, or else forestalls the “starvation” loss of your own health levels by one day per health level inflicted. An inversion of the Merit: Spark of Life (p. 78), this Flaw darkens your aura, makes your blood taste awful as far as vampires are concerned, and keeps your close associates constantly sick with low-level ailments. Life-affirming mages consider this to be a mark of profound misfortune or outright evil, while folks who love corruption (Nephandi and the like) see you as a ripe candidate for recruitment. Mundane science can’t do a damn thing about this metaphysical malady, and dismisses such fluffy concepts as “life-force energies.” The Technocratic Union, on the 94 The Book of Secrets other hand, takes this sort of thing seriously, and tends to view psychic vampires as Reality Deviants of the most unfortunate kind. For a potentially related metaphysical application of this Flaw, see the Chapter Three Expanded Instruments entry Cannibalism , pp. 206-207.
M20 BOS pages 96 Taint of Corruption (7 pt. Flaw) Evil has an intimate hold on you. Your spirit has been corrupted – possibly since birth, as with the reborn Nephandi known as widderslainte – and you are, as the werewolves put it, “of the Wyrm” whether you wish to be or not. This doesn’t necessarily mean you behave in an evil manner – you can choose to resist the evil inside you. On a metaphysical level, however, you bear an innate corruption which tests the ideal of Enlightened self-determination. You may, perhaps, defeat it, but it’ll be a hard struggle before you do. (Need we mention the Tragedy section again? I guess we just did.) From a story perspective, this Flaw could come from demonic possession, the aftermath of an awful Quiet or a badly botched high-level Seeking, corrupt Resonance, one too many deals with malignant Umbrood, a curse, a vile past life, wicked karma, Nephandic heritage, poor life-choices, the influence of the Wyrm, a collection of tainted texts or artifacts, time spent in a hell, or other forms of metaphysical poison. It almost certainly shapes your magickal focus, and the things you do in pursuit of your magicks (that is, your practices and instruments) may well perpetrate this corruption. (Hey, now, hey now now…) To entities who recognize such soul-stains, you are either a mortal enemy (as far as most werewolves are concerned), an object of pity and potential salvation (the nicer sorts of mages), or – most likely – both. (“Hey, it’s a mercy killing, right?”) Meanwhile, inside your skin, you wrestle with the urges born from that corruption. Whether or not you give in to them (which would, of course, just deepen the decay), your dreams and impulses hold a distinctly unpleasant edge. Working malignant magick is frighteningly easy for you (-2 to your difficulties, up to the usual modifier limits), but your “good” spells are harder to cast (+2 difficulty, as above) and have a tendency to leave traces of corruption even when you succeed. Your aura crackles or swirls with leprous stains, and your Merits, Flaws, Backgrounds, and other Traits reflect the damnation you carry inside. A truly epic quest might purge this evil (and buy off this Flaw), but maybe it’s just easier to go with the flow, even if that flow leads you straight into the gutter and beyond…