Rules & Character Creation

SETTING

Mage: Phoenix takes place in Phoenix Arizona. Right now the game is a few years behind real life (2012). The world is similar to our own and the general WW setting with a few notable exceptions:

1. The Syndicate has been expelled from the Technocracy, with 90% of its members having been killed. Of the survivors, some were folded into the NWO, a handful split off to form an independent Craft, and the rest have joined forces with Pentex.

2. Several years ago something happened in Vegas. To this day no one is sure what or why, but over a 24 hour period every Willworker in Sin City died. No one has returned.

PHOENIX RISING

Phoenix Rising is a teaching chantry that is home to some of the most respected Mages in the Traditions (Elder NPCs). It also has the secret, for beneath it is a Node of unimaginable power that has gained self-awareness. The resident Mages have committed themselves to protecting this Node from friend and foe alike, keeping its true nature a secret.

FRIENDS AND FOES

Serenity Valley – a neighboring Tradition chantry, the relationship between the Mages of Serenity Valley and Phoenix Rising is complicated and might best be described as cautious allies. In the past Phoenix Rising attempted to sell out their neighbors to the Camarilla in exchange for peace, and they have been trying to make amends ever since.

Camarilla – After several brief conflicts, Phoenix Rising has established an understanding with Prince Jameson and the Camarilla. The Mages of Phoenix Rising try to steer clear of vampires and their politics as much as possible, while the Kindred recognize that any conflict will destabilize the Camarilla.

Ravenscore Crime Family – Though mortal, the Ravenscores control the underworld in much of Arizona and Nevada, acting as bankers to the criminal world. Their influence is such that neither the Traditions nor the Camarilla can ignore them. The head of the family, Silas, seeks to maintain peace and stability at all costs to ensure business continues unimpeded.

Utopian Society – Recent arrivals to Phoenix, these brash Mages want to change the world and make it a better place. Anyone who is not with them is considered either an obstacle to overcome or an enemy to be dealt with. Quick to judge, they see the world in absolutes. When this is combined with their inexperience in life and ignorance of other groups, the conflict is inevitable.

CHARACTER CREATION

Mage: Phoenix officially uses the 2^nd edition rules, though the rules for 3^rd edition are so close that this would not be an issue. The biggest difference is in XP costs.

Players who wish to use the new Mage 20 rules are welcome to do so with the understanding that for some elements we will be sticking with 2^nd / 3^rd ed. This will be discussed with the ST.

1. Select Name, Nature & Demeanor, Essence, and Tradition

2. Assign points for Attributes: Physical, Social, and Mental. All Attributes start at 1. 7 points for primary, 5 for secondary, 3 for tertiary.

3. Assign points for Abilities: Talents, Skills, and Knowledge – 13 for Primary, 9 for secondary, 5 for tertiary. For those using Mage 20, Martial Arts is not a separate skill from Brawl.

4. Assign Backgrounds – 10 points (not 7)

5. Assign Spheres: 5 points, + 1 freebie point for your affinity Sphere. Sphere rating cannot be higher than Arete.

6. Recording Beginning Arete (1), Willpower (5) and Quintessance (Avatar rating)

7. Freebie points: 35 (not 15). Arete cannot be raised above 3 at character creation.

8. Finally, add in all those wonderful details from history to paradigm to style that brings your PC to life.

PHOENIX HOUSE RULES

Time - It is not unusual for PCs to be in multiple threads/stories at the same time, which can make the order of events confusing. For that reason, Real World Time trumps Game Time. What this means is that if a PC uses a Willpower Point, that point is lost in ALL STORIES the PC is currently active in. If a PC gains an ally in one story, that ally is immediately available in all.

Apprentice – Characters interested may take on an apprentice with storyteller permission. The relationship with the apprentice will depend on background points invested in her, but at a minimum he/she would be a 2 point retainer. The apprentice does not get their own XP pool, but a player may spend XP from his/her primary character to develop their apprentice.

Although Players and ST work together to write up an apprentice's character sheet.

