Perhaps the first act of rational humanity was to try to assign meaning to the universe. The best means was to separate things into categories, to establish connections, and to emphasize differences. The first thoughts entering a newborn's mind involve the differentiation between self and other, showing that even from this earliest time, we endeavor to divide the world into neat little rows and columns, to understand it more completely. All these things stress the symbolic nature of thought.
From this Symbolic paradigm arises the concept of Symbolic Magick. This Art involves dividing the world up into categories, and then diving into a single category, to better understand it, to gain mastery over it. It is a physical, mental, and spiritual study. When a student is finished, she knows everything about that categorgy, to a sufficient degree that a metaphysical control over that category was derived.
At first it was believed that all things, all actions had a Name. Practictioners of Symbolic Magick dove so intensly into the field of study of an action or object, that they learned its Name. By subtly altering the Name, new effects were created on the most basic level of existence. Anyone could lift a rock, but if you knew the rock's name, you could rewrite it slightly so that it lifted by itself.
Modern Mages scoff at Symbolic Magick as petty snowballing. Their control over the absolute categories of reality give them a sort of bird's eye view of the mystical world, and how it is constructed. Still, a few admirers of Hedge Arts find something particularly gratifying about a system that kills two birds with one stone. First, it allows the user to access reality on a metaphysical level, without the arrogant power of True Magick. Second, it allows the Wizard to create a paradigm that he can believe in, and is empowered by. The primitive man of thousands of years ago would have dreamed of such luxuries.
Hedge Wizards, for their part, mock the Modern Mages. First, they quickly point out that the Spheric Magick the "big boys" swing around is merely a more potent form of the Symbolic Magick they themselves use. Secondly, the Madern Mage is pathetically trapped in the paradigm that has empowers him, the paradigm the Technocracy invented. It would seem the lowly Wizard, with his ability to redefine the variables of reality, has something over the mighty Mages.
From this simple concept, the breakdown of reality into several palatable, easily understood chunks, flows the infinite possiblities of Symbolic Magick. It is said no two Symbolic Mages practice the same Art. Each decides which aspect of reality should be focused on more intensly, and it is this bias which tends to mirror the psyche of the user.
The bare bones of Symbolic Magick flows around the Noun - Verb construct, collectively referred to as Expressions. The reality of the Wizard must be split into categories: the act, or Verb, and the acted upon, or Noun. The subject is always the mage who cast the effect. If a Wizard could find a way to deconstruct reality in his own mind, allowing for all things, and all actions, while still keeping it as simple as possible, then he would have something tremendously powerful.
In many ways, Symbolic Magick is a language, a series of words and commands which reality understands and will respond to. Although the words might be in English, or Latin, or Burundi, the underlying ideas still remain linked, genuine.
The primary problem with Symbolic Magick lies with the effect the Technomancers had on earth. The first wave taught man to doubt all things, to search deeply for the hidden complexities inherent in all things. This was intended by the Technomancers to scatter any paradigm except for the one they chose to the winds of Paradox.
For those systems that survived, none could seem to adequately explain the universe as it once had. The first sign of this problem came as a result of early Technomancer interference in the Hedge cults which worshipped the Roman Pantheon. These cults derived power by invoking gods and goddesses upon the head of a victim. Each god had his or her seperate portfolio. If a priest wanted rain, he would invoke the god in charge of Rain, Jupiter.
The Technomancers, or so the story goes, decided to overcomplicate matters. They pointed out that more than one god held overlapping spheres of influence. Who ought to get what powers, what prayers? The Romans were urged to create gods for all occasions, eventually settling on wise choices such as the God in charge of the red moss that grows on rocks. The distrust, the overspecialization, led to a shattering of the system, and the world paid for it.
