{"id":"mage/power/rote/possession-as-a-magickal-focus","type":"power","system":"rote","line":"mage","name":"Possession as a Magickal Focus","sources":[{"source":"HDYDT","page":125}],"entries":["In general, this spiritual possession could be used as an instrument of focus and/ or the source of a related magickal Effect. The example of the fang-growing Wolf-shaman described in the sidebar A Bit of {@sphere Spirit|M20}? (see p. 16) features this sort of possession-related Effect, with the mage growing fangs by way of her bond with the totem Wolf. Other Effects could involve furry skin ({@sphere Life|M20} 2), boosted reflexes ({@sphere Life|M20} 3), or even full shapechanging into a lupine form ({@sphere Life|M20} 4), all channeled","through the “instrument” of Wolf’s spirit entering the shaman’s physical form.","Certain magickal practices depend heavily upon such bonds – element-bonding and mediumship (described in The Book of Secrets), {@focus_practice Shamanism|M20|shamanism}, {@focus_practice Voudoun|M20}, and certain forms of faith, medicine-work, and maleficia all feature rituals wherein the caster opens himself to spiritual possession and allows that spirit to work miracles through his mortal form. Rules-wise, these practices focus the mage’s Effects through the spirit-bond and a limited form of possession.","Kicking the spirit out again may be another story. If the mage and his ally have a good and trusting relationship, he could simply say (or think) “Okay, thanks – that’s enough,” and have the Umbral ally leave the premises. Spirits, though, tend to have their own agendas; even a friendly one might take some “persuading” before it scoots back to its usual haunts. In this case, the mage and the spirit share a resisted-action roll, Willpower verses Willpower. The one with the most successes wins – the mage ejects the spirit, or the spirit remains “in possession,” so to speak, of the mage."],"tags":["hdydt","feat"],"_qa":{"flags":[],"parser":"headed_entries","confidence":0.9,"extracted":"2026-10-12","job":"hdydt-feats"},"level":null,"_links":{"self":"/api/v1/records/mage/power/rote/possession-as-a-magickal-focus","html":"/records/mage/power/rote/possession-as-a-magickal-focus","parent":null,"children":"/api/v1/records/mage/power/rote/possession-as-a-magickal-focus/children","sources":[{"abbr":"HDYDT","page":125,"folio":125,"title":"How Do You DO That?"}]},"_db":{"title":"Possession as a Magickal Focus","props":[],"parent_id":null,"level":null,"category":null,"summary":"In general, this spiritual possession could be used as an instrument of focus and/ or the source of a related magickal Effect. The example of the fang-growing Wolf-shaman described in the sidebar A Bit of Spirit? (see","tags":["feat","hdydt"],"children":[]}}