By Jayke Rhyen and Kirstin A. Hargie
They say that the pen is mightier than the sword, and that knowledge is the key to everything. I believe this to be the greatest truth, but here in the lands of the dead I have no need for the pen, I have my mind, and I have no need for paper for I have my soul.
This Arcanos is used to read and gather together ideas, emotions, and thoughts of both the living and the dead. This is not its boundaries. It can also be used to manipulate these ideas, emotions etc. to imprint them upon a recipient soul. This Arcanos deals with the realm of the tangible mind.
Storytellers note: The power of moliate will not undo the powers of the soul scribe, psyche script or the like. Inscribed script is only temporarily blurred. Moliate does however hide any inscribed script work. The power of fatal vision (Fatalism) cannot be used to read soul script. All difficulties are the local shroud when applicable.
Scribes - Scripture
The scribes have been an important part of the hierarchy for ages. They have compiled and altered history in favor of the various factions. The scribes worked closely with the Pardoners Guild and they are sometimes referred to as monks at low levels, and illuminators at higher ones.
The scribes were, and still are, the librarians and archivists of wraith and mortal history. They have been collecting 'documents' since Charon ordered the first stone laid in Stygia. They were also responsible for the branding of many of the hierarchy's criminals.
The typical scribe is quiet, and wide eyed. They strive to learn everything. Many scribes get so caught up in the world of the mind they care little for material objects. Their most prized possessions are the books written on their souls.
One can identify a scribe by the blue, black and violet markings that adorn their bodies. Their irises also tend to turn white, and the pupil widens and takes on a gem-like quality of shifting blues, violets, and black. This gem like quality is due to their unique style of bodyart.
Basic Abilities
Empathos: This is the basis of all telepathic abilities a scribe learns. Empathos gives a wraith insight into the emotional states of a subject, and into the passions of another wraith.
SYSTEM:The player rolls Perception + Scripture (Diff. 6). Each success indicates an emotion starting with the surface feelings and moving deeper. A wraith may also spend one point of pathos to roll to learn of another wraiths passions or dark passions. Each success is one passion learned starting with the weakest, and moving to the strongest.
Blanking the Slate: This is the art that allows a wraith to shield his ideas, thoughts, and memories from others.
SYSTEM: The player rolls Manipulation + Scripture (Diff. 6). Each success is subtracted from the opponents roll to read, or tamper with her mind. This power lasts one turn. Note: This power does work against Mage Mind, Spirit Spheres, Dominate, Necromancy, or Spirit Thaumaturgy. This art requires 1 Pathos + 1 for every level higher of the opposing power.
Empathic Blur: With this art a wraith learn to shield its emotions and passions as it does to ideas with Blanking the Slate.
SYSTEM: The player rolls Manipulation + Scripture (Diff. 6). Each success is subtracted from the opponents roll to read, or tamper with her emotions or passions. This power lasts for one turn. Note: This power does work against Mage Mind, Spirit Spheres, Dominate, Presence, Spirit Thaumaturgy, Keening, and other applicable powers. This art requires 1 Pathos + 1P for every level higher of the opposing power.
Clarity: This art allows a wraith to think quicker and about more things at one time.
SYSTEM: The player rolls Wits + Scripture (Diff. 6). Each success allows the wraith to take on another task for the number of turns equal to her intelligence.
Scripture Difficulties
6 = Your Signatured Scribework
6 = Your Scribework on You
7 = Another's Scribework on You
7 = Scribework on target Corpus
7 = Personal Embellished Scribework
8 = Another Scribe's work on himself
8 = Another Scribe's Embellished work on a target
8 = Another Scribe's Signatured work on a target
* Eyes of the Beholder: This art allows a wraith to see through the eyes of another wraith or mortal. She gains no other senses than sight.
System: The player rolls Perception + Scripture (Diff. 6) plus 1 willpower. She may stay in the "eyes" for one turn per success. Note: Unless she is using the art Clarity she may not sense anything but what is in range of the targets sight. This art requires 1 Pathos.
* Decryption: This art allows a wraith to read the soul script of other scribes and sense the death marks of other wraiths.
System: The player rolls Perception + Scripture (Diff. 6 if reading Death Marks, see sidebar for Diff.). A botch indicates that the wraith has misread the soul script. This art requires 1 Pathos.
** Mind Sight: This art allows a wraith to view the thoughts of a subject as if they were his own.
System: The player rolls Perception + Scripture (Diff. 7) + 1 Willpower. Each success allows a wraith to 'sense' for one turn, and learn of one exact idea or thought up to his intelligence. Note: Unless he is using Clarity he may not sense anything but the targets mind.
** Signature: This art allows the wraith to mark her own scripture. It is extremely difficult for others to read, but quite simple for the signee.
System: The player rolls Wits + Scripture (see sidebar for Diff.). One success is required for the signature. If the signature is done on an object Signature increases the difficulty of using the object by one for every two successes. This art requires 1 Pathos.
*** Soul Scribe: Soul scribe is the most important art to a scribe. It allows the wraith to imprint thoughts and ideas upon her corpus in the form of cryptic glyphs.
System: The player rolls Intelligence + Scripture (Diff. 6) to write upon herself. Note: To read this without the art of Scripture the player must roll Perception + Enigmas (Diff. 8). This art requires the expenditure of 2 Pathos, and 1 Willpower.
*** Cleanse: This art is used to erase soul script. Note: This art will not erase Death Marks.
System: The player rolls Wits + Scripture (see chart for Diff.). Each success eliminates 25% of the scribework. A botch will cause 3 Corpus damage that can be soaked normally, and lowers the difficulty of reading the script by 2 for players without Scripture. This art requires 2 Pathos.
**** Psyscript: This art allows a wraith to rewrite an idea or thought in the mind of the target.
System: The player rolls Intelligence + Scripture (Diff. 8 or the local shroud). Each success reveals how long the alteration will last. 1 = one day, 2 = one week, 3 = one month, 4 = one year, 5+ = permanent. If the player botches the roll, she cannot reroll until the target has slept or slumbered. This art requires 3 Pathos, and 1 Willpower.
***** Embellish: This art allows a wraith to embellish scribe work with one of her Arcanos, making it available to others.
System: The player must first roll Wits + Scripture (Diff. 7, or the local shroud). The number of successes indicates the highest level of the Arcanos that can be Embellished. While using the Arcanos he must reroll Wits + Scripture (Diff. 7, or the local Shroud), and each success indicates that 1 level of the Arcanos has been successfully Embellished. The Embellishment can carry its own Pathos pool. To create the Pathos pool the player must invest 3 Pathos to charge the Embellishment + any number of additional Pathos up to a maximum of 10 to fill the pool. If the Embellishment carries a Pathos pool the Embellishment will shimmer. Note: If the Embellishment does not carry a Pathos pool the Arcanos can only be learned through the art of Illuminate. An Embellishment that carries a Pathos pool is evoked through Decryption or as any Soul Script (Diff. 8).
***** Illuminate: This art allows a scribe to learn Arcanos that have been inscribed on a Wraith's corpus.
System: The player must roll Perception + Scripture (see chart for Diff.) to read the scripture. Then she must roll Wits + Scripture (see chart for Diff.). The number of successes indicates the level of the Arcanos that can be learned. The learning of the Arcanos does not automatically allow the player to use the Arcanos. A successfully learned Arcanos must still be purchased, but at half the cost + 1 Willpower. Note: Once the Embellished Arcanos is learned by one Wraith the pathos spent to charge the Embellishment is lost and the Embellishment disappears. This art requires the expenditure of 2 Pathos.