The following is a preview of what I'm submitting to Adam for the website:
Eventually, magicians and adepts may wish to initiate themselves into the higher mysteries of magic. They may choose to walk the path alone, through self-initiation. Many, however, desire to work with others in learning the ins and outs of metamagic, reducing the chance of doing something “dangerous.”
For those that decide to take the route of group initiation, there are many choices. First, they may decide to join one of the many existing groups that have sprung up around the sprawl. These various groups are larger than most and provide excellent access to research facilities and resources. Some wish to follow a different route, and will gather with a few other like-minded souls to create their own exclusive groups.
Below is information on these groups…
The Raptors
For reasons of his own, Dr. Sebastian Hawke, a local Seattle philanthropist, has opened his Everett estate to those that wish to share their knowledge of the metaplanes and other arcane information.
Type: Initiatory
Strictures: Limited Membership (Hermetics only, males only, no orks/trolls), Fraternity, Geasa, Obedience
Resources/Dues: High, Dues currently 1,000¥ per month. Rating 8 hermetic libraries in all skills, Rating 8 magic circle (in basement). The group operates out of the private home of Dr. Hawke, a well-appointed estate along the cliffs in Everett. The basement contains the spaces for ritual magic and summonings. The group operates like a Victorian era Gentleman’s Club or fraternity. Members have the option of living in the home, which provides a Middle Lifestyle (residence and food only, cars, clothing, and personal belongings not included – doing so grants a 10% discount for Middle (or higher) Lifestyle costs while staying at the estate). Members are expected to stay at the house for at least one week every six months, during which time they help maintain the various resources around the home, restock various supplies, organize the library, etc. During this time, the member cannot perform any other actions, including shadowrunning, magical research, or other tasks. Members receive a 10% discount on normal magical materials and foci.
Customs: This group is devoted to magical research and the personal development of its members. Dr. Hawke often holds discussions about the duties that come with having access to the mysteries of life and magic –those with power have moral imperative to help their fellow man. Though dedicated to the scholarly study of magic, the group also uses its resources to oppose the use of harmful magics (such as blood magic, (meta)human sacrifice, toxic shamans, etc.). They frown on violent shadowrunning, preferring to use their power and resources to improve mankind. Though the group has no formal strictures mandating this ethical code, the group and its members try to maintain a high standard of ethics.
Obedience is expected towards officers of the group, which of course includes Dr. Hawke as Master Hunter of the group. Among members, initiate grade is a loose method of determining “rank” and while there is no official obedience due, the custom is usually to defer to those of higher rank; otherwise, all members are considered equal and are expected to help their brothers.
Members which somehow loose magical ability are required to bolster their skills through the use of geasa. Normally, members learn to channel their magical power through chants or spoken formulae, commonly spoken in forgotten words of power. Dr. Hawke maintains an excellent library, including esoteric texts on ancient languages such as Old English, Ancient Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Egyptian, and Enochian. Somatic movements or gestures are also favored among the members, and there is a rumor that Dr. Hawke’s private library contains tomes of magic which is based on such skills.
The Spirit Lodge
A collection of individuals, each worshipping their own totem spirit, have gathered together to learn more about themselves and the world around them. The group explores the metaplanes in search of how to live in harmony with the Spirit and the Mother.
Type: Dedicated/Initiatory
Strictures: Limited Membership (Shamans only), Attendance, Belief, Geasa, Obedience, Oath
Resources/Dues: Middle, There are no dues, but members are expected to purchase all their magical needs through the Lodge – providing their talismongers with guaranteed business. Selling in bulk to the Lodge allows them to grant a 20% towards magical materials, ritual materials, and medicine lodge trappings. Each totem provides access to a Rating 8 medicine lodge for spell research and conjuring. The Lodge also has a growing collection of material concerning metamagics and the metaplanes (currently Rating 5).
Customs: The Spirit Lodge is dedicated to protecting Mother (the Earth) and Spirit (Astral Space and the Totems). Whenever possible, the members are encouraged to side with anyone or any organization that fights those that damage the environment or astral space. Those that follow the Toxic path, Insect shamans, and similar atrocities towards the earth and mankind must be dealt with as swiftly and decisively as possible.
The Lodge is divided into smaller councils, each council represents a Totem. The Totem with the most members is usually the most powerful and normally elects someone to govern the council, although this is not always the case. The leader of the each council is required to attend Lodge meetings, which occur every full moon (one week a month must be spent dedicated to the Lodge, and cannot be used for shadowrunning, magical research, etc). All members are required to attend a Lodge gathering every season – the week during the solstices and equinox.
The leader of the Lodge, known as the Wisdom, is in charge of all the councils. The person in this position is granted special abilities by the Lodge’s Avatar – they receive a +1 bonus to summon any spirit, not just those accessed normally by their Totem (for instance, a Cat shaman normally receives a +2 for city spirits; as Wisdom, she would receive a +1 bonus for summoning all other spirits as well.) If a member is somehow not able to attend a scheduled meeting, they can pay 5 Good Karma to avoid violating the stricture – this should not be done lightly, and should only be used in extreme circumstances, such as medical reasons.
