The dots and signatures provide roleplaying notes for the mage and her magickal Effects. For example, Ashpaw, an

Ecstatic shaman with three dots in Feral, runs around barefoot in loose ragged clothes, “speaking” more in body language than in words, avoiding “civilized” crowds, and manifesting spells that reflect the primal side of capital-N Nature. (For more about Ashpaw, see Chapter Three, pp. 178-179.)

If the player does not play out the Resonance on a regular basis, then the Storyteller may remove dots, as described below.

On a related note, the signature “flavors” that mage’s Effects and Quintessence; possibly “colors” or “shapes” her aura; definitely influences the sorts of Backgrounds she has; and certainly inspires the types of Seekings, Quiets, and Paradox backlashes she endures. Returning to that that Feral shaman, her three dots of Resonance give Ashpaw’s spells and Quintessence a distinctly wild and animalistic tone; fla­ vor her aura with a bestial presence; attract the attention of “primitivist” people, actual beasts, and an animal totem-spirit; and also put her through Seekings and Quiets that reflect and challenge her wild soul.