this is a follow up on Ancients "notes towards the advanced magic book" file listed elsewhere on this site. I'm going over the text with a fine toothed comb and seeing what looks potentially interesting to my players so far and are open to question on how the function and working on those initally. I'll be posting the original notes plus comments I've made for feed back and trying to codify workable rules. Any feedback will be appreciated.

So lets Dive in and get to work

1) Initiation: The Next Step

Advanced Initiate Groups
Details: How initiate groups work. Basically, initiate groups ease magical advancement by guiding the initiate along a set path of gradual revelation, using the group's mythology and rituals to guide the initiate through the metaplanes. By understanding the group's mythos and lore, the initiate essentially already has the keys to overcome their challenges in a structured manner; i.e. their way is already paved for them by the magicians that started the group. The most advanced magicians in the group are the ones researching and experimenting with how to take the next step.
- Politics (multiple memberships, multiple initiations)
- Avatars (spirit-intermediaries of groups) and group-specific astral quests
- Benefits of Leadership (or "Why We Start Initiate Groups")
-- Teamwork
-- Sharing Resources
-- Cooperate and Graduate

[So are we talking possible Karmic Reductions in initation or other areas if the groups take some of these strictures?]

Life Magic
-- This is a severely restricted version of the Sacrificing metamagic; it follows the general rules for the Sacrificing metamagic but the targets can only be the caster themselves. It does not count as the prerequisite for the Invoking Blood Spirits, Cannibalize, or Power Bleed metamagics.
-- Limited version of Sacrificing that may be learned by self-initiation.

[At this point, I'm adding some examples of Earth Dawn uses of blood magic as a template to go from. I'm not certain how powerful to make these so feedback on making them possible more or less powerful is appreciated].

Blood Oath: In a nut shell, this is the cutting of one's palm and allowing ones blood to mix with another's, swearing a pact (the language of said will vary from area to area) or making a promise to one another that is reasonable to both parties (IE: not hurting one another via direct or indirect means). Both parties take one box of damage on the physical track that stays during the duration of said oath (traditionally a year and a day). Breaking the pact, while healing the damage box, results in scar both physical and astral that will remain on the pact-breakers aura that cannot be healed, with the astral signature of the name of the betrayed (nom de magicks apply) visible to those who look at the scar or can assense the target via standard tests. Those who do keep the pact, will retain the scar on the astral and physical, but will get a +1 die bonus to social tests to those who realize that the scar was the result of keeping ones word. A mage assensing the target will understand the nature of the astral scar and realize the person does keep their word.

Blood Promise: This is a more advanced version of the Blood Oath, with a promise from both parties in question to accomplish a dangerous task together while in mutual support of each other. The time limit that they have to accomplish the task must be stated, and the characters can name a skill that would be used while the task is being completed. When completing the Ritual, both parties receive bonus dice up to Magic+ initiation grade of the Ritual Leader (typically a mage). If the pact is broken, the same scaring rules apply as per Blood Oath.

Limited Astral Projection
-- Prerequisite: Astral Perception
[okay sounds interesting, but how is it different from Ghostwalking?]

Passage
-- Can press through astral barriers, including mana barrier spells, wards, astral constructs, and the living earth
-- Adds Initiate Grade to such tests, improves speed by (Initiate grade) meters/round (?)
[For Clarity: The magi's base speed + init grade in meters per round?]

Possessing
-- Prerequisite: Astral Projection
[This ability should go off of the Magi's Magic + Charisma or Willpower. I would think as it is little different from summoning and controlling a Spirit or Elemental]

Postmodern Magick
-- Postmodernism is about departing from tradition and embracing a change in perspective. In magical terms, it means a magician broadening their basic assumptions, expanding their understanding of their tradition by understanding other traditions. The character can name (Magic + Initiate grade) traditions other than their own; they can freely use the formulae and theses from these traditions without translating them into their own.
[This should be a initiate ability of at least grade 3 as all the sorts of access should be hard to tap, plus a decent arcana skill. We are talking deconstructing magical mindsets here which doesn't happen overnight].

