The 22 Paths: Arts of Transformation
Sefirotic Milestones measure a mage's raw power in a single Sefirah. Arcanum Mastery measures their wisdom in connecting two Sefirot. Each of the 22 Paths is an Arcanum—a specific, transformative art that bridges two magical concepts. Insight into these Arts is the key to the "Build Wide" philosophy, enabling the creation of the complex magical Cycles that define its practitioners.
This document details the tiers of Arcanum Mastery and catalogues the 22 Paths, focusing on their core function and how mastery of one Sefirah facilitates understanding of another.
The 22 Arcana
Arcanum Mastery
Unlike Sefirotic Milestones, gained through trials of power, Arcanum Tiers are gained through profound understanding. Insight into a Path is an epiphany about the relationship between two Sefirot, not a conquest.
There are three recognized Tiers of Arcanum Mastery for any given Path:
- Tier 1: Insight: The initial, intuitive "aha!" moment.
- Tier 2: Passage: A deep, working familiarity with the Path's archetypal meaning.
- Tier 3: Mastery: A near-perfect embodiment of the Path's concept.
Arcanum Tier Chart
| Tier | Name | Requirement | Unlocked Abilities & Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Insight | A profound realization about the relationship between two Sefirot. | - Cycle Enabled: Can use the Path in a stable Cycle. - Taint & Risk: Cycles using this Path generate a standard amount of Taint and have a standard risk of catastrophic collapse. - Insight Invocation: A minor, intuitive, non-combat ability reflecting a basic grasp of the Path's concept. |
| T2 | Passage | Successfully use the Path in a complex or Dissonant cycle. | - Cycle Efficiency: Cycles using this Path generate significantly less Taint. - Collapse Resistance: The mage has a brief window to regain control of a collapsing cycle before it shatters. - Passage Invocation: A more controlled, utility-focused non-combat ability. |
| T3 | Mastery | Embody the Path's principle in a life-altering decision. | - Cycle Mastery: Cycles using this Path generate minimal Taint and are nearly effortless to maintain. - Collapse Control: A collapsing cycle does not shatter, but safely dissipates, often with a minor, thematically appropriate sensory effect instead of inflicting Corruption. - Mastery Invocation: A potent, archetype-defining non-combat ability that can subtly alter a narrative situation. |
The 22 Paths
1. Aleph (The Fool)
- Core Function: The art of transforming raw, unified potential into chaotic, differentiated possibility. This is the pathway of the "first spark," the bridge between the state of "one" and the state of "many."
- Keter → Chokmah Facilitation: A Keter adept, accustomed to the silent unity of the Source, struggles with the chaotic multiplicity of Chokmah. Their breakthrough comes when they realize Chokmah's endless possibilities are not a contradiction of Keter's oneness, but its first, explosive expression. They learn to see the infinite sparks not as separate fires, but as the unified light of a single star, refracted through the prism of emergent reality.
- Chokmah → Keter Facilitation: A Chokmah seer is often paralyzed by the infinite branching paths of the future. Their breakthrough into Keter comes from a place of intellectual exhaustion. By tracing every possible timeline back, they discover all paths converge on a single, shared point of origin. They learn to perceive Keter's unity not as a philosophical concept, but as the empirical, inevitable conclusion of all possibilities.
- Primary Archetype: The Sacred Fool
- Symbolism: A spiraling path that leads off a cliff into the unknown.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1): A "Fool's Stumble"—a seemingly clumsy action that miraculously results in a minor advantage. It cannot be consciously directed.
- Passage (T2): Cause a target to experience a moment of profound, comical absurdity, briefly breaking their concentration.
- Mastery (T3): Cause a single, highly improbable but narratively significant coincidence to occur in the user's favor.
2. Beth (The Magician)
- Core Function: The art of giving definite form to raw potential. This is the pathway of manifestation, the bridge between a state of pure "is-ness" and a defined "this-ness."
- Keter → Binah Facilitation: A Keter adept understands pure, undifferentiated being. They struggle with Binah's rigid definitions. Their breakthrough occurs when they frame limitation not as a reduction of potential, but as the necessary act that allows potential to become manifest. They learn that to draw a line is the first act of creation, giving form to the formless and transforming "everything" into a specific "something."
- Binah → Keter Facilitation: A Binah master understands systems, laws, and definitions. They see the world as a set of containers. Their breakthrough into Keter comes when they contemplate the ultimate container: the one that holds reality itself. By defining the boundaries of existence, they become profoundly aware of the formless, unlimited potential that exists outside those boundaries, gaining an understanding of the unmanifested by perfectly defining the manifest.
