Mind (MTAs)

Mind sigil.

Mind is one of nine Spheres of magic in Mage: The Ascension. The Akashic Brotherhood have occupied the Seat of Mind in the Council of Nine Mystic Traditions since its founding. The Shard Realm of Mind maps physically to Neptune.

It is associated with Dynamism in the Metaphysical Trinity.

Overview

Since human beings perceive reality through a complex interplay of consciousness, the Mind Sphere affects how a being sees the world around it. Such study leads to the investigation of thought, the existence of perfect forms, the idea of intelligence, and inquiry divorced from mere physical form.

The Mind magician can use thought to communicate, control, and wipe away the inaccuracies and errors of human misjudgment for the peaceful serenity of total concentration. All thought is open to the mage: From the refined sensibilities of human philosophy to the feral instincts of animals. Any thinking process can be comprehended and manipulated with sufficient skill.

Unlike the orderly Pattern Spheres, Mind magic tends to be a bit more "fuzzy" in its capabilities. An initiate can often perform tasks similar to what a more experienced mage could do, but not as well or with as much precision or variety. However, Mind constructs do seem to take on specific "thought objects." In some cases, a Mind magician can influence a particular concept just like a Pattern Sphere might be used to manipulate a material object.

To utilize the Archspheres of Mind, the mage has first to perfect the no-mind technique. Afterwards, they study the ephemeral Patterns of Mind and independent thought systems, by thinking and not-thinking at the same time.

Marks

Mages with experience in Mind seem to be in a constant, meditative state. They tend to view the world with laser-focus intensity that penetrates illusions to reach their deeper truth. On occasion, they react to thought before they are actually spoken, reading reactions of people in a single glance or form intricately constructed chains of logic on a moment's notice.

Energies associated with Mind tend to be white or blue in color.

Limits

While Mind is powerful, its effects never materialize in the physical world without the use of auxiliary Spheres. Offensive Mind effects (those that seek to influence or harm another's mind) base their difficulties on the target's Willpower Trait instead of the vulgar or coincidental spectrum. If the target is forced to do something against their nature, like committing suicide, the attempt becomes more difficult. Especially willful people might use their willpower later to resist the command.

For attacks against multiple targets, the difficulty for a Mind-based Effect depends upon the usual coincidental, vulgar, or vulgar with witnesses situations. Such Mind-based Effects are generally coincidental, although especially flamboyant feats might be vulgar instead.

Paradigmatic Interpretations

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

Traditions

• Akashic Brotherhood: The Akashics regard Mind as "Santana" (lit. "Stream"). To properly utilize it, it is necessary to practice "Mushin", the state of no-Mind. In this state, egoistical notions are shut down and the mind becomes open to receive its surroundings, which allows the Akashic to act without hindrance. Once the illusion of ego disperses, the Akashic can receive the flow of other minds into himself or flow forward himself.
• Celestial Chorus: Choristers believe that all minds spring from the Mind of the One, who first thought the world into existence. By focusing on the creative impulses that once inspired the Divine to create, the Choristers use their abilities to break the barriers between people and showing them their common origins in the mind of the One. Others view this as sacrilegious and as assuming the mantle of the One for oneself. For this reason, most mages of the Celestial Chorus take great care to avoid hubris or arrogance when using Mind.
• Cult of Ecstasy: The Cult of Ecstasy speaks of Mind as the "Illusion of Self" and associate it with "Love" among the Nine Sacred Passions. Ecstatics hold that the thoughts of one influence the thoughts of all. Through unity in body and mind, the notion of a self vanishes and the mage becomes a part of everyone's thought and gains access to the thoughts of everyone. Other Ecstatics use extreme pain to sever themselves from their bodies, fleeing into the pure realm of thought.
• Dreamspeakers: Dreamspeakers usually tend to use Life and Mind in tandem, seeing no real difference between the two forces. The only exception to this is the magic that affects dreams. Dreamspeakers usually use Mind to gather information during their dreams, and ward the dreams of their communities from predatory supernaturals.
• Euthanatoi: The Euthanatoi interpret Mind as "Manas", the part of the divine that travels along the Wheel of Ages in order to understand itself, learn through many lives and carrying these lessons to its next incarnation. Mind is seen as the way through which each mage can see the obligations of his current incarnations in order to fulfill his dharma and reunite, eventually, with the cosmos.
• Order of Hermes: The Order of Hermes call Mind the Ars Mentis, the sphere of pure intellectualization and reason. As a mirror of the Avatar, Mind reflects that self's intent, allowing the mage know himself, then through himself others and through multiple perspectives, the world. Using the mind as a way to cut away deception, Hermetics work with Mind to realize and conceive pure Truth.
• Sons of Ether: The Sons of Ether refer to the study of Mind as the "Noetic Sciences". These sciences draw on a rich fundus of psychology, metaphysics, sociology, political theory and psychic research, meaning that most Etherites have their own pet theories how Mind exactly works. The most popular is the quantum psychic theory, which postulates the existence of psion particles that carry consciousness. All agree, however, that the human mind has the ability to affect the outside world and that its potential could be limitless.
• Verbena: The Verbena revere Mind during Imbolc, during the first days of February. The Verbena seek to arouse the sleeping Earth fro its winter hibernation during this festival. As a festival of light, Mind is likewise associated with light and sight. Verbena usually perceive Mind effects in the form of visual appearances and often deal with raw passions that have deeper roots than intellectualisms.
• Virtual Adepts: The Virtual Adepts have only begun to incorporate Mind into their cosmology after their defection from the Technocratic Union. Since then, the Adepts have become particularly interested in how Mind affect the input of information. Others use it to "surf" through other people's dreams, create computer viruses for the brain or create neurolinguistic translation methods. Some have begun to use Mind rotes to allow certain Sleepers to see behind the lies wrought by the Technocracy (sometimes even triggering an Awakening).

