Prime

The Arcana of Prime deals with magic in its raw and unrefined state, wielding the Supernal Fire directly on the Fallen World, rather than merely altering its facets. A mage skilled in Prime can create illusions, influence Mana and Hallows, dispel the works of other mages, shield herself from magical power, tap the power of tass, read the nature of a being through its aura, and hurl bolts of divine fire. It is an energetic and powerful Arcanum, and so it fits well with its primary wielders, the Obrimos.

Campanella

(Apprentice)

Chambers

(Apprentice)

Kaze

(Disciple)

Star

(Adept)

Influences

Hallows, illusions, magical imbuement, Mana, resonance, Tass.

Nature and Power

The Arcanum of Prime is the Subtle Arcanum of the Supernal Realm of Aether, a realm which also plays host to the Arcanum of Forces. Aether seethes with magical energy. The realm is described as having rains of Mana, falling from the storm-wracked sky to the burning earth below. The very air is charged with mystic potential, the power of mighty works hanging over the landscape like a dense fog. Such is the power of Prime in the Aether that the whole realm is suffused with its glow, giving it an unearthly and terrible beauty. As ever, though, the Fallen World is nowhere near is magically charged as Aether and the Supernal Realms, but Prime still holds some power there.

Of all the Subtle Arcana, those whose influences have been decreased most by the gulf of the Abyss, Prime is perhaps the most diminished in scale. Before the Fall, the universe was awash in magic; now, one cannot even cast the simplest spell without risking the invocation of Paradox. But magic isn't gone. The Ars Mysteriorum is still humanity's best defence against the darkness, and the power of Prime is an effective tool in wielding and controlling these mercurial energies.

The energies of magic are used by many, and a wielder of Prime can gain considerable power over all these people, simply by rendering their arts useless. A mage skilled enough in the Arcanum of Prime may work may wondrous and powerful changes upon the magical nature of her surroundings, to the point where a true master can create Hallows and siphon the Essence from spirits or ghosts. She can pull Mana from Hallows or tear it out from regular objects, making anything a potential source of power. The mage can dispel the efforts of any mage with ease or simply create a potent shield against magic energy to render their attacks and curses null and void. She can see resonance and auras directly, and can detect and alter the ley lines of the world, bending these currents of magical energy to her whim. Her powers can weave complex illusions, simulacra that can perfectly mimic anything she desires, or she can conjure up the destructive power of raw magic to rain death upon her enemies. A mage with the power of the Arcanum of Prime is a useful ally and a powerful foe indeed.

Levels of Mastery

Initiate (●)

An Initiate of Prime, using the first level of mastery, can see resonance more proficiently than with any other spell. She can also detect and analyze enchantments in items, and see through illusions. She gains a limited ability to dispel magic, though she must have knowledge of the effects being dispelled. Lastly, she can record her rotes in a grimoire, that she or any other mage might use them.

• Spells: Abyssal Perception, Analyze Enchanted Item, Chronicle Resonance, Copy Grimoire, Counterspell, Discern Phantasm, Dispel Magic, Inscribe Grimoire, Supernal Vision
• House Ruled: Abyssal Perception
• Banned:

Apprentice (●●)

The second level of mastery grants an Apprentice of Prime the power to bestow her resonance detection upon others. She may counter spells from any Arcanum, or create armour against enemy spells (though not against regular damage). The mage's aura may be altered, making her appear as something she isn't, and she may create the duelling circle required for the Duel Arcane, a ritualised form of wizardly combat. She may also cloak herself from the mystical senses of other mages as she alters or examines their magic, and may activate Artifacts and imbued items without needing to fulfil their triggers.

• Spells: Activate Enchanted Item, Counterspell Prime, Ephemeral Image, Locate Node, Magic Shield, Manipulate Contingent Trigger, Paths of Power, Primal Flow, Sigilization, Spell Cloaks, Squaring the Circle, Supernal Script, Transform Aura, Unseen Spy
• House Ruled: Spell Cloaks
• Banned:

Disciple (●●●)

At the third level of mastery, a Disciple of Prime may bestow her shield against magic upon, or alter the aura of, other creatures. She may channel Mana directly from Hallows or take it from inorganic tass or enchanted items, or she may dissolve said tass. Her power over dispelling increases, allowing her to selectively dispel magic from some targets whilst still keeping the spell active against others. She may fortify the souls of targets, making them more resistant to attempts at soul theft, and she can imbue spells into items or make weapons and equipment capable of affecting Twilight or Shadow Realm creatures. She may transfer her Mana to other living creatures, create wellsprings of power from the ley lines that straddle the Earth, or weave simple, immobile illusions. Finally, she may wield the raw energy of magic as an offensive weapon, blasting at her foes with Supernal fire.

