just for fun, new magical tradition, inspired by my caffeine addiction ;) Options

[Sheala]

My overcaffeinated brain barfed an wild idea, magic tradition based on ... coffee. The Path of the Espresso.

Of course, real coffee is hard to come by, and Path of the Espresso is not magic for street kids. You must take a geas : drink real coffee (Espresso) every morning, and if you use milk, must be real milk.
This tradition has a mentor spirit of finely made espresso, having this mentor gives you bonus to initiative, don`t know how much stat wise... don`t want to overdo it.
And penalties if you don`t drink your espresso.

First, i think its pretty logical what spirits are used :
Fire - you need heat to make water boil.
Water - Did i said "water boil"?
Plant - Its obvious, it grows on plant.
Beast: some people put milk in their coffee. And milk comes from cows (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
and finally Man, as man or woman makes coffee and drinks it.

Drain value are logic + willpower, as coffee is seen a drug of smart and educated masses,
I am also tempted to make it charisma and willpower, as after coffee consumption i feel more talkative and less able to think.

Now which spirit does what, that was a hard part:
I think milk is healthly, and as beasts are related with milk, we have Beast spirits for healing stuff. A Esppresomancer summons a cow that heals you. That was the easiest.
Water: Combat. The espressomancer hits you with hot water, your brain is cooked.
Fire: Illussion. Now it does not make much sense, but look at these pretty little flames, while the esspressomancers group is stealing your stuff.
Plant: Detection. Lets say the coffee plant start to grow at places where mage can't get and gives him second sight.
Man: Manipulation. Its him of her who manipulates all the other elements, so he or she get the manipulation domain.

Voila, instant magic tradition. On no circumstances you could use instant coffee, thats ew (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Karoline]

Don't forget their arch rivals, the Path of Beer.

You must have the geas of: Drink crappy beer (Cheapest available) at least 10 times a day.

The drain values are stupidity + drunkenness....

Okay, but seriously, I'm sure you could make an entire line beverage based traditions, but it seems very silly. Magic traditions are based on beliefs that are geared towards faith or magic. I don't think drinking coffee (Or anything short of Nectar) would qualify as a tradition on its own.

Now I could certainly imagine a geas that requires a mage to drink coffee (Or something else) based on a belief that it helps their concentration or something similar, but it doesn't really seem like the sort of thing that an entire tradition could be based on.

Oh, and coffee isn't considered the drink of intellectuals, (hot) tea is. Edit: at least by me.

[Kagetenshi]

Oh, and coffee isn't considered the drink of intellectuals, (hot) tea is. Edit: at least by me.

I'm so glad you added that edit. A mathematician isn't a device for turning tea into theorems, after all.

(If you're Paul Erdos, I guess it's really about the amphetamines, but that's not much of a drink)

~J

[Karoline]

I suppose hot tea is more the drink of the refined (Huge in England forever) while coffee is really a drink for anyone. I mean trailer park moms drink it just as much as Harvard scholars do. The only real difference is that the mom pays about 15 cents a cup for making it herself while the Harvard people pay about $5 a cup to have a little milk and a fancy title added to it.

[Kagetenshi]

Some of us pay $5 a pound to get green beans that we can roast, but yes.

(My time in Japan may also have injured my view of the refined nature of tea; they drink it like water over there. It's good, but not exclusive.)

