Belief Systems
Secondary Ability
You’ve studied what people believe, how they believe it, why they believe what they do, and – perhaps most importantly – where people tend to hold certain beliefs. Why is this important? Because, when reality is your stock-in-trade, knowing why, how, and where people believe certain things gives you a massive edge when you’re trying to suit or change those beliefs.
As a Trait, this Knowledge covers general religious, political, economic, and philosophical belief systems throughout the modern mortal world. The higher your rating is, the more extensive and yet specific your understanding becomes. A single dot confers basic information (“Many United States citizens tend to be moderately capitalist, with a modern Christian cultural background and a heavy reliance upon mass-media impressions”), whereas higher ratings reflect increasingly detailed and specific knowledge (“The San Francisco region comprises extremes of both right- and left-wing American political ideologies, with the dominant religious belief systems encompassing the modern and traditional beliefs of its large Chinese, Indian, and Japanese cultures; traditional and modified Native American belief systems; Mexican Catholicism; moderate Evangelical Protestant Christianity; moderate U.S. Catholicism; postmodern NeoPaganism; and diverse New Age syntheses of pan-cultural magical thinking…”). This sort of understanding can be extremely helpful when you’re crafting coincidental magick, appealing to local traditions, cultivating good impressions, or shifting people’s beliefs in your favor.
The Belief Systems Knowledge also helps a mage understand the “reality zones” phenomenon and to turn it to her advantage. See the Reality Zones section in Chapter Ten, (pp. 611-617), for further details.
• Dabbler: You’ve gleaned a working knowledge off Wikipedia.
•• Student: You hold a decent understanding of current religious and cultural beliefs.
••• Scholar: You’ve got a deep comprehension of dominant belief systems worldwide.
•••• Professor: You’re a noted authority on comparative religions and political philosophies.
••••• Master: Karen Armstrong fact-checks her books with you.
Possessed By
Journalists, Missionaries, Theologians, Historians, Professors, Pundits, Philosophers, Poli-Sci Scholars, Media Manipulators, Political/ Religious Activists, Paradigm-Shifting Mages
Suggested Specialties
Regional Beliefs, Esoterica, Cults, Current Events, Religious/ Political History, Geopolitics, Comparative Religion, Media Manipulation, Belief Trends, Paradigm-Hacking