The Sons Of Ether (Traditions)

MAGES

THE AWAKENED

THE SONS (OR SOCIETY) OF ETHER

(TRADITIONS)

The only thing holding humanity back from achieving its yearned-for Utopia is the smallness of its imagination. So long as individuals allow society and its rulers to dictate the size and extent of their dreams, mundane boredom and all its attendant suffering shall persist. Even the magickal imaginations of most of the Nine Traditions are hampered by what was allowed them in times past by the Powers That Be, whether those powers were shamans, pharaohs, or priests. Only the future is free of these chains, unset and as yet undreamt of. Only the truly bold can make the future real in the present, and the Etherites are nothing if not bold! A society of radical technomantic dreamers, the original Sons of Ether proved unfit for the confined and suffocating paradigm of the Technocracy. Although they adopted their current name at the turn of the 20th century, these Enlightened Scientists are both sons and daughters of their rallying theory: that of Ether, that subtle substance that lies behind the guise of all phenomena in the universe. Long criticized as a boys’ club due to its early Victorian customs, the Etherites have progressed over the years. Although hardliners still insist upon propriety, the term Society of Ether has largely replaced the shopworn masculinity of the group’s original name. The Etherites trace their lineage back to ancient Troy, although few outside the Tradition accept this claim. Their foundation of natural philosophy was reputedly established among the pre-Socratic thinkers of Greece and the Mediterranean, recorded in a book titled (by its Islamic translators) the Kitab-alAlacir, or Book of Ether. As the first Inspired (that is, Awakened) attempt at a systemic natural philosophy, the Kitab is revered by Etherites, many of whom Awakened when reading it. From a loose intellectual tradition practiced by disparate individuals, the group finally gained a societal foundation with the establishment of Hermetic House Golo in Medieval Italy. This eventually became the Natural Philosophers Guild, and then, in the Victorian Era, the Electrodyne Engineers, whose fascination with the novel power of electricity promised to liberate the common man from physical and metaphysical darkness. Such idealism remains the heart of this Tradition. The Technocracy could not crush it. World wars could not purge it. Neither skepticism nor failure nor claims that Etherites are all mad and reckless can prevent these luminaries from bringing their magnificent Science to the world. Yes, by the standards of most people (even those lunatics with whom they share company), most Etherites are eccentric. Bizarre. Perhaps even mad. But such madness is the flare of a nova encased by an all too human shell. In a world determined to be small, the Society of Ether breeds heroes. If those heroes demolish labs, companions, even… um, cities… upon occasion, such casualties are the cost of true Enlightenment. And the world is improved thereby. Is not the current age proof of this? Flying machines! Recording technology! People no longer die by the thousands from plague or starvation! (Well, perhaps except in those lands without much Science… a pity, that.) And so, despite its costs and obstacles, the Sons and Daughters of Ether remain dedicated to the advancement of wondrous Science! In the 21st century, this Tradition has come into its own. The influence of science fiction – especially its Etherian offshoot, steampunk – in popular culture allows them to stand proudly at the forefront of human endeavors. Among all Traditions, only the Virtual Adepts (and sometimes the Akashayana) enjoy similar allowances from Paradox. Modern reality favors this weird Science, and although Etherites occasionally overreach themselves and suffer the Paradox Effect anyway, the Society of Ether manages to get away with… well, “murder” is such an ugly term. Let us say, instead, magnificence. As far as their fellow Traditions are concerned, most Etherites seem like selfish egotists, pushing paradigms wherein individuals can excel while leaving the Masses behind. The Etherites, however, strive to give the benefits of Awakened Science to everyone. “All, or none!” is their creed. As a result, they strive for recognition – not only from their Enlightened peers but from the Masses most of all. Such acceptance, they know, reflects the striving human spirit – a spirit that looks toward Tomorrow and the many marvelous Things to Come.

Organization:

Etherites, despite their boisterous talk about society, are often fractious and competitive. Fellowship exists as an avenue for seeking praise; criticism merely prods you to go back to the lab and do better next time. Although many Etherites bury themselves in research for weeks on end with very little companionship, they eventually seek the company of their peers, no matter how obsessive their work becomes.

