Spirits and Realms

The Metaphysical Shape of Reality

Most Academies and other schools of magical study agree on some version of the “Physical Realm Is the Core of the Realms” theory of the metaphysical universe. The general accepted view of how the spirit realms and the physical realm interact is that the physical realm, the solid reality that most people exist in, is in some way the “center” of the universe. According to this view, all Mana is generated by and flows through the physical realm. The spirit realms use this Mana to create echoes and reflections of the physical realm. Some, such as the Ghostlands and Wild Lands, are quite similar to the physical realm in layout and appearance, while some such as the Abstract or Divine Realms have wild topographical features and often mind-bending geographies, and even the so-called laws of physics appear to be mere suggestions.

There are other theories about the structure of reality, of course, still being argued by mystical scholars. One view sees the universe as a series of layers, with the physical realm on top and the others arranged below it, all floating above an ocean of pure chaos. Others discuss multiple physical dimensions of spacetime beyond the four we experience, and how the other realms are simply different combinations of these higher dimensions that we can pass into with effort.

Regardless of the metaphysical cosmology one ascribes to, there are several commonly-observed factors about how the physical realm interacts with the spirit realms, and general commonalities in the most well-understood realms.

The Veil

This boundary between the physical and spirit realms is also known by some magical traditions as the Boundary, the Caul, the Curtain, the Gauntlet, the Gossamer, the Membrane, or the Pale. The Veil is rarely observed and usually just felt, but it represents a strong barrier that impedes even the flow of Mana. Most spirits can naturally sense events across the Veil, at least in places that bring the realms metaphysically “close” together, while only magically-sensitive people can occasionally sense events across the Veil. It is impossible to travel cross the Veil where there is nothing in common or the flow of Mana is absent. Likewise, there are some places where the Veil is so thin that even those with minimal magical talent can walk across it.

The strength of the Veil in a certain area in general relies on how much a place mystically resonates with the various spirit realms. People who study the Realms will often talk about a “level” or “rating” on a scale from 1-10 (or higher) to indicate the relative difficulty of crossing the Veil. Technically, an area should have different ratings for different Realms, but for most realms, the difference is too slight to matter. However, most areas also tend to resonate with one or more realms, which can make it easier to reach across the Veil. The rating of the Veil is added to the TN of any Power, Spell or Ritual that targets a being or object on the other side of the Veil.

Some people may believe that modern places and society are somehow “losing the magic” and therefore have naturally stronger Veil ratings than rural or wild locations. This is not actually true; a ordinary patch of farmland or an empty pasture is no more inherently mystical than an alleyway or a corner grocery. Sometimes much less so, since few people may visit the rural area to tell stories or form beliefs about it while thousands may pass by that creepy shadowy alley every day.

A Veil rating is not usually modified by the size of the area covered, unless the area is a Mana Channel, Wellspring, or directly affected by a Spell or Ritual.

Resonance: This is how students of spirit magic talk about the connections between realms and how comfortable certain spirits may be in specific area. Usually “resonance” indicates that the Veil will be lower for those realms, but once in a while there is negative resonance that will push a certain realm farther away.

Example Veil Ratings:

Area	Realm Resonance, Veil Difficulty	Veil Strength
Empty, unsettled, unused	Wildlands, -2	4
Ordinary, town, farm, road, alley, townhouse	Any, +0	5
Near more than one dreamer	Dreamlands, -2	4
Library, schoolroom, museum, den, study, laboratory	Abstract, -2 Wildlands, +2	6
Underwater, especially near reefs and other places with lots of sea life	Wildlands, -3	4
Graveyard, cemetery, mausoleum, location of recent or large-scale death	Ghostlands, -2	4
Church, consecrated site, around faithful people	Divine, -2	4
Ruins, blasted landscape, poisoned, left fallow	Ghostlands, +2 Wildlands +3	7
Standing Stones, faerie rings, mushroom circles, revelry	Dreamlands, -2	4
Forest, savannah, mountains, seas, wild places with biodiversity	Wildlands, -3	4
Parking lot, brutalist architecture, factories, waste management	Dreamlands, Wildlands, +2 Ghostlands, Abstract, -1	8

If the Veil is lower than a person’s Willpower or Magical Ability score, they may try to simply sense the presence of spirits or other influences from spirit realms, on a TN 11 roll (modified by Veil and Resonance as usual). Individuals with a large amount of Mana or Willpower or Magical Ability scores above 5 will stand out through the Veil.

Spirits Realms and Backlash

Backlash barely exists in the spirit realms, but it is not true that beings in these realms are immune from uncontrolled magics. As always, the expectations and rules of the reality created around the caster are the primary considerations when determining backlash. So use of healing magics, creating life, or that sort of thing will garner Backlash in the Ghostlands, while the use of technology in Faerie might draw metaphysical rebuke.

Backlash is rarely subtle in the spirit realms, and if someone does gather enough for a Consequence, the results will be instant and may not be at all metaphorical.

The Realms

In theory the number of spirit realms is effectively uncountable, although finite. While most scholars group closely-related realms together in general terms, each large group contains several variations and subrealms that might have only small differences that even denizens of the realms cannot always identify. While many realms have been explored by mortal Supernaturals and spirits alike, there is always the possibility of running across an undiscovered or little-visited place. It’s also worth nothing that sometimes realms bleed into each other—the Abstract Realms often feed into the Divine Realms and the Dreamlands, for example.

It is known that each spirit realm is affected by the expectations and stories of specific cultures that interact with it; for example, Faerie and its residents will change based on whether the people interacting with it are from Ireland, Scotland, Francia, Prussia, or elsewhere. The names for the major groupings are generally agreed on by the Academies, but again, may be changed due to local culture.

The Abstract Realms

These are the realms where thought and ideas take shape. There are places where geometric concepts exist in the Platonic realities, where memories can swim together, and artistic concepts are slowly assembled from raw inspiration.

These are among the most challenging realms to visit, as locations and entities may follow strictly logical rules that require advanced mathematics or philosophy to comprehend. Intelligence rolls often replace Communication or Perception rolls in these realms. Surreal landscapes abound.

