Avatars (Legacy)

*\*Note: This Legacy's Mechanics were for Mage: the Awakening's First Edition. Future updates will bring it up to 2nd Edition*

***“When I wear this, I am a God, a Concept, an Ideal. Forget yourself, and become Nothing and Everything at once.”***

To transcend the limits of your humanity by becoming a symbol is the very focus of the Avatar Legacy.  Using principles of Zen married into the subcultures of Cosplay and the Internet, this recently born Legacy of Warlocks aspires towards enlightenment by shedding their Ego, paring away at the self until one can finally reach the point where one is ready to understand the universal Truth.

To allow the Avatars to overcome the self, they select symbols to transform into.  Some take up the mannerisms, speech and costumes of beloved anime and manga characters, as well as those from video games, while others resort to the anonymity of the internet, hiding behind handles and made-up personas, breathing life into imaginary identities, making them real.  More moderate members take on various “Common” roles, manifesting as the kindly taxi driver, the product demo lady in a shopping mall, or a security guard in the MRT.  These “roles” are no less valid, and many Avatars bask in the inherent anonymity of a stereotype.

The Avatars have also taken to harnessing the very symbols that they represent to encourage ideas, memes and concepts that sway the youth towards chosen opinions on issues such as ecological awareness, politics and other causes deemed worthy.  This power to swing opinion is a double-edged sword, as the Avatars have also been known to fall victim to their own pride and self-righteousness, using their own symbols to further hate or discrimination as well.

**Parent Path:** Mastigos or Free Council **Nicknames:** Dolls, Pretenders
**Suggested Oblations:** *Zazen* Meditation, making a costume, cross-dressing, successfully passing yourself as someone else in public (usually a celebrity)
**Concepts:** Professional Cosplay performer, Anonymous Internet Symbol of Justice, Good Samaritan

**Attainments:**

***1st Attainment: Knowing the Symbol***
**Prerequisites:** Gnosis 3, Mind 2, Empathy 3

The Avatar’s first step into losing the self, is to embody the universal appeal of their Symbol.  As long as the Avatar is portraying someone else, they gain the benefits of a Mind 2 “First Impressions” spell at all times, with successes equal to the Avatar’s dots in Mind.

***2nd Attainment: Wearing the Symbol***
**Prerequisites:** Gnosis 5, Mind 3

At this stage of an Avatar’s path to enlightenment, the Avatar learns to manifest his Symbol by will alone.  The Avatar gains the inherent ability to benefit from the Mind 3 “Impostor” spell, with the Avatar rolling his Manipulation+Expression or Subterfuge, and gaining automatic successes equal to his dots in the Mind Arcana.

***3rd Attainment: Becoming the Symbol***
**Prerequisites:** Gnosis 7, Mind 4

The Avatar’s transformation is nigh complete at this stage.  As long as the Avatar is “in-character” with a given role, the mage may benefit from the Mind 4 “Skill Mastery” spell, gaining temporary dots in a chosen skill equal to his Mind Arcana.  These may push a skill to a Maximum of 7 dots, and these skill dots may also be distributed among multiple Skills.  The only limitation is that these skills must coincide with the “Stereotype” of the role being taken.  An Avatar who has taken the persona of an Accountant, for example, may not use Becoming the Symbol to gain dots in Firearms.

Originally published in:

https://philgamer.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/nmage-japan-homebrew-legacy-avatars/