Talk:Awful Ideas In Progress

Aberrant without the single origin setting, since some people really want to be magical or god-blooded or whatever.

Tentative names: Aberrant Arcana?

Character Generation

Basic Changes

"Nova Points" no longer exist and are called "Transformation Points" (TP) instead. Similarly, Quantum no longer exists, instead all character archetypes have their own powerstat. Furthermore, powers no longer have a minimum Quantum requirement. To compensate, buying up a character's Blessing is made somewhat more useful and generally adds +1d to the activation rolls for any power which is not already affected by Quantum/etc (such as, for example, Animal/Plant Mastery). Powers which lack activation rolls and are independent of Quantum in Aberrant gain their own special effects.

The Quantum-related backgrounds Eufiber, Node, and Gadget also no longer exist. Instead, use the new backgrounds below.

New Character Abilities and Backgrounds

New Backgrounds

Secret Identity: This background is primarily for 4-color inspired games wherein characters are expected to be costumed superheroes (or villains) although it can be used for espionage-heavy games as well. This background gives the character a secret identity and an alibi, allowing them to live a double life, keeping their work away from their family and friends. Each dot in this background adds +1 difficulty to any attempts to recognize the character or find their secret identity as long as they take basic precautions. In a 4-color game, those precautions may be as simple as 'wear a different costume take off glasses when fighting crime' but in a grittier game it may involve separating both lives and making great sacrifices, keeping even close friends and family members in the dark. A character may buy this background multiple times for multiple secret identities.

Device/Artifact: Replacing Eufiber and Gadget, this background provides enhancements to a single mundane device of any sort (Vehicle, weapon, armor). However, this background costs double if enhancing very heavy weapons, vehicles, or similar large devices (anything weighing more than 20-30kg), and cannot be used to enhance anything larger than a car. Signature Gear gives a single item indestructability under normal conditions and attunes the item to the character, and also each dot in the background improves an item, with all benefits being cumulative. Device may be purchased multiple times to have multiple signature items, and is often the basis for a gadget.

Device or Artifact */**/***/****/*****: The character has a single exceptional example of a (relatively) mundane item. Each dot in the background provides two of the following enhancements to the item, although no enhancement may be bought more than (Device rating) times. In addition, Devices are always attuned to the character and are considered nearly indestructable.

+1 Accuracy and +1 Defense (for melee weapons), or +1 Accuracy and +100% Range (for ranged weapons)

+2 Damage

+100% Rate of Fire and Magazine Size

+[1] to all damage adds

+1B/1L/0A Soak, and 1 Armor HL, or +2 Armor and 5 Vehicle HLs

-2 Penalty (for armor), or +1 to Maneuverability and +25% to safe and maximum speed (for vehicles)

+1 to a single attribute while in use

+2 to a single ability while in use

Item is disguised or has enhanced concealability (reduce concealability category by 1, or disguise the device as another device entirely)

Alternate Form (replaces Dormancy): Some characters have limited shapeshifting between two forms, typically with one much more powerful than the other. Alternate Form provides these characters with the ability to freely switch between such forms, taking 1 combat turn (3 seconds) per change. Even a single dot of Alternate Form allows for massive changes between the two forms, but additional dots allow for the alternate form to have some powers in its own right. Body modifications may apply to both forms or only the primary form. The rules given below assume a human or humanoid alternate form-characters who can transform into cats or rabbits or crows or the like may start with attribute adjustments and body modifications (such as Tiny). As a special benefit/restriction, Alternate Form does not adjust a character's health levels to reduce bookkeeping and also provide characters a margin of safety in their alternate forms.

Alternate Form *: A weak alternate form. Lose all access to powers and Mega-Attributes, including the basic benefits of the character's powerstat. Body modifications may be used in either form by default, but may be defined as only manifesting in a single form (for disguise purposes).

Alternate Form **: A moderately capable alternate form. The alternate form may have up to 2 TP of powers, retains the character's powerstat (at 1), and may alter attributes by +/- 1 dot, as long as the totals for each category (physical, social, mental) remain the same. The alternate form's powers do not have to be identical to those the primary form has, but should have some relation.

Alternate Form ***: A more powerful alternate form. This form may have up to 5 TP of powers, retains the character's powerstat (at 1), and may alter attributes by +/- 2 dots, as long as the total attribute dots remain the same.

