Spirit

Spirit is one of the ten Arcana of Mage: The Awakening. It is the ruling Subtle Arcanum of the Primal Wild, paired with Life. Spirit magic can affect all aspects of the Shadow Realm; with it, a mage may perceive twilight spirits, command them to do her bidding, cross the Gauntlet between worlds and, like the Death Arcanum, affect the human soul. The Arcanum of Spirit governs interaction between the material and spiritual realms of the Fallen World. It deals with communion with spirits, manipulation of Essence, and control over the Shadow Realm. A mage skilled in the use of this Arcanum can see across the Gauntlet, summon spirits into objects, creatures, or directly into the material realm, enter the Shadow Realm, and even create his own spirit court. This Arcanum is primarily used by the Thyrsus, and they draw their title of Shamans from its power.

Spirit magic cannot affect ghosts, and Death cannot affect spirits; they are different classes of being, despite both being made of ephemera. Indeed, spirits cannot usually be affected by any spell that does not make use of this Arcanum or Mind. Though both Spirit and Death may be used to affect souls, Spirit is limited to protecting or restoring them; Death grants greater control, though there are some affects it cannot duplicate.

Its associated summoning is the Totem and the Exarch who supervises it is the Nemesis. Within Astral Space, Spirit is incorporated through the Aeon known as the Snake.

Influences

Exorcism, the Shadow Realm, soul retrieval, spirits, the Gauntlet.

Nature and Power

The Arcanum of Spirit is the Subtle Arcanum of the Supernal Realm of the Primal Wild, a realm from which the energies of Arcanum of Life also flow. The Primal Wild is a place where even the very land seems to be alive. The realm is lashed by the elements, storms slamming at each other across the sky as though the weapons of warring gods. This assumption, overly poetic though it is, is true. The Primal Wild is alive with mighty spirits, dwelling inside every phenomenon to be found there. Indeed, the Realm itself is alive, a rank 10 spirit in its own right, and everything within that place is as a cell in the body of a terrestrial organism. With the separation of the Supernal and Shadow Realms from the material world, the Fallen World is by no means as awash in spirits as it once was. But they aren’t gone.

Unlike most of the Subtle Arcana, the Arcanum of Spirit’s primary realm of influence remains within the Fallen World, not separated from the material sphere by the Abyss. This is the Shadow Realm. Though it is technically a part of the Realms Invisible, the Shadow Realm is somewhat closer to the material world than the Supernal Realms. There is still a harsh barrier, the Gauntlet, but this barricade is weaker than that of the Abyss, and its strength fluctuates. In places, called verges, the Gauntlet doesn’t even exist, and even in the places where the Gauntlet is strongest, a determined enough traveller from either side can penetrate it, with the proper tools.

For mages, the Arcanum of Spirit provides those tools. It can be used to cross the Gauntlet, or to call something from the other side. Sufficiently powerful mages can even materialise such beings in their true forms on the other side of the barrier, without needing to bind them into an object or creature. A mage can alter the strength of the Gauntlet, bond familiars with a mortal master, tear at the Corpus of spirits or make shields against their powers, or awaken the spirits slumbering in objects. He can create paths through the Gauntlet, allowing travellers to pass to and from Twilight, and he can regulate access to these roads. He can reattach stolen souls to their original owners or store them inside objects. His powers can heal the bodies of spirits, weave Essence out of Mana and store it in containers or gift it to an allied spirit, alter the nature of spirits or create new ones, even give himself a rank in the courts of the spirits. As the power of a mage using the Arcanum of Spirit grows, he becomes less and less of this world, connected to one of a very few of the Realms Invisible that can still be reached and touched by mankind.

Levels of Mastery

Initiate (●)

With the power of the first level of mastery, an Initiate of Spirit gains the power to see, hear, and converse with spirits in their own language. He can determine the strength of the surrounding area’s Gauntlet using the Mage Sight, detect the presence of spirit creatures possessing corporeal beings, and can rouse the spirits of material objects slightly, not actually awakening them but making his use of them a little easier.

