My Body Is A Cage (Silver Ladder) [Mage: The Awakening]

Mage: The Awakening, Open Development

First, some Peter Gabriel.

The end is approaching. Not global Ascension, but of these Open Development posts – we have only two more of these posts to go. Game’s nearly out of Development and into Editing, the playtest groups are beavering away, and my Development “to-do” list now fits on one page.

What to say about the Silver Ladder?

The Silver Ladder are would-be Bodhisattvas, and all too often fall into becoming tyrants. They simultaneously define themselves by inequality – the Order is named after their precept that some humans are more enlightened than others – and devote the majority of their time to helping people find their most comfortable “rung” in that system. They created Mage society and do the most work in maintaining it still, all the while demanding that Wisdom bow to Gnosis. Their intentions are good. They see the potential in every human soul, but hate the world those souls inhabit. They hold that the ideal mage is a wise advisor, teaching by example, and often end up forcing their advice on other mages. They despise any restriction on their own action, spend lifetimes refining Lex Magica, and manipulate Sleepers “for their own good.”

The Silver Ladder are a complicated bunch.

Their Order Merit is a short one, and doesn’t scale, but relies on other Merits to make it work. It’s designed around the idea of the Ladder as the glue holding Pentacle society together, and supports them in taking on Consilium roles.

Lex Magica (••)

Prerequisites: Silver Ladder Status •

Effect: The laws of the Pentacle are symbolic concepts designed by people who make symbols real. A Théarch acting in an official, titled capacity (such as Herald, Sentinel, Factotum, Deacon, Hierarch, or Magister) gains certain advantages with this Merit:

First, add her Silver Ladder Status or Consilium Status (whichever she’s acting with) to her Doors when a character attempts to outmaneuver her socially (see p. XX).

Second, characters cannot use Willpower to increase dice pools on Social actions or magic which would influence her behavior.

Lastly, your character may use her Silver Ladder Status or Consilium Status (whichever is higher) as a Yantra in spells directly enforcing the Lex Magica’s laws. This includes spells to investigate potential crimes, to pursue offenders, to use the law to defend innocence, and any other spell to help the rule of law work more thoroughly. The dice bonus for the Yantra is half the Merit dots used, round up.

Silver Ladder Preview

You know the drill by now.

Next time, it’s the penultimate post, as we allow the opposition their pitch and look at the Seers of the Throne.