Prerequisite: Mind 2, Matter, 2, Death 2. Craft 2.
Ruling Arcana: Mind
Yantras: Fix something with your hands (+1). Consult ephemeral representatives of broken things related to the spell (+2). Collect discarded things to be made better (+1 for mundane objects, +2 for more supernatural things). Confront subject(s) about what is broken about themselves (+1, +2 if it endangers the mage physically or socially). Any sort of upcycled/repurposed/repaired object (+1). Targeting a spell upon a willing patient (+1).
Oblations: Study a soul. Up-cycle or repair a broken complex device. Join dissimilar things into a united whole. Mentally work through a physical puzzle. Read a study on psychology or therapy. Hold a therapy session. Sift through the pieces of a broken thing to find useful bits.
Attainments
First: The Personal Library
Prerequisites: Initiation
The Phoenix does not have an encyclopedic knowledge of all things. They are merely well read in a variety of subjects and never forget anything they've seen, heard, or felt. This attainment duplicates the effects of the “Perfect Recall” spell (Mage, p. 160) on the Phoenix, remembering any event the Phoenix cares to reflect on in an instant of concentration.
Optional: Death 2 & Matter 2
Most Ebon Phoenix focus their skills and techniques upon living humans, but occasionally a more supernatural patient needs closure. Applying this attainment with an instant action, a Phoenix can emulate the “Forensic Gaze” spell (Mage, p. 128) on a corpse or object, determining what caused the manner of its destruction. In the case of an object, the Ebon Phoenix also can intuit how it might be repaired and upgraded. The attainment reveals 1 piece of relevant information per dot in the highest of their Death, Mind, or Matter Arcana.
Second: The First Session
Prerequisites: Mind 2
The Phoenix is able to read the surface thoughts of her subject. This is often used to help guide questions in a therapy session, responding to unspoken thoughts. Oaths are sometimes administered by mentors when a Phoenix reaches this level of attainment as it’s abuse can become very Left-Handed. This spell duplicates the “Mental Scan” spell (Mage, p. 159) cast Instantly and includes the +1 Reach effect to allow perceiving surface thoughts, with a Potency equal to the Phoenix’s dots in the Mind Arcana.
Optional: Death 2, Empathy 2
At a glance, Phoenix may dig beyond just the thoughts of her subject and study their soul. The Phoenix specifically can see the blemishes and exaltations of the soul, giving vague clues to the soul's weaknesses and strengths. If an Awakened Soul is attached to the body, the Phoenix cannot see all it's Legacy attainments, but an unattached Awakened soul can be thoroughly examined. This is effectively the spell “Soul Marks” (Mage, p. 128) with Reach assigned for Instant Casting and the +1 Reach effect to study Legacy Attainments. When used upon a willing patient of the Phoenix, the Phoenix can perceive symbols that reflect significant events and people who left their mark on the patient’s soul. This may require further skill rolls to interpret.
Third: Broken Brilliance
Prerequisites: Mind 3
As the Phoenix reaches this level of study and dedication, they more frequently deal with more supernatural forms of therapy, summoning Goetia or dealing with other ephemeral entities that assault the mind. With an hour's preparation, the Phoenix can shield a subject against assaults upon their mind or that of their patients, preventing the mental influence of outside forces or the assault of a goetia. This duplicates the spell “Mental Shield” (Mage, p. 160) with Reach for Advanced Duration and the +1 Reach to defend against physical Goetic attacks.
Optional: Matter 3, Crafts 3
While a Phoenix often needs to tend to a patient’s mind and soul, sometimes they need more physical support as well. For 1 Mana, the Phoenix may use this attainment to fuse broken and non-functional objects together into a new working whole over the course of an hour long ritual. For each dot in the Matter Arcanum the Phoenix has, the final object will retain that many features of the broken items as with the spell “Wonderful Machine” (Mage, p. 157). These objects are now permanently fused together as a Lasting effect. Because of this attainment, many Phoenix sanctums have a collection of broken objects, ready to be combined together to make the perfect support tools for their patients or their own works.
Fourth: Meet Thy Self
Prerequisites: Mind 4
With this attainment, the Phoenix can focus therapy like a scalpel, drawing for a source of problems from a patient to be confronted directly. The Phoenix may summon the goetia of a subject over the duration of an hour-long session, similar to the spell “Goetic Summons” (Mage, p. 162). The summoned entity remains for a number of steps on the Advanced Duration table. This entity remains in the Twilight unless the Phoenix also has Death 2. For the purposes of this attainment, a Phoenix’s office or workplace counts as a Hallow for summoning a Goetia from an Oneiros, requiring only 1 Mana to perform the summoning. (Goetic Summons, Reach for Advanced Duration & Oneiros)
Optional: Matter 4
In the event that the Phoenix is carrying for a patient who is also an ephemeral entity, or they merely need a vessel to assist an ally, the Phoenix can form one from wreckage. The Phoenix may spend an hour gathering together broken objects to make a golem. Bicycle frames are twisted into a lean aluminum and steel body, electronics wobble together to show a face. Skeletons of the dead clatter together like a marionette. This duplicates the “Golem” spell (Mage, p. 158) with some restrictions: This golem cannot be used as a Retainer by itself, but must be used as a vessel for an ephemeral being or soul, and the golem itself must be made from discarded parts which take a form as dictated by the Phoenix, to a maximum of Size 5. It lasts for a number of steps on the Advanced Duration table equal to the dots in the Matter Arcana the Phoenix has.
Fifth: Turning Over a New Leaf
Prerequisites: Mind 5
When a subject appears to be beyond help, a Phoenix may provide more direct assistance, relieving tension, or providing challenges to their mind. This attainment duplicates the effects of the spell “Psychic Reprogramming” (Mage, p. 164) with Reach for Instant Casting and Advanced Duration, allowing the effects to last for up to a year. Up to 5 aspects of the subject can be changed, but an unwilling target can withstand the effects with Resolve.
Optional: Death 5, Empathy 3
As a last resort, a Phoenix may spend an hour within a patient’s Oneiros to surgically excise a Goetia from a subject, removing it from a subject's Oneiros and severing it's anchors to the subject. This spell strips Influences and connections it has to the Oneiros that spawned it, forcing the Goetia into Twilight outside of the patient’s body. This effect can be Withstood by the Goetia’s Rank but the effects are Lasting. For truly troublesome Goetia, a Phoenix may need to take additional steps to ensure it is properly dealt with after the fact, though some Phoenix make Familiars of the more useful removed Goetia.