Wizards

By Strutinan Cereberus (brein@jeffnet.org)

Author's Notes

Note to the exceptionally closed-minded: I am a follower of the Craft of the Wise and some of that comes across in this work. If you are so pig-headed that you cannot accept that some people are simply different than you, then please read no further. If you just don't care or you want a good World of Darkness resource, then read on and enjoy!

All the major supernatural factions consider mortals to be little more then tools. Even if a mortal is a Hedge Wizard, or possesses either Psychic gifts or True Faith. It's just that then they are considered a more valuable tool.

What if these most valuable tools had something extra? What if their powers received a boost, putting them on par with the others they share this world with? What would that be? What would the possesors be known as? What would they do with it???

These exceptional mortals are called Wizards, both by themselves and those who believe in them. They pursue the wants and desires of all people everywhere: Money, Power, Love, Hate, Freedom, etc. This extra "kick" is a new type of Numina called Exercises of Power.

Wizard Character Creation

All wizards use the procedures for mortal characters found in Halls Of the Arcanum and Ascension's Right Hand.

Attributes: 6/4/3 (Mental must be Primary or Secondary)

Abilities: 11/7/3 (At least two dots in Occult and Meditation)

Backgrounds: 5

Willpower: starts at three

Freebie Points: 15 (5 Att/2 Abl/2 Wil/1 Bac)

All Wizards get three dots to distribute among Hedge Magic paths, Psychic gifts and True Faith. If the Wizard has more than one Orientation he must spend the usual 7 freebie points per additional Orientation.

All Wizards start with one dot in the Exercises of Power Numina which does not count towards any particular Orientation.

Wizards can purchase the Merit-Like abilities listed in Ascension's Right Hand whith their starting freebie points, and for three times the listed cost in experience points after character creation.

Exercises of Power

Exercises of Power is a new type of Numina available only to those mortals who have enough Numina dots (Three) to Awaken. Additional levels of Excercises of Power can only be purchased when the Wizard gains another three Numina dots. It costs 15 experience points for the first level, and Current Level x 10 experience points per each level after the first. This Numina opens the user's Avatar to the reception and holding of Quintessential energy (see Mage: The Ascencion for detail), creating a "Power Pool" that serves a function similar to a Vampire's Blood Pool. The size of this Power Pool is equal to the Wizard's Excercises of Power rating plus their maximum Willpower. Each level of Exercises of Power also allows the user to develop special Abilities called Channels, covered below.

The Power Pool

The Wizards Power Pool contains Power. Power is the motive energy of the Universe, each point being equivalent to a point of Kindred Vitae, Lupine Gnosis, Magi's Quintessence, etc. The Wizard can spend one point of Power in a turn for every dot of Exercises of Power they possess. A point of Power can be used to replace the Willpower expenditure requirement of Numina, can lower the Target Number of any Numina roll the Wizard makes (-1 per point of Power to a maximum of -3), can activate a Channel (covered below) or can create a kind of mystical static field around the Wizard. This Field lasts for one scene and lowers the amount of successes anyone gets when using a supernatural power on the Wizard by the amount of Power points he expended on the field in one turn.

A Power Pool is not necessarily a good thing. It strengthens the Wizard's aura so that anyone can tell that he is carrying more "punch" than a normal mortal. This magnifies the reactions others have towards him, the more Power points in the pool the more intense the reactions become. Dislike turns into burning hatred, kindness becomes instant friendship. This effect can be masked by the Arcane background and by Hedge Magic rituals as the Storyteller sees fit, and supernatural creatures do not react in this subconscious manner. Also the Power can be transferred by the Kiss of a Kindred, each Blood Point drained from the Wizard counts as two Blood Points and also drains a point from the Power pool. At the moment of the Wizard's death his stored Power is released in one intense burst (ever see an episode of Highlander or one of the movies? It's just like that).

The Power pool can be refreshed by making a successful Stamina + Meditation 8+ roll at certain times of power. Each success equates to a point added to the Power Pool, but the amount of power a Wizard can draw during that time is dependent upon the mystical intensity of that time. Wizards can also gain Power points in this method at any time while within a Werewolves' Caern, a Magi's Node, etc. The maximum amount of Power they may draw from these areas is equal to the area's Rating*10 every month.

Time of Day or Year	Amount of Power Available
Noon/Midnight	1
Winter Solstice (December 20-23 (varies))	10
Candlemas (February 2)	5
Spring Equinox (March 20-23 (varies))	10
May Eve (May 1)	5
Summer Solstice (June 20-23 (varies))	10
Lughnasad (August 1)	5
Fall Equinox (September 20-23 (varies))	10
Halloween (October 31)	5

Channels

A Channel is a special type of Ability, one that can only be bought with freebie points or experience points. Channels must normally be learned from someone who already has it or from a book written by someone who already has it. In either case the highest the learner's Channel rating can be is equal to the instructor's rating or the rating contained in the text. A Wizard can develop a Channel on his own, but it costs twice the normal amount of experience points. There has to be a couple things noted before we continue: only a Wizard (someone with at least one dot in Exercises of Power) can learn Channels and no Wizard can have a Channel level higher than his Occult level.

Each channel can only do one thing, and this is written on the Wizard's character sheet as "Channel:(What it does)". No Channel can have a specialty, and Channels are not active until charged with a point from the Wizard's Power Pool. Activated Channels last for one turn, one scene, or instantly as noted in their descriptions. The differnt types of Channels, and their abilities, are listed below.

A Channel can be taken to enhance the user's dice pools with some physical ability (Example "Channel: Enhance Dodge"). The ability must be primarily physical in nature, i.e. usually paired with a Physical attribute. When activated these channels add their rating to all that ability's dice pools for one scene.

These Channels allow the Wizard to deal aggravated damage with one type of attack. These Channels are Aggravated Brawl and Aggravated Melee. The maximum amount of damage dice pools these Channels can make aggravated is equal to the Wizard's Channel+Willpower. If a source of damage is even one die larger, then forget it! These Channels must be activated in the moment before the attack roll is made, but do not adversely affect the roll. This Channel lasts for one turn when activated.

This Channel adds its rating to the Wizard's Soak dice when activated. It lasts for a variable amount of time after activation, degrading by one point whenever the WIzard makes a Soak roll. This degradation is temporary, lasting until the Channel is reactivated, and not degrading past the Channel's own rating.

This Chanel adds to the Wizard's Resistance rolls against his mind or spirit being influenced/read/detected/etc. when activated. It lasts for one scene when activated.

When activated this Channel lets the Wizard roll his Stamina+Channel rating against a Target Number of 6. For every success the Wizard heals one level of his own damage, but only non-aggravated damage. This dice pool is modified by the Wizard's physical condition. This Channel lasts only for the second it takes to regenerate the damage.