- See also: The Book of Madness (first edition)
The Book of Madness Revised is a Revised Edition sourcebook for Mage: The Ascension which details the smaller factions of mages, Marauders, and Nephandi, as well as infernal, extra-dimensional, and spiritual horrors which can threaten mages.
Summary[]
From the White Wolf catalog:
- In Madness Lies Magic
- It's not for the weak-willed, magic. It'll blast the sanity right out of you, tear the innocence from your soul, devour the shreds of humanity from your heart. The cogs of the universe spin on axes too vast for humans to grasp, and once you open the door to magic, you open yourself to the baggage that comes along for the ride – maddened Marauders, necrotic Nephandi and the strangeness of spirits that predate humanity. A little frightened? A little worried? Too late, they're here.
- And From Deceit, Truth
- Here at last, a revised and updated look at the other major factions of Mage conflict: The crazed Marauders whose fragmented Avatars give them insane visions of magic gone awry; the terrifying Nephandi who hope to end the miscegenated cosmos in bleak, utter nothingness; and the cryptic spirit hosts that serve needs and places humans have never imagined. All expanded and ready to include in your chronicle.
Prelude: Evading Hell[]
Fiction. Two young Tradition mages meet for their regular discussion of events following the loss of the Ascension War, but not all is what it seems.
Introduction[]
A summary of the book's purpose and contents.
Chapter One: Nephandi[]
Details the Nephandi, mages who serve Oblivion and seek to destroy the universe to return it to the perfection of "primordial nothingness".
Chapter Two: Marauders[]
Details the Marauders, mages whose minds and Avatars are broken and who live in permanent state of Quiet.
Chapter Three: Infernalism[]
A guide to mages who deal with demons for power. Includes mechanics for Soul Trading and Infernal Investments.
Chapter Four: Umbrood[]
A discussion of the various spirit denizens of the Umbra between Xadreque Machado, a Tradition residing in the Horizon realms, and Cornelius Balt, apparently a Son of Ether. The conversation takes place via email, and is annotated by the Technocrat Harlan Gandt, who intercepted and decrypted the exchange.
Chapter Five: Storytelling[]
Notes on bringing the factions and creatures discussed in the book into a chronicle.
Background Information[]
Page XX describes spirits which can take over the bodies of those humans unfortunate enough to be without souls. This is widely regarded to be the first reference to the Fallen from 2002's Demon: The Fallen.
Memorable Quotes[]
"This book deals with such things as black magic, devil worship, rape, torture, cannibalism and a lot of other extremely sick shit. If you don't want to deal with these subjects in your game, then skip it. But more importantly, THIS IS NOT A HOW-TO GUIDE TO SUCH PRACTICES. This is a game, and if you can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality then put the book down and seek professional help."
— Hey, Stupid! boxed text at the end of the Introduction
Characters[]
- Robert Davenport - the world's most self-aware Marauder and leader of the Underground
- Xadreque Machado - a rogue mage of the Order of Reason
- Cornelius Balt - a Son of Ether
- Harlan Gandt - a member of Iteration X
Terminology[]
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