NAME	OTHER ARCANA	PAGE	REQ	SOURCE	DESCRIPTION	ROTE POOL	ASPECT
Coaxing the Spirits		245		M:tA	gain bonus from spirit of item	Manipulation + Socialize + Spirit	Covert
Counterspell		123	●	M:tA	counter Spirit spells	Composure + Occult + Spirit	Covert
Exorcist's Eye		245		M:tA	determine if target is possessed	Wits + Occult + Spirit	Covert
Gremlins		72		TotM	hinder usage of touched object	Presence + Intimidation + Spirit	Covert
Otherworldly Instrument	Death 1	18		TotM	create ephemeral tool for Spirits and Ghosts to use	Dexterity + Crafts + Spirit	Covert
Second Sight		246		M:tA	Mage Sight	Intelligence + Occult + Spirit	Covert
Spirit Tongue		246		M:tA	see and speak with Spirits in Twilight	Presence + Socialize + Spirit	Covert

Apprentice (●●)

The second level of mastery allows an Apprentice of Spirit to grant his perceptions of the Gauntlet upon others, and can glimpse across the Gauntlet into the Shadow Realm proper. He may summon lesser spirits (a specific spirit or simply lesser spirits in general, as he pleases) to attend to him. This compulsion may be voluntary or forceful, but he cannot make the summoned spirits manifest or command them yet. The mage may create soul jars, vessels in which to store disembodied souls. He can reach into the Gauntlet and Twilight, allowing him to physically interact with spirits and spirit objects, and allowing them to affect him in turn. His powers may be used to alter the strength of the local Gauntlet, so long as he is near a Hallow, and can create a shield to protect himself from the attacks of physical or ephemeral entities.

NAME	OTHER ARCANA	PAGE	REQ	SOURCE	DESCRIPTION	ROTE POOL	ASPECT
Analyze Spirit	opt Death 1 and/or Mind 1	204		Myst	determine general powers of a Spirit/Ghost/psychic construct		Covert
Communion with the Messenger	Prime 2	89		MT	summon Shadow denizen for information		Covert
Cowing the Spirit		187		AA	reduce Equipment bonus of item by -1/suxx		Covert
Ephemeral Shield		246		M:tA	Shielding	Stamina + Occult + Spirit	Vulgar
Gossamer Touch		247	(x)	M:tA	touch entities in Twilight	Dexterity + Athletics + Spirit	Covert
Grant the Second Sight		247		M:tA	grant Mage sight	Manipulation + Persuasion + Spirit	Covert
Invitation to the Orishas		76		MT	permit possession by powerful Spirits		Covert
Lesser Spirit Summons		247		M:tA	summon Spirit by name or issue general call in Twilight	Presence + Persuasion + Spirit vs. Resistance trait	Covert
Peer Across the Gauntlet		247		M:tA	see into Shadow	Wits + Occult + Spirit	Covert
Place of Power		247	(x)	M:tA	raise or lower Gauntlet in Hallow	Resolve + Survival + Spirit	Vulgar
Read Spirit		188		AA	determine a Spirit's Ban		Covert
Soul Jar		248		M:tA	create a vessel for a freed Soul		Covert
Spirit Pact		129	●	TotM	item crafting, alternate relinquishment cost - fulfill quest for spirit	Presence + Occult + Spirit	Covert
Spiritual Bulwark		23		TotM	protect against non-attack Numina	Composure + Occult + Spirit	Covert

Disciple (●●●)

A Disciple of Spirit, with the third level of mastery, can forge pacts with willing spirits, creating a familiar for himself. He may directly interact with the Corpus of spirits, rending it with arcane power or fixing wounds within its substance. He may perform exorcisms, driving possessing spirits out of their hosts, and may directly command them with magic, forcing them to submit to his will. His ability to call spirits to him extends, allowing him to summon spirits of all levels of power to his side, though he still cannot make them directly manifest in the material world. He may create a shield to ward off the Numina employed by spirits, as well as the gifts used by werewolves. He may create pathways through the Gauntlet, allowing free passage between the Shadow Realm and material world (though spirits that enter the world by this path come into it in the state of Twilight). The spirits of inanimate objects can be roused to action, giving it intelligence, a limited measure of power that grows over time, and the ability to affect beings in Twilight. The mage can reattach severed souls to their original owners, and can reach out directly into the Shadow Realm, allowing him to interact with the spiritual world (and also allowing the spirits there to interact with him).

