Dark Age: Mage Help

[Glarx]

Hey there, Playground!

I'm going to be starting in a sandbox soon as a solo mage (lots of vampires and some skinchangers, but just me as a wielder of supreme arcane might). The problem is, I have absolutely no guidance on what to do and no idea on how I should build my character. Currently I'm looking like this:

Spoiler: Character Design!

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Name: Parissa al-Zharrad
Nature: Celebrant
Demeanor: Celebrant
Concept: A powerful mage looking to achieve immortality
Fellowship: Order of Hermes

Foundation: Modus 2
Pillars: Forma
Anima 3
Corona
Primus
Vires

Attributes:
Physical
Strength 1
Dexterity 3
Stamina 2

Social
Charisma 2
Manipulation 5
Appearance 3

Mental
Perception 2
Intelligence 4
Wits 2

Abilities:
Talents
Empathy 3
Expresion 3
Subterfuge 3

Skills
Commerce 2
Etiquette 3

Knowledge
Enigmas 3
Hearth Wisdom 1
Occult 3
Politics 3
Seneschal 3

Backgrounds:
Resources 5
Sanctum 5
Fount 5

Willpower: 8
Mana: 5
Health:

15 bonus points
3 -- Willpower
5 -- Sanctum 5
5 -- Foundation 2
5 -- Fount 5

Merits
Indomitable

Flaws
Repulsive Practice -- Pain Casting
Faint of Heart
Arcane Heritage -- Heretical Mage Family

But I have no idea if I've wasted 5 points in resources, or if Sanctum is only good at level 2, or if Animus is the worst pillar of them all, or anything else. So I'm looking for any help I can get.

[JeenLeen]

I think Resources 5 would make you a valuable ally to others, which gives you some strong leverage. You could bribe (whether as sincere donations or crafty politicking) your way into friendship with positions of authority, like the local baron or bishop, and you should be able to buy mercenaries to assist you as well as 'convince' mercs or bandits attacking you to leave you be.
Do you mean you will be the only mage in a sandbox game with players of other supernaturals? If so, your place in the party could be gathering resources and allies. You could smooth over local law who are stirred against your garou friends or looking too closely into a vampire's lair.
I could see dropping Sanctum a rank or two to get some Allies before game starts, but you can probably use your Resources to get those in-game. But I personally prefer having less dots amongst multiple backgrounds than consolidated like that, so I can't tell if it's good build advice or my personal taste.

I would talk to the GM before overusing Resources, though, to make sure you're not ticking anyone off, but it seems legitimate. If you are expected to use it only to outfit yourself, and not as a political tool or to hire/buy off mercenaries, then it's probably not worth it. You could still be wealthy with less.

One general note for oWoD combat is, if you plan on physical combat (not just using magic for offense and defense), have dexterity. The boost to accuracy and dodge is crucial, as well as for multiple actions. Dex 3 is pretty good, but I want to mention this as a char-gen note.

Too ignorant to comment on the powers.

[Glarx]

I figured what you just described was the Influence merit, not Resources. I can't tell if everything is super discrete or if there's intentional overlap in background merits.

Allies is a great idea, though. I will contemplate on this adjustment!

The only reason she'd get into physical combat is if I've screwed up a lot, which is why I went ahead and increased dexterity. I don't like having two 1s in a tier, though, which is why I went with Stamina 2. It's less optimized, but I don't want to tick off my kind and generous GM who's letting me play a mage. XD

[A_Man]

Hmm... Your backgrounds seem good, kinda dangerous, but, then again, anything is in the WoD.

Your choice in Sphere is questionable though. Anima (or life, as I'm going to refer to it as), only works on humans and maybe werewolves. (my storyteller wouldn't let it though). Definitely not vampires or changelings though, and the best use of Life is really as a tank. Bump up your dex, and wreck some fools who thought you were some weak little girl and such. With a very minimal focus on combat (no melee/brawl skill), I'd suggest against it unless your team can be affected by your buffs.

I'd suggest either forces (Vires) or Mind (Corona) for your mage if you're going for a 3 in a single sphere. Another good option would be to either grab some more flaws or move your freebies around for an extra sphere point for Forces 2 Life 2 (some cool spells you could do with that combo and the higher levels of those two).

Everything else looks good though.

[Glarx]

I have reshuffled some points to get Anima 3 and Vires 2. Given her quest for immortality, it only makes sense she'd have high anima -- I realize it may be suboptimal, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. That said, I'd like to contest something you said, or at least press you for a few more details. Anima would certainly work on werewolves and changelings. I'm willing to argue it'd work on vampires, too. The five dot Anima description specifically points out that you can create a human body out of quintessence, but it's an inanimate husk. Anima, from what I'm reading in the descriptive text for each dot point, is more about the manipulation of organic bodies than it is about the actual stuff of life. But more compelling than that (in my mind, at any rate) is the three dot description -- "she can also alter the parameters of higher (nonhuman) life and those of her own living pattern." Changelings and werewolves are contained under the umbrella of higher nonhuman life, no?

Also, I'm pretty sure my team is me.

