Merits & Flaws

You display some of the weird phenomena associated with sorcery. Maybe the air quivers with strange vibrations, or music plays without a visible source, or shadows gather in your presence. It could be that Resonance has marked you in noticeable ways… or perhaps your own beliefs send out vibrations too strong to ignore. Some curse or blessing might have marked you for favor or damnation.

This Flaw fits in well with certain Backgrounds (Blessing, Destiny, Influence, Totem), and can be used as a simple rule system for Resonance if your group doesn’t want to employ the optional rules associated with that phenomenon – see Chapter Ten, (pp. 560-561). In this case, one point in the Flaw could reflect a single dot in Resonance, with more points reflecting more points in that Trait. The flaw, under these circumstances, could go up and down; the player, however, gets freebie points only for the level of the Flaw at the beginning of the chronicle, and so the number of freebie points involved does not go up or down unless the character loses the Echoes Flaw completely.

As with other variable-cost Merits and Flaws, the different levels reflect increasing degrees of effect, their specific phenomena depending upon the mage and her overall temperament. The following five-level spectrum could complement the five dots of the Resonance/ Synergy Trait described in Chapters Six and Ten, showing the severity of the effects associated with really high levels of Resonance or Synergy.

• (1 point) Slight manifestations of no real consequence: perhaps your shadow flickers, milk sours in your presence, or a vague scent that’s appropriate to your nature follows in your wake.

• (2 points) Mild echoes cause noticeable effects: animals shy away from you or follow you around; you send out vibes that a sensitive person can notice; you feel profoundly uncomfortable around energies, symbols, locations, or people who’re opposed to your kind.

• (3 points) People who know what to look for recognize you on sight… not simply as a mage, but as the sort of mage you are: plants bloom or wither in your presence; sounds or music echo through the air; holy or unholy symbols repulse you (possibly forcing you to make a Willpower roll to remain nearby).

• (4 points) You stand out in ways that even Sleepers notice: your shadow moves of its own accord; you don’t cast reflections in mirrors or liquid; cold winds blow even in a still room. People who know traditional folklore might be able to disrupt your magicks if they know the proper legendary precautions to take, essentially performing countermagick with a successful Intelligence + Occult roll (difficulty is the targeted mage’s Arete Trait +3).

• (5 points) Reality shifts when you’re around, rippling with paranormal energies: animals adore you or run away when you approach; people feel sick or energized when you stand near; environmental shifts – rain, cold, shadows, warmth, etc. – radiate outward from you. A person who knows the proper folklore can try to attack or repel you using traditional charms or counterspells, inflicting one lethal health level of damage for each success they win in a contested Willpower roll against you.