Initiation:

Prospective Etherites tend to be selected by true Scientists, based on some sign or evidence of latent genius. These prospective initiates receive a test designed to force them to confront the implications of their ideas. Most often, the would-be Scientist is left to discover a copy of the Kitab-al-Alacir, whose concepts often serve to Awaken the spark of bigger, brighter accomplishments to come.

Affinity Spheres: Matter; Forces or Prime.

Focus:

Science! Or, more accurately, an imaginative grasp of natural principles channeled through established physical and energetic technologies. Earthier than their Virtual Adept colleagues, these technomancers prefer to employ Science that can be seen, held, demonstrated, and confirmed even by the eyes of fools. To that end, Etherite Science is showy, romantic, and gracefully futuristic, even if that future looks more like classic science fiction than like mundane science fact. As a practice, an Etherite may use anything that seems to work. Most Scientists, however, favor gloriously esoteric variations on alchemy, craftwork, cybernetics, hypertech, reality hacking, and, of course, weird science. Paradigms focus largely around concepts like A Mechanistic Cosmos, Everything is Data, Might is Right, and Everything’s an Illusion, but they usually boil down to Tech Holds All the Answers.

Stereotypes

Fellow Traditions: Fascinating allies, I suppose… but they call us mad?

The Technocracy: Obscenities to the name of Science, perverting wonder into control.

The Disparates: Footdraggers. Mysterious footdraggers, though. Certainly worthy of further study…

ROTES

Do Remember allocation of successes and success limitations still applies to rotes

DEATH RAY

Prerequisites: Occult ◉◉◉/◉ Arete ◉◉◉/◉

ENTROPY ◉◉◉◉ or FORCES ◉◉◉, PRIME ◉◉ optional TIME ◉◉◉

A mainstay of Mad Scientists everywhere, the death ray comes in two generally recognized forms. The first is a standard laser or particle beam, easily jury-rigged from available materials. Most of these weapons emit invisible beams, but most Sons of Ether refit them to spray brilliant red, blue or green, as tradition demands.

The second, called the "chaos beam" or "black ray," projects random-frequency microwaves, anti-Etheric particles or contra-Reichian orgone fields (depending on who you ask,) disrupting bodily functions. These death rays take the form of black, jagged bolts, a rippling in the air or a noticeable chill, and they are favored by Etherite psychics as well as weapons engineers .Recent designs also include repetitive mental techniques or fast crystal-cycling mechanisms to allow an automatic weapon's rate of fire. If sufficiently bulky (requiring at least 50 kilograms of equipment) and made of precision parts.

COINCIDENTAL 13+/14+ (Laser/Particle beam Forces Version)

VULGAR 14+/15+ (Chaos Beam/Black Ray Entropy version .Requires sufficient available equipment )

VULGAR WITNESS 15+/16+ (Chaos Beam/Black Ray Entropy version .Requires sufficient available equipment )

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉/◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

Most death rays inflict aggravated damage through extreme heat or Entropy disruptions.

NOTE:

The death ray rote simply creates the weapon which is available for as long as the duration (duration success allocation) allows.
This Rote essentially MacGyver's a Death Ray from junk , Death Rays can only be handled by Etherites.
Non Awakened, Non Ethers simply end up with a useless hunk of junk. The Death Ray is not a wonder or trinket, but an elaborate foci that only the Etherite mage can use to channel his effect though. While the Death Ray exists, It counts as an active effect!.

NAME: DEATH RAY

Attack Bonus: +1 per allocated success (max 6) Damage: Aggravated Range: 5 Meters per allocated success Ammo: Quintessence

Modes: Spray (If TIME used +4 targets IF TIME IS NOT USED add +1 allocated success to add more targets to this.)

SYSTEM

ROLL: FIREARMS + COMPOSURE + DEATH RAY ATTACK BONUS + 4 (entropy version) or +3 (Forces version)

DIFFICULTY 10+ (spray mode, Targets make a dodge roll at difficulty 10+)

Vs Opponents Dodge (Single shot mode)

ETHERIC SHIELDING

Prerequisites: Occult ◉◉ Arete ◉◉

MATTER ◉◉ SPIRIT ◉◉ optional PRIME ◉◉

Ordinary materials can be converted to resist energies from alien dimensions, to provide both physical and mental protection against the horrors of the unknown. Imbuing standard clothing with extra-dimensional material (such as materialized ephemera) or using matter with proven anti-Etheric properties (such as lead or polyester) in precise amounts creates a garment or enclosure that is resistant to alien meddling. Sophisticated versions of this rote actually align extra-dimensional energies to protect against physical alien attack.

