Matter sigil.
Matter is one of nine Spheres of magic in Mage: The Ascension. The Solificati occupied the Seat of Matter in the original Council of Nine Mystic Traditions from 1456 to 1470, but it was unoccupied for most of the Tradition's history until Sons of Ether joined in 1904. The Shade Realm of Matter maps physically to Jupiter.
It is associated with Stasis in the Metaphysical Trinity.[1]
Overview[]
Matter is the Pattern Sphere that purviews all inorganic Patterns that hold Quintessence, in contrast to the energetic Patterns of Forces and the symbiotic Patterns of Life. Representing the base of the physical world, Matter governs the elements from the periodic table in all their physical conditions (or, to mystics, the three elements of Earth, Air and Water). Manipulating Matter is usually a much simpler affair than manipulating other Patterns.
To utilize the Archspheres of Matter, the mage has to understand the relationships between Matter Patterns throughout the Tellurian. The mage has then to understand Matter's nature as solidified Quintessence and learn from its differences to one's own Life Pattern.[2]
Marks[]
Mages with experience in Matter usually appear with exceptional clothing, their personal possessions possessing qualities that show artistic skill. Their features seem hard, their manners blunt. They favor practical results with even the most theoretical applications. Their presence seems vibrant and solidifying at the same time.
Energies associated with Matter tend to be brown or grey in color.[3]
Limits[]
Matter works best when combined with other Spheres. Prime and Matter create solid forms from Quintessence; Correspondence and Matter connect objects across space; Entropy erodes or reinforces Matter; Forces transmutes inert elements into active ones. Life plus Matter bridges the gap between living and dead materials (an essential combination when dealing with vampires) and Spirit plus Matter renders ephemera into matter or matter into ephemera. Time alters the temporal state of Matter, and high-Rank Mind Effects imbue inanimate materials with consciousness.
Paradigmatic Interpretations[]
Below is a short representation of how the Sphere of Matter is interpreted by the various magickal factions within the World of Darkness.
Traditions[]
- Akashic Brotherhood: The Akashic Brotherhood practices Matter in the form of alchemy to impress the Five Agents on an object, which forces the Akashic to focus on the process instead of the outcome. During the following process of crafting, most Akashics enter a state of meditative absorption that allows them to influence Matter.[4]
- Celestial Chorus: The Celestial Chorus argues about the meaning of Matter (and of its sister-Sphere, Life) in their doctrine. Some believe that the One loves and cares for physical existence, while others maintain that corporeal reality is an illusion to be overcome. The ones who choose to focus on Matter retort that chains are not evil by the virtue of binding and see Matter as the study of all Creation.[5][6]
- Cult of Ecstasy: The Cult of Ecstasy speaks of Matter as the "Illusion of Physicality" and associate it with "Hatred" among the Nine Sacred Passions. To manipulate Matter is to enforce your own view of the world on it. Viewing the material world as a side-effect of the illusion of the self, Ecstatics seek to transcend their self to transcend their perceptions of reality, which allows them to manipulate the illusion.[7]
- Dreamspeakers: Dreamspeakers usually do not differentiate between Life and Matter, seeing everything as alive and inhabited by spirits and make no distinction between the earth and the plant seeds that grow from it. Techno-Shamans, however, have a greater focus on Matter, seeing it as a new growing ecology of spirits in need of shamanic mediation.[8]
- Euthanatoi: The Euthanatoi speak of Matter as Pakriti ("Form"). While many have troubles understanding Matter's silent inertia, the Euthanatoi know that everything within Creation exists for a purpose, even base matter. Through understanding the purpose and destiny of a material object, the mage can affect it.[9]
- Order of Hermes: The Order of Hermes speaks of Matter as the Ars Materiae and see it corresponding to the three life-giving elements of Water, Earth, and Air. By practicing this art, the Hermetic seeks to transform physical reality to cleanse it from its flaws and mold the sleeping spark of Divinity within.[10]
- Sons of Ether: The Sons of Ether divide Matter into Etheric Chemistry and Etheric Engineering. By far the most popular Sphere, Matter is seen as limitless in its permutations and infinite in its possible applications. In many cases, Etherites believe that they need to have a link to the perfected Platonic Ideal as a blueprint, shaping the following tool to be as near to perfection as possible.[11]