Crafts

• Ahl-i-Batin: The Ahl-i-Batin see Life connected to Keter. The Batini have worked with Mind long before the concept dawned to most other Crafts, incorporating "patterning" into their interactions with others in order to solicit them into actions that benefitted the Batini without so much as a carefully inflected word or an arched eyebrow. Mind is seen as one of the more important Spheres to achieve Unity, since the total unity of all means also a unity of minds.
• Hem-ka Sobk: The minds of the Hem-Ka Sobk are more in tune with those of reptiles and some Ahl-i-Batin who observed them claimed that the Sunu seemed to be disconnected and bound with some greater power the Hem-Ka refer to as Sobk. The Hem-Ka Sobk practice a meditation style to utilize Mind during which they enter a emotionless calm, guided by the will of Sobk.
• Kopa Loei: The Kopa Loei call Mind Uhane'hana (Soul Working). Seeing it as an extension of the Spirit Sphere, most Kopa Loei use these Spheres in tandem. One of its applications is invoking the right of the chiefs to assure obedience.
• Sisters of Hippolyta: The Sisters adopted the practices of Mind during the Middle Ages, seeing connections between the physiological and the psychological well-being of women. Adept Sisters draw these connection even further, establishing links with progeny, nature and themselves, becoming incredibly self-aware.
• Solificati: The Solificati see Mind as a way to gather hidden truths to use in their aim for transcendence, purifying malignant Resonance and balance themselves before their Works. The Solificati use mental experiences to find a way to discover a "Greater Pattern" of humanity. Once they have found this pattern, Mass Ascension and Unity are at hand.
• Templars: The Templars have begun to study Mind since the fall of Montsalvat and the excision of the Cabal of Pure Thought from the Order of Reason, seeking to understand the ways in which their former allies controlled mortal opinions and enhance their covert operation to safeguard the Temple.
• Taftâni: The Taftâni see Mind as Hamestagan - a place that is neither obliged to Asha or Druj. They see belief, thought and understanding as pitiful reflections of Truth, but not as part of Druj. Most see it as the purview of the djinn, who are masters of illusions and deception, and seek to enslave them to turn their arts to the Taftâni's advantage. The Kahin focus on the psychonautical aspect of Mind, traversing the High Umbra and manipulating people's dreams.
• Wu-Keng: Although the Wu-Keng do not ban the study of Mind, it is seen as an ill omen and invites disaster and the antagonism of their demonic overlords. Most refrain from delving into it too deeply.
• Wu Lung: The Wu Lung call Mind Hsin and regard it as a means to attain the right mindset when approaching Heaven and draw upon it to enforce their role as envoys of the Celestial Bureaucracy.

