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[[Image:SphereCorrespondence.png|thumb|Sigil of Correspondence]]
[[Image:Correspondence_sigil.jpg|thumb|right|Correspondence sigil.]]'''Correspondence''' (previously known as '''Connection''') is one of nine [[Sphere]]s of magic in [[Mage: The Ascension]]. The [[Ahl-i-Batin]] occupied the [[Seat of Correspondence]] in the original [[Council of Nine Mystic Traditions]], but it is currently held by the [[Virtual Adepts]]. The [[Shard Realm of Correspondence]] maps physically to [[Mercury (cWOD)|Mercury]].
 
   
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'''Correspondence''' (previously known as '''Connection''') is one of nine [[Sphere]]s of magic in [[Mage: The Ascension]]. The [[Ahl-i-Batin]] occupied the [[Seat of Correspondence]] in the original [[Council of Nine Mystic Traditions]], but it is currently held by the [[Virtual Adepts]]. The [[Shard Realm of Correspondence]] maps physically to the planet [[Mercury (WOD)|Mercury]].
Deals with spatial relations, giving the Mage power over space and distances. Correspondence magic allows powers such as teleportation, seeing into distant areas, levitation and flying. At higher levels the Mage may also co-locate himself or even stack different spaces within each-other. Correspondence can be combined with almost any other sphere to create effects that span distances.
 
   
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It is associated with [[Dynamism]] in the [[Metaphysical Trinity]].<ref>{{b|MTAs|Masters of the Art|page=75}}</ref>
Space, interrelationships and sympathetic links all become clear through the study of Correspondence. By bending space or bypassing it entirely, a mage can travel rapidly, fly or teleport from place to place. Divining locations allowsthe mage to see far-away places or direct magic over distances. With a link between a person and an object, Effects may be targeted through connecting rituals.
 
   
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==Overview==
Distance forms no barrier to a master of Correspondence. Indeed, distance and even space do not exist to the student of this Sphere. Through the unifying Correspondence Point, mages realize that all things occupy the same space — or no space at all. Virtual Adepts, the most dedicated modern students of Correspondence, theorize that all things coexist in a single All-Space or Correspondence Point, and that bypassing space is simply a matter of realizing this unity. Mathematically, space is just an illusion, a convenient construct of the mind. Objects, people and places don’t really take up space, according to such theories. Instead, everything is just a Pattern, and space simply describes the relations of different Patterns to one another.
 
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Correspondence magic allows powers such as teleportation, seeing into distant areas, levitation, and flying. At higher levels, the [[Mage (WOD)|Mage]] may also co-locate themselves or even stack different spaces within each-other. Correspondence can be combined with almost any other sphere to create effects that span distances. Space, interrelationships and sympathetic links all become clear through the study of Correspondence. By bending space or bypassing it entirely, a mage can travel rapidly, fly or teleport from place to place. Divining locations allows the mage to see far-away places or direct magic over distances. With a link between a person and an object, Effects may be targeted through connecting rituals.
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Distance forms no barrier to a master of Correspondence. Indeed, distance and even space do not exist to the student of this Sphere. Through the unifying Correspondence Point, mages realize that all things occupy the same space — or no space at all. [[Virtual Adepts]], the most dedicated modern students of Correspondence, theorize that all things coexist in a single All-Space or [[Correspondence Point]], and that bypassing space is simply a matter of realizing this unity. Mathematically, space is just an illusion, a convenient construct of the mind. Objects, people and places don’t really take up space, according to such theories. Instead, everything is just a [[Pattern (MTAs)|Pattern]], and space simply describes the relations of different Patterns to one another.
   
 
Mystically inclined mages see Correspondence through the theories of contagion and sympathy. Any two things that have touched share a little trace of that connection, which can be called on through Correspondence. Objects or places that are similar in Pattern can be manipulated through that similitude. Any sort of connection opens the door to the manipulation of Patterns. It’s always easier to work with the familiar than the strange, after all.
 
Mystically inclined mages see Correspondence through the theories of contagion and sympathy. Any two things that have touched share a little trace of that connection, which can be called on through Correspondence. Objects or places that are similar in Pattern can be manipulated through that similitude. Any sort of connection opens the door to the manipulation of Patterns. It’s always easier to work with the familiar than the strange, after all.
   
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To utilize Arch-spheres, the Master of Correspondence has to figure out how to be in the same space as himself; the Correspondence Point lets Masters exist in many places simultaneously. Next, the mage must resolve the paradox of coexisting in space with himself as more than one simultaneous awareness of singular space.<ref>{{b|MTAs|Masters of the Art|page=66}}</ref>
In and of itself, Correspondence understanding is highly abstract. A mage skilled in Correspondence can measure space, find connections between objects and move Patterns around. Combined with the other Spheres, Corresponding becomes a formidable tool indeed. Proper use of Correspondence lets a mage bypass the limits of its own senses, extending its magic and actions to distant places or objects as long as he can form some connection. Correspondence visualization lets a mage see far-away places, people or things, and perhaps even touch them, go to them or drag them to itself. This door swings both ways, though. Just as a mage forges a connection, that connection can be traced back to the mage.
 
   
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===Marks===
The more disparate a set of objects, or the greater the perceived distance crossed, the more difficult the Correspondence Effect. Such distances can be combined in conjunction with other Effects. Doing so makes the Effect more difficult to cast but capable of extending to great ranges, possibly even beyond the mage’s senses and to places of which he is not aware. Normally, a mage can extend its magic only to areas of its immediate senses, but Correspondence ranges bypass this limitation. The Correspondence Sphere lets the mage perform Effects beyond its line of sight, outside its hearing and otherwise in places beyond its normal reach.
 
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Mages who focus on Correspondence tend to develop a befuddled or faraway look, as if they aren't paying attention. This is because of the growing perspective, and usually, they are more aware of their surroundings than others realize. In contrast to the impression of distraction, their very motions seem to be precise and planned, thanks to their growing knowledge of distances.
   
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Energies associated with Correspondence tend to be purple or silver in color.<ref>{{b|M20|How Do You DO That?|pdf=162241|page=43}}</ref>
Despite its capacity to bend space and distance, Correspondence functions only on whole Patterns unless combined with the various Pattern Spheres. That is, it’s impossible to just teleport away someone’s heart with Correspondence alone. In essence, Correspondence does not affect Patterns directly; such manipulations must be done with other magic. Correspondence simply lets those Patterns be affected, whole and complete, in changes of space or distance. If the mage wants to use Pattern Spheres to affect something with Correspondence, she’s limited by the Correspondence level (if it’s lower than the Pattern Sphere). Thus, a mage can teleport something with just Correspondence, but if she wants to change its Pattern at a distance, its skill with Correspondence is as important as its skill with the other Sphere.
 
   
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===Limits===
Advanced students of Correspondence seem befuddled or distracted, as if they’re not paying attention to their surroundings. In truth, they are constantly aware of their immediate areas to a degree that others can hardly comprehend. In spite of their apparent distraction, these mages exercise absolute precision of motion, a result of their intimate understanding of distances.<ref>[[Mage: The Ascension Revised]] Pg. 156-157</ref>
 
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Despite its capacity to bend space and distance, Correspondence functions only on whole Patterns unless combined with the various Pattern Spheres. That is, it’s impossible to just teleport away someone’s heart with Correspondence alone. In essence, Correspondence does not affect Patterns directly; such manipulations must be done with other magic. Correspondence simply lets those Patterns be affected, whole and complete, in changes of space or distance. If the mage wants to use Pattern Spheres to affect something with Correspondence, they're limited by the Correspondence level (if it’s lower than the Pattern Sphere). Thus, a mage can teleport something with just Correspondence, but if they want to change its Pattern at a distance, their skill with Correspondence is as important as their skill with the other Sphere.<ref>{{b|MTAs|Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition|pdf=199|page=156-157}}</ref>
   
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===Paradigmatic Interpretations===
== Standard Powers ==
 
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Below is a short representation of how the Sphere of Correspondence is interpreted by the various magickal factions within the [[World of Darkness]].
{|
 
|- valign=top
 
| {{dot|1}}<br />'''Immediate Spatial Perceptions'''<br />Basic understanding of Correspondence allows a mage to develop precise and intuitive judgments of distance or area. A simple Effect enhances the mage’s awareness of space to determine exact directions and distances. The mage can cast spells to “feel out” the contours of space around him, using mystical senses to determine the placement of other Patterns even beyond the normal senses. With the proper Effects, a mage can also detect warps in space or the presence of gates, sinks, wormholes and other instabilities or tears in the very fabric of perceived distance.
 
   
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====Traditions====
Combined with various Pattern Spheres, the mage can determine exact sizes and distances to creatures, objects or forces. With more ephemeral Spheres, the mage could develop a rough idea of the locations of nearby thinking beings, the area of power in a Node or the direction and distance to a peculiarity or strange coincidence.
 
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* '''[[Akashic Brotherhood]]''': The Akashics regard Correspondence as ''Lokhadhatu'', the ''dharma'' of Indra's Net that keeps the impermanent elements of reality together. Since the Net connects everything, separation is an illusion inflicted by the ''samsara'' ([[Consensus]]). Mount Meru stands at the centre of the net, acting as an anchor to the rest of existence that travels upon the [[Wheel of Ages]].<ref>{{b|MTAs|Tradition Book: Akashic Brotherhood|pdf=295|page=54}}</ref>
<ref>[[Mage: The Ascension Revised]] Pg. 157</ref>
 
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* '''[[Celestial Chorus]]''': In the eyes of the Celestial Chorus, Correspondence is the omnipresence of the One. Everything is part of a pattern, which is, in its entirety, only visible and understandable by the One. Through Correspondence, a Chorister learns that as all space is under the One's rule and the One contains all things, every preposition that one can imagine in the relation between the One and space exists, being what connects everything. Some go so far and claim that all space is just an illusion.<ref>{{b|MTAs|Tradition Book: Celestial Chorus|pdf=297|page=54}}</ref>
|- valign=top
 
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* '''[[Cult of Ecstasy]]''': The Cult speaks of Correspondence as the "''illusion of space''" and assign the emotion of "''Empathy''" among the [[Nine Sacred Passions]] to it. Seeing that all things are connected and rely on each other, Cultists think of space in similar ways to [[Time (MTAs)|Time]]. Both are illusions of placement within a continuum and will be transcended eventually to achieve a state of all-encompassing communication with everything.<ref>{{b|MTAs|Tradition Book: Cult of Ecstasy|pdf=298|page=53}}</ref>
| {{dot|2}}<br />'''Sense Space'''<br />'''Touch Space'''<br />With scrying magic and projection, the mage can cast out its senses to various places beyond its physical form. The mage could touch and feel something physically at a distance or use magic to see a vista at a far-away location. The mage chooses one target and performs an appropriate Effect to scry there. Sensing a distant area forges a sort of connection between the mage and the location — a warp of Correspondence as the mage brings its Pattern in contact with the place — that can be detected with simple Correspondence awareness. This connection also extends the mage’s perceptions to allow him to use its magic at such places. Conversely, the mage can make wards that bar scrying, or defend the Patterns that she perceives from conjuration or transportation, by strengthening the hold of space and hedging out such distant perceptions.
 
