Punching through the Masquerade (Modern Magical Cultivation Quest)

You, my friend, are in a lot of trouble. Nothing mundane as of yet, you have broken no laws as the mortal world recognizes them. The immortal realm however… suffice to say you've broken a few taboos no mortal should ever break if they intend to remain either mortal or alive.

Chief amongst your transgressions against the immortal realm is that of Knowledge, you have hung from the tree, sipped off the wine and stolen an apple for good measure, granting you Knowledge that has been decreed profane for mortal man to know. The fruits of your burglary being the first step a mortal may take to transcend beyond their earthly flesh and become so much more. But of course, mere knowledge of what lies at the height is no guide on how to climb even the lowest of inclines. This is a story of how you either managed to cheat the powers that be and steal for yourself a throne fit for a god or how your arrogance damned you to Erasure.

Only you can decide the outcome of this story.

Theft: You learned the first step of ascension, stolen fire from the gods themselves. What form does the fire burning in the fennel sack of your soul take?

[ ] Rebellion: The faith that rules the western world puts great stock in the virtues of obedience and humility. Seeking to mold every mortal soul into the shape of a meek little sheep, fit to be led by hook or by crook. The stories go that those who strayed from God's path were twisted and evil beings, filled with pride and spite. You have learned that this is not the whole truth, and that they would welcome you amongst their ranks as honored kin if you were to prepare yourself accordingly.

Mechanics: Ascending via the Demonic path requires one to learn and perform the proper rites and rituals within an adequately prepared space. One must sift through millennia of dross to find the few golden nuggets left after centuries of careful pruning.

[ ] Sorcery: The common memes of society hold that magic is merely a word used by the ignorant and incurious to explain the nature of reality around them. Forever the domain of the immature, the con-artist and the foolish. You have learned that reality itself is far more malleable than it has any right to be if this claim was true. And that you have a talent for manipulating it.

Mechanics: Ascending via the Sorcerer's path requires one to master their mind and body so that they can then project that mastery onto reality around them. One must learn the quirks and foibles of manipulating reality and how to make your alterations stick without killing yourself in the process.


[ ] Community: The old stories are full of tales of beings with magical talents and the lingering specters of long dead humans. While most consider them to be mere stories. You have learned that the world around you is far fuller than most would expect, and that these beings lurk just around the corner for any fool to bargain with.

Mechanics: Ascending via the Communal path requires that one build a web of relationships between themself and the magical beings that permeate our world. Bargain your way to power without enslaving yourself or offending the wrong being.

Setting: The backdrop against which this story of ascension is displayed.

[ ] The Urban Jungle: The great city, an endless fabrication of steel and concrete bending the natural world into unnatural shapes to accommodate the seething masses of humanity. Will the throng of humanity shield you from prying eyes for long enough to achieve your goals or will the crowd turn to a mob and slay you where you stand?

[ ] Suburbia: The middle place, neither large enough to bend nature to it's will nor small enough to be shaped in turn. This is a liminal space, the endless rows of housing and soulless stretches of commerce preventing a true culture from forming. Anything can be found here, for good or ill.

[ ] The Boondocks: The hamlet, shaped firmly by the whims of nature and the edge of humanity's domain. Strange things lurk in the wilderness beyond and old practices banished by the scourge of modernity still linger in this place that time forgot.

Age: How old are you? It affects far more than most would like.

[ ] Youth: The spring of your existence has only just begun. (Gain two additional actions per turn from youthful exuberance, increases the cost of character purchases by one point(Increasing a stat for the first time costs two, choosing a trait or boon adds one point onto it's price), invalidates the Homeowner Boon and the Treading water Complication)

[ ] Young Adult: you're well into the summer of your being. (Gain one additional action per turn, Gain one free stat increase (Free stat increases do not affect the price of elevating a stat, so elevating a stat from 2 to 3 would cost one point))

[ ] Adult: The autumn of your existence has struck you, aches and obligations continue to accumulate. (Gain two free stat increases, choose one obligation(Which will be selected in the next section if chosen))

[ ] Old: The winter of your existence has come, and death looms on the horizon. (Gain three free stat increases, lose one action per turn, after two in-game years, you will begin playing games with Death.