Arete – Player Character Arete is capped at 5. For Arete to be raised, player must spend experience and write & post a Seeking. Score cannot be raised until both are done. Please note, Seekings will be held to a higher standard to raise Arete from 4 to 5. While no Seeking will be rejected, the ST may ask for revisions and edits before accepting.

Backgrounds – players may use experience to raise their background traits at storyteller’s discretion. Cost to raise a background is current rank x 3. Rank 1 costs 3 XP. Players must provide an explanation how they are raising this score, just as they would need to explain the promotion of any other trait.

Backgrounds can only be raised during downtime. Storytellers have the right to limit or refuse how much XP can be spent to raise a background at any given time.

Familiars – Characters interested in acquiring a Familiar may do so with storyteller permission. To do so, the following must be done:

1. Purchase the Familiar Background at Current Rating x 3. A Familiar’s background is limited the Mage’s Arete minus 1. So a mage with an Arete 4 cannot have a Familiar more powerful than 3.

2. Write-Up a quest where the Familiar is met, wooed, and convinced to join the mage. This should be treated as a Seeking.

3. The Mage must either possess, or know someone who has, Spirit 4. A Sphere other than Spirit might be acceptable based on the Familiar and the nature of the relationship.

Remember that Familiars have a cost in Quintessence, and mages will be expected to pay up at some point. A Familiar can “eat” 1 paradox at a cost of 1 Quintessence each (up to a Mages Familiar rating). This can be done once per season (1st day of Spring, Summer, Autumn, & Winter)

Fate Points – Fate Points can be purchased for 2 XP per point, up to a total of 10. Once a Fate Point is spent, it can only be replenished with 2 more XP. Fate Points may be spent to do the following:

- reroll a botch or failure

- gain a temporary additional health level

- gain an extra action per turn

- gain an automatic success

Storytellers have the option to not allow the use of Fate Points in certain circumstances. Two examples might be to avoid one’s Destiny (Background Trait) or Dark Fate (Flaw).

Mentors – Players have the option to purchase the elders of Phoenix Rising as Mentors. An elder counts as a 3 dot mentor, and can be purchased for 9 XP.

Players must petition STs before making the purchase, and STs have the right to veto the relationship based on either RP circumstances or too many players wanting the same Mentor.

Paradox – Paradox is accumulated through the casting of vulgar magic or the botching of any spell. When acquired, Paradox remains until burned. There are 3 ways to burn paradox:

1. Burn in game, acquiring and role-playing out a paradox flaw. Severity of flaw varies based on how much Paradox is burned.

2. Players and Familiars lose one Paradox per month (real world time)

3. Paradox can be eaten by a Familiar (see above)

Quintessence

Players may fill their wheel with Quintessence up to their Avatar rating with Node access. Access requires permission from Elders and Sentia, and should be run by the ST.

To draw more than your Avatar rating, players must have at least Prime 2. They must roll Avatar + Prime at difficulty 5. This is a vulgar spell and will create 1 paradox point. Every success will earn 1 additional point of Quint.

Lores

Lores are specialized knowledges that give PCs and NPCs inside information on the community and history of a group or place. Sample Lores include City Lore, Kindred Lore, Mage Lore, Heremtic Lore, etc. Possessing a Lore is akin to a character cracking open the WW game material and reading about a specific splat.

To maintain balance, Lores outside a character’s splat will be capped at 2, and will only be allowed if there is a compelling OOC reason. In splat Lores (Mage, Tradition) is capped at 3 unless there is a compelling IC reason.

Secondary Skills

Players have the option of purchasing Secondary skills at the XP cost of current rank. Secondary skills are considerably cheaper, but much more limited in how they can be used. They are primarily for Role-Playing purposes, and offer no additional mechanical benefit.

An example of a secondary skill might be Biology.

A person with high points in Science and a Biology specialty can make a roll in any situation involving science, no matter which science it is, but get a chance to roll again for every 10.

A person with the secondary skill in Biology can only roll in Biology related situations, not in chemistry, physics, etc.