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* '''[[Dreamspeakers]]''': Dreamspeakers that use Correspondence look to the easily neglected [[Spirit (WOD)|spirits]] of distance and dimension. By bartering with these entities, a Dreamspeaker can then step "''between''", similar to how they [[Step sideways|step ''"sideways"'']] to reach the [[Umbra|Spirit World]].<ref>{{b|MTAs|Tradition Book: Dreamspeakers|pdf=301|page=53}}</ref>
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* '''[[Euthanatoi]]''': The Euthanatoi see Correspondence as ''Anya Win'' (The Whole). Correspondence treats are woven by the movement of the Great Wheel and administered by ''karma'', which binds all things together, driving them forward towards perfection.<ref>{{b|MTAs|Tradition Book: Euthanatos|pdf=12309|page=58-59}}</ref>
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* '''[[Order of Hermes]]''': The Hermetics speak of Correspondence as the ''Ars Conjunctionis'' (sometimes properly formed as ''Ars Conligationis'' by pedantic masters). To them, it is the art of overcoming obstacles and transcending difficulty through enlightened Will. Correspondence guides the flow of magic between the four dimensions and the five senses, allowing a mage to expand his Will across Creation.<ref>{{b|MTAs|Tradition Book: Order of Hermes|pdf=304|page=62}}</ref>
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*'''[[Sons of Ether]]''': For the Sons of Ether, Correspondence is ''Contagious Ether''. Drawing on the {{w|Parmenides|Parmenidic}} theory of space as an element that ensures connection within a unified cosmos, more modern Etherites point to {{w|String theory|String Theories}} and gravitons, fermitrons, and bosons, while more esoteric speak of low-gravity orgone fields or a psychic propriety that comes into existence when minds differentiate between objects.<ref>{{b|MTAs|Tradition Book: Sons of Ether|pdf=306|page=58-59}}</ref>
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* '''[[Verbena]]''': The Verbena celebrate Correspondence during ''Lammas'', the first of August where the grain is harvested and brought home. Closely associated with the [[Paths of the Wyck]], the Verbena see Correspondence as the art of traversing the Tellurian, of roads and pathways that lead the Wise to their destination.<ref>{{b|MTAs|Tradition Book: Verbena|pdf=308|page=55-56}}</ref>
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* '''[[Virtual Adepts]]''': The Virtual Adepts interpret Correspondence as the expression of the metric expansion of the universe through space-time in the form of mathematics. The Correspondence Point is the center of the [[Tellurian]] from which every other point within the Tellurian can be reached through informational input. Between the Correspondence point and the Hypersphere that is [[consensual reality]] lies the [[Digital Web]], through which the Virtual Adepts access the Correspondence Point.<ref>{{b|MTAs|Tradition Book: Virtual Adepts|pdf=310|page=57}}</ref>
   
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====[[Crafts]]====
Combining Correspondence sensing and touching with Pattern Spheres lets the mage affect small Patterns at a distance. The mage could reach out and touch a stone from a far distance, then use Matter with Correspondence to pull it into its hand, conjuring it from across a field. Similarly, the mage could deposit an animal some distance away with a touch and a conjunctional use of Correspondence and Life. As with all uses of Pattern Spheres with Correspondence, the mage is limited to its lesser understanding in the possible Effects. In conjunction with other Spheres, long-range Correspondence allows the mage to seek someone out in order to establish mental contact or read thoughts, project probability manipulation at a far distance, search for powerful sources of Quintessence to manipulate or even look into distant spirit worlds.<ref>[[Mage: The Ascension Revised]] Pg. 157-158</ref>
 
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* '''[[Ahl-i-Batin]]''': The Ahl-i-Batin see Correspondence as their most important asset in reaching [[Tenth Sphere#Unity|Unity]]. Seeing it corresponding to {{w|Binah}}, the ''wahdat al-wujud'' teaches that all points are one. For the Batini, everyone is everything at once. It is only their limited understanding that prevents them from realizing this fact.<ref>{{b|MTAs|Lost Paths: Ahl-i-Batin & Taftâni|pdf=192|page=33}}</ref>
|- valign=top
 
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* '''[[Hem-Ka Sobk]]''': The Hem-Ka Sobk saw space as similar to ''Agb'' (water). Like the crocodile, they use water to travel and expand their senses.<ref>{{b|MTAs|Book of Crafts|pdf=41|page=54}}</ref>
| {{dot|3}}<br />'''Pierce Space'''<br />'''Seal Gate'''<br />'''Co-locality Perception'''<br />Tearing the very fabric of space itself, the mage can open a brief gateway to other places and step through. While the mage could only cast its senses out to distant locations previously, she can now actually travel via teleportation. The mage needs only sense the destination — or even haphazardly cast out to a random place, although doing so is extremely dangerous — then perform an appropriate Effect to change its Pattern’s location. Drawing together connections in various Patterns — or severing them — is also possible, and it causes the Patterns affected to build a stronger or weaker bond that can be exploited later through Correspondence.
 
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* '''[[Kopa Loei]]''': The Kopa Loei call Correspondence "''Kealanui''", simply translated as "The Way". For the Kopa Loei, the way to their destination is already within them, and finding it is a simple manner of listening to your surroundings and being aware of your own presence in the world.<ref>{{b|MTAs|Book of Crafts|pdf=41|page=70}}</ref>
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* '''[[Taftâni]]''': The Taftâni call Correspondence ''Ribash'', the "Puzzle", since distance is an obstacle for Truth, but at the same protects it from being controlled. Taftâni do not hold Correspondence in the same regard as other, more offensive, Spheres, but utilize it to build wards against [[Djinn (MTAs)|djinn]] and construct portals for transportation.<ref>{{b|MTAs|Lost Paths: Ahl-i-Batin & Taftâni|pdf=192|page=75, 82}}</ref>
   
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====[[Technocratic Union]]====
By strengthening the bonds of space instead of warping them, a mage can seal gateways and block the passage of Correspondence Effects. The mage can actually bar an area from passage, be it mundane or through Correspondence. Such an Effect prevents transportation in an area, and it can be cast over Patterns other than the mage itself.
 
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* The Technocratic Union (especially the [[New World Order]]) utilizes a different form of Correspondence called '''[[Data]]''', while the Void Engineers use a form called '''[[Void Correspondence]]'''. Others utilize a version of Correspondence that fits closer to the version espoused by the Traditionalists, with a focus on how space is a single point, an overlapping geometry of mathematics that simply seems to bend or stretch according to the forms of matter in it.<ref>{{b|MTAs|Guide to the Technocracy|pdf=3044|page=49}}</ref>
   
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== Standard Powers ==
Finally, moderate comprehension of Correspondence allows a mage to split its perceptions over several locations at once. Although the mage can open a door to only a single place, or manipulate individual Patterns without major effort, she can use its scrying to view multiple places simultaneously. The mage could experience the show in any form appropriate to its paradigm. She might see a set of ghostly superimposed images around its as she spies on multiple locations, or perhaps she has a series of small simultaneous images for different places.
 
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* {{dot|1}} {{ref|lvl1}}
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**'''Immediate Spatial Perceptions''': Raises the mage's awareness of space to determine exact directions and distances, as well as distortions of the same. Allows locating things that the mage cannot perceive with their human senses.
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* {{dot|2}} {{ref|lvl2}}
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**'''Sense, Touch, Thicken And Reach Through Space''': Allows the mage to extend their senses beyond their current location. With adjacent Spheres of [[Life (MTAs)|Life]] or [[Matter (MTAs)|Matter]], they can draw small lifeforms or objects through space. Allows one to dampen spatial distortion that can be sensed on rank 1.
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* {{dot|3}} {{ref|lvl3}}
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**'''Pierce Space''': Allows a mage to penetrate the very fabric of space itself, opening small portals that allow travel via teleportation. With adjacent Spheres, the mage can teleport Patterns from a distance.
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**'''Seal Gate''': Allows a mage to ward an area against Correspondence Effects and mundane attempts to enter.
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**'''Co-Locality Perception''': Allows a mage to split their perceptions over various locations, allowing them to see multiple places simultaneously.
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* {{dot|4}} {{ref|lvl4}}
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**'''Rend Space''': Allows a mage to create permanent [[Portal (WOD)|portals]] to any location within the Tellurian.
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**'''Co-locate Self''': By causing their own Pattern to manifest in several perceived spaces, the mage can appear to exist in multiple places at once. Through the adjacent use of the Mind and Life Sphere, the appearance can interact and think just as the mage would.
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** '''Ward''': The mage can isolate forces, spaces, objects, or people into their own tiny realms with the use of various auxiliary Spheres.
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* {{dot|5}} {{ref|lvl5}}
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**'''Mutate Localities''': Allows a mage to bend space according to their will, altering sizes and volumes, stretching distances and willfully manipulating any objects that appear in space.
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**'''Co-Locate Space''': Allows a mage to merge chunks of space together, superimposing location on each other instead of creating a portal.
   
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===Archspheres===
With Pattern Spheres, the mage can use Correspondence to teleport Patterns or move objects from a distance. The mage reaches out and bypasses space to touch the object from range. Searching through multiple locations at once lets the mage perform very acute investigations, especially when using other Spheres to look for specific results.<ref>[[Mage: The Ascension Revised]] Pg. 158</ref>
 
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* {{dot|6}} {{ref|lvl6}}
|- valign=top
 
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** '''Fold Space''': Allows a mage to reduce or increase the distance between two objects, or to fold the space around a person to twist them into various shapes.
| {{dot|4}}<br />'''Rend Space'''<br />'''Co-locate Self'''<br />Adepts of Correspondence can not only tear through the Tapestry to create warps or rents in space, they can force such distortions to remain instead of just sliding their own Patterns along brief slips of distance. The mage can create a free-standing wormhole or gate that transports anyone to another place, or he can bend space to remove something from the bounds of the normal Tapestry entirely. Space isn’t necessarily mutable at this level, but various points can be connected or Patterns can be placed in new locations or even outside the concept of “space” altogether. Combined with specific wards, the gates through space can be made selective so that only certain types of Patterns may pass through.
 
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** '''Create Space''': Allows a mage to generate space by creating a zone of emptiness.
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* {{dot|7}} {{ref|lvl7}}
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** '''No Warding''': Allows a mage to step through wards or allow others to ignore them by transforming into a small "Correspondence Point" herself.
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* {{dot|8}} {{ref|lvl8}}
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** '''Limits of Spirit''': Allows a mage to transport material or spiritual realities to translocate features of a place instead of objects.
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* {{dot|9}} {{ref|lvl9}}
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** '''No Limits''': The mage can move freely around the [[Tellurian]].
   
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==Correspondence Range==
By causing its own Pattern to manifest in several perceived spaces, the mage can appear to exist in multiple places at once. Judicious use of other Spheres can let the mage think separately in these places (with Mind magic) or even act differently in each (with Life magic).
 