Alternate Form ****: An even more powerful alternate form. This form may have up to 8 TP of powers and retains the character's powerstat (at 2). The character may have altered attributes as with Alternate Form ***. The character may also switch around body modifications for the alternate form as long as the XP total remains the same.

Alternate Form *****: An alternate form which is extremely powerful in its own right. This form has up to 10 TP of powers and retains the character's powerstat at 2. The character may switch body modifications and alter attributes for this alternate form in an identical fashion to Alternate Form ****.

New Abilities

Adamant Hand (Dex, Special): The platonic ideal of a 'martial art', Adamant Hand is ritual magic in motion, with every forms and kata being a step in a magical ritual, providing masters of the art with supernatural ability. Rare and difficult to learn, this combat art costs double per dot to purchase with XP or BP and cannot be purchased via starting ability dots (this includes the bonus ability dots for being a Hero). If a character seeks to teach Adamant Hand via Instruction, the difficulty is (10 - lowest physical, mental, or social ability), and a student who seeks to learn Adamant Hand must have a total number of dots in Martial Arts (both Hard and Soft) equal to (desired rating + 3), and an Occult of at least 3. Furthermore, characters with any attribute lower than 2 cannot learn Adamant Hand at all, for it requires perfection in all things. Characters with any attribute lower than 3 may not advance past 2 dots, and characters with any attribute lower than 4 may not advance past 3 dots.

Adamant Hand *: +1 Accuracy and Defense to all unarmed attacks. Add Adamant Hand rating to Stamina for calculating soak.

Adamant Hand **: +1 Damage to all unarmed attacks. Character needs half as much water, air, food, and sleep (rolls for asphyxiation/dehydration/etc double their intervals). Double healing rates, reduce wound penalties by 1, and add Adamant Hand rating to Willpower for health levels.

Adamant Hand ***: +1 Accuracy and Defense to all unarmed attacks. Reduce multiple action penalties by 1 for unarmed attacks only. Add Adamant Hand rating to Dexterity for movement speed and Initiative. Add Adamant Hand rating to Strength for jump distances and lifting ability.

Adamant Hand ****: +1 Damage to all unarmed attacks. Reduce wound penalties by an additional 1 (total 2).

Adamant Hand *****: +1 Accuracy and Defense to all unarmed attacks. Character may parry any attacks unarmed, even bullets and other fast-moving projectiles.

Occult (Int): Occult is applied and theoretical magic, the skill of using normal (i.e. not imagos) magical methods to accomplish tasks. It is used for rituals, enchantment, blessings and curses, and examining magical items. Although everyone can in theory learn magic, in low-aether areas the difficulty for all but the most minor tasks is quite high and requires extended rolls to succeed on. Occult has its own rules for common use.

Thought Control (None): Thought Control is mental hardening against mind control and reading, a method of thinking and mental discipline that allows a character to resist and shrug off mind control. Unlike in Aberrant, where superhumans are new and rare, the relative prevalance of militarized posthumans has led to this becoming a necessary skill for many. Each dot of Thought Control adds +1 to Willpower for the purposes of resisting mind-affecting powers.

Gadget Heroes and Limited Powers

Unlike in normal Aberrant, heroes can get their powers via advanced cybernetic implants, suits of powered armor, giant mecha, extended mystical rituals to unlock their actual power, and so on. This has mechanical support, as powers which are not always available are more effective for their cost. In general, if the powers can be denied to the character, they are worth less. Note that the TP gained in this way are by default limited to improving the power of the item in question which contains the character's powers. If the character wishes to use them to discount the gadget (and get Mega-Attributes, powers, imagos aptitudes, and so on that are not so limited), they halve the bonus TP.

Having powers come from a source that can be stolen or is not always available (due to hiding in hyperspace, requiring a few hours a day to recharge, or whathaveyou) gives 1 bonus TP per 10 TP invested. Having a source which are difficult to conceal, unsuitable for going around day in and day out with, and cannot be trivially summoned out of the aether when necessary (such as a bulky suit of power armor that weighs a ton, only having powers in certain areas, or a magical ritual that turns you into an eldritch horror, grant 1 bonus TP per 5 TP invested. Powers which are extremely difficult to use in normal circumstances due to size, locational, or other restrictions (examples include a ritual which only works in a specific set of circumstances, a giant robot, or powers that only work when in defense of the country or people whose soil you stand on) grant 1 bonus TP per 2 TP invested. Note that these limited power bonuses are only relevant if they are significant. A suit of skintight power armor that can be hidden under clothing (or even emulate clothing) is not considered 'unsuitable for day to day wear'.