- Primary Archetype: The Reality-Scribe
- Symbolism: A hand drawing a circle in the air, from which a perfect cube emerges.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1): The user's hands are never truly empty; they can always produce a single, tiny, mundane object like a coin, a button, or a piece of chalk.
- Passage (T2): Manifest a simple, mundane tool (a hammer, a key, a rope) out of thin air. It is visibly magical and lasts for up to an hour.
- Mastery (T3): Manifest a complex, non-magical object that is physically indistinguishable from a real one and lasts indefinitely, though it possesses no magical properties.
3. Gimel (The High Priestess)
- Core Function: The art of filtering raw potential through the core Self. This is the pathway of pure, unfiltered intuition and prophecy, the bridge between the cosmic source and the individual soul.
- Keter → Tiferet Facilitation: A Keter adept is a conduit for the divine, but lacks a distinct self to contextualize it. Their breakthrough into Tiferet comes from the realization that to be a perfect conduit, there must be a 'conduit'. They learn that the Self is not an obstacle to the divine, but the lens that focuses its light into a coherent, meaningful beam. They must build a strong sense of self (Tiferet) to safely channel the selfless (Keter).
- Tiferet → Keter Facilitation: A Tiferet master has a perfect, unshakable sense of Self. Their breakthrough into Keter comes when they understand the final act of self-knowledge: recognizing the Self's boundaries. By understanding what they are, they can perceive what they are not. This allows them to safely connect to the boundless, undifferentiated consciousness of Keter without their own identity being dissolved by it. Their perfect self-knowledge becomes the anchor that allows them to touch the selfless.
- Primary Archetype: The Prophet of the Veil
- Symbolism: A veiled face reflected in a still pool of water.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1): Gain a momentary, intuitive feeling of "rightness" or "wrongness" about a single, imminent choice, without understanding why.
- Passage (T2): Receive a single, symbolic, and cryptic image related to a specific question about the future.
- Mastery (T3): Receive a short, coherent, but metaphorical vision of a significant future event, clear enough to be acted upon but open to misinterpretation.
4. The Empress
- Core Function: The art of giving stable form to chaotic possibility. This is the pathway of creation, the bridge between an infinite 'what if' and a single, tangible 'what is'. It is the core of prototyping and manifestation.
- Chokmah → Binah Facilitation: A master of Chokmah is a seer, swimming in an ocean of raw, chaotic possibility. This constant exposure to the infinite can be overwhelming, creating a profound need for order and definition. The leap to Binah is a natural solution: the mage learns to build a 'container' to hold the chaotic waters of Chokmah. Their breakthrough comes when they realize that to truly create, they cannot simply observe possibility; they must choose one possibility and give it definite, unchangeable form, sacrificing the infinite 'what ifs' for a single, tangible 'what is'.
- Binah → Chokmah Facilitation: A master of Binah is an architect, a maker of perfect, rigid systems. They understand the laws that define reality. Their breakthrough into Chokmah comes from a place of profound intellectual curiosity. By understanding the precise rules of a system, they begin to ask, "Why these rules?" They learn to perceive the boundaries of their logical cages so perfectly that they become aware of the boundless, chaotic freedom that exists just outside of them. They learn to see infinite possibility by understanding the exact nature of a single limitation.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: By observing a process or object, intuitively understand a single, key way it could be improved or made more efficient.
- Passage (T2) Invocation: Conjure a single, perfect raw material needed for a creation (e.g., a flawless seed, a pure ingot of iron, a perfect word for a poem).
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Manifest a "prototype" tool that performs a single, complex function once, perfectly, before dissolving. For example, a key that can open any lock, but only one, or a seed that grows into a full, fruit-bearing tree in minutes, then withers.
- Primary Archetype: The Genesis Architect
- Primary Legion: The Legion of the Empress
- Symbolism: A pomegranate overlaid with a triangle.
5. The Emperor
- Core Function: The art of projecting the core Self onto raw possibility to establish a sovereign vision. It is the pathway of benevolent tyranny, the bridge between infinite futures and the single, 'perfect' future the mage wills into being.
- Chokmah → Tiferet Facilitation: A Chokmah seer perceives every possible future, every branching path of causality. This omniscience is often a curse, leading to analysis paralysis and a loss of personal agency. The leap to Tiferet is born of this crisis. The seer realizes that to act, they must have a principle by which to choose. They turn their gaze inward, developing a core sense of Self (Tiferet) to act as the compass. Their breakthrough is the understanding that true power is not seeing all paths, but having the integrity to choose one and walk it.