There are rumors that certain councils will attempt to perform questionable acts in order to prevent certain influential and rival council members to attend meetings, thus weakening that council and their position during the yearly elections to determine the new ruling council and Wisdom. Nothing has been conclusively proven, as each council remains separate from the rest and they do not share certain information with other councils. Some councils, however, sometimes ally together to ensure that the Lodge moves in a direction that is conducive to their specific goals. For example, the current Wisdom is a Lion shaman, and their council has close ties to both Dog and Wolf.
Note that at this time, no one can progress past the fifth grade of initiation until the Lodge’s knowledge is increased. Members can only progress to the fourth level of initiation and beyond during the spring equinox.
The Followers of the Compass
The Followers of the Compass can be found around the world, with small “dojos” found in most major cities. The organization is based on assisting the members to “find their way” through life, and the recognition that each person has their own special gifts – Adepts which join this group are basically broken down into the common concept of Ways.
Type: Initiatory
Strictures: Limited Membership (Adepts only), Obedience, Material Link (Thesis)
Resources/Dues: Middle, 200¥ per month. Members are expected to spend one week every two months in support of the dojo, teaching others in the local community (during this time, no shadowrunning or other activities may be performed). Most dojos have space available for members to live for short periods of time – never more than two weeks; the living arrangements are usually simple dormitory or shared floorspace and shared bathroom and common areas. The organization has a large network of connections including talismongers and enchanters, and can provide a 10% discount on foci.
Customs: The Followers of the Compass structure their meetings around the cardinal points of the compass, with the leader being in the east – the traditional position of wisdom. The positions of leadership are usually held by those that have proven to be the best in their chosen “path.” Currently, the Seattle branch is led by the Way of the Warrior. Members progress by overcoming trials at each level, similar to an Astral Quest. Completing this ritual reveals new insights to the member and allows them to grow in their abilities.
Although the group focuses on the individual, they stand behind each member to assist them if the member asks for help; otherwise, the member is expected to help themselves. However, as a group, they also tend to help the surrounding community through education – many maintain dojos for teaching self defense or just physical and spiritual fitness through programs like tai chi, aerobic kickboxing, and other martial arts. This is not limited to combat adepts however – regions which have a large number of artist adepts, such as New York, sometimes sponsor art centers, dance classes, or other creative endeavors. Supporting the community in this fashion has gained the organization many friends, which usually are willing to help out other members of the dojo. No matter where the member goes, if there is a Compass dojo present, they can count on 1d6 Level 1 Contacts (approved by the GM) to help them while they are in the area. The member also gains an additional 1d6 standard Level 1 Contacts permanently (GM’s determination - we suggest selecting from Mr. Johnson's Little Black Book) in their home city. (By "standard", we mean like a fireman, plumber, or corporate secretary, not a dragon, corporate CEO, or other major NPC)
Joining Initiatory Groups
If your character is interested in joining one of the above groups, please email your desire, along with a breakdown of your character to include special knowledge skills, language skills, magical skills, your background, how you became awakened, why you wish to join the group, what you hope to accomplish, how you can contribute, and any other information you feel is relevant, to the campaign staff (missions@shadowrunrpg.com).
Forming Special Initiatory Groups
For some, they only feel comfortable in groups that are small and more interconnected. Or, maybe they just don't like the groups that are currently offered. These people may wish to create their own initiatory group. This option is certainly viable, but more difficult to achieve. First, it requires at least FOUR individuals to form a group (note that this is different from the rules in MiTS). There is no maximum number of members, but there must be at least four awakened members (note that a player can only have one member in a custom group – in other words, a player cannot create multiple characters and create his or her own group. If a player has two or more characters, only one can join a specific custom group. The other characters can join custom groups as well, but they must be a different group in each instance.) that must be full magicians, aspected magicians, or adepts of any tradition.
Once a group has gathered together, if they wish to share in their journey to the higher mysteries, they must attempt to contact an Avatar. The members must decide upon which strictures, resources, dues, and customs will apply to the group. Introspection and meditation are then required of all the members until an Avatar is contacted – during this time, no shadowrunning or other activities may be performed (the process takes at least one week – if the team decides to spend the entire month, they gain the appropriate target modifier for contacting an Avatar).
(Contacting an “Avatar” involves locating a FanPro Commando that is willing to sponsor the group. The Commando will examine the group’s members, strictures, resources, dues, customs, and other factors to determine the target number for “activating” the group. If successful, the Commando notifies the membership of their success and they can immediately, if they have the required Good Karma, Initiate with the benefits of Group Initiation. Note that the Commando must be consulted before any member attempts to Initiate to a new level, and will determine if any strictures or customs have been broken and if it has any effect on the character’s initiation.
Note that neither the Commando nor the members need to be in the same geographic location – contact via email is permissible. However, an attempt should be made to have as many members as possible meet with the Commando/Avatar at least once per year if possible. Players also do not need to be in the same area, but they MUST have at least one adventure with another group member at least once during the year. Membership in a group should be an opportunity for role playing as well as an opportunity to expand player networks.)