Reality Stalkers

Second Attainment: Gazing Through the Cracks

Pre-Requisite: Space 2

Beyond mere detection of spatial cracks and distortions, a sufficiently advanced Reality Stalker can utilize his understanding of space to gaze through a crack to perceive distant locations. As an Instant Action, the Sneak can utilize an immediately available crack to open a scrying window to any location which he has perceived before in at least in a high-quality photograph. This widened crack is one-sided and perceivable only in active Space Mage Sight, but may be seen through by another Space Mage using an appropriate Unveiling spell. Such a window opens within a specified part of the subject scene, and cannot be moved for the duration of the Attainment, however further activations may cause the new window to open in another part of the viewed scene.

The window visible through the crack is open only for a short few turns (2, 3 at Space 4), but may be maintained by the Sneak longer than this through concentration. In addition to this, the Sneak may only peer through a crack to a location to which his dots in the Space Arcanum exceeds the Sympathetic Range Withstand of his connection. Should the Mage only have a photograph of the location, he may instead draw upon its Sympathy to the location, and may open such a widow if his Space dots exceed its Sympathy (a judgement of sympathy should be based on the recentness of the photograph, but should be Medium at best).

Scrying, Reach into Instant Casting, as well as Sensory Range, and Sympathetic Range. That’s two in excess, but you need a crack to scry through, and your Potency is very limited.

Optional Arcanum: Mind 2
Drawing upon the understanding they have gleaned through manipulating the cracks in reality, a Sneak advanced in the Mind Arcanum learns how to hide herself in the flaws and discontinuities in the minds of others. As an Instant Action and by spending a point of Mana the Sneak may render themselves imperceptible to any conscious being, as they ‘slip between the cracks’. Should any such individual have some form of Supernatural psychic detection, this will provoke a Clash of Wills with the Sneak. This power lasts until the end of the scene, and ceases to operate on any witnessing individual should they bear witness to any overtly violent act perpetuated by the Sneak. The Mage may break a window, or knock someone unconscious if no-one else is present, but if another views such an act, they snap out of their distracted state.

Incognito Presence, reach into Instant Casting and Advanced Duration. Self-only, no additional spell factors, and Scene duration. That, plus the ‘no violent actions’ clause should be enough to balance the excess reach.

Third Attainment: Cracking Open the Flaws

Pre-Requisite: Space 3
Having studied the cracks in reality, and peered through them, the Reality Stalker reaches a new height in their power, and gains the ability to crack such a flaw open and pass through it to a distant location. While perceiving through a crack utilizing ‘Gazing through the Cracks’, the Sneak may spend an instant action to pass themselves, or any other item of size 5 or less through that crack either to, or from the other location, literally pushing or pulling them through the flaw in space.

The Sneak can only move such subjects through the crack to parts of the scene which they can personally reason through the crack, however repeated uses of ‘Gazing through the Cracks’ should permit them to move the window to newer vantage points, allowing them to essentially clean out the relevant room, without personally stepping through the crack.

A weird version of Co-location or apportation, with a fuckload of Reach. It’s kinda like Teleportation, but not so much. You’re pushing/pulling something through the scrying window. Not quite opening a portal. Not quite teleportation. It only lasts for an instant, so no duration, etc. To teleport a bunch of people in and out of a room will thus require quite a bit of time next to a crack to keep the window open, and pull individual people through.

Optional Arcanum: Mind 3
Just as the Sneak can pull things through the cracks in space, those with sufficiently advanced understandings of Mind can pull the thoughts out of another’s mind, or project their own through their own mental cracks and flaws. As an Instant Action, the Sneak can establish telepathic contact with a subject, either pulling the thoughts out of their conscious mind, or projecting her own thoughts in. This requires the Mage be close enough to succeed on a Ranged Attack Roll, and if successful the Mage’s dots in the Mind Arcanum must still exceed the subject’s Composure. If this is the case, then for the remainder of the scene, the Mage may either project their own thoughts, or read the subject’s thoughts.