Technocratic Union

The Technocracy refers to Mind as "Psychodynamics" or Enlightened psychology. Its study is closely attuned to the study of Platonic Ideals, Jungian archetypes and theories put forth by contemporary psychology, as well as the scientific insights gained into the inner workings of the brain.

Technocrats studying Mind usually work with memory enhancements and calculation to sculpt their minds to their fullest potential. Agents of the New World Order are the foremost experts on Mind within the Union, using it to combat dissenters against Control and make the Consensus stable.

Standard Powers

• Read Surface Thoughts, Empower Self

Although Mind magic is not really an elemental Sphere, mental constructs do seem to fall into ephemeral categories. A trained mage becomes sensitive to moods and thoughts around herself, and she learns to recognize the base impulses of other minds while taking control of her own.

With a simple look, a mage can get a gut feeling or empathic hunch, determining someone's emotional state or telling whether a particular object has a powerful emotional Resonance attached to it. The mage can't read specifics, like whether an emotion is strongly directed at someone in particular or the intricacies of a plan in someone's mind. However, she can tell if someone is giving off positive or negative emotions and determine if an object, place or piece of Tass has "good vibes" or "bad vibes." She can even read basic, strong emotional contexts attached to such objects, so that she can pick put a knife used for a murder from a group of otherwise identical knives.

Since the Initiate also learns to control and order her own thoughts, she can perform a number of prodigious, but usually coincidental, mental feats. With preparation, she can make a rudimentary defense against mental intrusion. She can also render her aura obscured and unable to be sensed. Furthermore, her discipline allows her to use any number of simple Effects to improve her computational skills, memory and concentration.

Example Effects

• Mind Empowerment

The mage's mental discipline, even at this rudimentary level, lets her accomplish prodigious feats easily. She can focus on multiple tasks at once, improve her thinking capabilities and focus her concentration. The mage can reach out to feel others' emotions, defend herself (rudimentarily) from such intrusion or enhance her mental capabilities.

The mind-shielding of an Initiate is crude but effective: The mage's successes on the Effect counter direct Mind assaults. Very subtle or skilled assailants may be able to bypass this protection, and the mage's mental defenses at this level of skill are obvious to anyone who cares to probe the magician's psyche. This Effect can at least keep out some unwanted guests though.

Empowering mental processes allows the mage to function like a calculator or computer. He can work through information rapidly and with little or no error, and he can collate facts and logical data. The successes scored either cut down the time necessary to process information accurately, or allow the mage to multi-task and concentrate on multiple avenues of thought at once. Although the mage still moves, responds and acts at his normal rate, he can engage in battle while simultaneously thinking about several problems and deciding what sort of tie to wear for formal dinner later that evening. The mage can even improve her Mental Attributes temporarily and artificially, although surpassing hum an limitations or supercharging her mind for too long can risk Pattern bleeding (M:tA 2nd Ed Core Book: pp131-132)

With emotional sensitivity, the mage can "see" auras as multicolored halos that reflect the emotions of a person or object, or even feel some 1ev?1 of the subject's emotion. Strong emotions practically scream out at the mage, and they may even be traumatic if the mage does not defend herself with mental shielding. A knowledgeable mage can also detect some types of supernatural activity or creatures by watching an aura. She can even tell as a subject goes through mood shifts. Watching reactions to others lets the mage tell friend from foe, and the mage can also determine when a subject is lying, with careful study and a handful of successes on the die roll. The mage can also determine when an area has strong emotions associated with it, or sense the presence of Resonance in a given form of Tass or at a Node.

• No-Mind

A simple examination for nearby mental Patterns allows the mage to detect other thinking beings in the area, and to determine their positions, individual genders and types. The mage senses the closest minds first in a pattern that radiates outward, but he can screen out known types deliberately. The Akashic Brotherhood performs this Effect through the "No-Mind" technique, emptying their own thoughts to clear away their minds and make them more sensitive to others, but the other Traditions have similar mind-sensing Effects as well.

• • Read Surface Thoughts, Mental Impulse

As a mage moves beyond the organization of her own thoughts, she learns to reach out to other minds. The mage can read not only surface thoughts, but she can sense memories associated with objects and scan for specific emotions. Her own thoughts are ordered and disciplined enough to defend against most outside intrusion and to mislead those who attempt to plumb her mind.