- Tiferet → Chokmah Facilitation: A master of Tiferet has a perfect, unshakable sense of their own core Self. They are a point of perfect balance. Their breakthrough into Chokmah comes from a place of serene confidence. Because their own identity is so secure, they can gaze into the maddening, chaotic storm of infinite possibilities without being consumed or losing their way. Their integrity acts as an anchor, allowing them to explore the 'what ifs' of Chokmah without sacrificing the 'who I am' of Tiferet.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: Intuitively sense the formal or informal power structure in a room (i.e., who is truly in charge).
- Passage (T2) Invocation: Project a brief aura of personal authority, causing a single listener to accept a simple, non-harmful command as reasonable.
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: For a short time, establish a zone of personal authority. Within this zone, your reasonable commands are followed without question, and your presence establishes a clear, respected hierarchy with you at the top.
- Primary Archetype: The Lawgiver King
- Primary Legion: The Legion of the Emperor
- Symbolism: A straight road leading to a single, radiant mountain on the horizon.
6. The Hierophant
- Core Function: The art of transforming raw, chaotic insight into a nurturing and communicable doctrine. This is the pathway of teaching and evangelism, the bridge between a profound personal revelation and a compassionate, universal truth.
- Chokmah → Chesed Facilitation: A Chokmah seer gains access to raw, unfiltered, and often overwhelming cosmic truths. This knowledge can be isolating. The leap to Chesed comes from the compassionate impulse to translate this abstract wisdom into a nurturing, understandable doctrine that can heal and guide others. The breakthrough is realizing that a truth unspoken is a useless thing. They learn to temper their raw insight with the boundless generosity of Chesed, transforming a cold fact into a warm teaching.
- Chesed → Chokmah Facilitation: A master of Chesed is defined by their boundless compassion and desire to alleviate suffering. They quickly realize that simply healing a wound (a symptom) is not enough; they must understand the underlying cause of the suffering (the disease). This compassionate drive fuels their journey into Chokmah, seeking the deep, systemic insights that can prevent suffering on a grand scale. Their breakthrough is the understanding that the greatest act of mercy is not a simple healing, but a profound truth that sets people free.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: Intuitively find a relevant piece of scripture, law, or lore within a library or archive that pertains to a current problem.
- Passage (T2) Invocation: Speak a single sentence that is perceived by the listener as a deeply resonant and familiar piece of wisdom, as if from a sacred text they've always known.
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Act as a "translator" between two wildly different belief systems, finding a common metaphorical ground that allows for genuine, temporary understanding between them.
- Primary Archetype: The Hierophant Preceptor
- Primary Legion: The Legion of the Hierophant
- Symbolism: An open book whose pages are turning into growing vines.
7. The Lovers
- Core Function: The art of binding the Self to a chosen, absolute Law. This is the pathway of the unbreakable vow, the bridge between a perfect external structure and a perfect internal commitment, creating a powerful synthesis of identity and purpose.
- Binah → Tiferet Facilitation: A master of Binah understands the beauty of a perfect, external system—a flawless law, a perfect code of honor. The leap to Tiferet comes from the desire to not just understand this system, but to embody it. The breakthrough is the realization that a perfect law is meaningless without a perfect commitment from the Self. The mage seeks to find their own inner harmony (Tiferet) by perfectly aligning their identity with this chosen, external structure, making their very soul an expression of the law.
- Tiferet → Binah Facilitation: A master of Tiferet has a profound and unshakable understanding of their own core identity. The leap to Binah comes from the desire to express this inner truth through an external commitment. The breakthrough is the act of choosing a single, absolute law or vow (Binah) that is a perfect reflection of their inner self. Their ability to make an unbreakable vow stems from first achieving an unbreakable understanding of themselves.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: By touching two objects, intuitively understand the strongest connection between them (e.g., a lock and its key, a book and its owner).
- Passage (T2) Invocation: Touch a non-magical object and imbue it with a single, simple, temporary vow (e.g., "This lock will not open for one hour"). The effect is strong but brittle.
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Forge a powerful, sympathetic link between two willing individuals. For a short time, they share a sense of each other's emotional state and physical direction, allowing for perfect, non-verbal coordination.
- Primary Archetype: The Vow-Sworn Templar
- Primary Legion: The Legion of the Lovers
- Symbolism: Two interlocking rings, one of black iron and one of gold.
