Entropy

Disciples of Entropy learn to examine each thing and discern its strengths and weaknesses, examining what it is and what it does. The mage begins to sense the current of Destiny, and can discern what is significant and what is not, and what is true or untrue.

Given this knowledge, the mage can pick a lucky horse, sense if a lock has some defect or choose the original between 2 identical items. Fate, however, is a fickle thing, and Fortune even more so. These insights are not perfect, just advanced.

Unreliable as it may be, the ability to judge certainties and likelihood's is quite useful. Pressure points, lies and opportunities become obvious to one who knows their patterns. This may not have any dramatic effects, but once you understand an enemy's strength and weaknesses. It doesn't take Sun Tzu to determine a combat strategy or Lucretia Borgia to figure out a subterfuge.

Disciples learn control over probability by studying where it concentrates. Phenomena as diverse as card shuffling, dice rolling, market fluctuations, traffic jams, lost mail and roulette wheels teach the mage to identify order and the oaths of probability.

This gives the mage amazing, yet subtle control over hundreds of small events. He can control whom a waiter will serve first, who picks the shortest straw, who wins a coin flip or finds the one bullet in a chamber, etc. He may determine the outcome of any minor event that would normally be random. Once he discerns which apparently random events are in fact predetermined, he can then manipulate the other eventualities to his own ends.

There's a limit to this control; the greater the probability he tries to affect, the more difficult the act becomes. Determining a coin-toss is simple magick. Determining the toss of the same coin 100 times in succession becomes correspondingly more difficult. Hexing a pack of cards to deal a royal flush is in the realm of possibility, but offering a shuffled deck such that each card comes out as it if had never been shuffled is a miracle probably not worth the bother.

Inanimate objects and tangible forces, as Patterns of order, are most subject to the forces of Entropy. Machines are especially susceptible to the phenomena Clocks wind down, engines break, warranties expire and all things eventually fray and decay.

A Disciple of Entropy can "fix" this deterioration, causing new television sets to blow a fuse while old junker cars mysteriously can still run years after they should have fallen apart. Racks may also be caused to erode and teapots to chip and shatter, but as Entropy is a slow and gradual process, the only things which can be affected instantly are those, such as machines, which have thousands of intricate moving parts.

As with Rank Two, the mage is still limited my the realm of possibility. The more unlikely a feat, the more difficult it becomes and the less time and bother it's worth. Order can only be fixed and Entropy kept at bay for so long before things follow their natural course.

Mystick mages view this process as cursing or blessing an object, or laying a Destiny upon it. Such forces can be controlled; at this rank, the mage may imbue a physical object with probability energy by adding Life 2 or Matter 2 to the spell, affecting the course of its Destiny and of those who come in contact with it. A blessed locket may take a bullet intended for its wearer, though he may later die a glorious death in battle. Time 2 allows more of a say in such events, but even then, they may not be certain.

The Effects of Entropy, order and probability are far more complex when dealing with living organisms, due to living beings' complex and self-corrective nature. If a robot overtaxes itself and stresses its workings, it runs down until someone repairs it. A man who overtaxes himself will heal given time and care, and may even grow stronger.

Adepts of Entropy study how life forms begin, mature, with, and die. They also observe the hundreds of factors which affect the course of life, from the effects of heredity to the stresses of evolution and growth. The Adept learns how to influence the random factors of life, giving her immense power either to destroy it or effect its development.

With this magick, a Mage can weave a potent spell over a living being, blessing or cursing him and his line. Other Spheres may be woven into such a charm, creating hereditary magickal gifts or flamboyant curses. The Arts effect probability, not Life Patterns themselves.

Masters of Entropy expand their control over reality by studying the ways in which ideas change over time.

The effects of the natural order of things on objects are fairly clear and indisputable, but the fact that chaos effects intelligent thoughts seems farfetched. Yet everything which is organized is subject to the laws which govern order and chaos, be it the structure of a molecule or an organized body of knowledge.

Masters of Entropy point to human history for countless examples theories and paradigms that outgrew their usefulness or over the centuries (the irony of such observations is lost on many council Mages). Thoughts, the Masters of Entropy point out, are at once the most mercurial and the most tenacious things, yet as any politician can tell you, they can be molded, shaped, and influenced over time.

Where Masters of mind rudely subject the minds of others to their own will, Masters of Entropy merely point out things that will strike a person a particular way and let his thoughts follow the natural progression of other possibilities.

Master of Entropy who specialize in chaos can shatter a persons view simply by making a few weird comments (or can at least confuse him), while those specializing in order can present a logical arguments which can advance a persons conscious or subconscious thoughts to some higher ( or at least different) set of ideas. Masters of fate or fortune can lead subjects to inescapable conclusions or spark random, creative thoughts, which a subject may absorb as he sees fit.

This supreme magick directs the force of Wyrd into a mental concept, creating a "happy thought" or "cursed", which brings Fate or Fortune to bear on those who concentrate upon it, possibly extinguishing or exalting the thought. This may lead to paradigm shifts, new faiths or insanity.


