================================================================= 3.2 Alternate Forces Sphere * - Perceive Forces * * - Channel Forces - Dissipate Forces * * * - Transmute Forces - Spawn Forces - Destroy Forces * * * * - Control Forces - Channel/Erode Solid Forces - Harness/Slay Quickened Forces * * * * * - Solidify Forces - Quicken Forces Perceive Forces: As per descriptions in Mage 1st & 2nd editions. Channel Forces: At the second rank, the disciple can influence the flow of forces patterns. He cannot make them behave in unnatural ways. Thus the mage could not 'bend' light around herself, reverse the path of a bullet, or cause lightning to strike upwards from the ground, but could deepen the shadow she is hiding in, deflect a bullet enough for it to miss, or cause a lightning bolt to strike an enemy instead of a tree. Dissipate Forces: A mage may also channel a force 'in all directions' causing the pattern to fade. The pattern is not destroyed, but merely dissipated harmlessly into the surrounding area. This effect can be used to cut off electrical power, bring a car to a safe stop, or reduce the damage of forces attacks. Transmute/Spawn/Destroy Forces: At this point, the disciple understands the underlying similarity of all forces and can take advantage of the mercurial nature of such patterns to transform one type of force into another, create forces out of 'nothing' (requiring Prime 2 to channel free quintessence), or destroy such patterns completely. The mage can still only channel the forces he creates or changes. The mage can now 'throw' lightning bolts (or simply create electricity on a victim), darken an area by destroying patterns of light, or (with conjunctional magick) change matter or life into energy or vice versa. Control Forces: An Adept of the sphere of forces has finally learned to command the dangerous patterns he studies. He can control kinetic energy, allowing flight and telekinesis, cause forces based attacks (like bullets) to rebound on the attacker, take control of electronic and mechanical devices, and erect force fields to shield himself from harm. The adept can exercise such fine control that he can create realistic visual and auditory illusions by manipulating light and sound. The Adept can also affect Solidified and Quickened Forces whether natural or created by a master. This is difficult however, and his facility in doing so is comparable to that demonstrated at rank two with normal Forces. Solidify/Quicken Forces: The master of Forces can imbue patterns of force with characteristics normally associated with matter or life patterns. One characteristic of forces is that, while powerful and destructive, the are also easily diverted and destroyed. A master can 'solidify' a pattern of forces, making it stable and lasting. Such forces can power perpetual motion machines without a resorting to a continual influx of quintessence or be used to fashion barriers, weapons, and tools. Alternately, the master may set up a trickle of Quintessence (requiring Prime 2) into a Forces pattern. Such 'quickened' patterns have some of the characteristics of living things. Depending on the desires and skill of the creator, such 'entities' can be programmed to move, react, assimilate other patterns and even reproduce themselves. It is even possible for a spirit (usually one aspected to forces) to inhabit such a 'body.' Commentary on Forces Rotes & Effects from the First Edition: Darksight: As per 1st & 2nd Ed. Quantify Energy: As per 1st & 2nd Ed. ** Discharge Static: Works as per 1st & 2nd editions, with the exception that damage is determined normally for the system being used. Bonus forces damage occurs only under ideal conditions - when the air is dry and there is considerable static electricity available. Under poor conditions, such as high humidity or absence of electrical activity, the effect can be limited to only a few successes. ** System Havoc: Works by alternately channeling and dissipating the flow of electrical current through a device. The effect is the same, but it cannot be used to control machinery, even in a crude fashion. Taking control of machinery would require adept level command of forces or conjunctional magick. ** Call Lighting: Is a perfect example of channeling Forces. As long as there is sufficient weather activity for lightning to occur, the caster can call down bolts by Channeling electricity in the clouds. ** (& Life ***) Veil of Invisibility: This rote uses a form of pattern disassociation to make the caster invisible. Higher levels of Life would allow other living subjects to be affected. Conjunctional use of Matter *** would allow objects to be rendered invisible as well. Additionally, this rote blinds the caster, as his eyes no longer interact with light, and renders him immune to light based attacks of lower Intensity than the Veil that are not charged with quintessence. *** (& Prime **) Pulse of the Electro-Stream: As per Mage 1st Ed. Damage however is calculated based on the system used. As with static discharge, bonus damage occurs under ideal conditions (when the target is well grounded). Poor conditions do not limit successes but could grant a target additional soak dice. **** Telekinetic Control: As per 1st Ed. Note that the Adept