Arcana: Magic

Impression Weaving

A school of magic for Everway

by Robert Flack

"Many mages follow the path of altering items or people. They use the power of magic to physically change an object or being. While we respect these gifted mages, the members of our cabal feel -- and feel is the perfect term -- that there is a better way; a way to change things without actually changing them; a way to accomplish more with less effort. We are Impression Weavers. We alter perceptions, not things."
-- Sees Without Eyes, Master Weaver

Element: Water

Impression Weavers, or Weavers, can sense more about an object than just its physical characteristics. They can feel the threads of perception around it. This tangle of impressions forms a pattern, which is attached to all that perceive the object. Weavers learn how to reach out and pluck at those threads, and change them. Sometimes the change is subtle, sometimes strong, and sometimes a new thread can be added or removed to the existing pattern. Regardless, the end result is illusion, or a change in the perception of the object.

Weavers always succeed in changing the pattern. The threads move and perceptions are altered. The problem is that the change may only last the blink of an eye. The pattern is resistant to change, since it is composed of many complicated threads. Thus, changes are fragile and unnatural. If a change is recognized or disturbed it unravels. The pattern returns to its original form and the illusion is broken. In game terms this means the changes fade, and perceptions return to normal. The gamemaster should use the Law of Karma and Law of Drama to determine when changes unravel.

A Weaver may only weave the threads associated with something within his or her sensory range. For example, if altering vision and sound of an object, that object must be within range of the caster's sight and hearing. However, a wider group, based on the power of the Weaver may perceive the change.

As the mage improves, the duration of weaving improves. At first a mage must concentrate on keeping the weave in place, or it immediately unravels. As the mage learns more about patterns, he or she becomes more skilled. The pattern will hold changes longer without the focused effort of the mage.

Since patterns are complex, it takes experience and power to manipulate many threads. A Weaver of little power can only affect one sense or person. As the Weaver becomes more powerful, he or she can weave more threads, and thus affects multiple senses and people.

Pattern changes, or illusions, are recognized with intuition (Water) or reasoning and knowledge (Air), although reasoning can be weaker if the appropriate senses are being fooled. For example, a visual-only illusion of a turtle in its shell is believable, until you go to pick it up and can't grab it.

The gamemaster uses The Law of Fortune and the fate deck to determine reactions to illusions. Whether the change is recognized or unravels is better left to Karma and Drama. How the other heroes react is decided by roleplaying, although Karma and Drama may overrule players' wishes.

Since Weavers perceive the pattern and make changes based on their impressions (Water) instead of knowledge (Air), the senses of taste and smell are easiest to weave. More difficult to alter are touch and hearing. Vision is the most difficult sense to fool.

There are two types of changes that can be made to a pattern. Glamour is a change that moves a thread, changing a perception to make it better or worse. Glamour is easy for a Weaver. However its effects are limited. It can't change a perception from one extreme to another. It can only exaggerate or minimize what exists. Fabrication is adding or removing a thread, creating or destroying a perception. While more difficult, the effect is greater.

Taste is most frequently altered with glamour. Improving the taste of dry rations can make them bearable, and can be done with little effort. Making the rations taste so good that the heroes can't stop eating them takes a lot more power and effort. Fabrication of taste is used in the case where the change is so radical that it is easier to weave a new thread instead of changing the current one. This would be when an illusion of rotting meat was replaced with a fantastic roast visually, and needed to be consumed. The taste would have to be fabricated instead of altered, as a changing that extreme is beyond glamour.

Vile smells can be overlooked with glamour. An example would be the smell of burned flesh being altered to not be repulsive (or increased to be wretched). A smell to attract or repulse can be fabricated on its own, as smells can exist without an obvious source.

Touch is another sense that lends itself to glamour. An object that is warm can be altered to be extremely hot, radiating the heat so it is felt without direct touch. Direct touch would feel as if the person was burnt, but no actual damage would occur from the false heat. If a Weaver made skin feel clammy or slippery, when it really wasn't, he or she would have to use fabrication.