- Verbena: The Verbena revere Matter during Yule, the longest night within the year. Seeing Matter as a part of the cycle of how Prime passes through Spirit to become Matter, most Verbena associate the Sphere with crafting, infusing life and spirit into dead materials.[12]
- Virtual Adepts: Despite their understanding of physics, most Virtual Adepts have a sort of mental block when it comes to influencing Matter. Those who master it tend to see Matter as slowed down energy and use it mainly to create their Instruments and tools.[13]
Crafts[]
- Ahl-i-Batin: The Ahl-i-Batin see Matter connected to Yesod. While not widespread, the Ahl-i-Batin study Matter through the study of alchemy, creating acids and alloys like steel for personal use. In general, they refrain from overtly vulgar applications of the Sphere.[14]
- Kopa Loei: The Kopa Loei call Matter "Mole'aina", the Root of the World. Kopa Loei use Matter to affect the unliving world in the same vein they use Life to affect bodies. "Modern" elements, like glass, metal or plastic, are exempt to Kopa Loei magic except for breaking them into their original, more "pure" elemental forms. [15]
- Solificati: For the Solificati, Matter is the foundation upon which their whole art is built. Considering it a means to change any non-living element, Solificati learn how the different parts of the world work and when they can be changed into something better. By making the material world more perfect, the Solificatus supports and creates a more magical world that will allow living beings to be transmuted into something better.[16]
- Templars: Following their ousting from the Order of Reason through HIT-Marks, the Templars have taken up the study of Matter, mainly to continue to forge Primium and to understand the tools of their enemy.[17]
- Taftâni: The Taftâni see Matter as Getig ("Material"), the Third Incarnation of Truth. It is, in effect, energy that has been trapped or compromised into solid forms through the influence of druj. As such, they rarely use the Sphere, although they have found use for Matter to enchant their personal possessions to make them more resistant or build their Sanctums.[18]
- Wu Lung: The Wu Lung call Matter Wu Chih and mainly practice it through the use of traditional Chinese alchemy. Masters often use it in conjunction with Forces to utilize the Five Elements to their fullest potential.[19]
Technocratic Union[]
Matter, as the Sphere that describes the physical world, has been an all-time favorite of the Technocracy. Exercising material science is, perhaps, one of the most straightforward areas of endeavor. Inert objects always respond to the same treatments in the same ways, after all, and there are nigh-infinite amounts of stuff on which to experiment. Technocrats with a focus on Matter usually study Enlightened Physics, Chemistry, Geology, and similar subjects. Iteration X are the leading experts within the Union for the study of Matter.[20]
Standard Powers[]
• Matter Perceptions[]
The most basic understanding of Matter gives a mage a clear insight into the nature of material objects. By scrutinizing a Pattern, the mage can tell not only how massive something is and what it's made of, but whether it's a composite, whether it's damaged in any way, how it might interact with other objects and what could be hidden inside.
Combining Matter and Entropy lets the magician sense weak points and identify the best means by which to break them, Forces tells what energy to bring to bear against objects. With Life magic, the mage can determine the presence and composition of inert matter in living Patterns, like piercings and implants. The use of more ephemeral Spheres lends itself to scrying at range or determining whether a given object is actually a form of Tass.
Example Effects
• Analyze Substance[]
Any number of simple enchantments can be used to determine material properties. The mage could pick out gold from iron pyrite and tell exactly what a chair's made of and how much weight it can hold. Mages do so in many and varied ways. Sons of Ether and Virtual Adepts use their favorite tricorder-style sensing devices, Hermetics often compare to known samples and look for disparities, Ecstatics just "go with the flow" and pick whatever feels right.
• Fragments of Dream[]
Dreamspeakers view all manner of fragments of the Earth Mother's dreams. By tapping such dreams, they can expand their perception of Matter. The mage extends her senses beyond physical reality into Pattern. She no longer sees matter in the same way: instead of a brick wall, for instance, she sees its Pattern in her mind's eye.
This Effect allows the mage to perceive things that would be unseen in physical reality. She could sense the contents of a room beyond a wall, or detect objects or structures that might otherwise be hidden, such as a false bottom of a suitcase. Really dense or complex Patterns may be more difficult to penetrate.
