Legacies

Legacies are the means by which mages shape their souls as they advance their understanding of the Awakened condition (reflected by the Gnosis trait). Each Legacy creates a specific pattern in the soul of the one initiated into that Legacy. If the soul is a pane of glass, initiating into a Legacy is like changing out the panes of glass for stained glass - it permanently colors everything about the mage: how he thinks, how he does magic and how he interacts with the world of spirits.

Legacies have themes, usually focused around a given magical ideal, goal or concept. They are about refining certain strains of magic - instead of bending the magic of the Supernal to bring that kind of magic into the Fallen World, initiation into a Legacy transforms the soul to act as a source of that magic.

Joining a Legacy

• Enlightenment: The mage may only join a Legacy at Gnosis 3. He gains the second Attainment at Gnosis 5 and masters the Legacy at Gnosis 7.
  • A mage who chooses to create his own Legacy, rather than joining an already-created one, may do so at Gnosis 4. He gains the second attainment at Gnosis 6 and masters it at Gnosis 8, at which point he may teach it to others.
• Prerequisites: In order to join a Legacy, a character must meet the prerequisites to initiate into that Legacy. These are always a base Gnosis rating of 3, plus ratings in certain Arcana. Some paths also have prerequisite ratings in Skills, Merits or other traits.
• Legacy Source: Additionally, the mage must find a means of learning that Legacy. This is usually through a mentor (see Drawbacks for the mentor-relationship), although a daimonomicon (a magical book containing the secrets of a Legacy) or a soul stone of someone who was initiated into a Legacy can be used to initiate into such.
• Heavy Choice: Once a mage joins a Legacy, there is no going back. He cannot un-transform his soul, and neither can he join another Legacy.

Benefits

• Attainments: These special powers are not spells, though they all mimic the functioning of spells.
  • Attainments do not evoke Paradox or Disbelief.
  • Attainments do not cost Mana, even when they are mimicking spells that do.
  • Attainments do not show up to Mage Sight, nor are they affected by effects that affect spells, like counterspelling or dead magic areas.
• Ruling Arcanum: Initiates of a Legacy gain the Primary Arcanum of their Legacy as a second Ruling Arcanum. If their Path already grants that Arcanum as a Ruling Arcanum, they may choose one of the Secondary Arcana of the Legacy to upgrade as a Ruling Arcanum.
• Oblations: Initiates of Legacies may perform oblations at a place appropriate to their Legacy's theme. Each Legacy has a specific set of oblations. This can be done once per day only, and involves a Composure + Gnosis roll, gaining one Mana per success on the roll.

Drawbacks

• Attainments: Attainments that are based on instant-action spell cannot be performed as extended actions.
• Apprentice Link: A mage who takes an apprentice forges a soul-deep bond with that student.
  • The mentor must spend a dot of Willpower to forge this link, and the apprentice spends a point of Willpower to accept it.
  • At the end of every Episode (not game session), the apprentice must tithe one of his experience (normal or Arcane, as he chooses) to his mentor, reflecting the focus of transformation the apprentice exerts.
  • A mentor and apprentice are considered to have Intimate sympathetic links to one another while the link persists.
  • This link is broken once the apprentice achieves the third Attainment, or by either mentor or apprentice severing it by the expenditure of a dot of Willpower.
  • An apprentice can change to a new mentor by both the apprentice and new mentor expending a point of Willpower.
  • If the link is to be forged via a soulstone or daimonomicon, it is the apprentice who must pay the dot of Willpower.