2 MAGE: THE AWAKENING SECOND EDITION

CreditsWriters: Chris Allen, Dave Brookshaw, N Conte, Danielle

Lauzon, David A Hill Jr., Matthew McFarland, Neall Raemonn Price, Lauren Roy, Malcolm Sheppard, John Snead, Travis Stout, Tristan J Tarwater, Stew Wilson, Filamena Young, Eric Zawadzki

Developer: Dave BrookshawEditors: Dixie Cochran, Ellen P KileyArtists: Andrew Trabbold, Chris Huth, Prisilla Kim, Borja Puig

Linares, Brian Leblanc, Subroto Bhaumik, Joel Biske, Jeff Holt, Chris Bivins, Leo Albiero, and Michael W. Kaluta

Art Director: Mike ChaneyLayout and Design: Becky J. McGarityCreative Director: Richard ThomasDevelopment Producer: Rose BaileySetting Consultants: Amado Guzmán & Pedro César Díez RamónPlaytesters: Agena Allen, Lathouras Athanasios, Arran Boyd,

Michael Buono, Ian Crawford, Magkakis Constantinos, Jason Darnell, Edd Duggan, Steve Emmott, Lian Eyers, Jim Fisher, Magkakis Georgios, Ellie Hall, Jon Hall, Frances Horrocks, Tom Horrocks, Luke Ijebor, William Ijebor, Dave Jones, Serena Jones, Alec Kleier, Grace Lapsley-Martinez, Jessica Mallegol, Jason Mar-tinez, Amanda McCartney, Nathan McCartney, Raido McComas, Carl Miller, Stephen Mitchell, Cassandra Murray, Jack Murray, Kapsalis Panagiotis, Acacia Limoges Peters, Brendan Quigley, Alanna Quigley, Duncan Ring, Alex Robertson, Sam Schlobohm, Phil St Leger-Harris, Dave Solares, Fern Stewart, Adele Taylor, Mark Townshend, Kay Tucker, Paul Tucker, Jessica Wardman, Nick Welker, Mark Anthony Williams II

Special Thanks Bill Bridges for creating MageEveryone who participated in Open Development online for

commentary, community, and critiqueTravis Stout, Neall Raemonn Price, Joe Carriker, and Malcolm

Sheppard for constant design and development discussionSam Townshend, Mark Townshend, Rafe Richards, Agena

Allen, Chris Allen, Dave Jones, Ian Crawford, Jon Hall, and Ellie Hall for playing in my Mage chronicles

Dedication: The wise masters who Awakened before me; Bill Bridges, Joe Carriker, Ethan Skemp, Matt McFarland, Eddy Webb, Stephen DiPesa, for paving the way as Mage Developers

To my late father, Peter Brookshaw, for his pride when I got this job

To Sharon Brookshaw, for her infinite patience with wizards— Dave Brookshaw

© 2016 White Wolf Publishing AB. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of White Wolf Publishing AB. Reproduction prohibitions do not apply to the character sheets contained in this book when reproduced for personal use. White Wolf, Vampire and Chronicles of Darkness are registered trademarks of White Wolf Publishing AB. All rights reserved. Night Horrors: Unbidden, Vampire the Requiem, Werewolf the Forsaken, Mage the Awakening, Storytelling System, and Ancient Bloodlines are trademarks of White Wolf Publishing AB.. All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by White Wolf Publishing AB.

The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned.

This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. Reader discretion is advised.

Check out White Wolf online at http://www.white-wolf.com

Check out the Onyx Path at http://www.theonyxpath.com

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3TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 11Themes 11

The World is a Lie 11Addicted To Mysteries 12

How to Use This Book 12Chapters 13An Introduction to Storytelling Games 13Inspirational Media 14

Mage Media 14Non-Mage Media 14White Wolf Books 15

Chapter One: Faces of Magic 19Paths 19

Acanthus: The Witch 20Acanthus Magic 20The Witches’ Walk 21

Mastigos: The Warlock 23Mastigos Magic 23The Warlock’s Legion 24

Moros: The Alchemist 26Moros Magic 26Alchemical Distillations 27

Obrimos: The Thaumaturge 29Obrimos Magic 29A Thaumaturge’s Secret Names 30

Thyrsus: The Shaman 32Thyrsus Magic 32Shaman Songs 33

Orders 35Adamantine Arrow 36

Core Beliefs: The Adamant Way 36Origins 37Mysteries 38Concepts 38Stereotypes 38

Guardians of the Veil 39Core Beliefs: The Exoteric and Esoteric Tenets 39Origins 41Mysteries 41

Concepts 42Stereotypes 42

Mysterium 43Core Beliefs: Corpus Mysteriorum 43Origins 44Mysteries 45Concepts 45Stereotypes 45

Silver Ladder 46Core Beliefs: The Elemental Precepts 47Origins 48Mysteries 48Concepts 48Stereotypes 48

Free Council 49Core Beliefs: Libertine Creed 49Origins 50Mysteries 51Concepts 51Stereotypes 51

Seers of the Throne 52Core Beliefs: The Will of the Tyrants 53Origins 54Mysteries 54Concepts 54Stereotypes 55