Surface thoughts flit across the consciousness of people in garbled, half-formed images that can be easily picked up by the mage. Indeed, different people have different thinking processes and "flavors" of thought that the mage can understand. The mage cannot yet invade a mind and tear out its secrets, but much can be learned just from the casual thoughts of others.

The mage can also associate thoughts with specific items, determining particular forms of Resonance that a material or place might have and drawing out strong memories attached to it. At this level of skill, such impressions are still vague, but the mage can often sense general events and ideas with a strong content of emotions.

If the mage forges a communication with another open mind, she can send emotional impressions. Subjects may get a sudden sense of the mage's emotions, or she may leave the source unspecified, leaving the subject wondering whence a certain impulse came. Subconscious suggestions can lead a subject to perform actions without even knowing or questioning why, although the mage's projections are limited in their strength and strong-willed minds may shake these suggestions off.

With her strong mental control, the mage can not only shield her mind from intrusion, but she can build false fronts, disguises and surface ruses. Mental intruders may not recognize the mage's true skills and powers, or may find her mind completely empty. She can even alter the appearance of her aura, so that onlookers note a different emotional state than would normally be visible. Her discipline allows her to sense most attackers who enter her mind without great skill, and she retains a level of control over her mental processes at nearly all times, even when sleeping or splitting her concentration.

Example Effects

• • Empathic Projection

Emotions carry great weight. By focusing her emotions and casting her attention to a subject, the mage can send a sudden impulse or feeling. The target can be made to experience the mage's own feelings, or the mage can strike an emotion into the subject. The successes scored indicate the intensity of feeling. With two or three successes, the subject just has a slight sudden urge or quaint moment of queasiness, while five or six successes would cause a sudden blast of emotion to scream into the forefront of the target's mind.

Obviously, a sudden influx of emotion can startle a person or cause her to act strangely for a moment (or longer, if the mage places a duration on the Effect). The target may suddenly laugh inexplicably, drop something or flee the area in panic. Stronger-willed targets are harder to affect. The target can spend a point of Willpower to resist the urges, as with any sudden impulse. If the subject has reason to suspect the mage's intrusion, a Willpower roll can be used to resist, so an extended ritual may be required to affect a wary subject. In some cases, a sudden blast of pure, heart-stopping emotion can paralyze or shock a subject (inflicting standard bashing damage).

The mage cannot send actual pictures or words through this method, but a sudden feeling of danger or need can often be a useful missive when in trouble. Of course, other Mind magicians in the area may well sense the panicked empathic projection.

• • Psychic Impression

The mage leaves a Mind imprint on a given place or object, thus imbuing it with a particular emotion. Most often, this impression is some Resonance Trait of the mage, but the mage may imbue the target with a strong emotional Resonance under circumstances of great stress. The object carries the Resonance for as long as the Effect lasts. If the object is used in conjunction with an Effect, its Resonance may assist or hinder the Effect (see p. 162). Thus, the mage can cause an item to feel his own hate, elation, curiosity, joy or rage. A bullet used in hate would carry greater mystical weight, as would a bandage infused with compassion or a bottle of wine infused with camaraderie.

When a mage places Resonance in an area, that place gains a certain "emotional weight." A house could be made to seem creepy, a nightclub might have a dance floor that brings out anger or lust, a church could be peaceful. Such an Effect can be felt by anyone who enters the area, though generally only those with Awareness will recognize it as supernatural. Normal people will just find the place relaxing, agitating or whatever.

• • • Mental Link, Dreamwalk

The mage's powerful mind cuts through interference and irrelevance to form a strong link to other thoughts. She can indulge in telepathic communication, experience someone else's senses, control her own dreams and pierce the veil of understanding to read the true meaning behind a concept, symbol or idea.

It's a simple matter for a skilled mage to set up direct mental communication. She can read ideas directly from the subject's mind, without even the need for language, and send her own thoughts thus. Such communication can make for a silent and perfect exchange of ideas, or it can be used to project illusions, false thoughts and psychic assaults. The mage can also read through the subconscious impulses of the victim, gaining insight to the subject's drives and experiences. Memory is laid bare to the mage's scrutiny, colored as the subject saw it.

