Apprentice Rotes (Sphere Level 1) These Rotes are largely sensory in nature; they give you more information to work with. If you wish to use one of these Rotes to find hidden information, information, you should either find an ST, or you can ask another player who knows the answer. answer. (Such as if you’re analyzing analyzing an object object they carry.) carry.) They’re an easy way to learn more about an object or a person, but be wary, since every use brings Paradox, and every point of Paradox Paradox is another chance at catastrophe.
Correspondence Where Am I? – The – The mage will know her position relative another, known place within parameter range (Like home or her starting point). When the mage moves away from this place he will still know where it is, and feel direction and distance to it.
Range Range Finder Finder – – The The Mage Mage ins instan tantly tly dis discer cerns ns the exact exact dis distan tance ce to an object. In addition to being useful in golf, this gives him a bonus when trying trying to do things like leap across a gap or roll with a fall.
Sense Sense Connect Connection ion – The Mage detects the presence of unusual connections in a person or object – either from other Correspondence magic, or from other sources. For example, example, this Rote Rote could find which ring ring in a box of rings had actually been worn as an engagement ring.
Stance of the Perfect Defender (Akashic) (Correspondence 1, Entropy 1, Mind Mind 1) – This This rote ote is very very comm common on amon among g Akas Akashi hic, c, who who us use e it to cons consid ider erab able le effe effect ct when when they they are are atta attack cked ed by mult multip iple le oppon opponen ents ts.. By keep keepin ing g trac track k of the the loca locati tion on of all all thei theirr assa assail ilan ants ts and and mane maneuv uver erin ing g acco accorrding dingly ly,, the the Scal Scale e can can prev preven entt them them from from us usin ing g thei theirr nume numeri rica call superiority to their advantage. [Each success negates 1 pt of a multiple attacker bonus per success. While this can only be employed when a single mage is being attacked by multiple opponents, if the mage scores well enough, this rote can actual increase the difficulty for multiple attackers, as they get in each other's way.] way.]
Mapping the Track (Verbena) – (Correspondence 1 Prime 1) The Verbena feel that Quintessence Quintessence flows across across the surface of the earth in streams that are called called Ley Ley Lines, also known as the Old Straight Track. Track. Ley Lines come come in Mino Minor, r, Majo Major, r, and and Grea Greatt vers versio ions ns,, whic which h fasc fascil ilia iata tate te the the cast casting ing of Correspond Correspondence ence,, Prime, Prime, and Spirit Spirit magics. For this reason, reason, many Verbena Verbena holy sites sites are are situated situated on them. [Two [Two successes successes will locate locate a Minor line, line, 4 successes successes a Major Major line, and six successes a Great line. A Minor line reduces the difficult ulty of Correspondence, Prime, and Spirit magics cast in its vacinity by 1, a Major line by 2, and a Great line by 3.]
Entropy Locate Bottleneck – After fter spendi spending ng some some time time observi observing ng a proce process ss or organization, the Mage gains a bonus when attempting to determine where where a bottleneck lies – which employee is slowing down a company, which machine is holding up manufacturing, etc.
Sense Entropy – The The Mage Mage dete detect cts s the the pres presen ence ce of unus unusua uall fate fate in a person or object – either from from other Entropy magic, magic, or from other sources. sources. It could detect loaded dice, or sense if a person had been placed under an Entropy-based blessing or curse.
Sense Weakness Weakness – The The Mage Mage sear search ches es for for weakn weaknes esse ses s in an obje object ct’s ’s Pattern. Pattern. He gains a bonus on his next next challenge to injure injure a person or break an object. This Rote Rote may be used in combat.
The Abyss of the Mind (Euthanatos) (Entropy 1 Mind 2)– The mage feel the entropy in someone’s mind. In this way the mage may get an impression of how strong the person really is, and if it has any weak points, like deep traumas, neuroses or guilt. It is fundamental to understand if the person is ready for the Good Death.
The Abyss of the Body (Euthanatos) (Entropy 1 Life 1)– The mage feel the entropy in someone’s body. Weak points, age, sickness and wounds will become apparent. The mage will know if the person has long time left to live or is dying in some way. Yet another factor in determining death.
The Abyss of the Soul (Euthanatos) (Entropy 1 Prime 1) – The mage feel the entropy in someone’s flow of quintessence. Normally this is very small, but in some people the flow is disturbed. This is often a sign that something is very wrong about the person. It could be that dangerous magick has hurt him or that his Atman (Avatar) is disturbed in some way. Euthanatos become very interested in these persons, and will study them as much as possible before deciding what to do.