Power Level

Gadgets have a powerstat, Power Level, independent of the character's own capabilities, that determines their ability to throw around firepower. A character's power stat (Imagos, Interface, Arete, etc.) gives any gadgets they have that Power Level for free. For example, a Hero with Arete 3 may buy gadgets with Power Level 3 for free, without paying additional TP for enhancing these gadgets, and a gadget they buy with Power Level 5 only costs 10 TP to go up to PL 5. Characters who do not have powerstats may buy gadgets, but pay full price for the Power Level of each.

New Rules

Ritual Magic

As opposed to Imagos, ritual magic is the purview of the sorcerer, witch-doctor, alchemist, and other occultist. Anyone can in theory learn ritual magic, although in practice acquisition of this knowleddge is difficult enough that few seriously immerse themselves into the occult. Those who do almost always live beyond the veil in the mystic realms, where technology is rarer and often generations behind what is available in the material realm due to aetheric disruptions. Ritual Magic provides a valuable service there, curing the sick, blessing the fields, providing enchanted tools and weapons, and more.

The ambient aether levels of the environment give all tasks via ritual magic a base difficulty-lower-aether areas make it nearly impossible for any rituals to be properly accomplished without significant teamwork and effort. Each roll for ritual magic is assumed to take 1 hour.

Null Aether Zones: +8 difficulty, multiply successes required by 10

Low-Aether Zones (most of the material world): +4 difficulty, successes required multiplied by 2

Adequate Aether (low-power zones in the mystic world, chancels allowing travel between the material and mystic): +2 difficulty

Moderate Aether (most of the mystic world): +0 difficulty

Aether-Rich: Successful magic ritual rolls gain an additional automatic success.

Very Aether-Rich: Successful magic ritual rolls gain an additional 3 automatic successes.

Additional sorcerers can assist in rituals. Characters with Occult 1 add +1d, characters with Occult 3 add +2d, and characters with Occult 5+ add +3d to the roll. Similar to lab assistants, only up to (Charisma + Occult) additional participants can be used in a ritual.

Ritual magic can be used for various purposes, of which the most common are listed below:

Blessings: Blessings are an extended roll. For a blessing, each success rolled adds +1 to a character's dice pool for a single roll related to the blessing, or +1 to an attribute for the purposes of a static value (such as soak or movement speed). Although any number of successes can be accumulated, only a number of bonus dice equal to the caster's Occult score can be used at any one time. Additional successes past that only allow the blessing to last longer. For unrolled blessings, the benefits last 1 scene, plus 1 additional scene per multiple of the bonus. For example, a ritualist with Occult 4 blesses someone with +Stamina for soak purposes and rolls 6 successes. He could have a blessing of +4 Stamina for soak that lasts 1 scene then becomes a blessing of +2 Stamina for 1 scene after that, +3 Stamina for soak that lasts 2 scenes, +2 Stamina for soak that lasts 3 scenes, or +1 Stamina that lasts 6 scenes. A character may only apply a single blessing to a roll at once.

Curses: Curses are extended rolls that work like reversed blessings. Every 3 successes rolled add +1 to the difficulty of an action that the curse affects, up to a bonus difficulty equal to the caster's Occult score. An individual curse only lasts for one roll, but multiple curses (up to a character's Occult score) may be stacked on a character.

Unweaving: Unweaving is undoing a blessing or a curse.

Healing: Healing rituals are a common application for ritual magic, providing characters rapid recuperation from wounds. Ritual healing has a base difficulty of +0, but this difficulty is increased by +1 for every 3 levels of wound penalty the subject of the ritual is suffering (so a character at -3 is at +1 difficulty, a character at -6 is at +2, and so on). Characters who are incapacitated count their wound penalty as their highest pre-incapacitated penalty, and add an additional +1 to the difficulty of the ritual. Each success heals 1 bashing health level or transforms a lethal health level to a bashing health level. This healing is not instant, but occurs over the span of 1 hour per health level healed. A character may not be subjected to such a use of ritual magic more than once per day.