Language is, at its heart, just a symbolic way of communicating concepts. At this level, the mage can cut through the symbol to the root concept. Doing so allows the mage to understand nearly any written, spoken or symbolic language that has some human basis. The mage can make her words understood to those who hear her and understand nearly any language. She can translate writings with ease and understand symbols automatically without any cultural context. Things that are outside of the mage's conceptual experience or that are magically defended might still remain mysterious, though.

Regulation of mental power even in the mage's subconscious mind allows the mage to control her thoughts during sleep and dreams, to contact other dream minds and to enter mysterious Dream Realms. She can influence the dreamscapes there, but the strangeness or spirits that reside in some dreams can affect her as well. The mage could enter dreams telepathically while she remains awake, although splitting her consciousness thus is usually more trouble than it's worth. More usefully, the mage's control over her dreams means that unless her psyche is somehow trapped, she can always fall asleep or awaken as desired, immediately.

Example Effects

• • • Probe Thoughts

It is nearly impossible to keep secrets from a skilled and determined disciple of Mind magic. The mage can simply bore into the target's mind, rooting around at will for surface impressions, or dig into memories, sensory information or even the subconscious. The target may suddenly experience strange thoughts and emotions as the mage brings them to the fore, or the mage can expend additional effort to slip in quietly and dig through the target's mind unnoticed.

With a successful probe, the mage can dig into memory (as the subject remembers it), experience any or all of the target's senses (perhaps in conjunction with her own senses, by using a multitasking Effect) or determine the victim's subconscious drives and desires. A quick surface scan may go unnoticed, but deeper probes often alert the subject that something's amiss. The successes scored indicate how deeply the mage can probe. Two or three successes give fleeting impressions of surface thoughts, while five or more open up buried memories and painful secrets. If the mage wants to sneak around unnoticed, his player must score additional successes exceeding the subject's Wits. A suspicious subject can resist the initial intrusion with Willpower, as always, and a Mind mage can often build a mental shield or even a layer of fake thoughts to block the intruder. In the latter case, the intruder must best the target's Mind Effect in order to break down the mind shield or notice and bypass the fake layer of thought.

• • • Telepathy

Direct mind-to-mind communication is possible with this power of Mind magic. The mage can send words, pictures or concepts directly to the subject, and he can read the surface thoughts of the target in return. With enough successes, the mage can connect to remote subjects, unfamiliar ones or multiple subjects (with additional successes needed for each). Thus, the mage can easily link minds with a member of her cabal or try to set up a telepathic network between multiple people, at the cost of a great deal of effort.

Since the mage setting up a telepathic link works on the basis of pure concepts, she can communicate through images or ideas instead of simple words. Language is no barrier to the trained mage. By contrast, those without Mind experience still tend to think in terms of language, and the mage may have to cut through the babble of words to get at the underlying concepts.

By sending images or sensory information, a telepath can also cause the subject to experience hallucinations. The complexity of the illusion determines the required successes, and a wary target may try to resist with a Willpower roll. With few successes, the illusion may seem unconvincing, incomplete or phantasmal. Illusions created with high levels of success — usually five or more — are indistinguishable from any real sensory input. Even if the target knows that something's an illusion, his body may well react reflexively when his senses warn him! Better still, the mage can simply send a knife of disturbing psychic Resonance straight into the victim's brain, inflicting bashing damage.

Untrained subjects, especially those with low Willpower, have a tendency to generate a distracting amount of psychic volume. The mage might well decide to lend a little organization to the target (by extending a mind shield) just to keep less skilled members of the link from distracting the group. Keeping a mental link up is certainly a distraction of some level, and the mage may suffer additional penalties to dice pools above and beyond the penalties for maintaining an Effect if there's a substantial amount of psychic "chatter."

• • • • Control Conscious Mind, Astral Projection

By the time a mage is an Adept of Mind, her thoughts are so potent that not only can she project them, she can override the processes of other thoughts. She can send her consciousness out to experience distant places or to control minds directly.

At this level of power, the mage can invade a victim's mind and lay it bare, dragging out secrets, taking direct control of the victim's thoughts or even thrashing the victim's psyche into a catatonic state. She can alter memories, erase experiences, implant suggestions or even make the victim perform any number of unpleasant and potentially harmful tasks. Unless the victim also uses Mind magic or some sort of mental defense, his only resistance is Willpower — and any mind can be eroded, given time.

