Gladius et Aegis: Arcane Nature Traits

Overview

This page gives several examples of Arcane Nature Traits, as well as some notes on their place in the campaign setting of my home campaign.

Magus

Campaign Setting Notes

Selecting this trait means that you are a Magus - a human who has been lucky enough to have both the inherent aptitude for casting magic, and the opportunity to have formally trained in magic.

Magi also refer to themselves as wizards, practitioners and loremasters. They generally don't call themselves sorcerers, shamans or warlocks - these terms refer to entirely different arcane traditions. They often refer to their magic as The Art or The Lore, and speak of casting magic as enacting forma or mastery of Will. Archaic terms, especially in Latin, are popular with many magi, as is a certain air of superiority and hubris regarding their magic as opposed to other magics.

The core foundations of The Art are knowledge and will. Knowledge is required to harness inherent magical talent, and to direct it into spells and rituals. This knowledge is generally from elder ages, with much lore coming from the magical traditions Ancient Egypt and later, Ancient Greece and Rome. Will is required as magic is inherently against nature: it forces the desires of the magus upon reality, and must overcome the resistance of reality to such intrusions.

"Aptitude", or the ability to cast this sort of magic, is a rarity in the world, with magi estimating that no more than one human in one to two hundred thousand being capable of learning magic. Many of these go undetected, as despite the best efforts of magi, there has never been discovered any spell or other means that allow one to search out for those with aptitude. Instead, it tends to be the case that individual magi will note that a human they encounter is seemingly immune to the effect of Denial (see neutral trait effects below), and will make a guess that the person has aptitude. The next step is for the magus to approach the "potential" and to invite him to become an Apprentice, usually with a demonstration of The Art, and an open offer for the Apprentice to come see him if he wants to learn more. An apprenticeship lasts till the mentor "releases" his protegee, traditionally after a taxing test of magic. Sometimes these mentor-trainee relationships go sour, of course, and an apprentice will decide himself to leave the magus before his mentor feels training is complete. More rarely a mentor might abandon an apprentice that he feels he cannot teach. Magi who never completed their apprenticeships are often referred to as Orphans of the Craft with a mixture of pity and disdain.

Most Magi operate alone, or in small cabals, as the prideful nature of those who command The Art often results in clashing egos. However, most magi also serve within supernatural hierarchies, attending convocations and gatherings when they are called upon, even if they spend as much time pursuing their own agendas as those of their faction. The Council of the Invisible Hand commands most magi's loyalty, as few magi feel they would wish to be beholden to the ultimate authority of a non-magus. Those Magi who serve Gladius et Aegis are often somewhat rebellious in nature, with personalities that have led them to shunning the "mainstream" of the Invisible Hand.

Magi generally follow the Shadow Concordat strictly, or at least give the appearance of doing so. This is generally true even of those within Gladius et Aegis.

Aptitude is rare and easy to miss, most Magi's existence is dangerous, and their magical tradition is very much centered on the western world. This means that there are probably no more than six or seven hundred magi in the world, and no more than a couple of dozen who serve Gladius et Aegis. However, as Magi are often secretive and somewhat paranoid, there may be twice or even three times that number, with many declining to reveal themselves.

Character Generation Guidelines

An above average Intellect is generally the norm, as becoming a Magus requires study and determination. Magical power is a point of pride and a source of respect amongst Magi as well, so investing in a higher Puissance score is sensible too.

Recommended Background Traits include Web of Intrigue, Concordat Diligent and Library of Lore and Mentor. Recommended Internal Traits include Prideful and Buried Identity.

