Alertness, Artist*, Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Dodge, Expression, Instruction*, Intimidation, Larceny*, Subterfuge
Artist: This Talent reflects your innate gift, learned skill, and working knowledge of your craft. Creating works of art is time-consuming, but can have many rewards, especially for Makers. With this Trait, you choose an artistic discipline and give your passion form. Each discipline must be taken separately; understanding sculpture won't help you sing.
Instruction: Teaching is your forte. With inspiring words, cohesive examples, or sheer stubbornness, you make people learn things. In game terms, any Skill or Knowledge (NOT Talents) you possess can be taught to another character with a bit of schooling. For every month spent teaching your pupil, roll your Manipulation + Instruction (difficulty 11 minus your student's Intelligence). Each success saves the student one experience point sheh normally would have spent acquiring the Trait; even with your aid, the other player will have to spend at least one experience point. The Traits you pass on cannot exceed the teacher's own ratings. An instructor with Occult 3 cannot teach her student to reach Occult 4, for example.
Larceny: You know how to steal. You also probably know others of your kind, and understand their shady ways. A character with Larceny blends in with the underside of society, and knows a few tricks of the trade - purse-cutting, begging, mugging, and hiding. Many "shady" activities can be reflected by a simple Attribute + Larceny roll. Most tasks have difficulties of 7 or 8; some are easier, others are far harder.
Animal Ken*, Archery*, Crafts, Etiquette, Leadership*, Meditation, Melee, Research*, Riding*, Stealth, Survival
Animal Ken: You possess an affinity for the beasts of field and farm. You can train and befriend animals, even many forms of mythic beasts.
Archery: This is a combat skill which allows you to wield device-hurled missile weapons with deadly efficiency.
Leadership: This Skill is identical to the Talent of the same name in the original Mage handbook (p108).
Research: This Skill allows a character to locate the resources sheh needs to further hes studies. Such information exists in libraries, private collections, and oral traditions.
Riding: Characters with this Skill understand the feeding, care, and handling of various creatures. Wider varieties of mount (griffins and dragons, for example) are strange to the character, but even these can conceivably be mastered more easily by someone with this skill.
Academics*, Culture*, Enigmas, Investigation, Law, Linguistics*, Lore*, Medicine*, Metaphysics*, Occult, Science*
Academics: With no printing press to facilitate the dissemination of information, many people do not receive an education. You are quite fortunate to possess this Knowledge, which allows you to read and write your native tongue and any other languages you know. It also allows addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, even at the most basic understanding. Much of higher mathematics simply does not yet exist.
Culture: If you understand culture, you can predict how people will behave - a useful skill when you want something from a foreigner. A wellspring of beliefs, mores, taboos, and politics, culture presents the portrait of a people. Those with the proper learning can master those secrets.
Linguistics: This is an important skill on Malakai, where languages proliferate. While everyone is assumed to speak hes native tongue fluently, most know only enough of the Common language of the region to communicate basic ideas. This Knowledge allows an individual to communicate clearly in two or more languages. Even at the lowest level (1 dot), you are proficient in your native tongue and the Common language of the region. Note that speaking a language does not allow one to read or write it without the rudiments (1 dot) of Academics.
Dabbler: You speak one language in addition to your native and regional tongues.
Student: You speak three additional languages
Scholar: You speak six additional languages
Master: You speak twelve additional languages
Virtuoso: You speak twenty-four additional languanges
Lore: Most people are only familiar with the way their own society works. Those who possess this Knowledge are also familiar with the lore of a single unusual aspect of Malakai. Faerie Folk, Nodes (High, Low, and Balance Points), the Midnight Realms, the Sun Realms, Chaos Pockets, dopplegangers, and Daemons are a mystery to most people. You have been lucky - or unlucky - enough to learn some of these secrets.
Dabbler: "The Midnight Realms lie north beyond the Great Ices"
Student: "The Midnight Realms are regions to the far north where the sun never shines."
Scholar: "The Midnight Realms are too cold to be braved by mundane mortals without magical protection. A few explorers have reported finding..."
Master: "The Midnight Realms exist between areas lit by different suns. While no living thing can survive the cold, there are some creatures who make homes there, including..."
Virtuoso: "I have such extensive knowledge of the Midnight Realms I could lead you through them, with the right resources."
Medicine: The workings of the human body are a mystery to most people. Those who possess this skill, however, are capable of binding wounds, setting bones, and soothing fevers. Such medicine is primitive compared to magical cures, but better than nothing for those who have not mastered the art of Healing.
