See the Seers of the Throne Order book for all fluff.
Doctrine
Parentage: Thyrsus, Seers of the Throne
Prerequisites: Mind 2, Socialize 2, and 2 dots between Intimidate, Persuasion and Subterfuge
Initiation: Craft your ideal form, and with your mentor, carve channels in your soul, to burn what you have, in search of your grand ideal.
Magic:
Ruling: Mind
Yantras: Succeed on a socialize roll relevant to the spell (+2), cast on a subject which has genuinely praised you (+2), cast on a subject which has refused to acknowledge your grandeur (+1), express your distaste for the ugliness which surrounds you (+1, +2 if this imposes a negative Condition upon you).
Oblations: Sacrificing something which is dear to the Swan’s Husk, maintaining a false identity beyond that of the ideal.
Attainments:
First Attainment Achieving Airs
Pre-Requisite: Initiation
Immediately after initiation, many Swans are flush with excitement, their Ideal is now a very real thing to them, even though they cannot yet assume its full form. Taking this first step towards seeking perfections grants the Swan a new perspective on the flawed, fallible, unwashed masses they have left behind. As an Instant Action, in any social scene the Swan may read the failings and weaknesses of a lesser being.
This grants them knowledge of the Virtue, Vice, and mental and social Attribute dots of their subject, laying bear the heart and soul of such lesser entities. Furthermore, they learn of the subject’s Aspirations, and any Obsessions if they have any, and gain a general impression of their perspective towards the situation they are in, and the Mage themselves.
This distance however affects the Swan in a deeply, fundamental way. No longer can they ever gain Willpower from a Virtue based around going out of one’s way for what they see as a lesser being. Neither can they ever benefit from any power, system, condition or other such element relating to any deep appreciation or satisfaction with the actions of a lesser being. This affect is suspended however should the individual be a current aspirant, seeking to join the Legacy.
Know Nature, Reach into Instant Casting, and Aspiration/Obsession information, however limited to social scenes, where it shouldn’t be hard to aim a ‘thrown with your eyes’ aimed attack. The downside is the main social downside of the Legacy placed into mechanical form. It’s not really that big a problem, as no self- respecting Swan would ever have a Virtue like Charity, but it’s there to enforce that.
Optional Arcanum: Life 1
While a lesser mind is consequently fraught, worrying about such petty problems as seeking to achieve
grandeur, a lesser body has all manner of frailties which might be exploited by an opportune Mage. Swans,
when activating Achieving Airs may also choose to gain an insight into their subject’s physical condition,
reading their mind as well as their body, and gaining insight into their species, sex, and overall health, as well
as their dots in Physical Attributes and any illnesses or injuries they are suffering.
When a Swan takes a social action against an individual, making using of a Vice, or a mental failing in order to coerce or persuade them into a certain course of action, they may enhance this control through a focus on the subject’s biological reactions. This grants them the Informed condition with regards to the subject’s frailty.
Condition generation is acceptable at 1-dot when based on an existing frailty, and I thought this was good way to put the information from the primary half of the attainment into practical, mechanical effect.
Second Attainment: Spreading the Wings
Pre-Requisite: Mind 2, Life 2
It is a very rare Swan, who once initiating into the Legacy will not immediately demand that their tutor teach
them the second, and most important Attainment. For it is through this Attainment, and this Attainment
alone that they may assume the new identity of their Ideal. Transforming into the Ideal takes an Instant
Action, and a single point of Willpower, at which point the Swan’s physical form warps and reshapes itself
into the idealized concept they have crafted. This can change gender, height, weight, coloring, accent and so
forth, and while they may vary to whatever the Swan decided when they were initiated, they cannot be a
duplicate of an existing person, although they may be mistaken for relatives.
The Swan may maintain this form for as long as they have a single remaining point of Willpower, however while in it, they do not regain Willpower from rest, which requires them to either continually indulge their Vices, or pursue a rather refined application of their Virtue to worthy individuals (which is one reason why many Swans seek to find and induct new members of the Seers into their ranks, and even more engage in petty, vicious rivalries).
While in their Ideal form, the Swan gains the Striking Looks merit at 2 dots. Furthermore, when the Swan enters a new social scene, they may subtly influence all those present by invoking a sense of awe and appreciation, tinged with slight (and sometimes not so slight) sensations of jealousy and envy. This means that whenever the Swan interacts with a person, they may remove a number of Doors from their subject with regards to an action they desire, or add a number of Doors with regards to an action another desires, equal to their dots in Mind minus the subject’s Composure.
Depressingly, such power comes with a stark downside. Whenever the Swan has not taken the form of their ideal, their body reverts to its state as a Husk. This form is now much depreciated, and suffers greatly from its symbols of worth being dragged from it, and transposed into the Ideal. When as a Husk, the Swan suffers a -1 penalty to all social rolls, either out of other’s dislike of their appearance, or their comfortability at being in their Husk form.
