X-Topic-No: 16
Date: Thu, 16 Jun 94 23:26:00 UTC
From: s.johnson107@genie.geis.com
To: mage-l@wizards.com
Subject: Rotes
Message-ID: <199406162340.AA291400025@relay2.geis.com>

Awakening the fitful Sleeper (3 Mind, 2 Prime, 1 Life)
        Supposedly originated by the Celestial Chorus sometime in the dim past,
though both the Akashic Brotherhood and the Order of Hermes hotly disputed
this.  The intention of this Rote is to force the Awakening of a sleeping
Avatar when the sleeper is resisting or suppressing the attempts of the Avatar
to Awaken.  The Mage uses Telepathy, guided by the flows of Quintessence
through the sleeper's Life pattern to contact the sleeper's Avatar directly.
Once contact is established the Awakening of the Sleeper automatically follows,
often to the sleepers total dismay.  This Rote was most useful during the
Inquisition and the various witch trials which followed as a tool for
converting an enemy into a sudden ally.  This Rote is not considered Vulgar
Magick, or be resisted, because the Avatar is already struggling to awaken, the
Mage is simply expediting the process.  Note that this Rote is totally useless
against fully Awaken creatures such as Garou, Vampires or Mages as they are
already Awakened in one way or another.  Though Orphans about to Awaken are
especially vulnerable to this Rote as are sleepers seeking Awakening or with
occasional contact with their Avatars.
        [The difficulty is the target's Willpower, but is never more then a 9.
For every success over the first the Mage may determine either the speed of the
Awakening, the impact on the sleeper or resistance by the sleeper to the
Awakening.]
 
Creating the Magical Mystery Machine (4 Matter, 4 Spirit, 2 Prime)
        This Rote was originally taught within the Order of Hermes as a quick
method of creating reliable transport in the Umbra.  After leaving the
Technocracy the Sons of Ether used this Rote to create graceful and imaginative
Ether sailing ships in the Umbra.  Then an unknown Cult of Ecstasy member, on a
very strange and powerful trip during the nineteen sixties, while listening to
the Beetles Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band record, changed the
perceptions of this Rote forever.  Since that fateful day no Tradition Mage is
ever sure of what this Rote will create, Cult of Ecstasy members claim that
being in the midst of a real mellow trip when using this Rote makes the result
look, "Really COOL man!"
        [With one success the Mage creates a breech in the gauntlet, usually
manifesting as an invisible doorway, and a small slow Umbral craft which the
Mage can use the doorway to gain access to.  For each additional success the
Umbral craft created becomes larger and faster.  Unfortunately the Mage has
absolutely no control over what the Umbral craft looks like or how it propels
itself through the Umbra.  This totally in the hands of the Storyteller and is
usually very wild.  The Cult of Ecstasy thinks this effect is really cool, the
comments of other Traditions are unprintable.]
 
Whistle of the Sleeping Animals (2 Mind)
        Through the coincidental effect and focus of a whistle, going from a
high pitch to a low pitch, as the Mage points at the animal (or animals) in
question and then lower her finger to point straight down.  The targeted animal
is gently put directly into a deep slumber.  Note the targeted animal must be
able to see and hear the Mage.
        [For every success beyond the first the Mage may put an additional
animal to sleep.  If the target animal is hostile or attacking the Mage, two
success are required per animal.]
 
Creating the Circle of Summoning with a snap of the fingers (2 Matter)
        Used mostly by the Order of Hermes, the Mage simply draws a ragged
circle, visualizes the intended end result, then snaps her fingers and all the
details are created around the rough outline the Mage created.
        [For each success after the first the Mage may increase the size or
complexity of the circle's design.]
Multiplying the loaves and fishes (3 Matter)
        This is quite possibly one of the most controversial Rotes ever blamed
on the Celestial Chorus, though the Celestial Chorus hotly denies that any of
it's members were ever the author of this Rote.  This is a very vulgar Rote,
especially so in these days of strict and powerful paradox, but it does mirror
the more forgiving times when it was supposedly created.  Depending on how
focused the Mage is, enough food can be duplicated to feed a few people up to
entire multitudes.
        [This Rote requires some food to be used as the model pattern.  For
each success after the first the amount of food created increases
geometrically.  In theory an attempt with six successes could provide a solid
meal for every living human on Earth.]
 
