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In antiquity, humankind identified and found uses for seven different metals. These metals
are not by any means the most abundant elements found on Earth, but their inherent
properties made them extremely useful, and they have a symbolic weight that renders them
useful in magic. Just as a tiny percentage of humans Awaken, precious samples of these
metals approach the perfection of their analogous Supernal symbols, taking on wondrous
properties. While naturallyoccurring samples of these Perfected metals are extremely rare,
usually the result of the metal becoming tass in a highlypotent Hallow that is also a manteion
(p. XX,) dedicated crafters among the Orders have developed ways to “cleanse” mundane
metals to produce the Perfected equivalents.
In the past, mages used a laborious process of passing the metal into and out of Twilight or
carrying it between different realms several times over many days to cleanse and perfect the
metals. Eventually, the metal would start exhibiting its Supernal properties. Impatient
Libertines developed a spell to create the same effect. The slower process is still used by
crafting purists, but few others.
Perfected metals are not inherently magical, though they have properties which make them
ideal for use when creating magical items. If scrutinized with Mage Sight, the material
appears Supernal, and examination of sympathetic links reveals a strong relation to the
Supernal Realm it is associated with. An item created with a Perfected metal still functions at
its mundane counterpart, though it is created from partiallySupernal material. It has the same
properties and equipment bonuses as any other mundane object of the same kind.
Scholars argue that every substance found in the Fallen World should have a Supernal
analog, though research into finding the Perfected form of the other elements has met with
limited results. This research has led to a greater understanding of why these particular metals
seem to have easily accessible Supernal forms. Each of the seven metals is associated with at
least one of the five Supernal Realms. In some cases, a metal is associated with more than
one Realm. Despite these apparent associations, the materials do not seem to have any
particular affinity to those Realms’ Arcana when it comes to imbuing or enchanting. The
resonance between these perfected metals and the Supernal Realm associated with them is
stronger than the normal imperfect version of the metal. When used as a Magical Tool for the
appropriate Path, the mage gains the 9again quality on her spellcasting.
• Orichalcum is Perfected gold. Its luster and color are similar to that of gold, except it
presents more red and warm hues than gold in even its purest forms. Like gold, it can be spun
out to fine, thin threads or hammered into thin leafs. It is completely impervious to corrosion
and is considered chemically inert. As gold is associated with the Realm of Aether, so is
orichalcum. Orichalcum offers a +2 tool Yantra for spells cast upon itself, and its Durability
cannot be reduced by nonmagical means.
• Lunargent is Perfected silver. It has a bluish color not normally associated with its
mundane equivalent, and has a mirrored surface. Like silver, it can be spun into thin threads.
It is sturdier than silver, and can be forged into weapons that do not lose their edge easily. As
silver is associated with the Realm of Arcadia, so is lunargent. Lunargent offers a +2 tool
Yantra for spells associated with seeing such as other places, other times, and across the
Gauntlet. Additionally, it reflects things in Twilight.
• Hermium is Perfected mercury. It has a silvery sheen and appears more lustrous than its
mundane counterpart. It is more fluid than mercury as well, sharing superfluid properties with
liquid helium. It can flow frictionless through the smallest of opening and creeps along
surfaces seeking to recombine itself if separated. When it comes into contact with any of the
other perfected metals, it forms amalgams (see below) without any other magic, but
otherwise will not react with other nonprefected metals. Hermium is associated with both
Arcadia and Pandemonium. Hermium offers a +2 tool Yantra for shapeshifting and
transformation spells.
• Brontium is Perfected copper. It shines brightly and is fiery red in color. Brontium is a
perfect conductor of heat and electricity and is chemically inert. As copper is associated with
the Primal Wild, so is brontium. Brontium offers a +2 tool Yantra to spells that deflect,
protect, or redirect magic. Additionally items crafted of bronitium grant the user a +2 bonus
to defend against debilitating effects.
• Kassiterum is Perfected tin. The metal has a glossy almost wet look and is nearly white in
color. It can be melted and formed easily and never has any inclusions or weak points. Once
set, the metal is incredibly hard and resistant to breakage. If sharpened it can cut through
diamonds and the strongest of worked steel. The only stronger metal is siderite. Kassiterum is
associated with both the realms of Stygia and the Primal Wild. It has a special association
with summoning entities, not just from Stygia and the Primal Wild, but any realm and even
Twilight or Shadow. Kassiterum offers a +2 tool Yantra on summoning spells, and drains one
Essence per turn from any ephemeral being it touches.
