Magick for the non-obsessed.
Not everyone who manipulates reality with the force of their will is an obsessed adept near (or past) the brink of insanity. Occasionally, normal people with strong enough wills can unconsciously bend reality to conform to some extent with their superstitions.
Rules
Any character with Soul 60 or above can take a school of magick as a superstition instead of a full-blown adept skill. A superstition skill works similarly to the regular magick skill, with a few important changes:
On the negative side, a Superstitious character gains only minor charges, even if what they did to get it would warrant a significant or even major charge for an adept (though in these cases the GM may grant more than one minor charge). Furthermore, they cannot use formula spells, only random magick.
On the positive side, however, Superstitious characters don’t need to have their superstition as their obsession skill: their superstition may be a fairly important factor in their lives, but not so important as it colors their entire perception of the world.
For a superstition to have any effect on reality it has to follow the same basic rules as magick. Thus, while believing that if you take a chance now the universe (or God, or karma) owe you good luck later on works, knocking on wood doesn’t. Most people with working superstitions don’t even realize it when they use magick; they believe that performing the actions the superstition requires makes them generally luckier than most people, but can’t pinpoint the exact moment that their desire for something becomes strong enough that it translates out into the real world.
Taboos affect the superstitious in the same way they do adepts.
Sample Character:
Annie Laverne, teenage slut
Everyone knows Annie Laverne, the most sexually experienced girl in the school. She’s 17, very attractive, and has plenty of friends. Annie is looked both up at and down on for her sexual exploits, which are anything but a secret: many girls envy the ease with which she gets the guys they only fantasize about, yet still consider her a slut with no self-respect; guys admire her body and hope that they’ll be the next one she ‘does it’ with, but when they aren’t declare that “only guys who can’t get a real girl sleep with Laverne”.
Annie doesn’t mind any of this. She has all the friends she wants, and doesn’t care what anyone else think of her. For her, sex is first and foremost simply fun, but beyond that it’s a way to control other people. She believes that fulfilling her fantasies gives her an aura of sexuality that people sense (she’s heard about pheromones and thinks it may have something to do with that), and which affects their judgement, making it easier for her to manipulate them to get what she wants.
Summary: Libertine teenage girl with a manipulative streak.
Personality: Scorpio: Gets what she wants, when she wants; doesn’t usually want much, though.
Obsession: Annie doesn’t yet have an obsession.
Rage: Cruelty – Annie can’t bear people abusing other people, both physically and emotionally.
Fear: Ugliness – Annie knows how much easier attractive people have it, and dreads anything that might disfigure her. (Helplessness)
Noble: Freedom – Annie thinks everyone should be able to do their own thing.
Body: 45% (“Whoa, check out the hot babe”)
PE: 15%; Cat-fight: 20%; Sex Appeal: 40%
Speed: 45% (3 Years of ballet)
Initiative: 25%; Dodge: 15%; Driving: 20%; Dancing: 25%
Mind: 55% (Good memory)
General Education: 15%; Notice: 35%; Conceal: 15%
Soul: 65% (Free spirit)
Lying: 25%; Seduction: 45%; Superstition: Pornomancy Variant: 45%
Violence 0/0
Unnatural 2/0
Helplessness 1/0
Isolation 0/0
Self 1/0
Pornomancy Variant: Annie gains charges from creating a sexual fantasy in her mind and then living it out, as close as can to what she envisioned. Her fantasy has to be well thought-out beforehand, and adhered to to the extent that it’s essentially a ritual. If she cedes control of a sexual encounter to the other person she loses all her stored charges. The random magick domain covers emotions in general and specifically desire.