Sounds, like footsteps, can be muffled with glamour. While they also could be made to sound clearer, they couldn't be made louder. A footstep would have to be able to be heard for the perception of the footstep to be altered. However, fabrication could fool a guard into hearing footsteps where there are none, or not hearing footsteps that do exist.

Vision is the most difficult sense to alter. Glamour could make copper coins appear as gold, an old nag appear as a suitable horse, or a rock appear as a turtle. Strong glamour would be enough to make a man appear as a large dog or a giant. For a man to appear as an elephant or a mouse would take powerful glamour. Fabrication would let a Weaver have something appear where there was actually nothing, or could make something not be perceived. Pink flamingos could appear in an empty garden, or a man could walk unseen through the market.

Illusion, or altered perceptions, can do no harm in and of themselves. However, an object that is perceived differently still holds the same dangers. An ostrich feather will wound a hero struck by it if it really is a sword. Contaminated water still carries disease, no matter how fresh it may seem to taste. The original properties of items still exist. They just may not be perceived as dangerous.

A Weaver uses emotion and intuition to reach into the pattern of perceptions and make a change. There is no gesturing, vocalization, or other components needed. Weaving time is instantaneous, or as fast as the Weaver can conceive what he or she wants.

	Magic Power Levels
	At this magic level... a mage can: 1 Apprentice: Use Weaver Sight to determine what the perceptions are for one person or a small group of animals. Thus, the mage would know if a guard has seen or heard any of the heroes, even if the guard was acting as if he wasn't alerted. 2 Weak Mage: Glamour the taste or smell perception of any one person or small group of animals. The pattern lasts only a few moments and the Weaver must concentrate to maintain the change. The Weaver could lure several animals in close with the smell of food, or make someone's meal taste horrible. 3 Average Mage: Glamour any one sense. Fabricate taste or smell. This can affect a small group of people or large group of animals. The pattern lasts only a few moments but without the Weaver's concentration. With concentration the pattern can last up to an hour. The Weaver could buy all the supplies needed with copper coins, or stampede animals with the smell of smoke. 4 Gifted Mage: Glamour any combination of senses. Fabricate taste or smell. Can affect a large group of people. The pattern lasts up to an hour, or several hours with concentration. The Weaver could pass off an old rusted dagger as an engraved rune blade by letting the purchaser inspect it, or cause a sword to stink of vinegar no matter how well kept. 5 Powerful Mage: Glamour any combination of senses. Fabricate any one sense except vision. Can affect a large group of people. The pattern lasts up to an hour, or several hours with concentration. The Weaver and friends can move past a group of guards without them hearing a sound. 6 Mighty Mage: Glamour any combination of senses. Fabricate any two senses. Can affect any creature capable of perceiving the illusion. The pattern lasts up to an hour, or several hours with concentration. The Weaver can cause a creature to appear from nowhere, bellow a cry, and charge a group of people. 7 Legendary Mage: Glamour and fabricate any combination of senses. Can affect any creature capable of perceiving the illusion. The pattern lasts up to several hours without concentration. The Weaver can summon a demon in a cloud of smoke, smelling of brimstone, and carry on a conversation with it. While talking with the demon, a creature can appear from nowhere, and ask everyone observing to leave. 8 Supreme Mage: Glamour and fabricate any combination of senses. Can affect any creature capable of perceiving the illusion. The pattern lasts up to a day without concentration. The Weaver can hide a city by making it appear to be a part of the forest. The forest would have singing birds as well as small animals and appear totally natural. 9 Archmage: Glamour and fabricate any combination of senses. Can affect any creature capable of perceiving the illusion. The pattern lasts up to a month without concentration. The Weaver can hide an entire realm. Travelers would be unable to find it, and think they are lost. 10 Avatar: Glamour and fabricate any combination of senses. Can affect any creature capable of perceiving the illusion. The pattern lasts until something causes it to unravel. It is difficult to determine if the illusion is real or not. The Weaver's changes become the new reality, appearing as god-like transformations.

Impression Weaving copyright © 2002 Robert Flack. Used with permission.