FSN: Clock Tower

Reminder: You all have 2 more Willpower (representing adoption of the tradition fate point amount). For the purposes of the game, willpower and fate points are synonymous.

C-level spells for Elementalism and Necromancy can create sustained 'weapons' to fire basic magical bolts at enemies. You don't have use it for one-shot spells; B-level or higher spells generally are used for powerful, one-shot spells. This is to balance out the magic system, which is biased towards people with Puppetry and Spiritualism for sustainability (which was intentional, and was one of the things that made those fields distinct, but the discrepancy is too high with the low mana pools players have to work with.).

Game runs Bi-weekly.

Health and Mana Tablet

"Social-Link" Scenes Policy: Social Link scenes (PM minisessions where individual players perform actions between main sessions), are available on request. They're generally reserved for handling scenes that only include one or two players in order to prevent session disruption and maintain OOC secrecy. I reserve the right to refuse such a scene if I feel it isn't appropriate to the game.

The Mage Association is the foremost magical institute in the world, serving as a knowledge repository and support net for magisters worldwide. In addition to being a collection of regional supervisors and teaching enclaves, the heart of the organization rest in London, in the facility known as 'the Clock Tower'. Hidden from mundane scrutiny, this facility functions as the nerve center for the group's administrative body, a reliquary for mystical wonders - and an academy for the teaching and development of mages, young and old.

You are students at the Clock Tower - initiates into the Mage Association and its politics. Study hard, have fun, and survive.

Oops, did I type the last one?

Game run by BM, in case there was any confusion.

Game is capped at six people; certain people have come to me in private, but I don't know who all is committed to this. This will be decided as events warrant.

Suggestions regarding starting points and other chargen concerns go in the Discussion page.

Characters

Mildred Wattenberg Chaotic Neutral
Alicia Winters
Jessica Thompson
Lucinda McRae
Beatrice Winslow
Septimus Cibo

NPCs

The Dean: Bishie head of the school. Very calm and polite.

Professor Hyatt Winslow: The party's Mentor. A cultured, somewhat playful Master. Is cousin of Beatrice, whose Mentor faked her death so that she could study magic without fear of discovery.

Professor Bostock: Bombastic demon-hunter turned Professor. Has a no-nonsense view on the supernatural.

Yomi Kurosaka: Japanese mage looking to study under Professor Tosaska, but stuck with Bostock. Is frightened after being threatened by Jack the Ripper.

Ambrose Wattenburg-Terwilliger: A mage who was trying to set a trap in the First test. Was killed and ghouled by Beatrice, and later killed by Cibo at Hyatt (actually Winnifred's) behest. Deceased.

Winnifred: A shapeshifter who tricked Cibo into killing Ambrose's ghoul; he saved her from capture by playing along with her ruses, first as a nurse and second as a schoolgirl he was sleeping with. Currently at large.

Jack the Ripper: A serial killer famous for his string of brutal murders in 1888 London, where he was attributed with killing several prostitutes in Whitechapel district. His identity was never discovered. Over a hundred years later, he has apparently returned, and is sending more Jack Letters to Clock Tower students.

The Fascist: A Dead Apostle encountered in Italy, with the power to turn into blood and shape flesh. Calls Beatrice his 'sister', claiming they have the same father. Escaped as the temple of Hades collapsed.

Hades: May be a Greek God who destroyed the cavern where his temple was located after the party broke his statue. May be pissed at them.

Marigold: Cutest mage ever. Was put into a coma by Milly, brought out by Alicia. Current activities: being adorable and determined. Knows ancient African magic.

Gunther Heinlich. Very old man with golden teeth. Quite friendly and chivalrous. Possibly a Sorcerer.

Annie Wattenburg: Oldest of the Wattenburg homonculus sisters created by Animus after Milly's 'death'. Incestuously inclined to her father, domineering to the rest. Is currently devoted to Milly due to mind control, and is purged of her incestuousness.

Crystal Wattenburg: Middle sister of the Wattenburg homonculus sisters created by Animus after Milly's 'death'. Is disturbingly attracted to undead, monsters, and constructs. Cried when she was 'fixed' with mind control.

Danae

Dr. Animus: Homonculus artist and possessor of Mystic Eyes: Animation. Loony. Last seen flying off on a giant stone head.

Sebastian Wattenburg: Father of Milly Wattenburg. Kept trying to kill her, master summoner. Was mindfreemed into lobotomy and dragged to Hell.