8. The Chariot
- Core Function: The art of applying disciplined force to a rigid structure, creating an engine of inexorable momentum. This is the pathway of unwavering will, the bridge between a perfect plan and the merciless force required to execute it without deviation.
- Binah → Gevurah Facilitation: A master of Binah is an architect of perfect, logical plans. They see the world as a blueprint. The leap to Gevurah comes from the realization that a blueprint is useless without the force to execute it. Their breakthrough is understanding that their perfect plan requires an equally perfect, uncompromising will to see it through. They learn to channel the merciless, disciplined force of Gevurah, not as a chaotic rage, but as the engine that drives their perfect structure forward without deviation.
- Gevurah → Binah Facilitation: A master of Gevurah has a will of iron, a perfect self-discipline that has purged all hesitation and weakness. The leap to Binah comes when this disciplined will seeks a worthy vessel. The breakthrough is the realization that their force is most potent when channeled through a perfect, logical structure. They learn to build the flawless, uncompromising systems of Binah because their own soul has been forged into a tool of absolute, unwavering purpose.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: Possess an unwavering sense of direction and purpose for a single, declared journey, able to navigate without landmarks.
- Passage (T2) Invocation: For ten seconds, move in a single direction with unwavering momentum, ignoring minor physical obstacles and difficult terrain.
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Project an aura of pure, focused momentum. For a short time, you and those who follow directly behind you become an "unstoppable force," able to push through crowds and flimsy barriers with ease.
- Primary Archetype: The Chariot Engine
- Primary Legion: The Legion of the Chariot
- Symbolism: A single, perfect arrow in flight, unswerving.
9. Strength
- Core Function: The art of balancing boundless giving with necessary restriction. This is the pathway of compassionate judgement, the bridge between the impulse to heal and the wisdom to know that sometimes, healing requires a surgeon's knife.
- Chesed → Gevurah Facilitation: A master of Chesed is driven by boundless compassion, seeking to heal all wounds. Their breakthrough into Gevurah is often a painful but necessary realization: some things cannot be healed, but must be cut away. They learn that true mercy sometimes requires the surgeon's knife. The leap is made when the mage understands that to save the whole (the body, the society), they must have the strength and discipline (Gevurah) to mercilessly excise the part that is killing it (the tumor, the corruption).
- Gevurah → Chesed Facilitation: A master of Gevurah sees the world in terms of flaws to be corrected and weaknesses to be purged. Their breakthrough into Chesed comes when they successfully destroy a great evil, only to be confronted with the suffering and devastation left in its wake. The leap is the realization that judgment is only half the task. They learn that true strength is not just the power to destroy, but the boundless compassion (Chesed) required to heal the wounds that their own necessary judgment has created.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: Intuitively calm a frightened or aggressive animal with a gesture, demonstrating compassion that overcomes instinct.
- Passage (T2) Invocation: Perform a single physical strike of "compassionate force" that harms only what is "unjust" or "diseased" (e.g., knocking a weapon from a hand without harming the wielder, shattering a cursed object without damaging its container).
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Project an aura of "tough love." Those within it feel both a comforting sense of compassion for their struggles and a bracing, internal fortitude to face them without excuses. It is the ultimate tool for inspiring courage in the face of fear.
- Primary Archetype: The Alchemical Justicar
- Primary Legion: The Legion of Strength
- Symbolism: A surgeon's scalpel and a flowering herb, crossed.
10. The Hermit
- Core Function: The art of turning boundless compassion (Chesed) inward to find the unshakable core of the Self (Tiferet), creating a state of profound, stable peace that can be projected outward.
- Chesed → Tiferet Facilitation: A master of Chesed is a font of empathy, constantly feeling the pain and joy of others. This can lead to a loss of self, a compassionate burnout. Their breakthrough into Tiferet comes from learning to apply that same boundless compassion to their own soul. By healing their own imbalances and forgiving their own flaws, they discover a core self (Tiferet) that is not defined by the needs of others, but is a source of quiet, internal strength.
- Tiferet → Chesed Facilitation: A master of Tiferet possesses perfect inner balance and harmony. Their breakthrough into Chesed comes from the realization that this inner peace is a gift to be shared with a suffering world. They learn that the ultimate expression of a balanced self is not stoic isolation, but the act of boundless, unconditional giving (Chesed) to a world that is out of balance. Their peace becomes a sanctuary for others.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: Become effectively invisible to casual notice, so long as you remain perfectly still and silent.
- Passage (T2) Invocation: Create a 3-meter radius zone of absolute silence and tranquility for one minute, where strong emotions are muted.