may create additional Kinetic energy with the use of conjunctional Prime magick. **** Embracing the Earth Mother: As per 1st Edition. Note that this is simple channelling, but that Forces four is required because Gravity is a Solid force - the only one generally accepted as such in most Paradigms. (The dominant, Technocratic paradigm does not do so strictly, but their definitions of Gravity are compatible with the idea none the less). It is not possible for the Adept to reverse gravity, he may merely intensify or weaken it. However, by utilizing Prime two, it is possible to create enough kinetic energy to defy gravity for a time. **** Walk on Water: As per 1st Edition. ***** (& Prime **) Ball of Abysmal Flame: This terrible rote conjures a ball of Quickened Flame. Living fire does incredible damage to anything in its path, thus the 1st edition explanation of generating intense, blast furnace like heat by applying massive amounts of kinetic energy. In truth the Abysmal Flame kills by consuming it victims, often entirely. In order to bring these flames to life, the caster must channel a point of raw quintessence into them. This process of Quickening also ensures that the Flames do aggravated damage. Most casters are wise enough to create very short lived Abysmal Flame. If given full life, the Flames will grow, consuming all in their path until halted by magick. Use of this rote is invariably Vulgar. ***** (& Prime **, Life ***) Unseen Arm: This rote creates a Pattern of living kinetic energy that is grafted to the caster. She can use it to impart massive amounts of kinetic energy to anything she touches with it. Each touch from the Arm can do full Forces damage to the victim. The Arm is visible to Forces sensing and can be dodged by those who are aware of it. However, the living force of the Arm draws some of its power from the caster. Each time she exerts its full damage potential in a single turn, her pattern bleeds a point of stored quintessence (or a HL if quintessence is depleted) into it. This effect can also be done willingly so as to inflict aggravated damage. As long as the caster keeps the Arm superimposed over her own limb or weapon and does not feed quintessence into it, this rote can be kept coincidental. From the Digital Web sourcebook: ** The second rank of forces can still be used the same way in the Digital Web. By entering the Web, Cybernaughts effectively use Correspondence to approach the electrical forces that make up all the Web's patterns at a microscopic level. Once perceptions are tuned to that scale, the minute manipulations needed to control computers and generate virtual objects are easily achieved by merely channelling forces. **** The consummate control of Forces possessed by Adepts is largely usurped by lower levels while in the Digital Web. However, Adepts can also achieve these effects from outside the Web - not even sensory visitation is required, as the Adept can directly perceive and control the electrical impulses that make up the fabric of the Web. ***** In addition to being able to create more powerful versions of lower ranking effects, Masters can produce solid and quickened electrical forces within the Web. Solidified patterns can be used to form indestructible objects and barriers that can only be breached with powerful (level 4 or 5) Forces magick or Vulgar Correspondence effects. Quickened patterns create living icons. Such creatures have an uncanny understanding of, and control over, the environment of the Digital Web as they are, in effect the only true 'natives.' *** Energy Transformation and Virtual Talisman Transmogrification require Forces three instead of two, as this is the level at which forces can be Transformed. From the Virtual Adepts Tradition Book: ** (Correspondence **, Mind ***) Holographic Projection: This Rote can be assumed to aport light continuously between the caster and the point he is scanning. Thus he appears to be at the scan point, and can see as if he were indeed there and may even be vulnerable to light-based attacks, if such are inadvertently aported along with visible light. Forces three would allow the mage to perform crude actions by creating kinetic energy. Forces four is required if the mage wants to make convincing changes to the hologram's appearance. Conjunctional use of Entropy two can have a similar affect. From the Sons of Ether Tradition Book: *** Bio-Luminescence and Battery Man both do basically the same thing: transform a tiny amount of the casters life pattern into energy or vice versa. Both should be Life three, Forces three effects. From the Iteration X sourcebook: ** (with Correspondence * and Entropy **) Remote Programming: Forces two, alone, cannot manipulate electrical devices. However, the Virtual Adepts, while still part of the Technocracy, developed a conjunctional effect that allowed them to control computers and other electronics without even touching them. The effect uses Correspondence to perceive and channel the minute electrical signals used in advanced technology. Entropic control of randomness provides 'error correction' to fine-tune the relatively crude control allowed by channelling forces. ***** Perpetual Motion: By setting a mechanism (like a mechanical model of the solar