• • Basic Transmutation[]
The mage may transmute one substance into another, without changing its shape, temperature or basic state (solid, liquid, gas). The object simply takes on a new composition, at the mage's whim. Complex creations are mare difficult or in some cases impossible; usually, mages are limited to creating or t ransmuting homogenous substances — a block of wood into a brick of stone, for instance, but not into an alloy of gold and osmium. Naturally, the sorts of possible transmutations depend heavily on paradigm. A Hermetic mage might turn lead into gold alchemically, a Chorister could duplicate the miracle of turning water into wine but a Technocrat is more likely to convert simple elements like hydrogen to helium.
Only simple and inert forms of Matter can be transformed at this level. The mage cannot make radioactive elements. Doing so requires Mastery, as such Patterns shed their essence in the form of Forces. Matter Patterns also tend to have a rigid shape, and this shape cannot be changed with this base understanding. Of course, if the mage turns a rock into butter, he can sculpt or melt it easily. Rare materials are also hard to create. Metaphysically, such matter is a precious substance, not easily found or made, which reflects in the difficulty of magical duplication.
Basic transmutation combines with other Pattern Spheres to let the mage create solid matter from forces or even from living beings. (Of course, anyone can turn a Life Pattern into a Matter Pattern — just kill it). The mage can also conjure a basic object out of Prime energy. With the right understanding of Forces, the mage can impart enough energy to change an item's state while transforming it. He can use Correspondence to pull or push items around, even to reach into them and remove parts. The mage can give a spirit a physical representation or create an object according to a mental image with Quintessence.
Example Effects
• • Melt and Reform[]
The mage turns an otherwise inviolable object into a similar but much more accommodating item. The mage could grab a stone wall and briefly render the stone into clay, easily shaping it with his hands until the Effect ends, or he could turn a statue to butter and let it melt before changing it back. This Effect makes an excellent way to get out of traps, although it may take some work to be explained as coincidental.
• • Straw into Gold[]
Just like Rumpelstiltskin, the mage can weave base matter into a valuable substance. It remains a homogenous material, but it takes on qualities desired by the mage. Vulgar willworkers may literally turn tears into diamonds and straw into gold. More subtle magicians could improve the quality of an existing object, or "accidentally discover" that an object is more valuable than it first appeared. In this fashion, a mage can turn cheap beer into a decent stout, make generic brands seem of higher quality and cause an ordinary item to actually be made of something valuable.
• • • Alter Form[]
Although Matter Patterns are resilient, they are not inviolable, and a mage with enough experience can reshape matter as he desires. This level of skill lets the mage sculpt the object mystically, changing its form or even compressing or expanding certain elements of its material properties. The mage can increase the object's density or disperse it into gas, or he can just make it take on a different silhouette. Broken materials can be rejoined and matter made whole once more, or the mage can pull things apart, separate them into components or make mixtures of matter.
With the Pattern Spheres, the mage can easily draw energy out of a Matter Pattern or make it mesh with a living creature. More ephemeral Spheres let the object change in response to thought or even cause it shift randomly into a useful (or harmful) shape.
Example Effects
• • • Destroy Structures[]
The mage uses her knowledge of Matter Patterns to break down structures by shredding their Patterns. The Effect resembles Sculpture, but the mage simply breaks down a Pattern as quickly as possible. The mage can destroy nearly any simple object. He can tear up concrete, steel and cloth with equal ease. However, advanced compounds might be too difficult for the mage to unravel (and require a higher level of skill). Note that the material is not reduced to nothingness; it is simply scattered and torn apart.
The mage can also turn an object into some other sort of inert substance and go from there. Doing so can be useful if a mage is dealing with matter that won't be destroyed just by dispersing it, like poison gas or acid.
• • • Sculpture[]
By changing the shape of a chunk of Matter, the mage can easily sculpt a substance without bothering to transform it like Melt and Reform. The mage just grabs the Pattern mystically — whether by pantomiming the sculpture, chanting its name of power or whatever — and yanks it around into the desired shape. The object responds and takes on the appropriate form.
Sculpture may require multiple successes for very large or complex objects.