Singing in the Rain (3 Mind)
        There is some argument between mages as to which came first, the movie
or the Rote.  Which ever, the effect of this Rote is to alter the emotional
state of the target to a state of joyous euphoria.  Once in that state the
target loses any aggressive feeling towards anyone, including a mortal enemy
standing directly in front of her, in favor of singing out loud of the sheer
pleasure of singing.  The effect is limited both in depth of euphoria and
duration, but while under the influence of this Rote the subject will happily
sing in the midst of their own execution as if they had not a care in the
world.
        [For every success past the first either the depth of euphoria or it's
duration is increased.  Note that this Rote can be resisted with a simple Wits
+ Alertness or Willpower roll with a difficulty equal to the mage attempting to
enforce the effect.]
 
Turning the charging Beast (3 Mind)
        Shortly after surviving her first encounter with a werewolf, an unknown
Hermetic Mage developed this simple Rote to protect herself from such dangers.
Since that time it has become a known fact within the Traditions that
werewolves universally despise, loathe and fear mages simply because of this
Rote.  Not because of what the mage makes the target do, but because the effect
is so embarrassing to the target.
        [Requires two successes to function, plus one success for every use
after the first in the same scene, and the target must be either engaged in
combat or charging into combat.  If the mage rolls the necessary successes the
mage may refocus the targets anger and fury against another object or
non-allied person (non-allied to the target.)  The target will then blithely
charge right by the mage, ignoring her completely in favor of the new focus the
mage has placed in the target's mind.  (Often a tree, stone, body of water,
anything but the mage.)  This allows the mage time to remove herself from the
presence of the target, usually a very good idea because after the target has
slaughtered the new focus their rage and anger the target will want to kill the
mage in some bloody, messy and gruesome manner.]
 
Revenge of the galloping bowels (either 2 Life or 3 Entropy)
        Originally developed by a Verbena witch as revenge for against an
overly amorous suitor.  This Rote simply kills off all of the sybiotic
microorganisms within the target's gastro-intestinal tract, result of days of
diarrhea and intense pain and agony.  The Euthanatos were so impressed with
this Rote after seeing it in action they simply adapted it when using Entropy
in place of Life.
        [For each success after the first the mage may either the length of the
target's suffering or the amount of pain the target must endure.]
 
 
Calming the Raging Garou (4 Mind)
        This is a rare and ancient Dreamspeaker Rote, though Masters of all the
other Traditions are aware of variants of it.  Simply put, the Mage blocks the
connection between the Garou and the Rage which gives the Garou much of their
powers and abilities.  To the Garou this is extremely vulgar magick and the use
of this Rote has caused entire packs of Garou to focus on hunting down the Mage
and killing her for one simple use.  Extreme caution must be exercised when
using this Rote.
        [There is no way to disguise this magick to the target Garou or any
observer, it is always vulgar magick.  Requires three successes to function,
once in place this Rote robs a Garou of the ability to change shape and use
rage for the remainder of the scene.  For every additional success beyond the
first three an additional scene's worth of time may be added.]
 
Potion of Sympathetic Infatuation (3 Life, 3 Mind, 3 Correspondence)
        This Verbena potion is the basis for all myths and legends of love
potions and the like.  It uses an extremely coincidental focus by way of a drop
of the target's blood, a drop of blood from the intended focus for the target
and what ever mixture of other ingredients the Mage prefers.  Once the potion
has been administered the Mind and Life patterns of both the target and focus
are available to the Mage, who then tweaks the Life pattern and Mind of the
target to be sympathetic and mildly infatuated towards the person who is the
focus.  That is the limit of the Rote, it creates neither instant romantic
attachment or overwhelming physical passion.  But nothing requires that the
sleeper paying the Mage a healthy sum of coin to know that little detail.
        [Requires one success to become active, each additional success either
lengthening the amount of time the sympathetic infatuation will last or
deepening the strength of the infatuation.  One success will, depending on the
tenor of the relationship between the target and the focus, last for between a
week to a month.]
 
