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Frost
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Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:30 pm
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Psychics

Mortals at Twilight Valley may possess Psychic Merits. If a mortal with Psychic Powers is ghouled, embraced or bitten by a werewolf their Psychic powers are lost in the mystical transformation.
Some of the Merits listed below have Prerequisites, or require additional choices. Please refer to your book for these details.
Questions about psychics? Refer to the //Second Sight//, pages 27 - 67 for lots more.
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Esp Merits

ESP Merits permit a psychic to perceive things that lie beyond the mundane senses of normal people. The most common form of ESP allows one to perceive contemporaneous events happening far away. Other powers allow a seer to cast her senses through time instead of space, observing the past of objects or the future of individuals. People who exercise ESP Merits are sometimes referred to as clairvoyants, seers or ESPers.

Astral Projection (•••)


Clairvoyance (•••)


Dowsing (•)


Dream Travel (• to •••••)


Postcognition (• or •••)


Precognition (••••)


Psychometry (••• or ••••)
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Medumist Merits

A medium is a psychic able to use her own body as a vessel for acquiring unconscious knowledge or for interacting with spirit entities. Most parapsychologists point to the abilities of mediums as proof of other stages of existence — ghosts, past lives, even the Universal Unconscious. A few parapsychologists, however, reject these theories as scientifi cally unverifi able, and argue that a medium is simply a clairvoyant who is unaware that the source of her insights and abilities lies within her own subconscious. It’s even possible to defi ne mediumship in terms of the mind and the soul. The former occurs as a result of conscious and unconscious thought being able to access the same from ghosts and spirits, entities beyond physical form. The latter type of mediumship involves a direct bond between the souls of psychic and entity, typically achieved through religious or ritualist means. This book defi nes two types of mediums: ones who possess Psychic Merits, their powers deriving from the mind, and ones who possess Spiritual Merits, their powers deriving from the soul. Faith and ritual-inspired mediums are defined possible under the rules of thaumaturgy.

Channeling (•••)


Death Sight (••••)


Ghost Calling (•••)
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Psychokinetic Merits


Psychokinesis governs the ability to affect physical objects and materials through the mind alone. By far the most common form of psychokinesis is telekinesis, which is the power to move objects without touching them. Less common are biokinesis, which allows a psychic to exert control over his own body and those of others; pyrokinesis, which allows a psychic to cause objects to spontaneously combust; and thermokinesis, which allows a psychic to manipulate ambient temperature. To the uninitiated, pyrokinesis and thermokinesis seem to overlap, as both can be used to start fires. In practice, however, pyrokinesis causes objects to burst into flames without first increasing temperature to ignition level, while thermokinesis raises the temperature around an object to be burned until it ignites. This subtle distinction plays an important role in how the two powers function in the fi eld. Other more rare forms of psychokinesis are also discussed here. In general, psychics with any form of psychokinesis are referred to as psychokinetics, while those with specific powers are often called telekinetics, pyrokinetics or by similar terms

Biokinesis (• to •••••)


Cryokinesis (• to •••••)


Plant Empathy (•)


Psychic Healing (••• or •••••)


Psychic Vampirism (•••• or •••••)


Telekinesis (• to •••••)


Thermokinesis (• to •••••)
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Telepathic Merits

Telepathy is a catch-all term for psychic powers that permit one to perceive or affect the thoughts or emotions of other beings. All Telepathic Merits require a psychic to be able to clearly see his target within direct line of sight. A psychic cannot read another’s thoughts or use any other Telepathic Merit over the phone or by watching his target on TV, for example. A telepath capable of Astral Projection can read the thoughts of someone in whose presence the telepath projects himself, while a clairvoyant with telepathy can read the thoughts of someone she can view remotely. These two are the only ESP Merits that can be combined with telepathy in this way, however. A precog might be able to see someone acting in the past or future, but is not able to read that person’s thoughts, while a psychic using psychometry could read the mental impressions associated with an object, but not probe the mind of someone who handled it. Psychics who demonstrate Telepathic Merits are typically referred to as telepaths.