• Apeiron is Perfected lead. Apeiron does not oxidize the way normal lead does, keeping its
shiny blue white color at all times. It is not chemically inert, though it absorbs ions perfectly.
At any thickness, apeiron works as perfect shielding to radiation and heat. As lead is
associated with the Realm of Stygia, so is apeiron. Apeiron offers a +2 tool Yantra to spells
concerning plasticity, tool use, and crafting. It can be shaped by hand, and provides 8again
on mundane rolls when made into a tool.
• Siderite is Perfected iron. Siderite is the least lustrous of all the perfected metals and
appears the same as normal worked iron. It is the hardest and strongest of all the perfected
metals and always holds an edge that never dulls. It can cut through diamonds, the finest
mundane steel, and even kassiterum. Siderite is so strong it cannot be melted, even with
magical heat. It must be hammered into a desired shape through heating and cooling. As iron
is associated with the Realm of Pandemonium, so is siderite. Siderite offers a +2 tool Yantra
to spells concerning strengthening or protecting materials. It can cut through anything,
ignoring the Durability of an object.
Mages can locate naturallyoccurring Perfected metals by searching for them with spells like
Detect Substance, but they are seldom in large enough quantities to be of use. To create a
Perfected metal, a mage has two options. She can cast the Matter 3 spell Hone the Perfected
Form (below,) or she can repeatedly convert the base material to ephemera and back again,
either by passing it into and out of Twilight or carrying it into and out of the Shadow or
Underworld. This is a slow, exacting process requiring dozens of “passes;” at least ten times
Durability multiplied by Size, and requires an object made entirely out of the intended
Perfected metal’s mundane counterpart. Additionally, the metal must be “rested” for at least a
day every ten passes.
Hone the Perfected Form (Matter •••)
Practice: Perfecting
Primary Spell Factor: Duration
Cost: 1 Mana
Suggested Rote Skills: Crafts, Persuasion, Science
The mage takes an ordinary piece of metal — iron, gold, silver, mercury, copper, tin, or lead
— and transmutes it into its Perfected metal. The spell affects a single continuous piece of
metal that fits within the spell’s Scale factor.
+2 Reach: The spell may Perfect another substance, such as glass or gemstones (see p. XX.)
If the spell also includes Forces •••, it may Perfect fire.
+2 Reach: The spell’s effect is Lasting.
Alloys
The Perfected metals are inert and do not react or alloy with other metals or elements without
magical assistance, except in the case of hermium, which can alloy with any of the other
Perfected metals to create amalgams. After experimenting with hermium, ancient mages
developed spells to artificially alloy the Perfected metals as well, although these alloys are
distinct from hermiumbased amalgams. Magical alloys of Perfected metals have distinct
properties and lose the base properties of the metals that go into creating them.
Forge Thaumium (Matter ••••)
Practice: Patterning
Primary Factor: Duration
Cost: 1 Mana
Suggested Rote Skills: Crafts, Occult, Survival
This spell combines Perfected metals into a single metal which is resistant to magic. Called
“thaumium” (from the Greek word for “wonder” or “marvel”), this material is forged from an
alloy of orichalcum, lunargent and hermium. The object created by this spell is Durability 1
and has the ability to hold one point of Mana, which it spends to shield against magic.
Potency may be allocated, one for one, to increasing Durability or Mana capacity. For
purposes of the spell’s Scale factor, the alloy has the same Size as the three component
metals combined.
As long as a thaumium item has Mana stored in it, it protects its wielder from Supernal
magic. Any spell cast at the wielder provokes a Clash of Wills, unless the wielder chooses to
allow the spell. The dice pool for the Clash of Wills is equal to the item’s creator’s Gnosis +
Matter at the time of casting this spell. Whenever used to Clash, the object expends 1 Mana.
Mages can refill the item’s Mana supply using the Prime spell “Channel Mana.”
+2 Reach: The spell’s effect is Lasting.
Add Any Other Arcanum ••: The thaumium object can protect against other kinds of magic,
provided they fall under the Arcanum’s purview: For example, Death can protect against
ghostly Numina and Manifestations.
