Immaterial Purview

One of the Arcane Purviews wielded by mages to focus their raw magic, the Immaterial Purview governs power over the mind, and the psychic energies of living beings and the spirits of the Ether, known as Avalon, or Glamour to some. Telepathy, mind control, memory alteration, and even mind transfers are all possible through the use of this purview.

## Mechanics

The Immaterial Purview involves an Awakened manipulating Avalon, the psychic energies produced by all conscious beings. All psychic forms and processes are composed of Avalon, be they memories, thoughts, perceptions and emotions, and all of these can be manipulated by any mage skilled in the Immaterial Purview.

It should be noted that all supernatural beings are more resistant to having their Avalon altered than mortals. The more magically potent they are, the more resistant. In the case of mundane beings, the less intelligent and strong willed, the easier they are to control, making animals more vulnerable to telepathic abilities being used against them.

## Levels

### Levels 1-2 (Awoken)

* **Immaterial Sense (Level 1):** By virtue of being Awakened, mages are gifted with the Immaterial Sense. They are naturally sensitive to any sort of telepathic intrusions, attempts to sway their minds, change their memories, fool their senses, or manipulate their passions, and have the ability to fight against mental intrusion right from the start of being Awakened. This instinctual awareness makes them resistant to any sort of alterations to their own Avalon, making it difficult to influence their thoughts, memories, and emotions. In addition to a sensitivity to their own mental energies, Awakened also become sensitive to noticeable uses of Avalon within their presence, allowing them to more easily detect illusions or Astral Projections, as well as perceives the auras of beings around them. As the Awakened grows more skilled in the Purview, this ability to resist psychic assault and perceive psychic phenomena becomes more and more potent.
* **Mental Enhancement (Level 2):** An ability that basic users of the Immaterial Purview can employ, with some training, is the ability to strengthen their mental faculties. By doing so, they may temporarily augment their ability to multitask, make rapid calculations and plans, and retain perfect clarity of memory. As they further master the Immaterial Purview, they become able to enhance their cognitive abilities to greater degrees and for longer durations.
* **Mind Link (Level 2):** Perhaps one of the most well known uses of the Purview, forming a Mind Link allows an Awakened to sense the surface level thoughts, emotions, and sensations of whoever they are mentally linked to, as well as share their own. They cannot make any alterations to the mind of the other individual with this ability. Mind Linking, depending on how much information is being shared, can take up a mage's concentration to varying degrees, though generally, it is as diverting as a verbal conversation and allows for relatively easy multitasking.
* **Telepathic Suggestion (Level 2):** While not outright mind control, Telepathic Suggestion is the first step towards it. Using this power, a mage can induce a brief instance of weakening of a subject's will, making them extremely amenable to any suggestions put to them in that moment. They can usually made to do most anything that is not directly harmful to themselves, such as drop a weapon, let someone into a club, or go and do the dishes. Many younger mages refer to the ability as a "Jedi Mind Trick". Telepathic Suggestions can be issued verbally, or via Mind Link.

### Levels 3-4 (Attuned)

* **Astral Projection (Level 3):** By employing this power, a mage may detach their consciousness from their body, allowing their mind to take flight and observe the physical world, unimpeded by physical barriers. Those with supernatural perception, including mages, are able to perceive their Astral form unless they take measures to hide it. The mage's body lies inert as they are Astral Projecting, though it remains alive, and any damage to it will instantly pull the mage back. Lesser sensations, such as being touched or talked to, can also draw them back. When Astrally Projecting, an Awakened can employ any other powers of the Immaterial Purview on those within range of their Astral Form. Furthermore, they may also Astrally Project into the Ether using Astral Projection in conjunction with the Etheric Purview.