Even today, the much touted Hermetic system suffers from fatal shortsightedness. A pundit will be quick to point out that steam, a critical commodity in the modern production of electricity, is both Fire and water. Where does the simple Form + Technique fit in here? Many aspects of the Technomancer's reality seem specifically designed to undermine the Hermetics at every turn, reducing their grand endeavor to a laughable mass of gobbledygook. There are those who breathe heavy sighs, and realize no single system will encompass this brave new reality. Something always has to be left out, something always has to be understated, and then BAM, it's back in your face, twice as ugly as before.
This despondency has created two schools of thought in the Symbolic Art. The first is the Ontologists, who believe in basing Hedge Theory on a complete system of reality, and following it to wherever it may lead, no matter how difficult it is to master, or how understated it is to know. The Neo-Hermetics, the Sci-boys, the Wannabes, and the Hangers are all members of this school.
The second school, known properly as the Utilitarians, but derisively called Patchwork Wizards by members of the Ontology, realize that trying to cover all the bases of reality is a terribly foolish endeavor, and liable to get you killed quickly. Instead, they feel it is best for a Symbolic Wizard to apply himself to only those forms and techniques he requires, and to specialize in certain areas, rather than the normally broad ranges espoused by the Ontology. Gun Nuts, Psykers, and Scavengers are the best known of the Utilitarian groups.
Above all, the Symbolic Art stresses discipline above all. Bonisagus' words must have burned deeply, for even the most irreverant Scav will mind his studies, and accept the long and arduous climb to greater mystical power. If one is afraid of doing a lot of studying, the Symbolic Arts is not the correct path to learn.
Designing an all encompassing version of reality is no mean feat. Bonisagus spent decades studying old texts, and even then, he could not be prepared for anything. The Diabolic still slithered in through the cracks. The Spirit World still seemed out of focus. The Hermetic System stressed control of the Physical World, and when the non-Physical World grew dominant, the proud system seemed shallow and incomplete.
During the Dead Ages, the time when the wall between the Shadow Empyrean and Earth remained intact, much thought was given to modifying the Hermetic Code to better emulate what they saw out there, in the real world. Nothing really managed to cover all the bases, but a few came close. The Order of Tremere preserved these, and the majority of the students taught by them pick one of these disciplines.
Hangers (slang for Hanger-ons) are those mages who thought Bonisagus was 100% right. The Hermetic Code was limited for a reason, they claim, and who are they to question the wisdom of Bonisagus? In almost every way, their form and technique perfectly emulate the old Hermetic Code, seen below:
Form
Technique
(Player must declare he wants to be a Hanger. All listed Forms and Techniques are bought at 5 pts. each, and are increased by current level x 3. All non-Hanger Expressions (another term for Forms and Techniques) are bought at 7 pts. each, and are increased by current level x 5).
So close to the Hangers, the Neos often seem to walk in the shadow of their Brethren. The only difference is that they realize Bonisagus was not omniscient. He could not have known of the threats a Mage faces today, and they have altered the Hermetic Code to emulate this. Almost 75% of the Order of Tremere choose this Discipline.
Forms
Techniques
The Neo-Hermetics currently enjoy the relative freedom the Hangers once possessed. Each Expression is a blanket form, which often covers some creaven exceptios which might pop up, if the Wizard is quick enough to respond. Over the years, a few rogue expressions have crept into the vernacular. Amongst these are:
(A player must declare that he is going to be a Neo-Hermetic. Above Expressions are bought at 5 pts. each, with x4 to increase level. Non-Hermetic expressions are bought at 7 pts. each, with x5 to increase)
These are Hedge Wizards who have read too deeply the sacred texts of the Traditions, and yet resist Awakening. They model their reality on the system employed by their "heroes." Most of the other Schools shake their heads sadly at these little men lost.
Form
Technique
To use the Spheric Expressions, one needs no correlary Technique. Two or more spheres can be combined to produce a desired effect. Unlike Spheric Magick, each level does not mean anything. Having a Time 4 in Hedge Magick does not allow a special effect, as a Time 4 in Spheric Magick would. Instead, it merely implies a slightly greater understanding of how time works, allowing a higher effect when using the Time Expression. Thus, whereas Time 4 in Spheric might allow you to arrest time in a pocket, Time 4 in Hedge could create a similar effect, as long as the Effect level, determined by the Modifiers, is no greater than the 4 that Time 4 buys.