Abstract Subrealms

The Crystal Palace: This is where designs exist, the liminal museum that extends in all directions, x-, y-, and z-axis displays and presentations that show concepts in the process of becoming real, or examining the ways in which an idea was fully devleoped. Charles Babbage’s Analytical and Difference Engines exist here in their variations, next to Leonardo Da Vinci’s flying machines, the first cannons, Hero of Alexandria’s aeolipile steam engines, and the early sketches of a bomb that would dwarf even the destrcuction of Neudeck at the end of the Imperial War.

The caretaker spirits, constantly updating, cleaning, and moving around the displays, are usually represented as clockwork, steam-driven, or even disturbingly-human-looking beings with wire nerves and hydraulic muscles.

Flatland: TOne of the most poorly-named subrealms, but also descriptive of the most-easily accessed area. This begins as a world of two-dimensional beings and structures that wraps around the visitors on the inside of a vast torus. Those who have pushed beyond the two-dimensional area have spotted other representational spaces of higher mathematical dimensions. Precious few travelers, such as the legendary Jack Longstrider, have claimed to wandered through a five-dimensional version of Flatland, where our own universe is represented as just as quaint and limited in its way as the Flatland seems to us. Longstrider claimed he found a pathway to sixth-dimensional space and higher dimensions, but could not understand the necessary equations to travel onward.

The denizens of Flatland and its n-dimensional variations are generally unaware of our physical space, or if they do notice us, they are mostly mildly amused but have more interesting things to focus on. Only Flatlanders have been properly described, in Edwin Abbott Abbott’s travelogue.

The Panopticon: A giant somewhat spherical space with a web of walkways, bridges, paths, and literal spiderwebs filled with places to observ everything else. The center of the space is a large observatory where people can study around 150 million windows–the rough population of Earth—into reality displayed on the inside of the sphere. Using these astral telescopes, clairvoyance, or just meditation and patience, it is possible to see (and then hear, smell, taste, and touch) through the senses of anyone else in the world.

The denizens are all dominated by large eyes and sometimes nothing else but legs, wings, or arms letting them move around. The ruler of Panoptican is known as Argus Panoptes, who served the Greek goddess Hera for a time.

Platonic Expanse: A vast space with objects and geometric solids floating in complex-but-mathematically-described orbits. Most of these solids are relatively small, from occupying a single cubic meter to more than a 100 cubic meters. There are some places, though, which may serve as cities or worlds, on a scale of a cubic kilometer to 10 cubic kilometers.

This is not only a place of solids but of essential representations of objects, and rarely, creatures. For example, two denizens that have been encountered has been the Platonic ideal of the perfect human man and woman. This subrealm often has easy access to the Dreamlands and the Wildlands.

Sea of Ideas: The raw stuff of imagination not yet sculpted into anything like physical reality. Inspirations flow together into random observations while a flash of sourceless music ripples like lightning. Many people struggle to spend time in here. Even if they find it exciting and illuminating at first, the endless barrage of quick impressions and concepts will batter at anyone’s sanity.

The spirits of this realm are always-changing and mercurial. The only beings with anything like a consistent form who live are the Divine spirits known as the Muses.

The Divine Realms

Many realmwalkers try to find these lands to answer long-debated burning questions. This is where the concepts of faith, awe, and the belief in higher powers can be found. There are heavens here, and hells, limbos, and purgatories. There is a brisk trade between the Ghostlands and the Divine Realms, but there are also places for living souls, occupied by the enlightened, the peaceful, or those who seek understanding.

Many scholars debate whether most spirits had their own forms and individual identities before mortals created such things for them, but the entities in the Divine Realms are a strong argument that at least some spirits existed long before humans appeared. Each religion has its own conception of beings beyond humanity, from pantheons of gods great and small and the assorted rivals to those gods, to singular entities served or opposed by powerful enemies. In general, scholars tend to classify these beings as Adversarial or Beneficent. Many people, especially those from Western cultures, call these beings either “demons” or “angels.”

Divine Subrealms

Limbo: A vast landscape of gray hills, leafless trees,  thick fog, and occasional rocky outcroppings where denizens sometimes cluster together. This is an in-between place, where souls without a clear destination wander, and where spirits and denizens of other realms will meet with each other in neutral territory. Limbo has many permanent gates to other places, and some adept realmwalkers will use this place as a means of quick transport.

There are few, if any, native denizens or spirits of this realm. Those who spend too much time here slowly lose their original identities and become a palette of gray colors without strong traits, both harmful and helpful in equal measures.

The Mountain: This is a place of aspiration, representing enlightenment and grace through struggle. There are many valleys, caves, lost temples and cities dedicated to various gods and faiths. Sometimes this area is actually represented by several mountains connected by long bridges. Many mortal souls come here seeking understanding, but there are plenty of angels and demons, and other kinds of spirits, to be found in the Mountain. It should be noted that while there are idyllic locations on the Mountain, everyone is expected to work and put forth effort to make progress toward some kind of insight, or they may find themselves unable to progress and might even fall or slide back down to lower parts of the Mountain–or away from it entirely.

Plains of Judgment: This vast open plain of long grasses and wildflowers is marked by several temples, pyramids, or structures with souls lined up in the thousands outside them. This is where most souls who have a strong belief are taken by the Reapers after they die. They will find the line toward the eternal Judges closest to their own belief system and then wait for their eternities to be decided. The spirits here often cross over to the Ghostlands, and there is an easy crossing to that realm. Spirits that wander away from their lines usually end up in Limbo.

The Shining Cities: Also called “The Heavens,” although this term has fallen into dispute. Many religions have some conception of a place of perfection, an afterlife utopia where the most blessed or favored souls go to live in bliss and harmony for as long as they wish. The Shining Cities, which float above the Mountain and can be seen above all the other Divine subrealms and sometimes be glimpsed in other realms entirely, are the representation of divine grace.

For the most part, the denizens are Beneficient beings, often resembling angles, with a few spirits fitting about as servants and attendants. There are many souls here, some of whom may have forgotten their mortal origins completely. There are also some entities of such great power that the only term that could apply to them is “God.”

The Underworld: Also called “The Hells,” these are the various places of torment and suffering that sadly too many souls go toward. There’s a growing suspicion among scholars that the souls within the Underworld could leave if they wished, but they must first be able to fully understand their own sins and forgive themselves. There are several individual Hells here, matching the various religions that espouse such things. Quite a few Hells have a God-level entity in charge.

Most entities here are Adversarial, often taking the form demons or devils, with spirits serving as slaves and troops.