Chapter Two: Through Awakened Eyes 59

The Fallen World 59The Supernal World 60

The Supernal Realms 61Eyes Wide Open 65

Mage Society 67Sects 67Cabals 68Consilium 69Caucuses 70Assembly 71Convocation 71The Iron Pyramid 72Legacies 72

Lexicon 73

Chapter Three: Supernal Lore 79Character Creation 79

Step One: Character Concept 79Step Two: Select Attributes 79Step Three: Select Skills 80Step Four: Determine Skill Specialties 80Step Five: Add Mage Template 80Step Six: Choose Merits 81Step Seven: Determine Advantages 81

The Awakening 81Character Advancement 81Gnosis 84Mana 86Wisdom 87Nimbus 88High Speech 90

Mage Sight 90Peripheral Mage Sight 90Active Mage Sight 90Focused Mage Sight 92Building Mysteries 93

Summoning Supernal Entities 94The Summoning 95

Matters of the Soul 97Soul Stones 98Creating Demesnes 99

Merits 99Mundane Merits 104

Chapter Four: Magic 111Spellcasting 111

Improvised Spells 111Yantras 112Praxes 112Rotes 112Spell Factors 112Withstanding Magic 114Casting the Spell 115

Paradox 115Releasing Paradox 115Containing Paradoxes 116Paradox Conditions 116

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Down and Dirty Spellcasting 117General Spell Considerations 117

Clash of Wills 117Dispellation 118Countermagic 118Casting During Combat 118Casting During a Grapple 118Spell Stacking 118Spell Control 118Combined Spells 118Teamwork 119

Yantras 119Semiotics 119Unlocking the Imago 119Place 119Actions 120Tools 121Dedicated Tools 122

Practices 123Initiate (•) 123Apprentice (••) 123Disciple (•••) 123Adept (••••) 124Master (•••••) 124

Creative Thaumaturgy 125Step One: Declare Intent 125Step Two: Determine Arcanum and Practice 125Step Three: Determine Effect and Cost 125Step Four: Determine Withstand Trait 127Step Five: Primary Factor 127Step Six: Cast the Spell 127

Death 128• Initiate of Death 128

Ectoplasmic Shaping 128Deepen Shadows 128Forensic Gaze 128Shadow Sculpting 128Soul Marks 128Speak with the Dead 128

•• Apprentice of Death 129Corpse Mask 129Decay 129Ectoplasm 129Ghost Shield 129Shape Ephemera 129Soul Armor 129Soul Jar 129Suppress Aura 129Suppress Life 130Touch of the Grave 130Without a Trace 130

••• Disciple of Death 130Cold Snap 130Damage Ghost 130Devouring the Slain 130

Ghost Gate 130Ghost Summons 131Quicken Corpse 131Quicken Ghost 131Rotting Flesh 132Sever Soul 132Shadow Crafting 132

•••• Adept of Death 132Enervation 132Exorcism 132Revenant 132Shadow Flesh 132Withering 133

••••• Master of Death 133Create Anchor 133Create Avernian Gate 133Create Ghost 133Deny the Reaper 133Empty Presence 133Sever the Awakened Soul 133

Fate 134Hexes 134Boons 134• Initiate of Fate 134

Interconnections 134Oaths Fulfilled 135Quantum Flux 135Reading the Outmost Eddies 135Serendipity 135

•• Apprentice of Fate 135Exceptional Luck 135Fabricate Fortune 136Fools Rush In 136Lucky Number 136Shifting the Odds 136Warding Gesture 136

••• Disciple of Fate 137Grave Misfortune 137Monkey’s Paw 137Shared Fate 137Superlative Luck 137Sworn Oaths 137

•••• Adept of Fate 137Atonement 137Chaos Mastery 138Divine Intervention 138Strings of Fate 138Sever Oaths 138

••••• Master of Fate 139Forge Destiny 139Pariah 139Miracle 140Swarm of Locusts 140

Forces 140• Initiate of Forces 140

Influence Electricity 140Influence Fire 140Kinetic Efficiency 141Influence Heat 141

Nightvision 141Receiver 141Tune In 141

•• Apprentice of Forces 142Control Electricity 142Control Fire 142Control Gravity 142Control Heat 142Control Light 142Control Sound 142Control Weather 143Environmental Shield 143Invisibility 143Kinetic Blow 143Transmission 144Zoom In 144

••• Disciple of Forces 144Call Lightning 144Gravitic Supremacy 144Telekinesis 144Telekinetic Strike 145Turn Momentum 145Velocity Control 145

•••• Adept of Forces 145Electromagnetic Pulse 145Levitation 145Rend Friction 145Thunderbolt 146Transform Energy 146

••••• Master of Forces 146Adverse Weather 146Create Energy 146Eradicate Energy 146Earthquake 147

Life 148• Initiate of Life 148

Analyze Life 148Cleanse the Body 148Heightened Senses 148Speak With Beasts 148Web of Life 148

•• Apprentice of Life 148Body Control 148Control Instincts 149Lure and Repel 149Mutable Mask 149Purge Illness 149

