Forces is one of the ten Arcana of Mage: The Awakening. It is the Gross ruling Arcanum of the Aether, and controls all forms of energy and force, natural or artificial, found in the material world, including heat, light, electricity, radiation, gravity and kinetic energy. It cannot affect raw magic or the mystical energies of other supernatural forces - that requires Prime - but is nevertheless a very powerful Arcanum, allowing mages to throw fireballs or call down lightning. The Arcanum of Forces deals with the creation and manipulation of the Fallen World’s various natural energies. A mage knowledgeable in this Arcanum can fly, become invisible, hurl lightning, or cause earthquakes. It is one of the most blatant of the 10 Arcana, and as such is ideally suited to its largely unsubtle wielders, the Obrimos.
Its associated summoning is the Seraph and the Exarch who supervises it is the General. Within Astral Space, Forces is represented through the Aeon Azazel.
Influences
Electricity, fire, gravity, heat, kinetic energy, light, magnetism, nuclear radiation, sound, sunlight (note that sunlight is different from regular light), weather.
Nature and Power
The Arcanum of Forces is the Gross Arcanum of the Supernal Realm of Aether, a realm it shares in common with the Arcanum of Prime. Here, Forces can be seen in unadulterated splendour, not limited in its scope by the nature of the Fallen World. Great sheets of fire light the ground and lightning tears through the skies, as wind howls and thunder roars, and the ground shifts and cracks violently. Thankfully for life and the universe, in the Fallen World, the power of Forces is diluted. But it still has tremendous power.
The burning of the sun and stars. The orbit of the planets. The slow rotation of the galaxy. Almost the entire universe can be associated at some point with the power of Forces, and on a smaller scale, so can the systems that keep the Earth running. Tides and the seasons are dependent on the same cosmic reactions that Forces holds sway over, and it has influence over the weather, heat, light, the movements of the tectonic plates, and many other systems, too.
On a lesser scale, many of the devices of mankind run on electricity or fire. Even at the lower levels of the Arcanum, a mage can manipulate the workings of these machines. And it's well suited for any combat a mage may become embroiled in. The ability to hurl fire, shoot electricity, or stab at opponents with blades of kinetic energy, can make short work of most opponents, especially when combined with invisibility or the ability to see in the dark. With sufficient levels of power, even things such as the true light of the sun or the radiation of an atomic blast can be created and controlled by the mage. Mages can speed themselves or others up, or slow them down. They can create rain, wind, storms, and even earthquakes, tornadoes, or tsunamis. They can meddle with gravity, fly, and manipulate objects from a distance. And those are simply the powers of a master. The powers available to an archmaster or higher are unknown, but one thing that can be certain is that they must be truly terrifying in scope. Mages who study Forces find that some types of energy are easier to manipulate than others. Heat, light and sound are among the easiest, while electricity, fire and kinetic energy require greater mastery. At lower levels, forces and energies may be influenced in subtle ways; as a mage learns more, she may manipulate them overtly, and eventually create some of them from nothing.[1] More esoteric forms of energy like radiation and gravity require high mastery before they can be affected at all.
Levels of Mastery
Initiate (●)
At the first level of mastery, an Initiate of Forces gains the power to alter his perception to see in the dark, to increase the range of light and sound perceptible to him, or to detect energy as visible phenomena. Minor influence can be exerted over heat, light, and sound, altering their flow and direction. At this level, however, the mage cannot alter the intensity of the heat or light or the volume of the sound, nor can these forces be created from nothing. The mage can also pick up radio, electronic, and data signals and convert them into intelligible sounds.
Apprentice (●●)
With the second level of mastery, an Apprentice of Forces can grant his increased perceptions of energy to others. He can now increase or decrease the intensity of heat or light and the volume of sound, though these forces still cannot be created from nothing. Minor influence over fire and electricity is now possible; the mage can make existing fire and electricity move under his command, though they can neither be magnified and diminished nor created from nothing. Inanimate objects can be made invisible. The force of a blunt blow can be manipulated into a stabbing point. Radio signals can be altered to broadcast whatever the mage desires, and he can create a shield of energy to disperse, deflect, or halt physical attacks and rob energy-based ones of their power.
Disciple (●●●)
The third level of mastery allows a Disciple of Forces to complete his mastery of heat, light, and sound; he is now able to create these forces from nothing. He can now bolster or weaken electricity and fire, though he still can't create them from thin air. He can bestow his shield upon others, and turn himself invisible. The mage can also call down lightning from a stormy sky, manipulate objects from a distance, attack with orbs of kinetic energy, or turn bullets, thrown rocks, and arrows aside. At this level, he gains the ability to redirect the flow of magnetism and radiation.
Adept (●●●●)
An Adept of Forces with the fourth level of mastery has solidified his power over fire and electricity, able to spin these forces from thin air and hurl them from his fingertips. He may make non-destructive alterations to the weather, speed up or slow down objects or himself, and perform limited flight via levitation. His telekinesis is now expanded to work on living beings, and he may increase the force of friction to make any wind or motion deadly. The mage may now bestow his invisibility on others, bolster or weaken extant sources of magnetism or radiation, and transform one type of energy into another.
Master (●●●●●)
At the fifth level of mastery, a Master of Forces may now bestow his levitation and bursts of speed on others, and create directly harmful weather effects such as tornadoes and tsunamis. He may create earthquakes and control the direction or power of gravity, cause EMP pulses, and create or destroy magnetism or harmful radiation. The mage can now also fly, and as a final note, can create true sunlight, not just mere light, extreme deadliness to vampires and all.
Archmaster and Above (●●●●●●+)
Archmasters are rare but not unheard of. They don’t follow the same rules as the other ranks. Archmasters become Avatars of the Arcanum they studied, living embodiments of the Watchtower their power comes from. They become conduits for power and are no longer barred from their power by the Abyss and so aren’t subject to Paradox. They take on the physical characteristics of their Arcanum. They should be addressed as Arcs (i.e. an Arc of Forces). Archmasters can cast all the spells from Initiate to Master, without using any Mana, and in any preferred duration. They gain the powers of a God, including limited immortality (e.g. aging is slowed down), but they’re still human beings and can be killed just like anybody else, but only if they get careless. They still suffer penalties of their Inferior Arcanum. A mage can’t over come that until he/she has become the Arc of that inferior Arcanum. Archmasters no longer belong soly of the planet of their birth they now become citizens of the cosmos, so their concerns must move beyond their planets to our Universe.
An Arc of Forces can see in all levels of the electromagnetic light spectrum; from microwaves to gamma radiation. They are immune to all forms of radiation, and can reach into a pit of lava or caldron molten metal and not even get singed. They can speak and hear in the UL and UH frequencies. He or she is immune to electricity from static to lightning, to dynamic. An archmaster can move at the speed of light, and mimic any sound perfectly. An Arc of Forces can create a black hole if he or she wishes. He or she can create an explosion equal to the energy output of a solar flare. Can bend the earthes magentic field to their will, become a true master of magnetism. Arcs are on a first name basis with the angels of the Aether.
References
- ^ MTAw: Mage: The Awakening Rulebook, p. 162
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