A mage who wishes to extend her powers can also defend others with her mental strength. She can shield people from mental invasion just like she shields her own mind, or she may conceal or alter the auras of others for a time.

From the subconscious Realms, the mage can also extend her perceptions to Realms of pure thought. The mage passes beyond dreams and into the Astral Umbra. There she can flit for a brief period in a plane composed of pure thought, perhaps in search of lost ideas or new concepts. Such travel is dangerous, and the Adept cannot divorce mind and body completely, so the duration of such trips is perforce limited.

Example Effects

• • • • Manipulate Memory

Altering memories is delicate work that requires incredible finesse. An Adept of Mind can not only probe and delve into the subject's memory, but he can alter such memories, implant false history, wipe areas blank, give the subject special knowledge or even leave the victim a tabula rasa. Such work is not to be taken lightly; the mage must invade the subject as per Possession, and then accumulate successes to alter memories. Unless the mage also takes some precautions like immobilizing the victim or performing this Effect in the subject's sleep, the target is likely to notice the sudden gaps and changes in memory. Although the subject can't remember what's changed, the process is a terrifying one to someone who's not expecting it. Thus, it behooves the mage to work with the utmost subtlety, unless he plans to simply rip apart the victim's memory and leave it at that. Acting this way is a good way to pick up nasty Entropic Resonance like Destructive and Obliviating.

When the mage alters memory, he can make the memories as realistic or artificial as he likes. The subject might be left with only vague recollections, cartoon-like images that can't possibly be real or crystal-clear images of a life he never lived. A subject wiped of all memory does not necessarily lose his Talents, Skills and Advantages, but he certainly doesn't know what he can and can't do. Subjects who have special knowledge implanted can call on rudimentary Knowledges, although until they've become accustomed to their new database of information (by spending experience), they will be able to access only the basic Knowledge (one dot). Still, memory-alteration is a great way to de-empower enemies without killing them, or to implant important knowledge into someone's head quickly.

• • • • Possession

One of the more fearsome Effects possible for Adepts of Mind, Possession allows a mage to exert direct control over the subject's thoughts. If the mage succeeds in Besting the subject's Willpower, he can control the target's actions directly, either taking over the subject completely or just influencing specific, desired parts of the mind.

When the mage takes total possession of a target, the victim's thoughts become overlaid with the mage's. The mage needs only think the appropriate actions, and the victim performs them naturally, often oblivious to the invading mage. The mage can direct the subject's body easily (to the subject's normal limits, of course) and dig through memories or surface thoughts as with Probe Thoughts. The subject will even remember all of his thoughts as his own; his entire mind is subsumed by the mage's power.

Should the mage decide to exert control over a simple part of the target, she can command the subject's motive processes jerkily, seize emotional responses, direct the target's thoughts or perform any combination of such. Unless the mage seizes the target's thoughts, the victim will be aware that someone is controlling him.

Establishing partial control, of course, is much easier than totally suppressing a victim's personality. Simply making a subject jerk an arm or start crying uncontrollably would only require two or three successes. Actually overpowering someone's mind requires the caster to at least best the target's Willpower rating. Even if the mage only exerts partial control, the target is likely to remember the incident unless the mage also uses additional magic to control or erase the target's memories.

• • • • Astral Projection

The Astral Realms are reaches of pure thought. Because of their ephemeral nature, it's often difficult to navigate or survive in them. Adepts of Mind can make short jaunts into astral space; Masters can separate the mind from the body to make extended journeys. In such realms, the mage experiences pure thought constructs, meets beings of thought and passes with incredible speed through the highest reaches of the spirit world. Successes scored on such an Effect determine how long the mage can remain outside of his body, and how deeply he can penetrate into the Astral Umbra.

Unlike Spirit magic, which allows the mage to enter the spirit world physically, Astral Projection releases the mage's consciousness as a free-floating thought. The mage can be detected with Mind senses, but he is otherwise invisible and intangible. Since the mage has no body, he must rely on magical senses to detect or influence his surroundings. He can still use other Mind Effects, of course, and he could take control of a subject thus if necessary. Without recourse to ritual and magical foci, the mage may have difficulty with successive magic, but at least such magic is coincidental in the Umbra.

