Turms

Effect: Your character has perceived the depths of Time, and thus can act with the utmost precision, performing an action perfectly for ideal timing, or ideal efficiency. With this Merit, once per scene you can subtract –1 from your character’s Initiative for the turn to add a die to her action for the turn, or subtract a die from her action to add +1 to her Initiative. 

Effect: This Merit grants all the advantages of the Status Merit (see p. 107), except it applies to the city’s Consilium or your character’s local Order Caucus. This affords certain protections and advantages under the Lex Magica.

Your character’s position affords her certain access to her Caucus or Consilium’s stores. She can access Artifacts, Imbued Items, mentors, libraries, Grimoires, and other magical resources. The Storyteller should assign an Availability rating to the item your character seeks, related to the power level or regular Merit rating. Consider your character’s Status dots as Resources for the purpose of procuring these magical resources (see Acquiring Services, p. 228). Availability ratings assume the service or Merit will be assigned on a temporary basis (for a single story); add •• for permanent requisitions. The group assumes she’ll return it when done with it, or make amends if it’s destroyed or lost. Merits suitable for requisition include Alternate Identity, Retainer, Imbued Item, Artifact, Grimoire, Mentor, Hallow, Sanctum, Library, Advanced Library, Safe Place, Familiar, and Resources, all with Availability equal to their dot rating. The Storyteller decides if your character’s group has access to a particular magical resource; rank doesn’t summon magical storehouses into being.

Order Status unlocks certain Merits and advantages unique to that group. As well, certain spells are taught to Order members; learning them outside the Order can be difficult at best, dangerous at worst. Usually, Order Status comes with a position of responsibility. This varies from city to city by Order.

Finally, Seers of the Throne Status adds to the character’s Resources for acquiring mundane items and services.

Sleepwalkers may only buy the first dot of a single version of this Merit. A character may normally have Status in a single Order. If a character works closely with a second Order, however, she may buy the first dot of their Status but no more, and may not use them for requisitions.

The Orders are both global organizations and locally compartmentalized. If a character uses Order Status in a Caucus other than her home one, reduce her effective rating in this Merit by –1 if the Caucus is a member of the same Consilium or Assembly, –2 if it is a member of the same Convocation, and –3 if it is unrelated. 

Effect: The character can use High Speech as a Yantra in spellcasting (see p. 120). 

Effect: Your character is unnoticeable and inoffensive on a mystical level. Any time a character tries to read your character’s aura, or otherwise use magic to discern bits of truth within her, subtract your Merit dots from their pool.

Normally, a mage’s spells carry with them a hint of his Nimbus. This Merit allows a mage to hide that, to metaphysically sweep that under a rug. Your character’s Signature Nimbus is faint, vague, and couched in more symbolism and oblique references than other mages’. When someone attempts to scrutinize her Nimbus to identify her or track her, subtract your Merit dots from their rolls. The Withstanding level of sympathy for spells targeting the character has a minimum of her Occultation dots.

Drawback: If your character ever gains the Fame Merit, or becomes noticed by the public at large, you can lose this Merit.