Forge Sophis (Matter ••••)
Practice: Patterning
Primary Factor: Duration
Cost: 1 Mana
Suggested Rote Skills: Crafts, Occult, Science
This spell combines Perfected metals into a single metal which scavenges Mana. Called
“sophis” (from the Greek word for “wisdom”), this material is forged from an alloy of
apeiron, brontium and hermium. The object created by this spell is Durability 1 and has the
ability to hold one point of Mana. Potency may be allocated, one for one, to increasing
Durability or Mana capacity. For purposes of the spell’s Scale factor, the alloy has the same
Size as the three component metals combined.
The first time someone holding the object forged with sophis spends Mana in a scene, the
item absorbs one point of spent Mana. This does not change Mana costs, but instead
scavenges the spent Mana before it dissipates. Mages can absorb the item’s Mana supply
using the Prime spell “Channel Mana.” .
+2 Reach: The spell’s effect is Lasting.
Forge Dumanium (Matter ••••)
Practice: Patterning
Primary Factor: Duration
Cost: 1 Mana
Suggested Rote Skills: Crafts, Expression, Persuasion
This spell combines Perfected metals into a single metal which scavenges Mana. Called
“dumanium” (from the Greek word for “power” or “strength”), this material is forged from
an alloy of kassiterum and siderite. The object created by this spell is Durability 1, and has
the ability to hold one point of Mana. Potency may be allocated, one for one, to increasing
Durability, Mana capacity, or equipment bonus (to a maximum of +5). For purposes of the
spell’s Scale factor, the alloy has the same Size as the three component metals combined.
If the dumanium object is a weapon, the wielder can use the item’s stored Mana to make the
weapon’s damage aggravated for a single attack. This is a reflexive action requiring one
Mana from the dumanium weapon’s stores. Dumanium must be Size 3 or more to act as
effective armor. The mage can allocate Potency into armor made this way for 1/1 armor,
instead of equipment bonus (to a maximum of 5/5). Mages can absorb the item’s Mana
supply using the Prime spell “Channel Mana.”
+2 Reach: The spell’s effect is Lasting.
Amalgams
Hermium is capable of forming an amalgam with any of the other perfected metals. The
resulting amalgams retain the Supernal properties of both of the combined metals. As the
amalgam forms, the metal transitions to a liquid state, then hardens into a firm state. Softer
metals, such as orichalcum and apeiron become harder than normal when formed into an
amalgam with hermium. In many cases, these amalgams are formed for the sole purpose of
shaping one or both of the metals into a specific shape.
Other Perfected Materials
Of all the Perfected materials, the Orders hold the most lore about the seven classical metals
and their Perfected forms, but these are not the only semiSupernal substances the Awakened
have attempted to create. Despite many attempts, attempting to Perfect an alloy fails without
a subject mostly composed of one of the seven metals, and then the process simply yields that
one metals’ Perfected form. Centuries of research have revealed that other compounds
associated with the different Supernal Realms have their own Perfected forms, but are harder
to create. These Perfected materials are better than their mundane counterparts similar to the
Perfected metals, but they do not carry the same benefits to enchanting, though they also give
the 9again quality to spellcasting when used as a Path Tool. The following are only a few
examples of Perfected materials. The Storyteller should feel free to invent others.
Acid Perfected acid is completely corrosive. Mundane containers cannot contain it in
aqueous form, as its protons dissociate even the most stable substances. A single drop of
perfected acid can create explosive effects with normally reactive substances.
Fire Perfected fire is pure white in color and superheated, though the size of the fire does not
increase with perfecting. This intense fire burns oxygen rapidly, and burns for under a minute
when in an enclosed space, removing all oxygen from the area, then going out. If touched, the
fire deals aggravated damage that ignores armor, and counts as a fire of twice its actual size.
Gems Certain perfected gemstones look no different than the mundane variety. Most contain
a perfect color and clarity not found in nature. The stones are harder than their mundane
counterparts.
Glass Perfected glass, or “Adamant,” is perfectly translucent and does not refract light
passing through it at all, making it nearly impossible to see. It is extremely hard and resistant
to impact. Weapons made of mundane materials do not even scratch the surface. Diamonds
can cut it, and so can many of the perfected metals.
Leather Perfected leather is soft and pliable, but extremely sturdy. Items made of the
material absorb shock perfectly granting immunity to crushing or bashing blows. The
material can be punctured with enough force from say a bullet, though.
Mirror A perfected mirror reflects images perfectly without distorting the image or the color.
Stone Perfected stone is more durable and dense than mundane stone. Structures built of
perfected stone have a +1 Durability.
Water Perfected water, or “Alkahest” serves as a true universal solvent, able to dissolve any
other substance, except other perfected materials.