The Dreamlands

This is where our minds go when we sleep or relax full conscious control and let the swirl of random connections and concepts flow through. It’s the place of wonders and nightmares, where art becomes real and where stories take form. The Dreamlands are relatively unique in that everyone with a mind, even those with almost no notable magical talent, can regularly visit in their sleep.

 Some have suggested that the Dreamlands are simply the part of the Abstract Realms that are easier for humans to understand, but there is a fair amount of evidence that Dreamlands entities are different from Abstrict spirits.

Dreamlands Subrealms

Beyond the Rainbow: Quite often seen a series of idyllic and fanciful places, where many relatively-innocent and sweet dreams take place. While there are occasional dangers, these generally are best described as “mildly scary but ultimately a lesson is learned.”

The spirits here are often friendly and sweet, and some are much wiser than they may outwardly seem.

The Briar Patch: This is where nightmares are made. The Briar Patch resembles large rambling tangles of thorn bushes and briar-covered vines. Minds that are anxious, frightened, or experiencing trauma often come here, and the denizens of the Briars, from great entities (themselves sometimes seen as demigods) such as Epiales, Melinoe, Shigidi, and others. It’s known that some humans who have become lost in the Fae lands are occasionally sold off to the Melas Oneiroi to work in creating and implementing these dark dreams.

The Endless Wood: Some have suggested that this is where the dreams of animals take place. However, there’s evidence that this region is actually where stories about the wilds between cities reside. The Wildlands represent reflections of nature and the stories told about nature. It is known that there are pathways to and from the Wildlands, and some of the Great Beasts are known to roam through the Wood, as does the Wild Hunt and similar gods of the hunt, of prey, and natural cycles.

Faerie: One of the largest and most complex subrealms, nearly a Realm in and of itself, which has existed as long as humanity itself. The residents of Faerie are often as strong-willed and powerful as Divine spirits, and some Archfae rival demigods. Every faerie has their own agenda. The Tuatha de Dannan, who might have once been Divine spirits, were the first denizens of the Dreamlands and established the boundaries of these lands. They were highly influenced by the stories told about their kind by mortals, and over the millennia their natures, their appearances, and their entire society has been shaped by faerie tales. The stories of mortals are in turn influenced by faeries who have entered the mortal world to meet with them.

There are many regions of Faerie that nearly comprise their own subrealms, although the stories of the British Isles, especially Eire and Alba (called by the English Ireland and Scotland), but there are many palces influenced by Francia, Prussian, and Scandinavian cultures. The center of Faerie currently resembles a mixture of London, Paris, and Berlin, with castles floating in the sky with rainbow bridges and crystalline towers. Most of this area is ruled by the High Queen Mab and her High King, Alberich. The previous HIgh Queen and King, Titania and Oberon, are apparently plotting their return to power.

There are currently four Courts of the Seasons in Faerie, each with their own Kings and Queens who must pay obeisance to the High Queen and King. In most cities of America, Europa, and even parts of Russia, where there are more than a handful of dreamwalkers and faeries in residence, will have their own reflections of the seasonal courts.

Some groups of faeries also recognize a distinction between Seelie (generally beneficial) and Unseelie (generally adversarial) entities. The courts used to be divided in this way along those lines until Mab and Alberich put an end to it and instead focused on the seasons. However, many Faerie remember their previous allegiances.

The Kingdom: Unlike Faerie, this is the place where stories of mythical kings, courts, knights, and monsters can be found. This area borders Faerie, but the stories focus on human champions or villains. This is where King Arthur, Charlemagne, and Cormac Mac Airt can still be found. Dragons and giants and trolls are often found in the Kingdom, although sometimes they retreat to Faerie.

The Library: Speaking of stories, this is the place where all the stories ever told can be found. The vast shelf-covered halls include the great Reading Rooms where the stories can play out, almost entirely real, for a visitor, to the archives where hidden stories are all but forgotten. The Library may encompass the entirety of the Dreamlands, although outwardly it seems smaller. It has a great variety of spirits, many escaped from other realms, but is home to only a few entities, including servants of Athena, Thoth, and Saswara.

The Ghostlands

When living creatures die, this is where their spriitual essence first goes. All living things leave a trace here, and sapient beings will also unconsciously sculpt the environs into reflections of the physical world, at least those places that have strong emotionally resonance. There is a faint mist over everything, and new arrivals still have tight links to the world they remember. Reapers often appear to take souls to the next step—sometimes the Halls of Judgment, sometimes more esoteric and dangerous spots. Souls who avoid the Reapers or escape their final “reward” can make a half-existence observing the physical world. A few have enough will to affect the physical realms even through the Veil.

Scholars of spiritual beings attempt to have a regular nomenclature for the dead. “Ghosts” are those souls that still remember most of their lives and retain most of their original personality. “Wraiths” are the souls that have been so shocked by their deaths, or worn down over time, that what remains of their minds is usually broken and hateful toward the living. “Spectres” are ghosts that maintain a semblance of sanity by embracing some purpose, usually involving tearing bits of mana and small pieces of souls from the living and consuming them for power. “Phantasms” and “poltergeists” are the remains of souls that have faded so much that they are no longer truly sentient, but only play out their last few memories or respond maliciously to strong emotions.

Ghostlands Subrealms

The Downward Spiral: A gaping maw in the center of the Ghostlands. Two spiral pathways circle aroud the outer perimeter and ever downward. In some places these paths are several hundred meters across and in some locations they’re barely a half-meter wide. In the largest parts of the Spiral, some ghosts and other entities have constructed buildings and residences. This is one of the centers of culture in the Ghostlands, the place where the Neverdead and the long-dead ghosts who have lost most of their attachments to the living world reside. Some former gods and goddesses of death can also be found here.

The Spiral continues downward practically forever, but there are legends that eventually one will reach the point where all matter, energy, and even mana gets ground fine into the raw stuff of possibility itself.

The Endless River: This serves as the final barrier between the Ghostlands and the bordering lands of the Divine Realms. Reapers and ferrymen will carry hordes of souls across the river to the Plains of Judgment or other places. Some wanderers and entities live on the river, going in an endless circle that nonetheless often takes them near new laces. The waters of the river have various properties, depending on which part one is in, from making souls forget their lives to giving them a type of invincibility.