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{| class="grey"
 
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! Success
Pattern magic used by an Adept of Correspondence can not only teleport or move objects, but establish gates that bar or warp certain Patterns. A particular Pattern can even be thrust into its own bubble of non-space, closeted away from the universe. In such a bubble the mage can scry safely or put away an object where it can’t be found or manipulated.<ref>[[Mage: The Ascension Revised]] Pg. 158</ref><br />
 
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! Range
|- valign=left
 
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! Connection
| {{dot|5}}<br />'''Mutate Localities'''<br />'''Co-Locate Space'''<br />Mastery of Correspondence allows a mage not only to pull spaces together or hold them apart, but to bend, twist and flex space itself like taffy. The mage can stretch distances, alter volumes and spin around the very concepts of arcs or angles. A three-foot-long rod might be made to span an apparent 10 feet, or a gun could be folded so that its bullet comes out the apparently curving barrel heading toward the shooter, since the bullet travels along curved space and thus follows a straight line through a curved barrel.
 
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|-
 
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| 1
Just as an Adept of Correspondence can stack its perceptions or presence to see and interact with multiple locations, the Master can pull entire chunks of space together so that they can interact freely. Instead of gates through which things pass to travel, the whole areas become superimposed on one another. Objects and creatures can exist in two places simultaneously, because the places are now a single location. Items could be made to overlap without damage; in effect, more than one thing can occupy a single space at one time.
 
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| Line of Sight
 
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| Body sample or Blood relative
Correspondence Masters can use other Spheres to cause Patterns to interact bizarrely in overlapped space, to allow themselves to appear in multiple places with independent bodies and thoughts, to cause an object’s spatial warping to also reflect in its physical characteristics or to shield areas from intrusion. <ref>[[Mage: The Ascension Revised]] Pg. 158</ref>
 
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|-
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| 2
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| Very familiar
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| Best Friend or prized possession
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|-
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| 3
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| Familiar
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| Casual friend, cousin or possession
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|-
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| 4
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| Visited Once
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| Acquaintance, object used once
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|-
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| 5
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| Described location
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| Briefly touched or saw object or person
 
|}
 
|}
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<!-- Modifed from WW 4300 "Mage: The Ascension" Page 209 -->
   
==Archspheres==
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==References==
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{{Reflist}}
   
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* {{b|MTAs|Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition|page=157, 207}}
   
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----
Correspendence
 
Masters of Correspondence generally use two major 
 
theories in their work. The first is the mystic doctrine of 
 
contagion. The second, more recent theory is that of the 
 
Correspondence Point. 
 
   
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{{note|lvl1}} '''Level 1'''
For all Arch-Spheres, there is a step the mage takes to move 
 
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{|border="0"
beyond Mastery. For Correspondence, the mage must figure out 
 
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|-
how to be in the same space as himself; the Correspondence
 
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| style="width:200px" |Immediate Spatial Perceptions
Point lets Masters exist in many places simultaneously. Next, 
 
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| style="width:300px" |[[Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition|Mage: The Ascension Revised]]
the mage must resolve the paradox of coexisting in space with 
 
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| Pg. 157
himself as more than one simultaneous awareness of singular 
 
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|-
space. Confused? Nobody said it was easy.
 
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| Immediate Spatial Perceptions
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| [[Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition]]
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| Pg. 513
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|}
   
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{{note|lvl2}} '''Level 2'''
••••• • Fold Space/Create Space
 
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{|border="0"
Rarely used inside the Horizon, this power allows the 
 
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|-
Archmage to reduce or increase the distance between any two 
 
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| style="width:200px" | Sense Space/ Touch Space
objects. If the Archmage is not working in empty space, then he 
 
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| style="width:300px" |[[Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition|Mage: The Ascension Revised]]
must use other Spheres to manipulate the intervening Patterns 
 
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| Pg. 157-158
(or Spirit, in the Umbra). Successes can be used to remove or 
 
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|-
add to the space in an area. The mage could create a strip or 
 
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| Sense, Touch, Thicken And Reach Through Space
bubble of additional distance in an area, pulling Patterns like 
 
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| [[Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition]]
taffy with conjunctional magic in order to make them occupy 
 
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| Pg. 513
the new distance. Conversely, the mage could collapse an area 
 
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|}
of space to a pinpoint, easily letting anyone cross it.
 
At this level of Archmastery, the mage can effectively 
 
create space, generating a zone of emptiness that pushes exist-ing space outward around it. With the right Pattern magics, 
 
this space can be filled with other matter or made to look like 
 
part of the preexisting landscape. Note that space is not a 
 
Pattern per se; it is just, as one Archmage jokingly put it, “the place where the Tellurian keeps all its stuff.” Thus, creating 
 
space does not require the use of Quintessence.
 
A mage can folding a preexisting Pattern to warp its 
 
interaction with space. The mage can take a person and twist 
 
him into the shape of a pretzel; subjectively, the person still 
 
seems to exist according to his normal proportions, but the 
 
world around him is horribly bent. Naturally, this can lead 
 
to all sorts of complications, though it does not actually 
 
cause direct harm.
 
[Folding or creating space is almost always a very complex 
 
(10+ successes) action. Folding a Pattern is a conjunctional 
 
Effect, and is also a complex action.]
 
   
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{{note|lvl3}} '''Level 3'''
••••• •• No Warding
 
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{|border="0"
As the name of this power implies, the mage realizes that 
 
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|-
wards are something to be practically brushed aside, as the 
 
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| style="width:200px" | Pierce Space
region inside the ward is space that can be reached.
 
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| style="width:300px" |[[Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition|Mage: The Ascension Revised]]
Normally, a mage can use Correspondence to bypass warded 
 
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| Pg. 158
areas, teleporting directly into or out of an area with Correspondence gates or folding. Wards, however, are tied to the Patterns of 
 
  +
|-
the Tellurian itself, so that even a mage who doesn’t necessarily 
 
  +
| Pierce Space
cross intervening space can be hindered, harmed or hedged out. 
 
  +
| [[Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition]]
With this understanding, the mage no longer relies on Tellurian 
 
  +
| Pg. 513
Patterns for guidance. Instead of using the Correspondence Point 
 
  +
|-
as an external gateway to all space, then, the mage becomes a 
 
  +
| Seal Gate
sort of Correspondence Point, existing everywhere at once, 
 
  +
| [[Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition|Mage: The Ascension Revised]]
bypassing the effects of wards that are keyed to concepts of 
 
  +
| Pg. 158
“inside,” “outside” and “touching.”
 
  +
|-
  +
| Open Or Close Gates
  +
| [[Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition]]
  +
| Pg. 513
  +
|-
  +
| Co-Locality Perceptions
  +
| [[Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition|Mage: The Ascension Revised]]
  +
| Pg. 158
  +
|-
  +
| Co-Locality Perceptions
  +
| [[Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition]]
  +
| Pg. 513
  +
|}
  +
{{note|lvl4}} '''Level 4'''
  +
{|border="0"
  +
|-
  +
| style="width:200px" | Rend Space
  +
| style="width:300px" |[[Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition|Mage: The Ascension Revised]]
  +
| Pg. 158
  +
|-
  +
| Rend Space
  +
| [[Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition]]
  +
| Pg. 513
  +
|-
  +
| Co-Locate Self
  +
| [[Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition|Mage: The Ascension Revised]]
  +
| Pg. 158
  +
|-
  +
| Co-Locate Self
  +
| [[Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition]]
  +
| Pg. 513
  +
|-
  +
| Ward
  +
| [[Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition]]
  +
| Pg. 513
  +
|}
   
  +
{{note|lvl5}} '''Level 5'''
A mage can also temporarily negate the powers of a 
 
  +
{|border="0"
ward so that others can evade it. The process is similar, but 
 
  +
|-
the mage himself becomes the Correspondence gate through 
 
  +
| style="width:200px" | Mutate Localities
which others access the warded space or object. Since the 
 
  +
| style="width:300px" |[[Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition|Mage: The Ascension Revised]]
mage can easily co-locate aspects of himself, though, the 
 
  +
| Pg. 158
subjects don’t necessarily need to see or touch him or even 
 
  +
|-
be aware of the Effect.
 
  +
| Spatial Mutation
  +
| [[Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition]]
  +
| Pg. 513
  +
|-
  +
| Co-Location
  +
| [[Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition|Mage: The Ascension Revised]]
  +
| Pg. 158
  +
|-
  +
| Co-Location
  +
| [[Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition]]
  +
| Pg. 513
  +
|}
   
  +
{{note|lvl6}} '''Level 6'''
[Bypassing a ward in this fashion typically adds the ward’s 
 
  +
{|border="0"
strength to the required success total on other Correspondence 
 
  +
|-
functions. Naturally, the mage need not even step completely 
 
  +
| style="width:200px" | Fold Space
into a warded area; she could simply reach inside or even grab 
 
  +
| style="width:300px" |[[Masters of the Art]]
a warded object, with no trouble whatsoever. Temporarily 
 
  +
| Pg. 66
breaking a ward requires defeating the ward’s strength, as with 
 
  +
|-
usual contested magic, and additional successes allow others 
 
  +
| Create Space
to bypass the ward with the mage’s help.]
 
  +
| [[Masters of the Art]]
  +
| Pg. 66
  +
|}
   
  +
{{note|lvl7}} '''Level 7'''
••••• ••• Limits of Spirit
 
  +
{|border="0"
At this level of Archmastery, the mage can travel 
 
  +
|-
anywhere, as with normal Correspondence teleportation or 
 
  +
| style="width:200px" | No Warding
co-location, but still takes material (or spiritual) reality with 
 
  +
| style="width:300px" |[[Masters of the Art]]
him. The mage carries some of the characteristics of Earthly 
 
  +
| Pg. 67
space with him when he travels. Even though he does not 
 
  +
|}
technically co-locate with Earth, he need not suffer from the 
 
harsh environment of his physical location(s).
 
If an Archmage with this mastery of Correspondence goes 
 
from the Earth to anywhere within the Horizon, he must still 
 
cross the Gauntlet or suffer the effects of space. The mage brings 
 
the material aspect of the Earth with him; he does not create 
 
it wherever he goes. The extreme cold and radiation of space 
 
are still deadly. If he travels outside the Horizon, he does not 
 
carry this material aspect with him, as that region rejects the 
 
separation of spiritual and material. Mastery of Spirit is required 
 
to survive here. Thus, this power does not protect against the 
 
invasion of outside environmental forces, but allows the mage 
 
to draw upon safe Earthly reserves, breathing normally, walk 
 
on (non-existent) ground and so on.
 
Since the mage can easily create bubbles of space 
 
that share characteristics with other space — essentially 
 
co-locating spatial features instead of just objects — it’s 
 
a simple matter to section off a pocket of space to which 
 
only the mage and others with this level of Archmastery
 
have any access.
 