••• Disciple of Life 150Bruise Flesh 150Degrading the Form 150Honing the Form 150Knit 150Many Faces 150Transform Life 150

•••• Adept of Life 151Accelerate Growth 151Animal Minion 151Life-Force Assault 152Mend 152

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Regeneration 152Shapechanging 152

••••• Master of Life 153Create Life 153Contagion 153Salt the Earth 153

Matter 154• Initiate of Matter 154

Craftsman’s Eye 154Detect Substance 154Discern Composition 154Lodestone 154Remote Control 155

•• Apprentice of Matter 155Alchemist’s Touch 155Find the Balance 155Hidden Hoard 156Machine Invisibility 156Shaping 156

••• Disciple of Matter 156Aegis 156Alter Conductivity 156Alter Integrity 156Crucible 157Nigredo and Albedo 157Shrink and Grow 157State Change 157Windstrike 157Wonderful Machine 157

•••• Adept of Matter 158Ghostwall 158Golem 158Piercing Earth 158Transubstantiation 158

••••• Master of Matter 158Annihilate Matter 158Ex Nihilo 158Self-Repairing Machine 159

Mind 159• Initiate of Mind 159

Know Nature 159Mental Scan 159One Mind, Two Thoughts 159Perfect Recall 160

•• Apprentice of Mind 160Alter Mental Pattern 160Dream Reaching 160Emotional Urging 160First Impressions 160Incognito Presence 160Memory Hole 160Mental Shield 160Psychic Domination 161Telepathy 161

••• Disciple of Mind 161Augment Mind 161Befuddle 161Clear Thoughts 161Enhance Skill 162

Goetic Summons 162Imposter 162Psychic Assault 162Sleep of the Just 162Read the Depths 162Universal Language 163

•••• Adept of Mind 163Gain Skill 163Hallucination 163Mind Flay 164Possession 164Psychic Projection 164Psychic Reprogramming 164Terrorize 164

••••• Master of Mind 164Amorality 164No Exit 164Mind Wipe 165Psychic Genesis 165Social Networking 165

Prime 165• Initiate of Prime 165

Dispel Magic 165Pierce Deception 165Supernal Vision 166Sacred Geometry 166Scribe Grimoire 166Word of Command 166

•• Apprentice of Prime 166As Above, So Below 166Cloak Nimbus 167Invisible Runes 167Supernal Veil 168Wards and Signs 168Words of Truth 168

••• Disciple of Prime 168Aetheric Winds 168Channel Mana 168Cleanse Pattern 168Display of Power 168Ephemeral Enchantment 169Geomancy 169Platonic Form 169Stealing Fire 169

•••• Adept of Prime 169Apocalypse 169Celestial Fire 170Destroy Tass 170Hallow Dance 170Supernal Dispellation 170

••••• Master of Prime 170Blasphemy 170Create Truth 170Eidolon 171Forge Purpose 171Word of Unmaking 171

Space 172Keys 172Sympathy 172

• Initiate of Space 172Correspondence 172Ground-Eater 173Isolation 173Locate Object 173The Outward and Inward Eye 174

•• Apprentice of Space 174Borrow Threads 174Break Boundary 174Lying Maps 174Scrying 174Secret Door 175Veil Sympathy 175Ward 176

••• Disciple of Space 176Ban 176Co-Location 176Perfect Sympathy 176Warp 177Web-Weaver 177

•••• Adept of Space 177Alter Direction 177Collapse 177Cut Threads 177Secret Room 178Teleportation 178

••••• Master of Space 178Create Sympathy 178Forge No Chains 178Pocket Dimension 178Quarantine 179

Spirit 179The Gauntlet 179• Initiate of Spirit 180

Coaxing the Spirits 180Exorcist’s Eye 180Gremlins 180Invoke Bane 180Know Spirit 180

•• Apprentice of Spirit 180Cap the Well 180Channel Essence 180Command Spirit 181Ephemeral Shield 181Gossamer Touch 181Opener of the Way 181Shadow Walk 181Slumber 181

••• Disciple of Spirit 181Bolster Spirit 181Erode Resonance 181Howl From Beyond 182Place of Power 182Reaching 182Rouse Spirit 182Spirit Summons 182

•••• Adept of Spirit 182Banishment 182Bind Spirit 183

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Craft Fetish 183Familiar 183Shadow Scream 183Shape Spirit 184Twilit Body 184World Walker 184

••••• Master of Spirit 184Annihilate Spirit 184Birth Spirit 184Create Locus 184Essence Fountain 185Spirit Manse 185

Time 185Spinning the Thread of Time 185Temporal Sympathy 186• Initiate of Time 186

Divination 186Green Light / Red Light 187Momentary Flux 187Perfect Timing 187Postcognition 187

•• Apprentice of Time 187Choose the Thread 187Constant Presence 187Hung Spell 187Shield of Chronos 188Tipping the Hourglass 188Veil of Moments 188

••• Disciple of Time 188Acceleration 188Chronos’ Curse 189Shifting Sands 189Temporal Summoning 189Weight of Years 190