Self: We've discussed the color of the fire that burns within your soul, but what shape does your soul take? (You have eight points to spend on stats, traits or boons)

Stats: The four humors of mankind making up the character of a body. (All stats start at 1, you can increase the stat by spending points at a rate of 1 increasing per stat rank you buy. (increasing a stat from 1 to 2 costs one point, increasing a stat from 2 to 3 costs two points)each stat has a natural cap of 4)

[ ] Blood: Whimsy, Social aptitude, Associated with Air

• [ ] (indicate how many points you wish to spend on increasing this stat)

[ ] Yellow Bile: Passion, Magnetism, Associated with Fire

• [ ] (indicate how many points you wish to spend on increasing this stat)

[ ] Black Bile: Resilience, Awareness, Associated with Earth

• [ ] (indicate how many points you wish to spend on increasing this stat)

[ ] Phlegm: Wisdom, Reliability, Associated with Water

• [ ] (indicate how many points you wish to spend on increasing this stat)

Traits: While the physical makeup of one's body is important, the conditions of one's upbringing has it's own influences upon a person. (Each trait costs 3 points)

[ ] Socially adept: Perhaps you were raised by extroverts, perhaps you were required by necessity to make friendships and build alliances amongst your peers. It matters little how you achieved this companionable nature. (Allows you to roll twice on a social test and take the better result, increases the natural dice cap for Blood by 3 for a total of 7)

[ ] Leader of Men: A man is born. A leader is made. Your natural charisma has been fine tuned with instruction. People often look to you for guidance, or when failures become manifest. (Increases you Yellow Bile stat by two, increases the natural dice cap for Yellow Bile by 3 for a total of 7)

[ ] Body of iron, Mind of Steel: There are many things, both natural and supernatural, that can kill a man. You have the benefit of being significantly harder to kill than most as a result of a life of hardship. (Reduces the results of damage rolls to yourself by one category. Up to the point of taking no injury. Increases the natural dice cap for Black Bile by 3 for a total of 7)

[ ] Enhanced Acumen: Books are to the mind as a whetstone is to a sword, sharpening it to an increasingly lethal edge. A fierce love of knowledge or a great hunger to know more has shaved away the ignorance inflicted by the system. You learn and retain information at a faster rate than most. ( Reading and Research takes half as much time, Increases the natural dice cap for Phlegm by 3 for a total of 7)

Boons: The whimsy of fate has granted you an edge in the coming tribulations. Will it be enough to ascend the throne of heaven?

[ ] Lucky: You can reliably win a few bucks off of the lotto tickets and convient events seem to keep happening around you. (You reroll one failed roll per turn. Costs one point

• [ ] Uncanny luck: You can reliably win $10 to $20 off of a lotto ticket. Good things seem to come your way more often.(You can reroll two failed rolls per turn or reroll one failed roll twice. Costs three points)

-[ ] Supernaturally lucky: You could make a living off of gambling, and even have a semi-decent shot of winning the grand prize. (You can reroll four failed rolls per turn, and can stack the rerolls as you choose. Costs six points)

[ ] Mystically potent: The manipulation of reality and it's consequences seem to turn to your favor (Different effects based on path chosen, mystery box, costs two points)

[ ] Homeowner: Circumstances concerning your mortal life have left you in a better position than many others. You own a small home and thus have to pay less to live. (Halves your cost of living and offers a modicum of privacy, costs four points)

[ ] More time: Perhaps you don't need as much sleep as others do. Perhaps you spring back quickly from physically or mentally exhausting events, regardless, you seem to be able to squeeze an extra hour out of the day. (Gain an additional action per turn, costs two points.)