Animal Possession (••••)


Animal Rapport (variable)


Aura Reading (•• or •••••)


Mental Blast (•••••)


Mind Breaker (•••••)


Mind Control (•••••)


Mind Reading (••• to •••••)


Psychic Empathy (•••• or •••••)


Psychic Illusions (•••••)


Psychic Invisibility (•••••)


Telepathic Communication (••••)


Telepathic Rapport (•••)


Thought Projection (••• or ••••)




Misc. Merits



Anti-Psi (•••••)


Believers (• to •••••)


Doubting Thomas (•)


Ghost Ally (••• to •••••)


Hypnotic Voice (••••)


Lucid Dreamer (•)


Psychic Resistance (• to •••)
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Thaumaturge

Mortals at Cascading Darkness may possess Thaumaturge Merits. If a mortal with Thaumaturge is ghouled, embraced or bitten by a werewolf their Thaumaturge powers are (lost in / denied by) the mystical transformation.
Some of the Merits listed below have Prerequisites, or require additional choices. Please refer to your book for these details.
Questions about thaumaturges? Refer to the //Second Sight//, pages 69 - 121 for lots more.
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Traditions

Although all magicians transcend mundane existence, the paths they pursue vary. The way in which one approaches the practice of magic shapes which magic one may learn and which Merits one may develop. The dedicated practice of thaumaturgy is a lifestyle, and each tradition confers certain strengths and weaknesses. Six different paths are offered here: ceremonial magician, hedge witch, shaman, vodoun, Taoist alchemist and apostle of the Dark One. With one exception, each of these practices enjoys adherents around the world and has deep roots in occult history.


Apostle of the Dark One


Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.

In the beginning, the universe came into being. While it may be important to discover whether the cosmos was created by a divine act or it formed spontaneously (via the Big Bang or some other method), certain magicians believe it is more important that something else existed before. Before there was light, there was darkness, and thus the darkness is the source of all that came after it. Some thaumaturges believe that the darkness is sentient, a primordial force that must necessarily have witnessed the origin of everything. For these sorcerers, the “Dark One” represents the ultimate source of knowledge.
The human mind conceives darkness as a void or nonentity. Thus, darkness has come to symbolize negation to those who are unwilling to accept it as a mystery. A mystery is confusing and frightening, so darkness is given a persona with negative traits, because it must be opposite to that which we believe we know and hold dear. But even if they might prove true, these labels are insuffi cient to explain the nature of things. Does the universe encompass darkness, or does darkness encompass the universe?



Ceremonial Magician


Magic transfers celestial forces to the medium in which such forces can operate.
The medium is the center, and the center is human.


Ceremonial magic is old, but not truly ancient — it’s a type of magic suited to civilization and practiced almost exclusively by well-educated members of the middle or wealthy classes. In Western Europe and the United States, the vast majority of ceremonial magicians use knowledge derived from Western occult tradition, but there have been ceremonial magicians in almost every culture that has possessed a class of well-off, highly educated people. The magi of ancient Persia formed one such group, as did the syncretist magicians of Hellenist Alexandria. There were also ceremonial magicians in India, China and Japan.

Although the exact details of magical practice vary from one culture to another, the general way that magicians perform rituals is relatively similar. In the modern day, these similarities are reinforced by the fact that most ceremonial magicians are highly educated scholars of the occult, and they eagerly study the magic and ritual practices of other cultures. In addition, mystics of various cultures with generally similar goals or belief systems tend to use the same styles of magic. All ceremonial magicians are serious scholars of one sort or another. The very nature of this tradition means that only scholarly individuals persevere long enough to master it. Most are amateur students of various esoterica ranging from cryptids to ghosts, while others are college professors or other sorts of professional scholars of history, classics, archeology or comparative religion. The promise of esoteric learning or rare books is often a remarkably good way to attract the attention of a ceremonial magician.



Hedge Witch


I do conjure thee and with uplifted voice to thee I call, that thou shalt never
have content or peace until thou comest to give me all thy aid.


Hedge witchery is a particularly diverse type of magic, but it is ultimately focused on affecting other people. Witches can affect emotions and learn to curse and heal others as well as invade their dreams. These mystics are found throughout the world, in every society, from the tribal peoples of the Amazon jungle to the vast metropolises of the industrialized world. Some warlocks are born with their magic or develop it spontaneously. Both of these means to gaining this type of magic are relatively rare, however. The most common ways to become a hedge witch are either having one as a close relative and learning from her or recreating the basics of this magic from the multitude of legends, stories and superstitions about witchcraft. Hedge witchcraft is regularly awoken by would-be witches who experiment with rituals. It is by far the easiest of the six traditions of thaumaturgy for people to learn independently.



Shaman


I became a shaman, not knowing myself how it came about. But I was a
shaman. I could see and hear in a totally different way.


Shamans act as intermediaries between the physical world in which ordinary humans live and the Shadow Realm, which is inhabited by spirits. A shaman’s fi rst and most important step in her training is learning to project her mind and perceptions into the Shadow Realm so that she can interact with beings there. Shamanic exercise changes the life of the devotee forever. Once the exercise is complete, shamans can always see and hear Twilight spirits, so shamans cannot block out the voices of spirits that seek their attention. As a result, shamans literally live double lives. Their relationships with the various spirits they see and communicate with every day are often almost as important as the shamans’ interactions with people. Even in communities where shamans are respected members of society, few understand them and they are often considered eccentric or somewhat mad.