•••• Adept of Time 190Present as Past 190Prophecy 190Rend Lifespan 190Rewrite History 190Temporal Stutter 191

••••• Master of Time 191Blink of an Eye 191Corridors of Time 191Temporal Pocket 191

Attainments 192One-Dot Attainments 192Two-Dot Attainments 192Three-Dot Attainments 194Four-Dot Attainments 195Five-Dot Attainments 196

Legacies 197Prerequisites 197Initiation 197Legacy Advantages 198Legacy Attainments 198

The Eleventh Question 200Other Legacies 202

Chapter Five: Fallen Laws 207Traits 207

Attributes 207Physical Attributes 207Social Attributes 208Skills 208Mental Skills 208Physical Skills 209Social Skills 210Skill Specialties 211Virtues and Vices 211Size 212Speed 212

Rolling Dice 212When to Roll Dice 213Willpower 213Attribute Tasks 213Muddling Through 213Actions 213Time 215Social Maneuvering 215Opening Doors 216

Combat 216Optional Rule: Beaten Down & Surrender 216Down and Dirty Combat 217Initiative 217Attack 217Defense 217Dodge 217Unarmed Combat 218Ranged Combat 219General Combat Factors 219Weapons and Armor 220Injury and Healing 222Upgrading Damage 223Healing 223Objects 223

Disease 223Drugs 224Overdose 224Electricity 224Extreme Environments 224Fire 224Poison 225Equipment 225

Availability and Procurement 225Size, Durability, and Structure 225Dice Bonuses 225Game Effect 225Mental Equipment 225Physical Equipment 226Social Equipment 227

Conditions 230Improvised Conditions 230

Lingering Conditions 230Tilts 231

Chapter Six: A World of Magic 235

Left-Handed Mages 235The Mad 235Banishers 236Liches 237Reapers 237Scelesti 238

Fallen Worlds 239Mysteries Are Everywhere 239The Realms of Earth and Flesh 239The Realms Invisible 244Beyond the Lie 250

Invisible Entities 252Denizens of Other Realms 252Entering the Fallen World 253Manifestation & Possession 253Game Systems 253Ephemeral Influence & Manifestation Conditions 258

Anchor 258Resonant 259Open 259Reaching 259Gateway 260Materialized 260Familiar 260Fettered 260Urged 261Possessed 261

Numina 261Awe 261Blast 261Dement 261Drain 262Emotional Aura 262Entropic Decay 262Firestarter 262Hallucination 262Implant Mission 262Left-Handed Spanner 262Mortal Mask 262Pathfinder 262Regenerate 262Seek 262Speed 263Sign 263Stalwart 263Telekinesis 263

Chapter Seven: Mysterious Places 267

London, UK 267

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7TABLE OF CONTENTS

Runewalking 267Awakened London 269Awakened Politics 269

Los Angeles, USA 270Astral Intrusions 270Mage Politics 271

Salamanca, Spain 273Mysterious Books 273Gates and Worlds 274Fleeting Worlds 275The Salamanca Consilium 276

Tokyo, Japan 276A History of The Awakened 276Phenomena in Tokyo 277Tokyo’s Orders 278

Tucson, USA 280The Phantom Bells of Mission San Xavier del Bac 280Awakened Politics 282Awakened Tucson 282

Chapter Eight: Storytelling 287Room 101 287Creating Conditions and Tilts 288

Conditions 289Tilts 290

Music is Always: A Chronicle-Building Tool 290

Top 10 291Classics and Oldies 291Nostalgic 291Sad Songs 291

A Rose is a Rose: Shadow Names 292

Nothing so Frivolous 292Self-Fulfilling Prophecies 292Ritual Grounding 292Who You Are, Why They Think You Are 292

Making Mysteries 293Fair Play 293Backwards Crafting 293Seeding a Scene 293Open Ended Mysteries 293

The Duel Arcane 294Step 1: Determine the Stakes 294Step 2: Determine Doors 294Draw Swords 294First Blood or Last Blood 295

Appendix One: Supporting Cast 298

Sleepers 298Curse of Quiescence 298

Mystery Cults 300Punching Up: Playing a Sleeper 301Sleeper Merits 302

Sleepwalkers 303Free of the Curse 303All Shapes and Sizes 303Sleeper to Sleepwalker 303Moments of Genius 303Shield Maidens and Flag Bearers 303Archetypes and Concepts 304Sleepwalker Merits 305

In the Blood: Proximi 307Familial Curses 307Family Lines 307Place in Society 307

The Sisters of the Mountain 308Slaves of the Throne 310

Servitors 310

Appendix Two: Legends of theFall 311

The Time Before 311Ascension 312

Appendix Three: Conditions and Tilts 314

Addicted (Persistent) 314Amnesia (Persistent) 314Blind (Persistent) 314Broken (Persistent) 314Bonded 314Charmed 315Connected (Persistent) 315Defeated 315Deprived 315Disabled (Persistent) 315Embarrassing Secret 315Enervated (Persistent) 315Fugue (Persistent) 316Guilty 316Humbled 316Informed 316Inspired 316Leveraged 316Madness (Persistent) 316Megalomaniacal 317Mute (Persistent) 317Mystery Commands (Persistent) 317Notoriety 317Obsession (Persistent) 317Rampant 317Shaken 317Spooked 318Steadfast 318Strained 318