~J

[Medicineman]

A lot more People revere tea over Coffee (India ,China, most of Asia anyway,England)
So the Patron must be a Two Faced Tea/Coffee
but you don't have to decide which Side you're on permanently:
Coffee gives +1 Initiative Die but -1 Die to Perception (If you're nervous and hasty you might Miss sth.)
Tea is the reverse -1 Ini but +1 Perception(Tea makes you more relaxed but perceptive)
and your Geasa; If you Drink Tea in the Morning yor Patron for the next 24 is the "Tea-Face"
if you Drink Coffee it's "Coffe-Face"

JahtaHey
Medicineman

[Karoline]

Considering that perception is based off intuition, isn't -1 int +1 per basically a wash? And +1 int -1 per is also a wash but you get an extra point of int. I like the idea, but you can't equate a stat change and a skill change like that. Perhaps +1 int -1 logic for coffee (Hard to concentrate when you're hyper) and +1 logic -1 int for tea (Soothes and calms you, making you slower to react, but able to focus better)

[Medicineman]

might be an even better Idea (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Hough !
Medicineman

[Sixgun_Sage]

Considering that perception is based off intuition, isn't -1 int +1 per basically a wash? And +1 int -1 per is also a wash but you get an extra point of int. I like the idea, but you can't equate a stat change and a skill change like that. Perhaps +1 int -1 logic for coffee (Hard to concentrate when you're hyper) and +1 logic -1 int for tea (Soothes and calms you, making you slower to react, but able to focus better)

Not that I don't like yours better, I do, but Medicineman was reffering to initiative, not intuition.

[Medicineman]

At first mainly because Sheala mentioned it but I think the Attribute Switch is the better Idea

Hokahey
Medicineman

[McCummhail]

My overcaffeinated brain barfed an wild idea, magic tradition based on ... coffee. The Path of the Espresso. /snip
First, i think its pretty logical what spirits are used :
Fire - you need heat to make water boil.
Water - Did i said "water boil"?
Plant - Its obvious, it grows on plant.
Beast: some people put milk in their coffee. And milk comes from cows (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
and finally Man, as man or woman makes coffee and drinks it.
/snip
Now which spirit does what, that was a hard part:
I think milk is healthly, and as beasts are related with milk, we have Beast spirits for healing stuff. A Esppresomancer summons a cow that heals you. That was the easiest.
Water: Combat. The espressomancer hits you with hot water, your brain is cooked.
Fire: Illussion. Now it does not make much sense, but look at these pretty little flames, while the esspressomancers group is stealing your stuff.
Plant: Detection. Lets say the coffee plant start to grow at places where mage can't get and gives him second sight.
Man: Manipulation. Its him of her who manipulates all the other elements, so he or she get the manipulation domain.

Voila, instant magic tradition. On no circumstances you could use instant coffee, thats ew (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Discordia approves of your intent.

I have another spin for the spirits:
Earth: Healing. Soil nourishes the plants and allows them to grow. Varying soils give different nuances of richness and aroma of the beans and leaves. The earth enriches us likewise.
Plant : Detection. Plants are the source of enlightening teas and coffees. Fortune tellers have used tea leaves, grinds and other assorted devices for centuries. Wisdom and knowledge can come from unlikely places.
Fire: Combat. Roasting the beans is pivotal. Slow-roasting to trap in flavor? A caramelizing sear? Do not take a good roasting lightly.
Water: Illusion. The infusion that delivers this elixir unto us. Rollicking clouds of steam play tricks with the hazy eyes of the freshly awoken. The subtle illusions of hydration and alertness deceiving us without even a whisper.
Man: Manipulation. The barista! An artisan who cleverly manipulates plants, ovens, steam, and milk to produce pure alchemy. The innate power in the hands of man.

I am with Medicineman on the intriguing two-sided Patron.
The penalty could be as simple as -1ini, -1perception, -1 social when the morning cup of ritual is not observed.

[Karoline]

Ah, init, mixed it up. Go dyslexia (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Yeah, that'd be alot better with init than int.

[Kovu Muphasa]

What you need are Kovu Pops.

This started in a game with Kovu and a Decker in a Coffee House
Take a Tub of Chocolate covered Espresso Beans
One Double Mint Espresso Latté
Pore over Chocolate covered Espresso Beans
Apply Spoon

The Funny thing is that at the time Kovu could one eat meat and drink water anything else would make him violently ill. So I have no idea why they named them Kovu Pops