New Sorcerer Paths

The Focused Mind

Practitioners of the Focused Mind greatly enhance their mental alacrity and readiness, allowing better comprehension of problems and situations, Sorcerers, already discipline of mind, become frightfully powerful in the realm of the cerebral when mastering this path.

Unlike most magic powers, this path do not require an action to invoke, although they still require the normal Willpower activation roll. Each of these powers is usable only once per turn.

* Readiness

Using Readiness makes the caster able to gain a quicker understanding on a predicament. Enhanced lucidity enlightens the caster, allowing better reactions to changing situations and increased cleverness.

System: This power is only usable on the sorcerer himself. Every success on the activation roll adds one die to a special dice pool for any Wits-related rolls or actions that the magus performs during this turn. Alternatively, each die removed from the dice pool adds one to the caster’s initiative rating.

** Centering

By invoking this power, the sorcerer causes a sudden, intense calmness in the subject by whispering soothing words to her. While under this serenity, the target is able to better focus on tasks at hand, ignoring distractions and annoyances, including grave bodily harm.

Magi in fear of frenzy often use this power on themselves to achieve a state of tranquility, as emotions are stifled.

System: This power is usable on any subject within earshot of the thaumaturge and last for one turn per success on the activation roll. During this period the target is unaffected by any effect that reduces his dice pools. This includes wound penalties and situation modifiers. Modifications to difficulty numbers still apply during this time, however.

In addition, due to the unnatural serenity that this power bestows, the target receives two additional dice in all attempts to avoid or break frenzy. Lupines may even be calmed from their murderous rampage if five or more successes are scored on the activation roll.

*** One-Tracked Mind

By extending his powers to other individuals, the thaumaturge is able to fixate the subject on one action. This single-mindedness of the target is such that they ignore everything else that occurs around them. Guards are easily distracted with this power, as their attention becomes fixated elsewhere, and research becomes dedicated, focused task. Use of this power is sometimes colloquially referred to as “railroading someone.”

System: This power may affect anyone who can hear the sorcerer. Successful invocation makes the target unable to split any dice polls for extra actions and unable to change tactics after actions have been declared. As a side benefit, reduce the difficulty of these actions by one. Additional actions that the victim takes (from Celerity, for example) during the duration of this power must follow their initial action, as they concentrate wholly upon this one idea. The duration of One-Tracked mind is one scene if used outside of combat; otherwise it is reduced to one turn per success on the activation roll.

**** Dual Thought

With this power, the sorcerer is able to divide his attentions to two completely separate tasks without problems. As One-Tracked Mind forces the subject’s attention into a single objective, Dual Thought expands the sorcerer’s concentration to the point that focus upon two goals is possible.

System: Successful use of Dual Thought allows the caster to take an extra action during his turn. This is restricted to mental actions, be it the use of another sorcerer path, or the contemplation of some problem. If the character is using both actions to solve a problem, he has two separate dice pools to draw from. These two actions happen at the same times, as determined by the initiative rating of the character.

***** Perfect Clarity

Perfect Clarity brings about a Zen like moment of unimpeded insight for the sorcerer. Pure focus is achieved, thought and action become one, and the complete serenity of mind descends upon the sorcerer. This lucidity protects the caster from influences both internal and external.

System: This power lasts for the duration of one scene. For this period the thaumaturge has the difficulties of all actions reduced by two. The caster is immune to emotional manipulation, even by supernatural means. Finally, any means to control or influence the caster suffer a +2 difficulty, including the powers of Presence and Dominate.

The Green Path

The Green Path deals with the manipulation of plant matter of all sorts. Anything more complex than an algae bloom can theoretically be controlled through the appropriate application of this path. Ferns, roses, dandelions and even ancient redwoods are all equally valid targets for this path's powers, and living and dead plant matter are equally affected. While not as immediately impressive as some other more widely practiced paths, the Green Path (sometimes disparagingly referred to as "Botanical Mastery") is as subtle and powerful as the natural world, which it affects.

The origins of the Green Path are thought to lie with the Order of the Naturists, a druidic sect of the Lilim. Most practitioners of the path are members of the order, and those who are not were more than likely mentored by one.

* Herbal Wisdom

With but a touch, a caster can commune with the spirit of a plant. Conversations held in this manner are often cryptic but rewarding - the wisdom and experience of the spirits of some trees surpasses that of the oracles of legend. Crabgrass, on the other hand, rarely has much insight to offer, but might reveal the face of the last person who trod upon it.

System: The number of successes rolled determines the amount of information that can be gained from the contact. Depending on the precise information that the sorcerer seeks.

* Fleeting cryptic impressions.

** One or two clear images.

*** A concise answer to a simple query.

**** A detailed response to one or more complex questions.

***** The sum total of the plant-spirit's knowledge on a given subject.

** Speed the Season's Passing

This power allows a sorcerer to accelerate a plant's growth, causing roses to bloom in a matter of minutes or trees to shoot up from saplings overnight. Alternately, she can speed a plant's death and decay, withering grass and crumbling wooden stakes with but a touch.