• [ ] Even more time: Your zest for life and indefatigable nature gives you even more time to work with. (Gain two additional actions per turn, costs five points)
  • [ ] Every second spared: When people talk about working two full time jobs on top of going to college, they're talking about you. (Gain three additional actions per turn, costs nine points)

[ ] Stealing an extra step ahead: However you gained forbidden knowledge of the path to immortality, you also managed to steal a hint to a useful tool along the path. (Gain knowledge of the location and protections surrounding an item useful for your method of cultivation, costs three points)

Complications: Few make it through life unscathed. What scars mark you? And how will it affect your attempt to transcend mortality? (Complications can prevent you from taking boons depending on the context)

[ ] Handicapped: Something has affected you significantly, in such a way as to limit your body's natural capabilities. (Slows your growth as you have to overcome physical disabilites when trying to improve your stats, halves the rate at which you gain new stat levels, but does not affect your starting dice pools.)

• [ ] (Write in the stat you're hampering here) (Grants two points for every stat handicapped in this way, to a maximum of two handicaps)

[ ] Unlucky: You never win anything off of a lotto ticket, and bad things seem to keep happening to you. (The GM chooses one roll per turn and forces you to roll twice, taking the lower result, grants three points) (locks out the Lucky boon and its evolutions)

• [ ]Supremely Unlucky: It's amazing you're still alive, given all the bad luck that's come your way. (The GM chooses two rolls per turn and forces you to roll twice on each, taking the lower result, grants seven points)

[ ] Mystically Impotent: Despite your best efforts, grasp of the secret arts seems to elude you. (Different effects based on the path you chose, Mystery box of pain, grants four points.)(locks out the Mystically Potent boon)

[ ] Treading water: Accidents, debts, and poor choices have left you scraping by on the edge of homelessness. (Doubles your cost of living, grants two points)

• [ ] Drowning in debt: A poor choice has left you massively indebted, you might never climb out of debt on your own. (Quadruples your cost of living, adds a massive debt that you have to pay every four turns, failing to do so will see you on the streets. Grants five points.)

[ ] Less time: Time keeps on slipping through your fingers. (lose one action per turn, grants two points)(Locks out the More Time boon and it's evolutions)

• [ ] Even Less Time: Days seem to fly by and you never get to do as much as you want to. (Requires one point be spent in either Yellow Bile or Black Bile, Lose two actions per turn, grants five points)
  • [ ] Out of Time: Weeks pass between blinks. (Requires one point to be spent in both Yellow Bile and Black Bile, lose three actions per turn, grants nine points)

[ ] Only a Glimpse of what Could Be: You know that there's something more out there, but lack even a hint of the path towards it. (Invalidates your theft choice, meaning you must find a way to cultivate before the tribulation of Doubt returns you to Mortality. Grants fifteen points, taking the Stealing an Extra Step Ahead boon with this complication grants you knowledge of the location and protections revolving around a random magic item that may or may not prove useful.)

Name and Identity: Finally, what could change forever or be written into the bones of the world. What is your name and what do you look like?

[ ] (Write in name, gender identity, and a brief description of yourself, pictures are welcome but keep it mundane for now)

((GM's Note: There is no moratorium on this first post))
((GM's note MK. 2: The method of voting in this quest is plan style))

Camilla Evans: Aspiring Demonologist

Bio: An incredibly bright girl by all measures of the word. Camilla had always had an interest in unraveling the mysteries of reality, spending much of her childhood reading every book there was to hand and doing little experiments to confirm what she'd learned. Dreams of delving into the hidden places of the world and seeing vistas undreamt of by man were tragically cut short when she was hit by a car in her high school days. Confining her to a wheelchair for much of her adolescence. While the physical therapy helped enough that she can walk with the aid of a cane. The stiffness of the metal binding her leg bones together prevented her from going on any grand adventures, and the prejudice of those who saw her shaky stumbling prevented her from taking on the research posting she desperately wanted. It seemed, for a time, as if her story would end as so many others did, fading away into irrelevance.

Until the day a strange book was delivered to her home by mistake...

Description: A 22 year old woman that despite being in the prime of her life is surrounded by an aura of gloom, hiding herself behind thick glasses and short brown hair that lingers over her left eye. Were she ever to wear clothing that bared her legs, one could see the thick, ropey scars marring the pale flesh of her legs. She dresses modestly and walks slowly with the assistance of a simple wooden cane.