What sort of cool things can be done with Anima 2 Bires 2? I know that the ability to do damage is obtained around those levels -- Anima can do 2B or 1L per success to nonhuman higher lifeforms at 3, and Bires can... make a candle. It seems like you need Vires 3 before you can start doing actual damage with it.

[A_Man]

To adress your first point, yeah, always better to go with fluff rather then mechanical. Props. My first Mages character was a pure Prime mage, so I was a walking time bomb. Didnt stop me from having fun. ^_^

As for your proof, I'm pretty sure the nonhuman life is considered to be trees and small animals. Level two allows bugs and algae to be affected, level 3 allows bugs and trees, level 4 affects "higher life" human. No matter the interpretation, you can't affect anything higher then a human with anything less then 4(aside from the level 3 pure damage spell). The problem with Changelings is that you'd need spirit to really affect them, and with vampires, you need a grasp of matter and prime apparently. Pretty sure that rule is from the Tremere/Hermetic Order war.

Though whats awesome about Mages is that these rules dont have to be followed sometimes. If youre storyteller allows it it's awesome. Mine is just strict I guess. Lol.

Depending on storyteller;
Life 2 allows you to manipulate plants, algae, and best of all, bugs. Forces 2 allows you to manipulate existing forces in nature. Cant make a candle, but you can make a candle into a forest fire, for example. One of the main things I'd do is work on creating fire bees, ever burning bushes, etc etc. I tend to think with fire, but it can be pretty much used with anything. Super speeded hornets... Though until you get prime 1/anima 3 you'd have to go about doing that with Jars of the bug or finding them in the area.

With Life 3, you statt getting into burning trees, fire salamanders, and fire yourself (you can also manipulate yourself. Just not other humans) fire repellent tree armor (you have no idea how painful it is to be held in a wooden armor that's on fire), if your sanctum is a giant tree it can be literally on fire all the time and you (and your creations will never feel it)

Also, Forces 2 is perhaps the strongest of the level 2s in terms of combat, ha ha. It can only manipulate existing forces, which happen to be the most common thing around. It allows you to reverse a foes foward velocity, freeze him, reverse gravity on him.... Tons of terrible stuff to do.

[Glarx]

On anima 3: we both agree it can harm supernaturals though, no? Healing and harming is what I was interested in. Not doing vicissitude.

Well, not yet, anyways. Once I get some Twilight...

On vires 2: it explicitly says you can conjure a candle, and also that the "effects at this level must be small and subtle." I don't think reversing gravity or expanding a candle into a bonfire counts as small and subtle.

(I should quickly point out that I'm extremely grateful for your assistance and your advice -- it's helping me to understand DA:M better and forcing me to learn the rules as I check things, so thank you very much for that! I learn best by discussing things and looking for proof, so please don't take my words as combative. They are definitely not. )

[JeenLeen]

On anima 3: we both agree it can harm supernaturals though, no? Healing and harming is what I was interested in. Not doing vicissitude.

From the GM I had in a Mage game, Anima 3 would be able to hurt most other supernaturals, but Matter was also needed to affect vampires, since they are in-between living and matter. I can see Anima working on vamps, though. Perhaps ask if Anima could manipulate a chair or something else previously organic. If yes, then it fits it could impact vamps. If no, then you need matter as well.

I recall in modern mage, it's stated that the line between Life and Matter is tricky at times. Some fresh beef steak is probably still Life, as is an apple that's been off the tree for a while, but eventually foodstuffs (and likewise dead bodies) enter the realm of matter. Not sure where that line would be, or if it would exist, with a medieval perspective (since perspective shapes reality in mage metaphysics, such really matters) -- if folk really believe that maggots or rats spontaneously generate in rotten grain, then it probably really does happen that way, and if grain (dead?) can turn into rats (alive), it fits that grain (and vamps) could still be Anima.

[A_Man]

Oh. XD Werewolves and Changelings yes, Vamps no. Vamps just dont count as living creatures. Your more likely to be able to mess with them with Matter (though I dont think Hermes gets that pillar).

Darn, I keep forgetting the differences between normal and dark ages mage. Though this helps with burning bugs. Hmm.... Limits the utility of affecting velocity. You'd probably rather use it on speeding a foe up or lightly tapping them with stronger gravity to make them fall.

(Enjoying it immensly. My current Mages game is on hiatus while we play a vampire chronicle, so it's a lot of fun discussing Spheres again. ^_^)

[Glarx]

To JeenLeen -- given that the Order of Hermes states quite definitively that the dead can't be resurrected, I was sort of operating on the idea that vampires aren't (from a Hermetic perspective) actually undead. And once more, with Anima 5 creating organic matter that's inanimate (in the form of a human body that's without animation), I think Anima is pretty much not the sphere of Life, but the Pillar of 'organic matter.' Your chair test is a good one, and I'll ask my storyteller about it. (From what I've read about DA:M, it doesn't matter what the truth is, just what the belief of the mage and her fellowship is.)

To A_Man -- vampires are animate creatures, that much is undeniable. I don't think it's outside the realm of Hermetic perspective to see that vampires are governed under Anima.

EDIT: In retrospect, I don't think the chair test will necessarily work. My argument is "animation=life," which obviously doesn't affect a chair. So I need to revise my earlier statement and say it's the pillar of animation (which, happily, includes the word anima already).