Benefits of being a Magus

• Arcana: You can cast magic! Mastery of The Art is is the source of your Arcana.
• Finesse: As your magic comes from careful study and understanding of its underlying principles, you can use your Arcana with a higher degree of conceptual versatility than other supernatural types. Whereas a ghost with mastery of fire might be able to summon infernos and command flames to do his bidding, a wizard that studies pyromancy understands the symbolic and arcane nature of fire, perhaps using a hearth fire to speed healing, or scrying what the "eyes of a fire" might have seen from ashes, or making a candle burn brighter but cooler.
• Subtlety: A Magus learns control is everything, and so can choose how much arcane force to apply. When testing his Puissance he can choose to roll fewer dice than normal. Doing so increases the subtlety of the magic, making the casting less obvious. Sacrificing one dice (e.g. rolling 4 dice when you are entitled to roll 5) might be enough to mask an arcane signature. Sacrificing two dice can make the magic seem like a natural event to after the effect scrying. Sacrificing three or more dice can make the magic seem like a natural occurrence to onlookers at the time (for example, a telekinetic shove being taken to be due to a strong gust of wind).
• Ritual: A Magus can take additional time to bolster the power and control of his magic. Spending an hour casting a single spell gains +1 Puissance for that casting. Spending ten hours adds +2 Puissance. Spending a hundred hours, +3 Puissance. Spending a thousand hours, +4 Puissance. There is no upper limit to this: for each further x10 time spent, add a further +1. However, Rituals can be interrupted (typically by violent means), which can negate the spell altogether.
• Cooperation: A Magus can work in tandem with another Magus, supporting their casting with his own. This is generally handled as a Difficulty 6 spellcasting, with each 3 points of success adding +1 to the second Magus' Puissance for one casting. However, cooperation generally requires the Magus to understand the magic he is assisting: that is, to have the Arcana that would allow him to cast the spell himself.
• Arcane Principia: A Magus has access to a variety of other arcane edges and advantages that he can call upon. The principles of sympathetic magic, of using the true name and of mystic resonance are but a few tools in the Magus' toolbox. The GM will generally award a +1 Puissance bonus to a casting for any use of the Arcane Principia that makes sense within the framework of magical thinking.

Drawbacks of being a Magus

• Discord with Modernity: Something about the practice of magic jars with the modern world, and makes it hard for magi to get the modern world to work for them. High technology is a particular problem, and magi often have problems with using electronic or electrical devices of any sort of complexity. Computers crash, cellphones pack up, even light bulbs tend to burn out a lot quicker than they ought to. Even more complex mechanical devices can be troublesome, so magi often avoid using firearms, and will tend to take the stairs rather than the elevator, and to walk rather than drive.

Though this effect ought to have some practical uses, its far more often a great inconvenience to magi. The effect is outside of a mage's control, and tends to occur to their detriment rather than benefit. The effect increases as a Magus' Puissance increases. A newly trained apprentice might have a computer that crashes more than it ought to and a car that breaks down a little too often. A master that has the power of centuries behind him might find that he has to live an anachronistic lifestyle that is technologically primitive even for him, perhaps with actual burning torches lighting his home, and a riding horse being the only way to move faster than running, short of magic. The effect also "spikes" when the Magus actually casts magic. Its not uncommon at all for lightbulbs to explode and for telephones to start smoking when a mage is using the Art.

• The Outsider Effect: A Magus seems strange to ordinary humans, emanating a sense of wrongness that makes them uncomfortable. This effect can certainly be worked against with determined charm and prolonged friendship, but its always there at some level. This effect also increases with Puissance, and spikes with magic use. An average magus that uses his magic in a crowded street may find that the people present might not remember what happens (see Denial, below) but that they whisper against him and cross the street to avoid him. A powerful magus might find himself persecuted by witch-hunts (or their modern equivalent, tabloid slander) if he interacts at all with human society, and will often have to seek only the company of other magi and supernaturals if he is to be accepted as anything less than a monster.

Other Effects of being a Magus

• Denial: Ordinary humans instinctively avoid believing that magic has occurred. Usually this means that they react with immediate disbelief or shock, and later rationalise away what they have experienced with whatever explanation they can. If they can't come up with a justification to themselves, they might even suffer amnesia, or just create a fictional chain of events different to what actually happened. Supernatural creatures don't suffer this effect, nor do other Magi. Also, potential magi with "the aptitude" don't suffer it either, which often the only way in which Magi can discover their would-be apprentices. Some other humans that don't have the aptitude can also avoid the Denial effect - this number includes children with high imaginations, individuals with a low grip on reality (such as severe schizophrenics) and obsessive devotees of arcane esoteria (normally called "true believers" by the Magi). However, few of these fringe elements tend to be believed when they report what they truly saw!

Magi see the Denial as a blessing and a curse, as it both prevents them from using their magic to openly gain status in the human world and helps protect their secrecy.