Summary[]
From the White Wolf catalog:
- I'll Stand Beside You
- Custos are boon companions, the acolytes, familiars, servants and sidekicks who follow mages on their mystick pursuits. Though unversed in the arts of True Magick, custos form a valuable part of mage society. These followers are more than simple "allies" — they often spell the difference between survival and damnation!
- Though Heaven And Hell May Rise Against Us!
- This sourcebook for Mage: The Ascension explores the often-neglected world of the mage's mortal partners. It includes:
- Detailed rules, Merits and Flaws for Hedge Magic, Psychic Phenomena and unearthly abilities.
- Mage/follower relationships, including recruitment, rewards and punishments and custos gone rogue.
- Storytelling hints for acolytes, consors and familiars, a host of ready-made characters and more...
Contents[]
Prelude: Take One[]
By Nicky Rea.
Introduction[]
Chapter One: Who Be These Mortals?[]
This chapter explores custos in detail and is broken down into followers of Tradition mages, Technocrats, Nephandi and Marauders.
Chapter Two: Society of Servants[]
Exploring the internal and external relationships of the custos, this provides insight into their motivations, fellowships, and interactions with mages. Details for custos fellowships: the Crossovers, the Corpselight Connoiseurs, SysOps Inc., the Children of Springtime, the Lab Rats, the Oscars, the Great Unwashed, Red Flag, the Typing Pool, Hex Pariah, the Tinkerers.
Chapter Three: The Tale is Told[]
These are suggestions for Storytellers.
Chapter Four: Bones Clothed in Flesh[]
The rules for custos character reaction, including new Traits.
- New Knowledges
- Familiar Lore
- Hearth Wisdom
- Spirit Lore
- Merits and Flaws
- Loyalty (1 pt Merit)
- Hideaway (2 pt Merit)
- Faerie Companion (3 pt Merit)
- Compulsive Speech (1-2 pt Flaw)
- Conflicting Loyalties (1-3 pt Flaw)
- Alien Appearance (1-5 pt Flaw)
- Hero Worship (1 pt Flaw)
- Whimsy (1 pt Flaw)
- Bizarre Hunger (2-4 pt Flaw)
- Double Agent (2 pt Flaw)
- Hunchback (2 pt Flaw)
- Thaumivore (5 pt Flaw)
- Special Advantages
- Animal Form (3 pts)
- Cause Insanity (varies)
- Chameleon Coloration (4/6/8 pts)
- Claws, Fangs or Horns (3/5/7 pts)
- Extra Limb(s) (3 pts per limb)
- Extra Speed (variable)
- Hazardous Breath (variable)
- Immunity (2/5/10/15 pts)
- Information Font (3 pts)
- Intangibility (8/10 pts)
- Musical Influence (3 pts)
- Mystick Shield (varies)
- Nightsight (3 pts)
- Numina (7 pts +)
- Physical Enhancement (variable)
- Paradox Nullification (2-5 pts)
- Shapechanger (3/5/8 pts)
- Size (3/5/8 pts)
- Symbiotic Knowledge (5 pts)
- Umbral Travel (8/10/15 pts)
- Water Breathing (2/5 pts)
- Wings (3/5 pts)
Chapter Five: Numina[]
These paranormal powers allow un-Awakened hedge mages and psychics to work some small amount of magic. Although Numina are limited, they transcend the supposed limits of technological reality and hearken back to more mystic times.
- Hedge Magic
- The Paths
- Conjuration
- Cursing
- Enchantment
- Ephemera
- Healing
- Herbalism/Brewing
- Summoning, Binding and Warding
- The Paths
- Psychic Phenomena
- Phenomena
- Clairvoyance
- Telekinesis
- Telepathy
- Phenomena
- True Faith
Chapter Six: Who's Who[]
Profiles of a bunch of custos, everything from servants to weird Horizon Realm beasties.
Background Information[]
Author's Special Thanks is made to John Baumgarten, Pete Curtin, Bill and Jen, Wendy "Party Girl" Blackson and Phil "No False Modesty" Brucato.
Memorable Quotes[]
Characters[]
- Who Be These Mortals?
- Sam Haine - Verbena Master
- Church - Brujah, Shard's Childe
- Lorelei - Hollow One
- Cindi - Orphan Mage
- J. B. Cullington - NWO Mage
- Donald - Annie's Son, Marauder Acolyte
- Society of Servants
- Dark Water - Psychic Leader of the Corpselight Connoiseurs
- Oscar Fieldstone - Former Order of Hermes Mage, Marauder leader of the Oscars
- Mszxeg'lleich - Umbrood, Oscar's Umbral friends
- Marta - Leader of the Red Flag
- Nun - Nephandi Leader of the Hex Pariah
- Herr Flax - Nephandi
- Jared Singhman - Personal Assistant to Mayra Llewellyn
- Mayra Llewellyn - Order of Hermes
- Bones Clothed in Flesh
- Valgreth the Incamani
- Laughing Eagle - Shaman, Mage
- Gail Holsombake - Mage
- Numina
- Grady
- Justice the Shadow-Chosen
- Cheryl of the Five Rose Sect
- Who's Who
- Servants
- Rebecca "Annie" Goldman
- Mum - Marauder Mage
- Josh Snelling
- Body Count (Floyd Thomas)
- Sigmund Groell - Nephandi Mage
- Sallow (John Bremmen)
- Assentia - Dreamspeaker Mage
- Rebecca "Annie" Goldman
- Acolytes
- Terrence Reynolds
- Sir Rodney Haversham - Order of Hermes Mage
- Dr. Shayna Reed
- Cody
- Ella Claire Monroe - Verbena Mage
- Rev. Lonnie Ray Singer
- Terrence Reynolds
- Consors
- Sharylin Polopolis (Shard)
- Mayday - Shard's Sire, Brujah
- Lorilyn Polopolis, "Lorelei" - Hollow One Mage, Sharylin's Sister
- Zoe Rowell (Zorro)
- Kiril Zlatten
- Varra - Rom Mage
- Nneka
- Safira
- Andrew Grieg - Orphan Mage
- Sharylin Polopolis (Shard)
- Familiars
- Suzi
- Squeek
- Michael R. Hanson - Technocracy Mage
- Henry
- Stoneheart
- Gregor - Euthanatos Mage
- Strange Beasties
- Persephone
- Zaphrak
- Servants
Terminology[]
Anarch, Bastet (Ceilican, Bagheera, Balam, Bubasti, Khan, Pumonca, Simba, Swara and Qualmi), Bata'a, Black Spiral Dancers, Brujah, Bygone, Changeling, Church of Spiritual Renewal (Celestial Chorus), Computer Shak, Delirium, Den-Realms, Diné, Doissetep, Faerie, Fellowships: Crossovers, Corpselight Connoiseurs, SysOps Inc., Children of Springtime, Lab Rats, Oscars, Great Unwashed, Red Flag, Typing Pool, Hex Pariah, Tinkerers; Fetter, Garou, Ghoul, Glass Walkers, Gray Squirrel, Haunt, Haven House (Order of Hermes), Hedge Magic, HIT Marks, Hollow Earth, Kinfolk, Lexicon: Acolyte, Consor, Custos, Familiar, Hedge Magician; Medium, Mythic Beasts, Numina, Operative, Oscarland (Horizon Realm), Paths, The Proving Ground (Body Count), Psychic, Psychic Phenomena, Rituals, Rom, Sabbat, Spirit, Step Sideways, Technician, Tehloon, Toreador, Triumvirate, True Faith, Uktena, Vampire, Wayfaers, Werecreatures, Wraith,
References[]
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