Trenchcoater Paradigm

By Paul Beakley ADPYB@ACVAX.INRE.ASU.EDU

The Paradigm

WHAT paradigm? There is this world, and there is the next (possibly Metropolis). Many trenchcoaters associate Metropolis with Hell; some believe there's a secret much more infernal than that. Anything that threatens this world is from the next world, and since the TC is the only one who can see the danger, it's his responsibility to deal with it.

Magick

Weirdness (coincidental) or Magick, usually Ritualistic (vulgar); a.k.a. the Dark Art.

Trenchcoaters are paradoxically both the most classically "magickal" and the most anti-magickal beings in the world. While they are Awakened and know that magick is real in the world, they fear the costs associated with pursuing the power.

Coincidental magick is created by the PLAYER and perceived by the CHARACTER as the lingering weirdness of his life. A TC doesn't really have any control over the weirdness of his life until Arete 6 or so.

Vulgar magick is STRICTLY ritualistic, based on whatever training the Trenchcoater can finagle from his supernatural pals in the world. Trenchcoaters seek out spells from Tremere vampires, the Garou, occultists of all flavors, old books, gypsies, mummies -- anyone willing to teach them a piece of the Dark Art. Any vulgar effect MUST be a ritual/rote.

Spheres

(VULGAR ONLY -- all coincidental effects are categorically weirdness, and out of the control of the character): most trenchcoaters understand that ritual magick is limited only by their imagination. As they need to learn more of the Dark Art, they describe the desired effect, not the so-called sphere (which are just tradition inventions anyway). Sometimes they are surprised that their current understanding of ritual magick will allow them to create multiple effects.

Correspondence:

Level 1: depending on the Tradition from which this level of ritual magick is learned, it is the Mind's Eye (Akashic, Hermetics, Euthanatos, Verbena) or Gaia's Guidance (Dreamspeakers, garou). It has been technologically replicated by the Virtual Adepts as a radar image or a ray-traced virtual model, viewable via VR goggles.
Level 2: one version or another of clairvoyance (many names but it's always the same kind of thing).
Level 3: teleportation. Hey, call it what it is.

...and so on...

Arete

Weirdness Directly associated with the Trenchcoater Effect, a trenchcoater's "weirdness" (for lack of a better descriptor) defines the extremity of the odd coincidences that surround his life. For some Trenchcoaters, weirdness tend to increase or collect around their lives. Trenchcoaters with high Weirdness (6+) begin to take control of their coincidences based on their knowlege of the Dark Art. Trenchcoaters with a level lower than this can attempt to control a coincidence at an increased difficulty of (6-arete), but still need some kind of focus. Note that, unlike other Traditions, this understanding of Arete is more passive, an implicit acceptance of synchronicity and weirndess into the TC's life and NOT necessarily an "understanding of reality". Well, actually it IS a greater understanding of Reality -- but for TCs, reality is a series of intricately interlocking events and synchronicities. For more on this, check out The Celestine Prophecy.

Ascension

WHAT ascension? You've heard hard-core Tradition mages bandy about the idea, but then again you've heard vampires talk about Golconda, too. Probably an abstract state of nirvana or some bullshit like that.

Quintessence

This is a null value to a Trenchcoater. Unless they have somehow learned how to draw "magickal energy" from Tass (for the purpose of creating radically powerful ritual magicks), the concept of quintessence as a measure of "realness" is irrelevent. Also, if they're going to use Tass, it has to take on a classically "magickal" appearance -- potions, mushrooms, crystals, etc.

Paradox

the Cost. Rather than seeing magick as a transaction of quint within reality, Trenchcoaters view "paradox" as the cost of the Dark Art. While some smallish rituals will slip by the Spirit Guardians/Fallen Angels/Gods who watch all magickal transactions, they always incur the Cost. Sometimes the weirdness surrounding the TC will itself inflict a Cost. The Cost is almost always to those around the TC, not the TC himself.

Mage-specific Backgrounds

most of the weirdness surrounding the Trenchcoater is written off as the "Trenchcoater Effect."

Arcane: The Trenchcoater Effect/Creepiness. Part of the overall condition of the Trenchcoaters, this is a highly refined mix of attitude, body language and lifelong sneakiness designed to keep the Trenchcoater hidden from direct view and the world at large.
Avatar: The Trenchcoater Effect/Weirdness Magnet. This appears to be a variable condition with no contiguous pattern between subjects or generations. The stronger the Trenchcoater Effect, the stronger the "weirdness magnet" that surrounds the Trenchcoater, and the more spectacular their ritual magicks.
Destiny: The Trenchcoater Effect/Focus. This aspect of the Effect keeps the Trenchcoater focused on his life mission (if he has one, and most of them do), allowing him to achieve greater feats of skill than average people.
Dream: The Trenchcoater Effect/Gestalt. This allows Trenchcoaters to tap into the whispering collective of knowledge shared by all intelligent life. This talent is often required when performing ritual magick.
Node: this is an irrelevant concept to most Trenchcoaters. For those deeply entrenched in their magickal studies (usually hermetic), this is just a node.

I hope this gives you a fair approximation of how I view Trenchcoaters and their "paradigm." In short, I think the loftier concepts of paradigms and ascension are -- at least in the supporting literature -- left to the tradition magi. Mysticism is A Bad Thing, as is most everything associated with magick, because of the inevitable Cost to the Trenchcoater (see paradox above). Trenchcoaters, then, are very down-to-earth types who are drawn into occult activities against their will and know how to use magick as a tool.

Paul Beakley

adpyb@acvax.inre.asu.edu