Mage The Ascension Arch-Spheres

Correspondence 6: Chained Sympathies, Dynamic Space
Though even initiates have some sense that everything in existence is ultimately connected, they still require a direct sympathetic bond to reach out to something through magic. Not so for an Archmage of Correspondence, as they learn to channel effects across sequences of sympathetic connections. This allows them to take advantage of the strong bond an individual, object, or place has with another that also has a bond to a third target. Each success on the Correspondence effect essentially allows the archmage to add an additional step to the connection in situations where the chain would have a stronger attachment to the target than any direct bonds the archmage has available.

Archmages are also able to create spaces that fluctuate in their shape and nature either randomly or in reaction to certain events. This can create areas that are nearly impossible to navigate or fight in due to constant shifts, portals that link to multiple destinations, or buildings that shift layout and rooms that move around the world. Combining this with rudimentary levels of other Spheres allows the archmage to specify spacial behavior based on particular individuals, times, phrases, thoughts, or other triggers. Since the archmage can also use chained connections, they can remotely create gates between different locations, establishing a path or network of portals to be easily activated later on.

Correspondence 7: Subjective Space, Access Nowhere
The Archmaster of Correspondence begins to see distance simultaneously as a mathematical expression and as an illustration of the relationship between Patterns; altering one is altering the other. This insight grants mastery over subjective, non-spatial regions such as that which separates realms in the Umbra. The archmaster can "move" these places closer or farther part, or change the rules that govern travel between them. Those willing to incur an extreme dose of Paradox can apply subjective rules to normally static spaces, such as regions of Earth, so that home is only as far away as it feels or the distance between countries varies based on their history and level of interaction.

Archmasters of Correspondence are the few capable of discovering what, if anything, exists beyond our universe as they can move outside the Tellurian to a region called Nowhere. For the most part there is nothing to be found there save what the mage brings with them. Different archmasters entering Nowhere do not encounter one another unless traveling together, and once there an individual is inaccessible save through imperator-level Correspondence effects. That said, the space outside the Tellurian is not completely devoid of activity. The Nephandic gods are said to dwell in the great beyond, and if that is true then it take an archmaster to reach them. Further, if there are other universes in existence, through great effort and diligence they can be discovered and entered—though the details of this are left entirely to the Storyteller's imagination.

Exploring the true final frontiers aside, there is a far more practical benefit of accessing Nowhere. By hopping in and out of the Tellurian, the archmaster can cross any distance and bypass any barrier. For purposes of co-locating themselves or others they can ignore any penalties for distance or lack of sympathy, circumvent wards without effort, and pass over any barriers separating realms without the use of Spirit magic. This does not allow the mage to time travel, however, nor can they create portals or remote effects across Nowhere—that requires sovereign mastery.

Correspondence 8: New Dimensions
Sovereigns of Correspondence create and destroy space with ease, and can craft entirely new dimensions that exist alongside normal space. A fourth, fifth, or even higher spatial dimensions can be layered on top of the normal three so that one is able to "steps sideways" into them, disappearing from sight only to reappear elsewhere. Of course the human mind is not trained to interpret more than three dimensions; the Storyteller and the sovereign's player should work together to conceptualize the experience, such as if it is as simple as seeing normal space but being able to walk "through" objects, if it is instead a maze of light and sound lacking any physical substance, or anything else one can imagine. Alternatively, the sovereign can create entirely separate realms with their own three spatial dimensions, similar to the Digital Web. New dimensions are typically only accessible to those with Correspondence, though of course the mage can create portals or other entrances as they see fit. Once created new dimensions tend to exist in perpetuity, with only a sovereign being able to truly destroy them. The local paradigm and what acts generate Paradox are initially the same as the original space it is attached to, though they may diverge with time as the Storyteller sees fit.

Correspondence 9: Omnipresence
The Imperator of Correspondence obliterates the distinction between one thing and another. They are everywhere, see everything, are one with all of the Tellurian. Even if their self-identity survives the transformation, the imperator loses most of their mortal concerns and perspective. They see how all things are connected, and it takes great effort to focus on one place more than any other. The imperator can dissolve their physical form and become untouchable, as well as losing all human needs and frailties. They can then form one or more avatars anywhere they wish, though rarely is there need as they may use magic upon anything as if casting it upon themselves.

Forces 6: Perpetual Forces, Null Zones
Masters of Forces wield formidable power, able to lay waste to cities or turn day into night should it suit them. However, they are still restrained by a form of the law of conservation: effects that continuously shape or transmute energy cease to do so once the spell's duration expires and nature takes over. Not so for an archmage; they begin to tweak the systems governing the interaction of forces such that their magical effects become the new normal. They can, in fact, create a perpetual motion machine, an invisible city floating in the sky, a hurricane that never abates, or an illusion that persists for centuries. The archmage can make the alteration as broad or specific as they like, so that it applies only to a single effect or to all applications of a given force in an area.

