Secondary Templates - Witches

[The Court of Barton]

1. Follow Steps 1-4 for creating Mortals

2. Apply Witch Template - Select Tradition.

3. Determine Advantages - Morality (7 for Starting Characters, Willpower (Composure + Resolve), Mana Awareness (1 plus allocated Merit Points), and Virtue/Vice

4. Select Merits and Flaws. Spend 7 dots on Merits, the fifth dot in any Merit costs two dots to purchase. Note that many Merits have prerequisites. The player may choose up to one flaw during character creation. The player gains an additional XP point per chapter for role-playing the flaw, if that flaw hinders the character during the course of play.

5. Select Mysteries - Lore plus Additional Mysteries as determined by Mana Awareness Merit.

6. Select Starting Spells - Number determined by Mana Awareness Merit

7. Spend Experience Points - 12 + May sacrifice up to 2 dots of Morality for an additional 5 XP per dot. This represents a significant trauma in the character's past. The character starts with one Derangement per sacrificed Morality, and does not gain any additional compensation for these mental defects.  

[The Court of Barton]

Traditions

Apostles of the Dark One -
Spell Evocation - Demonic Investment: The character dedicates a dark ritual to her demonic patron. These rituals are similar to those performed by Hedge Witches, except they involve blasphemous symbols and incantations, as well as atrocious or dangerous components. Additionally the Apostle may invoke the demon's name in a blasphemous prayer to cast spells on the fly. The character may also call upon her infernal mentor to teach her additional spells, in exchange for one task per spell level.
Burnout - When the Apostle reaches her threshold, the full implications of trafficking with demons begin weighing on her mind. Nausea, unease, and panic attacks may wash over her, and the character may begin suffering from the Phobia, Anxiety or Suspicion derangement until she has had a chance to properly rest. If the character pushes herself into full on burnout, she gains the Hysteria, Inferiority Complex or Paranoia derangement for the next 24 hours until she recovers.
Teir One Mysteries - Disease, Passion
Tier Two - Shadow, Twilight
Tier Three - Elements (Fire)

Ceremonial Magicians -
Spell Evocation - Prayer: The character participates in a lengthy sermon and prayer session to focus her faith into spells or "miracles". Alternatively, she may focus her faith through symbols or gestures holy to her particular religion to cast spells on the fly. Finally, the character may learn new spells after a lengthy period of prayer and purification (this frequently involves taking a vow to refrain from a particular activity until the spell is learned - a vow of chastity, poverty, hunger, or silence for example.) More esoteric and bizarre sects may require self flagellation, the handling of snakes, or ingestion of a sacred hallucinogen. This behavior must continue for at least one week per level of spell.
Burnout - Once the character reaches his spell threshold, he finds it harder and harder to connect with his chosen higher power. He may feel abandoned by his deity, or he may be driven to higher levels of fanaticism, thinking his faith is weak. The character may gain the Depression or Fixation derangement until he's had a chance to properly rest. If the character's faith involves any dangerous practices or substances as a sacrament, the character may also begin suffering the debilitating effects of these practices. If the character progresses to full fledged burnout, he suffers from the Melancholy or Obsessive Compulsive derangement for the next 24 hours.
Tier One Mysteries - Fortune, Hearth
Tier Two - Health, Twilight
Tier Three - Space

Hedge Witch -
Spell Evocation - Ritual Magic: Rituals for the Hedge Witch typically involve a combination of herbalism, prayer, incense, and meditation. This may include forms of Western Alchemy separate from those of the Taoist tradition. A common ritual in Hedge Magic involves the following: drawing a containment figure of varying shape around the caster, inscribing a glyph within the figure surrounded by the appropriate spell components, making the appropriate hand gesture indicated by the glyph, and incanting the spell. Ritual Magic does not allow for casting on the fly, however Hedge Witches may elect to hold back the effects of a spell. By doing so, the ritual has no immediate effect until the Hedge Witch chooses to "release" the spell. Hedge Witches wishing to learn new spells must spend at least one week per level communing with nature, or meditating on service to the Ancient God or Goddess she serves.
Burnout - Hedge Witches are the most likely to suffer from the classic symptoms of burnout, which take the form of otherwise unexplainable physical ailments. They are also least likely to suffer psychological damage, although the mental exhaustion can still be debilitating to their emotional health. Hedge Witches most often suffer from the Depression or Insomnia derangements if they do not pace themselves, progressing to the Melancholy or Cataplexy derangements if they burnout.
Tier One Mysteries - Foretelling, Hearth
Tier Two - Health, Nature
Tier Three - Supernal