NAME	OTHER ARCANA	PAGE	REQ	SOURCE	DESCRIPTION	ROTE POOL	ASPECT
Alien Highway		68	(x)●	Ban	as Spirit Road, but random chance to open to Shadow, Earth, outer space or the Abyss		Vulgar
Control Spirit		248		M:tA	force Spirit to obey commands	Presence + Intimidation + Spirit vs. Resistance	Covert
Create Fetish Tattoo	Life 2/3	73	(x)●	TotM	make a tattoo suitable to house a spirit for Create Fetish	Stamina + Crafts + Spirit	Vulgar
Ephemeral Wall		248		M:tA	grant Mage Armor	Stamina + Occult + Spirit	Covert
Exorcism		248		M:tA	expel a Spirit that is possessing a target	Presence + Intimidation + Spirit vs. Power + Resistance	Covert
Familiar Pact		249	●	M:tA	bind a willing Spirit to yourself as a Familiar	Manipulation + Socialize + Spirit	Covert
Greater Spirit Summons		249	(x)	M:tA	summon Spirit by name in Twilight or Shadow	Presence + Persuasion + Spirit vs. Resistance	Vulgar
Harm Spirit		249	(x)	M:tA	inflict lethal damage on Spirits	Strength + Athletics + Spirit - Resistance	Vulgar
Hone the Pack Spirit	Life 2	57	●	GoG	give sophisticated instructions to a group of animals		Covert
Nullify Shadow Resonance	Prime 3	195		SotT	negate the influence of the Shadow on Resonance of an area		Covert
Numinous Shield		249		M:tA	protect against Spirit Numina	Stamina + Occult + Spirit	Covert
Otherworldly Armory	Matter 3; opt Space 3	201		SL	pull spirit across Gauntlet and transform it into appropriate item		Vulgar
Reaching		250	(x)	M:tA	touch across Gauntlet	Dexterity + Athletics + Spirit	Vulgar
Restore Corpus		250	(x)	M:tA	heal damage to Spirits	Composure + Empathy + Spirit	Vulgar
Restore Lost Soul		250		M:tA	bind a freed Soul to a Soulless target	Presence + Empathy + Spirit	Covert
Rouse Spirit		250	(x)	M:tA	waken latent Spirit inside an object to assist you	Manipulation + Persuasion + Spirit	Vulgar
Spirit Road		251	(x)●	M:tA	create Portal across Gauntlet	Resolve + Survival + Spirit	Vulgar
Spirit Steed	opt Space 2 and/or Fate 2	188	●	AA	bind a Spirit to use as transport in a pinch		Covert
Summon Cryptid	Life 3, Space 2	29		Summ	call a cryptid out of a Verge or other hiding place		Vulgar
Summon Supernal Being		73		Summ	(Thyrsus only) call a Totem from the Primal Wild, with difficulty		Covert
The Divining Spirit	Time 3	138		MT	converse with a Spirit from another time		Vulgar

Adept (●●●●)

An Adept of Spirit, using the fourth level of mastery, can create a Medicine Bag, a mundane object which can be used to store spiritual Essence. He may channel this Essence from the bag or from a spirit or locusand gift it to another spirit or place it within another container. His power to bind familiars increases, allowing him to grant a familiar to someone other than himself. He may create fetishes, trapping spirits within objects in order to utilise their powers, or bind them as guardians to people, objects, or places. He gains the ability to control access to his spirit roads, barring those whom he wills from travelling these paths. He may bind spirits in the material world, trapping them in Twilight unless they have to power to materialise, or cause such spirits to possess a living creature, wilfully or otherwise.