Swooned 318Soulless (Persistent) 318Soul Shocked 318Thrall (Persistent) 318Triumphant 319

Tilts 319Arm Wrack 319Beaten Down 319Blinded 319Blizzard (Environmental) 319Deafened 320Drugged 320Earthquake (Environmental) 320Extreme Cold (Environmental) 320Extreme Heat (Environmental) 321Flooded (Environmental) 321Heavy Rain (Environmental) 321Heavy Winds (Environmental) 321Ice (Environmental) 321Immobilized 322Insane 322Insensate 322Knocked Down 323Leg Wrack 323Poor Light (Environmental) 323Poisoned 323Sick 323Stunned 324

Appendix Four: Spellcasting Quick Reference 325

Summary 325Step One: Choose Spell 325Step Two: Choose Casting Method 325Step Three: Assign Reach 325

Common Reach Effects 326Step Four: Set Spell Factors 326

Casting Time 326Range 326Potency 326Duration 326Scale 326

Step Five: Determine Yantras 327Step Six: Check Dice Pool 327Step Seven: Pay Mana 327Step Eight: Paradox 327

Determine Paradox Dice Pool 327Contain or Release Paradox 328Paradox Roll 328Released Paradoxes 328Contained Paradoxes 328

Step Nine: Roll Spellcasting 328Attributes 329Skills 329Other Traits 329

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“Three minutes, sir.”

I meet Jasper’s gaze in the rearview mirror and nod, then go back to my preparations. In the windo

w, my

reflection looks back at me, superimposed over the Brooklyn streets.

When did I get so old? The reflection has gray hair, a beard with only a few dark patches left, and ey

es with

more lines than I remember. Too many years with not enough sleep, and the stress of the role. St

ill, I must

compose myself. My pain is not important tonight. The mages I’m meeting will rely on me to do what t

hey can’t,

what they mustn’t.Many of those with my station go masked. The ma

sk is unflinching, unchanging. I have considered it, but I

always remember advice I was given, years ago. It was the Millennial Convocation, and I was only two

years in

my post. Then-Hierarch Turifex’s Consilium was strong, but just. The worst I’d done was put down a

Scelestus

and execute some boy’s Familiar when he refused to obey a ruling.

I remember meeting my counterparts from the attending Consilia, safely away from the Convocation. H

eimdall

and Locke were masked, but Cronus wasn’t. He looked so out of place sitting next to the three of us, like

a benign

great uncle smiling at children.

“The mask is a tool for separating yourself from your duty,” he said, “but used incautiously it becomes

a tool

for intimidation.”“Isn’t that the point?” Locke asked, but the old ma

n shook his head and smiled.

“What need do the condemned have of intimidation? Their sentence has been decided; it is for you to c

arry it

out. To protect ourselves, we all too often become cruel. As Guardians, is it not our duty to put other mag

es first?”

“Even those we execute?” I asked.

Cronus had been Interfector of Philadelphia when the Reapers of Cloud Infinite infiltrated its Assem

bly. He

had been Interfector when the Eye of Tyranny was stolen by its own caretaker, when a cabal of witch

es delved

into alternate times and came back as hollowed-out things that ticked like clockwork. He had more blo

od on his

hands than the three of us put together.

He seemed so sad, but kind.

“Especially those,” he replied.

• • •

My watch reads six minutes to midnight when Jasper pulls the car up to the sidewalk outside our desti

nation.

It’s nothing to look at, from here — just an anonymous, drab office conversion. One of many “tempora

ry” field

sancta for the Consilium in exile. Inside, I know that over half a dozen Awakened and many more sta

ff are still

PART I

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here, despite the hour. The anger, the threats, the recriminations — they’ll have all burned out by now, replaced with a tiredness that won’t let them leave, look away, or rest. That’s why I’m here.At the witching hour, death comes like an old friend.The master of this house is Horatio, Deacon of the Brooklyn and Queens Caucus of the Silver Ladder. In most other cities on Earth, he’d be at the top of the totem pole, but this is New York. We may have lost Man-hattan, Turifex may be in disgraced self-exile, but the Pentacle holds. We have a new Hierarch, and Horatio answers to her.He meets me in his study, and lets me know just how welcome I am.“This is an outrage! With due respect, you Guardians can’t just wander in and take over. This is an internal théarch matter, and... ”“And Hierarch Seshat, your Archdeacon, sent me. You are still a member of this Consilium, correct?”He fumes, but I’ve known him long enough to know that he’s not really angry. He was expecting me, as he should have been, but has to make the pretense of reluctance. Too many of his subordinates are here for him to risk looking weak.“Correct.”“As was the victim, and as is the accused?”He nods, glancing at the door behind him. Thinking of his Caucus, listening in.“And the accused, she turned herself in?” I ask.“Yes.” he replies.“Then I am here to exact justice. Take me to her.”

