Skill Scale Down 2021

This skill has been impacted by the Skill Scale Down. The impact of this for this skill is as follows:

• This skill remains.
• All knowledge is left as is.
• For how to deal with XP, please see the page Skill Scale Down 2021 for links, information, and a player guide.
• The scope of this skill has not changed. Please ensure that you take this into account going forward.

Overview

Meditation is a form of mind conditioning. A sort of self-hypnosis that allows the mind to develop disciplines of focus and calm, as well as mental pathways and triggers to access these growing benefits while under duress. It can be used as well to mitigate the emotionally debilitating effects of past traumas, allowing a person to put them in a more objective perspective, so they do not unhinge them when they need focus. This is not to say that the griefs and outrages of personal history will be diminished to unimportance, for they are a major part of what makes person who they are. But they will be able to be viewed with less personal impact.

Most Meditation is done with some sort of repetitive stimulus that allows the person to sink into a trance-like state where they can begin to construct thought relays, memory triggers, emotion dampeners and other mental disciplines that the person decides will be beneficial for a variety of pursuits. This can be a chanted phrase, usually a drone of some sort, or a physical stimulus like a patterned drumming of fingers. Anything to give the mind a distraction to associate with the development of whatever discipline the person is trying to build.

One of the most common disciplines a person develops is the ability to set a focus into an automatic mode, so he can continue performing it while he focuses his direct thoughts on something else. This is frequently called "Compartmentalization". Many soldiers use Meditation to develop discipline against fear and pain in a battle, allowing them to perform their duties under such extremes, or even just to maintain their posts in the face of some monstrous horror. This is one of the main reasons that basic training includes deliberately abusive attitudes and treatment by their training officers, while they maintain rigid attention and face forward. It allows the soldier to let such harsh demeanor become a secondary concern, something they have already had enough experience with to shrug off. In a sense, the abusive outbursts inflicted on raw recruits takes on a meditative quality.

Actors will spend time getting into a state of mind where they can submerge their own personality in order to adopt the persona of the role they are set to play. Chances are, they have some manner of Meditation in their practice regimen. Oddly enough, they may also have a system to implant the fictional personality more firmly to make them more outgoing or emotionally volatile, or less so. Pretty much any sort of conditioning can be fortified with Meditation. It is a caution though, that such techniques are used in interrogations as well, when time is not an issue.

In and of itself, Meditation is not a directly quantitative skill. One does not get a job meditating (though some bosses might jokingly suggest otherwise). it is a technique to aid and enhance the development of other skills. The casting of magic is a prime example of such. The acquisition of fractive power may be intimidating at first. As will the confidence that it has been shaped to the proper proportions and intensity to perform the desired spell. Many beginners find themselves suddenly fearful of errant casts or backlash of power, and lose the very focus that allowed them to acquire the power in the first place.

This can be a terrifying state for a learner to find himself in. Full of power, uncertain of whether it has been "tapped" correctly, afraid to unburden it, yet well aware that it cannot be maintained indefinitely. And if a backlash does result, these fears are likely to be magnified. This is why Meditation is a very common partner to a magic skill. With the ability to remain focused under duress, these troubles are greatly reduced, and often completely eliminated before long. The fact is, most mentors will not even begin to teach a magic discipline without a prior schooling in Meditation. And it goes hand in hand with many of the developments of that magic as the student grows in power.

By the same token, an archer may need a method of remaining calm under the stresses of combat to keep a steady hand while drawing to fire. A city administrator may need to chant a phrase under his breath to endure the conflicts of political adversaries in council without exploding into a counter-productive rage himself. A handler of animals may find a soothing murmur to give a meditative tranquility to beasts he hopes to train. And such a technique will certainly help him maintain his own consistent calm, an essential element in animal training. The list goes on and on. In short, it would probably be easier to list the skills that would not benefit from Meditation in some way, than to list all those that would.

When using Meditation in a thread, it is possible that aspects of some skills may come easier than they normally would at the level your PC has attained at the time. This is not meant to say you will get a skill bonus, or be able to do things from the next level category of that skill. At best, you will able to perform as though you were higher within that category. Primarily, it serves to ensure that you can function normally under duress.

Arcane Mentalism

It is possible to focus so much on the nature of magic and the forces it commands that one can - eventually - learn how to use it. This requires a lot of time, dedication and commitment from the mentalist mage, but it is possible.

Arcane Contemplation

It is, as previously stated, theoretically possible to learn magic from this skill. There are rumours (as yet unsubstantiated) of entire schools of magic which can only be learned by meditative reflection.

For the individual who wishes to learn magic through self reflection only, they may do so. However, there are those who wish to learn the secrets of ether in practice, alongside meditation. These individuals can, eventually, learn domain magic through Meditation, but it is a long process.

In order to unlock a specific magic via meditation, the individual has to take three steps.