Enchantment: Enchantment is an extended roll with base +0 difficulty for anything simple (swords, bows, helmets, cuirasses), but more finely machined components increase the relative difficulty of enchantment. Anything more advanced than medieval equipment, such as muskets or late-era platemail, is at +1 difficulty to enchant. Machined tools and weapons such as repeating firearms are +2 difficulty. Extremely finely machined systems (such as engines, modern firearms, and the like) add an additional +2 difficulty, and being powered by an internal source (i.e. not being wind, water, or muscle-powered-this includes automatic and semi-automatic firearms, which are recoil-operated) add yet another +2 difficulty. Electronics add an additional +4 difficulty, and anything more complex than a vacuum tube cannot be enchanted. Each success on an Enchantment roll adds +1 to an item characteristic (accuracy, defense, damage, Bashing/Lethal soak, Destruction rating, reducing armor Penalty by 1, etc.) or +1 to any rolls where the item is applicable (so an enchanted rope can add its bonus to all climbing rolls, for example). 3 successes on an Enchantment roll allow the item to add +1 to any attribute or ability. No item may provide more benefits in any single category than the enchanter's Occult rating, and no item may have more total enhancements than three times the enchanter's Occult rating.

Scrying: A character scrying an area rolls Int + Occult for the ritual. A single success can give a faint idea of something's whereabouts, or give a very vague image of an object, person, or room. Additional successes increase the resolution of the information given, with 5 or more successes giving mostly perfect information. Scrying requires specific information about the object being scryed. Every piece of critical information that is missing from an augury adds +1 difficulty to the roll and doubles the required successes for a usable image. As an example, attempting to scry the location of a murder weapon would ideally require a character to know who the murderer was and what the weapon is. A character who knows neither is at +2 difficulty and requires quadruple successes.

Wards: Wards exist against scrying or against entry. Wards require an extended Int + Occult roll, with each success on a Ward roll means that a scrying occultist must gain 1 additional success before his scrying attempt gains any information. Furthermore, if the intruder rolls fewer successes than the warding character's Occult rating, the Ward alerts its subject of the failed attempt. A Ward against entry works differently, barring any member of a single category of intruder (vampire, human, demon, elf, robot, whathaveyou) from entering the warded area for 1 minute per success. Furthermore, such wards deal the caster's Occult rating in Bashing damage. Wards against entry do not work against anything without self-will, so they cannot protect against missiles, bombs, bullets, or the like. A caster may only add up to (Willpower + Occult) * 10 successes to a Ward.

Blessings and Failings

Blessings

Blessings are the the source of power that a character draws from. Each blessing provides the character an ever-more-refined ability to affect the world with superhuman ability, leaving a mark on this earth far larger than any mere man can. At character generation, a character gets 1 level in their Blessing for free and may buy more at 5 TP/level.

Imagos

Those who are capable of dreaming magical workings into reality are said to have the gift of Imagos. Imagination allows them to create wondrous works of art, summon angels and demons, bind enchantments to tools and bodies, and anything else ritual magic does-but faster and more precisely. Furthermore, they are so suffused with magic that they may create even greater workings and cast magic with faster, more immediate effects, calling down lightning, shapeshifting, and more. Imagos allows characters who wield it to use an open-ended magical system to create their workings.

Altered Chargen Rules:
Mystics and Gurus are all incredibly strong-willed, gaining +2 to Willpower at character generation. Gurus are naturally quick or powerful of mind, gaining +1 Wits and +1 Intelligence (as well as a maximum rating of 6 in both attributes), while Mystics gain +1 to Intelligence and 3 free dots in the Occult ability due to their long schooling and harsh training in the creative arts. Espers gain neither advantage. Instead, the genetic modifications and mystic rituals that created the originals-one so powerful it was passed down via blood-give them the ability to purchase Mega-Mental and Mega-Social attributes, and a free dot of 1 Mega-Mental attribute.

Power Points:
The wielders of Imagos use the essence of all things that can and might exist, Quintessence, as their fuel source, with a pool of Quintessence equal to (Willpower + [Imagos * 2]). Quintessence is respired at the rate of 1 point per hour in zones with adequate aether concentrations or higher or 1 point per day in low and null-aether zones.

Basic Benefits:
Imagos does not inherently toughen its wielders, but it does provide a form of enlightenment, allowing a character to better use any magical talents they may have. Imagos wielders add their Imagos to any Occult rolls they make. In addition, every magical aptitude they have provides them additional permanent benefits.

Power Restrictions:
Mystics and sorcerers are merely human and may not normally purchase Mega-Attributes, body modifications, enhancements, or powers. They have the unique ability to access magical aptitudes, unlike all other hero types.

