Thaumaturge

Thaumaturge

The area around Tamarack Falls and Fort Brunsett has had a lively thaumaturgical tradition for centuries, waxing and waning in strength according to the politics and realities of the times.

Given the natural variations in practice and the very personal nature of the relationship between master and apprentice, no formal network has ever been successfully created to encompass the area, traditions meeting with traditions, with others of their path, and only selectively allying with practitioners of other paths.

SETTING

• Local Thaumaturge Lore
• Secrecy - Is it important that you hide what you are? If so, here's where we'll talk about that.
• Spirits - The local shadow and its known spirits.
• Hangouts - Hippie communes or whatever.
• Outside Influences - Low magic happening outside the area.

STORIES

• Rumors - Should link to main rumor page. Not sure how to distinguish what's sphere-relevant.
• Plots - Should have sublist of currently running plots with a link to plot guidelines and plot archives and log category maybe?
• Events - Might be a pain in the ass to maintain, but I'm putting in a placeholder all the same.
• Storytellers - Staff who specialize in stories/NPCs for this sphere; players willing to advertise their desire to run for others.

SYSTEMS

• Merits: Clarifications, house rules and homebrews.
• Traditional strengths and weaknesses are as follows:

Tradition	Strength	Weakness
Apostle of the Dark One	An apostle learns to use his arts to fulfill personal desires. Whenever use of magic in a scene would play out in a manner appropriate to his Vice, the apostle receives a +1 bonus to roll for the Merit or ritual used. Note that the character may also regain one Willpower point if the scene reflects his Vice (see Vices). The apostle may benefit from only one +1 bonus per scene.	An apostle can conclude that society’s rules are little more than shackles to be cast off should they be a hindrance to his advancement in knowledge and self-awareness. Without the safety net of shared morality, a thaumaturge can easily spiral out of control or sink into personal damnation. Regaining lost Integrity is challenging for apostles. Experience points required to raise Integrity equal new dots x 4 rather than the usual three multiplier.
Ceremonial Magician	All ceremonial magicians who possess the Library Merit (see SS p.113) or who borrow another character’s Library gain an additional +1 bonus in researching rituals.	All ceremonial magicians suffer an additional –1 penalty for using improvised ritual tools or inadequately prepared ritual spaces.
Hedge Witch	Hedge witches are adept at using mundane tools in their rituals, so reduce all penalties for lacking proper materials or preparations by one.	Although warlocks excel at improvisation, they are affected strongly by their environment. They suffer a –1 to ritual rolls in any location that is antithetical to the purpose of the rite. For example, they have difficulty casting a ritual to create love in a prison, or a ritual to inspire peace in a violent or crime-ridden slum.
Shaman	Because of shamans' understanding of the Shadow Realm, shamans are adept at bargaining and negotiating with spirits. They gain +1 to all Social rolls involving communication with spirits.	Because shamans' magic requires a direct connection to spirits and immaterial realms, all shamans must possess the See Spirits Merit (SS p.117). That means a player must purchase the Trait for his character with available Merit dots. This same connection causes spirits in Twilight to be able to automatically tell that shamans can see and hear them. Most spirits find shamans innately interesting as a result.
Taoist Alchemist	The contemplative training of the way grants +1 die to Meditation rolls, and a successful session grants potential bonuses to degeneration rolls. Successful meditation also confers a +1 bonus to the Taoist’s next effort to use a Merit or ritual derived from his thaumaturge path.	The true practitioner of the way does not act without deliberation. A Taoist alchemist faces a –1 penalty to magic conducted using informal rituals (in addition to any other penalties that apply). Furthermore, if the Taoist enacts magic using rituals with intervals shorter than 30 minutes, he may not benefit from bonuses gained through meditation.
Vodoun	A vodoun is an expert in dealing with the loa, and therefore gains a +1 bonus to Social rolls to interact with ghosts. At the Storyteller’s discretion, the vodoun may also get a +1 bonus for rolls (typically using Intelligence + Occult) to determine whether she knows specific information about the dead.	Acting as a serviteur is second nature to a vodoun, so she suffers a –1 penalty to resist when made the target of a spirit or ghost’s mind-affecting powers such as Possession or Clairvoyance.

• Communication: Relevant channels and bulletin boards.
• Commands: Helpful, thaum-specific commands. If, uh, there are any.
• Requests: If a job is specifically about Thaumaturgy, +req/thaum. If it is a general Mortal+ job, +req/mortal+; if it is a general Mortal job, +req/mortal.

CHARACTERS

• Applications - Page this links to should refer back to main chargen page and include sphere-specific details, including extra requirements and background questions. Should include wanted concepts, banned concepts and arcade awarded concepts, if applicable.
• Becomings - How to become a thaumaturge if you're currently just a normal person.

Active PCs

Apostle of the Dark One Audrey Wilson Quinn Utridge Scarver	Ceremonial Magician none	Hedge Witch Avalon Lefevre Vanessa Smith
Shaman none	Taoist Alchemist none	Voudon none

Active NPCs

Apostle of the Dark One none	Ceremonial Magician none	Hedge Witch none
Shaman none	Taoist Alchemist none	Voudon none