Many Wannabes have developed "crutches," bizarre pseudo- techniques which, they feel, aloows them to better control their powers. Each counts toward two effect levels , but once they are bought into, you cannot go back (once Sense is bought for 4 points, a Wizard must buy into the paradigm, gaining Wield, Stop/Go, Control, and Destroy, to use any Spheric Expression in this manner). They're cheap, but once you get one, you have to get them all. Also, crutches can only be combined with one other Sphere.
Cost is beastily, but many pay it just for the sense of power flowing through their veins. Note that all expressions are directly limited to the Limits of modifiers. Correspondence may be neat, but it is strictly limited to line of sight, in most applications. Time+Control might get you extra actions, but it provides no protection from the effects of "living" that fast, and no other bodily improvements. When a wizard is finished, she will be tired, as if she had participated in those many actions, and will require food from the exertion.
In no way does the Wannabe power even come close to the Spheric ideal. THe maximum effect of a Level 5 is usually around a level 3-4 in the Sphere.
(Cost is 7 per Expression, x5 for current. No outside Expressions may be taken)
This is a deprecating name invented by the Neo-Hermetics to describe this School. Basically, its adherents have accepted the fact that the Technocracy has taken over, and it's best to fight fire with fire. They have sculpted their reality around this paradigm, with surprising results.
Explanation of Terms: Each Expression can be split off into ot her Expressions, as a sort of specialty in the separate Fields. As you can see, the different Primary Fields studies by the Sci-boys follow a Sphere within the Technomancer Paradigm. Sometimes the split between things are fairly arbitrary (a human is a mammal), but remember that the magickal tomes the Sci-boys pore over are scientific tracts and research notes. Divisions do not exist through sheer weight of numbers, but rather how much information humanity has amassed about that division. Thus, while studying a specialty of Kind of Mammal, one can concentrate on Dogs, or Horses, etc., Specialty in Human will delve into anatomical constraints (Muscles, Bones, Nerves, etc.)
Matter: The creation and transformation of matter is a complex thing. The Sci-Boy must always observe the Laws of Thermodynamics and Matter (Energy and Matter cannot be created from Nothingness, nor destroyed into Nothingness). Thus, when matter is created, a like amount of atoms, (usually taken from air), must be destroyed. Moving up in the periodic table requires more energy, which means an area will get cold as all the heat and light are siphoned into creation. The dissolution of matter will have a like effect, with flashes of heat and light, as well as the creation of either Oxygen or Hydrogen. To create something like water from Element is a three step process. First, the hydrogen must be created, then the oxygen. The final spell combines the two into one. Most chemical formulas are relatively simple, allowing matter to be created in no more than 5 steps.
However, complex materials found everyday is a different matter (no pun intended) altogether. The creation of various plastics involves carbon in a thousand different configurations. It would take at least ten steps to create the repeating units of some macromolecules, so the exotic Matter step arose. Exotics are an Matter that can be produced in bulk. Purity of form, critical in creation of elements, is not a concern of the Exotics Wizard. Plastics will allow any synthetic material, from Teflon to kevlar to polyester to be created. Ceramics allow not only cements, but also superconductors. Alloys speak to the exotic metals, many that might exist only in fantasy, or are safeguarded by the technomancers (it is believed the "transparent aluminum" is once such phenomena).
Life: As stated before, the splits come not from sheer numbers of species, but from how much man knows about the species. Knowing most about itself, Man has its own species category.