Sessions

Episode Guide

XP

XP is equal to CP for the purposes of spending. It will be given out at the end of arcs, depending on how upgrades scale. RP awards are given out per session, equalling 1 XP; there may also be adjustments due to scaling. Please ask me if you want to raise attributes for now; Circuit and Disciplines may be raised at leisure.

Session 1: 2 XP for Prologue, RP award Beatrice Winslow (Silence)
Session 2: Part one of Curfew Arc, RP Award Beatrice Winslow (Silence)
Session 3: 2 XP for Part two of Curfew Arc, RP Award Beatrice Winslow (Silence)
Session 4: 0 XP Mini-session: Prelude to Italy Arc
Session 5: 0 XP for Part one of the Italy Arc
Session 6: 2 XP for the Italy Arc, RP Award Beatrice Winslow (Silence, again!)
Session 7: 2 XP for the Italy Arc, Rp Award tie between Alicia and Beatrice
Session 8: 2 XP for the Rescue Part 1
Session 9: 2 XP for the Rescue Part 2
Session 10: 1 XP for the Dream Hound
Session 11: 1 XP for Wattenburg 1
Session 12: 3 XP for Wattenburg 2
Session 13: 1 XP for Glacier
Session 14: 1 XP for Fae Court 1

The Clock Tower

The Mage Association's headquarters lies underneath the British Museum, in a series of underground structures and catacombs. This houses the homes of the Council leaders, as well as the university facilities and the dorms for professors and students.

Students who enroll at Clock tower spend most of their time studying in the main underground complex, a collection of ornately-designed hallways and laboratories dedicated to magical study. Obviously, this is not common knowledge to anyone who is not a magician (how much the British government knows is a topic of debate amongst students), so students are ostensibly affiliated with one of the local London Universities, traditionally the University of London. Students are able to participate in sporting events through their affiliated school, or study standard degrees in addition to their study of magic, if they're so inclined.

Clock Tower is run by a Council of Archmagi, who are the local leaders for England's Mage Association and the defacto head of the worldwide organization. Few of them actually teach, leaving that to lesser masters while they spend their time on their personal projects and factionalism. Professors are usually seasoned mages, who are responsible for a certain class or discipline within magic.

Students who come to Clock Tower have already been apprenticed in their youth, and have been sponsored by their master or another mage to join the tower. Some students are apprenticed to mages residing in the tower, who shepherd their study as they attend classes; others are free agents who come recommended by a distant member. Some students distinguished themselves due to events in their youth, particularly supernatural occurrences they were involved in; solving a prickly supernatural problem is an instant recommendation. There are even rare students on exchange from the Church who train to join the Burial Agency – rivals of the Mage Association, these goodwill exchanges are viewed with quiet wariness at best and magical surveillance at worst.

Clock Tower is not just a school, but a repository for magical artifacts and lore – including some top-secret materials. These are kept in secure museums for careful observation, with the most dangerous placed in heavily-defended or secret vaults. The most well-known of this is White Vault, a giant sealed chamber guarded by powerful wards located in the lower reaches. Magical guardians protect restricted areas, and most are polite enough to warn students before trying to eat them – that is, the ones who students are expected to see are. When you're inside, you're fair prey for the really scary stuff.

Most players are students in their first year attendance to the Clock Tower. Think about why they've come to study, who mentored them, how they were admitted, and what they seek to do with their magical knowledge.

Otherwise, have fun! And don't go in the White Vault.

Character Creation

CP costs:

Attributes: Current Rating + 1
Specialites: Current Rating + 1
Willpower: [Current Rating + 1] X3. You get one dot free because
Magic Circuit: [Current Rating + 1] X4. You get one dot for free because.
Magic Knowledge: [Current Rating + 1] X3
Merits: As noted in descriptions

Attribute costs per level

1: 1 CP
2: 3 CP
3: 6 CP
4: 10 CP
5: 15 CP

Willpower costs per level

1: Free
2: 9 CP
3: 18 CP

Circuits costs per level

1: Free
2: 12 CP
3: 24 CP
4: 40 CP
5: 60 CP

Discipline costs per level

1: 3 CP
2: 9 CP
3: 18 CP

Clock Tower Character Creation

Rules Guidelines

Basic Rolls

Stat Check: [Relevant Primary Attribute] + [Relevant Specialty]

Basic Attack Roll: Physical + [Relevant Spec]
Basic Defense Roll: Endurance + [Relevant Spec]

Damage Rolls: For now, your successes count as damage on a hit. They are cancelled out by defense rolls.

Defense Roll: Endurance for physical damage (most damage), Integrity for mental effects and mind-affecting substances, and Perception for illusions or social combat.

