Avatar

By Eric Chaddock (chaddock@mind.net)

Author's Notes

Here is how I'm planning on running a tenth sphere of Magick in my campaign until White Wolf comes out with one. PLEASE write comments! I'd really like to see what some of you think the tenth sphere should be (especially those of you from White Wolf). :)

Introduction

An excerpt from a speech by Alan BlueMoon, Hollow One, at Horizon several weeks after the induction of the Hollow Ones into the Traditions as the keepers of the new sphere of Avatar:

"I am Alan BlueMoon, the first documented user of the tenth sphere of Magick on Earth. I have studied it for almost a year now since I found it and I recently gained mastery of the sphere. Because of this I have been called here to speak on the subject of the use of this sphere in the Ascension War. The sphere of Avatar is the sphere of the understanding of the interaction between paradigms between different minds. Not to say that all minds have Avatars. Many artificial intelligences can think.

Only now through the tenth sphere can they effect the functioning of reality through force of will. . .through Magick. Our sphere allows the adept to sense, alter and create avatars at will. Through sensing them we can see who is able to shape reality and how well they do it. Through affecting Avatars we can shift the local paradigm towards the one of the user, making vulgur magick coincidental. We can also use it to Awaken the Sleepers and guide them in their learning of magick. Through creation of avatars we can more easily create fetishes, more easily shape reality and more easily get rid of paradox.

The tool that this sphere is is a powerful one indeed. If our enemies were to find it our troubles would square in intensity. This idea should not be taken lightly. Some say the technocrats will very soon, if not now, be able to harness the power of a Grand Unification Theory that they have been working on since Einstein. Without the power of the Avatar sphere our war would be lost for sure. But it is not. The sphere allows us to Awaken virtually any Sleeper we want, only limited by the stagnation of its essence. My tradition's numbers are growing so fast because of this that we are almost as large a tradition as any of you. Our only problem is tutorship. We are desperately low on teachers in our tradition. We feel that the only way to win this war is through both skilled Magick use and sheer numbers. Therefore I have trained nine of our greatest magicians in the Avatar sphere to the point where they can Awaken Sleepers. They are each gifts to the other traditions and will awaken any individual the tradition leaders want to train. They will also teach your scholars to use the Avatar sphere yourselves. We must all come together to save our world from enemies. With my new Avatar sight I now see Gaia as the werewolves see her, and I'm not about to let her die. This may sound surprising coming from a Hollow One, but the new sphere and our new role as a tradition has changed us all..."

The Avatar Sphere:

1. Sense Avatar, Self Empowerment
2. Avatar Empowerment, Speak with Avatar
3. Create Small Avatar, Fragment Avatar
4. Create Epiphany
5. Shape Paradigm

Level 1: Sense Avatar, Self Empowerment

At this level the Mage is able to sense the Avatars around herself and the level at which they shape reality. The Mage is also capable of empowering her own Avatar -- increasing it's storage capacity in Quintessence.

Level 2: Avatar Empowerment, Speak with Avatar

The Mage can now empower other Avatars, even those without minds. She can increase the psychic residue on an object, increase the output Quintessence of a node, enhance the blood point storage and use of a vampire. The Mage can also speak freely with his Avatar although this effect can also be done with Spirit. The Mage now understands the goals of his Avatar and learns to accept his place in reality's circle.

Level 3: Create Small Avatar, Fragment Avatar

Now the Mage can create Avatars out of channeled Quintessence. If not put into a living body or mind the Avatar is just a free roaming spirit that can be used in Spirit magicks. The Mage can also knock a piece off her own Avatar that is Awakened and has some of her Magickal ability (but not her memories).

Level 4: Create Epiphany

The Mage is now able to use any sphere at level one and transfer it's ability onto another Avatar, allowing it to see reality as it truly is. This will usually Awaken the Avatar, although success depends on how static the Avatar has become. This usually depends on the age of the person, as a person gets more set in her own ways over time. The newly Awakened Avatar will usually have at least one dot in the sphere shown to it during epiphany. In this way a Mage can create a new member of his tradition with the correct sphere for the tradition.

Level 5: Shape Paradigm

The Mage can now affect the Avatars of all the people, spirits and objects around it to absorb the paradigm she wants to some degree and for a brief amount of time. The time can of course be extended by Time Magick. The Mage can only affect one Magickal or magical effect at a time and can either make it vulgar or coincidental. The difficulty depends on how vulgar or coincidental the Magick was to begin with. This ability is quite useful in talisman creation for Hollow Ones because of their lack of horizon realms.