Forces: Forces are rudely divided up into Electromagnetic and Universal, bent primarily around how much control we have over each. Electromagnetic is easy to pigeonhole, since so much can fit under its banner. Universal forces cover a vast, eclectic spectrum. With them, Physical matter can be toyed with in a new way. Gravity will allow flight, or will slow an opponent (Power Mods will rate how many dice are subtracted from actions when Gravity is turned up), Bonds will allow Matter to be passed through, or strengthened (Power Mods will rate how many dice are added or subtracted to armor when attempting to penetrate), Kinetics will increase or Decrease motions (Power Mods affect dice on damage and distance only) However, the Laws of Thermodynamics must be obeyed. The Wizard better have a source of energy on hand, or else the magick will steal the needed energy from the closest source (the Wizard) anyway it can.
Magic is a strange force that all sci-boys will admit exists, but have no real control over. They study this as a force in order to gain understanding of vis, and its Condensation. But this is mostly theoretical discourse, with little power to back up strong assertions. Still, it counts as Vis, just as the Neo-Hermetics did.
Mind: A tricky Field, Mind deals with intellignece and sentience. Few get past Human sentience to bother with exploring what lies in the minds of animals and plants. The Id, Ego, and SuperEgo divisions are strong Expressions relating to how the human mind works. The Id is the unrestrained Urge, the desire to do things for no rational reason. The Ego is the center, which controls the Id. The SuperEgo is all the baggage that life dumps on the Id and Ego from external sources. Much of the secret pains of a target can be found in the exploration of the Superego.
All mind is divided into Emotions and Impulses. By tapping into the psyche of the target, a Wizard can manipulate the Emotions, creating subconscious links between objects, or Impulses, conscious overrides that last for a short period of time. Long term mind effects are difficult to obtain. However, enough Emotions and enough Impulses, and the target might get conditioned to respond. Overall, a concentrating mind will resist Impulses, which affect the Conscious mind, while Emotions are seldom resisted, but who knows what really lies in the subconscious, and who knows what will happen when the emotion finally rises to the surface?
Techniques (6, x4):
Scan allows careful searches. Replicate allows creation of a Form, as long as a sample of the target form (small sample for matter, Life, Force) is on hand. Dissemble allows a Form to be temporarily destroyed. Given its complexity, it might return out of sheer stubborness. Transmute allows a Form to be altered into another form in the same field. The opposing form must be known. Thus, if one has Electromagnetic 3, and wants to turn heat into Kinetic energy, he must have either Universal 3, or Kinetic 3. If he has only Kinetic or Universal 2, only Electromagnetic 2 can be converted. Harness allows control over the various Forms.
(Costs: Varies to what Tier bought, as seen on the sidebar. To buy into any costs Tier Level+2 pts. Level increase for Forces would be x5, while Electromagnetism would be x4, while Magnetic would be x3, while a Kind of Magnetism (Magnetic Media, for instance), would only be x2. No external Expressions allowed).
The amount of Wizards who have given up on Paradigms is steadily increasing with each passing year. For the part time Hedge Wizard, it is far easier to excel in one thing, and one thing very well. The disadvantage is that without subscribing to a paradigm, creating an effective system of magic that one can really believe in is difficult. Levels take longer to master, and true mastery is long in coming. Still, they press on, convinced that a little bit of magic is enough.
Each group of Patchwork Wizards ascribes to a concept more than an established paradigm. Thus, they are more interested in the cascades, and what they hold for them, as seen below.
Gun Nuts are Utilitarians fascinated with personal enhancement of weaponry through magick. Not limited to projectiles, Gun Nuts find one class of weapons they like, and stick to them strongly. Often a Gun Nut will spontaneously develop power, and will reflexively be creating effects all over the place. They make excellent hunters.
Psykers are Utilitarians who are fascinated with the mind and what they can do with it. Unlike most Symbolic effects, their powers are all but invisible in cause, but hardly so in effect. Basically, they pick up a Form or Technique, and ascribe it to some mental power.
Scavengers are often true mages who have had their Avatars stripped away. They collect Pawns and magickal items, and go on hunts and quests just for the glory of hoarding. They will build up enough vis to make an effect permanent (or last long enough to make it effectively permanent) and then integrate it into an item. Their choice of forms and techniques are always eclectic, and often amusing.