The Well-Targeted Blow (Akashic) – Another common rote of the Dragon Scales, Scales, this expands expands the concept concept of Dim Mak and specially specially intends to cause severe damage by striking the body's weak points. p oints. [Each success lowers the difficulty of the damage role by 1, although it can never drop below 3.]
Analyze Fighting Style (Akashic) (Entropy (Entropy 1, Mind 1) – By watching watching how someon someone e fights fights,, the doist doist is able able to identi identify fy weakn weakness esses es in the target target's 's fighting style, weaknesses which can be used against the target in combat.
[Each success can be used to increase the difficulties of the target's roll to hit the doist, or to decrease the roll to hit the target. In order to be able to adequately make use of what he has learned, the doist must have a do of at least 3]
Forces Detect Transmissions – The – The Mage focuses on detecting outgoing energy signals. This is most useful useful for detecting detecting electronic electronic bugs planted in a room, and some paranoid Mages won’t say a word until they’ve watched a room for at least an hour hou r with this Rote.
Thermal Sight – The Mage shifts his vision into the infrared spectrum, and has no penalties for blindness, even in total darkness. This sight is based based on the Mage’s own sight, so he cannot use this Rote to see through walls or such.
Quantify Energy – The Mage chooses a source of energy, and may ask one question about it to an ST. ST. These questions might include include ‘how much energy energy is going through this wire?’ or ‘where is this radio signal coming from?’ or ‘is this thing radioactive?’
Life Sense Life – The Mage senses living things all around him, up to a certain distance. distance. He also gains gains a basic sense of their their nature nature – human, animal, animal, or vegetable. Unless they are magically magically concealed, concealed, he gains a bonus to detect any hidden persons.
Sense Health – The Mage studies the health and injury of a person or animal. The target must must immediately immediately tell the Mage Mage how many Health Health Levels Levels he has remaining.
True Age – The Mage focuses on another person, looking for invisible flaws in their their life. The playe playerr of that that characte characterr must tell the Mage Mage how old his character character truly truly is, not just how old he looks. This can be quite intere interesting sting – Porthos, for example, looks to be about 60-70, but is actually over 500 years old!
Call the Blood – The LeVay family is known for it’s affinity with blood; the line is drawn back into the deep of Celtic times, when blood was power and it was sacri sacrific ficed ed to obtain obtain the Mages Mages desir desires. es. Such Such drasti drastic c events events are are not needed needed to keeping keeping your toes warm on a cold night; rather rather you can summon the blood to the surface, and liven up the cold limbs and skin.
Transcendent Touch (Verbena) (Life 1 Mind 1) – The Lifeweaver Edwin Stroud once found himself blinded by the muzzle flash of a Hitmark's cannon.
Desper Desperate ate to escap escape e but lacking lacking any knowled knowledge ge of the Corre Correspo sponde ndence nce sphere, he instead relied on his powerfully heightened sense of touch, a sense particularly favored by his Tradition. [The rote makes the witch's sense of touch so strong that it compensates for the lack of sight.]
Matter Analyze Substance – The The Mage Mage choo choose ses s an objec object, t, and and may may ask ask one one question about it to an ST. ST. These questions might include include ‘how much weight weight could this hold?’ or ‘is this really a diamond?’ or ‘what kind of metal is this?’ Note that a Mage is limited by his own knowledge; he won’t look at a white block and declare it sodium if he has no idea what sodium should look like. (He might declare it to be ‘a block of one solid substance, which will react poorly with water.’)
Detect Durability – The Mage touches an object, and immediately knows how much damage it can withstand (its Durability) and if it has taken any damage already. already.
Detect Secret Compartment – The The Mage looks over an object as best he can. He becomes becomes aware aware of any neat features features built into it – for example example,, a hidden compartment, secret secret button, or trap. If the object has has no secrets, secrets, the Mage will know.
Patternweave – The mage can see a disassembled or shattered object in its whole form or as it should be. Seers of Chronos use to reflect the image of the parts in their ring, and see the whole in the reflection. Sons of Ether just measure things with their meters, while Choristers touch the parts, seeing how they should fit together. together. (Each degree of success will summarily strengthen the furniture. Great for those Garou-laiden nights! – Noriko Fujimiya) Fujimiya)
Horn of the Unicorn Unicorn (Matter 1, Life 1) – An old hermetic rote to find out if food or drink would would be harmful harmful (poisoned, (poisoned, spoiled spoiled or very unhealthy unhealthy). ). The mage draws a sacred symbol over the food with a foci (generally a ‘unicorn horn’ – a formed piece of wood in the shape of a horn, bleached white for 40 days and left to bask in the moon for 40 nights), while naming five revealing spirits. If the food is harmful, the plate or cup will shudder, as if they were revealed.
