Mage Creation

Mage Character Creation
Mages are created with the rules as given in Mage: the Awakening 2e, as altered in the Sundered World chapter of Dark Eras and as listed below.

Path
Mages in the Neolithic Era Awaken to the same Supernal Realms, but the paths are formed of different symbols, and resonate with different Yantras, as described in the Sundered World chapter of Dark Eras. A brief outline of the new take on the Paths:
 * Acanthus - Path of the Sky: Those that Awaken to the supernal realm representing the eternal cycles of time, the changing of the seasons, the fickle winds, and an all encompassing view of what might be. Their ruling arcana are Fate and Time, and their inferior is Forces.
 * Mastigos - Path of the Forest: Those that Awaken to the supernal realm representing tangled pathways, impossible labyrinths, the illusion of distance, and the emotions and states of mind evoked by the untamed wilderness and the world around. Their ruling arcana are Mind and Space, and their inferior is Matter.
 * Moros - Path of the Sea: Those that Awaken to the supernal realm representing unfathomable depths, the changes eroded into everything over time, and the passage of the soul through the waters of the Underworld and beyond. Their ruling arcana are Death and Matter, and their inferior is Spirit.
 * Obrimos - Path of the Storm: Those that Awaken to the supernal realm representing the force of nature, the energy behind its manifestations, the unstoppable progression of the world around, and the raw, primal truth behind everything. Their ruling arcana are Prime and Forces, and their inferior is Death.
 * Thyrsus - Path of Blood: Those that Awaken to the supernal realm representing the pulse of the world, the living energy flowing through all organisms, the malleability of form, and the animating Essence of the Shadow. Their ruling arcana are Life and Spirit, and their inferior is Mind.

Order
Remember, there's no Orders in the Neolithic period. Thus means that Mages do NOT receive the free dot of Occult or High Speech that would normally provide.

Legacies
"Ancient" legacies can be joined as normal at creation; anything said to have orginated in Atlantis or perhaps simply unspecified ancient times. A character may also create a new one with the normal rules. In either case, starting Experiences must be used to buy attainments as normal, and the prerequisites must be met, but for the sake of creating a Legacy, starting Experiences may count as Arcane.

Arcana
As mention in Mage 2e, Wise characters start off with 6 dots of Arcana, spread among at least 3 Arcana, with at least 1 dot in each, and 3+ total, going to their Ruling Arcana. No dots may be put in the Mage's Inferior Arcanum, though starting Experiences may be spent for that.

Advanced: Advanced characters receive 3 additional dots of Arcana to be spent as desired, but this may still not bring any Arcana above 3 dots. 2 of these may be put into the Mage's Inferior Arcanum.

Banned: Adepthood or Mastery at creation.

Nimbus
A mage's nimbus is created via the normal process; at creation and any time you raise your Gnosis, you design a tilt that provides a bonus or penalty to attributes or skills to those affected (dice to attributes, 8-again or lack of 10-again to a skill per bonus/penalty) equal to a total of half your Gnosis (round up).

Remember to flavor it appropriately for Neolithic Paths, and that the tilt's mechanics should make sense for the effect itself.

Merits and Attributes
The following Awakened Merits are specifically not available in the Neolithic era: Adamant Hand, Consilium Status, Infamous Mentor, Lex Magica, Masque, Mystery Cult Influence, Mystery Initiation, Order Status, and Techné. However, a new Merit is available for each Path, listed in Dark Eras.

Neolithic Mages receive 2 bonus dots in Resistance Attributes (Stamina, Resolve, or Composure). This is subject to normal maximums.

Rotes and Praxes
Neolithic Mages do not start off with any Rotes, given the difficulty of utilizing and recording them. They still gain 1 Praxis per dot of Gnosis, though.

Experience Costs
* Can be bought with Arcane Experiences

** MUST be bought with Arcane Experiences

*** As * for tutored, ** for non-tutored