The Cascade: This is the Patchwork name for the Escalating Expression Chart. It starts out with very general subjects, which are difficult to master, and then splits off, tier after tier, narrowing in focus, from x7 to x2.
x7:
x5
The system is really broke, and I really don't want to waste the time to develop it completely. Basically, a Patchwork Wizard sits down with pen and paper, and picks the object or effect he wants to create/control/whatever with his power, and takes that INCREDIBLY SPECIFIC object or effect, and sticks it at x2. He then increases it, making it more and more general, a little bit at the time, until he reaches x7, which should be all encompassing (Matter, Force, or other Spheric absolutes). Using the charts he just created, he picks at what level he wants his powers to run. A x2 effect would be making a make of gun (without bullets), or a part of a car, something he could hold in his/her hands. x3 is slightly more complex, a whole car, or a class of guns (pistols). x4 would be further general (any kind of car, or light projectile weapon). x5 would be even greater in generality (transportation, or any projectile weapon) x6 would be where they meet (man-made). x7 would be Matter, an all encompassing Expression. All cascades are subject to the approval of the ST.
The advantage of Patchwork magick is that no technique is required to work the magick, but is encouraged, at the cost of 6 init., x4 for any hermetic expression. Also, a player should keep cascades, because Hermetics like to learn one or two patchwork effects, at a cost of 6 init, x(normal cascade level +2)
Spells are simply an expression for a tried and true effect. In the Hermetic days, the above types of magick were called spontaneous, and the mettle of a mage would be tested in his repertoire of spells at hand.
In the present day, spells are looked down upon as too restrictive, too tight. Still, they have their purpose, which will be explained here. Basically, with the exception of the Patchwork Wizards, all magickal effects are obvious. The Wizard must chant, wave his hands, or have materials on hand. Most of these would seem somewhat normal (a hermetic mage could disguise his Change Earth effect he's using to sharpen his blade as a whistling while he's polishing its edge. Spells require no such actions. They are simply cast, with no noticable cause. The other, more powerful reason to have spells is that they are forged by better minds than the Hedge novice, after months of careful testing. Magickal force is truly conserved, and thus spells usually have an effect bonus tied in.
To create a spell requires a lab and possession of Occult or Spell Theory Knowledges. The Wizard sits down, and details the effect he wants to create. The player in question sits at the side, and tries to determine what the modifiers are for the spell he wants to create. These will stay with the spell for the rest of its days, so it should be chosen carefully.
Next, the player must decide whether or not the character could cast the spell right now, as is. Using an example from above, a Neo-Hermetic wants to create a spell which makes an arrow in his hand fly out and hit any target in 20 ft. The modifiers are Dur 0 Dist 3 AoE 1 Pow 2 Rit 0. The character wants it to strike for 2-3 Health Levels, (Power 2). Total effect is 7 (1 to even make it move+0+3+1+2+0). The ST surmises that this is Create Gases (a powerful wind blows it toward the target. Although it is relatively small in effect, the projectile wind has all the special effects of a gust of wind (ie it won't work in a vaccuum)). The Character has a Create rank of 2, and a Gases rank of 1. THe maximum effect he could create would be 3, without Vis. He is -4 dice to all creation rolls. He can lessen the effect by making it shorter in distance, or making it part of a normal bowshot (thus, damage is STR, and not Power). He chooses not to.