NAME	OTHER ARCANA	PAGE	REQ	SOURCE	DESCRIPTION	ROTE POOL	ASPECT
Activate Spirit	Prime 4	109	(x)●	GoG	exchange Mana for forced use of a Spirit's Numina or Influence		Vulgar
Bind Spirit		251	(x)	M:tA	restrict Spirit to a location	Presence + Intimidation + Spirit vs. Resistance	Vulgar
Create Fetish		252	(x)●	M:tA	bind Spirit to object as Fetish	Resolve + Persuasion + Spirit vs. Resistance	Vulgar
Essence Gift	Prime 4	252		M:tA	convert Mana to Essence	Presence + Socialize + Spirit	Covert
Goetic Evocation	Mind 4	324	(x)●	M:tA	bring forth inner demon as Spirit entity	Resolve + Occult + Spirit	Vulgar
Grant Familiar		253	●	M:tA	grant target a bond with a willing Spirit as a Familiar	Presence + Persuasion + Spirit	Covert
Living Land	Fate 2	69		GoG	coax Spirit of an area against foes		Covert
Medicine Bag		253	●	M:tA	create repository for Essence	Intelligence + Crafts + Spirit	Covert
Outer Channel	Space 4	144		Summ	call a quincunx entity (or other mad being)		Vulgar
Road Master		254	●	M:tA	transition to Shadow without Portal; control access to Portal across Gauntlet	Wits + Occult + Spirit	Covert
Sacramental Chain		253		M:tA	grant Essence to Spirit	Manipulation + Occult + Spirit - Resistance	Covert
Spirit Guardian		253	(x)	M:tA	bind Spirit to a target as a guardian	Presence + Persuasion + Spirit vs. Resistance	Vulgar
Spirit Possession		253	(x)	M:tA	grant Spirit the Possession Numen	Presence + Persuasion + Spirit vs. Resistance	Vulgar
Spiritual Ascension	Life 4	86		GoG	transform user's body into Spirit ephemera		Vulgar

Master (●●●●●)

At the fifth level of mastery, a Master of Spirit’s power to affect the strength of the local Gauntlet becomes great enough to allow him to increase or decrease its power without needing a nearby Hallow. He may temporarily alter the powers, influences, and fundamental nature of a spirit, or even create one from scratch. He may bring the material forms of spirits out of Twilight and into the material world, even if they cannot normally materialise there, and may create a safe haven within the Shadow Realm. He may also create for himself a spirit court in which he is the most powerful noble, giving himself a spirit rank in the process. Spirits of lesser power will seek to attach themselves to this court, and he may quickly gain much influence within the Shadow Realm.

NAME	OTHER ARCANA	PAGE	REQ	SOURCE	DESCRIPTION	ROTE POOL	ASPECT
Control Gauntlet		254	(x)	M:tA	alter Gauntlet in any location	Resolve + Survival + Spirit	Vulgar
Dragon's Call	Prime 5	149	(x)s	KST	call a Dragon from the Supernal inside a Hallow		Vulgar
Invoke Twilight		29	(x)●	AR	create a state of Twilight in an Astral Realm		Vulgar
Materialize Spirit		254	(x)●	M:tA	force Spirit to materialize	Presence + Intimidation + Spirit	Vulgar
Secret Marriage		152	(x)	TotM	bind Spirit to a homunculus	Intelligence + Occult + Spirit	Vulgar
Shadow Slave	Death 3	255	(x)●	M:tA	create animate shadow spirits	Presence + Intimidation + Spirit	Vulgar
Shape Spirit		255	(x)	M:tA	create or alter Spirit natures	Intelligence + Occult + Spirit vs. Resistance	Vulgar
Spirit Court		255		M:tA	establish yourself in Spirit hierarchy	Intelligence + Occult + Spirit	Covert
Spirit Manse		256		M:tA	create bulwarks in Shadow	Composure + Occult + Spirit	Covert
Summon Royal Avatar		27		Summ	call to an avatar of a royal spirit (Rank 6+)		Vulgar

Imperial Practices

Archmasters are rare but not unheard of. They don’t follow the same rules as the other ranks. Archmasters become Avatars of the Arcanum they studied, living embodiments of the Watchtower their power comes from. They become conduits for power and are no longer barred from their power by the Abyss and so aren’t subject to Paradox. They take on the physical characteristics of their Arcanum. They should be addressed as Arcs (i.e. an Arc of Death). Archmasters can cast all the spells from Initiate to Master, without using any Mana, and in any preferred duration. They effectively gain the powers of a God, including limited immortality (e.g. they stop getting older, and become immune to all diseases), but they’re still human beings and as such can be killed just like anybody else should they become careless. They still suffer penalties of their Inferior Arcanum; a mage can’t over come that until he/she has become an Arc of that inferior Arcanum. Archmasters no longer belong soley to the planet of their birth; they become citizens of the cosmos, so their concerns must move beyond their home planet to the wider Universe.

