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How do you determine which reagents a tradition uses?

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Senko

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« on: <08-15-17/2024:29> »
I've been looking back over the alternative traditions (vodoo, tarot, Islamic) and nearly all don't seem to have a list of appropriate reagents for them. Do you make up some that suit the tradition in your opinion, work out if it's shamanic or hermetic and assign the same type of reagents as those, something else?

The_Machine

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« Reply #1 on: <08-15-17/2030:33> »
I'm no expert but from an IRL standpoint most of them have real world counterparts that you can probably find reagents for. Maybe for Islamic IRL they use Frankincense as a religious thing so that could be a reagent in SR
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Rosa

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« Reply #2 on: <08-16-17/0747:41> »
I would say it depends on how thorough you want to be. If it's just for a general feel then dividing them into those with shamanic leanings and those with hermetic leanings would be good enough. If you want to be more specific then I would indeed take inspiration from their RL rituals and also from the geographical region from which they originate.

Senko

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« Reply #3 on: <08-16-17/1403:46> »
I see may  need to make a list then thanks.

ShadowcatX

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« Reply #4 on: <08-16-17/2252:42> »
Keep in mind a cat shaman and an eagle shaman might find very different reagents in the same place. Or two chaos magicians might. Or black magicians. Feel free to give things a personal touch to the magician who gathered it.

Senko

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« Reply #5 on: <08-17-17/0035:36> »
I had the impression that reagents were tied to a tradition not a person although there are some like orchalcum that can be used by any tradition so hmmmm.

firebug

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« Reply #6 on: <08-17-17/0146:13> »
Reagents are supposed to be per tradition, this is why the core book says that any reagents from a different tradition than the user require twice as many to be effective.  Most of the traditions don't actually say what their reagents are specifically, but it doesn't really matter.  You can usually just say "reagents"; the important feature and mechanic is that reagents are each keyed to a specific tradition as opposed to being universal, per-person, or having specific categories.
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ShadowcatX

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« Reply #7 on: <08-17-17/0500:49> »
Mechanically reagents are per tradition, but mechanically it doesn't matter what they are, either. If you want flavor, it varying by individual makes sense.

Senko

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« Reply #8 on: <08-17-17/0712:40> »
I suppose that makes sense. I admit there's a certain appeal to "you concentrate 10 reagents into a radical reagent" over "you concentrate 10 stones into a radial stone" . Do you funnel the magic from 10 into 1, fuse the 10 stones together, soemthing else?

ShadowcatX

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« Reply #9 on: <08-17-17/0728:43> »
It doesn't really matter, go with whatever the player wants.

Senko

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« Reply #10 on: <08-19-17/1707:28> »
Fair enough.

SmilinIrish

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« Reply #11 on: <08-22-17/0258:16> »
The fluff I wrote for my Chaos mage has reagents being items that had an emotional connection attached to them by a previous owner.  Chaos is an eclectic tradition that "borrows" from where it sees fit. It's cast by feeling out the mana, not by logical formula.  So I imagined that chaos mana would pool within things that had been the object of strong feeling.  Child's favorite toy, old piece of jewelry, little knick knacks, murder weapon, favorite book, old carpenters hammer, etc.
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firebug

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« Reply #12 on: <08-22-17/0523:33> »
The fluff I wrote for my Chaos mage has reagents being items that had an emotional connection attached to them by a previous owner.  Chaos is an eclectic tradition that "borrows" from where it sees fit. It's cast by feeling out the mana, not by logical formula.  So I imagined that chaos mana would pool within things that had been the object of strong feeling.  Child's favorite toy, old piece of jewelry, little knick knacks, murder weapon, favorite book, old carpenters hammer, etc.

Chaos Mage is also the syncretic "bits from everything" tradition.  I would be down for there being a quality available to them that allows them to use reagents of any tradition at no penalty.  Probably a cheap 5 Karma thing.
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SpellBinder

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« Reply #13 on: <08-22-17/2152:32> »
The fluff I wrote for my Chaos mage has reagents being items that had an emotional connection attached to them by a previous owner.  Chaos is an eclectic tradition that "borrows" from where it sees fit. It's cast by feeling out the mana, not by logical formula.  So I imagined that chaos mana would pool within things that had been the object of strong feeling.  Child's favorite toy, old piece of jewelry, little knick knacks, murder weapon, favorite book, old carpenters hammer, etc.

Chaos Mage is also the syncretic "bits from everything" tradition.  I would be down for there being a quality available to them that allows them to use reagents of any tradition at no penalty.  Probably a cheap 5 Karma thing.
Chaos magicians used to have the "bit of everything" but now they're the "Just Do It" tradition.  Go Nike. *swoosh icon file missing*