The Haunting: This is one of the most common places to find ghosts. This part of the Ghostlands is metaphysically near the physical realm, and in many places it is possible to either peek past the Veil or at least see reflections from the physical world. Reapers also patrol the Haunting at times, but generally have enough work that they only try to capture errant ghosts on rare occasions. This region usually closely resembles the physical realm, or at least a version of it from the past, although many of the spiritual versions of the buildings are dark, forbidding, and beginning to crumble.

The Necropolis: The great city of the dead, where recent ghosts and those entities interested in both the living and dead will reside. Composed of a conglomeration of graveyards, mausoleums, mass graves, and other places of last repose, the Necropolis is strangely active as the denizens desperately try to occupy themselves and forget that eternity awaits them.

Paths Onward: These are the rarest of the subrealms in the Ghostlands. These are always guarded in several ways, and each one provides a direct link to either a Heaven, Hell, or some even more esoteric destination for souls to rest. A few Reapers use these, but in general, the Paths Onward appear only to those beings who have special destinies. The living who travel to the afterlives on various quests must use a Path Onward.

The Wildlands

This is where the nonhuman world is most often represented. All living beings with a mind have an affect on Mana, and for most animals and even some plants, this means leaving reflections of themselves. However, human influence is felt even here, sometimes altering the spirit of an animal to better first their expectations, or to imbue a tree’s spirit with a will or an awareness that it never wanted. The Wildlands look quite a bit like the physical world without human-made structures or attempts to tame the land.

Wildands Subrealms

Elemental Planes: There are variously four, five, or six of these places, linked tightly by the Matter Bridges between them in a great mandala-like design. Many cultures havd long believed in the base elements of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water, and so each of these planes are well-described and powerful. However, some philosophies also posit another element called Aether or Void, which is conceived of as a glowing fog that never changes. Some people from Asian lands especially those with heavy Chinese influence, also believe ihe the planes of Metal and Wood and sometimes struggle to access Air. As alchemy began to reveal the chemical qualities of substances from hydrogen to uranium and beyond, there have been small buds of planes based on the scientific elements that few have directly reached.

These planes have a large variety of spirits great and small, often referred to as elementals, and the classical planes are home to entities generally known as jinn (or in Europa, “genies”), who are shifted into forms suitable for whichever plane they occupy.

Hunting Grounds: This is an intersection between human-dominated realms and the deeper Wildlands. This is where animal spirits can encounter other spirits or supernaturals and be hunted, or to hunt in return. The Hunting Grounds do not look much different than the rest of the Wildlands, reflecting as they do the physical realm if no human presence had been felt. However, here the spirits tend to be close in appearance and power to their counterparts in the physical realms. However, this is also where human belief can elevate some spirits into the lowest ranks of Totemic entities.

Lands Beyond Time: This is the memory of the world, the realm where spirits still reflect the beings lost over the eons. It is possible to find trilobites and ankylosaurs here, as well as the megafauna that preceded the rise of humans and the other ancient species that later became humanity. There are a few entities here that are strange, based on minds and stories that existed long before primates began to speak to each other.

The Primeval: The deepest part of the Wildlands, this is where spirits become Great Beasts or Totems. Some of the oldest of animal people reside here, as well as entities that had their own societies before humans. Souls and Supernaturals who find their way here had better be cautious, because even the smallest prey animal can be surprisingly dangerous in this place—there’s a reason why rabbits, for example, still exist despite all the creatures that hunt them.

The World Tree: A vast tree that stretches across one side of the Wildlands, the World Tree has roots that reach all the way down to parts of the Ghostlands, and branches that extend up to the Divine Realms or outward to the  Abstract Realms and Dreamlands. It is possible to travel along the tree to every spirit realm and many locations in the physical realm. It is even rumored that the World Tree can stretch farther than this, through the void between worlds or to other reflections of our reality. The Tree is filled with denizens that are always on their way somewhere else, and have the mighty serpent Jormungandur coiled in its roots, the squirrel Totem known as Ratatoskr racing along its branches, and places where mighty Rocs nest and clever spiders sit and watch what happens in the rest of reality.

Spirits and Entities

The spirit realms are inhabited by beings composed of Mana rather than matter. They are able to directly reshape reality by interfacing with it through their shared Mana. Spirits are always in search of more sources of Mana, and the more sophisticated and intelligent among them will find ways to tap into the Mana flowing through the physical realm. The preferred method by far is to make Bargains with mortal beings in order to share some of their powers (which most Spirits can use as easily as breathing) in exchange for a constant supply of Mana.

The difference between a Spirit and an Entity is often considered a merely philosophical one. However, scholars do make the following distinctions:

A Spirit tends to be more tenuous and nebulous, and also be driven by their essential natures. That is to say, a spirit of the Dreamlands will mostly be focused on the role it is meant to play, either to delight, frighten, charm, cause worry, and so on. Spirits are also easily shaped by mortal expectations—if a human thinks a spirit will resemble some kind of spider, even if it was not spider-like to begin with, it will appear or Manifest with at least some spider-like qualities. The more often a spirit’s appearance and role is referred to in stories or shaped by a mortal’s beliefs, the more they see themselves in this way.

The less-sophisticated denizens of the spirit realms are almost always referred to as “spirits.” This is a classist definition from the perspective of mortals, but the spirits themselves do not seem to care.

Entities are more vivid and serve their own purposes, The seem more “solid” and willful compared to spirits. For example, a Fae does as a Fae wills, even if humans think the Fae should act differently. A demon will either play along with a human’s expectations, or it will not as it chooses, and its appearance might not have anything to do with a person’s belief. Entities can sense expectations and feel how the stories want to reshape them, but they only conform to these ideas if they think it will be interesting or fun. However, many entities have, over time, consciously allowed themselves to be more like they appear in stories, but also, the entities will often manifest or influence humans to make the stories better match what they wish to be. For example, more than one faerie has encouraged humans to imagine the faerie in a specific way so that they can then adopt that usually more-powerful form.

Many scholars will label the more intelligent, powerful, and self-directed spiritual denizens as Entities. They are seen as the “human equivalents” of their own realms, although there is a danger in these expectations. After all the Totem of Wolf might be called a Spirit rather than Entity, but he is definitely more powerful than any ordinary Supernatural and also has his own agenda and may be completely uninterested in human desires. 