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Touch the "inner light" of a person, reminding them of their own core self and their own wisdom. This can grant a moment of profound clarity to someone who is confused, lost, or overwhelmed.
- Primary Archetype: The Anchorite of the Wastes
- Primary Legion: The Legion of the Hermit
- Symbolism: A single, steady flame cupped in a pair of hands.
11. The Wheel of Fortune
- Core Function: The art of blending boundless growth (Chesed) with enduring passion (Netzach) to cultivate "lucky" probabilities.
- Chesed → Netzach Facilitation: A master of Chesed nurtures all possibilities, seeing beauty in every potential outcome. Their breakthrough into Netzach comes from the realization that boundless growth without direction is chaos. They learn that true bounty requires not just nurturing, but a passionate, driving will (Netzach) to see a single potential through to a victorious conclusion. They learn to focus their generosity into a single, decisive outcome.
- Netzach → Chesed Facilitation: A master of Netzach is a being of pure, focused drive, aimed at a single victory. Their breakthrough into Chesed comes from the realization that a single victory can be a hollow thing. They learn that true, lasting triumph is not just winning one battle, but creating a state of continuous, abundant success (Chesed). They temper their focused passion with generosity, creating a field of opportunity and lucky breaks that benefits their entire cause.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: Have a "gut feeling" for a game of chance, correctly guessing the outcome of a single coin flip, dice roll, or card draw.
- Passage (T2) Invocation: Subtly "nudge" the probability of a single, imminent physical event (e.g., a falling rock narrowly misses, a dropped glass lands without breaking).
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Bless a person or object with "good fortune" for a short period. For the next hour, they will experience a string of minor, beneficial coincidences that help them succeed in a specific, intended task.
- Primary Archetype: The Fortune-Spun Weaver
- Primary Legion: The Legion of the Wheel of Fortune
- Symbolism: A spinning coin, forever on its edge.
12. Justice
- Core Function: The art of tempering merciless Judgment (Gevurah) with Harmony (Tiferet) to apply precise karmic adjustments that restore balance rather than simply punish.
- Gevurah → Tiferet Facilitation: A master of Gevurah is an instrument of judgment, focused on identifying and excising flaws. Their breakthrough into Tiferet comes from the realization that the purpose of judgment is not destruction, but the restoration of harmony. They learn that their power is not just a hammer to shatter the imperfect, but a surgeon's scalpel to cut away a cancer. They learn that a "perfect" judgment is one that leaves the whole (Tiferet) healthier.
- Tiferet → Gevurah Facilitation: A master of Tiferet understands perfect balance and seeks to resolve conflict through mediation. Their breakthrough into Gevurah comes when they confront a profound imbalance—an act of pure malice or a source of incurable corruption—that cannot be harmonized. They learn that to preserve the balance of the whole, one must sometimes have the strength and discipline (Gevurah) to make a hard, necessary cut.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: Intuitively sense when a situation is fundamentally "unjust" or out of balance.
- Passage (T2) Invocation: Touch a person or object to restore a minor, recent, physical imbalance (e.g., perfectly re-balancing a set of scales, righting a tipped cart, clearing a person's momentary dizziness).
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Act as a "karmic mirror." For one minute, any direct, hostile action taken against you is proportionally reflected back on the attacker as a "fitting" consequence (e.g., a liar's tongue becomes twisted, a thief's hands fumble, a bully feels a phantom of the pain they inflict).
- Primary Archetype: The Karmic Arbiter
- Primary Legion: The Legion of Justice
- Symbolism: A perfectly balanced scale where a feather balances a sword.
13. The Hanged Man
- Core Function: The art of applying cold, analytical logic (Hod) to the disciplined act of sacrifice (Gevurah) to gain a supreme tactical understanding. It is the path of sacrificing a pawn to know the king's mind.
- Gevurah → Hod Facilitation: A master of Gevurah understands sacrifice and necessary loss. Their breakthrough into Hod comes when they learn to see these sacrifices not as ends in themselves, but as transactions for a higher prize: information. They learn to apply their discipline not just to acts of destruction, but to the meticulous analysis of the results, turning a simple act of force into a tactical probe that reveals the enemy's entire system.
- Hod → Gevurah Facilitation: A master of Hod is a supreme analyst who can model any system with perfect clarity. Their breakthrough into Gevurah comes from the cold, logical realization that some data points can only be acquired through action. They learn to embrace the disciplined, necessary sacrifices of Gevurah, not out of cruelty or anger, but as the only logical means to complete their perfect model of the battlefield and ensure a final, decisive victory.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: By pausing to observe a system, gain a single, useful insight into its function that was not immediately obvious.