• • •

How do you imprison a mage, especially a Mastigos? The locals have put her in a guest bedroom stripped of all but the most basic furniture, and confiscated her tools. They even put a guard outside.No one’s fooled. She could vanish in a heartbeat, if she wanted to. Which means her contrition goes beyond turning herself in — she’s accepted her fate.When I enter, she’s sitting on the floor in a corner, head in her hands. She looks barely old enough to be my granddaughter, if my granddaughter still existed.“Genevieve.”She wipes her eyes and looks up at me.“I’m Outis.” I say, as gently as I can. Recognition plays across her face. She knows who I am.“You’re here to kill me?” She sounds exhausted.“Perhaps. First, I need to know exactly what happened. It’ll be quick; I can pull your memories out with a spell and —”She shudders, shaking her head.“Please don’t. Don’t make me see it. I can’t...” she draws a ragged breath, “...I can’t see it again.”She’s in no fit state for this.“Alright, I won’t. But Genevieve, I need your confession. It is still a confession?”“Yes. I did it. I killed her.”I take a notebook and pen from my jacket, place it on the floor between us.“Then write it. I’ll wait, and no one else will disturb you. I’ll keep them out of here until you’re ready.”She nods, and I knock on the door for the guard to open it.“Gee,” she says. I turn back. She’s already picked up the pen. “Everyone calls me Gee.”“I’m sorry we met like this, Gee.”

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11Themes

INTRODUCTION

I’ll tell you the ultimate secret of magic. Any cunt could do it.– Alan Moore

As you walk down the street, you feel it. Though the sidewalk is choked with people, they all remain oblivious, not one of them reacting to the building as they walk past it. You were like them once, blind to the secrets beneath the skin of the world, but one day you Awakened. Somewhere high above you, the apartment — and the thing it contains, calls to you. It’s a Mystery. You will solve it, and you’ll take its power for yourself.

Mage is a game about secret knowledge and hubristic pride, about knowing too much, becoming separated from your peers by special insight into the incomprehensible forces and twisting occult conspiracies behind a Fallen World.

Mage is a game of power and hubris, of the temptation to allow your reach to exceed your grasp, of knowledge outpacing wisdom. It’s a game about obsession, turning away from comfort-able Sleep to chase the weird and the occult. It’s mages as occult detectives, confronting the supernatural of a gnostic world.

ThemesMage depicts the Awakened, human beings who have

unlocked the potential buried deep within everyone to see the many layers of occult symbolism and magical conspiracy influencing everything in the world. More than mere passive observers, though, mages have power; their insight grants them the Art of magic, the ability to manipulate symbols to cast spells. As vulnerable as any other human when surprised, but capable of grand, terrible feats of impossibility when prepared, mages deepen their insight — their Gnosis — by understanding the Mysteries of the supernatural, and apply it through their accumulated knowledge of ten Arcana, each a combination

subdivision of reality and academic discipline. The more power mages gain, the more esoteric Mysteries they can chase; and on and on it goes, until they escape the world entirely or succumb to its dangers. Mages must contend with both the monstrous inhabitants of the Fallen World and the majority of human beings, Sleepers whose souls recoil from magic.

The World is a LiePeople imagine that the world they can touch and see is real —

more real than pure concepts. The abstract only exists to define the concrete. This world is all there is, a cruel, oppressive regime that grinds souls down with a thousand tyrannies. A whispering voice in the back of the head saying, You’re worthless. You’re only human. Don’t look. Concentrate on surviving the here and now.

It’s a Lie. A falsehood, created by invisible enemies from the symbolism of oppression and the Paradoxical energies of an Abyss of untruth. Mages Awaken when they confront the Lie, when they look deep inside themselves, or are shocked outside of themselves and see past the Lie to the symbols beneath. They call this Tapestry of hidden truth the Supernal World, and the concrete universe around them the Fallen World. Despite their Gnosis, however, mages are trapped in the Fallen World. They can look at the Supernal, but not touch. They can see how the symbols of the Supernal inform the Fallen World, but they can’t become those symbols themselves, and experience the universe as pure magic. They do, however, have evidence that something does — the Supernal has inhabitants of its own, entities of pure magic, and over the centuries mages have realized that those they see are only the tip of the iceberg. Deep in the unseen Supernal, tyrannical beings that mages call Exarchs have created the Lie to

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12 introduction

keep humanity both vulner-able to and ignorant of their

influence.Trapped halfway between Super-

nal transcendence and comforting, ignorant Sleep, mages often feel like their

lives are journeys — they can’t go back, so they must go forward. They call the symbols they have

affinity with their Paths, and describe the Mysteries with imagery of labyrinths and prisons. By meditating on

an imaginary journey, a mage can shut the physical world out and shift her consciousness inward, exploring Astral landscapes made of the human soul. And in the strangest,

quietest corners of the Fallen World, mages find signs that it was not always Fallen, that the Exarchs did not always rule, that

in a vanished Time Before humanity was free, and that through unknown means mages may Ascend to dwell in the Supernal forever.