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉◉◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

After successes are spent on duration as well as the clothing or enclosure (based on how many people it could reasonably contain,) each success increases the Gauntlet around the wearer or dweller by one. This barrier must first be breached by any spirit wishing to possess the character. Using Prime, the scientist can also provide +2 Defence to resist attacks in or from the Umbra.

QUANTUM TEMPORAL TRAVEL

Prerequisites: Occult ◉◉◉◉/◉ Arete ◉◉◉◉/◉

CORRESPONDENCE ◉◉◉ or ◉◉◉◉ ENTROPY ◉◉◉◉, TIME ◉◉◉ or ◉◉◉◉◉

The introduction of quantum mechanics has solved many of the lethal problems of time travel. By tunneling through to alternate universes, Sons of Ether can travel into the past without suffering an instant visit from an annoying Paradox pest. It's still vulgar and less potentially useful than traveling to the "true" past, present and future. Going to an alternate past cannot change the true present, and fantastic technology retrieved from alternate futures tends to fail to Unbelief. Still, visiting an alternate universe has its uses. Utopians visit the grand futures and idyllic pasts that might have been, or sneak into dystopias to learn harsh lessons about the price of failure. Ethernauts explore these universes out of sheer curiosity, dividing their time between strange alternate universes and those barely different from the "baseline" World of Darkness.
Controlled wormholes in the space-time continuum are created with high-energy particle beams, special electromagnetic fields, locating twists in the Odyllic flow and, in some cases, psychedelic drugs.

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉◉/◉/◉◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

Correspondence 3 transports one person, while Correspondence 4 creates a tunnel into an alternate universe that can accommodate one traveler per success spent.

Further successes can move characters through space as well as time, as a normal Correspondence effect.

Time 4 allows a short hop (one turn/success) forward or backward compared to the baseline time, before being pulled back to the point of departure.

Time 5 allows for extended journeys into the alternate past or future (using the standard chart for Time effects.)

Time and Entropy are used together to isolate the travelers from the time stream and move them to a new "branch" of the continuum.

The Time 5 version of the rote must be used to return as well, or it's a one-way trip. Return trips use the Consensus of the alternate universe to determine vulgarity.
Other successes are spent on the dissimilarity between the alternate reality and the traveler's.

One success indicates a near clone of the "real" timeline, while five successes allow passage to the most bizarre alternate worlds, such as worlds where the Order of Hermes controls the paradigm or sentient dinosaurs coexist with humanity.
Traveling into an alternate past cannot affect the "real" present, except through any knowledge or artifacts that the traveler brings with her. Objects that have a specific duplicate in the baseline present eventually erode or fade, while objects from the future do so if they can perform any feat of magic or science unknown to the present day.

Still, the low-level version of this rote allows characters to hop into an alternate past and grab a temporal duplicate of an object that you desperately need (or need more of) for a brief period to use in the baseline present.
A word of warning: Alternate universes are just that - alternate. Even the most familiar-looking one might have subtle, dangerous differences. Some Sons of Ether note similarities with the Mirror Zone of the Umbra and posit that this rote actually takes them there.

SUPPORTING THE BRAIN

Prerequisites: Occult ◉◉◉◉ Arete ◉◉◉◉

LIFE ◉◉◉◉ MATTER ◉◉, MIND ◉◉ PRIME ◉◉

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

Using Pattern spheres to handle the physical issues and Mind to handle the mental ones, this rote allows an
Etherite to keep a brain alive outside of its body, whether just in a jar or in a new, better body. A robot
body.

BATTERY MAN

Prerequisites: Occult ◉◉◉◉ Arete ◉◉◉◉

LIFE ◉◉◉◉ FORCES ◉◉

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

This rote allows the Etherite to store electricity in their body for later use, including powering objects, dramatic effect, and electrocuting a target (for damage based on number of successes on this rote in the first place). If this energy is not discharged within an hour, however, the Etherite takes one health level of damage per success.