In the latter case, when utilizing this information against another in social circumstances, this can grant a bonus equal to the amount by which the Mage’s dots in the Mind Arcanum exceed the subject’s Composure. At the discretion of the ST, this may also grant a bonus in certain other circumstances, such as anticipating combat actions, knowing which way they will run in a chase, etc.

Telepathy, Reach into Instant Casting, Advanced Duration. Duration cut down to a scene for the sake of sensibility. Only works one-way, decided when cast, to avoid the thematic issues of both hearing each other’s thoughts.

Fourth Attainment: The World is Cracked

Pre-Requisite: Space 4
The Sneak’s understanding of the fractured nature of reality has expanded to such an extent that they can sense the underlying flaws in the lie of distance, and adjust their way ‘through’ space accordingly. As an Instant Action, the Mage may shift themselves along the cracks in reality to any point within sensory range. Squeezing through the cracks in such a way allows the Sneak to bypass most obstacles and escape any restraint by stepping ‘out’ along a fault-line in reality. Should the Sneak seek to step into an area currently spatially warded, then this will provoke a Clash of Wills, as the Mage attempts to bypass the ward that another has constructed, their own Will attempting to compensate for Fallen reality.

Teleportation, reach into Instant Casting, given you automatically get half of sensory range.

Optional Arcanum: Mind 4
The Sneak has progressed beyond merely pulling or pushing thoughts through the cracks in other’s minds, and can now push entire false thought trains and hallucinations through the cracks. As an Instant Action and with a Ranged Attack roll (or a touch), the Sneak can force a singular illusion into a subject’s Mind so long as their dots in the Mind Arcanum exceeds the subject’s Composure.

Such an illusion can take any form, and operate on any scape, including the arrival of an entire SWAT team, the subject’s pants bursting into fire, ants crawling out of his every orifice, or even the ground around him falling away into a black nothingness. Such an illusion is not long-lasting however, without the Mage being present to reinforce it, and will last for up to 3 rounds.

Hallucination, with Reach into Instant Casting. It’s best to use it on someone who’s close by, and run, or throw it to distract them from a distance. Short distance, and so forth, but it can be potentially incredible in operation, creating any hallucination you can think of. Well worth the short duration.

Fifth Attainment: Tame the Flaws

Pre-Requisite: Space 5
Tearing open a flaw wholly, the Sneak can carve out a space within a crack to serve as a sanctum, a hiding place, or a prison. In doing so, the Sneak creates a pocket dimension, a realm without the flow of time (but within which action can be taken), with no twilight, and no matter. One cannot suffocate, starve, age, heal, or suffer the benefits or costs of any condition which would progress over a period of time, while in this pocket dimension. Furthermore, being a non-place, spells cast within this area do not suffer from Paradox, even with Sleeper witnesses.

To craft such a pocket dimension requires the Sneak perform a ritual which takes a scene to perform. Many Masters of the Legacy use this attainment to create pocket dimensions to hide all manner of useful tools, treasures, and prisoners. Entire Athenaea of treasures could be hidden away in the cracks in reality, known of and accessible only to the Sneaks who forged them.

Quarantine, Reach into Advanced Duration. Pretty simple, but effective.

Optional Arcanum: Mind 5
Smashing through the cracks in another’s Mind, the Sneak can delve deeply within and steal deeply hidden secrets, covering up their presence or any other memory they like in their wake. As an Instant Action, the Mage can access the subconscious of any individual within sensory range, plumbing the depths of their mind to seek out secrets and truths hidden within their memories. This attainment lasts for a scene, but during that time the Mage may seek out a specific memory within the subject’s Mind to alter. If she does so, she may alter that memory however she likes, such changes last for up to a week before changes fade. This attainment can only affect individuals for whom the Mage’s dots in the Mind Arcanum exceeds their Resolve.

Read the Depths, with reach into Instant Casting, Sensory Range, and Advanced Duration. Also memory modification, because otherwise there’s not much point.