See Left-Handed Path for all the fluff.
Doctrine
Parentage: Obrimos, Free Council
Prerequisites: Mind 2, Computers 2, and 2 dots between Academics, Crafts, and Subterfuge
Initiation: Perform some grand feat of exploitation, using the abandoned potential of Sleepers for your own benefit. This must result in some moderate to extreme detriment to the Sleepers.
Magic:
Ruling: Mind
Yantras: Succeed on a Computers roll relevant to the spell (+2), take advantage of a Sleeper (+1), spend time on a computer ‘preparing’ for your spell (+2), adopt the persona of a ‘grubby, unkept internet addict (+1), ignore “meat” pleasures in pursuit of knowledge and power (+1, +2 if this imposes a Negative Condition).
Oblations: Solving mathematical problems in a group; collaborating on creative projects; building computer networks; making diagrams of social relationships.
Attainments:
First Attainment Root Search
Pre-Requisite: Initiation
With Initiation, Users gain the innate ability to detect the presence of active thought around them. With a glance, they can tell whether any subject is engaging in conscious thought and within the radius of a small room, (or a large room at Mind 4) they can detect the presence of thought regardless of whether they are focusing or not.
In addition to this, focusing on a subject within this smaller area, a User can detect whether they consider themselves to have any proficiency in a specified field of the User’s choice. This can include any kind of skill, or a general impression or awareness of a certain topic. To use this second part of the Attainment however the Use must engage their subject in conversation and steer them towards this topic, or be present when another person does this themselves. If the subject has a concluded train of thought on the subject, such as one of those arrived at through Exploit Spare Cycles, the User can access it in its entirety.
Detect Minds + Mind Scan. Advanced Duration for the first half, but I didn’t think that was enough so I added a simple ‘detect skill’ element, mostly for use with the second Attainment.
Optional Arcanum: Prime 1
Sleepers frequently waste their potential, wallowing in the Lie and accepting their mediocrity. In their initial
uses of Root Search, many Users were disgusted to find that many Sleepers hold themselves in much higher
regards than they truly are. Lying to themselves about their capacity, and forcing Users to waste further time determining whether they are truly worth exploiting. As such, through imbuing the first Attainment with a
sufficient understanding of Prime, the User can determine whether the knowledge or awareness of a subject
or any of their works is a true representation of capacity, or one founded in self-deception.
Pierce Deception, because many Sleepers can lie to themselves about what they know. Not the most useful, I know, but it still counts as the ability to detect lies.
Second Attainment: Exploit Spare Cycles
Pre-Requisite: Mind 2
While most Sleepers don’t make much use of the mind they’ve been given, there are always a few who have
learned something, or have the ability to perform some task which the User themselves places value in.
Through use of this Attainment, Users attempt to access the subconscious levels of thought of a subject, and
steal the use of their underutilized brainpower. For a day (a Week at Mind 4), the subject utilizes every spare
moment of thought subconsciously considering a quandary of the Mage’s own devising. This task must be
purely mental, being performed by the subject’s own unconscious Mind, and making full utilization of the
subject’s own mental skills and awareness.
For every hour in which the subject considers the problem, they take a level of Bashing damage as their subconscious is over-exerted and they mentally wear themselves out. If they take Bashing in excess of their Stamina they get the Beaten Down Condition, which Users will occasionally utilize to extract further, less intellectual uses out of a subject. When the subject has finished considering a subject, the final result will be consigned to their long-term memory, for the Mage to access later with further Magic. This does however mean the subject is also on some level aware of their determination, however they will not be aware of exactly when they made such an analysis or decision. To activate this Attainment takes a scene’s worth of discussion with the subject, during which time all the relevant information they do not currently have access to must be imparted to them. This Attainment will not function on any subject whose Composure is greater than the Mage’s dots in the Mind Arcanum.
Ruling spell to Force the subject to think about a topic Subconsciously. Primary Factor is Potency, Secondary Factor is Duration.