   
[The mage must score enough successes to maintain the 
 
field for the duration of her trip into hostile territory. Build-ing a pocket of bounded space requires an extended ritual 
 
of moderate complexity (generally ten to fifteen successes) 
 
depending upon the area built and the duration that the space 
 
is supposed to exist.]
 
   
  +
{{note|lvl8}} '''Level 8'''
••••• •••• No Limits
 
  +
{|border="0"
At this level, any movement is possible. Mages of supreme 
 
  +
|-
Correspondence Archmastery can break through any barrier, 
 
  +
| style="width:200px" | Limits of Spirit
even the Gauntlet and the Horizon. To the mage, all space 
 
  +
| style="width:300px" |[[Masters of the Art]]
is one space.
 
  +
| Pg. 67
  +
|}
   
[To reach any place on Earth requires only one success, 
 
two if the place is warded. Traveling within the Horizon from 
 
the material side of the Earth’s Gauntlet takes two to five 
 
successes and travel from the Earth to any place outside the 
 
Horizon takes seven to ten successes. Survival beyond the 
 
Horizon still requires a Mastery of Spirit, however.]
 
   
  +
{{note|lvl9}} '''Level 9'''
entropy
 
  +
{|border="0"
 
  +
|-
Archmastery of Entropy is both easy and impossible. The 
 
  +
| style="width:200px" | No Limits
mage must realize that his fate is his fault. He goes where he 
 
  +
| style="width:300px" |[[Masters of the Art]]
goes because of the choices he has already made. He must 
 
  +
| Pg. 67
also realize that he cannot change this fate without changing 
 
  +
|}
who he is. This is much deeper than simply saying “Great, I 
 
accept that I make my own fate.” It’s an understanding that 
 
every action the mage has taken has colored his future, and 
 
that he cannot escape the consequences of his existence. 
 
The mage may be able to bend the universe to his whim, but 
 
ultimately he must live with himself.
 
 
••••• • Stultifying Order/Utter Chaos
 
 
At this level of understanding, the mage gains total 
 
 
determinism over chance. The Archmage can deny any 
 
 
change, or call upon Entropy to reduce an object or being to 
 
 
its component parts. Whereas lesser levels of Entropy allow 
 
 
the mage to affect the outcome of chance as long as some 
 
 
element of chance exists, this power lets the mage generate 
 
 
raw chaos or completely remove probability. A wave of the 
 
 
hand can disperse an object into randomly moving molecules, 
 
 
or assemble a form from scattered elements.[Although a mage can build or destroy Patterns with this 
 
 
level of Entropy, such Effects are usually conjunctional with 
 
 
other Pattern magic if they’re to be lasting. Creatures and 
 
 
objects can be reduced to their component parts (suffering 
 
 
Entropy damage) or they can be turned into totally static 
 
 
automata for the duration of an Effect, rendered unable to 
 
 
learn, grow or change.]
 
 
••••• •• Destiny of the Species
 
 
At this stage of Entropy, the mage can control the 
 
 
evolution of a species. While the lesser mage sees the work 
 
 
of Entropy in single Patterns, chaotic probabilities and intel-lectual constructs, the Archmaster understands Entropy on a 
 
 
meta-Pattern scale. He sees Entropy not just in Patterns, but 
 
 
in the interactions between them. He can make a species more 
 
 
suited to its environment, making it more prolific. He can 
 
 
also do the opposite, causing its extinction. Without access 
 
 
to Correspondence magic, this may take several generations, 
 
 
as the mage blesses or curses nearby members of a species. For 
 
 
a migratory species, or for a species spread across the Earth, 
 
 
Mastery of Correspondence may be necessary for any real effect 
 
 
to take place. Still, this potent Effect is, essentially, infectious 
 
 
Entropy. The mage touches Patterns in a way that causes the 
 
 
cascading Effect to spread.
 
 
[Naturally, affecting a number of creatures is a huge 
 
 
undertaking. The mage should cast the Effect consistently 
 
 
several times as an extended ritual in order to affect enough 
 
 
creatures. This use of Entropy is a bit more gradual than 
 
 
lesser levels; the inertia stored in so many Patterns takes 
 
 
some effort to change. Used conjunctionally with Time and 
 
 
Correspondence, a mage could theoretically reduce a spe-cies to extinction in a day or hyper-evolve it, though such 
 
 
incredibly vulgar actions are best left for pocket universes 
 
 
and personal experiments.]
 
 
••••• ••• Breach Shroud/Deny the End
 
 
The Archmage literally opens the Shroud, or closes it off! 
 
 
Tied closely to the Underworld, the mage’s control of Entropy 
 
 
breaks the barriers of death. With but a step, the mage can walk 
 
 
into the Underworld like the Masters of Spirit. However, the 
 
 
mage can also reorder the powers of death to her liking. Though 
 
 
manipulating the Underworld is a hazardous undertaking (see 
 
 
Chapter Three), the mage is fully empowered to reassemble life 
 
 
from the swirling nihilistic energy of death or halt Oblivion’s 
 
 
hold on an object or creature.
 
 
[By twisting the progress of Oblivion, the mage can slow 
 
 
or halt the processes of death, disease and injury. Archmasters 
 
 
with this level of Entropy can keep spirits of the dead from 
 
 
dissolving into the nothingness of the afterlife or channel 
 
 
the storms of the Underworld in different directions. Such 
 
 
Effects are fairly trivial, though a botch can be disastrous.
 
 
Actually stepping into the Underworld or raising the 
 
 
dead is, of course, a feat worthy of Orpheus. The mage 
 
 
must undertake a quest to perform the appropriate Effect, 
 
 
literally piecing the subject back together by tearing the 
 
 
barrier between life and death, thus destroying the distinc-tions between chaos and order. Such feats are tasks of great 
 
 
complexity (20+ successes) and difficulty.]
 
 
••••• •••• True Destiny
 
 
The universe is an open book to the greatest students 
 
 
of Entropy. Chance and fate are writ large, and the supreme 
 
 
Archmaster recognizes no contradiction in luck, choice and 
 
 
predestination. Instead of simply manipulating the outcomes 
 
 
of probability, the mage can see the course of the Tellurian’s 
 
 
every facet. He can watch the lines that influence all Patterns 
 
 
and the eventual end of being.
 
 
[The mage can alter the Destiny Background freely, rais-ing or lowering it, or even change the actual destiny. Scrying 
 
 
with this level of Entropy lets a mage determine a creature’s 
 
 
Destiny as well, and only the most potent magics can bar 
 
 
such perceptions. Although the mage does not necessarily 
 
 
see through time, he immediately understands all possible 
 
 
outcomes, and comprehends the ones that will come to pass 
 
 
unless phenomenal forces are brought to bear. Changing Destiny 
 
 
is a complex (10+ successes) action, while modifying a mage’s 
 
 
Destiny rating means rebuilding the interaction of chance and 
 
 
fate within her Pattern, requiring five successes and ten points 
 
 
of Quintessence per dot changed.]
 
 
forces
 
 
As with all Pattern magics, Archmastery of Forces requires 
 
 
that the mage understand Forces on an interconnected level 
 
 
instead of an individual Pattern level. The mage must tap into 
 
 
the universal Pattern of Forces. By questing in the appropriate 
 
 
Shard Realm, the mage gains a glimpse of the unified Force, the 
 
 
Pattern that describes the sum of all forces in the universe. Since 
 
 
this Pattern (theoretically) expresses every possible force, this 
 
 
means that the mage experiences just about every combination 
 
 
of Force Patterns possible. This is typically lethal.
 
 
••••• • Economy of Force/Sense Universal Force
 
 
Opening himself to the universal force, a mage can see 
 
 
the interactions of Force Patterns and their natural begin-nings and endings. Though normal Force perceptions allow 
 
 
a mage to spot interactions of such Patterns, this level of 
 
 
Archmastery lets a mage draw connections between a Pattern 
 
 
and its origins, its interactions with other Patterns and its 
 
 
eventual destination. Such a broad view allows the mage to 
 
 
determine where and how to apply force for maximum effect 
 
 
with minimum effort.
 
 
[With the ability to sense universal forces, the mage’s other 
 
 
Forces Effects become much more efficient. Perceiving Forces lets 
 
 
the mage trace a Force Pattern back to its origin or extrapolate 
 
 
its likely results. The mage can also direct other manifestations 
 
 
of Forces with half the usual required successes, as long as the 
 
 
mage has already activated universal perception.]
 
 
••••• •• Plate Tectonics
 
 
By manipulating entire strings of Force Patterns at 
 
 
once, the mage can drop portions of a continent into the 
 
 
ocean, or raise parts of the sea floor. Without Correspon-dence or Time magic, though, he is sure to be caught in the devastation. By the way, does anybody in the class 
 
 
remember our discussion of Fleck’s Folly?
 
 
[Simply put, the mage can move entire continents with 
 
 
Forces. Instead of grabbing or creating individual Forces, the 
 
 
mage collects all forces acting on an object into a single vector 
 
 
and modifies them at whim. Though the consequences of this 
 
 
manipulation are phenomenally devastating, the mage can 
 
 
extend her Force Patterns to affect as much area as she can 
 
 
score successes for on her Effect. The vulgar consequences 
 
 
are best not contemplated.]
 
 
••••• ••• Toss Around Realms
 
 
Normally, a mage’s command of Forces is limited to the 
 
 
interaction of forces that deal with other Patterns. With 
 
 
supreme concentration, though, it’s possible to make forces 
 
 
that interact with Tellurian space, designed specifically to 
 
 
push the boundaries of reality itself.
 
 
The mage can now move Realms. Mage-made Realms 
 
 
are fairly easy to move, while the larger and more static 
 
 
Realms take a bit more effort. Under the proper circum-stances, a mage could alter the apparent positions of various 
 
 
locations in the Umbra, even shoving normally separate 
 
 
Realms into brief contact. Realms are generally too large 
 
 
to be pushed through the Gauntlet, though; the resistance 
 
 
would be phenomenal.
 
 
[Use your imagination — the mage at this level of power 
 
 
can move Umbral Realms, making access easier or harder. Small 
 
 
pocket Realms and Steadings may only take 10 or 15 successes 
 
 
to move, while a full-sized Shard Realm would require the 
 
 
work of several mages acting together for 30 or more successes. 
 
 
Remember, too, that historical inertia means that Realms tend 
 
 
to move back to their original states if unattended.]
 
 
••••• •••• Alter Universal Forces
 
 
At this level of Archmastery, the mage can alter forces that 
 
 
affect the whole Tellurian. He can manipulate the interaction 
 
 
of the Shenti, moving them closer to one another or separat-ing them. The mage can briefly change how a universal force 
 
 
functions, or even invent an entirely new force (“This is the 
 
 
Force of Thon, which removes the distinctions of gender!”).
 
 
Some Euthanatoi have wondered if Oblivion itself is an 
 
 
aspect of an Exemplar of Forces. Could it be that every force 
 
 
is just an emanation of the will of some ancient mage who 
 
 
imagined the cosmos into being?
 