Ultimately, this probably should be Weaving, but you’re not adding tentacles or anything, so I feel it’s balanced at 2 dots. Especially since you’re only getting Striking Looks, which is more a vanity thing than an effective spell. Seers have MUCH better ways of getting people to do what they want than getting them hot under the collar. The second spell element is the Mind part, Emotional Urging, Reach into Instant Casting and Advanced Duration. Blow down some Doors. Enjoy life. Make them WISH they had what you had.
Third Attainment: Refinement of Form
Pre-Requisite: Life 3
The Swan’s continual study and initiation has borne succulent fruit, and their Ideal has grown in beauty, and
so too has the envy with which others treat it. When in their Ideal, the Swan’s Striking Looks merit
progresses beyond the mere 2-dot maximum into a Supernaturally potent 4-dot merit. Such is the beauty
and grace with which she appears, that all those who perceive her are awestruck, and those who know more
of the supernatural elements in the world will suspect that their beauty has no terrestrial origin, though they
too may be powerless under the Swan’s sway.
In addition to this enhanced grace, the Swan has gained the ability to enhance their Ideal physically, at the expense of the health of the Husk. When the Swan assumes the form of their Ideal, they may enhance any number of its physical attributes by a total equal to their dots in the Life Arcanum. When in their Husk form however, they must decrease their base physical attribute levels by a number of dots equal to their Life dots divided by two (rounding up), however not falling below 1-dot in any category. Furthermore, any further expenditure of experiences to enhance physical attributes (as if anyone would) apply only to the Ideal.
A bit weird, but I feel reassigning elements of a form should justify a bit of a weirder effect.
Optional Arcanum: Mind 3
If the Swan is a Disciple of Mind, they may perform a similar enhancement effect as mentioned above to
their Mental or Social Attributes, suffering penalties in the appropriate categories, and restricting future
attribute advances similarly.
See above.
Fourth Attainment: Scatter the Vermin
Pre-Requisite: Mind 4
There will always be those that cling to the coat-tails of the worthy, to seek to hold them back from
greatness either out of jealousy, or the desire to steal some of their power and prestige from themselves.
Advanced Swans know this all too well, and this Attainment was developed to assist Legacy members in
disposing of such... Nuisances. As an Instant Action, and by staring directly at their subject, the Swam may
override their will, forcing them to undertake almost any action she desires. This Attainment will only
function however if the subject’s Resolve Withstand does not exceed the Swan’s Mind dots.
The compulsion lasts for the remainder of the scene, during which time the affected individual is forced to take any action which the Mage demands of them, so long as it does put them in serious danger, or involve performing suicidal acts. This however is dependent upon the knowledge and perspective of the puppet, and many cunning Swans have found ways to convince others to walk blindly to their deaths, never knowing the true nature of what they were doing. Furthermore, while social situations can be horrendously damaging to one’s future prospects, one may not truly understand the ramifications of what they have done until well after the moment, further enhancing the capacity of this Attainment.
The downside of this Attainment is however that such demanding power affects the Husks’s capacity to interact with others even further. In order to even deign to interact with a Husk in a positive manner requires the individual to expend a point of Willpower to overcome the utter disgust which they feel for the craven, misbegotten wretch.
Psychic Domination. At 6 Gnosis. For no morality problems, and no dispelling.
Optional Arcanum: Life 4
More than merely commanding a lesser being’s Mind, the Swan may also severely affect the functioning of
their body. As well as affecting the subject’s mind, the Swam may exercise full control over all their biological
functions, including those over which the subject has no conscious control (not getting into this “stop a
heart” shit, talk to your GM). Depending of the nature of the influence, this may impose a temporary
Negative Condition upon the subject that lasts for the remainder of the week, unless resolved. For this to
affect the subject, the Mage’s Life dots must exceed the subject’s Composure Withstand.
Control Instincts, Reach into Instant Casting, Sensory Range, and Advanced Duration... Also swapping primary factor. But at this point you’re already Gnosis 6. Who cares about a single point of reach. It’s only inflicting a Condition.
Fifth Attainment: Burn the Husk, Free the Ideal
Pre-Requisite: Mind 5, Life 5
The Swan has reached the pinnacle of their studies, no longer will they ever have to worry about living
within the wretched prison that was their Husk. The Mage no longer has a Husk form, and may regain
Willpower from rest while in their (now singular) Ideal form. The Ideal now never need eat, sleep, or drink
water, although they may derive pleasure from doing these, and no wound left on their form will ever scar,
except those that they permit to remain.
Furthermore, such is the Ideal’s purity that through a single moment of self-refection the Mage can completely refresh their Willpower points, and through the expenditure of a single point of Mana may heal all damage, including all resistant damage. Any egregious harm which is occasioned to the Mage, such as the removal of whole limbs, which cannot be so simply closed as a chest wound, will regrow in over the next few days. Such is the power of the Ideal that even the removal of key organs, such as the heart, liver, kidneys or lungs will not cause the Mage’s death, unless their damage track has been fully filled with Aggravated damage. Which may be a difficult measure, given the extreme powerful of such a well initiated, and experienced Gnosis 8+ Mage.
Turbo-Mend. Also removing previous restrictions.