system) in motion and solidifying the kinetic force involved, the Master causes the machine to function for as long as the effect lasts - a permanent effect creates true perpetual motion. Commentary on Forces effects from the 2nd Edition: ** Walking on Water: By channelling the inherent kinetic energy of molecular cohesion of a body of water, the mage can counteract the force of gravity that would normally pull him under the surface. This is a borderline application of Channel Forces and can require considerable concentration. Many mages will use Mind, Life or Entropy to help them maintain there balance on such uncertain footing. Another help is to use conjunctional Matter (***) to increase the surface tension/viscosity of the water. ** or *** Telekinetic Control: Kinetic energy can be channeled with some latitude, since it is not prone to following specific types of paths like electricity or light. By channelling kinetic energy, the mage can alter the direction of a moving object, but not instantaneously, and not to a great degree. A bullet could not be simply reversed, but could be turned about in a wide arc. Even so, much of its energy would be wasted in the process and 4 successes would be required. Whenever an object changes direction, it is accelerating, merely channelling kinetic energy to accomplish this uses up that energy quickly. Once the mage can create kinetic energy, however, he can perform fairly impressive feats of telekinesis. However, his control is still limited to crude channelling. He could dissipate the force of an oncoming bullet and replace it with an opposite one, but would not be able to control its flight. He could also levitate or even fly if he follows very simple courses. True Telekinetic Control, however is the province of the Adepts. *** Call Lightning: Forces three allows the mage to Call Lightning by transforming the turbulence found in thunder heads (the clouds present in a thunder storm) directly into electricity that he can channel down upon his enemies. This effect is both more dependable and more deadly than the Forces two version. It is also a bit more likely to be vulgar. ***** Tempest in a Teapot: This effect works by 'brewing' small, living patterns of wind and releasing them to grow and reproduce in the sky. The windlings assimilate heat (causing reduced air pressure and condensation) to grow in strength and numbers until they become a storm. Eventually they burn themselves out (how long this takes depends on how careful the witch was in her casting) and the storm becomes a normal one and dissipates naturally. From the Order of Hermes Tradition Book: ** Dream Drama, Tower of Babel, Speak in Tongues: Dream Drama can produce only vague, surreal images. Tower of Babel and Speak in Tongues do allow the mage to change the languages that others hear, but the pitch and timbre of the voices is always unchanged. An Adept's command of Forces would allow for perfectly realistic images, and the disguising of voices. ** Lightning Gateway: Though this rote works fine with the stated level of Forces, it should be noted that, even though targeted by Correspondence, it still uses the normal range chart. Correspondence 4 would allow the rote to work as written, and on the Correspondence range chart. *** Ignis: This produces 'lesser' fire or heat, rather than true Quickened Flame. Damage is per rank *** forces. *** Phlogiston Manipulation: This is a great rote. It works about the same under the AMS. However, the damage is determined as a Direct Effect doing Indirect Damage with the Forces bonus Intensity for damage. The healing version restores 1 HL per Intensity, and requires Quint to heal aggravated damage. The fire-proofing version protects against normal fire and immunizes the subject from fire-effects of lower intensity. It also reduces the dice of damage caused by more potent fire effects by 3d/Intensity. *** Time Lock: As written. ***** Ball of Abysmal Flame: A high Power is needed to affect a large area. In this version of the Rote, Time **** is used to facilitate the collection of successes in an extended roll. Each roll is deferred until the time designated, at which point they all go off at once. New Sample Rotes for the Alternate Forces Sphere: Electro-Magnetic Force Field Forces ** Prime ** This Son of Ether rote predates their historic break with the technocracy - it comes from a time when electricity and magnetism were mysterious new powers that seemed able to do almost anything. The Son will usually use a rote-specific focus like a belt or harness fitted with batteries and magnetic coils. The field itself is invisible and deflects all manner of forces- based attacks directed at the wearer. [Prime is used to create a field of Odyllic force around the subject. The field supports a channelling/dissipating forces effect that simultaneously directs attacks away from the protected target and reduces their power. The subject's soak roll is increase by 1 die per Intensity of the effect. All forces based attacks are also at a +1 difficulty if the coincidental version is used or +2 if the effect is allowed to become Vulgar.] F/X - The effect is Coincidental at low Intensities (1-3), but becomes Vulgar beyond that point. Whiz-Bang! Forces *** Prime ** Forces