- Passage (T2) Invocation: Gain a single, critical piece of tactical information about the immediate surroundings at the cost of being unable to move or act for ten seconds.
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Adopt a new perspective. For a minute, you can perceive the world from a radically different point of view (e.g., from the ceiling, from the perspective of your opponent), granting you a profound tactical understanding of a situation at the cost of being unable to physically act during that time.
- Primary Archetype: The Grand Tactician
- Primary Legion: The Legion of the Hanged Man
- Symbolism: An eye reflected in the surface of a well.
14. Death
- Core Function: The art of sacrificing the core Self (Tiferet) to fuel a passionate, victorious rebirth (Netzach). It is the path of the phoenix, transforming the ultimate loss into the ultimate triumph.
- Tiferet → Netzach Facilitation: A master of Tiferet is perfectly centered and integrated. Their breakthrough into Netzach comes from the profound, final act of self-knowledge: the willingness to let the self go for a greater cause. They learn that their core integrity is not a precious thing to be preserved, but a seed to be planted in the consuming fire of Netzach, from which a new, stronger, more passionate self can be reborn.
- Netzach → Tiferet Facilitation: A master of Netzach is defined by their passionate will to endure and overcome. Their breakthrough into Tiferet comes when they face an obstacle that passion and endurance alone cannot conquer. They learn that the greatest victories sometimes require a total transformation, a strategic sacrifice of the current self (Tiferet) in order to be reborn in a new form capable of winning the unwinnable fight.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: Intuitively know what must be "pruned" or removed for new growth to occur (e.g., which branch to cut, which part of an argument to concede).
- Passage (T2) Invocation: Touch a dying thing (a campfire ember, a wilting flower) and transfer its fading energy to a new beginning (lighting a candle, causing a seed to sprout).
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Perform a "controlled burn" on a concept or system. You can end a single, specific, ongoing magical effect or social situation (e.g., a contract, a truce, a lingering blessing) by taking a small, symbolic measure of its negative consequences onto yourself.
- Primary Archetype: The Phoenix-Born
- Primary Legion: The Legion of Death
- Symbolism: A scorched seed from which a new, green shoot is emerging.
15. Temperance
- Core Function: The art of integrating the conscious Self (Tiferet) with the subconscious (Yesod) to create a state of profound inner harmony. It is the pathway of psychic healing, the bridge between a stable identity and the chaotic world of dreams.
- Tiferet → Yesod Facilitation: A master of Tiferet possesses a perfect, unshakeable center of self. This provides them with a profound anchor, allowing them to safely navigate the chaotic, often terrifying, landscape of the subconscious (Yesod) without losing their own identity. Their breakthrough comes when they realize their inner harmony is not a fortress to hide in, but a lamp to carry into the darkness of the psyche.
- Yesod → Tiferet Facilitation: A master of Yesod understands the raw, chaotic landscape of the subconscious, its dreams and nightmares. They see the wounds that fester in the psyche. Their breakthrough into Tiferet comes from the realization that to heal these wounds, they cannot simply rearrange the dreams; they must provide a stable, harmonious center (Tiferet) for the psyche to integrate around. They learn that true healing is not the management of chaos, but the creation of an inner peace.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1): Perfectly mix two mundane liquids without stirring, creating a stable blend.
- Passage (T2): Touch a person to grant them a moment of perfect mental clarity, briefly dispelling confusion or soothing a single, minor psychic trauma.
- Mastery (T3): Act as a "psychic catalyst." By touching two willing individuals, you can allow them to perfectly and calmly understand each other's point of view for a single minute, making this the ultimate tool for mediation and conflict resolution.
- Primary Archetype: The Alchemical Soul-Binder
- Primary Legion: The Legion of Temperance
- Symbolism: Water being poured from one cup into another, with none spilled.
16. The Devil
- Core Function: The art of binding the Self to a splendid but hollow system. This is the pathway of the gilded cage, the bridge between a perfect, idealized self-image (Tiferet) and a beautiful, complex, but artificial system (Hod), creating an irresistible but ultimately false ideology.
- Tiferet → Hod Facilitation: Mastery of Tiferet provides a profound understanding of the Self, its desires, and its flaws. This facilitates the leap to Hod by allowing the mage to construct a perfect, splendid system around these flaws, creating an ideology that is beautiful precisely because it papers over the ugly truth of the Self.