Chemical Shortcut (Etherites) (Matter 1) – The Sons of Ether employ a different version of the periodic table than do conventional scientists, which can only be expressed expressed with a three dimensional dimensional model. This allows them to pay attention to properties that most scientists overlook, thus enabling them to produce surprising results in laboratories.
[Each success success reduces reduces the difficulty difficulty on Science, Science, Medicine, Medicine, Pharmacology, Pharmacology, Chemistry and similar rolls by 1, to a minimum difficulty of 3.]
Mind Mind Empowerment Empowerment – – The Mage Mage enhance enhances s his own own mind. mind. He gains gains +1 Tra Trait it to any any test test invo involv lvin ing g raw raw ment mental al powe powerr and and know knowle ledge dge,, su such ch as mathemati mathematics, cs, cryptology cryptology,, or translation. translation. He may contemplat contemplate e a problem problem while still remaining fully aware of the world around him.
Mind Sensing – The The Mage seeks out the minds of others. others. He can sense sense the effects of Mind magic - if there is a mind where there shouldn’t be one (such as a magically-aware brick wall), or if a creature lacks a mind (such as a Sons of Ether robot, which looks human, but has no mind).
Conscience Alarm – The The Mage allows himself to feel the presence of minds aroun around d him. He gains gains a bonus bonus on his next next challen challenge ge to detect detect someone someone hidi hiding ng with with Stea Stealt lth, h, and and gene genera rall lly y is very very diff diffic icul ultt to eave eavesd sdro rop p on or ambush.
Quick Reading Reading – The The mage mage incr increa ease ses s his his readi eading ng sp spee eed d far over over the the normal. [One success doubles it, two triples it, three quadruples it, etc. By adding Time 3 the speed can be increased even more.]
Subprocess – This rote was perfected by the Virtual Adepts. The mage allocates a small part of his mind to perform a certain task, like solving a problem or guarding a door. The mage will then forget it until the subprocess is fini finish shed ed and and reuni eunite tes s with with the the main main mind mind.. This This can can be us used ed to hide hide information from the main mind or plant reminders (Time 1 can be combined, creating a timed subprocess). Some Virtual Adepts have developed recursive subprocesses, which can generate their own subprocesses. Several of them have however fallen victim to runaway subprocesses which have eaten their brain capacity, due to erroneous programming.
Osmosis (Mind 1, Matter 1) – The mage "reads" an object by holding it, and quickly learn all information it holds. This can take different time depending on the amount of information, but afterwards the mage can recite everything everything out of memory (hopefully he knows the language). Very practical for books, letter letters s or compute computerr dis disks. ks. The mage mage doesn' doesn'tt necess necessari arily ly under understa stand nd the information, but he can recite it or remember remember particular parts. [For electronic media, use Forces 1 instead of Matter.]
Detect Disinformation (Mind 1 Entropy 1, often Correspondence 3 and/or Time 2) – Many Rosicrucians are paranoid about information they receive,
and and seek seek to test test it to see see if it is disi disinf nfor orma mati tion on or lies lies.. This This rote ote was was developed by a group of especially worried mages, who were barraged by subtle disinformation from the Technocracy. They studied the information in the mental image of their showstones, invoking Mikael and other angels of trut truth h to help help them hem to find find fals false ehood hoods s and and lies. ies. By seek seekiing int interna ernall inconsistencies, they managed to ascertain some of the validity. validity. This method was later developed into a very efficient rote by adding Correspondence and Time. The mage not only studies the internal consistency of the information, he also compares it to the causal chains and actual state of the world. This might take a long time if it is complex information or relates to very specific matters, so the use is somewhat limited. However, even a brief check can reveal some types of disinformation.
Lucid Dreaming Dreaming (Dreamer) – This This is the the basi basic c abil abilit ity y whic which h makes akes a Dreamer awaken. They can control the reality of their own dreams. They have an almost godlike power in their own dreams if they choose to use it. They can decide what will happen, how things will look and the "laws of natur nature". e". Howeve However, r, while while their their dream dreams s are are much much more more vivid vivid than than normal normal dreams they will still dissolve as soon as they are not dreamed.