 
[By making a phenomenal Effect roll, a mage can 
 
 
transmute the nature of a universal force — altering how 
 
 
magnetism works, for instance, or changing the strong nuclear 
 
 
force. This sort of Effect rapidly cascades out of the mage’s 
 
 
control, as historical inertia resists; such a change lasts only a 
 
 
few turns at most. Still, changing the gravitational constantof the universe has its uses. Also, a mage can briefly create 
 
 
a new universal force and then use more mundane Forces 
 
 
magic to conjure or modify forces of that new type. Either 
 
 
is a very complex (15+ successes) task, though once added 
 
 
to the Tellurian, a universal force may last for some time.]
 
 
Life
 
 
To become attuned to the universal Pattern of Life, the 
 
 
mage must flow through a great many smaller Life Patterns, 
 
 
understanding the flow between predator and prey, between rot 
 
 
and rebirth. Life forms the Patterns that are intimately tied to 
 
 
the Tellurian by change. Though other Patterns change as well, 
 
 
only Life Patterns naturally dovetail into the flow of universal 
 
 
energy, taking and giving Quintessence from the cosmic pool. 
 
 
The mage must experience this flow of Quintessence, the Life 
 
 
force itself, by traveling through many and varied Life Patterns. 
 
 
The quickest way to do this is probably to become a plague.
 
 
••••• • Perfect Transformation of Others/New Life
 
 
While an Archmaster of Life has previously been able 
 
 
to mutate her Life Pattern at will, now she can transform 
 
 
others into forms of life she has studied before with no loss of 
 
 
the subject’s intelligence. Even Masters of Life cannot create 
 
 
completely new forms of life, but with this understanding, an 
 
 
Archmage can create a Pattern that has no relation to any 
 
 
creature she has ever seen before. The Archmaster can also 
 
 
make Life Patterns that have unique properties not normally 
 
 
found in natural life — Patterns that subsist on base matter, 
 
 
that are unaffected by certain Forces or Matter Effects, or that 
 
 
interact with other life in strange and unpredictable ways.
 
 
[Strange new Patterns of Life can be created just like 
 
 
other life forms are made with lesser Life magic, and the mage 
 
 
can specify how they interact with other Patterns. Similarly, 
 
 
the mage can transform other life forms just as she could 
 
 
transform herself with her own Life Mastery, into nearly any 
 
 
form of creature with no loss of native intellect.
 
 
Furthermore, massive Pattern manipulations are easier. 
 
 
The mage can affect whole groups of Patterns without dif-ficulty, attaching a single Effect to all of them — healing 
 
 
everyone in an area or transforming a group of animals — just 
 
 
as easily as she could change a single creature. For such mass 
 
 
manipulation, the mage need only affect the desired area, 
 
 
without worrying about the number of subjects.]
 
 
••••• •• Scale of Life/Infection
 
 
Though individual Life Patterns each carry their own 
 
 
Quintessential flows, they are all joined by their primordial con-nection to the Prime. With this understanding of Life, a mage 
 
 
is no longer limited to shifting individual Patterns or creating 
 
 
changes in groups of Patterns; instead, he can cause a change 
 
 
to the underlying flows of Life, altering all Patterns of a certain 
 
 
type within the area of the Effect. This is not simple Pattern 
 
 
manipulation, but rather a change to the Quintessential flow 
 
 
itself, which in turn causes the Pattern to shift accordingly. 
 
 
The mage could cause all mammals in the area to become able 
 
 
to subsist on air alone, or change just the human in an area to 
 
 
make them unable to walk. Doing so is as easy as affecting any 
 
 
single Life Pattern. In effect, the mage changes a meta-Pattern 
 
 
of Life so that all life around it responds.
 
 
With control over meta-Patterning, the mage can also 
 
 
make effects that jump from one Life Pattern to another. As 
 
 
they interact, Life Patterns alter eachother and trade Quin-tessence. The mage can place an Effect on a Life Pattern so 
 
 
that it jumps to any other Patterns, either duplicating itself or 
 
 
shifting in entirety. Thus, a Pattern could be infected with a 
 
 
debilitating or helpful “disease” that spreads to others, or such 
 
 
an alteration could be made to simply jump from individual 
 
 
to individual without copying itself.
 
 
[When performing a meta-Pattern alteration to Life, 
 
 
the mage causes all Patterns of a specified sort to undergo 
 
 
the same general alteration. Instead of requiring a specific 
 
 
change, though, this change can be generalized according to 
 
 
the general Pattern properties involved. “Cause all people in 
 
 
the area to sprout wings” is possible without rewriting each 
 
 
individual Pattern, as is “cause all fish to become able to 
 
 
breathe air, regardless of other differences in their physical 
 
 
structures.” The player need only roll as if affecting a single 
 
 
Pattern — in this case, the underlying fundamentals of the 
 
 
Life Patterns involved and their Quintessential ties.
 
 
Furthermore, the mage can build an Effect that jumps 
 
 
from Pattern to Pattern as creatures interact. This Effect lasts 
 
 
according to the duration scored by the mage; permanent Ef-fects are theoretically possible, but Life Patterns have a way of 
 
 
adapting to changes over time. Still, this is an insidious way 
 
 
to deal with enemies, assist allies or even spread a message.]
 
 
••••• ••• Create Shifter/Virus
 
 
A mage at this level of Life can now grant others the 
 
 
ability to alter their own forms. He can essentially merge two 
 
 
Patterns, allowing the shift between them, and even add forms
 
 
that combine aspects of the two. He can also create Patterns 
 
 
that pretend to be components of other Patterns, at the very 
 
 
limit between Life and Matter.
 
 
[By mutating a Life Pattern to contain flexible elements, 
 
 
the mage can give it the ability to change its own nature — 
 
 
whether through a series of static shapeshifting forms or in 
 
 
a random sequence of bizarre transformations. This follows 
 
 
the normal guidelines for transforming Life Patterns. Note 
 
 
that such a creature is not a true spiritual shifter like a were-wolf, but rather a physical mutant. This does not, therefore, 
 
 
grant any of the special spiritual abilities that supernatural 
 
 
shifters possess.
 
 
Furthermore, the mage can build Life Patterns that only 
 
 
develop Quintessential flow in contact with other active Life 
 
 
Patterns. Otherwise, these Patterns are inert, their Quint-essential flow locked into an inward spiral. Such Patterns 
 
 
straddle the edge of Life and Matter; a viral Pattern like this 
 
 
is barely detectable with Life magics, and may interact with 
 
 
other Life Patterns as a combination of Life and Matter. It 
 
 
is thought that the beginnings of Technocratic cybernetics 
 
 
came from such Patterns.]
 
 
••••• •••• Perfect Immortality
 
 
The penultimate understanding of Life renders a mage’s 
 
 
own Pattern immutable. Only through the mage’s will can 
 
 
her Life Pattern be affected. Age and disease are no threats, 
 
 
as with lesser Life mages, but now even physical injury causes 
 
 
no real harm. The mage’s Pattern sustains itself regardless of 
 
 
perceived damage. Indeed, the Pattern that was once the 
 
 
mage’s life force is now extraneous. The mage simply expands 
 
 
her Life Pattern to tie directly to the Tellurian. No amount 
 
 
of damage can destroy that connection.
 
 
[A mage who reaches this level of perfection is function-ally immortal. She can suffer the complete discorporation of 
 
 
her physical form; her Life Pattern itself is no longer tied to 
 
 
the simplicity of her gross physical mass. Of course, surviving 
 
 
extreme injury or age is quite Paradoxical on Earth, but in 
 
 
the Tellurian the mage is essentially immortal in the face of 
 
 
anything less than another Exemplar or a god.]
 
 
Matter
 
 
Understanding the universality of Matter may seem the 
 
 
safest and easiest of the Pattern magics, but it is actually the 
 
 
quickest way to lose oneself. Like advanced Forces, Matter 
 
 
Archmastery comes with comprehension of the relationships 
 
 
between Matter Patterns throughout the Tellurian. The 
 
 
mage must delve into the nature of matter, its existence as 
 
 
a solidified state of Quintessence, and ultimately learn the 
 
 
most basic properties of Matter through its differences from 
 
 
the mage’s own Life Pattern.
 
 
••••• • Alter State
 
 
Although alteration of matter may seem similar to earlier 
 
 
levels of skill, at this level the mage can easily shift matter 
 
 
through various states.
 
 
[All necessary properties are altered to induce a change in 
 
 
state (solid, liquid, gas, plasma, ether), requiring one success 
 
 
per state shift. A change to plasma technically requires Forces 
 
 
3, and ether (or Quintessence) requires Prime 2. This change 
 
 
can be accomplished with any Matter Pattern in the mage’s 
 
 
sensory range. It is important to note that plasma created in 
 
 
this manner is not hot. Rather, it is more a state between a 
 
 
Matter and a Forces Pattern.]
 
 
••••• •• Transform Pattern
 
 
The Archmage of Matter can turn anything (or ev-erything) in sight into whatever he wants. Again, this is a 
 
 
function of scale. While earlier Mastery of Matter allows a 
 
 
mage to transform Patterns on a small scale, this level of 
 
 
Archmastery lets a mage grasp multiple disparate Patterns 
 
 
and alter them simultaneously en masse.
 
 
[Generally, every change in property requires a single suc-cess. Thus, each success lets the mage alter one fundamental 
 
 
property — hardness, density, weight, light absorption and 
 
 
so on. Instead of working with individual bricks in a wall, 
 
 
the mage just grabs the meta-Pattern of the wall and twists 
 
 
it appropriately. A castle turned into butter with one success 
 
 
is still hard as stone, but tastier.]
 
 
••••• ••• Create Pattern
 
 
Archmastery of meta-Patterns allows an Archmage to 
 
 
exceed the normal bounds of scale that lesser magics enforce. 
 
 
Instead of creating individual Patterns, the mage creates a form 
 
 
that holds multiple replicating Patterns. Individual changes 
 
 
to specific pieces can be done later. Moving multiple-element 
 
 
components poses no difficulty. The mage doesn’t bother with 
 
 
weaving each piece of the Pattern from the inside out and 
 
 
instead just makes an outline of the Pattern, letting it fill in 
 
 
according to its needs.
 
 
[The Archmage can, within sensory range, weave as large 
 
 
and intricate a Pattern as he likes, assuming, of course, that 
 
 
he has both the Prime knowledge and the Quintessence to 
 
 
fuel it. For instance, instead of just creating a brick, the mage 
 
 
builds a Pattern for a Pattern, using a template of a castle and 
 
 
recursively filling it with bricks. The difficulty is no greater 
 
 
than creating any other sort of Matter, so although it’s harder 
 
 
to cast this Effect correctly, it allows the mage build larger, 
 
 
more complex objects.]
 
 
••••• •••• Subjective Reality
 
 
At this Sphere’s pinnacle, the mage creates Matter Patterns 
 
 
that respond not to other physical Pattern forms but to etheric 
 
 
Patterns such as Mind. These Patterns alter their properties 
 
 
according to their pre-programmed responses to Mind or Spirit 
 
 
impulses. Thus, the mage can make Patterns that have certain 
 
 
properties to one person and different properties to another.
 