Archmasters of Spirit can force spirits to only feed from a specific type of spirit or essense. They can alter the local Gauntlet to adapt depending on the spirit testing it. Seekers can create, alter, or outright remove a given spirit's ban or numina, and often have voices that take on an unnatural, albeit strangely compelling echo. This compulsion does not affect humans, ghosts, or vampires, they can only hear the echo when/if the Arc wishes. However, the voice does affect spirits and to some extent, shapechangers, like the Uratha (with werewolves are part spirit, part animal). All spirits of the Arc's rank or lower must obey this voice, and it can potentially calm the Uratha, even when under the effects of Death Rage.

When a Mage becomes an Archmaster of Spirit, they automatically gain spirit rank of 7 and above. They can peer across the Gauntlet, regardless of strength, like most people look outside a window. They can cross and recross the Guantlet, again regardless of strength, like most people do the street. They can physically walk into twilight, allowing them to literally pass through walls. They can create loci anywhere, can control the strength of the Guantlet in a certain area so that nothing can get through it. Arcs of Spirit can create chantries rooted in the Shadow, or create a permanant Shadow within a Chantry. They can invent new numen, and may have as many familiars as they want.

Archmastery 6 (●●●●● ●)

Bypassing Mage Armor or other defensive magics by automatically probing for weak points.

Spells that force the creation of a hybridized “magath” spirit by allowing a targeted spirit to only feed on spirits that would cause it to evolve in the desired way. Gauntlet strength that varies according to the spirits testing it.

Archmastery 7 (●●●●● ●●)

Claim an unoccupied Chantry, incorporating it into the caster’s soul. “Adoption” of orphaned sub-souls using the Arcanum used in their creation. Create an Artifact that casts spells of the Arcanum. Create a Demesne of the Arcanum. Create or alter Legacies with attainments based on the Arcanum. Create Proximi with spells of the Arcanum as powers. Alter whether the targeted Arcanum is Ruling, Common or Inferior for a targeted mage. Alter how many spells of the Arcanum a mage may maintain spell control over, or how they affect spell tolerance. Alter the spell factors, target and other details of a spell of the Arcanum.

Alter a Spirit’s ban and numina. Alter werewolf templates (with Conjunctional Life), Gifts and lodges. Alter the properties of the Gauntlet or Shadow. Dictate how the target may spend or regain Essence, or grant the ability to gain and spend that trait. Invent and grant new spiritual numina.

Removal of a Legacy with attainments based on the Arcanum. Removal of a supernatural ability governed by the Arcanum (such as Mind to remove a vampire’s ability to use the Dominate Discipline). Dispelling an Imperial Spell cast using the Arcanum. Removing a mage’s ability to use the Arcanum. Destruction of an Artifact based on the Arcanum.

Removing aspects of a werewolf’s template (with Conjunctional Life) or a spirit’s powers. Destroying the Gauntlet. Removing a spirit’s ban.

NAME	OTHER ARCANA	PAGE	REQ	SOURCE	DESCRIPTION	ROTE POOL	ASPECT
Imperial Dispellation		38		IM	dispel Imperial Death spells		Not listed

Archmastery 8 (●●●●● ●●●)

Create a Chantry rooted in the material world. Create an Ochema that lacks the Imperial Practices or possesses archmastery of the Arcanum used. Create a portal to the Supernal Realm that has the Arcanum used as a Ruling Arcanum.

Create a Chantry rooted in the Shadow, or build a “Shadow” (complete with Gauntlet) of the archmaster’s design inside the Chantry itself.

NAME	OTHER ARCANA	PAGE	REQ	SOURCE	DESCRIPTION	ROTE POOL	ASPECT
Proxy		39		IM	create living sub-souls		Unlisted

Archmastery 9 (●●●●● ●●●●)

NAME	OTHER ARCANA	PAGE	REQ	SOURCE	DESCRIPTION	ROTE POOL	ASPECT
Transfiguration		39		IM	gain complete control over the Arcana		Not listed

In Conjunction With Other Arcana

Death

A Master of Spirit and Disciple of Death can summon shadows and infuse them with a guiding spirit, creating a blot of raging darkness that serves as a thrall to the caster. This shadow creature can be contained within a corpse, or simply employed in its unbound form, as the mage pleases.

Prime

An Adept of both Spirit and Prime can convert his Mana into Essence, and gift this Essence to a spirit as a trade object or store it within a vessel for later retrieval. This spell is often used to entice familiars or to create a fetish.