- Hod → Tiferet Facilitation: Mastery of Hod's complex systems allows a mage to construct a perfect, unassailable external identity or ideology. This facilitates the leap to Tiferet by offering a perfect mask for the Self to inhabit, a beautiful cage that promises to protect the fragile, flawed core.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: Intuitively perceive a person's most cherished material desire or ambition.
- Passage (T2) Invocation: Whisper a suggestion to a target that seems to be a perfect, logical solution to their immediate problem, which also happens to be a temptation they are susceptible to.
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Forge a "Devil's Bargain." You can offer a target a tangible, magical boon that helps them achieve a worldly desire, but which comes with a subtle, binding consequence that serves your own ends. The contract is metaphysical, and the target is always aware of the price.
- Primary Archetype: The Evangelist
- Primary Legion: The Legion of the Devil
- Symbolism: A beautiful, golden chain.
17. The Tower
- Core Function: The art of applying raw, passionate force to a complex system's single point of failure. This is the pathway of catastrophic revelation, the bridge between an overwhelming, instinctual truth (Netzach) and a brittle, logical structure (Hod).
- Netzach → Hod Facilitation: Mastery of Netzach's raw passion provides the overwhelming force needed to shatter things. This facilitates a leap to Hod by creating the need for a target. The mage learns to analyze systems not for their beauty, but to find the single, perfect place to apply their overwhelming force for maximum effect.
- Hod → Netzach Facilitation: Mastery of Hod's systemic analysis allows a mage to see the single, critical flaw in any structure. This facilitates a leap to Netzach by revealing the 'target' for their passion. They learn to channel their raw, chaotic drive into a single, focused, system-shattering blow.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: Intuitively find the structural weak point of a mundane physical object.
- Passage (T2) Invocation: Speak a single, jarring truth that causes a target's composure or a simple magical illusion to crack for a moment.
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Speak a "Shattering Word." This invocation targets a single, specific, brittle system—be it a flawed argument, a precarious social hierarchy, or a complex magical ward—and reveals the single, catastrophic truth at its heart, causing the system to collapse.
- Primary Archetype: The Tower-Struck
- Primary Legion: The Legion of the Tower
- Symbolism: A single crack running down the face of a perfect, monolithic tower.
18. The Star
- Core Function: The art of refining raw passion into a subconscious ideal to manifest tangible hope. This is the pathway of aspiration, the bridge between a deeply felt, instinctual belief (Netzach) and the collective subconscious (Yesod), allowing an inner light to become an external beacon.
- Netzach → Yesod Facilitation: Mastery of Netzach provides an unshakeable core of passion and belief. This facilitates a leap to Yesod by giving the mage a powerful 'signal' to broadcast into the dream-stuff of the astral plane. They learn to shape illusions because they have an unshakable truth to shape them with.
- Yesod → Netzach Facilitation: Mastery of Yesod provides a deep understanding of the collective subconscious, its hopes and fears. This facilitates a leap to Netzach by allowing the mage to tap into this collective wellspring, fueling their own passion with the hopes of a nation, making their personal drive a universal one.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: Always know the direction of the nearest source of fresh water.
- Passage (T2) Invocation: Create a single mote of starlight that hovers in the air, providing a faint light and a tangible feeling of hope and direction to those who see it.
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Grant a "Moment of Hope." You can touch a person who has given into despair and give them a clear, tangible vision of a single, positive future that is still possible, renewing their will to continue.
- Primary Archetype: The Starlight Herald
- Primary Legion: The Legion of the Star
- Symbolism: A single point of light seen through a hole in a dark curtain.
19. The Moon
- Core Function: The art of grounding raw passion in the physical, giving instinct a tangible form. This is the pathway of the primal self, the bridge between the untamed 'animal soul' (Netzach) and the raw, physical body (Malkuth).
- Netzach → Malkuth Facilitation: Mastery of Netzach grants a profound connection to the instinctual, animalistic parts of the self. This facilitates a leap to Malkuth by providing a template—the "perfect predator" or "unbreakable survivor"—for the mage to physically embody. They learn to shape their flesh because they have mastered their instincts.
- Malkuth → Netzach Facilitation: Mastery of Malkuth provides a deep, cellular understanding of the physical body. This allows the mage to unlock the primal, instinctual power (Netzach) that lies dormant in the "lizard brain," giving their raw passion a powerful physical outlet.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: Perfectly track a creature by its scent for a short distance.
- Passage (T2) Invocation: For one minute, gain the heightened senses (smell, hearing, night-vision) of a predatory animal.
