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Basics of Magick: A tiny taste of Mage: The Ascension |
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Misc Gaming Mechanics Index | |
By Richard Clayton |
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What is Magick? |
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Magick is a very vague word and not really descriptive of such a vast and complicated phenomenon. There are probably as many definitions of the word as there are magicians and mages. For example, ask different practitioners of magick what it is, and you’ll get different answers.
The Verbena witch tells you, “Magick is the pulse of the world, the heartbeat of the Mother. It is our salty birth water, and the ash to which we return when we die.” An Akashic monk might say, “Magick? Such a typically crude Western concept! Magick, as you gaijin call it, is nothing more than the application of the inner will to the world around us. Through inner strength and physical discipline, we can direct the course of our karma.” The Virtual Adept hacker winks and says, “It’s all information, baby. Ones and zeroes! Learn to control that, and you can hack the whole frigging world. Reality is data.” The Euthanatos seer whispers, “Magick is the flow of fate, from Beginning to End and back again. By understanding the flow, we can ride the currents, but we cannot swim upstream.” The Technocrat super-scientist declares, “There is no such thing as magick. It is merely a foolish and inane word applied by those too ignorant to understand Enlightened Science.” And finally, the self-taught Orphan shrugs and says, “Fuck if I know. It just works.” Magick, simply put, is the ability to cause a change in reality in accordance with your will. That’s about all anybody can really agree on- and some will even argue whether magick is the correct term. | |
What is Reality? |
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In the world of Mage, reality is ultimately subjective. People believe in something because it’s real, but it’s also real because people believe it. If enough people believe something, it becomes true. Every single person, through her own beliefs, contributes a little to the Consensus, or the general “reality” of the universe.
A mage, however, is an exception to this rule. She has the power to override the belief of six billion human beings and impose her will on the world. Of course, she is still just one against many; no mage is going to turn the Pacific Ocean into Bud Lite or reverse gravity throughout the entire solar system. These changes are simply too big, and would fight the beliefs of far too many people. However, she might turn a glass of water (or even a whole barrel) into MacClae’s 80 Shilling Stout Ale, or reverse gravity in her dorm room. It’s all a matter of the scale, and how much knowledge and power you have. | |
The Awakening |
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Most people are unaware that magick even exists. They believe in a well-ordered, no-nonsense world in which wizards are only found in trashy fantasy novels and cyborgs with plasma guns only exist in the movies. They are not conscious of the deeper nature of reality, so they are called Sleepers by those who are.
A very, very few, however, are Awake. For a mage, the Awakening is the turning point in her life when she suddenly becomes aware of the vast potential of the world around her, and her ability to affect it. It has been compared to a sudden flash of insight, waking from a long and dream-filled slumber, to oneness with God, even to dying and being reborn… but no words can truly describe it. From the moment of Awakening, a mage’s life is different. She sees and experiences things most Sleepers can’t even begin to comprehend. She has vast new possibilities opened up to her… but some doors also close to her, because she is now forever set apart from the masses of humanity. She will experience things she won’t be able to describe even to her spouse or best friend- because they won’t understand. And they’ll probably think she’s insane if she tries to tell them. Nonetheless, most people will be able to sense a mage’s “otherworldliness” on a subconscious level. This fascinates some people, but makes most distinctly uncomfortable… although they may not acknowledge it, they can feel that a mage is Different with a capital “D.” Is it any wonder that mages tend to seek shelter and solace among their own? | |
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