Psi

Psi is a rare talent that a handful of mutants have, giving them

Interface

The Priors created a sapient uplift virus eons ago, spread it far and wide, and soon after disappeared. Nobody yet knows what it is-a desperate attempt to ensure racial survival, some sort of dragon's teeth awaiting a war that never came, a benevolent gift to the other sapients in the galaxy, or any of a thousand other theories have been posited, but there is no evidence for or against any one of them. Most of the time, it stays inert. When it manifests due to replication error, it gives incredible power. Superhuman physical ability beyond the limits of normal flesh or machinery. Integrated attack powers, defenses, the ability to transmute matter. The only cost is that ever-so-slowly, the tendrils of advanced nanotechnology and things so far beyond nanotechnology rebuild the host body and possibly even the mind to forward their own agenda. The lucky ones gain the power of the precursors without any incredible physical mutation. Some are not so lucky.

Power Points:
The Prior mycelial network that infuses the bodies of metahumans and provides them their powers runs off of Bioenergy. Given their feats, even the notably increased caloric requirements of metahumans fails to explain where all the energy comes from-so the fuel for the body must be some sort of catalyst. Outlandish theories about hyperspace taps or wormholes to the Big Bang exist to explain how a 10,000 Calorie a day diet can allow someone to juggle tanks for hours or wipe out city blocks. Metahumans have a bioenergy reserve of ([Stamina * 2] + [Interface * 5]). A metahuman regains bioenergy reserves at 1 point per hour of relaxation, and 2 points per hour of rest, as long as they have an adequate energy supply, such as food. Starving metahumans will not regenerate bioenergy.

Basic Benefits:
The nanomycelium growing throughout a metahuman's body is a technological marvel beyond compare. Not only does it channel abilities that challenge mundane physics, but it also substitutes as an environmental adaptation and survival system, transferring oxygen and nutrients directly into cells, sealing wounds, eliminating toxins, and fighting infections. Metahumans are immune to non-engineered diseases and any environmental conditions less harsh than exposure to the Arctic without winter clothes or running around the Sahara in a parka during noon, gain an automatic success on rolls to resist toxin exposure, and have a number of extra health levels equal to (Interface). They automatically stabilize themselves at Incapacitated and will not bleed to death.

Arete

Heroic figures are the unlucky gamblers facing the house in an unfair game-but their dice are always loaded. Via being extremely fortunate, possessing ability that edges above what is possible for a human (but never exceeds it to the extent of other posthumans) and general excellence, their capabilities are impressive in a different way to the blatant power of mystics, demigods, and enhanced supermen.

Power Points:
Heroes draw power from their own excellence and their own certainty, running off of Confidence, which they have a reserve of equal to (Arete * 2). They regain 1 point of confidence whenever they fulfill one of their willpower regain conditions, succeed in an extremely impressive way (a roll with a margin of success of 5+) which gives no other benefit, or a good night's sleep. In addition, heroes have one last advantage. They may trade Confidence and Willpower freely, spending one like the other.

Basic Benefits:
Heroes are extremely focused, rarely prone to failure, and very hard to get rid of. They gain a number of Heroic Health Levels equal to (Arete * 2), may reroll up to (Arete) failed rolls a session, and gain double benefit whenever they spend Willpower.

Failings

Being a great man is not all cookies and sunshine. Failings are the side effects of power. Some character types have Failings that work like Taint, slowly accumulating permanent disability. Others have Failings which work more like Exalted's Limit, relatively quickly accumulating points and bleeding them off. Failings can bring benefits, but are often more trouble than they're worth.

Paradox

Non-Esper mystics who use Imagos warp the world in extremely brutal, unpredictable ways. The repercussions they inflict commonly create unwanted effects, backlashing on the user. The power and will of a mystic allows them to contain this force, compensating for it by sheer force of will, but more often than not the results leak out. This leakage is called Paradox.

Mystics gain 1 point of Paradox whenever one of these results is achieved. Note that all of these conditions are cumulative.

Botching any use of Imagos

Failing a direct use of Imagos on an animate object

Spending more than (Intelligence) points of Quintessence to enhance spells

Casting any magic reflexively

At character generation, a mystic may take a point of Permanent Paradox for +2 TP. Permanent paradox is never removed, but is always rolled for backlashes.

