Anima
Command of Life
Life is a breath. The ancients knew that breath is the only thing that separates the living from the lifeless. Just as the soul escapes with a gasp at the moment of death, so too did God make Adam live by inspiration (literally, breathing into). Thus, it is unsurprising that the Order's Forma of life derive its name from this sacred breath. This is the power to heal, the strength of the ox, and the speed of the wolf, it is mastery of sickness and health and control over all flesh, from the smallest ant to the mightiest oliphant of Araby. When first setting our upon this path, the mage must content herself with curing or bestowing fever and dispelling the need for sleep and sustenance. As her experience grows, she can summon and unmake plagues, restore lost limbs as a salamander does and quell heartbeats with a word.
● The wizard can detect the presence of life and living beings of an earthly nature (even if they possess supernatural characteristics, such as a werewolf or Hermetic consor) and can also discern states of health and well-being (such as knowing what Health Level a subject is currently at). Conspicuous absences of life (such as barrens unhallowed by a demon's presence) may also he detected, though the mage must be specifically searching for such unless they are exceedingly pronounced.
●● At this level, the mage is capable of altering lesser life patterns (such as those found in flora, fungi, insects, invertebrates and the like), mending or ruining (healing or inflicting up to two Health Levels of bashing damage or one of lethal per success), or of changing such patterns as he. pleases, so long as he does not elevate them to higher states. Also, he may, to a limited degree, interact with the pattern with which he is most familiar, his own. The mage may freely heal or harm himself as he does with lesser beasts.
●●● Now, the mage is capable of healing and harming other higher beings (including people) with magic alone; just as with the previous level she could affect herself and lower beings. She can also alter the parameters of higher (nonhuman) life and those of her own living pattern. She can freely create alterations that move between higher and lower pattens, augment or stunt physical capabilities, and bend the shape of such patterns to her liking (such as adding a dot of Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, or Appearance per success).
●●●● The Hermetic wizard can now alter the patterns of other human beings and can restore life to a failing pattern or snuff out a healthy one (healing aggravated damage as though it were lethal). She may manipulate the forms of fantastic creatures as well (this includes the ability to shapeshift), provided they possess fleshly bodies (coupled with Vires, it can allow for transformation into various, basic energies). Permanent changes may be made to non-sentient life, changes that will carry over to any offspring, though these effects may not enter the realm of the blatantly magical (a rock is possible, whereas a gorgon is not).
●●●●● The mage can create life our of nothingness. She can fabricate a human (or any other terrestrial) body out of magic, but it is an inanimate husk, unless inhabited by a spirit of some son. She can conjure a plague or eradicate one over a wide area. She can control the actions of all manner of dumb beasts by exerting influence over their bodily humors. The alterations she makes to living beings may he truly fantastic, so long as they have a basis in Nature (such as using the regenerative capabilities of the earthworm to make a hydra grow its heads back when they are severed).
Sample Foci: Cup or chalice, mandrake or other mystic plant , mercury, pentacles of Venus, stave wands of green wood
Specialties: Creating Life, Healing, Human Form, Hybridization, Lesser Creatures
Sources: https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Forma
- DAM: Dark Ages: Mage Rulebook, p. 120-123
- DAM: Dark_Ages: Mage Grimoire, p. 161