1. The individual must first have the clarity of thought reflected by sufficient skill in Meditation (Expert at least)to undertake a deep reflection of their own consciousness in their preferred method of meditation. Once they have accrued at least 10 named knowledges labelled "Contemplation: Arcane Connections" and detailing what they've explored in their consciousness, relating to their place in the cosmos and their state of mind, this step is completed. Please note that, once this is done, it applies to all magics and so does not have to be duplicated.
2. The individual must contemplate the implications of a particular Domain Magic. Prospective Defiers will want to reflect on their connection to various elemental stimuli. A Grafter will engage in contemplation of flesh/life/biofeedback. A hopeful Glamourist will reflect on the nature of perception and senses. Once they have accrued at least 10 named knowledges labelled "Contemplation: <name of magic>" and detailing what they've learned, this step is completed. Please note that these knowledges are specific to the magic school and so must be repeated for each type of magic.
3. The individual must reflect on the power commanded by a particular type of magic (eg: Rupturing/Portals/Space, etc) in a place that is saturated with magical energies, such as near/within a fracture, or a place where a great deal of magical energy was or is being released. Finding out about this site and obtaining it should be threaded out in a manner which is rich in story and provides genuine challenges / opportunities for growth for the PC. This is demonstrated by the accruing of a total of 10 named knowledges labelled "Arcane Saturation: <name of magic>:" a maximum of three of which may be about finding a way into or around the site - the rest must be what is found through meditative exploration undertaken within the site. In this step, specifics are learned and the soon-to-be mage
   1. Finding out about and locating the site must be at least one thread. This counts as 1 "step" when the site is located.

Learning Magic Through Meditation. A Few Practicalities

• Because this is still new and we're trialling it, PCs are requested to be very clear in their review requests (let the peer reviewer know that you are following an Mentalism Mage route, which knowledges are specifically for this, etc). It will help us to make sure that we're applying the rules fairly and consistently.

• When you have completed your journey to being a Mind-Mage - post your final thread up for review and post in the PSF, linking to that thread and showing the whole journey (links for the three steps above, basically). A staffer will confirm the result. Again, this is just so that we're clear what we're doing, and we'll stop it once we've got it straight.

• All of the ordinary rules for Non-Spark mage apply here, with regards to mutations, revelations, and so on. Non-Spark Magic

• Learning another magic need not be as involved as the first unlocking of magic that was undergone. This requires only a PSF submitted plot outlining how your pc expands their consciousness to encompass a new domain. The details can be delineated in the ticket.

Skill Ranks

Novice (0-25)

The individual attempting Meditation has only just begun their journey into the world of mental growth. They've seen this skill work for others, thus, strive to do the same through breathing techniques, focus, and silence. They've found ideas come a little easier, and stay within the forefront of their thoughts longer than before. Such practice is helping the individual progress noticeably faster, but it takes a calm environment, and a good twenty bits of inner tranquility to gain this focus. And once the benefit is evident, even the excitement over this very progress might distract them enough to lose that focus. And outside distractions definitely undermine this clarity all too easily.

Competent (26-75)

They have learned more than one kind of trance-invoking technique, so they can find focus in most situations as long as they are not specifically targeted by adversarial distractions. It only takes ten bits at most to find the calm they needs to reach peak focus. They are able to compartmentalize his efforts to focus on two paths of thought at once.

Expert (76-150)

Unless his actual life is directly threatened, this person can sit in the midst of a battle and remain completely serene. And can divide his awareness in several direction at once, so they will most likely BE aware of such threats to his person. The charge of a rampant beast will not unsettle him with fear, though they are not such a fool as to calmly sit and be overrun by the creature. They will instead be able to view his options calmly and realistically, and make what response is the best for everyone. They can now find peak focus in just a few bits, regardless of distractions. And once found, he can maintain this focus without needing to continue his technique, because distractions are now as easily "compartmentalized" as anything else. At this point, their skill at meditation has reached enough heights that their perception of the world can begin to expand, and with enough effort and time, they can learn how to unlock magic.

Master (151-250)

When in his meditative state, the command of surroundings this person radiates now goes so far as unnerve and distract his adversaries. Nothing unsettles him. Pain, grief, noise, bright lights, whatever; they are all things of the mind and can be relegated to whatever priority suits his current agenda. He does not seem to need any technique to achieve his inner state and it only takes moments. He also seems to exude this calm to those around him. This is because he, alone, is as completely aware of everything they are dealing with, as they, collectively, are. And is calm enough to assess each individual's situation as if it were the only one. While they must undergo the same amount of contemplation to unlock arcane abilities through meditation, Masters at meditation will find the process much smoother and comfortable than experts, at least in terms of their focus and level of calm.

Progressing Meditation

• Capstones
• Grandmasters
• Tier 2 PCs

Meditation Knowledge

The collapsible below has examples of Skill Knowledge for this skill. If you are unsure of what Knowledge is, please check the Knowledge Primer for details. Please remember that our Peer Reviewers will be checking to make sure that your Knowledge claim is appropriate to what you have learned in the thread and ensuring that you are not duplicating knowledge.

A guide to knowledge can be found here (this link takes you to the site) and the person reviewing your thread will do so following the steps laid out in the Peer Reviewer Guide. If you wish to use one of these knowledge in your request, please ensure that it is appropriate to your thread.