Primus
Command of Quintessence
A Form perfected becomes an Ideal. It is this perfection to which the student of Hermes' arts aspires, this elevation to the status of the Ideal. Magic itself, its cause, it effect, its very substance, exists in this exalted state. Composed fundamentally of the unblemished Fifth Essence, magic itself may well be the greatest power a mage can control. It is the Prime or foremost element of the Universe. By mastering this Forma, the mage finds herself able to sculpt and manipulate the elusive threads of mystic force itself. Whereas apprentices are capable of altering the flow of Quintessence and sending gentle ripples through the arcane channels of the Tapestry, those who are truly adept in this art can give life to new places of power, destroy the Gift in another or set in motion enchantments that stand for a thousand years.
● At this level, the mage is able to sense the flow of mystic energy around him: Magic of all kinds, sorcerous creatures, and those with the Gift, as well as anything else that contains excess Quintessence (thus, the energy bound up in a normal pattern, such as a chair or cat, cannot usually be discerned) and is not expressly concealed and warded against detection.
●● Now, the mage is capable of altering the flow of magic to some small degree, gathering and storing free Quintessence (that which is not bound up in extant patterns) above and beyond that allowed by her Fount Background. Also, he may, for example, infuse a weapon or garment with Quintessence, in order to enable it to harm or be warded against magical beings, respectively (thus inflicting or defending against aggravated damage and harming or warding against fully spiritual beings). She can also create purely Quintessential ideal forms visible to those with the appropriate mystic perception and which might act on and be acted upon by mystic phenomena.
●●● The Hermetic learns to manipulate any source of Quintessence not directly protected against such tampering, such as those bound up in living patterns or those of objects, or any Quintessence warded by magic more powerful than the mage's own. Such sources may by bolstered or drained (one point of Quintessence per success), at the mage's discretion. He may create Tass (by distilling it into liquid or a powder, for example) and spells of any type may be directly attacked (dispersing successes accrued in the casting on a one-for-one basis).
●●●● The mage can assail nonliving Quintessential patterns, drawing their energy out and using it as one would any other sorcerous power. Naturally, the patterns of such forces or materials crumble out of existence (suffering an unsoakable Health Level of aggravated damage per point of Quintessence drained; note that most objects have only a scant few points invested in them). Also, she learns to create self-sustaining Quintessential patterns. Alone, these arc unimpressive, but they can be melded with physical patterns to create self-sustaining systems fueled by magic alone (this allows the creation of ongoing spells, such as talismans, for half the normal cost in Quintessence and Willpower, rounding up).
●●●●● This, the final authority over magic itself, enables the wizard to completely cease or destroy the flow of magical energy that pervades all things (inflicting a Health Level of aggravated damage per success that may be soaked only with Willpower). It is by means of this process that the dreaded Gilgul rite is used to forever sunder the Gift in a mage. Permanent enchantments might be dispelled and sites of power torn apart for the Quintessence they contain. Likewise, threads of power might be manipulated, with great care and at great risk, to beget new crays where before there were none (an extended spell with no roll limit, one roll per day; every 10 successes equals one level of the new cray)
Sample Foci: Books and scrolls, gold, fragrant oils, rings, sunlight or sun-imagery, the number 1
Specialties: Creating Ideals, Dispelling Magic, Drawing From Unusual Sources, Enchanting Items
Sources: https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Forma
- DAM: Dark Ages: Mage Rulebook, p. 120-123
- DAM: Dark_Ages: Mage Grimoire, p. 161