An inverted application of this ability allows the archmage to create null zones where a given force either cannot exist or cannot exceed a certain degree of energy. Modern equipment would fail to operate in an electrical null zone, and any spells to create electricity would have no effect no matter how great its potency. Likewise, kinetic energy could be dampened such that bullets feel like rain and punches land with no force. Players are encouraged not to delve into the secondary repercussions such nullification should have—it's magic, after all—and run with the idea that the scope is very specific.

Forces 7: Unnatural Forces, Chain Reaction
Furthering their control over the underlying system of forces, the archmaster is able to change the innate behavior of any given force in an area. All fire can be made to hold perfectly still until extinguished, wind currents may generate splashes of color or always sound like music, and electrical outlets are set to only charge Apple products. Perhaps more impressive, an individual Pattern's relation to forces can be changed, such that lightning refuses to strike a building or a person freezes anything they touch. Some theorize that it was actually an Archmaster of Forces that caused sunlight to harm vampires or spirits of the dead to be more active at night.

Archmasters also learn how to cause cascading reactions in forces such that a local effect has potentially infinite scope. They can now create earthquakes that shake continents, quicken global warming, or move the moon. Size and distance cease to have any meaning, though this is not the same as using Correspondence as spells of this power lack any kind of selective targeting. In addition, the archmaster can achieve nearly infinite amounts of energy in but a few moments; this is the level of Forces that can produce the greatest nuclear explosions or any other effect which deals multiple levels of unsoakable aggravated damage.

Forces 8: New Forces
Having moved beyond tinkering with what already exists, Forces Sovereigns can imbed entirely new forces into the Tellurian. The mage creates an non-arch level effect with their Spheres as normal. Then the effect is woven into underlying mechanics of reality, made natural and repeatable through conditions specified by the sovereign. From then on the mage can invoke the effect without the use of willworking—indeed, it may occur without any human involvement whatsoever. The possibilities for new forces is nearly limitless. A person could be made to know the location and identity of anyone who speaks their name. Certain symbols or incantations may ward against demons and evil spirits with power they never possessed before. Previously unknown phenomenon may lead to the easy production of liquid fuels, cold fusion, or hope.

The sovereign may decide whether a reproducible effect requires the expenditure of Willpower, quintessence, or some other energy to power. They may also limit it to an area, to specific individuals, or set more complicated criteria. The more accessible and easy the effect will be to create, the harder it is to ingrain into reality. Further, the mage may not contradict the fundamental laws of Creation as defined by the Storyteller. For instance, if the sovereign might wish to make the combination of salt and water explosive, they could only do so under specific conditions, lest the oceans explode and all life radically changes. The weight of existing reality is simply too much for even the mightiest of Forces mages to violate so.

Forces 9: Transcend Forces
The imperator knows the Tellurian as a vast system of forces. Land, people, ideas, space, and time are composed of the same underlying system of energy, whether that be quantum mechanics, the classic elements, or divine will. Thus, the imperator can move, change, deconstruct, and recreate any Pattern at will and without Paradox. In addition to trivially mimicking many other Sphere effects, the mage can move mountains by will, rewrite the constellations in the sky, create immovable objects and unstoppable forces, as well as any other Forces effect with theoretically infinite potency. The mage is a god in the grandest sense, restrained only by the possibility of falling into Quiet and whatever conscience they continue to possess.

Life 6: Alter Mega-Patterns, Systems of Life
Just as the Life Pattern of all but the most basic living being are actually comprised of numerous smaller Patterns operating on their own while contributing to a greater whole, individual organisms are components of a far greater Pattern representing entire species or ecosystems. By conceptualizing these mega-Patterns, the Archmage of Life can alter the appearance of an entire species of trees, the palate of specific animals, or what it means to be human. Changes cannot deviate too far from the norm at this level of mastery, akin to what a Disciple of Life can do to their own Pattern, but potentially all members of the species in existence are affected over a short period of time. The archmage may limit the effect if they so choose, targeting a specific family bloodline or those in a given region, and doing so is less likely to incur Paradox or Pattern resistance.

As the Master of Life may design entirely new lifeforms, the Archmage of Life can dictate how their creations fit into existing ecosystems. They can cause animals to act with instinctual calm or fear, flowers to prematurely bloom in the creature's presence, or humans to quickly forget that they ever saw it. The archmage may also influence the ecological of existing species, changing migration habits or introducing new inter-species symbioses, but this requires great research and precision to avoid unintended repercussions. More dramatically, all animal life can be turned hostile to humans, forests can be given the will to move, and city populations made to act as one harmonious whole.

Life 7: Transform Mega-Patterns, Properties of Life
The Archmaster of Life has true dominion over the creatures of the world, capable of transforming species into new forms or wiping them out entirely. Though all of humanity cannot be altered or killed at once due to the weight of Consensus—to say nothing of interference from Imperators of Life—an archmaster could turn the population of an entire city into pigs or create new derivations with significant changes, such as being agamogenetic. Other specifies are not similarly protected and can be mutated, combined, and eradicated at will. The archmaster can also effectively terraform a region, transforming deserts into jungles or swamps into verdant fields, adjusting everything from the microbes to the mating patterns of local life to the composition of the soil.

