[忍]

It's fairly clear what a magician might do during their initiation, but what about adepts? How do they reach the next echelon? Why would that take X months to accomplish? Any ideas?

[Mulcarn]

Not that much different from a mage or shaman in all honesty.  Take a look on some of the initiation ordeals on p. 140 of Street Grimoire.  For example, Asceticism make you give up all modern conveniences of technology and magic (Commlinks, Firearms, Foci, Vehicles, etc) and live like a true warrior monk as you train extensively for X months.

The Deed Ordeal could be some monumental task set forth by your mentor spirit or sensei or hell, even your fixer, where you take on some big bad that's threatening a nearby sprawl that you like.  Or could be a grand heist or data-steal that no one has ever pulled off before.  Until you took the job that is.  Really the possibilities are endless.

[Tecumseh]

It's also going to vary by the adept's "Way" even if they don't have that quality. There are 10 different Ways (p. 176-8, Street Grimoire) and each of them are going to have radically different initiation methods based on not only their Way but their magical tradition and mentor spirit too.

A Christian Theurgist following the Speaker's Way could spend a month speaking on street corners, or leading tent revivals. Followers of Dove/Peacemaker could spend a month trying to broker peace treaties among gangs. A follower of Seducer could spend a month hitting on strangers in a bar.

So take your 10 Ways and your ~56 mentor spirits and your ~45 traditions and multiply it all out and you'll see that there are tens of thousands of options for how an adept might initiate.

[Moonshine Fox]

Would depend on the adept really and they way they think of their magic, but for a physical one, I could see a long training scenario on top of a building or hill somewhere with the adept going through endless series of martial and magical forms to learn to focus more power through his body and refine the abilities he already has. Boom-box playing Eye of the Tiger in the background optional.

[忍]

@Tecumseh:
Not all Adepts follow traditions nor have Mentor Spirits.

[Jack_Spade]

Personally I like to interchange Deed and Hermit ordeals since they can be integrated into normal play instead of requiring massive amounts of downtime.
If you have access to Shade (CF p.187) and have a Mentor Spirit you can also go on a Metaplanar Quest which requires only a few hours of real time.
Very convenient

[Tecumseh]

@Tecumseh:
Not all Adepts follow traditions nor have Mentor Spirits.

Yes, you're absolutely correct. So if we take "none" to be a separate option, that would make for 11 Ways * 57 mentor spirits * 46 traditions (adding +1 to each to represent "or lack thereof') * the 9 initiatory ordeals = 260k options.

忍, do you have a specific situation or character in mind? It sounds like people would be happy to brainstorm ideas, but it helps to have a starting point.

[Kiirnodel]

By default Adepts do the same thing that Magicians do in order to initiate. No matter the Awakened individual, it requires an Extended Arcana+Intuition test with a Threshold of the Grade of Initiation you are trying to reach, with an interval of 1 month. Presumably, this test represents the person studying the depths of Magic and how it relates to them. This relates to all forms of Awakened. Yes, Adepts are less likely to use Arcana for other things, but the basics all relate back the same way.

Adept Ways, Traditions, Mentors, and even Ordeals to a small extent just shape what the individual might do to perform this Magic/self exploration.

I do want to add in that Ordeals don't (usually) replace the requisite Arcana test to complete the initiation, so not all Ordeals actually change what you might do to complete your initiation, they would just add more on top of it.

[Ghost Rigger]

Yes, you're absolutely correct. So if we take "none" to be a separate option, that would make for 11 Ways * 57 mentor spirits * 46 traditions (adding +1 to each to represent "or lack thereof') * the 9 initiatory ordeals = 260k options.

Less than that, actually, as some combinations are effectively, if not actually, incompatible. I don't know about you but I've never heard about Shark getting any followers of the Buddhist tradition or Satan - I'm sorry, ADVERSARY - getting any followers in any of the Abrahamic traditions.

[UnLimiTeD]

There's probably also some adepts that never initiate at all - There magic just is, and they really don't want to go through the hassle of thinking about it. I mean, it works, right?
Fundamentally, every awakened needs to think about magic if they want to advance in it, and find out for themselves what they believe it is, or where it comes from.