Much of a shaman’s power comes from making deals with spirits. By means of offerings, sacrifi ces and occasional threats, shamans obtain a wide variety of favors from ephemeral beings. They learn a multitude of magical secrets from their explorations of the Shadow Realm. Shamans also forge permanent relationships with spirits, and can gain the Familiar Merit and have a Twilight familiar (or “fetch”). The bond between a shaman and her familiar is often one of her closest. Familiars can be wise mentors, passionate lovers, trusted friends, loyal but emotionally distant allies, or some combination of all of these possibilities. While many shamans take apprentices or befriend other practitioners as a way to interact with peers; for some, the only being who truly understands them is a familiar.



Taoist Alchemist


The tao that can be told, is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named, is not the eternal Name.

Tao, pronounced “dow” and sometimes written as Dao, roughly translates as the path or the way. It is a combination of psychology and philosophy that evolved into the state-recognized religion of China by 440 CE. Taoism teaches that the Tao is the origin of all creation and the force behind the functioning of the natural world. Though the Tao is unknowable, its manifestations are observable. Through the path of nonresistance, one becomes so immersed in the fl ow of the world that he becomes one with it. This does not mean doing nothing, but rather doing things in perfect accordance with the way they should naturally be done. Ultimately, the perfection of the way leads to a return to the original state of the spirit when it was part of the Tao.

The Taoist movement has never been unified. On one level, it is divided between philosophical and religious ideals. The core of the teachings is a way of thinking that does not necessarily require any religious faith. But even the religious branches of Taoism are fragmented in belief, with different sects owing much to Buddhism or Shintoism. Indeed, the magic practiced by many groups of Taoists could be a form of Shinto shamanism, and Storytellers who want to present Taoists whose magic is based on interactions with spirits should look to the shaman tradition.

The primary purpose of Taoist alchemy is to facilitate the achievement of the state of consciousness described as the Tao. The Tao is the undying essence of the universe from which birth separates us. As we progress through life, we allow the essence of our being to fl ow out of us, diluted by struggle against the world. This loss leads to death, which is not inherently bad, but it also leads to death without attainment of the way. Taoist alchemists seek to crystallize that which is true according to the way, and to disperse diluted falsehoods.



Vodoun


I do what I want with the spirits, and they do what they want with me.

Voodoo. For most of us, the word instantly brings to mind shambling zombies and wax dolls stuck with pins. Hollywood, antithetical groups of Christianity and Western scholars have all perpetuated this image. It is thoroughly ingrained in our imagination. Some apologists would argue that there is no truth whatsoever to these portrayals of the faith. Yet, some things not altogether true in the real world have a place in the World of Darkness, and one could make a case that various practitioners seeking personal gain (particularly the bocor) have purposefully fed this stereotype.

The name “voodoo” is a distortion of the original Dahomean people’s words: vodoun (the tribal Fon word for “spirit” or “god”) and vodu (the Ewe equivalent). The origin of this faith can be traced to 18th- and 19th-century inhabitants of the region once known as Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that arose during the 15th century and that included parts of what is Togo, Benin and Nigeria today. Vodoun’s tribal roots may go back thousands of years before that. Many modern scholars note that vodoun should be capitalized when used in the same context as other religions. Considering that many faithful followers use the word voodoo, claiming that the word alone is disrespectful might be diffi cult. Unfortunately, the past 200 or 300 years have been marked by outright attempts to wipe out vodoun, and so even accidental insults may be taken to heart by believers.



Thaumaturge Merits


All Merits in this section require a user to possess a thaumaturge template as a prerequisite. Many Traits here are also specifi ed as “defi ning” or “path” for the various traditions. If your character’s tradition doesn’t list a Merit from this chapter as available to his calling, you can’t choose it. Some Merits are available to all mystics, however, regardless of their traditions.

Alchemy (External) (•• or ••••)


Alchemy (Internal) (•• or ••••)


Communion (•• or ••••)


Countermagic (•• or ••••)


Curse of Ill-Fortune (•••)


Divination (•••)


Dream (• to •••••)


Dream Travel (•••)


Enchantment (•• or ••••)


Evocation (•• or ••••)


Familiar (••• or ••••)


Favorable Fortune (•••)


Geomancy (•••)


Healing (••••)


Invocation (•• or ••••)


Magical Nexus (• to ••)


Psychic Projection (••••)


Sacrifice (•)


Scrying (•••)


Second Sight (•••)


See Auras (••)


See Spirits (••)


Soul Jar (•• or ••••)


Visionary Trances (•• or ••••)


Warding (•••)


Weather Control (••••)
_________________
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