Optional Arcanum: Forces 2
Never a Legacy to avoid making use of Technology, Users with some knowledge of the Forces Attainment
may link the subconscious mind of the subject of this Attainment to a personal computer or other device
capable of storing information. This has two effects, firstly the subject may perform tasks which do not
involve purely mental exercises, so long as they could be performed had the person had access to the linked
device in question, secondly the result of their determination and thought is either stored in file-form upon
the device in question, or is emailed or transported by some other means through the internet or some
other network to another device of the User’s own choice. Through this Optional Arcanum Users can make
exceptional use of the skills of various individuals, getting financial forecasts, data analysis and even legal
advice from otherwise unwitting Sleepers or Sleepwalkers.
Forces Ruling to control a computer, linking it to the subconscious thoughts of the subject. Can’t do anything a computer couldn’t normally do though.
Third Attainment: Slave Device
Pre-Requisite: Mind 3
Sufficiently advanced Users learn how to steal the use of a Sleeper or Sleepwalker’s soul by claiming its
intellectual capacity. In a scene-long ritual involving physical contact, the User may ‘enslave’ such an
individual’s soul by taking control of their mind. More than merely requiring the subject to consider a subject
of their own devising the Mage can draw upon the subject’s intelligence and knowledge in any situation
where teamwork rolls would be possible for mental and in some rare cases, social skills. Such a link lasts for a
period on the Advanced Duration Table equal to the Mage’s dots in the Mind Arcanum, and can only be used
on subjects with a Resolve of 1 (or 2 at Mind 4), or one whom the Mage has inflicted the Beaten Down
Condition upon.
For every week in which a subject is used in such a way, even once, a Mental Attribute (highest first) and must suffer a Breaking Point (with -4 Penalty) as their Mind begin to fall apart at the seams due to its enslavement to the User’s own Awakened Will. When any of the subject’s Mental Attributes, or Integrity, falls to 0, they enter a catatonic state, their soul so worn out that the User may no longer make use of it. Once the link is broken, subjects will regain points in their lost Mental Attributes at a rate of 1 a week, however they will not naturally regain Integrity. Subjects accrue conditions for their falling Integrity as per normal.
Mind Weaving to connect their intellectual capacity to the User. Normally quite hard to do, so Mages will usually try and break them down first, or hunt down people with lower Resolve (once they’ve reached Adepthood).
Optional Arcanum: Prime 3
While Users usually don’t think twice about abusing the Mind and Soul of a Sleeper, the detrimental effects
which the Slave Device attainment has upon a Sleeper’s capacity to fulfil the very function which the Mage
desires of them can be quite a trial. As such, Users have developed a way to enhance the capacity, if not the
longevity of such a used Mind. If the User has access to a Soul Stone that takes the form of a digital
information storage device, then they may ‘store’ their rights relating to the Master/Slave relationship in the
Soul Stone.
This means that the User may only make use of the Sleeper’s intellect while they are in possession of the Soul Stone (and others may steal the use of the Sleeper by taking the Soul Stone), however the subject’s intellect will not deteriorate due to such a relationship, their Mind sufficiently warded by the excised fragment of a Mage’s Gnosis. However the subject will still suffer Breaking Points as per normal, which limit the lifespan of the ‘captive’ Soul.
Creative Thaumaturgy, probably Weaving again? Primary Duration.
Fourth Attainment: Soul Processing
Pre-Requisite: Mind 4
When mere access is not enough, a User with sufficient initiation and instruction can learn how to steal the
intellectual capacity of a claimed soul. This may either be a soul the User has claimed access to with Slave
Device or its Optional Arcanum, or any other manner of stored Soul (in which case the intellect is stolen from
the Soul’s most recent ‘user’). In a scene of ritual transfer, the User may increase any one of their Mental
Attributes by an amount not exceeding their dots in Mind, however this enhancement may exceed their
Gnosis-Derived maximum. For each dot this Attribute is increased by, a Mental attribute of the original
‘owner’ of a stolen soul is decreased by 1, to a minimum of zero. If a soul reaches 0 in such a way, its original ‘owner’ is rendered catatonic for the duration of the enhancement and cannot be utilized for any of the
Legacy’s Prior Attainments. If at any point the Mage loses access to the Soul, then the Attainment will fail.