 
[The supreme Archmaster’s command of Matter is so 
 
 
great that her creations appear differently to those who view 
 
 
them. She can have material properties, for instance, that 
 
 
are poisonous to specific Natures or Essences. The Matter 
 
 
Patterns can be keyed to respond to certain Spirit Effects or 
 
 
emanations of Prime, as desired.]
 
 
Mind
 
 
Early students of Mind magic perfect the no-mind 
 
 
technique, emptying their thoughts. Masters delve into the 
 
 
complexities of mental Patterns and independent thought 
 
 
constructs. Archmasters do both at once: thinking, not 
 
 
thinking, mind and no-mind. To the Archmaster, thought 
 
 
and its absence are just like shadow and light.
 
 
••••• • Relive Past Lives/Sense the Universal Mind
 
 
The Archmage can delve into her past lives, find amazing 
 
 
insights and remember ancient trials and even more ancient 
 
 
wisdom. She can understand herself more fully, and sometimes 
 
 
learn useful information about friends or enemies. By reach-ing into the web of all minds, she taps the pieces of wisdom 
 
 
contained in all waking Avatars.
 
 
[With a simple Effect, a mage can easily delve into the 
 
 
recesses of Dream, even beyond her normal reserves. By spend-ing a point of Quintessence, the mage can fuel her mind to 
 
 
traverse the limitless thoughts mirrored in her Avatar, pulling 
 
 
out bits of former lives or reflections of wisdom from other 
 
 
Avatars. Each success on such a roll allows the mage to tap 
 
 
into an extra dot of Past Life for a single roll. Such an Effectcannot be extended and is not cumulative — whatever the 
 
 
mage scores on the Arete roll is what she gets.]
 
 
••••• •• Universal Subconscious/Reprogram Avatar
 
 
At this stage, the Archmage understands the Sleeper 
 
 
world as well as he understands the waking one. With 
 
 
care, he can guide his Avatar to repair his faults for tests 
 
 
in his next life.
 
 
[Just as a mage could sense the Avatar’s past thoughts 
 
 
through the earliest applications of Mind, this power enables a 
 
 
mage to imprint thoughts, memories and impulses specifically 
 
 
onto his Avatar. The Avatar carries these images, playing them 
 
 
out in later lives and Seekings. Though this would seem to be 
 
 
of limited utility, it is perhaps the last hope for an Archmage 
 
 
who has realized the futility of attempting to reach Ascension 
 
 
through Mastery of the Spheres alone.]
 
 
••••• ••• Self-Awareness
 
 
The mage who progresses this far understands the true 
 
 
insignificance of mental achievement in attaining Ascension. 
 
 
The process of thinking is not nearly so important as the 
 
 
state of being. As the saying goes, “Try to be a human being 
 
 
instead of a human doing.” At this level, the mage gains 
 
 
precise control over his actions and emotions.
 
 
[Once a mage achieves this total self-awareness, she is 
 
 
no longer subject to states of emotional turbulence. Though 
 
 
she cannot necessarily force enlightenment, she can cast 
 
 
aside any remaining mental barriers and weaknesses with 
 
 
ease. An extended ritual can remove specific mental Flaws 
 
 
from the mage or a specific subject. Similarly, the mage can 
 
 
expend Quintessence to refresh her Willpower by fortifying 
 
 
her mental Pattern on a one-for-one basis limited by the 
 
 
number of successes scored on the Effect roll.]
 
 
••••• •••• One Mind
 
 
The province of the extremely rare mental Archmasters 
 
 
(or the extremely power hungry), One Mind gives access to 
 
 
all minds. The mage understands the inner workings of all 
 
 
the minds around him. He sees the reflection of every thought 
 
 
in the Quintessential flow of the Tellurian, opening his con-sciousness to a realm of total intuition. His Mind Pattern, 
 
 
no longer fettered to his Life Pattern, exists independently 
 
 
in the flow of the universal Mind.
 
 
[The mage at this level of Archmastery no longer requires 
 
 
a body. Even if his physical form is killed or his body destroyed, 
 
 
his Mind Pattern remains intact and able to float through any 
 
 
realm of consciousness. The mage can sense the emotions, intents 
 
 
and thoughts of nearly any creature, as with the lesser levels of 
 
 
Mind magic, but can also determine the general flow of multiple 
 
 
Mind Patterns. Thus, with a simple Effect bounded by an area, 
 
 
the mage can identify the tide of emotion over an entire group, 
 
 
the “gestalt mind” of a mob, species or collective.]
 
 
Prime
 
 
Prime is the fundamental component of the Tellurian. It’s 
 
 
no surprise that the ability to manipulate the greatest Prime 
 
 
energies also grants the power to repair the warps and tears 
 
 
of reality, smoothing out the pain of Paradox.
 
 
Because Paradox is, in many ways, simply a reaction to 
 
 
unrestrained change, the power to repair Paradox is the power 
 
 
to regulate one’s own flaws. Paradox warns the mage when 
 
 
his power is out of his control — Archmastery of Prime lets 
 
 
the mage recognize that flaw and deal with it.
 
 
••••• • Paradox senses
 
 
Although at first this may seem of limited use, Archmages 
 
 
of Prime realize the ability to see Paradox manifest, not only in 
 
 
themselves and others but in reality as both disbelief and the 
 
 
domino effect. Their view of the interaction of Prime energy 
 
 
and Paradox also allows them to see when mages have entered 
 
 
Quiet. Furthermore, the Archmage can channel Quintessence 
 
 
into this Paradox, canceling both. This last effect is coincidental.
 
 
[With a simple sensory roll, the Archmage can determine 
 
 
the source and nature of Paradox energies. Channeling Quintes-sence can only be done once on any given source of Paradox, 
 
 
and the number of successes scored limits the Quintessence 
 
 
that may be used to negate Paradox energy. Paradox nullified 
 
 
in this way has a tendency to explode, doing aggravated dam-age, so it’s a dangerous way to help other mages. Note that 
 
 
permanent Paradox is beyond the ministrations of this power.]
 
 
••••• •• Weave Odyllic Paradox/Violate Pattern
 
 
By understanding the true nature of Prime, an Archmaster 
 
 
can access supposedly “inviolate” Quintessence. The Archmage 
 
 
can tap directly into another person’s Avatar and harness the 
 
 
stored Quintessence. The mage can even direct Paradox at 
 
 
his enemies, increasing the severity of reality backlashes and 
 
 
creating disturbances that nullify magic.
 
 
[An Archmage can access another mage’s stores of Quintes-sence by making a Prime attack. He need only use his Prime as a 
 
 
directed Effect. Each success that isn’t dodged or countered steals 
 
 
one point of Quintessence. Furthermore, the mage can amplify 
 
 
the severity of Paradox backlashes, using a fast (non-cumulative, 
 
 
non-extended) Effect to add his successes to the Paradox Pool 
 
 
of a backlash. The mage can even cause Paradox to turn and 
 
 
strike a different target, using the guidelines for altering Forces. 
 
 
Of course, if the mage screws up the Effect, the Paradox is likely 
 
 
to strike him instead. Do not botch.]
 
 
••••• ••• Channel Paradox
 
 
The ridiculously vulgar Effect of giving someone else your 
 
 
store of Paradox rarely breaks even. Taking another’s load of 
 
 
Paradox is also possible, though hardly desirable. Still, mov-ing around Paradox — shifting the blame, so to speak — is 
 
 
possible with enough esoteric knowledge.
 
 
[For each success scored on an Effect roll, the Archmage 
 
 
can channel one point of Paradox away from someone else, 
 
 
causing it to immediately burst into a backlash or even throw-ing it at a victim who fails to dodge or counter the Effect. 
 
 
Every two successes scored can be used to move a point of 
 
 
Paradox from the Archmage’s pool to someone else or cause 
 
 
it to immediately backlash.]
 
 
••••• •••• Expel Base Paradox/Create Universe
 
 
An overachieving Archmage can toss his Paradox off 
 
 
into the ether. Those few who know of this power theorize 
 
 
that this is what creates Paradox spirits.
 
 
An Archmage at the pinnacle of Prime can also use 
 
 
Quintessence to create a pocket universe. The internal di-mensions of this universe, and all other properties, are at the 
 
 
Archmage’s discretion; his knowledge of Patterns is the only 
 
 
factor limiting the universe’s internal properties. This pocket 
 
 
universe is a small piece of folded space where the Tellurian 
 
 
naturally balls itself off in a sort of protective shell. Naturally, 
 
 
watching this universe evolve can provide all sorts of insights 
 
 
for less-experienced fledgling mages, and it may even be an 
 
 
interesting place to visit for the Archmage creator. The mage 
 
 
simply gives the tiny Pattern a spark of creative force, and 
 
 
lets it run. Perhaps this is the way our own universe started.…
 
 
[By scoring three successes per point of Paradox, the 
 
 
mage can expel his Paradox energy into the void. This is an 
 
 
all-or-nothing affair — the mage must score enough successes 
 
 
to eliminate all of his Paradox, or the Effect fails (with the 
 
 
consequential gain of additional Paradox).
 
 
Creating a universe is best left to the Storyteller’s imagina-tion. Due to the differences in primal Patterns, objects from 
 
 
a created universe cannot survive in the parent universe (the 
 
 
Tellurian of the creating mage). They are, at best, insubstantial 
 
 
shadows of that higher reality. The reverse is not true; the 
 
 
creating mage (and other creatures or objects of his reality) 
 
 
are quite functional in such a pocket universe, unless the 
 
 
creating mage specifically builds its Pattern otherwise. This 
 
 
can be a unique way to explore some very bizarre stories.]
 
 
spirit
 
 
To achieve the greatest understanding of Spirit, one must 
 
 
be subsumed by it. An Archmaster of Spirit undergoes the sha-man’s journey, becoming possessed by the spirits, symbolically 
 
 
(or literally) dying and returning with their wisdom.
 
 
••••• • Awaken Ephemera
 
 
While awakening Ephemera may seem a minor trick, its 
 
 
effects can be devastating. Ephemera are the sleeping spirits 
 
 
of objects, trees and places. When awakened, they sometimes 
 
 
posses incredible power to affect the real world. Most mages in 
 
 
their home turf are on friendly grounds with nearby spirits. As 
 
 
a result, an Archmage can call upon all manner of spirits to aid 
 
 
him and may be able to summon spirits in other places as well.
 
 
[Just about any sort of Pattern object or creature can have 
 
 
its own Ephemera spirit. Rousing such a spirit is a fairly simple 
 
 
task (5 successes or so) — a testament to the powers of Spirit 
 
 
over the complexity of the other Spheres. Once awakened, 
 
 
such a spirit can often exert control over its physical host, and 
 
 
may have powers associated with its mythical properties. The 
 
 
spirit is not automatically friendly to the Archmage, but an 
 
 
Archmaster of Spirit is probably no stranger to dealing with 
 
 
spirits. This power does not function on intelligent beings.]
 