BIO-LUMINESCENCE

Prerequisites: Occult ◉◉◉ Arete ◉◉◉

LIFE ◉◉◉ FORCES ◉◉◉

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

With this rote, an Etherite can make themselves glow in the dark. Each success causes them to glow brighter and illuminate a larger (5 meters per success) area. It may be concentrated onto certain parts of the body.

THE INCREDIBLE SHRUNKEN MACHINE

Prerequisites: Occult ◉◉◉◉◉ Arete ◉◉◉◉◉

MATTER ◉◉◉◉◉ FORCES ◉◉◉ PRIME ◉◉

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉◉◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

This allows an Etherite to take a fully functioning machine and shrink it down to nanotechnology. The machine will continue to function based on how many successes are spent on duration.

JURY RIG

Prerequisites: Occult ◉◉ Arete ◉◉◉

MATTER ◉◉ PRIME ◉◉ CORRESPONDENCE ◉◉ MIND ◉

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

By careful examination of a broken machine, an Etherite may determine exactly what needs to be done to repair it and then proceed to do so using whatever techniques they prefer. The worse condition the machine is in, the more successes are required to do the repair.

INSTANT MEASUREMENT

Prerequisites: Occult ◉ Arete ◉

MATTER ◉ MIND ◉ CORRESPONDENCE ◉

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

This popular Etherite rote allows the user to find hidden spaces, and, especially, to find any that have someone hiding in them.

FIND REALITY FLAWS

Prerequisites: Occult ◉ Arete ◉

PRIME ◉ ENTROPY ◉

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

This rote allows an Etherite to determine if an object of phenomenon is a result of Paradox, rather than being naturally occurring.

GENERAL ANESTHESIA

Prerequisites: Occult ◉ Arete ◉

MIND ◉ LIFE ◉

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

Etherites with an interest in medicine quickly determined that taking away pain improves performance. This rote allows them to ignore one level
of wound penalties per success.

KNOCK OUT

Prerequisites: Occult ◉◉◉◉◉ Arete ◉◉◉◉◉

MIND ◉◉◉ PRIME ◉◉

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉◉◉◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

Most Etherites prefer to avoid combat, but sometimes it is unavoidable. This rote works to stun the target for two rounds per success. This is resisted with Willpower, difficulty 16+ , and each success on this roll cancels one on the Etherite’s.

MATTER PATTERN DISASSOCIATION

Prerequisites: Occult ◉◉◉◉◉ Arete ◉◉◉◉◉

MATTER ◉◉◉◉◉

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉◉◉◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

A technique invented by Etherites, this rote makes two materials insubstantial with respect to each other: they can just pass through one another. The two substances are unchanged otherwise

ORGONE ACCUMULATOR

Prerequisites: Occult ◉◉◉/◉ Arete ◉◉◉/◉

PRIME ◉◉◉ or ◉◉◉◉◉

Inspired by the work of Doctor Wilhelm Reich, many Sons of Ether use his theories to store and use a unique variation of the Odyllic Force. Orgone theory states that the universal essence is emotional as well as physical. By harnessing it, Etherites may imbue Scientific workings with either their own Resonance or that of another subject, item or place. Particularly advanced accumulators can attract and store ambient Quintessence as well as Resonance.
Orgone Accumulators take many forms (and, in fact, many of them are turned into full fledged Wonders.) The classic Reichian design is a chamber built of alternating layers of conductive metals and organic materials, but the Sons of Ether have experimented with many alternate designs, including accumulator jumpsuits, handheld units and even wood and metal buildings designed to focus orgone energy upon a laboratory.
Orgone Accumulators are also used as foci for Life and Forces effects, relying on the ability to store Resonance in order to make precise changes. Healing and weather control are the most common additional functions of Orgone Accumulators.

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉◉/◉◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

For the Prime 3 version, each success allows the Etherite's focus to hold two Resonance Traits for as long as the Etherite chooses to commit successes to duration.

These Traits may be applied to any other effect the character casts, but doing so expends those Traits.

By default, an accumulator absorbs the strongest ambient Resonance in an area, but the effect can be used to take a Resonance sample from a specific person, place or thing by spending additional successes on targeting.