Metaphysics: Metaphysics is the study of the methods of common magicians. Knowledge of one of the metaphysical sciences includes a history of the field and a basic understanding of the symbolism, language, lore, and mysteries associated with it. This Knowledge represents theoretical understanding, not necessarily the skills to put it to use. Those who possess the Knowledge of these metaphysical sciences can actually practice the simplest tricks of hedge magick (sorcery) on a successful Metaphysics roll with the expenditure of one point of temporary Willpower or Quintessence (in other words, here's how any Mage can have a little bit of Sorcery if sheh wants to). More advanced sorcery requires plenty of practice (and experience points). Metaphysical sciences include:
Alchemy: This is the study of transforming substances. You can create compounds and substances that are simply more advanced and potent versions of existing chemicals. These compounds do not appear magical in any way. Painkillers, soporifics, poisons, and glues are common examples. A single dose of a concoction requires three successes. A botch can prove very bad, indeed: potions turned poison, a flammable chemical that explodes, etc...
Binding: This is the study of methods of commanding creatures. The Mage may enact a ritual that prevents a creature from acting against him unless the creature expends a point of Willpower to resist the Binding. The binding lasts one turn if the Mage got only one success. With two or three successes, the Binding lasts three turns. With four or more successes, the Binding lasts for a scene. A botch not only fails to bind the creature, but also announces the Mage's attempt to that creature, who will likely be displeased or hostile.
Conjuration: This is the study of minor object displacements - quite common occurrences in Malakai. You can conjure into your hand an object weighing no more than an ounce (a coin, key, or sheet of parchment) from up to 2 feet away per success. A botch summons the wrong object, conjures it in the direction opposite the Mage, or destroys it.
Divination: This is the study of various methods of divination, from dowsing to palmistry to scrying. It allows you to make a prediction up to one week into the future. With one success, the divination is incredibly vague at best. With two or three successes, the information is generally accurate, but deeply cloaked in symbolism. With four or more successes, the information is accurate, but not always explicit. A botch results in the diviner receiving misinformation.
Enchantment: This is the study of methods of imbuing objects with unusual abilities. You can create minor items that have a very limited utility and very limited effects. They might add one (or, less frequently, two) dots to an Attribute or Ability, or grant a bonus to an attack or skill (never more than +1) or some other boon. The process of enchanting an item first requires a successful Craft roll of the appropriate type and enough time to create the item. Second, the Mage must succeed the Metaphysics check. The enchantment process takes one week minus 1 day per success rolled on the check. A botch usually results in the creation of a cursed item.
Fascination: This is the study of ways of attracting attention. You can cause members of a crowd to notice you, or an individual to find you more interesting. This adds 1 die to your Social dice rolls for a length of time depending on the number of successes you achieve. With one success, the effect only lasts for a few minutes. Two or three successes, and the duration extends for an entire scene. Four or more successes results in the fascination lasting an entire day.
Fortune: This is the study of luck. Even the concepts of Chaos and Entropy do not explain all random events. You are capable of causing a single named person to receive a brief inconvenience, or a minor weal (dropping something, saying something utterly stupid, noticing a coin on the ground, etc...). The duration of this fortune hinges on the Mage's successes. One success results in a single event of (mis)fortune. Two or three successes causes the fortune to strike as often as possible for an entire day. Four or more successes results in a duration of a week or more. A botch results in the opposite fortune than the one the Mage intended.
Healing: This is the study of unusual home remedies which actually seem to work. While it takes an experienced Sorcerer to perform truly remarkable feats, the Mage can temporarily (depending on the severity) relieve pain. With one success, the Mage can cure minor pain (like a headache). With two or three successes, she can dull moderate pain (a migraine or flesh wound). With four or more successes, a Mage can reduce major pain (groin kick or broken bone) to nearly nothing, reducing task penalties for injuries by -1. A botch actually increases the pain, inflicting a level of Bashing damage that cannot normally be soaked.
Oneiromancy: This is the study of dreams and dreaming. You can reach out and touch the dreams of a sleeping individual with whom you are in direct physical contact. These dreams come in flashes of highly distorted imagery, which the Mage can interpret on a successful Intelligence + Enigmas roll against a difficulty of 10 - successes.
Shadowcasting: This is the study of the mystical properties of shadows. You can deepen and darken existing shadows in a room or area. The overall lighting doesn't alter, but those shadows that do exist will be much darker than they ought to be. This can create a rather creepy atmosphere if used in the right places. Its effects last one turn per success. A botch causes the shadows to turn on the caster, as though possessed by a malevolent intelligence, for the rest of the scene.