If the mage draws his consciousness down to Earth (or just never heads for the Astral Umbra), he can zip about the material world as a formless and massless entity traveling at the speed of thought. The expenditure of a point of Willpower enables the mage to manifest for a single turn as a ghostly, hazy and idealized image, but he cannot interact with the world physically without using magic.

Astral entities can interact with other astral beings and similar thought-constructs only. Since the physical body means nothing, the mage uses Wits instead of Dexterity, Manipulation instead of Strength and Intelligence instead of Stamina. Ghosts, spirits and other astral forms can do combat with the mage. Such attacks injure the psyche of the mage and sap his will, draining Willpower points instead of health levels. If a combatant runs out of Willpower, he is disrupted. A spirit or mummy would simply dissipate into the Umbra, while a mage finds that his silver cord, the tether between body and mind, snaps.

A mage lost in the Umbra, fades away into the Epiphamies (realms of pure thought). A Master can avoid this fate for a time, but his will erodes slowly, and the individual vanishes into the mists of the Umbra, never to be seen again. Mages have reported meeting once-human astral beings that seemed quite capable of surviving as pure minds, but such an existence is beyond the capabilities of even a Master, The only recourse for a mage lost in the Astral Umbra is to reconnect to a physical body using Possession — be it his own, or someone else's.

Note that a mage who projects his awareness astrally has no sense of his physical body unless he uses other Effects (like Correspondence) to maintain a sensory link to his body. Thus, the mage is well-advised to keep his physical form hidden and protected.

• • • • • Control Subconscious, Untether, Forge Psyche

The penultimate Mind magic has manifold powers. The mage essentially learns to divorce conscious thought from any other constraints. Base emotions and impulses can be separated from intellect, and intellect from body. The mage can create or destroy thought at will.

With control over the subconscious, a mage can rewrite a subject's personality and beliefs totally. The victim is irrevocably changed as the mage inserts whatever base-level motives he desires. Such a victim can be turned into an automaton, or given a totally new Nature, in addition to altering memories or controlling actions. The mage can also rework a subject's psyche, improving or destroying mental capabilities as desired.

Extended work allows the mage to divorce her mind from her body completely. She can move her thoughts to rake possession of another shell or simply roam the realms of astral space as disembodied thought. Although she must return to the body eventually — during life, the body, mind and soul must remain united — she can make extended forays into the realms of pure imagination. With luck, she may even be able to move her consciousness into other spirit realms, able to travel freely as a disembodied mind, free of the restrictions of physical form.

Since the Master of Mind can separate thought from form, it's possible to actually create consciousness with this knowledge. Although anyone can think of something new, the Master makes a truly unique mind — a thinking entity (process?) formed whole without a body or shell. The parameters and personality of this immaterial mind are totally defined by the Master's whims.

In combination with the Pattern Spheres, sublime Mastery over Mind lets the mage create true, new, real consciousness and place it in a body, creature or machine. Mages can make computers that think, animals with human intelligence or even completely new people.

Example Effects

• • • • • Create Mind

The penultimate mastery of Mind allows the mage to create an entirely new consciousness. The mage can determine the personality, intellect and foibles of the consciousness. If left unattended, such minds tend to drift into the Astral Umbra, where they float away, dissipate or go insane. With a proper housing (like a newly created body, a computer or a section of Umbral space), the mind can stay and perhaps even achieve a level of independent sentience. Unless built as little more than instinct, such minds do tend to grow beyond the initial parameters of the creator.

Virtual Adepts use this Effect to create machine intelligences, computers that can think and take on human roles. Such machines can be dangerous — many become unstable or resent their servitor roles — but they are also the most effective forms of computers available.

Of course, if a created mind is not also given a soul (with Spirit magic), then it has no existence beyond its own memory. Should such a persona "die," it will never reincarnate and it is gone forever. If a mage uses sufficient magic to create a new mind, body and soul, then perhaps it would be possible to create true life... but the Master capable of such a feat has not walked Earth for decades, if not centuries.