Spirit Rules

Spirits are often intangible and invisible forces, even in their realms, unless they choose to Appear to each other. Entities tend to always have a physical form of some kind, although they might be able to vanish at will.

In general, spirits usually only have mental Abilities, which function in a similar way as normal characters. However, in the spirit realms, they may use these mental Abilities in lieu of the physical Abilities.

Remember that spirits all have some purpose to serve within their own realms. The weakest ones (with lower Intelligence or Willpower scores) are little more than functionaries who might be charming but can’t act outside of their limits. The stronger ones might be able to get clever or try to find ways to work past those limits, but they are still constrained by their purposes. Entities, however, have more personal freedom. They are still influenced by human expectations and stories, but can resist such things if they wish or can even break their own archetypal behaviors.

Ironically, the most powerful entities might be so well-known that there are hundreds of thousands or millions of people trying to describe who and what they are, while those of lesser power might not be the focus of so many constraining stories.

Creating Spirits

Using the Adversary system listed in M:AGE, pages 131–133, spirits are classified not necessarily as threats, but with Minor to Legendary ranks to give an overall sense of power. The GM may modify these numbers up or down, in general within these classifications.  For example, a moderate-strength entity might be locally famous to the point where its stats are more in line with a level 9 creature, while a major entity could be relatively starved of Mana and only the equivalent of a level 10 creature.

• Minor spirits are usually Level 3 (can range from 1-4)
• Moderate are usually Level 7 (can range from 5-9)
• Major are usually Level 12 (can range from 10-14)
• Dire are usually Level 16 (can range from 15-17)
• Legendary are usually Level 19 (can range from 18-20)

Spirit Attributes and Powers

Note that spirits only have mental Abilities, even if they are manifested in a physical way in their realms. Entities often appear physically in their realms, and usually have physical Abilities in addition to the mental ones.

Communication—(Spirits use in place of Fighting). Spirits rely on interaction and discussion for a great many tasks, and so being skilled with the design behind purposeful emotional connection, and sheer force of personality matter. Spirits can actually be wounded by words, or more accurately, with thoughts and the intent behind them.

Intelligence—(Spirits use in place of Constitution and Dexterity). The ability to understand and contemplate what is happening is not always that valuable for many spirits. Some that can understand things deeply tend to be fatalistic about the fact their existences are shaped by human belief. Others may resent it.

Perception—(Spirits use in place of Accuracy). Spirits can actually be quite oblivious to anything that doesn’t fit within their archetypal interests. Some spirits are incapable of noticing events or facts that are not part of their nature—for example, an Abstract spirit might simply be unable to notice art for what it is, or a Wildlands spirit might not be able to see or be seen by machines.

Willpower—(Spirits use in place of Strength and, to some degree, Reputation). Often the most important Ability for spirits, although most do not have a great deal of it. Higher Willpower not only conveys strength in the spirit realm, but position and standing in social situations. While Communication still represents one’s ability to charm or manipulate, Willpower can simply denote a spirit that deserves respect. Willpower scores above 5 represent the equivalent of aristocracy, above 10 represent rulers, and above 15 are gods or Totems.

Focuses—spirits can have Focuses, but usually do not unless the focus is directly part of their nature, or they have a score in that Ability above 4. For example, a Faerie with Communication 5 might not have a Focus in Swords unless it is a warrior or knight, but will probably have a focus in Brawling or some other weapon.

Health—Spirits do not have a Health score unless they are possessing a body or Manifesting one in the physical realm. Otherwise, any damage to a spirit’s form will be taken from Mana.

Mana—Spirits and entities both start with 10 + Willpower + 6 Mana at the equivalent of level 1, adding Willpower + 6 Mana each level thereafter.

Regaining Mana—Spirits and entities in their native spirit realm regain their Willpower x 2 Mana each day, although they almost always are looking for other sources to feed on. In other spirit realms, they usually only gain Willpower in Mana each day, although opposing realms give them none.  In the physical world, they may regain 3 + Willpower Mana per hour, -1 for each point in the local Veil. This rate is doubled in Channels, x 3 in a Wellspring (both calculated before subtracting the cost for the Veil), or be given Mana directly from a willing person (as per the Sharing spell or a Bargain).

Entities

Have both physical and mental Abilities and always have a visible and tangible form in a realm unless they use a Power to disappear. They also have a Health score, although an entity can always choose to use Mana in place of Health or vice versa. Their health is calculated as a base of 15 or 20 (as with humans) + Constitution, and increases 1 + Constitution every equivalent level.

Spirit Powers

Minor spirits usually have four to five ranks of Powers. Moderate spirits usually have five to eight ranks of Powers. Major spirits may have nine to 15 ranks, Dire have 16-24, and Legendary from 25-30 or more.

Besides those listed here, spirits may also have access to any single Spell listed in the game as an individual power (without any regard to the degrees of rank in Arcane Talents), or to any Power listed for Supernaturals, so long as it makes sense for that spirit or entity’s nature.

Appear (minor action, two ranks): This allows a spirits to become visible and relatively solid within a spirit realm. This costs 1 Mana to be visible but still intangible, and 2 Mana to be visible and tangible (using their mental Abilities in place of physical ones). With a second rank in the power, they may spend additional Mana to increase an Ability, add a rank in a Power, or to Appear in realms that are not resonant with the spirit’s nature (for example, a Abstract Concept of Life in the Ghostlands should have to double costs to Appear).

Attack (major action, multiple ranks): The basic way to harm others. This costs 1 Mana per Major Action used to attack, which allows the spirit to use Communication or Perception to harm others and cause at least Willpower + 1d6 points of damage. For each additional rank the spirit may spend +1 Mana for another effect, some can be taken several times: may spend 1 Mana to add +1d6 to damage; for 2 Mana make the damage be of a specific type (such as poison, acid, or fire); or for 3 Mana make the damage penetrating; or for 2 Mana per attack, add an attack per Major Action (maximum attacks equal to Intelligence).

Bargain (full round or more): One of the basic powers possessed by all spirits and entities, although not all of them will use it. This is a conscious improvement on the fundamental magical Bargain that underlies most magical spells and powers in the physical realm. The bargain must be reasonable for a given spirit (one shouldn’t ask a water elemental to create a fire, for example), and within the rough powers available to it. A spirit may do much greater things for another being, especially a mortal, than it can for itself—the relevant magical Ability is doubled, as is the Magical Force, when the bargain is made. A bargain must always include some amount of Mana (usually at least the base cost the GM assigns for the effect, based on the most equivalent spells or powers listed), and should also involve other favors or rewards.