• • • •Complex Transformation[]
By tearing out the detailed elements of combined Matter Patterns, an Adept of Matter can rebuild complex Patterns that rely on rare and complex material or on multiple independent pieces with different bases. Assuming that he has the appropriate mundane knowledge, the mage can easily make objects with moving parts or do the opposite in order to turn valuable equipment into useless lumps. Whereas a less experienced mage is limited to making simple items or Patterns of a homogenous sort, an Adept can create alloys, combinations of multiple types of matter and other fine details. Both the level of detail and the complexity of the final object determine the difficulty of the Effect.
With Forces or Life magic, the mage can transform creatures or energies directly into complex objects. He can turn a canary into a golden clockwork songbird or a lightning bolt into a silver stylization. Life magic lets the mage blend living and unliving matter, making silk, fresh food and the like. Prime energy can be used to conjure complex matter from nothing — more than one Euthanatos has pulled a gun seemingly out of nowhere.
Example Effects
• • • • Alloy[]
By grabbing two Patterns and compressing them together, the mage makes an alloy out of solid objects. He can shove a chunk of wood into the middle of a piece of plastic or blend two types of metal into a composite. Such an alloy still retains the properties of its individual components, but it might have its own characteristics if it's mixed finely enough. That is, a chunk of wood stuck in a wall of plastic would still bum, but if the wood were diffused throughout the plastic, the wall might have a pleasing wooden texture while remaining fire retardant (although it could well give off poisonous smoke when it did catch fire).
• • • • Transformers[]
Complex and radical changes in composition let a mage with the appropriate knowledge alter the function of various devices. A mage could turn his wrist-watch into a dart-firing weapon or cause his stereo system to also house a telephone. There's almost no limit to what can be done, although the mage must have the knowledge necessary to build and use the device. Such devices are just reorganizations of existing Matter, so they must still conform to the general laws of the consensus. That is, the mage could cause his wristwatch to also have a dart-firing mechanism (since someone could conceivably build such a device normally), but it wouldn't be able to also serve as a teleporter.
• • • • • Alter Properties[]
The highest Matter Arts allow a mage to rebuild individual segments of a Matter Pattern at will. Instead of making base matter or objects of combined materials, the Master can devise entirely new Matter, setting its physical properties as desired. He can transmute normal Matter so that it has a different boiling point, specific gravity or transparency. He can also create an object with a mass, density and viscosity determined at whim independent of any sort of normal physical laws. The Patterns of Matter can be made to interact with other Matter in unique ways, so the Patterns may be explosive, acidic or even immaterial to one another.
With Mastery of Matter, the mage is not limited to the so-called "laws" of the material world. His creations can have whatever strengths and physical characteristics he desires. Matter Patterns can even be made that transform spontaneously, changing state or characteristics or throwing off Forces (radiation).
With the other Spheres, a Master of Matter can build invincible armor out of Prime energy, make devices that heal or harm living creatures outside of all normal expectations and develop complex, rare and lethal substances.
Example Effects
• • • • • Alter Weight[]
By manipulating the properties of an object's elemental mass, a mage can change it into a unique element that has a weight dissociated from its size. A tiny object can be given the mass of a car, or a car could be made light enough to be picked up (great gas mileage, hell in strong winds). Objects that are heavy for their size — superdense materials — tend to be stronger and more durable than the balsa-like constructions of hyperlight material. The level of success scored indicates how much the object can be tweaked in terms of density. With a couple of successes, the mage might succeed in changing its mass by 25%, while 10 successes could alter it by a factor of several times.
• • • • • Matter Association[]
A Master of Matter can change how certain Matter Patterns interact with other Patterns. If he decides to make a Pattern unable to interact with others of a specific type, he may well get a material that's insubstantial to certain substances. Bullets could fire through body armor and a coroner's tools could pass through dead flesh. The Master can also make the matter take on the properties of some other sort of matter or entirely new properties, so a piece of matter could be made superconductive, incredibly strong and somewhat ductile, despite originally being a crumpled-up ball of duct tape. Such massive transformations are, of course, generally vulgar and reserved for occasions where the mage needs a permanent special object. The successes scored determine how much the mage can alter the nature of the object. With a few successes, he might tweak the weight and interactive properties a bit, while many successes would allow the mage to reverse fundamental properties, make an inert substance radioactive or vice-versa. He could also swap around characteristics from multiple types of matter.