Addicted To MysteriesOne hard rule of magic: It can’t be fully learned without being expe-

rienced. Magic leaves the practitioner transformed, and the journey of encountering the mysterious and exploring it is as important to a mage’s development as whatever rush she feels at the end of the trail

when something’s been pinned down and understood.And the world is teeming with Mysteries.

Mages can’t shut their Gnosis off. Once your soul is opened to the insights of a Path, it’s always there. Every supernatural event, from the least ghost using

its Influences to the greatest cosmic Mysteries, stands out to a mage without trying. She feels an itch, or a faint aura, or a sense of someone walking over her grave.

Constantly.Other supernatural beings can pretend that the world’s still “normal” despite

becoming vampires, or werewolves. Mages know that the supernatural is nearly omnipresent. Even if they try to live normal lives, they’d soon be provoked by their own sense for the uncanny.

A rare minority can’t take it, lashing out at the Mysteries and even other Awak-ened, but most are made of sterner and more prideful stuff. Their Paths call them to face the unknown, to understand it, and grow closer to the Supernal. With increasing insight, their powers grow, allowing them to reach for more difficult Mysteries, despite the very real risks to themselves and others. The great flaw of the Awakened is hubris, the certainty that their obsessions are an end worth any means, and the pride in their own abilities that comes before a terrible fall.

How to Use This BookMage: The Awakening is a Storytelling game of modern sorcery. It contains

everything you need to play an Awakened mage, able to pierce the Lie and create spells to impose her will on the world. This book is a complete game in the second

edition Storytelling system, with full rules for character creation, running the game, and magic, along with rules for playing the still-Sleeping friends, associates, and

servants of mages. It also features the Fallen World Chronicle, in which mages confront the Mysteries of the Chronicles of Darkness, and includes five sample

settings filled with Mysteries to explore to that end.

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13An introduction to storytelling games

Truths and LiesMages gain their powers from deals with the devil.

False, nor do they rely on pacts with any other being. Mages can and often do deal with su-pernatural entities, and even enter into binding agreements with them, but the potential for magic can’t be granted by a pact and comes entirely from within.

Magic runs in the family.

No seventh sons of seventh sons here, at least not among the Awakened. Family lines called Proximus Dynasties do inherit a faint, weak reflec-tion of Supernal power, but anyone can Awaken.

Magic stems from belief

False; no Sleeper culture has a monopoly on magic, and the powers of cultural practitioners remain subtle and weak, if they even exist at all. Mages perpetuate this rumor inadvertently by using the symbols of “magical” techniques and practices in their own spells, but the trappings ar-en’t responsible for the magic.

The presence of nonbelievers ruins magic

Often used as an excuse by would-be wizards for their failures, this is actually true, but belief in magic is not the problem. Anyone not a mage or a rare nearly-Awakened Sleepwalker bears a shard of the Abyss within her soul, which not only damages spells she witnesses but warps memo-ries, making a bystander forget any obvious mag-ical effect she may have seen.

Mages see the unseen, and understand many mysteries

Very true, and it sets them apart from their Sleeping kin.

ChaptersChapter 1: Faces of Magic introduces the five Paths to Awak-

ening from the Lie, each one linked to a different facet of the Supernal World. It also presents the Orders, six global organi-zations of the Awakened who differ in their beliefs regarding magic’s purpose.

Chapter 2: Through Awakened Eyes describes the Awaken-ing itself, details the Fallen and Supernal Worlds, and explores mage society.

Chapter 3: Supernal Lore gives rules and game systems for Awakened characters. It reveals the properties of Gnosis and Mana, describes the Mage Sight willworkers use to probe Mys-teries, gives rules for summoning entities from the Supernal World, and describes the many uses and vulnerabilities of the human soul.

Chapter 4: Magic presents the rules for casting spells in a game of Mage, whether from the many example spells given or using the guidelines for inventing your own. It reveals the Attainments, magical capabilities developed by experienced mages, and how mages can specialize their sorcery into Legacies that grant unique powers.

Chapter 5: Fallen Laws covers the Storytelling system, the rules that describe and resolve the action in a game of Mage. When it comes to a firefight with an eldritch horror or persuad-ing a senior mage to give you access to a resource, this chapter has you covered.

Chapter 6: A World of Magic describes the Fallen World and its inhabitants from an Awakened perspective, from the Left-Handed mages censured by the Orders, to the myriad places of power and phenomena mages explore, to the invisible realms of the Astral, Shadow, and Underworld. It also contains rules for the many ephemeral entities mages encounter while exploring the Fallen World.

Chapter 7: Mysterious Places showcases five sample settings for Mage games, each with a central Mystery. Why do phantom bells ring out over Tucson? What has caused the Astral Realms to wash over Los Angeles? What secrets lie in the tangled streets of London?

Chapter 8: Storytelling covers the core principles behind running a game of Mage. It describes the basics of bringing the Chronicles of Darkness to life, gives advice on running mystery plotlines, and provides optional techniques for designing a character’s relationships and rules for the Duel Arcane.

Appendix 1: Supporting Cast gives guidelines and rules for Sleepers, Sleepwalkers, and Proximi, and details their roles in magical society.