The target does not lose any Resonance.
The Prime 5 version also allows a Mage can draw Quintessence from the Universe at large, not needing to be in any special place to obtain it. Additional successes must be spent to activate this use of the accumulator and the free quintessence lasts for as long as successes are spent on duration)

(Resonance traits are used for target sympathy, Holding a trait adds +1 per trait to effects against that particular target)

(Do remember both uses of the orgone accumulator are separate durations, and count as separate -active- effects while in play)

EXOTIC MATTER: ANTI-MATTER

Prerequisites: Occult ◉◉◉◉◉ Arete ◉◉◉◉◉

MATTER ◉◉◉◉◉

A few Sons of Ether have reached the pinnacle of their Craft, and no longer feel constrained by such paltry limitations as the periodic table. Mastery of Matter has limitless possibilities, exemplified by such materials as antimatter and Primium. The guidelines for creating them and their in-game effects are detailed as follows:

Antimatter (requires Matter 5): Using garage-built particle accelerators, stolen research time at CERN and postmodern alchemy are all known ways to create antimatter. Previously, this material required an esoteric command of Forces as well, but the general acceptance of antimatter among Sleeper scientists has simplified the process considerably. Of course, rather than laboring with an unwieldy conventional particle accelerator for the sake of a few measly positrons, Etherites use their own shortcuts.

Unlike standard matter, antimatter is composed of particles with an opposing spin: positrons, antineutrons and antiprotons. When it meets normal matter, each particle annihilates its opposites and releases their combined energy.

Unless kept in a vacuum, antimatter and normal matter meet... explosively. In game terms, successes measure both how much is created and how much it can annihilate,

Etherites may measure out small amounts of antimatter for experiments (in the three-to-six-wounds/100-to-200-yard range) or simply use it to blow something up. Magnetic containment fields and the ability to evacuate the area are recommended.

Antimatter requires at least 20 successes to prepare before spending successes on the amount/damage/area of effect.

Creating antimatter in these amounts is vulgar, even though the amount is microscopic.

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉◉◉◉◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

QUANTITY ◉ success =1 unit.

A.O.E ◉ success =100 meters

DAMAGE ◉ success 3 aggravated damage

The smallest amounts able to be created uses

◉◉◉ successes ( 1 unit 100 meters causing 3 aggravated damage) or

◉◉◉◉◉ ◉ (2 units 200 meters 6 aggravated damage)

Sadly Antimatter is all or nothing. It does not distinguish friend from foe and the duration of its creation cannot be extended unless it is kept in a vacuum.

Outside of a lab or vacuum units of antimatter greater than 2 will annihilate themselves (and the mage) rather than nuke the city.

In the umbra the full extent of antimatter can be unleashed causing 2000 meter 60 aggravated damage explosion. However it will only damage targets made of matter (not spirits)

Aside from being used as potent explosive, Antimatter creates energy when it annihilates matter of equal measure. In a lab this can be used in experiments that requires more power than can be provided by the local power grid.

EXOTIC MATTER: PRIMIUM

Prerequisites: Occult ◉◉◉◉◉ Arete ◉◉◉◉◉ Resources ◉◉◉◉◉

MATTER ◉◉◉◉◉ PRIME ◉◉◉

Among the only groups that know how to make Primium are Iteration X and the Society of Ether. It’s an alchemically perfect alloy of gold and silver.
Expensive alchemy or nuclear furnaces, not to mention base materials, go into its creation, keeping it far out of reach of anyone without Resources 5.

SYSTEM:

SPEND ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉◉◉◉◉ QUINTESSENCE (+1 per additional success)

SUCCESSES REQUIRED ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉◉◉◉◉ (however you may need other successes to allocate where appropriate)

Primium requires quintessence: each success needs to be backed by a point of quintessence. Just to create Primium requires 15 successes, and only after that can successes be spent on mass and potency.

◉ success per meter of material created

◉ success per ◉ of material strength (Max ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉)

◉ success per +2 counter magic bonus (Max +10 cannot stack with other Primium) (2 meter radius)

Primium itself has a near perfect sheen and is a very strong material. However, its real value is its potency against the supernatural.

A Primium weapon will cause aggravated damage

and if the Primium is used as a weapon, the counter magic bonus is rolled against any supernatural defenses.