Weightless Walk (Akashic) (Mind 1, Correspondence 1, Matter 1) – Chu Kwei Kwei,, an Oran Orange ge Robe, obe, deve develop loped ed a Ligh Lightt Body Body tech techni niqu que e to walk walk over over surfac surfaces es with with concea concealed led weak weak points points.. Kwei Kwei was unable unable to make make himsel himself f weightless, but could locate areas with good traction that would support his weight. [Divide the number of successes achieved between multitasking and range of perception. Correspondence and Matter perception detect and determine the structural integrity and traction of surfaces. The mage memorizes the locations of "safe spots" within the range of his senses.]
Prime Self-Sacrifice – Usin Using g this this Rote, ote, a Mage Mage may conv conver ertt his his own own life life to Quintessence, gaining 1 Quintessence for each level of Lethal damage he gives himself. himself. This Rote is obviously risky, but can be a true lifesaver when needed.
Magical Sense – The The Mage senses senses the flow of magic around around him. He may ask one question about the magic of a person, place, or object, such as ‘is he a Mage?’ or ‘is this object magical?’ or ‘has magic been used here recently?’ At high higher er Spher Sphere e Leve Levels ls,, mor more deta detail iled ed vers versio ions ns of this this Rote ote may may be deve develo lope ped, d, but but many many Mage Mages s know know the the us usef eful ulne ness ss of this this basi basic c leve levell of perception.
Sense Quintessence Quintessence – The – The Mage focuses closely on another magic-user. The The subjec subjectt must must tell tell the caster caster how many many points points of Quinte Quintesse ssence nce they they currently currently possess.
Resist Resonance (Prime 1 Mind 1) – Sometimes mages have to use nodes or realms with strong or unpleasant resonance. Some mages have developed a mean to counter this insidious effect, by shielding themselves against the resonant quintessence of the node. This however makes them unable to use or infuse themselves with the quintessence, but may be worth it for specially nasty nodes. [ Note that Mind alone cannot prevent Resonance, since its is reality itself that is changed. ]
Reveal The Enlightened Enlightened (Prime 1 Spirit 1) – This rote was used by some of the more radical fractions of the Celestial Chorus during the war against Order of Hermes. They had trouble with mages hiding themselves among sleepers and setting up clever wards against mental scans. But they weren't able to hide their souls and magick. By watching people through the light of a pure fire, the choristers could see the strength of their Avatars Avatars and the Quintessence in them.
Find Paradox Paradox (Prim (Prime e 1 Entro Entropy py 1) –
Parado aradox x Energie Energies s are subtle subtle and capricious, but often telltale indicators of magickal activity. Even small acts of vulgar magick leave traces, which can be found by clever mages. Order of Hermes whisper the seven secret names of Discordia over their seal while the Virtual Adepts link up with a network and check for disturbances in the information flow to find f ind Paradox. Paradox.
Spirit Hear Spirit – The The Mage listens closely closely to the Penumbra. Penumbra. He may eavesdrop eavesdrop on othe otherr char charac acte ters rs and and sp spir irit its s who who have have us used ed Spir Spirit it to shif shiftt into into the the Penumbra, Penumbra, although he may not yet make make his voice be heard. heard. If he is in the Penumbra, he uses this Rote to listen into normal reality.
Spirit Sight – The Mage extends extends his sight into into the Penumbra Penumbra.. This allows allows him to see any characters who have used Spirit to shift into the Penumbra. He may also see spirits, but they pass by quickly, unless one is specifically interested in the Mage or his companions. If he is in the Penumbra, Penumbra, he uses this Rote to see into normal reality.
Detect Possession – Voodoo and other religions have a long tradition of spirits spirits ‘riding’ ‘riding’ humans. This Rote Rote allows allows a Mage to detect when a person person is not himself, and is being manipulated manipulated by the spirit world. Unfortunately, the Mage cannot do much about the possession until he learns more more Spirit.
See the Astral World (Spirit (Spirit 1 Mind 1) – To actually actually project project into into Astral Space Space is hard hard and requir requires es hard hard traini training ng and immens immense e strengt strength h of will. will. However, to just see what's in there requires much less preparations. Akashic brot brothe hers rs clea cleans nse e them themse selv lves es and and medi medita tate te on the the ment mental al worl world, d, whil while e Dreamspeakers Dreamspeakers watch how the contents of the medicine pouch fall.