Calling the Totems (2 Spirit)
        This is an ancient Dreamspeaker Rote of such antiquity that the Garou
use a much less powerful and versatile version of it that they call the Ritual
of Summoning that they originally learned in the dim mists of prehistory from
the Dreamspeakers.  All other Tradition Mages who study the Sphere of Spirit
learn a variation of this Rote which simply allows the Mage to quickly summon
spirits, or representatives of spirits, who act as, or are worshiped as,
Totems.
        [For each success past the first either the amount of time the Mage
must spend waiting for the spirit to arrive is decreased or, depending on the
power of the Totem, the importance of the representative is increased.  If this
Rote is performed in the Near Umbra the first success is automatic.
Theoretically a Mage who called for Mother Gaia and achieved five success could
expect Gaia herself to appear in front of her within seconds.  However the Mage
had better have an extremely good reason for calling Mother Gaia with such
force and urgency.]
 
Rousing the Spirits to spread the word (3 Spirit)
        Another ancient Dreamspeaker Rote that has fallen into disuse and
disfavor, it was important during the Impergium and before the rise of the
Technocracy but has become less so with the increasing power of the Gauntlet.
This Rote calls all the available spirits near the Mage to allow the spreading
of news of potential dangers to all the Awakened.
        [Each success after the first increases the range and number of spirits
called.  All spirits called are compelled to pass along whatever message the
Mage wishes to spread.]
 
Rousing the sleeping beast (4 Life, 4 Mind, 4 Spirit, 4 Prime)
        This is an obscure Rote both the Verbena and the Order of Hermes claim
to have created.  It is of vital importance to those Garou kinfolk who become
aware of it because it allows the Mage to prod the Rage within a Garou kinfolk
into full bloom and thus transform a kinfolk into a fully capable Garou shape
changer.  A handful of ancient Theurges in Caerns scattered throughout the
world are aware that Mages can perform this Rote, but only the Garou tribe of
the Children of Gaia are actively pursuing the implications of this Rote.
        [If this Rote fails, double the Paradox gained; if it botches a Paradox
backlash is AUTOMATIC.  Requires a minimum of four success and will work only
with Garou kinfolk who are aware they are the kinfolk of the Garou and have
seen a Garou in Crinos form.]
 
Strengthening the Limbs of a Hero (3 Life, 2 Prime)
        The Celestial Chorus was famous during the Mythic Age for using this
Rote on unsuspecting sleepers.  This Rote usually uses a Coincidental focus
that the target believes in strongly, during the Mythic Age the Celestial
Chorus used priestly blessings, dousing with holy water and/or the touch of
relics.
        [For every success past the first the Mage may choose to add an extra
die per success to either or all of the target's Physical Attributes for the
remainder of the scene, or choose to extend the additional dice to the Physical
Attributes for an extra scene per success.]
 
Obscuring the light of Day (3 Matter)
        With all of the interest the Euthanatos have in the Kindred (Vampires)
it was perhaps inevitable that they would be the authors of this particular
Rote.  Kindred who have frequent contact with Mages eventually become aware of
this Rote, the Tremere in particular are very interested in this Rote, but
usually rely on the Discipline of Fortitude if the are forced into the direct
light of the sun.
        [Requires three successes and can be made Coincidental if the Vampire
takes a single blood point from the Mage.  Once in place the physical structure
of the Vampire's body is completely unaffected by sunlight for the remainder of
the scene.  For each additional success beyond the first three an additional
scene of immunity from sunlight is gained by the Vampire.]
 