System: The character touches the target plant. The player rolls normally, and the number of successes determines the amount of growth or decay. One success gives the plant a brief growth spurt or simulates the effects of harsh weather, while three noticeably enlarge or wither it. With five successes, a full-grown plant springs from a seed or crumbles to dust in a few minutes and a tree sprouts fruit or begins decaying almost instantaneously. If this power is used in combat, three successes are needed to render a wooden weapon completely useless. Two successes suffice to weaken it, while five cause it to disintegrate in the wielder's hand.

*** Dance of the Vines

The caster can animate a mass of vegetation up to his own size, using it for utilitarian or combat purposes with equal ease. Leaves can walk along a desktop, ivy can act as a scribe, and jungle creepers can strangle opponents. Intruders should beware of sorcerer workshops that harbor potted rowan saplings.

System: Any total amount of vegetation with a mass less than or equal to the character's own may be animated through this power. The plants stay active for one turn per success scored on the roll, and are under the complete control of the character. If used for combat purposes, the plants have Strength and Dexterity ratings equal to half the character's current Willpower (rounded down) and Brawl ratings one lower than that of the character.

Dance of Vines cannot make plants uproot themselves and go stomping about. Even the most energetic vegetation is incapable of pulling out of the soil and walking under the effect of this power. However, 150 pounds of kudzu can cover a considerable area all by itself…

**** Verdant Haven

This power weaves a temporary shelter out of a sufficient amount of plant matter. In addition to providing physical protection from the elements (and even sunlight), the Verdant Haven also establishes a mystical barrier which is nigh-impassable to anyone the caster wishes to exclude. A Verdant Haven appears as a six-foot-tall hemisphere of interlocked branches, leaves and vines with no discernible opening, and even to the casual observer it appears to be an unnatural construction. Verdant Havens are rumored to have supernatural healing properties, but no caster have reported experiencing such benefits from a stay in one.

System: A character must be standing in a heavily vegetated area to use this power. The Verdant Haven springs up around the character over the course of three turns. Once the haven is established, anyone wishing to enter the haven without the caster's permission must achieve more than the caster's original number of successes on a single roll of Wits + Survival (difficulty equal to the caster's Willpower). The haven lasts until the next sunset, or until the caster dispels or leaves it. If the caster scored four or more successes, the haven is impenetrable to sunlight unless physically breached.

***** Awaken the Forest Giants

Entire trees can be animated by a master of the Green Path. Ancient oaks can be temporarily given the gift of movement, pulling their roots from the soil and shaking the ground with their steps. While not as versatile as elementals or other summoned spirits, trees brought to ponderous life via this power display awesome strength and resilience.

System: The character touches the tree to be animated. The player spends a blood point and rolls normally. The tree stays animated for one turn per success rolled; once this time expires, the tree puts its roots down wherever it stands and cannot be animated again until the next night. While animated, the tree follows the character's verbal commands to the best of its ability. An animated tree has Strength and Stamina equal to the caster's willpower rating, Dexterity 2 and a Brawl rating equal to the casters own. It is immune to bashing damage, and all nonaggravated lethal damage dice pools are halved due to its size.

Once the animating energy leaves a tree, it puts down roots immediately, regardless of what it is currently standing on. A tree re-establishing itself in the soil can punch through concrete and asphalt to find nourishing dirt and water underneath, meaning that it is entirely possible for a particularly sluggish sycamore to set up shop in the middle of a road without any warning.

Movement of the Mind

This path gives the caster the ability to move objects telekinetically through the mystic power of the sorcerer. At higher levels, even flight is possible. Objects under the character's control may be manipulated as if she held them - they may be lifted, spun, juggled or even "thrown," though creating enough force to inflict actual damage requires mastery of the fourth level or greater. Some sorcerer skilled in this path even use it to guard their havens, animating swords, axes and firearms to ward off intruders.

This path may frighten and disconcert onlookers. Many people are quite put off when the pages of a book turn by themselves!

System: The number of successes indicates the duration of the caster's control over the object (or subject). Each success allows one turn of manipulation, though the sorcerer may attempt to maintain control after this time by making a new roll (she need not spend additional Willpower maintain control). If the roll is successful, control is maintained. If a caster loses or relaxes control over an object and later manipulates it again, her player must spend another Willpower point, as a new attempt is being made.

If this power is used to manipulate a living being, the subject may attempt to resist. In this case, the thaumaturge and the subject make opposed Willpower rolls each turn the control is exercised.

Individual power levels are not provided for this path - consult the chart below to see how much weight a sorcerer may control. Once a sorcerer reaches Level Three, she may levitate herself and "fly" at approximately running speed, no matter how much she weighs, though the weight restrictions apply if she manipulates other objects or subjects. Once a caster achieves Level Four, she may "throw" objects at a Strength equal to her level of mastery.

* One pound

** 20 pounds

*** 200 pounds

**** 500 pounds

***** 1000 pounds