Now intimately familiar with Life on the macroscopic level, archmasters understand that the Sphere is not truly limited to control over biological organisms. Life, death, and the environments they occupy are all part of a process by which stability arises from chaos and purpose is given to the substance. The archmaster begins to tweak this process, selectively applying or removing qualities of life from the living and nonliving alike. This enables them to create seemingly impossible things such as machines which breed and mutate, buildings that grow with time, or weapons which learn and communicate. They may also perform miraculous acts such as restore a vampire's lost humanity, excise specific forms of a shapeshifter, give a material body to a spirit, or create autonomous clones called ochema which possess all the original's knowledge and power.

Life 8: Microcosm of Life
All creatures are distinct, yet symbiotic; one life can only be fully understood through its interaction with its environment. The Patterns that mages study are but limited view of a single greater being, like the proverbial blind men touching an elephant. This is the truth behind the sovereign's power, who has learned to unlock in one the gifts of the many. They can grant an individual the ability to shapeshift into any other creature or person, to go from disease to dragon at will. They can create a seed which shall give birth to an entire forest, or a child who holds within them the essence of every human who ever lived. Perhaps greatest of all, the Sovereign of Life can bind one's health and vitality to all others, bestowing true immortality and the ability to heal any harm.

Life 9: Macrocosm of Life
Just as normal people have difficulty conceptualizing other lifeforms as they exist on the cellular level, so does the Imperator of Life have difficulty perceiving people or places as anything other aspects of the Body of Life. Individuals are the cells, cities its organs, thoughts and actions its chemistry; as they once transformed mortal bodies, the imperator now operates upon all life. Leaders may be changed, capitols moved, societies resurrected without anyone noticing. The Earth can be reverted to an earlier state or recreated upon some distant world. Even Paradox is impotent against the imperator's designs, as their alterations are accepted as the natural state by all living beings and thus become the new Consensus. They are the will behind life's cycles, able to directly manage what they wish and watch over everything else.

Spirit 6: Soul Shards, Spirit Ambassador
While masters have the knowledge to touch and even shatter souls, it is the Archmages of Spirit who have the finesse to divide the indivisible and combine fractured pieces into a greater whole. With this talent the mage can separate select portions of a person's soul, splitting it into purely good and evil halves, or manifesting inner weaknesses as demons that can be fought and crushed. Perhaps more impressively, they can also reunite soul fragments, enabling the archmage to reverse the dreaded gilgul rite.

Mages travelling the deepest reaches of the Umbra face many threats and are often subject to laws that baffle human comprehension. Employing precise control over spiritual barriers, the Archmage of Spirit can selectively isolate an individual from the hazards of a realm. The subject exists slightly out of phase with the local reality, like a ghost spying upon Earth from the Near Umbra, and is thus immune to dangerous environments or spirits lacking the means to reach across spiritual divides.

Spirit 7: Soul Mastery, Spirit Arbiter
There are no secrets of the soul not known to the Archmaster of Spirit. They can pull other mages from the deepest Quiet, remind vampires of their lost humanity, return grace to fallen angels, and even repair the corrupted avatars of Nephandi. In fact, avatars are now as malleable as any spirit, allowing the archmaster to forcibly awaken them, guide their cycle of incarnations, or change their essence. The Storyteller is encouraged to allow other esoteric alterations and explore the ramifications of tampering with a person's truest being.

While archmasters tend to respect the natural order of spirit realms—appreciating that they exist as they do largely for a reason and as part of a greater tapestry—it is within their power to alter them as they see fit. By creating new spirit laws or removing existing ones, the archmaster alters the behavior of local spirits at a minimum, and can go so far as to reorganize the spirit hierarchy or change the nature of a realm. Some spirit lords even welcome archmasters to their realms hoping to be freed of laws that constrict their behavior.

Spirit 8: Forge Supernal
The means to construct Anchorheads, Paths of the Wyck, and even the great Horizons are the domain of the Sovereigns of Spirit. At this level there is no spirit entity that cannot be bound and changed, from the True Fae of Arcadia to the Neverborn slumbering beneath the Labyrinth. Should they so desire, the sovereign may give birth to new realms in the Deep Umbra; unlike the Horizon Realms typically created by mages, these are self-sustaining and require no channels of quintessence from Earth. The sovereign dictates physical laws, the local paradigm, and the structure of the realm's spirit court. Even after its inception, they retain unrivaled influence over the new realm and can reshape the ephemera within or eject trespassers with a thought.

Spirit 9: Apotheosis
The Imperator of Spirit is neither human nor mortal, but has become a part of the Tellurian itself, between an incarna and celestine in power. The mage comes to embody some aspect of reality, generally a defining personality trait or a broad archetype, and in fact may be assuming a role that they've always filled. At that point the intricate motions of the spirit world are made clear to them and they are no longer constrained by linear perceptions of time or causality. The imperator may take on a new name through which they receive prayers or ritual communication, can create legions of lesser spirits to enact their will, and inspire mortal worshipers with divine revelations. Their thoughts spread over the entirety of the cosmos and little consumes their full attention save whatever struggles they choose to make with the infinite personifications of reality.

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