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]
  • Relive Past Lives: By contacting their own Avatar, the mage can relive experiences of their Past Lives.
  • Sense the Universal Mind: The mage can draw on the knowledge accumulated within all waking Avatars.
• ^[2]
  • Universal Subconscious: The mage can draw on the knowledge accumulated within every mortal creature.
  • Reprogram Avatar: Implant images and memories into an Avatar that carry on through its next incarnations.
• ^[3]
  • Self-Awareness: The mage gains supreme control over their own thought processes.
• ^[4]
  • One Mind: The Mind Pattern of the mage begins to exist independently of their Life Pattern, allowing them to witness every single mind in existence within the quintessential flow.

References

^  Level 1

Sense Thoughts & Emotions	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition	Pg. 208
Sense Thoughts and Emotions	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition	Pg. 175
Basic: Sense Thoughts and Emotions	MTAs/MET: Laws of Ascension	Pg. 158
Sense Thoughts and Emotions	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 519
Empower Self	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Rulebook	Pg. 205
Empower Self	MTAs: GURPS Mage: The Ascension	Pg. 115
Empower Self	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition	Pg. 208
Empower Self	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition	Pg. 175
Empower Self	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 519
Mind Shield	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 519

^  Level 2

Read Surface Thoughts	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition	Pg. 208
Read Surface Thoughts	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition	Pg. 175
Read Surface Thoughts	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 519
Create Impressions	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 519
Mental Impulse	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Rulebook	Pg. 205
Mental Impulse	MTAs: GURPS Mage: The Ascension	Pg. 116
Mental Impulse	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition	Pg. 208
Mental Impulse	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition	Pg. 175
Basic: Mental Impulse	MTAs/MET: Laws of Ascension	Pg. 159
Mental Impulse	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 519
Empathic Bond	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 519

^  Level 3

Mental Link	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Rulebook	Pg. 205
Mental Link	MTAs: GURPS Mage: The Ascension	Pg. 117
Mental Link	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition	Pg. 208
Mental Link	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition	Pg. 175
Intermediate: Mental Link	MTAs/MET: Laws of Ascension	Pg. 159
Mental Link	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 519
Walk Among Dreams	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition	Pg. 208
Dreamwalk	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition	Pg. 175
Dreamwalk	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 519
Project Illusions	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 519
Psychic Blast	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 519

^  Level 4

Control Minds	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Rulebook	Pg. 205
Control Minds	MTAs: GURPS Mage: The Ascension	Pg. 117
Control Conscious Mind	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition	Pg. 209
Control Conscious Mind	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition	Pg. 175
Intermediate: Control Conscious Mind	MTAs/MET: Laws of Ascension	Pg. 160
Control Conscious Mind	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 520
Alter Consciousness	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 520
Astral Projection	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition	Pg. 209
Astral Projection	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition	Pg. 175
Astral Projection	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 520

^  Level 4

Control Subconscious	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition	Pg. 209
Control Subconscious	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition	Pg. 175
Control Subconscious	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 520
Untether	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Rulebook	Pg. 205
Untether	MTAs: GURPS Mage: The Ascension	Pg. 118
Untether	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition	Pg. 209
Untether	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition	Pg. 175
Untether Consciousness	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 520
Forge Psyche	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition	Pg. 209
Forge Psyche	MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition	Pg. 175
Advanced: Forge Psyche	MTAs/MET: Laws of Ascension	Pg. 160
Forge Psyche	Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 520

^  Level 6

Relive Past Lives	Masters of the Art	Pg. 71-72
Sense the Universal Mind	Masters of the Art	Pg. 71-72

^  Level 7

Universal Subconscious	Masters of the Art	Pg. 72
Reprogram Avatar	Masters of the Art	Pg. 72

^  Level 8

Self-Awareness

Masters of the Art

Pg. 72

^  Level 9

One Mind

Masters of the Art

Pg. 72

---

• MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Rulebook, p. 61, 167, 204-207
• MTAs: GURPS Mage: The Ascension, p. 115-118
• MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Second Edition, p. 68, 208-211 (Note: Lists Walk Among Dreams in the 4th Rank as a Typo, but correctly lists Astral Projection in a Chart next to it)
• MTAs: Hidden Lore, p. 69
• MTSC: Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade Rulebook, p. 251
• MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition, p. 174-179
• MTSC: The Order of Reason, p. 47-48, 77-80
• MTAs/MET: Laws of Ascension, p. 158-161