Note that sometimes Bargains can be used to allow the spirit or entity to do things it normally couldn’t do—for example, the right Bargain might allow a spirit to use the Manifest power when it wouldn’t normally, or give an entity the power of Life and Death.

Belief (constant, four ranks): A power used mostly by Divine entities and similar beings. This allows them to gather Mana from individual prayer and groups performing acts of faith dedicated to them, or to borrow from those pools of Mana if they are dedicated servants. For the first rank, the spirit may draw upon their Willpower score of faithful individuals within 100 meters, gaining 5 Mana for each one. For two ranks, the spirit can double this number and draw on individuals in a kilometer; at three ranks, three times Willpower in worshippers at 10 kilometers, and four ranks (the usual maximum), 4 x Willpower individual within 100 kilometers. Also, when the being acts to reinforce the ambient belief in them by fulfilling expectations, for each rank they may either double Magical Force, double dice rolled for the effect, or automatically generate 2 Stunt Points.

Capture (major action, three ranks): Spirits have multiple ways to keep others from doing as they wish, from charming them into stillness with music to wrapping them securely with vines or ordering small creatures to overwhelm them. Spend 3 Mana and roll Communication (+Focus) against target’s Defense (for physical attacks) or contested Willpower (for mental assaults). A successful capture means the target cannot move from that spot, and is at -2 defense, and also is at -2 to any physical test.  For two ranks, the spirit may spend additional Mana to add +1 per Mana point to the spirit’s total. For three ranks, the target of the capture loses all their actions until they succeed in a Willpower vs. Willpower test, which they can only attempt at the end of their round.

Create (major action, multiple ranks): Many beings can spontaneously create things related to their nature. Spend 4 points of Mana: for each point in Willpower, the being can bring forth one kilogram of a physical substance, or one d6 worth of damage for an energy, or a level of hazard. With two ranks, the being can double this amount; with three ranks (the usual maximum) the spirit can create five times the amount. The being may choose to roll the appropriate Ability to make shapes; at one rank, the shapes must be simple, at two, they can be relatively complex, at three, they can be intricate. Also, with an investment of four Mana, the object can move on its own, with maximum ability of +3 at the first rank, half the spirit’s Ability at 2 ranks, and the spirit’s full Ability at 3 ranks. The created objects last for one sun cycle by default; each step of improvement will move this to three days, then a week, and then a month.

Durable (no action, always on, multiple ranks (limited)): A spirit or entity with this power has effectively double its normal Health or Mana, which applies only during combat. That is to say, a Durable spirit with 40 Mana has another 40 Mana to use when taking damage, but not when paying for powers or spells. This power is usually only available to Major entities. Entities of at Dire power may take an additional in this ability, making the modifier x3, and Legendary entities may take another rank, giving them x4 Mana or Health (split up as they wish).

Defend (minor action (two ranks)): This gives the spirit the ability to actively avoid attacks. This can take the form of flowing around a weapon, disappearing and reappearing somewhere else, or making trees spring up in the way of an attack. The spirit must decide to devote some part of its attention to its defense and so long as it devotes a Minor action to this power, it can respond as a reaction at any other time during that combat round. This applies even if the attack happens before the spirit’s turn; if it uses Defend as a reaction, then a minor action is spoken for on its turn. Spend 2 Mana and either roll Intelligence + Focus to contest and attack, or add Willpower to Defense. For two ranks, the spirit can do both, and can react twice in a round with this power.

Life and Death (major action, multiple ranks (limitied)): The spirit or entity has power over life and death, and can either heal or harm physical beings. This requires some sort of contact with the being, and for each point of Mana, the spirit can heal 5 Health, or 3 points of Conditions. With a contested Willpower (+Focus) roll against an unwilling target’s Constitution + Stamina, the spirit may inflict up to 5 damage or 3 points of Conditions per point of Mana spent. Beings of Moderate power can take a second rank and with four Mana can roll 1d6 per point in Magic Ability to heal a creature who is either rolling to survive while unconscious, or has failed this roll in the current or previous turn. Alternately, with the second rank, they may spend four Mana and roll Willpower vs. Constitution (Stamina) or Willpower (Self-Discipline) to inflict 1d6 per point in Mana Ability, which counts as impact damage. Spirits of Major power, with a third rank, can spend 8 Mana heal a being who has been dead for less than a minute per point in the spirit’s Willpower. Or they may spend 8 Mana to cause 4d6+Willpower penetrating damage (resisted by Willpower (Self-Discipline) to only take 2d6 penerating damage. damage.

Manifest (Full Round): This is a power that all entities possess by default, and some spirits (usually of the Moderate or higher levels) do as well. This allows a being to build a body for itself in the physical realm. An entity does not need to use this power while within a Wellspring that is resonant with its original spirit realm, but must use it anywhere the local Veil is above 3.

It costs a default of 5 Mana to manifest a physical body with Physical Abilities all set to 0 and a base of 15 Health that appears the way the spirit or entity usually looks. Each point of Mana invested adds +1 to a physical Abilities, up to a 9 and then 2 Mana for 1 point for each point above 10. (Negative values do reduce the overall Mana cost.) Another point of Mana is used to add 2 physical Focuses, or to purchase ranks of either Spirit or Supernatural Powers that only apply to this body. This body is about human size or smaller by default, and for 2 Mana can be up to twice the size, with another doubling of size for each 2 Mana.

This body lasts for one hour by default. Each hour, the spirit must pay the total Mana cost again to keep the body together, reduce the cost by making the body less effective, or dissipate back to the spirit realm. The manifested body can last longer if a Ritual is used to bring it forth, or though a Bargain.

Move (minor action, five ranks): This represents an unusual form of movement, from flying to riding through the shadows on flame-breathing steeds or traveling as beams of lights. For the first ranks, spirit may take a Minor action and spend 1 Mana and move 10 meters per point in Willpower. At two ranks, the spirit may take a a Major Action, spend 3 Mana and move 100 meters per point in Willpower. At three ranks, the spirit may take a Full Round Action, spend 5 Mana and move a kilometer per point in Willpower. The next two ranks require Full Round Actions, 7 and 10 Mana respectively, and cover wither 25 km per point in Willpower, or 50 km per point. Once the initial cost has been paid, the spirit may  move at this speed each round until they stop, for up to an hour.