Shapeshifting: This is the study of shapechanging in all its forms. You are capable of making minor cosmetic changes (eye color, hair length, ear shape) for the duration of two turns per success. A botch might result in the Mage becoming stuck with the new form, forever changed.
Summoning: This is the study of varying methods of summoning creatures to a location. You are capable of enacting a ritual that summons one small, unintelligent animal (rat, bat, small swarm of insects, etc...) or simple nature spirit (though you can't see or communicate with these without Spirit 1 or a similar effect) per success, which will move toward you as quickly as they can. These creatures obey the Mage to the best of their understanding for as long as the effect lasts. One success binds the creature for one turn. Two to three successes are required to command it for up to three turns. Four or more successes allows the Mage to control it for an entire scene. On a botch, the summoned creature(s) arrive, but turn against the caster.
Warding: This is the study of wards and warding circles. The Mage can enact a ritual which causes the subject to lose one die from all actions against the caster. The Mage can also create a Warding Circle; unless the creature scores more successes on a Willpower roll than the Mage scored on the Ward roll, the creature cannot pass into or out of the circle. On a botch, the Mage believes his ward successful until the creature attacks; warding circles work against the Mage, instead.
Weather Control: Somehow, even the unAwakened manage to do this, from time to time. You are capable of making small changes in the environment (a sudden cold breeze, a slight drop in room temperature, a softening of the light in a room, etc...). This effect only lasts for a few seconds, and can only affect an area of about 50 square feet. The delay between casting this spell and its taking effect is equal to 5 turns - the number of successes made. A botch means that something happens, but definitely not what the Mage was attempting to accomplish.
Psychic Phenomena and other areas: Virtually any path of Sorcery may be simulated by a corresponding Metaphysics Knowledge. The maximum effect is generally 1 dot in all aspects of the Path, with successes determining one of the elements of the effect (usually duration or range; NEVER intensity). I'll write any of these up on a per request basis, though most are already here.
Science: The idea that nature has a solid set of rules is disproved on a more or less daily basis on Malakai. Still, your character insists upon searching for the laws that govern one or more of these aspects of nature. Occasionally, force of belief is, by itself, sufficient to make her partially right. If you have this Knowledge, you are knowledgeable in one field. Your choice of disciplines includes metallurgy, advanced mathematics, astronomy, anatomy, and many other sciences.
Dancing*, Intrigue*, Invention*, Logic*, Seduction*, Singing*
Dancing: You move with a grace that belies you mortal state. Perhaps you've been trained in the courts of nobility; more likely, you learned the craft in a traveling show or sharpened a talent for capering 'round the fire.
Possessed by Druanae, Mystics, Travellers, Troubadours, traveling players, courtiers
Intrigue: You're a born plotter, well-versed in power, trickery, and beholdance. Depending on your upbringing and morals, you could be a spy, a shrewd trader, or nobility. You might justify your expertise as "the best way to get things done"; no matter - you're a crafty sort. This Talent also allows you to glean truth from rumor, and to discern the true powers from the pretenders.
Possessed by Rune-Workers, Travellers, Troubadours, Weards, Nobles, Royalty, Spies, and Courtiers
Invention: You have a knack for creating things (triggered bows, diabolical room traps, odd contraptions, etc...). An Intelligence + Invention roll allows you to design new and wondrous objects (though building them is another thing entirely) that surpass anything invented before.
Possessed by Artificers
Logic: Debate is another form of fencing; in its own way, logic is more powerful than a blade. You excel with this particular weapon, wrapping your opponents in conundrums and obscure facts. An innate faculty for reason and counterpoint makes your arguments hard to refute. In the end, your rhetoric may lay the foundations for the future.
Possessed by Artificers, Faithful, Weards, orators, theologians, philosophers, writers
Seduction: Love (or its illusion) is yours to command. All the finer points of wooing, from courtly manners to crude whoring, are child's play. The better you are, the harder they fall - men, women, anyone you want.
Possessed by Travellers, Troubadours, wenches
Singing: An essential ability for Troubadours, this Talent grants you a fine singing voice and the wit to use it. This may be a practiced skill or a natural grace; either way, you have an inborn gift for song.
Possessed by Faithful, Travellers, Troubadours, Truth-Speakers, traveling players, court performers, shepherds, milkmaids
Acrobatics*, Do*, Fencing*, Torture*
Acrobatics: You are skilled at tumbling and stunts. For every dot of Acrobatics you possess, you may ignore one Health Level's worth of falling damage. Thus, a mage with Acrobatics 4 can fall up to 30 feet without harm.