is known primarily for it's destructiveness, but there are those in both the Traditions and the Technocracy that have found non-lethal applications as well. Iteration X sometimes makes use of Static 'stun grenades' with this sort of effect, while the Sons of Ether have developed a weapon that produces it in a directional cone. The effect itself is simply a loud BOOM! and flash of intense light that blinds and disorients it's victims. [The sound and light produced by this effect is not lethal, but does inflict Stun damage - 3d per Intensity of the effect. In addition, victims who fail a Stamina Roll (difficulty is 6 + 1 per STN level the victim fails to soak) is blinded and deafened for 1 turn (or 1 action if the character gets multiple actions) per Intensity of the effect.] F/X - The explosion version of the Rote is Static (if a grenade focus is used) or Coincidental if a grenade-like object is simply tossed out to disguise the effect. The directional cone version is usually Coincidental when a technological weapon is employed - though knowledgeable Sleepers may not be fooled. Master of Infinity Forces **** Prime **** The Akashic Brothers and the Order of Hermes both claim credit for this powerful Rote. The Adept has mastered the flows of both Odyllic and physical energies about himself, rendering him virtually invulnerable. He stands serene in the center of the maelstrom. [When enacted, this rote draws forces and prime energies into a swirling orbit about the mage. Any Forces or Prime effects of lesser intensity are drawn into the effect, adding their Power to it's own. Likewise, any Quintessence used in such effects is also drawn into the vortex. Mundane forces, such as the momentum of bullets, are also absorbed, though they add no Power to the effect. Even Solidified and Quickened Forces are deflected away from the caster, if they were created by an effect of lesser Intensity, though such effects are not actually absorbed. Each turn, the caster can draw Power or Quintessence (or a combination of the two) out of the vortex equal to the effect's Intensity. This Power and Quintessence can be used to enhance an effect the mage casts that turn, or it can be used to generate a rank 3 Forces or Prime effect. In the latter case, the Power used in creating the effect is rolled like an Arete pool with a difficulty of 7 or 8 (depending on whether witnesses are present) with successes determining the Intensity of the effect. Such minor effects are generated by the power of the Rote, and can be produced in addition to any normal use of the mage's Arete Pool.] F/X - This Rote is Vulgar. Secondary effects formed from the Power of the Rote also generate Paradox as if the caster created them himself. In addition to the usual Paradox, every time another 10 Power or Quintessence is absorbed, the caster accrues another point of Paradox. Summon & Bind Genius of Essential Flame Forces ***** Prime ** Spirit **** or ** This dangerous Hermetic Rote calls down a Spirit associated with Elemental Fire and binds it into a form of Living Flame. In typical Hermetic fashion, the spirit is not invited, but bound into the form, and bound also to heed the commands of the mage who summoned it. The spirit can use whatever powers the flame body has been given, and can, with the permission of the binding mage, access it's own Charms as well. If the spirit is freed of magickal compulsion or even if it is given an incautious command, it will turn on it's summoner without mercy. Some mages of other Traditions use a similar effect that involves less powerful Spirit magicks, and merely offers the Elemental access to an appropriate body in return for it's 'assistance.' [The nature of the Living Flame body is very much under the control of the creator. The total Power of the effect can be distributed among the stats and HL of the form, much as with the Life sphere. Each stat cannot be increased beyond the Intensity of the effect. Other characteristics must likewise, be determined. Generally, such creatures do up to 2d per STR (Intensity) of aggravated fire damage to anything they touch, and 5d of such damage to anyone they manage to engulf. In return, Living Flame is typically harmed by most forms of aggravated damage (except fire) and takes damage from exposure to extreme cold or water. The Spirit also influences the appearance of the body it inhabits and may be able to use it's own Charms as well. Each time the caster wishes to command the spirit there is a contest of Willpower. The caster's difficulty is 6, the Spirit's is 8. As long as the caster at least matches the Spirit's successes, he retains control. If the Spirit wins, it is free for one scene per success it exceeded it's summoner by. If the caster ever botches his Willpower roll, the Spirit is immediately and irrevocably free. This hostility can be avoided by using the Spirit 2 version of the Rote, and negotiating a mutually beneficial term of service with the spirit. Offerings of Quintessence and/or use of the Elemental Body after service is completed are sometimes met with favour.] F/X - The conjuring of a fire elemental is Vulgar Magick. ===================================================================
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