* **Illusion (Level 3):** Sufficiently skilled mages are able to weave Avalon into false projections which fool the perceptions of those who observe them. Illusions fool the mind only, not technological recording devices, but they do work on anyone capable of perceiving them, tricking any senses they might be subjected to. Mages can craft more detailed and intricate illusions with time and concentrations. They are able to create general illusions out of Avalon, which will fool anyone who comes into range and does not have any supernatural perception to see through them, or target specific individuals with hallucinations of their choice. Focal points for illusions can also be set around specific beings, locations, or objects. The greater a mage's mastery of the Immaterial Purview, the more difficult their illusions are to see through.
* **Mind Penetration (Level 3):** The more advanced version of a Mind Link, a Penetration allows an Awakened to venture into the depths of a subject's mind, probing through their every thought and memory. Not only do the minds of others become open books to the mage, but they gain access to a psychic pen, allowing them to reconstruct memories as they see fit. Penetrating a mind is a very intimate and consuming task, and all but the most powerful of mages must focus themselves entirely to do it, and can spend minutes or even hours searching for what they wish to find.
* **Psychic Attack (Level 3):** Awakened skilled in the Immaterial Purview are able to inflict telepathic pain on a target of their choosing. Such attacks can be unleashed in stunning bursts which disorient and confuse a target, even rendering them unconscious if there is a sufficient disparity in their mental strength, or made slow and deliberate, to draw out the psychic agony as a form of torture.
* **Psychic Mask (Level 4):** A Psychic Mask can be used to telepathically conceal their presence in virtually every way. They can prevent themselves from being cognitively recognized, making themselves invisible to conscious creatures around them. They are able to warp and distort their aura, displaying a false set of emotions to the world, masquerading as a human or other supernatural being, or making their aura simply blank. Psychic Masks can be used to help disguise Astral Forms, or to intrude upon the minds of others without them noticing. Such masks can also be extended to others, though they typically fade after a sufficient amount of time has passed without being reinforced. The greater the mage's mastery of the Immaterial Purview, the more effective their Mask is, and the longer it lasts when they bestow one to others.
* **Mind Control (Level 4):** Upon gaining the ability to Mind Control others, mages gain the ability to wield enormous power over others, which obviously has tremendous potential for abuse. Mind Control allows a mage to usurp control of a target's conscious mind, warping their thoughts, reshaping their emotions, and forcing them to obey their commands. There is virtually no limit to what they can force victims to do if they can overcome their mental defenses, from punching a friend, to falling asleep on the spot, or ceasing to breathe. Such commands can be limitless in complexity, and can be implanted to be fulfilled at once, or after certain periods of time have passed or events have occurred. This can be done verbally or telepathically. Fortunately, Mind Control is quite energy intensive, and mages can usually only target one individual at once. Until they manage to increase their power and do more, that is.

* **Possession (Level 4):** An ability which operates on similar principles to Astral Projection, Possession functions the same way, with the Awakened projecting their consciousness out of their body, but in this case, into the body of another being. During this time, the mind of the victim will be quite open to the possessing Awakened, and can be either suppressed into dormancy via Mind Control, or the mage can allow them to observe as they use their body like a puppet. Alternately, a possession can involve a mage leaving their host in complete control, simply observing what they do and experiencing the sensations that they experience. While possessing someone, mages are perfectly capable of wielding any Arcane Purviews at their disposal.

### Levels 5-7 (Resonant)

* **Inhabit Object (Level 5):** A form of Possession, Inhabiting an Object allows a mage to insert their consciousness into an inanimate object, through which they can employ their magical powers. Elsewise, this power functions like normal Possession.
* **Transfer Knowledge (Level 5):** A technique often applied in interrogations, the ability to Transfer Knowledge from a subject allows an Immaterial master to force a subject's knowledge to the fore of their mind, allowing them to absorb it into their own, or alternately, transfer it into someone else. Informational knowledge is easiest to copy, while learning skills is longer and more arduous, typically requiring several grueling sessions to duplicate the ability. Magical knowledge is nigh impossible to copy with this ability. With great Immaterial mastery, Transferring Knowledge can be done faster and with greater ease.
* **Overwrite Identity (Level 5):** While lesser uses of the Immaterial Purview allow for a mage to alter memories and emotions, the ability Overwrite an identity allows them to change who someone is. This power can alter not only someone's knowledges and experiences, but completely change their personality, temperament and instincts, reforging the person anew. While often a long and arduous process (unless one is astoundingly powerful), Overwriting an Identity can be used as an alternative to executing a defeated foe.
* **Body Hop (Level 6):** An advanced use of Possession, this power enables a mage to completely snap the psychic tethers which keep them bound to their physical shell, or any other for that matter. This enables them to move from body to body in rapid strings of Possession, and has been used as a form of immortality by more unscrupulous mages, as they usurp other bodies for themselves.
* **Mass Mind Control (Level 6):** Upon attaining mastery of this ability, mages become able to Mind Control multiple people at once, allowing for mages to mentally dominate entire crowds.
* **Mental Lock (Level 6):** Mental Locks allow a mage to disable certain mental capacities within an individual. They can be rendered unable to access knowledge, skills, or even be made unable to summon the mental wherewithal to take certain actions, such as punching or opening a door. Such Locks can be undone, either by the mage who put them in place, one of similar power, or a coalition of inferiors. Mental Locks are different from merely Mind Controlling someone not to do or think of something, but rather make them completely of accessing the part of their mind that allows them to do it.
* **Hivemind (Level 7):** A potent display of Possession, creating a Hivemind allows an Awakened to Possess multiple individuals at once, acting through multiple bodies with one consciousness.
* **Relocate Consciousness (Level 7):** Using this ability, an Awakened can drag the consciousness of an individual out of one body and insert it into another body, or for the particularly cruel, insert it into an inanimate object.

### Levels 8-9 (Enlightened)

* **Duplicate Consciousness (Level 8):** Using this mighty power, an Awakened can make perfect replicas of a being's consciousness, including their own. This can enable them to make multiple versions of themselves or others inhabiting multiple bodies, all separate and existing independently of one another.
* **Access Allmind (Level 9):** Truly staggering masters of the Immaterial Purview are able to access and draw information from the Allmind, the psychic repository of all humanity's collective knowledge. In this manner, they can come quite close to omniscience.