Next the character rolls to see if he managed to make the spell. He rolls Int+Occult (or Spell Theory, garnering that -2 to difficulties), Diff is the effect level of the Spell + 2. Quintessence (not vis) must be used to bring the difficulty to 10, but it can go no farther. Depending on the number of successes, the following chart is consulted:
Success Effect Botch Something nasty happens (Explosion, hair turns green) Failure All time and resources lost 1 Spell Created 2-3 Spell Created, -1 to effect level (Min 1) 4-5 Spell Created, -2 to effect level 6+ Spell Created, -3 to effect level
The Character rolls, and luckily gets 6 successes. However, four of these are burned out because of his lack of knowledge with the Forms and Techniques. He only scored 2 successes. The spell, Jimmy's Arrow Jump, is listed as follows (Dur. 0, Dist, 3, AoE 1, Pow 2, Rit 0), Effect level 6 . Ironically, Jimmy the character can't even cast the spell yet without copious amounts of Control vis or Gases vis. A Wizard who knows Jimmy's Arrow Jump can use Modifier scores to change them around. Say he has Pow 3, and wants to make it really dangerous. He needs to bring down the effect level, so he uses his Ritual 4 score, to negate the power 3 add-on. The final Modifier total is -1 (Pow 3 - Rit 4 = -1). This total is subtracted from the Spell Effect (6) and not the true effect (7). The new effect level of the spell is 5. However, the Wizard must do some handwaving to conjure the extra effect.
When using spontaneous magick, modifier levels are automatic. Every Wizard is assumed to have 10's in all Modifiers. But when modifying Formulaic Magick (spells) like in the above example, the Wizard must purchase a rank for the modifier, and have sufficient rating to make the change. Thus, to change a spell, a Wizard needs to have a score in one of the five modifiers. Modifiers are bought at the rate of 5 pts. to start, and x4 per current level.
Note that to permanently modify a spell requires no ranking. The mage still has to go through the business of spell creation (seen above), though, but the advantage is that time is greatly reduced.
With the diffusion of Paradigms, there no longer is a single standard for spell type. A Creo Herbam spell from the 13th century might just as well work for a guy with Create Matter, properly applied. It's a brave, new complex world. Be loose.
The final reason to buy spells is that they're incredibly cheap (Effect Level + 2) However, the purchaser must be within Effect + 2 in combined Expressions.
To create a true Grimoire, a list of possibilities for starting players, will take a lot of retrofitting. Your best guide would be to grab Ars Magica, take spell level, divide by 5, and that's the effect level. Quickly and arbitrarily attach modifiers. Some spells will be real bargains, but remember that they sure knew how to make them in those days.
The greatest foe of a Hedge Wizard is time. Studying takes time, spell research takes time, vis creation takes time, everything takes time. To attain a new level in a form, technique, or whatever, requires (new rank) weeks. Thus, to go from Fire 1 to Fire 2 takes 2 weeks of uninterrupted studying. No strenuous exercise, no "adventuring." Any interruption, and a week is automatically lost.
Spell research takes even longer. Each effect level takes a month to complete, which allows enough time to go on one strenuous activity a week, and to go vis hunting as needed. Any further interruptions, and the month is lost. Note that when permanently modifying a spell, the time spent is only the difference in effect levels in months. Thus, Art wants to improve the range on a spell by two effect levels. It would take 2 months to effect the change.
To learn a spell, once one is found, is also tedious. A spell must be studied for effect number of days to permanently know it. Even then, if spells are employed by a Wizard, time must be spent each day in study and memorization, to make sure everything is down pat. This is reccomended, not required. However, if the Wizard is particularly lax, start assigning random penalties to casting (never more than three, if they've been very naughty).
The life of a Symbolic Mage is not an easy one. So much time is lost in studying, that it is often difficult to deal with people who are not likewise gifted. When others are out watching movies, you're hunting for Pawns in an alley. When others are getting married, you're haggling over a Receptacle you found in a pawn shop. Unless you want to keep your Magick to bare bones, you must devote your life to your Art. Not much has changed from the Hermetic days.
Symbolic Hunter: +10 Freebies (Has an Ace up his sleeve. ONE)
Symbolic Novice +15 Freebies (Knows a few Words) -1 to Background
Symbolic Adept +20 Freebies (Is fairly well rounded in his Paradigm) -1 To Social, -1 to Background
Symbolic Master +25 Freebies (Is extremely well rounded) -1 to Social, Background, Physical
Symbolic Wizard +30 Freebies (The true mages who have devoted their lives to the Dangerous Game. Order of Tremere fit in this category) -2 to Background, -1 to Social, Physical.