Archspheres[]
Archspheres represent the pinnacle of magical understanding within a Sphere, attained only by Archmages. Achieving mastery of an Archsphere is not just a demonstration of power it is a requirement for a mage to be recognized as an Archmage.
They are not simply higher levels of existing Sphere abilities, but rather a qualitative leap into an entirely new realm of power and insight. Archspheres transcend the limitations of standard Spheres, enabling effects that can alter reality itself far beyond what an ordinary mage could ever accomplish.
[1]
- Alter State: Allows the mage to shift matter through any condition of aggregation.
- [2]
- Transform Pattern: Allows the mage to transform multiple Patterns into a desired shape or state.
- [3]
- Create Pattern: Allows the mage to create a form that holds multiple replicating Patterns (i.e. the form of a castle that fills itself with brick Patterns)
- [4]
- Subjective Reality: Allows the mage to create Matter Patterns that respond to etheric Patterns such as Mind. These Patterns alter their properties according to their pre-programmed responses to certain impulses.
References[]
^ Level 1
| Matter Perceptions | MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Rulebook | Pg. 201 |
| Matter Perceptions | MTAs: GURPS Mage: The Ascension | Pg. 112 |
| Matter Perceptions | MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition | Pg. 204 |
| Matter Perceptions | MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition  
|
Pg. 172 |
| Basic: Matter Perceptions | MTAs/MET: Laws of Ascension | Pg. 155 |
| Matter Perceptions | Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition | Pg. 518 |
^ Level 2
| Create Unified Patterns | MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Rulebook | Pg. 201-202 |
| Create Unified Patterns | MTAs: GURPS Mage: The Ascension | Pg. 113 |
| Basic Transmutation | MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition | Pg. 204 |
| Basic Transmutation | MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition
|
Pg. 172 |
| Basic: Basic Transmutation | MTAs/MET: Laws of Ascension | Pg. 156 |
| Basic Transmutation | Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition | Pg. 518 |
^ Level 3
| Alter Matter/ Pattern Disassociation | MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Rulebook | Pg. 202 |
| Alter Matter/ Pattern Disassociation | MTAs: GURPS Mage: The Ascension | Pg. 113 |
| Alter Form | MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition | Pg. 204 |
| Alter Form | MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition
|
Pg. 172 |
| Intermediate: Alter Form | MTAs/MET: Laws of Ascension | Pg. 156 |
| Alter Form | Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition | Pg. 518 |
^ Level 4
| Transmutation/ Quilted Forms | MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Rulebook | Pg. 202 |
| Transmutation/ Quilted Forms | MTAs: GURPS Mage: The Ascension | Pg. 114 |
| Complex Transformation | MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition | Pg. 205 |
| Complex Transformation | MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition
|
Pg. 172 |
| Intermediate: Complex Transformation | MTAs/MET: Laws of Ascension | Pg. 157 |
| Complex Transformation | Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition | Pg. 519 |
^ Level 5
| New Substances or Structures | MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Rulebook | Pg. 202 |
| New Substances or Structures | MTAs: GURPS Mage: The Ascension | Pg. 114 |
| Alter Properties | MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition | Pg. 205 |
| Alter Properties | MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition
|
Pg. 172 |
| Advanced: Alter Properties | MTAs/MET: Laws of Ascension | Pg. 157 |
| Alter Properties | Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition | Pg. 519 |
^ Level 6
| Alter State | Masters of the Art | Pg. 71 |
^ Level 7
| Transform Pattern | Masters of the Art | Pg. 71 |
^ Level 8
| Create Pattern | Masters of the Art | Pg. 71 |
^ Level 9
| Subjective Reality | Masters of the Art | Pg. 71 |
|
- MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Rulebook, p. 61, 167, 201-204
- MTAs: GURPS Mage: The Ascension, p. 112-115
- MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition, p. 68, 204-207
- MTAs: Hidden Lore, p. 68
- MTAs/MET: Laws of Ascension, p. 155-158
| Mage: The Ascension Spheres | |
|---|---|
| Traditional: | Correspondence · Entropy · Forces · Life · Matter · Mind · Prime · Spirit · Time |
| Variations: | Data · Dimensional Science · Primal Utility · Void Correspondence · Qlippothic Spheres |