This enhancement lasts for a Week, and at the end of the duration the original owner regains access to their
full mental capacity, but immediately loses a point of Integrity.
Augment Mind, Reach into Advanced Duration, and Exceeding Gnosis-Derived Maximum, 2 Gnosis over the limit, in exchange for having to abuse souls, and keep them on you. Fair for a Left-Handed Legacy.
Optional Arcanum: Prime 4
In order to better access the Souls they have accumulated, Users have learned how to connect to their
claimed Souls via the Ley Line network. So long as they have access to a Ley Line, and their claimed Soul
Stones are stored on a Ley Line, they may activate Soul Processing at any time. In addition, the User’s
understanding of the exploitation of the Soul increases, and may instead of stealing mental Attribute
capacity, may steal the use of Mental Skill dots instead.
Prime for Ley Line linkage, and also ‘sophistication’ of Skill stealing. Not the most in-Arcanum, but I needed somewhere to store it other than in the base Attainment.
Fifth Attainment: Singularity Achieved
Pre-Requisite: Mind 5, Prime 5, Space 2
This Attainment remains hypothetical, as even the Legacy’s creator Carbon is yet to achieve the heights of
mystic prowess required to develop such an Attainment. As such, its functionality is not yet proven. Should it
be achieved however, Cloud Infinite may through only a few choice Soul-Stone thefts, manage to single-
handedly achieve a level of Mystic power sufficient to rival the most ancient Seers, Tremere, and other
Liches. It may indeed be sufficient for Carbon to achieve Archmastery, if not Ascension itself and attempt to
imprint his praxis of exploitation and intellectual theft upon the Supernal itself. Even more distressingly,
some of his frightened followers consider, what might happen if in his attempts he draws the disdain, or
terrifyingly, the SUPPORT of the Exarchs.
Through a Scene-Long ritual, involving the use of an Awakened Soul Stone, the User may attempt to enslave the Mind, Soul, and Gnosis of its creator Mage, and bind it to his own. Alternatively, the User may attempt to enslave all of the soul-stones currently in his possession at once. This as a result may do one of two things:
Firstly, the User may render the subject(s) his willing slave(s), creating a mental link to his Mage puppet(s), through which he may command and require obedience in any matter, including that of Spellcasting, the creation of further Soul Stones, spell Relinquishment, and so forth. Awakened Souls, being hardier than those of Sleepers do not suffer degeneration of any kind, however the manipulation of the subject is plain to see in Prime, Mind, or Space Active Mage Sight, unless Veiled. Such control lasts for a Week, unless the ritual is performed continually, for which the User must retain access to the subject’s Soul Stones.
Secondly, the User may draw upon the power and knowledge of a single subject, transferring points of Arcana from the subject to the User, enhancing his own proficiency up to a Maximum of 5. Only one Arcanum can be stolen at a time, and should the User seek to increase one of his Arcana beyond 5, then he is instantly thrust into the Abyss as per a Threshold Seeking. In doing so, the Mage risks annihilation in the Supernal (or the Abyss) by perhaps forcing his own Archmastery prematurely and even if he is successful must content with any Seekers who would take issue with such a manner of achieving Archmastery. If the User succeeds, then they must expend Experiences sufficient to fully purchase the requisite Arcanum at Archmaster levels, and the Mage from whom this capacity was stolen is removed from existence by Aponoia, his existence having been conclusively exploited and cannibalized for the User to achieve Archmastery.
The further effects of this Attainment upon the abilities of Archmasters and the potential for a User to seek Ascension through its application should be discussed between PC and ST.
To be frank, don’t use this fucking Attainment. I just wanted to represent Carbon or some other User achieving their hypothetical ‘Singularity’ while also providing an ‘out’ if you wanted to say that Archmasters or the Exarchs (quite rightly) decided to intervene. You’re basically enslaving Mages wholesale, or stealing their Arcana.