Mage CharGen

Character Concept

You'll probably want to stop over at the Mage Sphere page first to get an idea of what the local IC climate is like before starting to design your character.

Choose character concept, Tradition, Avatar, Essence, Nature and Demeanor.

Also, and we cannot stress this enough, devote some time and thought to your Mage's Paradigm. Namely, how they perceive the Awakened world and their magic within it (this is very important and should not be glossed over). This usually takes the form of a metaphor, especially for low-Arete and/or recently Awakened practitioners. Feel free to check out the other Mages that have been approved to get an idea of how this works. Also, please read the article on Awakening itself, it gives a good overview for the entire Mage ideal.

Also, especially for those Mages with higher rankings in the Background: Avatar, the Avatar is usually a distinct and self-aware entity, with its own personality, quirks, and suchlike. Keep this in mind, as well as how your Mage gets along with their Avatar.

Select Attributes

Prioritize the three categories: Physical, Social, Mental (7/5/3)

Note: All Attributes start with 1 free dot.

• Choose Physical Traits: Strength, Dexterity, Stamina
• Choose Social Traits: Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance
• Choose Mental Traits: Perception, Intelligence, Wits

Select Abilities

Prioritize the three categories: Talents, Skills, Knowledges

Choose Talents, Skills, Knowledges (13/9/5)

Remember that no Abilities can be raised above 3 without spending Freebie Points.

Select Advantages

• Choose Backgrounds (7)
  • Note: All Mages must have at least one dot in Avatar. This is not free. Any Mages wishing to begin play without any dots in this Background should speak with Malkav beforehand.
• Virtues (7) - Note that all Virtues start with 1 free dot
  • Conscience
  • Courage
  • Self Control
• Choose Spheres (5 + 1 free based on Tradition)
  • Characters that have gone through Seekings gain one free dot in a Sphere per Seeking, but these harrowing episodes should be at least mentioned in the history. Expect to have questions about them asked during character review if you go this route. Note that for every point of Arete above 1, you still pay 4 freebie points for it, whether it represents Awakening at higher than 1, or going through a Seeking.

Finishing Touches

• Record Arete (1).
• Record Willpower (5).
• Record Banality (Most Mages are Banality 6; Etherites and other Mages bound to Science and logic tend towards Banality 8; Cultists, Dreamspeakers, and other Mages that push the bounds of disbelief in this way tend towards Banality 4. Technocrats are almost always Banality 10. Choose whichever best fits your character).
• Record starting Quintessence (equal to Avatar rating).
• Choose Merits and Flaws (maximum 7 points of each).
• Spend Freebie Points (21)

Applying

Once you've got all the numbers done, you'll need to come up with your character's backstory, their reason for being in Crystal Springs, that kind of thing (or you could do it the other way around, that works just as well). Feel free to create a page here on the wiki and put your information there for the wizzen to look over (also look around at the other character pages for examples if you like). Until you are ready for the character to be formally reviewed, they should be placed in the Category:Character Concepts. Once you have everything put together to your satisfaction, let Malkav know, and make sure to put the Category:Pending Characters category on your page.