(Spirit) Summoning
-- Can summon and bind a spirit outside of your usual tradition
-- no spell association for this spirit type (?)
--- No Aid Sorcery, spell learning, spell sustaining (?)
-- Spirit has materialization or possession as appropriate to your tradition (?)
[there might be a caveat for GUTM mages once they learn Postmodern Magick]

Playing an Insect Magician
These are basically rules and guidelines for creating and playing a PC that follows an insect tradition. While communicating with intelligences as alien as insect mentor spirits takes its toll mentally and physically, some magical traditions incorporate insect mentor spirits (or at least an aspect of them), and players can either walk the line between sanity and madness or take a long, slow slide into becoming yet another magical threat.
[No. Just No. I had a twink player ask about this during character gen and knew a rules mechanic when I saw one. The prospects for abuse are just too much.]

Advanced Free Spirit PCs: Flesh-Form Free Spirit
- Additional rules for creating free spirits with the inhabitation power as a PC option
- No, this doesn't mean insect spirits; the character is assumed to be a free ally or the like
Can inhabit a homunculus or choice of small critter (ref. Running Wild for pets)
[Same idea here, though a Flesh Form Free Spirit NPC has all sorts of possibilities]

Mundane Arcana
- What can a mundane learn? Not a whole hell of a lot, but more than you might think.
Possibility of limited version of Assensing available for mundanes - mainly restricted to interpreting astral photographs or if the character is caught in an astral shallow; would default to Intuition.
[There was a document somewhere showing exactly what mundanes could do with all the sorts of magical skills. We'll need to incorporate that into the new version]

New Negative Qualities:

Aura Void
- Cannot be taken by characters with an Essence higher than 1.
-- The character has almost no aura; they cast a shadow on the Astral and little else to indicate that they are living beings. This is, to say the least, pretty freaky to any magician, spirit, or dual-natured paracritter that the character comes in contact with (-4 to all Social modifiers except Intimidate), any assensing test targeting the character takes a -6 dice pool modifier.
[So....you get the Cyber-zombie Aura. Nice for the heavily chromed.]

Black Magician
-- Earned or not, the character has a negative reputation among other magicians of their tradition, by dint of their style, training, mentor spirit, etc. 2 dice negative modifier to Social tests with such individuals, and cannot join ritual magic or initiatory groups of such traditions unless they are also "black magicians"
[Um....so the actual social penalty for being a 'black magician'. Does this actually apply to the written black magician tradition, or is the person considered a creep by even them?]

Bleeding Oath
-- The character willingly made a promise on their own blood, and is magically bound to uphold or fulfill that obligation. If the character breaks the oath (or fails to fulfill it within the agreed time period) they die. Their Essence drains away at 1 point per round; physically it appears that the character is bleeding out.
-- The oath cannot be forced; the character can be drunk, drugged, exhausted, or tortured, but not magically controlled or coerced.
-- Must be administered by a magician that knows the Sacrificing metamagic technique.
-- Alternately, this can be a spell or opened up to all characters by eschewing the need for the Sacrificing metamagic.
[We might want to consider this one kept in the metamagics because of the sheer social implications. And for some of the darker traditions it makes perfect sense]

Rote Learner
-- The character never bothered to learn the subtleties of spellcasting. As far as they're concerned, all spells are fire-and-forget. The character cannot cast a spell at a Force lower or higher than their Magic rating. To participate ritual sorcery, the spell /must/ be cast at a Force equal to their Magic rating.
[As a thought, A lot of Combat mages might have this flaw]

New Mentor Spirits
-- Seriously, as many as we can squeeze in, particularly ones with different advantage/disadvantages.
We Talking Archetypes here or Named Spirits [i.e. Dog?]

Wine of Lethe
--- Powerful magical compound derived from laes; user treated as under the effects of Flux for the duration, but also suffers from amnesia for the same period. Some memories may be lost permanently.
[Was this what Harlequin was supping when he got a visit from Vistrival?]
[No it was Alemestra. Never Mind.]