Magic Rolls

All Magic rolls are [Relevant Primary] + [Knowledge Rating]. The Relevant Primaries are set for the magic itself, and can only be substituted at GM discretion. Also, this list of effects doesn't cover everything; narrative stuff and rituals must be stunted and decided by the GM based on magnitude and effect. If you're not sure, stunt and ask the GM.

Also, if you're trying to affect multiple people, you generally need one level higher than the effect (so a B-type effect on many people is A-type).

Augmentation: Physical
C-Level: Add specialty dice of a certain aspect equal to sux. Alternatively, 1+ sux gives you one in one primary stat. Heal 1 level on sux.
B-Level: Add your sux to a primary stat. Heal sux in health.
A-Level: As B, but you may spend successes instead to designate more primary stats (so allocating 2 sux out of 5 and the other 3 to dice increases leaves 2 stats at 3.
S-Level: Add your sux in all primary stats.

Projection: Physical
C-Level: Create a normal weapon, armour or object.
B-Level: Create a weapon, armour, or object with extra successes adding to damage.
A-Level: Create a weapon, armour, or object with magical properties based on your successes.
S-Level: Create weapon, armour, or object that counts as a Noble Phantasm.

Elementalism: Intelligence
C-Level: Manifest elemental power that works as a basic combat weapon, either as the ability to fire magical bolts or a melee weapon of elements.
B-Level: Do basic damage, and add 2 automatic damage on successful hit (negated by defense)
A-Level: Do basic damage, with each success counted as 2 damage, and add 2 automatic damage (damage points negated by endurance)
S-Level: Do basic damage, with each success counted as 5 damage, and add 5 automatic damage (damage points negated by endurance...you probably need wards)

Mentalism: Intelligence
C-Level: Give penalties to target's actions equal to successes. Possible to stop action.
B-Level: Stop or influence someone's actions until they get enough Integrity successes to cancel all the successes.
A-Level: Completely control someone's actions until they beat it with Integrity.
S-Level: Do any effect with no chance of Integrity roll.

Puppetry: Intelligence
C-Level: Create a puppet that works as a basic combat weapon when animated. Minor animation to surrounding objects.
B-Level: Create a puppet that adds successes to attack rolls. Major animation to objects.
A-Level: Create a puppet with special magical powers based on successes. Animate giant object or many objects.
S-Level: Create a puppet like A-level, but capable of acting on its own in initiative. Animate everything.

Warding: Intelligence
C-Level: Create a ward on one target that grants extra dice on defense rolls equal to your number of successes.
B-Level: Create a ward on one target that grants extra dice on defense rolls equal to your number of successes +2 automatic warding.
A-Level: Create a ward on one target that utterly ignores a number of attacks equal to successes.
S-Level: Create a ward on one target that utterly ignores a number of attacks per round cycle equal to successes.

Necromancy: Charisma
C-Level: Create a minor zombie. Manifest necromantic power that works as a basic combat weapon, either as the ability to fire magical bolts or a melee weapon of death energy. See ghosts. Stop undead with minor commands.
B-Level: Create a stronger undead that gets a bonus to power equal to extra successes. Summon and bind undead.
A-Level: Creates an undead of greater power with supernatural abilities. Dismiss undead or control their actions directly.
S-Level: Creates Dead Apostles and other fun stuff. Control Undead without Integrity checks.

Spiritualism: Charisma
C-Level: Summon a basic spirit that works as a basic weapon. Bind a spirit.
B-Level: Summon a spirit that gains extra successes as extra attack dice. Bind a spirit with bonus dice.
A-Level: Summon a spirit with supernatural bonuses equal to successes. Control a spirit's actions.
S-Level: Summon a spirit capable of altering the entire battlefield with supernatural powers. Bind and Control spirits without an integrity check.

Energy Control: Magic Circuit. Can stunt other stats depending on method.
C-Level: Take mana from a willing mage or object. Imbue mana into something.
B-Level: Take mana from an unwilling subject. Drain a mortal. Invest mana into an object to maintain it without you being there.
A-Level: Regain mana equal to successesX5 by tapping the world. Drain a mortal of all mana in one blow.
S-Level: Regain full mana, once per day. Cast spells with 0 Mana cost for a number of turns equal to you successes.

Special

Sorcery: Magic Circuit, with Relevant Primary in certain cases. Most Sorcery cannot be opposed with anything less than S-class magic and roll is moot.

Feeding: Relevant Attribute + Magic Circuit

Regain Mana normally: Generally abstracted, but it's pretty slow; you need to either rest or absorb it from someone using spells.

Spell Costs

C: 2 mana
B: 5 mana
A: 10 mana
S: 15 mana