Breaking the Bonds of Blood (4 Mind)
        While any Mage with even the most minimal of understanding in the
Sphere of Mind is able to resist the effects of Vampiric Blood Bonding.  Mages
without an understanding of the Sphere of Mind are as vulnerable as any sleeper
to Vampiric Blood Bonding.  This Rote was a gift freely given by the Akashic
Brotherhood to all of the Traditions shortly before the beginnings of the
Twentieth century and is taught to all Adepts of Mind.
        [Depending on the length of time which the subject has been Bound, the
depth of control the Vampire exercises and the raw power the Vampire has
available to her, this can be relatively easy or extremely difficult.  Divide
the generation of the binding Vampire by two and round upwards, then subtract
the result from ten to find the difficulty. {For example a fifth generation
Vampire equals 3 (generation of 5 divided by 2 equals 2.5) minus ten equals a
difficulty of seven.}  This is then modified by the Storyteller to account for
the amount of control the Vampire exercises over the subject and how long the
subject has been Blood Bound to the Vampire.  If the subject is a Mage then
subtract two from the difficulty at the Storyteller's discretion.]
 
Stepping through the Gauntlet with the third Foot (3 Spirit)
        This is the basic Rote taught to all Akashic Brothers to master the art
of stepping through the Gauntlet into the Near Umbra.  Other Traditions teach
variations on this Rote to their members of course and without the use of some
misdirection it is extremely vulgar.  The usual method to turn this into
Coincidental Magick is to use a door, often one letting into a closet or other
area where sleeper witness are not present.
        [Number of successes required varies depending on the area in which the
attempt is made.  Concentrated urban areas are the most difficult, primeval or
pristine wilderness the easiest.  What sets this Rote apart from those of other
Traditions is that if an Akashic Brother has left behind the need to use the Do
as a foci for this rote, performing the do as part of the rote effectively
allows the Akashic Brother to use Arete rather that the Sphere of Spirit.]
 
Oops! (2 Matter)
        It has been rumored that the author of this rote was refused entry into
the ranks of the Masters of her Tradition for the act of creating this rote.
It is also rumored that the Oracles welcomed her into their ranks mere hours
after the Masters of her Tradition refused her.  All Traditions teach this rote
to Disciples of Matter who are moving past the fundamentals of the Sphere.
This is not so much a rote as a state of mind for any Mage which puts this rote
to use.  Functionally this rote is used to cause minor mishaps and accidents to
either the Mage or another person by minor alterations of the structures of the
matter surround the target.  The classic example is the sprinkled drops of oil
on the floor that the target steps in and looses their footing.  Another is the
misfire of bullets in a gun aimed at the Mage and the list is endless.
        [Requires two successes to function and is normally coincidental,
though a very foolish Mage could perform this rote in a vulgar manner.  For
every success beyond the first two the Mage may either increase the amount of
effected matter to encompass more people or apply the successes as damaged to
the target.]
 
Fanning Passions Flames (3 Life)
        This is a rote of relatively recent origins, supposedly inspired by a
lonely Verbena one night while she wandered through the romance section of a
bookstore.  The Cult of Ecstasy swears by this rote and it is often the first
rote a Disciple if Life is taught in the Tradition when they begin working with
complex lifeforms.  Simply put, this rote inspires complete sexual arousal
within the target beyond the point of rational thought.  The Mage performing
this rote is often attacked by the target of the rote, who upon it's
completion, is literally panting in animal heat.
        [This rote requires only one success as it is a very simple tweaking of
the target's Life Pattern, once the Mage knows where to perform the
manipulation.  Interestingly this rote only becomes vulgar if witnessed by the
Awakened, sleepers invariably dismissing the extreme reaction as lust at first
sight or for some other reason while silently wishing things like that happened
to them.  For every success beyond the first the Mage may increase either the
length or depth of the target's passion.  Note that the passion generated by
this rote is neither directed or discriminating!  The target could just as
easily focus on an eighty year old as the Mage performing the rote.]
 
Rousing the attentions of a Lover (3 Life, 2 Mind)
        Given the difficulties of the Rote, Fanning Passions Flames, the
authoress of that rote created this more discriminating version.
        [As per Fanning Passions Flames, requires two successes and the Mage
places an image in the targets mind of the focus of the passion.]
 
Thought you folks might like to see some of the Rotes which have popped
up in the Chronicle I am currently in.
 
Stephen