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Tap into the "primal terror" of a prey animal. You can project an aura of pure, instinctual dread that causes non-magical animals to flee and unnerves sentient creatures, making them feel like they are being hunted.
- Primary Archetype: The Primal Shepherd
- Primary Legion: The Legion of the Moon
- Symbolism: The reflection of a wolf's face in a pool of water, distorted by a single ripple.
20. The Sun
- Core Function: The art of applying rational structure to the subconscious to illuminate hidden truths. This is the pathway of inquisition, the bridge between the logical, analytical mind (Hod) and the realm of dreams, secrets, and the subconscious (Yesod).
- Hod → Yesod Facilitation: Mastery of Hod's logical systems allows a mage to perceive patterns and inconsistencies with perfect clarity. This facilitates a leap to Yesod by giving them the tools to "debug" the chaotic landscape of the subconscious, to see the lies and illusions not as mysteries, but as flawed data to be corrected.
- Yesod → Hod Facilitation: Mastery of Yesod provides access to the raw data of the subconscious. This facilitates a leap to Hod by providing a vast, chaotic library of information for the logical mind to structure and analyze. They learn to build perfect systems because they have seen the raw, unstructured truth of the human heart.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: Intuitively tell when someone is telling a direct, intentional lie.
- Passage (T2) Invocation: Expose a single, specific lie or simple magical illusion with a flash of painful, undeniable clarity.
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Create a "Zone of Truth." In a small area around you, all forms of deception—magical and mundane—are revealed. Illusions flicker and fade, lies are heard as jarring static, and hidden objects gain a faint, revealing glow.
- Primary Archetype: The Luminary Inquisitor
- Primary Legion: The Legion of the Sun
- Symbolism: A magnifying glass focusing a beam of light onto a single point.
21. Judgement
- Core Function: The art of imposing a perfect, conceptual blueprint onto raw, physical matter. This is the pathway of the master artisan, the bridge between a flawless, splendid idea (Hod) and the physical world (Malkuth).
- Hod → Malkuth Facilitation: Mastery of Hod allows a mage to conceive of a perfect, flawless form, a blueprint in pure information. This facilitates a leap to Malkuth by providing the ideal template to which physical matter can be conformed.
- Malkuth → Hod Facilitation: Mastery of Malkuth provides an intuitive understanding of the properties of physical materials. This facilitates a leap to Hod by allowing the mage to design perfect systems that work in harmony with the physical world, rather than against it.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: Intuitively sense the original, intended purpose of a broken or ancient object.
- Passage (T2) Invocation: Touch a mundane, flawed object (a bent nail, a cracked cup) and temporarily restore it to its perfect, idealized form for one minute.
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: "Awaken" an object. You can touch a masterwork creation (a sword, a clock, a ship) and awaken a dormant, non-sentient spirit within it, allowing it to perform its function with supernatural skill and a hint of personality for a short time.
- Primary Archetype: The Master Artificer
- Primary Legion: The Legion of Judgement
- Symbolism: A potter's hands shaping clay on a wheel.
22. The World (Tav)
- Core Function: The art of giving the subconscious dream of a place a permanent, physical form. This is the pathway of the genius loci, the bridge between the astral foundation of a location (Yesod) and its physical reality (Malkuth).
- Yesod → Malkuth Facilitation: Mastery of Yesod allows a mage to perceive the "dream" of a place—its history, its purpose, its psychic residue. This facilitates a leap to Malkuth by providing a perfect, resonant blueprint to manifest in the physical world.
- Malkuth → Yesod Facilitation: Mastery of Malkuth provides a deep connection to a specific physical location. This allows the mage to access that location's subconscious (Yesod), to hear its stories and feel its dreams, which they can then learn to shape.
- Invocations (Non-Combat Abilities):
- Insight (T1) Invocation: By touching the ground, get a brief, intuitive "map" of your immediate surroundings.
- Passage (T2) Invocation: For one minute, attune to the 'spirit of a place', gaining an intuitive understanding of its layout, recent history, and general emotional state.
- Mastery (T3) Invocation: Establish a "Sanctuary." You can declare a single, small location (a room, a small clearing) as your territory. While you remain within it, you are instantly aware of any intrusion and can perform minor manipulations of the environment (opening/closing doors, dimming lights, creating small gusts of wind) at will.
- Primary Archetype: The Genius Loci
- Primary Legion: The Legion of the World
- Symbolism: A single, perfect tree growing on a small, circular island.