New Enchantments:
Astral Battery
--- "Charged" with Absorption, can hold (Force) "charges" to help offset drain
[Make this an initiate learned ability that was recently leaked? Possible shadow op here]

Mana Web
--- Dreamcatcher-like fetish used to "record" an astral signature before it fades away.
[So, a Mage's version of the Kirilian Camera]

Spirit Gyre ("Permanent Binding Materials")
--- We actually had these in SR3, they sorta went out the window with the new summoning/binding paradigm. Basically, they're binding materials that don't get used up. Caveats: they have a single, set force and spirit type; one a site is chosen and set up, they cannot be moved; and they are hard to cover up. A large throw rug might work for a small spirit gyre, but more powerful ones can take up proportionally more space.
[Perhaps incorporate this into Lifestyle stuff for Mages?]

Permanent Banishing for Free Spirits using True Name
-- Ramifications for PC Free Spirits. [Pretty much a way to kiss ones character goodbye. Unless they know how to hide their True Name. Perhaps something a spirit can learn on it's own?]
-- All natural copies of spirit formula disappear, leaving only recorded copies
-- /Can/ be undone only if someone is stupid enough to go retrieve the free spirit from the metaplanes, which is much harder, and impossible without a copy of their spirit formula.
[So is this like the reverse of an Egyptian 'unmaking' ritual which wipes the targets name from all writings and leaving only word of mouth remembrance of the targets True Name in the mind of those who knew it to begin with. Perhaps rewriting it that way might make a bit more sense]

6) Advanced Sorcery
Reverse Ritual Magic
-- If you're targeted by ritual magic, you can use the link to track the sending or send your own ritual spell back down the link to disrupt it. Since there is no indication of how long the ritual is, your own casting is probably going to be fast and furious.
[Definitely a Rush the Job Ritual Casting, using the rules for Rushed casting previously provided. Depending if the Gm's is feeling cruel, they might decided not to let players spend Karma on the Rush the Job. As it is, the risk of screwing things up is pretty nasty if the lead mage character blows it. Causing physical damage to everyone as a result of blowing the drain roll.]
-- Alternately: you can use a bonded focus or a properly prepared link object to set up a reverse ritual in advance - i.e. instead of taking a chunk out of a building to blow it up, you mail them a lock of your hair, then cast a ritual fireball that'll destroy the link object and damage the surroundings.
--- Could be munchy
[Nah, that just being sneaky. But make sure the Link is gone when casting the spell....]

New Adept Powers:
[Critter] Call
- Prerequisite: Animal Empathy
-- Can attempt to attract animals of an appropriate type within (Magic) kilometers, who arrive at their own pace
-- Opposed Charisma + Magic Test
-- Works a treat on cockroaches, not so much on paracritters. Sapient critters resist automatically, but can sense the call and choose to heed it.
[Combine this with Insect Shamans and you get a new level of horror to play with]

Politics
Should be a combination of soft guidelines and hard strictures. Initiations beyond group status or while holding forbidden other memberships could be exempt from the group rebate.

Avatars
Could provide a dp modifier for astral quests depending on the allignment between the purpose of the quest and the group purpose. Up to +/- (half highest initiate grade)?

Teamwork (1-3, group choice)
Requesting help from other group members is done with a dp mod of 1-3; doing stuff for the group in return is always part of the deal.

Sharing Ressources
Guidelines on acceptable behaviour. Share knowledge, share formula, share work, share money. Would provide limits on teamwork.

Cooperate and Graduate
Maybe developing a spell on your own would reduce the karma cost, with the group providing helping hands (teamwork test). Helping with an initiation (the already present group rebate) would come with a time requirement, and handled likewise.

Add the blood pact the Triads use. Where you die when you break your word. Because it kind of fits here, doesn't it?

Why on earth would creation of this be an initiate ability, unlike any other enchantment in the book*, Absorption is already an advanced metamagic.

*Seriously any enchanter can make any kind of foci she has the formula for, no need to even know the metamagics needed to use metamagic focies.

That magical battery reminds me of something from CthulhuTech.



This sounds like something I'd expect in Thera, and that Aztech or MCT could cook up from their involvement with Oscuro, or other corps with fragments of old knowledge on mana batteries.