Peer Through (minor action, three ranks): Most but not all spirits and entities have this power. This is how they see through the Veil in either direction, to either spot the physical world or a different spirit realm. Spend 1 Mana and roll Perception against a TN of 8 + the local Veil. Success allows the looker to see what’s going on in the other realm but be at +Veil TN to any Perception checks in the realm they are standing in. At two ranks, they can split their attention and be at only +2 Perception TNs in both realms. At three ranks, they can see both realms without penalty unless the GM decides the Veil is too high.

Possess (full round, three ranks): This is another common power for spirits of Moderate strength, but its use is frowned on by most spirit communities and by the Supernaturals. The spirit must be able to see the target in the physical realm in some way. It may then try to seep into the target’s mind. This costs 5 Mana per round to attempt, and requires a contested Wilpower roll. Add the Veil rating to the defender’s roll for attempts thrugh the veil, add half the Veil rating (round down) if the spirit is in the physical realm. It may continue to attempt each round until it runs out Mana, it succeeds, or the target drives the spirit away.

If the spirit succeeds, it takes up residence within the target’s body, able to use all the target’s Physical Abilities at first. The spirit also has control over the target’s Mana pool (even if the target did not have much magical talent of its own) and use it to activate either the body’s own physical Powers or any of the spirit’s Powers.

At the first rank, it takes 5 Mana to maintain the possession per sun cycle. At the end of each sun cycle (either at sunrise or sunset), the target may try to resist again. At the second rank, the spirit only needs to spend 3 mana to maintain possession and may spend up to 3 more Mana to add up to +3 to their Willpower roll to maintain it. They also may gain access to the body’s physical Focuses. For three ranks, it only costs 1 Mana per sun cycle to maintain possession, the spirit may spend up to +5 Mana to maintain possession, and have access to Mental Focuses and Supernatural Spells.

Prophecy (full round, three ranks): To the perspective of most spirits, time around sapient beings roils and spits like whitewater rapids. This will throw back quite a few hints about possible futures. The spirit may spend 5 Mana and roll Communication, TN at least 11, to relate a prophecy that will be relevant to those who hear it. At the first rank, the prophecy is about something immediate, or that will happen in the next Season. At two ranks, the prophecy may be about an event that will happen anywhere from the next year. At three ranks, the prophecy may be about anything that will happen in the next century. Some Dire or Legendary spirits may have even more powerful prophecies, but they rarely share these insights with others.

Many prophecies might require the listeners to roll Intelligence (same TN as the prophecy) to interpret what was said.

Protection (no action, always on, three ranks):

• Rank 1: a spirit with this protection takes half damage from any nonmagical attack. (An attack with a weapon the spirits is Vulnerable to takes full damage as normal.)
• Rank 2: a spirit with this takes no damage from nonmagical attacks.
• Rank 3: The spirit is completely immune to a single form of damage regardless of whether it’s magical. (If it would be Vulnerable to the weapon, the spirit takes half damage.)

Reshape (major action, four ranks): The spirit can change the appearance and possibly even the very nature of a target that fits within its purview. At the first rank, for 3 Mana, the spirit can modify up to 1 kg per point in Willpower to take on a new shape or simple purpose, such as turning a rock into an axe, or transforming a flower into a crystal version of itself. At the second rank, for 5 Mana, the spirit can modify up to 3 kilograms per point in Willpower for simple transformations, or 1 kg per Willpower for more devices such as gears, pulleys, or a simple creature into a similar simple creature (like a rat into a bat). At the third rank, for 8 Mana, the spirit can perform simple transformations to 5 kg per Willpower, advanced (simple devices similar living things) for 3 kg per Willpower, and complex transformations (nearly any device, nonliving to living and back) for 1 kg per Willpower.

In some cases, the GM may require a roll for the spirit to understand how to reshape the target into a new form. This should start at TN 11 for simple, TN 15 for advanced, and TN 18 for complex.

Summon (major action, 5 ranks): This allows the spirit or entity to call to other denizens of similar natures. For example, a demon can summon lesser demons, or another one of equal rank, while a Wolf totem might be able to summon packs of wolf spirits. This is a Communication roll of at least TN 11 and costs a minimum of 1 Mana per spirit. The first rank allows summoning of Minor spirits, second for Moderate, third for Major, fourth for Dire, and fifth for Legendary spirits. Each successive rank increases TN and Mana cost by +1. When rolling for the summon, check the stunt die. The result on this die is the maximum number of spirits that can be summoned this turn. Spirits that are of equal rank or lesser will generally appear without argument; spirits of higher rank may exact other prices from those who dared call on them. There is no guarantee a summoned spirit will be friendly, but they usually will hear out the summoner before deciding how to react.

Truth (minor action or always on, three ranks): This power allows the spirit to always know the truth of a statement or a situation. By default, the power allows the spirit to hear falsehoods when spoken. At the first rank, they may also spend 1 Mana and make a contested roll of Perception versus Communication to force a speaker to state the truth instead of a lie. At two ranks, for 3 Mana, the spirit can make a zone (1 square meter per point in Willpower) where characters would have to overcome its Magical Force with a Willpower roll in order to lie. At three ranks, for 5 Mana, the spirit might look deeply into a situation and understand the truth of it; why it’s happening, who or what caused it, how it might be solved, with potential rolls as the GM deems necessary.

Vanish (major action, two ranks): This allow the spirit to disappear completely, either to turn invisible (even against magical senses tuned to see spirits) or to move rapidly away to go somewhere else. The first rank costs 2 Mana and lasts for 1 combat encounter or 10 rounds, or until the spirit attacks someone. The second rank costs 5 Mana and allows the spirit to reform anywhere else in the same subrealm, although usually it will only go to one of three safe locations.