Possessed by Tanaks, Monks, Travellers, Troubadours, acrobats, traveling players, swashbucklers
Do: A rare art, Do allows a mortal man to shatter stone, leap like an animal, and dodge a master bowman. Only Monks and their closes friends know this skill, a skill that frightens most people with its alien movements and devastating power.
Do ("the Way") is more than a fighting style; it encompasses a highly disciplined state of being. Those who understand it are careful, reflective and often distant to others; when they act, they do so with force, purpose, and finality. The skill channels a person's ultimate potential through a rigorous series of rituals, meditations, movements (katas) and exercises. One does not learn Do, one assumes Do. That assumption carries over into diet, grace, and temperment.
In game terms, Do allows a character to use advanced fighting maneuvers (see The Sorcerers Crusade) and channel magick through her skill. Beginning characters may only purchase one or two dots in Do, and Storytellers should restrict its use to Monks. Its secrets are a closely guarded secret. As a student of the art progresses, she adds an "animal name" to her title. These names, which are used only among other Monks, signify steps in the student's enlightenment.
Possessed by Monks
Fencing: This is a lot to transcribe, as its special combat system takes up a full page. If someone without a copy of Sorcerers Crusade wants to take this, let me know, and I'll transcribe it.
Possessed by Troubadours, gentlemen, rakes, sophisticates, spies
Torture: You specialize in inflicting pain, while keeping your victim alive in the process.
Possessed by Druana, Guiltbearers, torturers, sadists, mercenaries
Cosmology, Hearth Wisdom*, Herbalism*, Moneylending*, Poisons*, Secret Code Language*
Hearth Wisdom: Yours is the common wisdom - tales and lore filled with forgotten insights, simple cures, and homespun good sense. While this Trait is in no way magical, it can teach you the weaknesses of various supernatural creatures. A successful Hearth Wisdom roll should offer helpful insights into supernatural threats and give you some idea about how to deal with them. The effectiveness of the insights are up to the Storyteller, but in general, the more success you win, the better the information you receive.
Hearth Wisdom can also be used for simple medical remedies. It isn't as potent as either the Herbalist or the Medicine skills, but the cure should have some nominal effect. This Knowledge isn't a library of exact facts. Rather, it's a collection - often oral, never written down - of tales and maxims, anecdotes, and advice that shed light on a number of subjects. It can frustrate the hell out of people who come to you searching for advice. Still, as you know well, good things come to those who wait.
Possessed by Epagans, Faithful, Mystics, wise folk, sages, archivists, hermits
Herbalism: There is a magick in plants; you understand how to find it, refine it, and use it. This Ability grants you a working knowledge of plants, their uses, their significance, and their effects on the human body. You know how to recognize them, where to find them, and how to grow and prepare them.
Possessed by Artificers, Druanae, Mystics, Weards, witches, gypsies, wise folk, shamans, hunters
Moneylending: You are skilled at interest-lending, high finance, bookkeeping, and figure-bouncing. You understand the tricks and techniques of trade, banking and accounting.
Possessed by tradesmen, guildsmen, moneylenders, merchants
Poisons: You have a working knowledge of toxins both magickal and mundane. Many deadly concoctions are natural herbs and venoms, but some have been created by
those such as yourself. You may concoct, analyze, identify, and sometimes neutralize many deadly recipes. The better you are, the more you understand.
Possessed by assassins, plotters, spies, witches
Secret Code Language: It's often essential to keep secrets and communicate quietly. Many occult societies use private code languages - from hand signs and flower codes to heraldry and arcane gibberish - to pass information to the right people while keeping it out of the wrong hands. These codes are extraordinarily difficult to lean unless you belong to the society in question; those groups certainly frown on teaching such secrets to outsiders, and may hunt down anyone on teaching such secrets to outsiders, and may hunt down anyone who learns - or teaches - their sensitive codes to trespassers
Secret Codes are purchased like languages; each dot reflects an additional form of communication. Your Storyteller may demand a good reason for knowing a Secret Code Language, and may restrict you from purchasing more than one.
Possessed by Artificers, Druanae, Faithful, Monks, Weards, spies, rogues
Varieties: Thieves' Cants, Faithful Codes (each religion is unique), Intriguers' Lingo, Weard Lore, Alchemical Symbols, Druanae Watchwords, Language of Flowers, Numerological Codes, Staff Codes, and many more.
For a copy of the Sorcerers Crusade character sheet, go to:
http://www.white-wolf.com/Images/CharacterSheets/SorcererCrusade_csheet.pdf
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