 
••••• •• Create Realm
 
 
The Archmage is now adept enough to weave spirit stuff 
 
 
in almost non-spiritual ways. He can create a “pericarp”— a 
 
 
wall similar to the Gauntlet, through which one must step 
 
 
with Spirit. The pericarp walls off an area, turning it into a 
 
 
tiny Realm of sorts.
 
 
[Although the mage does not actually shift the locale 
 
 
into the spirit world, he does create a membrane of spirit 
 
 
around it. People wishing to cross into the delineated area 
 
 
must pass through the pericarp in some fashion. Each success 
 
 
scored translates into a level of effective Gauntlet rating 
 
 
for the pericarp, or can be used to extend duration and 
 
 
range as usual. Creatures with no ability to enter the spirit 
 
 
world find the pericarp to be an impassable, hazy, slightly 
 
 
reflective barrier.]
 
 
••••• ••• Remember the One
 
 
Although some Choristers hearing of this power consider 
 
 
it rather blasphemous, this is only because they are completely 
 
 
wrong about what it does. This power allows the Archmage 
 
 
to bring overlapping Realms together, with no Gauntlet 
 
 
between. It is named for the mythical First Age, when all 
 
 
Realms were one.
 
 
[By scoring three successes for each point of the Gauntlet, 
 
 
the mage can pull together overlapping Realms. Additional 
 
 
successes add to the duration at one-third the usual rate. Realms 
 
 
pulled together this way are not harmed and are treated as whole 
 
 
and complete locations where their inhabitants may interact. 
 
 
Typically, this functions only over a small area — use the range 
 
 
chart with one-third the normal values. When the Realms split 
 
 
apart again, creatures return to their native planes, even if they 
 
 
had somehow crossed over beforehand.]
 
 
••••• •••• Awaken Avatar
 
 
Yes, it is possible to force the Awakening of another. It 
 
 
is rarely a good idea. Awakening needs to come when the 
 
 
mage is ready for it. Very few people Awakened this way re-main useful to their awakeners. The Awakening is traumatic 
 
 
enough; a forced Awakening can kill the victim with shock 
 
 
or leave the Avatar damaged and deranged.
 
 
Some rare and powerful Umbrood posses this power. 
 
 
These Umbrood are generally known as demons. Infernal 
 
 
mages have to get their powers somehow, after all.
 
 
[Awakening a mortal’s Avatar is no mean feat; it typi-cally counts as an extraordinarily difficult (20+ successes) 
 
 
task. The subject immediately loses a permanent point of 
 
 
Willpower from the trauma, and must then make a Willpower 
 
 
roll. Failure indicates that the subject gains a derangement 
 
 
and suffers some sort of damage to her Avatar (manifested 
 
 
as Sphere Incompetence, no Avatar rating or a similar 
 
 
handicap), while a botch kills the target. This power has 
 
 
no effect on supernatural or already-Awakened creatures. 
 
 
Even if the Awakening is successful, the individual might 
 
 
not be friendly to the mage or even able to act after the 
 
 
sudden, terrifying experience.]
 
 
time
 
 
Frankly, altering the past is a power that the Storyteller 
 
 
needs to keep out of the hands of the players. There is no rule 
 
 
system that describes time travel because a story is a linear 
 
 
progression of events. Realize that if the Archmage can affect 
 
 
the past, then the past can also be affected by the Consensus 
 
 
of those living in the present. People who write history can 
 
 
literally change history. This explains the Technocracy’s efforts 
 
 
to change perception and historical documentation.
 
 
A character that finds ways around this should see time 
 
 
changed to suit his vision of it. Also, a mage trying to affect 
 
 
a different age finds his rating in the Time Sphere reduced by 
 
 
one per age removed. If the mage improves his Sphere rating 
 
 
in another age, his rating can be increased to his normal rat-ing at a cost of 2x new rating in experience points. This also 
 
 
means that a mage cannot travel to even the High Mythic 
 
 
Age (the most recent previous age) until his Time Sphere 
 
 
rating is eight. Once he achieves such a Sphere rating in more 
 
 
than one age, doorways in time can pass the age barrier. Also, 
 
 
a mage cannot exceed his highest rating in Time in an age 
 
 
other than his own.
 
 
In order to surpass Mastery, the potential Archmage of 
 
 
Time must enter a temporal loop and realize a way out of it. 
 
 
It’s almost like getting stuck in a Paradox Realm from a Time 
 
 
backlash. However, the mage deliberately triggers paradoxi-cal Time circumstances, and then forces a resolution. The 
 
 
trick is returning the Archmage to his original time stream.
 
 
••••• • Aid the Past
 
 
This power allows an Archmage to send objects, or even 
 
 
Quintessence, back in time. When an Archmage changes the 
 
 
past, the alteration is greatest at the moment of interference. 
 
 
Thus, Paradox may backlash on the Archmage not only when 
 
 
he sends the materials back, but also at the receiving end. 
 
 
Naturally, Time Sense picks up all sorts of weird vibes from 
 
 
this interference.
 
 
[Prime, Matter, or Life are generally required to send 
 
 
items back through time. Successes must be spent for both 
 
 
the size of the item and the degree of alteration to the present. 
 
 
The object sent to the past literally shunts the mage into a 
 
 
new time stream; the more divergent the time line, the more 
 
 
successes required for the Effect to take hold.]
 
 
••••• •• Go to the Past
 
 
At this stage, the mage’s abilities to alter the past are 
 
 
vastly improved. She becomes a dynamic force in the time 
 
 
stream, and can follow the course of time, greatly altering 
 
 
the present. She can easily step back further than any of 
 
 
her former Time abilities allowed her to see or alter. The 
 
 
drawback, however, is in Paradox. The mage must be careful 
 
 
to step only briefly into the time stream and affect minor 
 
 
changes without calling upon additional magic. Magic 
 
 
displaced through time causes great strain on the Tellurian, 
 
 
reflected by extreme Paradox.
 
 
[Any magic used in the past draws Paradox as if the mage 
 
 
were using Arch-Spheres, even if she is only doing subtle, 
 
 
simple Effects. Paradox that would normally be gained from 
 
 
the Effect is gained as normal, but all other Paradox becomes 
 
 
stacked in the “present.” If the backlash in the “present” is 
 
 
large enough (20+ points), then ALL of the changes made 
 
 
by the mage revert to normal upon the cessation of her time 
 
 
trip. This is in addition to whatever damage the backlash 
 
 
causes her. If the backlash hits 30+, it’s time to retroactively 
 
 
write the mage out of the chronicle.]
 
 
••••• ••• Time Door
 
 
Doorways in time can move forward or backward through 
 
 
time or not at all. When an Archmage at this power level 
 
 
steps forward or backward in time, he no longer exists as a 
 
 
traveling Effect along the way. He cannot actually be affected, 
 
 
even by those who understand the Sphere of Time. Effectively, 
 
 
he jumps from one point in time to another.
 
 
Often, however, a mage may create a moving door in the 
 
 
present. Observers see merely an open doorway. Such a doorway 
 
 
is often created to go to a specific point in the time stream, so 
 
 
the other end is non-moving — it always exits at the same point 
 
 
in time in the past or future. The door in the present moves 
 
 
forward with the time stream, remaining open and available 
 
 
for use (a non-moving doorway would just exist for a moment, 
 
 
and then as the present moved on, it would continue to exist 
 
 
in that static moment in the past). Theoretically, a mage may 
 
 
even make a door that moves backwards through time; stepping 
 
 
through the doorway at an early point in its creation takes one 
 
 
back only a short time in the past, while stepping in later takes 
 
 
the individual back a great deal of time.
 
 
All doors with a non-moving end — like those used to 
 
 
visit a specific point in time — collapse as soon as somebody 
 
 
steps through. If the two ends of the doors move in different 
 
 
directions through time, they can either converge or diverge. 
 
 
Converging doors collapse when they meet. Diverging doors 
 
 
and doors with both ends going in the same direction exist 
 
 
until collapsed at either end.
 
 
For example, if a mage creates a door with a static end in 
 
 
the past and a forward-moving end in the present, the door 
 
 
continues to exist with the present (it moves forward with 
 
 
the present). The static end in the past always exits to the 
 
 
same time, regardless of when someone uses the door. If the 
 
 
past end is moving backwards, then stepping into the door 
 
 
at the moment of its creation places someone at the original 
 
 
destination of the door’s exit, but waiting to use the door later 
 
 
catapults the user further into the past, since the door’s exit 
 
 
has retrogressed into history.
 
 
[Time Doors could be better named Plot Doors. The meta-physics of Time Doors can be staggering in their complexity, 
 
 
so it’s best just to leave them as portals built to fulfill a specific 
 
 
role in the story. Remember, if a mage builds a Time Door and 
 
 
alters his past, he winds up in an alternative time line where 
 
 
his actions have spawned the appropriate changes.]
 
 
••••• •••• Exist Apart from Time
 
 
It is the privilege of the very few to view the time line as 
 
 
a whole from beginning to end. The annoying problem with 
 
 
such perceptions is that they do not truly span the ages. While 
 
 
all but a few warded times in this age are clear to the mage, the 
 
 
previous and upcoming ages are difficult to view with any detail. 
 
 
Archmages speaking of this perception of time over the past few 
 
 
years have called it “watching the Armageddon clock.”
 
 
[After achieving this Archmastery of Time, the mage no 
 
 
longer exists as a static moment in the present. Instead, his Pat-tern’s entire span of existence is fused into a single “moment” 
 
 
that encompasses the whole age. The mage can “coalesce” to a 
 
 
second and decide to work within the time line at any point. As 
 
 
usual, modifying the time line places the mage in an alternate 
 
 
time stream. This is annoying, since determinism is pretty much 
 
 
meaningless and the mage finds himself constantly in time flux if 
 
 
he takes any actions at all. About the only thing that the mage 
 
 
can do at this point is create Time Doors for others.]
 
   
==Effects==
 
   
<references/>
 
   
 
{{MTAspheres}}
 
{{MTAspheres}}
[[Category:Mage: The Ascension]]
+
[[Category:Spheres (MTAs)]]
[[Category:Mage: The Ascension glossary]]
 

Revision as of 23:32, 14 October 2019

SphereCorrespondence

Sigil of Correspondence

Correspondence (previously known as Connection) is one of nine Spheres of magic in Mage: The Ascension. The Ahl-i-Batin occupied the Seat of Correspondence in the original Council of Nine Mystic Traditions, but it is currently held by the Virtual Adepts. The Shard Realm of Correspondence maps physically to the planet Mercury.

It is associated with Dynamism in the Metaphysical Trinity.[1]

Overview

Correspondence magic allows powers such as teleportation, seeing into distant areas, levitation, and flying. At higher levels, the Mage may also co-locate themselves or even stack different spaces within each-other. Correspondence can be combined with almost any other sphere to create effects that span distances. Space, interrelationships and sympathetic links all become clear through the study of Correspondence. By bending space or bypassing it entirely, a mage can travel rapidly, fly or teleport from place to place. Divining locations allows the mage to see far-away places or direct magic over distances. With a link between a person and an object, Effects may be targeted through connecting rituals.