Example Spirits

Angels and Demons

These beings, which range from full entities to wispy spirits, are the denizens of the Divine Realms. There are many different beings that are commonly misnamed “angels” or “demons,” including jinn, ifrit, imps, oni, or other such creatures. Many scholars of the spirit realms will more generallly categorize these beings as either Beneficent or Malicious. The Beneficent beings, who are commonly referred to as “angels,” are usually meant to guide, inspire, protect, or support humans, are usually called angels. Malicious sprits, who are usually called “demons,” tend to cause harm without care, to support vices, and to delight in destruction or chaos. However, it should be noted that almost any angel or demon basically holds the same degree and kind of powers—angels can fight, and indeed some are famous for their destructive abilities. Demons can heal and soothe and some will do so for a price.

In the hierarchy of divine spirits, angels and demons span the range of power from just-short-of-gods to “can barely whisper a curse.”

Corruptor Demon (Divine Entity, Moderate)

Humans love to tell stories about how their actions were influenced by outside forces, often assigning blame to demons and devils. The corruptor is one such being, who hopes to lead humans astray using bargains and temptation. The corrupter tries not to get involved in direct confrontations, preferring to manipulate others into such things.

Acc	Comm	Con	Dex	Fight	Int	Per	Str	Will
1	5	3	2	2	3	5	2	4
	Deception, Disguise, Persuasion, Seduction					Empathy		Morale
Speed 12. Health: 44   Mana: 66.  Defense: 12.  Toughness: 3 (No damage against all non-magical attacks)
Vulnerability: Holy water, blessed weapons
Powers: Bargain, Capture (1), Defend (1), Manifest (1), Peer Through (1), Possess (2), Truth (1)

Grigori Angel (Divine Spirit, Minor)

A class of angel known also called the “Watchers,” the Grigori are set to observe and report to more powerful angels. Grigori will attempt to avoid notice at any cost and will run away as soon as possible if they are confronted.

Communication	Intelligence	Perception	Willpower
0	4	8	3
	Running, Stealth	Empathy, Hearing, Seeing, Smelling, Tasting, Touching
Speed: 14. Mana: 41. Defense: 14. Toughness 4 (ignores all physical attacks from nonmagical sources, half damage from magical physical attacks.)
Vulnerability: Brimstone, damned weapons
Powers: Appear (1), Peer Through (3), Preternatural Senses (All), Spell: Mind Reading (Psychic Arcana), Preternatural Speed (Rank 1), Truth (1), Vanish (1)

Concepts

Natives of either the Abstract Realm or the Dreamlands, and often cross from one to the other, Concepts are anthropomorphized (or at least representational) ideas. From a fluttering, stinging, minor imp of hate to an enigmatically powerful woman with covered eyes carrying a sword and scales and seeking Justice, these beings are thought given form. There are several Concepts that represent archetypal stories, such as the Wandering Hero, the Damsel, the Wicked Stepmother, the Trickster, and others. Sometimes Concepts are closely allied with Divine beings—or maybe even the sources of them, before they moved to another realm and tapped into the power of faith-driven Mana. 

Final One (Abstract Entity, Major)

The Final One is an expression of a relatively new story-telling concept in horror and gothic stories. A trend since the turn of the century has to provide a character who is the lone survivor of a terrible assault. That lone survivor is surprisingly adept at fighting back, and might even end up a threat themselves some day. This entity plays out that dynamic, usually as a man but sometimes as a woman.

Acc	Comm	Con	Dex	Fight	Int	Per	Str	Will
4	1	4	4	4	2	3	2	5
Shotguns		Stamina	Initiative, Acrobatics	Brawling, Short Blades		Empathy		Morale, Self-Control
Speed 14. Health: 75   Mana: 66.  Defense: 12.  Toughness 3 (No damage against all non-magical attacks)
Powers: Attack (2), Create (2): only some sort of weapon the target is Vulnerable against, Defend (1), Physical Boost (2), Preternatural Armor (2), Survival (1)

Flying Machinist (Abstract Spirit, Moderate)

Often seen in the Crystal Palace and similar places where techne ideas come to fruition. The Flying Machinist is clearly a machine, a ball or cube about 15 cubic cm in size, with either wings, a helicopter blade, or a small jet thruster, and one to eight manipulator tools. They are generally non-violent unless attacked or the device they are working on is being assaulted.

Communication	Intelligence	Perception	Willpower
0	5	2	4
	Acrobatics, Tinkering		Self-Control
Speed: 15. Mana: 80. Defense: 15. Toughness 5. Armor 5
Powers: Attack (1), Capture, Create (3), Defend (1), Preternatural Movement (Flying) 1

Fae

The denizens of the most well-known of the Dreamlands, the Fae are mercurial and sometimes petty creatures who have long existed alongside humans. In some cultures, Fae are given credit for teaching humans the basics of magic, from the Bargain to how to enchant items. While Fae is a Europan name—from the Gaelic languages—there are several examples of fae beings in Greece, Northern Africa, the Near East, and even in China or Japan. Each group of fae have had their own social structures and courts for at least as long as humans have had their own political structures. Some have tried to suggest that Fae are the closest equivalent to humans in the spirit realms, but the Fae themselves would resist this idea. All of them have natural magic, goals, ambitions, and desires.

Currently, most Fae in Europa and the American continent organize themselves according to the Courts of Seasons, with a regional King and Queen for each season in the year. They courts must acknowledge the High Court, with High King Alberich and High Queen Mab set over all. However, there are rumors that former High King Oberon (Alberich’s father) and once-High Queen Titania (Mab’s cousin) are plotting ways to regain their thrones.

Pixie Commander (Dreamlands Spirit, Moderate)

The pixie commander usually looks like a beautiful little human, bout ten to fifteen centimeters tall, with shimmering diaphanous wings and armor made leaves or bark and weapons that are discarded knives or sharpened sticks or he like.

Without the glamour, pixies resemble wooden carvings and creatures with long thin pointed fingers ad a mouth full.of jagged, splinter-causing, teeth, usually with rotting plant matter as clothes and wings stolen from a flying creature and affixed to the back. Pixies in general can be quite aggressive, and commanders spend a lot of time thinking about how to attack and bring down large opponents.

Communication	Intelligence	Perception	Willpower
4	2	1	4
Leadership, Short Blades			Morale
Speed: 12. Mana: 50. Defense: 15. Toughness: 2, Armor: 1.
Vulnerability: Iron weapons. Weakness: Church bells
Powers: Appear (1), Attack (2), Defend (2), Glamour (1), Peer Through (1), Preternatural Movement (1), Preternatural Speed (1), Summon (1)