Track rack
Xenofa Xenofauna una (Etherites) (Spirit 1 Life 1) – The renowned
xenobi enobiol ologi ogist st Ferri erris s Shu Shu was was dedi dedica cate ted d to the the disc discov over ery y of prev previo ious usly ly undocumented life forms, and she employed this rote to help her find such creatures. [This allows the scientist to look through the Gauntlet into the Middle Umbra, thus spotting any Umbral creatures in the vicinity.]
Time Sense Changes – Powerful – Powerful Mages can use Time to go back and rewrite the past. past. By using using this Rote Rote,, a Mage Mage can discover discover wheth whether er he is living living in his original reality, reality, or if things things have been changed changed by Time Time magic. He may not know know exact xactly ly what what has has chan change ged, d, or be able able to fix fix it, it, but but he will will get get a disconcert disconcerting ing sense that that the world is wrong. wrong. This Rote Rote can be as much a curse as a blessing.
Perfect Time – – The Mage Mage instantly instantly knows knows the current current time. time. This is more more useful than a simple watch, however. however. In the Umbra, time can change rapidly, rapidly, and a Mage who goes out without without this Rote Rote may be lost forever forever.. With With this Rote, a Mage will always make it to his meetings on time, and always be home for supper.
Time Sense – The The Mage detects any unusual effects in time. He may ask a player or ST if there is any Time magic in effect on a person or object, or within about 10 feet feet of his position. This can be useful for avoid Time-based Time-based traps laid by other Mages.
Scent of the Hounds of Clypsani (Euthanatos) (Time 1, Entropy 1) – The mage concentrates himself and try to feel when something happened (or will happen) by imagining it and different times it might have happened at. The mage will feel when he gets closer to the right time as the "scent" gets stronger. This can for example be used to find out when a building was built or when a clock stopped. stopped. It cannot tell why or where where something something happened. happened. This rote is named for the legendary paradox beings the Hounds of Clypsani, which ruthlessly hunt down mages who interfere with Time. They have the ability to find the mage regardless of the time he exists in, and will appear out of nearby corners to destroy him.
Sense Sense Angled Angled Time Time (Tim (Time e 1 Entr Entrop opy y 1) – Time ime does does not not alwa always ys flow flow smoothly, sometimes there are corners and discontinuities in it for unknown reasons. These corners are dangerous times, since the defenses of reality and casualty are briefly removed. Powerful beings of the Deep Umbra and dangerous weirdness may appear, and many momentous events occur at these times. This makes it especially important to know them beforehand.
The The Technoc echnocrac racy y calls calls the "Bifur "Bifurcat cation ion Points" oints",, and spend spend much much energ energy y neutralizing them or manipulating events around them.
Find Connection (Time 1 Correspondence 1) – This rote is used by mages to find the secret links between seemingly disparate events. A mage can read a newspaper, and realise that the current conflicts on Balkan are linked to the disappearance of several prominent engineers in England, or that the fluctuations of the stock market have been strongly influenced by the person in the border of that picture. He might not know how or why, but he will see the links.
Time of Death (Euthanatos) (Time 1 Correspondence 1 Entropy 1) – The Euth Euthan anat atos os are are trai traine ned d to sens sense e if it is time time to deli delive verr the the good good deat death. h. Occasionally, someone beats them to it. In instances where this happens, the Mage Mage can can exte extend nd his his sens senses es to deig deign n the the time time of deat death, h, down down to the the moment.
Instant Reaction (Time 1 Mind 1) – When the mage expects a certain event, he can focus his attention on it to be able to respond reflexively at the same time. For example, if a thug threatens him with a gun, he can program his body to dodge at the exact moment the thug pulls the trigger or respond with magick. A stand-off between two mages both using this rote can be quite deadly, since they will both react at the exact same time. [If the rote succeeds the mage will act just before the event, as long as the condition predates it slightly (like the act of pulling a trigger). The number of successes denotes how long the mage can concentrate himself. He has to be completely concentrated on the condition to act, and cannot do anything else (unless he uses multitasking, of course).] Right Place at the Right Time (Cultists) (Time 1 Correspondence 1) – This This little little effect effect is usually usually done done subcons subconscio ciousl usly y and coinci coinciden dental tally ly bythe bythe mage: he is always standing in the right place to avoid unpleasantness. When the Oracle of Correspondence teleports into the room,the cultist is not the one standing at the spot where he appears...