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.

Known Legacies

In general, some legacies have more initiates than others. Whether because their antecedents were more influential, their theories more easily understood, their membership less discerning about who they initiate or simply because their Attainments are more desirable, some legacies are more common than others. Generally speaking, there are usually upwards of six or so Masters of a Common legacy on any given continent, perhaps half that for Uncommon ones, and one or two at most for Rare legacies (and indeed, some areas have absolutely none).

Common Legacies

• Bearer of the Eternal Voice: (GoV; Mind/Life/Space) Masters of mind control and suggestion, capable of even sending direction out over the airwaves or eventually rewriting memories entirely.
• Clavicularius: (L:tS; Mind/Spirit) Goetic magi who consider themselves the spiritual heirs of Solomon, seeking virtue within themselves by the binding and domination of the goetia.
• House of Ariadne: (L:tS; Time/Fate/Space)
• Orphan of Proteus: (MTA; Life/Mind/Matter) Shapechangers who master rapid healing and swift transformation of their bodies into totemic or other iconic forms.
• Perfected Adept: (MTA; Life/Prime/Forces) Master martial artists who shape their souls to grant mastery over their bodies and chi.
• Pygmalion Society: (L:tS; Mind/Fate/Time)
• Reality Stalker: (Mys; Space/-/Mind) Sneaks and spies who've mastered the myriad natural little tears in space to their advantage.
• Sisterhood of the Blessed: (SL; Fate/-/Mind) A society of those who have accepted the blessings of good luck in their lives, finding fame and fortune on the whims of chance.
• Subtle One: (MTA; Mind/Fate/Space) The Ahl-i-Batin move through the world largely unnoticed, as the subtle architects and witnesses of important events.
• Transhuman Engineer: (L:tS; Forces/-/Prime) Masters of the application of Awakened philosophy to the razor's edge of human science.
• Uncrowned King: (MTA; Mind/Matter/Prime) Alchemists who turn the disciplines of transformation inward on their own minds, unlocking its great potential.
• Walker in Mists: (MTA; Space/Life/Time) Inheritors of druidic lores that permit them to pass through the Mists, rapidly traversing the places of the world.

Uncommon Legacies

• Ascended Adept: (ToW; Mind/-/-)
• Bene Ashmedai: (SL; Spirit/Mind/-)
• Bokor: (ToW; Death/Space/Mind)
• Brotherhood of Holy Knives: (Home; Death/Prime/-)
• Brotherhood of the Demon Wind: (AA; Time/Space/-)
• Celestial Masters: (KttST; Forces + Matter/Space/-)
• Choir of Hashmallim: (Summ; Prime/Forces)
• Cryptologos: (FC; Mind/-/-)
• Daoine: (L:tS; Fate/Space/Mind)
• Eleventh Question: (GoV; Time/Matter/Death+Mind)
• Eyes of Ain Soph: (Mys; Prime/-/Spirit)
• Fallen Pillar: (L:tS; Life/Prime+Mind/-)
• Forge Master: (L:tS; Prime/Matter/-)
• Herald of the Divine Path: (Home; Fate/Space/-)
• Imagineer: (FC; Spirit/-/-)
• Keeper of the Covenant: (SL; Fate/Spirit/-)
• Liberatore: (ToW; Mind/-/Spirit)
• Lords of the Inanimate: (SL; Matter/Spirit/-)
• Master of Destruction: (SotT; Death/-/Matter)
• Mimir's Voice: (KttST; Forces/Mind/-)
• Neocologist: (ToW; Spirit/Life/Matter)
• Path of the Book: (GoG; Mind/Fate/Time)
• People of the Hour: (Summ; Time/Fate/-)
• Pure Sovereign: (SL; Life/Mind/-)
• The Quiescent: (MNoir; Time/-/Death)
• Reality Maker: (SL; Prime/-/Fate)
• The Scarred: (Home; Prime/Time/-)
• Scion of God: (L:tS; Spirit/Space/Prime)
• Sodality of the Tor: (L:tS; Fate/-/LIfe+Time)
• Sphinx: (L:tA; Fate/-/Mind)
• Steward of the Celestial Orrery: (SL; Time/Prime/-)
• Stone Scribes: (L:tS; Fate/Death/-)
• Storm Keeper: (ToW; Forces/Fate/Time)
• Threnodist: (L:tS; Space/Mind/-)
• Thrice-Great: (L:tA; Spirit/Prime/-)
• Votaries of the Ordained: (GoV; Fate/-/Space)
• Whipping Boys: (KttST; Life/Mind/-)

Rare Legacies

• Architects of the Future: (SotT; Time/-/Mind)
• Awakening Gambit: (AA; Mind/Fate + Time/-)
• Concord of Serpents: (Summ; Mind/Space/-)
• Crysalides: (SotT; Time/-/Mind)
• Cupbearer of Lethe: (Home; Mind/Prime/-)
• Daksha: (L:tS; Life/Space/Time)
• Dreamspaker: (L:tA; Mind/-/Spirit)
• Followers of the True Soul: (GoG; Mind/Death/-)
• Gaoler of Ialdabaoth: (GoG; Spirit/-/Death)
• Gunslinger: (Home; Matter/Prime/Space)
• Illumined Path: (KttST; Forces/Spirit/Life)
• The Ipseity: (Home; Mind/Life/-) A Legacy innovated by a Mastigos of the Consilium of the Rose, based around the notion that true Selfhood is broader than any Fallen World identity, and "filling out" the Masques with entire unique personalities.
• Katsinam Suukya: (Summ; Spirit/Life/Life)
• Keepers of Samhain: (Home; Death/Prime/-)
• Morphean Continuity: (NH:UB; Mind/Fate/Time)
• Princes of the Many Masks: (SotT; LIfe/-/Mind)
• Roses of Eden: (KttST; Life/-/Prime)
• Singers in Silence: (Mys; Death/Fate/-)
• Skald: (L:tA; Mind/-/Spirit)
• Stygian Heralds: (Summ; Death/Matter/-)
• Tamer of the Cave: (L:tA; Death/Mind/-)
• Tamer of Fire: (L:tA; Forces/-/Mind)
• Tamer of Rivers: (L:tA; Matter/Life/-)
• Tamer of Stone: (L:tA; Space/Prime/Matter)
• Tamer of Winds: (L:tA; Forces/Mind/-)
• Tellurian: (LoP; Space/Prime/-)
• Thread Cutter: (L:tA; Fate/Death/-)
• Witches of Winter: (Home; Forces/Matter/-)
• Wraith of Epochs: (Mys; Time/Death + Fate/-)