Subtle Ones 2nd

(This is by user 21C Hermit on the Onyx Path Forums)

Origins

Parentage: Mastigos, Guardians of the Veil, Seers of the Throne

Background: The Ahl-i-Batin, or "People of the Inner Truth" as the Subtle Ones call themselves, are among the most engmatic Legacies. They practice a blend of sacred geometry and social engineering, placing themselves as architects who reflect Supernal harmony in Fallen civilizations. The Invisible Men have historically expressed themselves through the mystic traditions of the Middle East, and while their fall has diminished their central leadership, embrace of eclectic practices and insinuation into secular communities have spread them across the world.

Appearances: Subtle Ones do not stand out from those they move among, instead almost instinctively choosing appearances that allow them to move unnoticed.

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Space 2, Stealth 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Politics, Expression, Subterfuge, Larceny, Weaponry

Initiation: Initiation into the Batini is often a matter of being guided to heightened perspectives of one's own life, until a bigger picture snaps into clarity and focus. Sacred geometry and the ability to identify the areas of chaos in one's life that are to be ordered as part of the process are vital. In the end exhausted by fasting and sleepless, spinning Sufi-style meditation, as well as perspective-altering Space magics, the soul of the new Subtle One likewise snaps into focus, an inner expression of the sacred Golden Mean to which the whole legacy strives.

Organization: Even moreso than other Legacies, the Subtle Ones prefer to limit their organization to relationships between mentors and apprentices. This is perhaps due to the Legacy's focus on each mage determining the ways in which society must be shaped and molded; if too many of them conferred, conflicts would surely arise. Instead, the Subtle Ones believe that each of their brethren's efforts will prove its worth in its execution.

Theory: It is given to the Awakened - particularly those who have seen the sheerest chaos of the Fallen World in its many miseries and horrors - to bring sacred order and peaceful design to the Fallen World. Order is a Supernal principle, and the Wise must impose it upon the corrupted world. Of course, it is up to each of the Awakened to pursue true enlightenment, shaping their actions and wills to Supernal order, or to fail in the attempt.

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Space

Yantras: Bustling streets (+1); communicating with the subject using messages and proxies (+2); facial disguise and camouflage (+2); impersonation of others (+1, +2 when impersonating someone of social authority, such as a police officer)

Oblations: Watching multiple media to sense the social zeitgeist; teaching others; hiding from mages and other supernatural beings; encouraging social action without direct leadership

Attainments

First: The Subtle Song

• Prerequisites: Initiation

The Batini read broad cultural patterns, and intuitively derive knowledge from seemingly innocuous and even cacophonic flows of information. This Attainment augments the Subtle One's Space Sight so that she can detect sympathetic connections between subjects she is examining. Moreover, the Subtle One's Peripheral Sight now responds to signatures encoded by other Subtle Ones using the Hidden Whispers Attainment. She scores automatic successes equal to her Space dots when decoding such messages.

Optional: Mind 1
Differentiating important signals from background noise is a stressful task, and the Invisible Man quickly learns to compartmentalize his mind to handle it better. A scene of meditation amidst a flood of media feeding him social patterns allows the mage to replicate the "One Mind, Two Thoughts" spell on himself. Reach is assigned to Advanced Duration.

Second: Hidden Whispers

• Prerequisites: Space 2, Stealth 3

The Subtle One becomes one of the sending end of messages hidden in society. She designates a medium, a topic the medium conveys, and a person who is in a position to create or edit the articles of that medium. After interacting with the person for a scene, nudging him with carefully nuanced ideas through the vector of sympathy, the person subconsciously encrypts the mage's messages in his medium the next time he works with it. This person must be someone the Subtle One has a sympathetic connection of at least Medium strength with at the moment of activating the Attainment.

Optional: Mind 2
Sometimes too much subtlety hampers clarity, so the Invisible Man becomes just a little more visible. This Attainment replicates the "Psychic Domination" spell, with Reach assigned to instant use. When using this Attainment, the Invisible Man checks Withstand against the lower of his subject's Resolve or the Connection strength of his sympathetic link to the subject.

Third: The Subtle Dance

• Prerequisites: Space 3, two dots in a second Skill among the initiation Skill list

The Batini can step outside notice by blending into the background, gaining a vantage point from which to engineer society. This Attainment duplicates the "Veil Sympathy" spell on the Subtle One's person. Reach is assigned to instant use and Advanced Duration. When someone attempts to uncover or use the veiled links, she scores automatic successes equal to her Space dots.

Optional: Mind 3
With this Attainment the Invisible Man now lives up to his moniker. By spending a point of Mana, he emulates the "Incognito Presence" spell on himself. Reach is assigned to instant use and Advanced Duration. When someone supernaturally concentrates on him, he scores automatic successes equal to his Mind dots.

Fourth: False Presence

• Prerequisites: Space 4, Stealth 4

The Subtle One projects false intimacies at will, smoothly integrating into communities and fading out of them just as easily. This Attainment bolsters the sympathetic connection between the Subtle One and her subject, emulating the "Web-Weaver" spell. Reach is assigned to instant use and Advanced Duration. The mage may add Time 2 as usual to employ Temporal Sympathy, bolstering nigh non-existent connections from past physical contact.

Optional: Mind 4
Now the Invisible Man does not merely walk unnoticed; he walks as the familiar stranger. He mimicks the "Imposter" spell, with Reach assigned to instant use and Advanced Duration. When impersonating a specific person, the Subtle One scores automatic successes equal to his Mind dots on rolls to fool his subject. Also, when using this effect the Invisible Man checks Withstand against the lower of his subject's Composure or the Connection strength of his sympathetic link to the subject.

Fifth: Occlude the Mind

• Prerequisites: Space 5, two dots in a third Skill among the initiation Skill list

The most refined of the Batini see the world as a web of roads, and the way she slips freely through Space baffles the minds of lesser men. This Attainment replicates the "Co-Location" spell. Reach is assigned to instant use, sensory range, and Advanced Scale. If she wishes, the mage may augment this effect with the Sympathetic Range Attainment.

This effect works in synergy with other Subtle One Attainments. While viewing two co-located places, the mage can use the optional effect of The Subtle Song to split her mind across the two areas, taking two non-Physical actions for each place. More impressively, the Subtle One may use the optional effect of False Presence and project an illusion covering all senses except touch in a co-located area. The illusion will instantly vanish when touched by someone, and the mage will be aware of this. For example, using all three effects simultaneously, the Subtle One may investigate a room for clues while holding a conversation with the chief editor in another room, the latter actually being a False Presence impersonating the editor's friend.

Optional: Mind 5
The most occluded of the Invisible Men is not only invisible because no one sees him, but also because no one remembers seeing him. When concealing one's presence isn't an option, the Invisible Man may act first and conceal his presence later by erasing people's memories. With a point of Mana, this effect replicates the "Memory Hole" spell. Reach is assigned to instant use, indefinite Duration, and Advanced Scale.