Possession as a Magickal Focus
Rote · Mage
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 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 (Life 2), boosted reflexes (Life 3), or even full shapechanging into a lupine form (Life 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), shamanism, Voudoun, 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.