Having a high level of Paradox increases the unpredictability of spells. For every 3 points of Paradox a Mystic possesses, they roll a separate die to their Imagos when casting. If this die comes up a success, it increases the power of the spell as if the Mystic rolled an additional success on their Imagos roll. If this die comes up a failure, the mystic's spell is warped unpredictably, allowing the ST to dictate one unexpected or harmful change. A protective spell enhances an opponent alongside the mystic's allies, the mystic hits an ally with lightning alongside his foes, a spell to possess a living target targets the wrong victim-any mishap is allowable. The Mystic may instead accept 1 point of paradox to avoid this mishap after it is announced.

Whenever a character accumulates additional paradox, they risk a backlash at the end of the scene. Backlashes are unpredictable, wild manifestations of magic that are rarely for the better. A mystic who suffers the risk of a backlash may either allow it to happen, or roll (Willpower - Paradox) to prevent it. If a character's current Paradox is higher than their Willpower, the backlash may not be prevented. When a backlash happens, a mystic rolls his/her current paradox total. Each rolled success increases the backlash's potency by 1 (a backlash starts at potency 1) and removes 1 point of paradox from the total. Every point of Potency allows the ST to reduce any single trait of the mystic by 1 for a scene, add +1 difficulty to a roll, or create 1 negative environmental change (such as repelling metal, or feeling double normal gravity). Backlashes generally, but do not always, relate to the most recent castings of the mystic.

As an alternative to suffering paradox, a mystic may seek to mitigate its effects via using Quintessence. Spending 1 Quintessence allows a character to roll 1d. If the roll succeeds, the character mitigates 1 point of Paradox gain.

Insanity

Espers are not all there. Overuse of their powers and constantly straining them fractures their human worldview, brings them closer to the truth of the universe-and Lovecraft was at least partially right. Under the veneer of human conventions, language, and descrption, the universe is an uncaring, harsh place, one which the human mind, stripped of the protective measures of cognitive dissonance and logical fallacy, fails to survive. Espers, when exposed to the universe, adapt to it, being driven mad by their own insight.

Espers gain 1 point of permanent Insanity for every dot of Imagos they have above 4 and every dot of a Mega-Mental or Mega-Social attribute they possess. This means all Espers start with a minimum of Insanity 1. Whenever they pay Quintessence to augment one of their magical actions or botch a magical action, they gain 1 point of temporary Insanity. Finally, whenever they spend Willpower on an action that fails anyways, they gain 1 point of temporary Insanity.

Temporary Insanity may fade away at the rate of 1 point per session in which no insanity is gained.

Every point of Insanity, temporary or permanent, gives the character a point of a mental aberration (as in Aberrant). A minor mental aberration counts as 1 point, a moderate one 2, and a severe one 4. Furthermore, characters add +1 difficulty to all rolls to interact in a non-threatening manner with other people past Insanity 4 (and another +1 difficulty past Insanity 8). Characters with 10 points of permanent Insanity are unplayable.

Overload

A Psion rolls their Psi rating as a backlash roll at the end of any scene in which they used their powers. Each success is 1 unsoakable level of bashing damage that may only be healed naturally. Similarly, failed psionic effects or overstressing psionic effects are straining. Spending more than Psi/2 points of Psi on a single effect forces a backlash roll, as does a critical failure on any psionic roll or spending Willpower on a Psionic roll.

Edges

Edges are weak powers derived from one source or other that anyone can acquire. A scion or mystic creature may have some fixed magical effects, anyone with enough pluck, determination, overall excellence, and sheer iron will can gain some level of capital-H Heroism, and there are those who have weak psionic ability or a faint amount of divine blood.

"Minor" edges are very weak versions of powers or duplicate innate abilities of a superhuman type, equivalent to Adventure! knacks, and typically cost 1-2 TP each. "Major" edges are outright equivalent to low-end abilities a superhuman classification has and cost 3 TP each. Edges are deliberately inefficient, as they cross boundaries and archetypes.

New Powers

Imagos

Imagos works differently from psionics. A mystic can create any effect in a Realm allowed by his or her Permissions, rather than using fixed spheres of effect or fixed aptitudes. These effects are initially minor but may be enhanced by Masteries.

Realms

Realms do not have fixed definitions. A realm can be defined at purchase as any fairly broad field. "Higher lifeforms" would be a valid realm (covering all sapient species), as would "Animals", or "Machines", or "Inert Matter", or "Spirits", or so on. The broader the realm, the more expensive a permission for that realm is, outside of a few exceptions.

Permissions

A Permission defines what magical effects the character can inflict on something in one of their realms. There are five core permissions.

Alteration

Conjuration

Destruction

Mending

Summoning