	The City of LeClaire \| home Correspondence \| Entropy \| Forces \| Life \| Matter \| Prime \| Spirit \| Matter \| Mind Entropy Sense Fate & Fortune Disciples of Entropy learn to examine each thing and discern its strengths and weaknesses, examining what it is and what it does. The mage begins to sense the current of Destiny, and can discern what is significant and what is not, and what is true or untrue. Given this knowledge, the mage can pick a lucky horse, sense if a lock has some defect or choose the original between 2 identical items. Fate, however, is a fickle thing, and Fortune even more so. These insights are not perfect, just advanced. Unreliable as it may be, the ability to judge certainties and likelihood's is quite useful. Pressure points, lies and opportunities become obvious to one who knows their patterns. This may not have any dramatic effects, but once you understand an enemy's strength and weaknesses. It doesn't take Sun Tzu to determine a combat strategy or Lucretia Borgia to figure out a subterfuge. Control Probability Disciples learn control over probability by studying where it concentrates. Phenomena as diverse as card shuffling, dice rolling, market fluctuations, traffic jams, lost mail and roulette wheels teach the mage to identify order and the oaths of probability. This gives the mage amazing, yet subtle control over hundreds of small events. He can control whom a waiter will serve first, who picks the shortest straw, who wins a coin flip or finds the one bullet in a chamber, etc. He may determine the outcome of any minor event that would normally be random. Once he discerns which apparently random events are in fact predetermined, he can then manipulate the other eventualities to his own ends. There's a limit to this control; the greater the probability he tries to affect, the more difficult the act becomes. Determining a coin-toss is simple magick. Determining the toss of the same coin 100 times in succession becomes correspondingly more difficult. Hexing a pack of cards to deal a royal flush is in the realm of possibility, but offering a shuffled deck such that each card comes out as it if had never been shuffled is a miracle probably not worth the bother. Affect Predictable Patterns Inanimate objects and tangible forces, as Patterns of order, are most subject to the forces of Entropy. Machines are especially susceptible to the phenomena Clocks wind down, engines break, warranties expire and all things eventually fray and decay. A Disciple of Entropy can "fix" this deterioration, causing new television sets to blow a fuse while old junker cars mysteriously can still run years after they should have fallen apart. Racks may also be caused to erode and teapots to chip and shatter, but as Entropy is a slow and gradual process, the only things which can be affected instantly are those, such as machines, which have thousands of intricate moving parts. As with Rank Two, the mage is still limited my the realm of possibility. The more unlikely a feat, the more difficult it becomes and the less time and bother it's worth. Order can only be fixed and Entropy kept at bay for so long before things follow their natural course. Mystick mages view this process as cursing or blessing an object, or laying a Destiny upon it. Such forces can be controlled; at this rank, the mage may imbue a physical object with probability energy by adding Life 2 or Matter 2 to the spell, affecting the course of its Destiny and of those who come in contact with it. A blessed locket may take a bullet intended for its wearer, though he may later die a glorious death in battle. Time 2 allows more of a say in such events, but even then, they may not be certain. Affect Life The Effects of Entropy, order and probability are far more complex when dealing with living organisms, due to living beings' complex and self-corrective nature. If a robot overtaxes itself and stresses its workings, it runs down until someone repairs it. A man who overtaxes himself will heal given time and care, and may even grow stronger. Adepts of Entropy study how life forms begin, mature, with, and die. They also observe the hundreds of factors which affect the course of life, from the effects of heredity to the stresses of evolution and growth. The Adept learns how to influence the random factors of life, giving her immense power either to destroy it or effect its development. With this magick, a Mage can weave a potent spell over a living being, blessing or cursing him and his line. Other Spheres may be woven into such a charm, creating hereditary magickal gifts or flamboyant curses. The Arts effect probability, not Life Patterns themselves. ***Affect Thought Masters of Entropy expand their control over reality by studying the ways in which ideas change over time. The effects of the natural order of things on objects are fairly clear and indisputable, but the fact that chaos effects intelligent thoughts seems farfetched. Yet everything which is organized is subject to the laws which govern order and chaos, be it the structure of a molecule or an organized body of knowledge. Masters of Entropy point to human history for countless examples theories and paradigms that outgrew their usefulness or over the centuries (the irony of such observations is lost on many council Mages). Thoughts, the Masters of Entropy point out, are at once the most mercurial and the most tenacious things, yet as any politician can tell you, they can be molded, shaped, and influenced over time. Where Masters of mind rudely subject the minds of others to their own will, Masters of Entropy merely point out things that will strike a person a particular way and let his thoughts follow the natural progression of other possibilities. Master of Entropy who specialize in chaos can shatter a persons view simply by making a few weird comments (or can at least confuse him), while those specializing in order can present a logical arguments which can advance a persons conscious or subconscious thoughts to some higher ( or at least different) set of ideas. Masters of fate or fortune can lead subjects to inescapable conclusions or spark random, creative thoughts, which a subject may absorb as he sees fit. This supreme magick directs the force of Wyrd into a mental concept, creating a "happy thought" or "cursed", which brings Fate or Fortune to bear on those who concentrate upon it, possibly extinguishing or exalting the thought. This may lead to paradigm shifts, new faiths or insanity.