• Spells: Armor of the Soul, Celestial Fire, Channel Mana, Controlled Dispellation, Create Tass, Disguise Resonance, Disguise Spell, Dissolve Tass, Energetic Tass, Ephemeral Enchantment, False Signature, Fortify Phantasmal Item, Girding the Champions Faith, Hallow Bond, Imbue Item Spell, Imbue Mana, Instill Exclusiveness, Item Failsafe, Last Testament, Ley Lines Spell, Ley Shift, Magic Wall, Mana Leech, Mystic Shackle, Path in the Skin, Payment in Power, Phantasm, Price of Hubris, Reset Platonic Exemplar, Subvert Ownership, Target Interloper, Transform Other Aura, Tribute of Iron
• House Ruled: Tribute of Iron
• Banned: Payment in Power

Adept (●●●●)

An Adept of Prime can, with the power of the fourth level of mastery, dispel any spell she encounters without needing to understand the workings behind it. She may reactivate the flow of Mana from dormant Hallows or suppress active Hallows into temporary slumber. She may bestow her perception of magic and the arcane upon even Sleepers at this level of power, allowing them to glimpse into the magical world without fear of invoking Disbelief. Mana can now be siphoned from the Essence of spirits, loci, and ghosts or pulled from regular, unenchanted objects. The mage can now also create animated illusions, though she must direct them herself; they have no free will or mind. Finally, she may create functioning illusory objects, weapons or armour, which affect the world as a regular such item would.

• Spells: Awaken Hallow, Bodyguards Blessing, Channel Paradox, Curse of the Fallen World, Delusions of Grandeur, Disenchant Item, Eyes of the Awakened, Ley Flow, Marionette, Phantasmal Weapon, Pierce Magical Shield, Poison Mana, Primal Transfer, Scour Others Pattern, Siphon Essence, Siphon Integrity, Supernal Augmentation, Supernal Dispellation, Suppress Enchantment, Suppress Hallow, Tainted Source
• House Ruled: Channel Paradox, Primal Transfer
• Banned:

Master (●●●●●)

The fifth level of mastery allows a Master of Prime to create complex illusions with a semblance of proper function, such as "working" computers or convincing suicide troops. She may now siphon Mana from unwilling mages or create her own temporary Hallow from which to draw her power. She can also expel all Mana from a given area, creating a "dead zone" in which magic cannot function, though this may endanger the lives of creatures within the zone.

• Spells: Concealing the Dragons Paths, Create Complex Phantasm, Create Hallow, Dead Zone, Dessicate, Forge Tulpa, Halt the Flow, Scorched Earth, Siphon Mana, Supernal Sense, Universal Bane
• House Ruled: Dessicate
• Banned:

Additional Effects

Spell Cloak

• Cost: 1 Mana

A mage with Prime 2 can add a cloaking effect to his spells when he casts them, making them invisible to a mage’s Unseen Senses and making it harder for those with Mage Sight to notice the spell. He spends one Mana upon casting (in addition to any other Mana required for the spell).

Those with Mage Sight can make reflexive Wits + Occult rolls to notice the spell; otherwise, it remains undetected. Targets suffer a –1 dice penalty to this roll per point of Potency of the cloaked spell. If they have some reason to believe there is a cloaked spell nearby, or are scouring the area for super-natural clues anyway, they can see through the spell cloak by exceeding twice its Potency with their scrutiny successes.

Conjunctional Arcana

Mind

A Master of Prime and Mind can create an idealised dream-being called a tulpa. This tulpa may take whatever form the mage wishes, and is subservient or independent as the mage desires.

Space

An Apprentice of Prime and Space gains the power to sense attempts to observe, alter, or dispel one of her spells. This effect must be woven into the spell as it is cast.

References

• MtA, pp. 219-231