Shaman -
Spell Evocation - Meditative Trance: The Shaman burns the required regents and ingests a mixture of psychoactive substances, clears his mind of all thoughts, or otherwise enters an altered meditative state. For at least an hour per spell level, he meditates on the desired result, and what he envisions invariably becomes reality. Such a process may seem counter-productive to casting on the fly, however the Shaman may recall the trance at will through chanting and mystic symbols or gestures. The shaman must meditate at least four hours every day for two weeks to learn new spells.
Burnout - When a shaman reaches his spell threshold, his ability to distinguish between reality and his own mind's eye begins to fray. Hallucinations are a common symptom, and derangement that suggest a disassociation with reality such as Repression or Avoidance may manifest. If he then proceeds to full blown burnout, he gains the Denial or Fugue derangement for the next 24 hours.
Tier One Mysteries - Foretelling, Fortune
Tier Two - Nature, Twilight
Tier Three - Time

Taoist Alchemy -
Spell Evocation - Alchemy: The character works her magic through ancient alchemical recipes, elixirs, and powders. Once she has prepared a substance, she may use it to activate the spell immediately or save it for later use. The learning of new spells typically involves lengthy experimentation and research into Taoist texts. This process takes one week per spell level.
Burnout - The use of too many potions at once can have a debilitating effect on the Alchemist's health. Nausea, hallucinations, fever and chills, and other effects of poisoning can result from reaching their threshold. The Alchemist may also suffer from the Fixation and Insomnia derangements, progressing to Obsessive Compulsive and Cataplexy upon burnout.
Tier One Mysteries - Fortune, Hearth,
Tier Two Mysteries - Mind, Health
Tier Three - Transmutation

Voodun -
Spell Evocation - Voodoo Ritual - Through elaborate ritual, the character calls upon the Loa to do her will, whether that's cursing an enemy or communing with the dead. Vooduns wishing to cast spells on the fly must rely on sacred Voodoo relics - a Govi jar containing the spirit of an ancestor, a Gris Gris bag, or the infamous poppet or "Voodoo Doll" are all examples. To learn new spells, the Voodun must commune with the Loa and agree to serve as a Horse - a mortal vessel the Loa may possess to interact with the world. This possession lasts for one week per spell level, or until the Loa completes one desired task per spell level, whichever comes first.
Burnout - Those who traffic with spirits too often risk losing touch with the material plane. Voodun who reach or exceed their threshold may gain the Irrationality or Vocalization derangement until they've had adequate rest. If the Voodun then proceeds to full blown burnout, he gains the Multiple Personality or Schizophrenia derangement for the next 24 hours.
Tier One Mysteries - Disease, Fortune
Tier Two - Mind, Twilight
Tier Three - Supernal  

[The Court of Barton]

New Merit

Mana Awareness - Effect: The character has an understanding of magic and an ability to wield it. All beings possess Mana, but only those with the Mana Awareness Merit have access to the spells of the Mysteries. The Mana Awareness rating of the character is an indicator of how much magical knowledge a witch can absorb as well as granting the witch access to higher tiers of Mysteries. Mana Awareness is also added to any contested dice pool to resist magical effects.

* Initiate - Access to Tier One Mysteries. The witch may draw spells from one Favored Mystery of his choice and the Mystery of Lore. The witch begins with two spells.

** Apprentice - The witch may draw spells from up to two Favored Mysteries of his choice. The witch begins play with four spells

*** Disciple - Access to Tier Two Mysteries. The witch may draw spells from up to three Mysteries of his choice, at least two of which must be favored. The witch starts with six spells.

**** Adept - The witch may draw spells from up to four Mysteries of his choice, at least three of which must be favored. The witch begins play with eight spells.

***** Master - Access to Tier Three Mysteries. The witch may draw spells from up to five Mysteries of his choice, at least three of which must be favored, and begins with ten spells. He also gains the Unseen Sense Merit for free and now suffers from the bane of Paradox.  

