See Free Council for all of the lore, but beware, the book is super outdated
Doctrine
Parentage: Thyrsus, Free Council
Prerequisites: Mind 2, Expression 2, and 2 dots between Crafts, Empathy, and Persuasion
Initiation: After convincing your Tutor of your worthiness, enter the Astral alongside them, arriving in a Temenos realm of their choice. Then, without the aid of Magic, find your way through the Temenos to the Realm of the Imagineers. Once arrived, share with your mentor the knowledge and wisdom you have gained along the way, then work together to craft your soul.
Magic:
Ruling: Mind
Yantras: Succeed on an Expression roll relevant to the skill (+2), draw upon Sleeper knowledge and creativity in conceptualizing your Imago (+1), enter the Temenos and draw upon the information held within to enhance your Imago (separate to any other Yantras gained through doing so such as Sacrament, or whether you are in the Astral when casting the spell) (+2), use drugs, sex, or some other method to achieve a state of altered consciousness (+1, +2 if this imposes a negative Condition, or is particularly involved)
Oblations: Artistic brainstorming (doodling, sketching, free-writing, and such); handicrafts (from knitting and needlepoint to metalworking and whittling); reading inspirational texts; telling stories (especially to an appreciative and imaginative audience).
Attainments:
First Attainment Dreaming Doorway
Pre-Requisite: Initiation
While all Mages are capable of entering the Astral, the Imagineers are tied more closely to that realm than perhaps any other, including the Dreamspeakers. By merely meditating and concentrating on their own knowledge, wisdom and creativity, they may draw upon its connection to the Temenos to pull their consciousness into the Astral.
Mechanically, this Attainment replicates the Astral Adept (•••) merit, granting the Imagineer the ability to perform a ritual linking them to the Temenos by spending a point of Willpower, and succeeding on a Resolve + Composure test, ignoring all penalties.
Atypical Attainment, granting what is essentially a 3-dot merit, but really, Astral Adept is ludicrously overpriced. Ludicrously, so granting it as the first-dot Attainment is, I feel, equitable.
Optional Arcanum: Spirit 1
Imagineers are frequently learned not only in the Mind Arcanum, but also that of Spirit, and through their
dual tutelage learn of the various similarities between the self-directed Memes of the gestalt human
consciousness, and the resonant spiritual echo of human activity. Through this knowledge, Imagineers can
read the very nature of both entities with but a glance, allowing them to more easily sift through the
knowledge of the Astral, and the Shadow, should they desire.
As an Instant Action, the Imagineer may ask a number of questions about the inherent nature of any Goetia or Spirit they can perceive equal to the lower of their dots in the Mind or Spirit Arcanum. This furthermore grants the Imagineer an Informed Condition relating to that entity. Note that this Condition cannot be used on spellcasting.
Know Spirit, but it works on Goetia or Spirits.
Second Attainment: Meme Complex
Pre-Requisite: Mind 2
Imagineers are strongly versed in the knowledge of the Astral, and are frequent visitors to their own
Oneiros, meeting their Daimon as well as their hopes, fears, ambition, dread and loves. Not to mention
prejudices, hates, regrets, and secrets. Drawing upon this multifaceted understanding of their own
consciousness, many Imagineers learn how to separate the interacting memes and personae of their mind.
Upon developing this Attainment, the Imagineer develops several Goetia within their Temenos, representing their conceptualization of several sub-personalities. These Goetia may well have their own shadow names, personalities, and interests, however they are ultimately still a vital part of the Mage’s own mind, rather than separate entities. These entities can undertake Mental or Social tasks relating to information the Mage is either experiencing, or can remember, essentially permitting them to undertake several tasks at once. Mechanically, while these entities remain within the Astral, no matter how many the Mage can conceptualize, they are permitted to undertake two Instant Mental tests at the same time, or 3 Mental or Social Extended actions at once.
One Mind Two Thoughts, Advanced Duration, Instant Task actions, with a bit more fluff to make it a bit cool. You’ve split your mind into several cooperating entities representing your knowledge and understanding.
Optional Arcanum: Spirit 2
The Temenos is a realm to which every human calls home, as they either draw from, or contribute to its vast
knowledge (depending on your perspective). Understanding this, and drawing upon the raw dominance of
Spirit, the Imagineer can learn how to impose their own demands upon the collective unconscious. While
many Imagineers would drastically prefer to negotiate or mediate with the Goetia of the Temenos, the spirit
of mankind is frequently less understanding, and must be convinced to obey. As an Instant Action, and
through verbally ordering a Goetia or Spirit to obey, the Mage may compel them to undertake within the
scene, a number of actions equal to the quantity by which the lower of their dots in the Mind or Spirit
Arcanum exceeds the Spirit’s Rank.