Distance forms no barrier to a master of Correspondence. Indeed, distance and even space do not exist to the student of this Sphere. Through the unifying Correspondence Point, mages realize that all things occupy the same space — or no space at all. Virtual Adepts, the most dedicated modern students of Correspondence, theorize that all things coexist in a single All-Space or Correspondence Point, and that bypassing space is simply a matter of realizing this unity. Mathematically, space is just an illusion, a convenient construct of the mind. Objects, people and places don’t really take up space, according to such theories. Instead, everything is just a Pattern, and space simply describes the relations of different Patterns to one another.

Mystically inclined mages see Correspondence through the theories of contagion and sympathy. Any two things that have touched share a little trace of that connection, which can be called on through Correspondence. Objects or places that are similar in Pattern can be manipulated through that similitude. Any sort of connection opens the door to the manipulation of Patterns. It’s always easier to work with the familiar than the strange, after all.

To utilize Arch-spheres, the Master of Correspondence has to figure out how to be in the same space as himself; the Correspondence Point lets Masters exist in many places simultaneously. Next, the mage must resolve the paradox of coexisting in space with himself as more than one simultaneous awareness of singular space.[2]

Marks

Mages who focus on Correspondence tend to develop a befuddled or faraway look, as if they aren't paying attention. This is because of the growing perspective, and usually, they are more aware of their surroundings than others realize. In contrast to the impression of distraction, their very motions seem to be precise and planned, thanks to their growing knowledge of distances.

Energies associated with Correspondence tend to be purple or silver in color.[3]

Limits

Despite its capacity to bend space and distance, Correspondence functions only on whole Patterns unless combined with the various Pattern Spheres. That is, it’s impossible to just teleport away someone’s heart with Correspondence alone. In essence, Correspondence does not affect Patterns directly; such manipulations must be done with other magic. Correspondence simply lets those Patterns be affected, whole and complete, in changes of space or distance. If the mage wants to use Pattern Spheres to affect something with Correspondence, they're limited by the Correspondence level (if it’s lower than the Pattern Sphere). Thus, a mage can teleport something with just Correspondence, but if they want to change its Pattern at a distance, their skill with Correspondence is as important as their skill with the other Sphere.[4]

Paradigmatic Interpretations

Below is a short representation of how the Sphere of Correspondence is interpreted by the various magickal factions within the World of Darkness.

Traditions

  • Akashic Brotherhood: The Akashics regard Correspondence as Lokhadhatu, the dharma of Indra's Net that keeps the impermanent elements of reality together. Since the Net connects everything, separation is an illusion inflicted by the samsara (Consensus). Mount Meru stands at the centre of the net, acting as an anchor to the rest of existence that travels upon the Wheel of Ages.[5]
  • Celestial Chorus: In the eyes of the Celestial Chorus, Correspondence is the omnipresence of the One. Everything is part of a pattern, which is, in its entirety, only visible and understandable by the One. Through Correspondence, a Chorister learns that as all space is under the One's rule and the One contains all things, every preposition that one can imagine in the relation between the One and space exists, being what connects everything. Some go so far and claim that all space is just an illusion.[6]
  • Cult of Ecstasy: The Cult speaks of Correspondence as the "illusion of space" and assign the emotion of "Empathy" among the Nine Sacred Passions to it. Seeing that all things are connected and rely on each other, Cultists think of space in similar ways to Time. Both are illusions of placement within a continuum and will be transcended eventually to achieve a state of all-encompassing communication with everything.[7]
  • Dreamspeakers: Dreamspeakers that use Correspondence look to the easily neglected spirits of distance and dimension. By bartering with these entities, a Dreamspeaker can then step "between", similar to how they step "sideways" to reach the Spirit World.[8]
  • Euthanatoi: The Euthanatoi see Correspondence as Anya Win (The Whole). Correspondence treats are woven by the movement of the Great Wheel and administered by karma, which binds all things together, driving them forward towards perfection.[9]
  • Order of Hermes: The Hermetics speak of Correspondence as the Ars Conjunctionis (sometimes properly formed as Ars Conligationis by pedantic masters). To them, it is the art of overcoming obstacles and transcending difficulty through enlightened Will. Correspondence guides the flow of magic between the four dimensions and the five senses, allowing a mage to expand his Will across Creation.[10]
  • Sons of Ether: For the Sons of Ether, Correspondence is Contagious Ether. Drawing on the Parmenidic theory of space as an element that ensures connection within a unified cosmos, more modern Etherites point to String Theories and gravitons, fermitrons, and bosons, while more esoteric speak of low-gravity orgone fields or a psychic propriety that comes into existence when minds differentiate between objects.[11]
  • Verbena: The Verbena celebrate Correspondence during Lammas, the first of August where the grain is harvested and brought home. Closely associated with the Paths of the Wyck, the Verbena see Correspondence as the art of traversing the Tellurian, of roads and pathways that lead the Wise to their destination.[12]
  • Virtual Adepts: The Virtual Adepts interpret Correspondence as the expression of the metric expansion of the universe through space-time in the form of mathematics. The Correspondence Point is the center of the Tellurian from which every other point within the Tellurian can be reached through informational input. Between the Correspondence point and the Hypersphere that is consensual reality lies the Digital Web, through which the Virtual Adepts access the Correspondence Point.[13]

Crafts

  • Ahl-i-Batin: The Ahl-i-Batin see Correspondence as their most important asset in reaching Unity. Seeing it corresponding to Binah, the wahdat al-wujud teaches that all points are one. For the Batini, everyone is everything at once. It is only their limited understanding that prevents them from realizing this fact.[14]
  • Hem-Ka Sobk: The Hem-Ka Sobk saw space as similar to Agb (water). Like the crocodile, they use water to travel and expand their senses.[15]
  • Kopa Loei: The Kopa Loei call Correspondence "Kealanui", simply translated as "The Way". For the Kopa Loei, the way to their destination is already within them, and finding it is a simple manner of listening to your surroundings and being aware of your own presence in the world.[16]
  • Taftâni: The Taftâni call Correspondence Ribash, the "Puzzle", since distance is an obstacle for Truth, but at the same protects it from being controlled. Taftâni do not hold Correspondence in the same regard as other, more offensive, Spheres, but utilize it to build wards against djinn and construct portals for transportation.[17]

Technocratic Union

  • The Technocratic Union (especially the New World Order) utilizes a different form of Correspondence called Data, while the Void Engineers use a form called Void Correspondence. Others utilize a version of Correspondence that fits closer to the version espoused by the Traditionalists, with a focus on how space is a single point, an overlapping geometry of mathematics that simply seems to bend or stretch according to the forms of matter in it.[18]

Standard Powers

  • Menu hover bulletMenu bulletMenu bulletMenu bulletMenu bullet [1]
    • Immediate Spatial Perceptions: Raises the mage's awareness of space to determine exact directions and distances, as well as distortions of the same. Allows locating things that the mage cannot perceive with their human senses.
  • Menu hover bulletMenu hover bulletMenu bulletMenu bulletMenu bullet [2]
    • Sense, Touch, Thicken And Reach Through Space: Allows the mage to extend their senses beyond their current location. With adjacent Spheres of Life or Matter, they can draw small lifeforms or objects through space. Allows one to dampen spatial distortion that can be sensed on rank 1.
  • Menu hover bulletMenu hover bulletMenu hover bulletMenu bulletMenu bullet [3]
    • Pierce Space: Allows a mage to penetrate the very fabric of space itself, opening small portals that allow travel via teleportation. With adjacent Spheres, the mage can teleport Patterns from a distance.
    • Seal Gate: Allows a mage to ward an area against Correspondence Effects and mundane attempts to enter.
    • Co-Locality Perception: Allows a mage to split their perceptions over various locations, allowing them to see multiple places simultaneously.
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    • Rend Space: Allows a mage to create permanent portals to any location within the Tellurian.
    • Co-locate Self: By causing their own Pattern to manifest in several perceived spaces, the mage can appear to exist in multiple places at once. Through the adjacent use of the Mind and Life Sphere, the appearance can interact and think just as the mage would.
    • Ward: The mage can isolate forces, spaces, objects, or people into their own tiny realms with the use of various auxiliary Spheres.
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    • Mutate Localities: Allows a mage to bend space according to their will, altering sizes and volumes, stretching distances and willfully manipulating any objects that appear in space.
    • Co-Locate Space: Allows a mage to merge chunks of space together, superimposing location on each other instead of creating a portal.

Archspheres

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    • Fold Space: Allows a mage to reduce or increase the distance between two objects, or to fold the space around a person to twist them into various shapes.
    • Create Space: Allows a mage to generate space by creating a zone of emptiness.
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    • No Warding: Allows a mage to step through wards or allow others to ignore them by transforming into a small "Correspondence Point" herself.
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    • Limits of Spirit: Allows a mage to transport material or spiritual realities to translocate features of a place instead of objects.
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    • No Limits: The mage can move freely around the Tellurian.

Correspondence Range

Success Range Connection
1 Line of Sight Body sample or Blood relative
2 Very familiar Best Friend or prized possession
3 Familiar Casual friend, cousin or possession
4 Visited Once Acquaintance, object used once
5 Described location Briefly touched or saw object or person

References


^  Level 1

Immediate Spatial Perceptions Mage: The Ascension Revised Pg. 157
Immediate Spatial Perceptions Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Pg. 513

^  Level 2

Sense Space/ Touch Space Mage: The Ascension Revised Pg. 157-158
Sense, Touch, Thicken And Reach Through Space Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Pg. 513

^  Level 3

Pierce Space Mage: The Ascension Revised Pg. 158
Pierce Space Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Pg. 513
Seal Gate Mage: The Ascension Revised Pg. 158
Open Or Close Gates Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Pg. 513
Co-Locality Perceptions Mage: The Ascension Revised Pg. 158
Co-Locality Perceptions Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Pg. 513

^  Level 4

Rend Space Mage: The Ascension Revised Pg. 158
Rend Space Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Pg. 513
Co-Locate Self Mage: The Ascension Revised Pg. 158
Co-Locate Self Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Pg. 513
Ward Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Pg. 513

^  Level 5

Mutate Localities Mage: The Ascension Revised Pg. 158
Spatial Mutation Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Pg. 513
Co-Location Mage: The Ascension Revised Pg. 158
Co-Location Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Pg. 513

^  Level 6

Fold Space Masters of the Art Pg. 66
Create Space Masters of the Art Pg. 66

^  Level 7

No Warding Masters of the Art Pg. 67


^  Level 8

Limits of Spirit Masters of the Art Pg. 67


^  Level 9

No Limits Masters of the Art Pg. 67


Mage: The Ascension Spheres
Traditional: Correspondence · Entropy · Forces · Life · Matter · Mind · Prime · Spirit · Time
Variations: Data · Dimensional Science · Primal Utility · Void Correspondence · Qlippothic Spheres