[The Court of Barton]

Mysteries
Spells are grouped together into areas of influence called Mysteries. Mysteries are organized into Tiers and are rated from one to five, to give a general idea of the Witch's power. The Witch may safely cast any spell from a mystery she possesses, with a level up to her rating in that Mystery. With effort, the Witch can manage any spell equal to her Mana Awareness, regardless of Mystery or level. However, spells of a higher level than the Witch can safely manage, or from Mysteries she has no training in, count as two spells for the purposes of determining burnout.

Theoretically, a witch may cast as many spells in succession as she wants, but rapid casting runs the risk of burning her out. So long as she remains within her threshold an hour's worth of rest is usually enough to allow a Witch to continue casting spells.

A witch may safely cast a number of spells from her known mysteries equal to twice her Mana Awareness before she begins suffering from side effects. These effects vary from tradition to tradition, but most commonly include headache, dizziness, fatigue, muscle weakness, shortness of breath, and nosebleeds. These symptoms fade once the Witch has had ample opportunity to rest, typically one hour for each spell cast. The Witch can attempt to push beyond this limitation, but the symptoms worsen with each spell cast. Once the Witch has cast a number of additional spells equal to her Mana Awareness, she burns out and may not cast again until she's had 24 hours to rest and recuperate.

The Witch cannot cast spells from a Mystery more than one Tier higher than her own - A tier one Witch may with effort cast spells from a Tier 2 mystery, but cannot even attempt spells from a Tier 3. Higher Tier mysteries are by definition untrained, so these spells always count twice when determining the Witch's threshold.

Spells cast as a ritual take time to prepare, and so are generally exempt from the above limitations, unless the Witch has been casting all day or is attempting a ritual far beyond her capabilities. For Traditions who require preparing their spells ahead of time - Hedge Witches and Taoist Alchemists - these spells are not counted towards the Witch's threshold until the spell is released.


Gutter Magic vs. Fae Magic
Although they may occasionally appear similar, witch magic is fundamentally different from Fae magic, and any attempt by one to manipulate the other is severely limited. Spells may mitigate the effects of some Contracts and vice versa, but unless one caster is significantly more powerful, neither may fully undo the effects of the other. The exception to this are Shield, Barrier, and Armor spells and Contracts which imitate them - these spells do not undo offensive spells per se but they are capable of protecting the user from their effects. The use of magic inside the Hedge is wildly unpredictable and highly ill advised.

The effects of Witch Magic on True Fae are also unpredictable. True Fae all have some resistance to magic, however this fades the longer they've been in the Mortal world. Touch spells and ranged spells conducted at point blank range have the greatest chance of effecting the Fae, provided one can get close enough to do so. True Fae may not be killed with Gutter Magic, although sufficiently powerful spells may do enough damage to cause them to forget their true nature.

The Mysteries
Lore - Common magical knowledge available to all Witches, regardless of power level.

Tier One
Disease (Mana Awareness + Stamina) - The power over pestilence and plague.

Foretelling (Mana Awareness + Composure) - The power of prophecy and scrying.

Fortune (Mana Awareness + Wits) - The power to manipulate chance and fate.

Hearth (Mana Awareness + Resolve) - The power of warding and protection.

Passion (Mana Awareness + Manipulation) - The power to instill desire and lust.


Tier Two
Health (Mana Awareness + Resolve) - The power of healing and purification.

Mind (Mana Awareness + Intelligence) - The study of mental health, discipline, and mind over matter.

Nature (Mana Awareness + Presence) - The power over all life, and over the witch's physical form.

Shadow (Mana Awareness + Composure) - The power over darkness and shadows, and of communion with demons.

Twilight (Mana Awareness + Composure) - The power to commune with the dead and enter the underworld.


Tier Three
Elements (Mana Awareness + Dexterity) - Power over one of the four basic elements; earth, wind, fire, and water. Most witches master only one particular element.

Space (Mana Awareness + Wits) - The power to see and move beyond the boundaries of three dimensional distance.

Supernal (Mana Awareness + Intelligence) - The study of magic itself and manipulation of the mystic energy known as Source.

Time (Mana Awareness + Intelligence) - The power to manipulate the flow of time.

Transmutation (Mana Awareness + Resolve) - The power of alchemy to manipulate and transform matter.