Appendix 2: Legends of the Fall describes the two central myths of the Awakened; the fall of Atlantis and the hope of Ascension.

Appendix 3: Conditions and Tilts is a reference section for the range of lingering effects caused by supernatural powers and other systems.

Appendix 4: Spellcasting Quick Reference is a reference section for the core systems found in Chapter Four.

An Introduction to Storytelling Games

In all likelihood, you know what a storytelling or roleplaying game is already. If you’re new, here’s the basics.

In Mage, you and your friends tell stories of a core cast of characters exploring Mysteries in the Chronicles of Darkness’ Fallen World, a grim version of our own world. Roleplaying

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games are like ongoing comic books or TV dramas, like The Invisibles or True Detective. Each gaming session, which usually last between two and six hours, is like a weekly episode or single issue, building into distinct storylines as you play. Mysteries are uncovered, and the price is paid.

The ideal group size for Mage is around two to five players, taking on one main character each. You’ll make decisions for your character — what Mystery she’s obsessed by, how and when she uses magic, how she reacts to betrayal, love, or anger.

One player, the Storyteller, is responsible for portraying characters who don’t belong to specific players, and presenting fictional situations that challenge the other players’ characters. Think of these as the supporting cast — both ongoing characters who help or oppose the core cast, and one-off antagonists who turn up to cause unique kinds of trouble.

As for challenging the player characters, it’s the job of the Storyteller to come up with scenes where the players have to make decisions fraught with conflict and danger. The Story-teller narrates a situation, then the other players say how their characters respond. The most important question a Storyteller can ask is, “What do you do now?”

When a character acts, the outcome of the action is deter-mined by rolling a handful of dice. The basics are simple.

You add a few numbers on your character sheet (a mini-dos-sier) and roll that many dice. You’ll find out whether your action works, or fails and gets your character into more trouble.

While players other than the Storyteller will generally be advo-cates for their characters’ successes, planning ways in which they can succeed, a lot of drama and fun comes from when things don’t go well for the protagonists. Again, think of a television series…the most interesting episodes are often the ones where everything goes wrong for the characters until they find a way to turn it around. That said, the Storyteller should make sure characters have a chance to bounce back rather than constantly dumping suffering on them.

The Storyteller is responsible for……bringing the setting to life through description.…deciding where scenes start and what’s going on.…portraying characters who don’t belong to other players.…involving each player and her character in the ongoing story.…putting players’ characters in tough spots, encouraging

interesting decisions.…facilitating the actions players’ characters take, while making

sure there are always complications.…making sure that poor dice rolls affect but don’t stop the story.The players are responsible for……creating their own individual characters as members of

the cast.…deciding what actions their characters take.…making decisions that create drama and help keep the

story moving.…highlighting their characters’ strengths and weaknesses.…confronting the problems the Storyteller introduces.

…developing their characters’ personalities and abilities over time, telling personal stories within the overall story of the game.

Everyone is responsible for……giving other players chances to highlight their characters’

abilities and personal stories, whether that’s by showing them at their strongest or weakest.

…making suggestions about the story and action, while keep-ing in mind the authority of players over their characters and the responsibility of the Storyteller to occasionally make trouble.

Inspirational MediaMage draws on stories of obsession, conspiracy, mysteries, and

the occult. It’s a popular fusion — fantasy and horror fiction is replete with occult detectives, wielding magic against mystery. Here’s some of the media that inspired this game.

Mage MediaHellblazer, published by Vertigo comics. John Constantine,

nicotine-stained, trench-coated asshole demonologist and mage, has been the character other occult detectives are measured against for decades. His jackdaw magical style fits Awakening’s mages, but it’s his sheer inability to let a mystery go despite the ever-increasing fallout for those around him that really makes him stand out.

The Invisibles, published by Vertigo comics. The titular magician-terrorists assign “cabal” roles by symbolism, take on Shadow Names, and fight the forces of universal oppression in a world that’s a hologram between larger, Supernal realities. The story’s antagonists were a primary inspiration behind the Seers of the Throne; an early arc even has what Mage calls Profane Urim in it.

The Night Watch pentology, by Sergei Lukyanenko, deals with a gritty Chronicles of Darkness-like Moscow with a ma-ny-layered magical world underneath, only the shallows of which are accessible. If you need a hand understanding the Fallen / Supernal Worlds, give it a go.

House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski, is a metatextual horror novel, at least two layers of which could describe a Mas-tigos Awakening or Pandemonic Verge. Beware the Minotaur.

The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher, describes a supernatural noir world inhabited by Chronicles of Darkness-like monsters and a wizard private eye who means well but often ends up hurting himself more than the bad guys.

Non-Mage MediaTrue Detective, created by Nic Pizzolatto, is an anthology

TV series, each season showing a different cast of damaged, obsessed individuals chasing a terrible Mystery.

Dark City, directed by Alex Proyas, initially looks like it might be Mage Media but veers into a different genre by the end. An amnesiac suspected of murder tries to discover the secrets behind the strange, night-time city he inhabits.

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