Current Status ( ticks represent current status of your various forms of health. - = no tick, | = one tick, \ = five ticks, / = twenty ticks)
Physically: Healthy ( / / \ - ) (45)
Mentally: Stable ( \ \ \ |)
Financially: Poor (Stable) ( | | | |)
Housed?: Overpriced Apartment

Windfall: ( \ | | | | )

Stats
Blood: 3/7
Yellow Bile: 3/7
Black Bile: 3/7 (Handicapped) (Counts as 5 from Spine of Bronze, Hips of Bronze for rolling purposes.)
Phlegm: 4/7

Defenses:
Occult defense Dice pool: 8d6 from Least Elemental Spirit Lord and Pendant of the Revolutionary Witch. Defaults to Phlegm if spiritual defenses are pierced.
Physical defense dice pool: 2d6 from Black Bile (You are untrained in defending your physical body, and thus can't take full advantage of your stats) Spells that target your physical form with physical attacks utilize your occult defense pool unless those defenses are breached somehow.


Traits:
Enhanced Acumen:Books are to the mind as a whetstone is to a sword, sharpening it to an increasingly lethal edge. A fierce love of knowledge or a great hunger to know more has shaved away the ignorance inflicted by the system. You learn and retain information at a faster rate than most. (Reading and Research takes half as much time)
Least Elemental Spirit Lord: You have earned the right to command Elemental Spirits... or, well. The least amongst them anyway. (Tier one Elemental Spirits cost either nothing or small amounts of favor with Phlecket's court to maintain their pacts. You gain two additional Elemental pact slots. Your Elemental Spirit allies defend you from hostile attention (granting four dice to resist hostile spells/spirits). You can now perform Elemental Spells(Mortal))
Windfueled Forge: A forgotten secret of the Fire Magi, ancient magi would improve the power of their fire spells with spiritual winds, enhancing the results. This secret has higher benefits, but one must first shape their spirit into a forge to achieve the best results. (When casting fire-based cultivator spells, add your blood stat to your Yellow bile stat when rolling to successfully cast the spell and to damage rolls. Further benefits unlocked when the Forge of Spirit Trait is unlocked and Breath of Air cultivation resource is available to you. )

Boons:
Mystically Potent: The Fires of Hell kindle faster within your Soul then they do for most. Careful you're not burned by the flames. ( Stoking the Flames of Rebellion grants twice as much Hellfire.)
Eating Well: Quality Meals have improved your overall wellbeing. Gain one extra action per turn and one free dice to apply to a singular action each turn.
Comfy Sleep: A sinfully luxurious bed has improved your overall wellbeing. Gain one free dice to apply to a singular action each turn.
Ritualist (Beginner): Your current mastery of the skills of the ritualist. Currently reduces all ritual related DC's by 10




Spells (Cultivator):
- Blastburn: Apprentice: Costs one Ember: Roll Yellow Bile + Blood to hit (6d6): Inflicts 6d12 fire damage on all targets in a 3 foot radius of the targeted location.
- Arsonist's Escape: Apprentice: Costs one Ember (May use multiple): Causes a bright flash of Light that blinds enemies, sets nearby cloth not worn by the caster on fire, and covers the local area in soot. Spending multiple Embers results in a stronger effect.
- Skin of stone: Apprentice: Costs one Mote: Transmutes large swaths of skin into stone for added protection. Physical attacks against you that successfully hit must roll twice and take the lower result. Attacks that still land do two fewer dice of damage to you, rendering you largely immune to mortal weapons in unskilled hands.

Spells (Elemental): When you impose your will upon the world, the spirits of the four elements leap to do your bidding.
- Fool's Gold (Earth): Encourage the gnomes to bring prosperity to your endeavors. Add 1d3+1 Windfall to all windfall roll results made while this spell is active. (Does not apply to flat windfall bonuses. The dice changes to match your present job/income stream. ) (Costs one favor)
- Hearth's Ease (Fire) : Draw in the Salamanders to salve your wounds, spiritual or physical. This spell cuts down your recovery time from a suffered injury by half. Can only be cast once per injury. (Costs two favor)