Wonder (mage V20)

Mage Information

Wonder (Device/ Fetish/ Talisman, etc.)

A wonder by any name is still as sweet... and you have one. What’s a Wonder? Perhaps it’s a mystic Talisman imbued with magickal power; a Fetish whose strange properties come from a spirit bound within its form; or a Technocratic or weird-science Device, shaped by Enlightened Science into something that transcends mortal technology. In game terms, a Wonder is simply an item with Sphere Effects of its own. Although such items, with a few exceptions, usually work only for mages, the Wonder’s form and function depend on the people who created it and the methods involved in its creation.

So long as your Storyteller agrees, a Wonder can be anything: an oak branch carved with Nordic runes, a plasma cannon, a robotic SUV, a bank card that skims money from every account held by that bank, an enchanted guitar, an owl -feather pen that writes in any human language... the Wonder’s form and function can, within limits, be whatever you want them to be. Certain terms (Fetish, Device, etc.) define particular types of items. The Toybox section of Appendix II (see pp. 651-653) features details, rules, and an array of sample Wonders.

Wonders can be temperamental... especially Fetishes, whose guiding spirits have personalities of their own. Even Devices, however, can seem uncannily stubborn, as anyone with a finicky car or computer can attest. They tend to have odd effects on the people who use them, especially mages who rely upon Wonders the way Elric of Melniboné relies upon his sword Stormbringer. In many cases, Wonders have elaborate backstories about their creation, history, and deeds. If your character begins play with a Wonder, work out an intriguing history and description of that item, then pass it off to your Storyteller for approval and further elaboration. Chances are, your Wonder will have secrets you won’t know about. Ideally, a Wonder is more than a simple “magic item”; instead, it’s a miracle in material form – solid proof of magick’s reality.

X -- No items of power.

• -- A Wonder with one small power – that is, a Wonder worth 1-3 points.

•• -- A Wonder with one or two powers, probably with some Quintessence and an Arete of its own. (4-6 points.)

••• -- A Wonder with a few notable powers or one respectable one. (7-9 points.)

•••• -- A Wonder with impressive powers or a powerful Effect. (10-12 points.)

••••• -- A Wonder with mighty powers or a single devastating Effect. (13-15 points.)