Command Spirit, less “understanding” than many would like, but the Temenos contains Goetia of every heinous act and perspective mankind has ever concocted, and most of them do NOT listen to reason.
Third Attainment: Manifest Idea
Pre-Requisite: Mind 3, Spirit 3
Imagineers understand well that the Temenos contains great wisdom, and potent memes. While entering
the realm in search of power and knowledge to bring back into the material is well and good, there will
always be times when something a little more... Physical is required. In a Scene-long ritual, and by spending a
point of Willpower the Imagineer may seek to manifest within physicality a Goetia or “object” from the
Temenos. Unless the Imagineer has access to another point of access to the Astral, they will need to spend a
second point of Willpower to activate their Dreaming Doorway through which the subject might be
accessed. Alternatively, the Mage may seek to summon one of the Goetia they have developed though their
Meme Complex Attainment, in which case the character and ST should collaborate to provide appropriate
attributes to this entity.
Unless the Goetia is willing, the Imagineer may only summon an entity whose Rank they exceed with their dots in the higher of their Mind or Spirit Arcanum. In the case of objects, no such requirement exists, unless it is normally held by a Goetia (such as the Meme of a legendary weapon is held by its bearer) in which case it is Withstood by Rank as per normal.
Once summoned the entity gains the Materialized Condition, however there is no enforced guarantee that the Goetia will follow the Imagineer’s commands, and unless they resort to the use of Meme Complex, they will need to negotiate or plead with them, a situation where Dreaming Doorway is of use. Such entities will remain manifested for a period not exceeding a day, rising to a week at Mind/Spirit 4.
Goetic Summons, ritual speed, limited to the Temenos only, and lasting for a week. It’s a Gnosis 4 Attainment, I feel it’s pretty balanced.
Fourth Attainment: Project Mind
Pre-Requisite: Mind 4
Imagineers are well accustomed to existence as a projected thought-form, experiencing much of their life in
the Astral this way, such an existence in the material is however a very different matter. Through use of this
Attainment, Imagineers gain the ability to expand their psychic sojourns into the material instead, exploring
the world as a thought-form, unshackled from physical existence, potentially sharing this exploration with
others as well. In a Scene-long ritual, the Imagineer may project the consciousness of themselves, as well as
up to two companions into Twilight, or another’s Dreams. Such a state can lasts for an exceedingly long time
(a Month, or Year at Mind 5), however their companions are not trapped with them, and may choose to exit
such a state reflexively, snapping back into their bodies with a jolt.
Psychic Projection, Advanced Duration. Secondary factors into 3 targets, for your Companions. Works on Sleepers too. You madman. Only Potency 1, so if people don’t like it, they can get out.
Optional Arcanum: Spirit 4
Where the Imagineer learns to project consciousness with significant freedom, they also learn the secretive
avenues of the psyche through which other entities can be granted access, for better or worse. With a strong
enough understanding of the Spiritual links through which essence can be bound to the material, an
Imagineer who is an Adept of Spirit can possess others, or become possessed themselves by a Goetia or
Spirit.
Rarely if ever used for malign purposes Imagineers make use of this Attainment to temporarily wholly embody Memes, or allow others to become muses, providing the inspiration only ephemeral entities can. Unless the subjects (both the entity and the host) are willing, then this Attainment is Withstood by the higher of their Resolve or Rank, whichever is applicable, with an additional +1 if they both resist, and contested by the Mage’s dots in the higher of their Mind or Spirit Arcanum. If successful, the human gains the Possessed Condition as the entity enters their mind. Such a Condition lasts for at most a week, unless the Imagineer chooses to end it early, or any subject chooses to raise their Withstand.
A really, REALLY fucking weird alternative Attainment, but then again the Imagineers are the kind of people who’d hang out with an artsy crowd, and get one of them to be possessed by the Goetia of postmodernism.
Fifth Attainment: “Memeorphosis”
Pre-Requisite: Mind 5, Spirit 5
A secretive, unnamed Attainment learned only by the most powerful, and devoted Imagineers, this power is
the purview of those Mages who have grown so powerful and learned, that they seek to find immortality
through existence within the Temenos as a thought, uncaring of the lesser concerns of flesh and mortality.
The true nature of what this Attainment involves is not held within any library, Libertine Lorehouse, or
Mysterium Athenaeum, and must be sought individually. Ardent Temenophiles however, it is an open secret
amidst the highest echelons of the Legacy that those who seek this Path must find those Imagineers in the
Temenos who have already performed this ritual.
As befits a Legacy about the knowledge and power of the Temenos, some even suggest that it involves a kind of half-Ascension, BECOMING the Attainment, a thought itself. From there, could not one seek to step fully into the Supernal and Ascend? If any know, it would be those dark, powerful Masters who live within the depths of the human psyche, Liches so distanced from the concerns of their own Orders, that for the wellbeing of both parties, they live in exile.