What is the Mage Apprentice NPC?:

Simply put, a Mage Apprentice is an NPC that you've decided to initiate into magic. They can be an existing Personal NPC that you have, or you can make a new one to build your relationship to the point where you'll start teaching them magic.

There are a few rules regarding these NPCs.

Rules on Mage Apprentice NPCs

1. You can initiate one of your Personal NPCs into a magic domain as your apprentice or request a new Personal NPC for that purpose. The apprentice will start with magic at novice (1) once: An initiation thread is completed, and You've psf'd for them to attain apprentice status.
2. Their skill is /100 because they're an NPC.
3. For every thread where you are mentoring / teaching them level-appropriate magic, they get 1 XP to a max of 10 per season. Increases in skill need to be applied for in a PSF ticket.
4. They can never be a higher level (or even equal level) to you. They can be initiated into any magic you possess, however the limits for 10 xp in all magics per season applies across all magics that they may have learned.
5. Any use of them outside of the teaching / mentoring agreed restrictions (which are agreed with the NPC approval) - requires additional approval. This includes the apprentice giving or teaching their mentor anything. The apprentice exists to learn magic from the mentor, and experience the role of magic mentor from a PC perspective.
6. You can have more than one, but with consideration for how long you've had your existing apprentice, their skill level, etc. You will not be allowed to spam an army of apprentices.
7. Apprentices can have mutations that are cosmetic ONLY. Since the focus should always be on the pc's journey in teaching another mage, these mutations will not factor heavily into the story. They can have a single mutation per level of magic they have for each magic. These must be psf'd.
8. All ordinary Personal NPC rules apply. They can travel with your pc, they can gain seasonal xp for mundane/non-magic skills for regular use, they cannot give your PC anything unless they pay for or earn it, etc.

Non-Spark Magic Apprentices

For those who have pursued the sparkless path to magic, they may wish to also pass on what they've learned to a student. This is different from the typical magic apprentice, as it will not require an initiation as such, but then the hurdle of actually being able to learn non-spark magics will be needed.

Given that we require players to focus more on their PCs role in the story, and not on NPCs, this is a little less strenuous than it is for the PC. But then the apprentice is assumed to be jumping through those hoops off-scene. It's fine to assume that they're fulfilling the requirements on their own, specifically the knowledge requirements for meditation and research. But if a player wants to go through those hoops with them with their PC, they are welcome to.

Ensorcelling

What is required here is the same as for PCs. You need wells for each magic desired, up to four. A class 2 well for the first magic, a class 3 well for the second magic, and a class 4 for the third magic, etc. The Student must also have skill associated with handling such wells..

You also must have ensorcelling at a skill level that allows you to administer the learning of the apprentice's magic. So competent for the first, expert the second, master the third, etc. You will also require teaching skill at competent or higher.

Little else is required here, but to thread out the actual learning of new magic.

Research/Meditation

Given the relative similarities between the two, at least in terms of conveying relevant knowledge to the prospective non-spark mage, we're requiring that the PC mentor have meditation or research at an appropriate level to learn non-spark themselves and subsequently done it, and then on top of that to have teaching at competent or higher.

Once the pc mentor has met those requirements for teaching non-spark, and have gone through the process of becoming a non-spark mage themselves in the same way, they may teach others to do so with specialized knowledge for every magic they teach their apprentice.

Teaching Non-Spark Magic

Once the skill requirements and the PC has gone through the process of learning a non-spark path to magic, they can then teach that path specifically.

No less than 5 knowledges then should be claimed by the PC mentor in question for each magic, to the effect of the following examples ,the text varying depending on what happens in the story:

Teaching: Non-Spark Ensorcelling: Using a Lycanite well to impart magic to an apprentice. Teaching: Non-Spark Research: Imparting knowledge of Glamour through a specially researched and drafted tome/scroll. Teaching: Non-Spark Meditation: Guiding your student through the perceptual maze of the cosmos, to teach them Empathy magic.