Wood Perfected wood is both supple enough to carve easily and hard enough to prevent
breakage or scratching from most mundane weapons. It does not burn easily, requires
extremely high temperatures to combust.
Living Materials
The concept of using a physical piece of a person in spellcasting is one from ancient times.
The best way to establish a sympathetic link to someone is to use magic like “Borrow
Threads” to take that of a physical representation, such as some of their blood or a piece of
their body. Physical forms hold power for many reasons, and not just because of the
sympathetic ties involved. Blood, bone, and flesh have more than a sympathetic tie to their
donors, and have long been incorporated into ritual castings, usually in the form of sacrifice.
Once an organic material has been separated from the body, it is no longer a part of the
person, but its own substance. A tooth is no more the person it came from than a strip of
leather is the cow. Yet, somehow the tooth of a human carries more significance in a magical
ritual than that of a canine. Scholars believe that because the human mind is sensitive to the
Lie and feels the pull of the Supernal that it carries more magical weight than any other
creature. It could simply be a matter of higher intelligence; the truth is inconsequential to the
outcome.
The most potent organic substances are those imminently separated from the host. A spell or
ritual is more likely to call for a blood sacrifice, a burned body, or a ritual dismemberment
than a long dead bone. This kind of magic is gruesome and not for the faint of heart. It is
often relegated to Left Handed groups, the work of the Mad or liches. Despite the taboo of
ritual sacrifice, mages have a large body of research on the various uses of organic materials.
Experiments on substances after death, or donated for research have led to a few discoveries,
mostly reinforcing the idea that the use of these materials should be shunned.
Organics have a tie to the Supernal giving them a potent quality on their own, but they can
also be Perfected much like other materials. The problem lies in the fact that the substance
cannot be separated from a person for more than a few minutes before they become dead,
symbolically speaking, and the Perfecting spell results in Perfected bone, leather, or wood.
Other substances such as hair and blood don’t have a Perfected form at all once dead — or at
least, not one known outside specialist Legacies. The only way to get perfected blood or flesh
is to cast Hone the Perfected Form at the exact time of separation of these substances from a
living host which is an act of hubris against Falling Wisdom. For this reason, the use of
Perfected living materials in crafting is limited. Few mages are comfortable knowing the
imbued item they are using required someone to be flayed alive to make. Even fewer are
willing to do the deed necessary to make the item.
Despite the gruesome implications, Perfected living materials hold a wealth of uses in the
crafting of magical items. Perfected living material offer a +1 tool Yantra on spells to
enhance or imbue themselves, and if incorporated into Yantras grant the 9again quality on
the spellcasting roll. More importantly, the material does not die unless reverted to its
mundane form; a grimoire bound in Perfected skin registers as alive to Life spells and Mage
Sight. All items crafted with a Perfected living material gain a +1 to the Durability, regardless
if it holds any magical enchantments. Ritual casting times for rotes cast from Grimoires
written in Perfected blood, or recorded on Perfected flesh, are normal instead of doubled.
Despite the best efforts of many liches, whole life forms (including mages) cannot be turned
into Perfected flesh, only parts carefully excised.
Bone as a material is connected to Stygia, and does not follow the same rules as the other
organics. It is the only organic material which can be Perfected well after the death of the
donor. For that matter, there is no need for the bone to be of human origin. Old or nonhuman
bone has properties more akin to other materials with connections to the Supernal Realms and
is not inherently magical. It is harder than normal bone, and holds an edge much like steel.
Perfected Materials as Banes
Many supernatural beings — including all ephemeral, Supernal, and Abyssal
entities — have weaknesses to substances or forces. From a ghost unwilling to
touch salt, to a highRank spirit of corruption that may be slain by a
consecrated, silver dagger, to vampires’ legendary allergy to sunlight, mages
have long experience of using materials, sometimes formed with magic, to
fend off monsters while pursuing the Mysteries. And sooner or later, every
young mage dealing with a werewolf wonders what a lunargent weapon
would do. The result is both more and less than most apprentices imagine.
Perfected materials count as their mundane counterparts with regard to if a
creature counts them as its bane. They don’t do extra damage or have any
other greater effect beyond any special rules for the material, but they do
discard all other qualifiers a bane might have. If a spirit is only vulnerable to a
consecrated, silver, dagger, any lunargent object will affect it as a bane. This
extends beyond simple weaknesses of monsters, too — if an artifact can only
be melted in dragon’s fire, Perfected flame will do the trick.