Jay Dee Rotes Continued

Jay Dee – The Reality Architect

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1. Combat Paradigm & Practice

Jay Dee’s Style:

• He doesn’t just “blast” or “shield”—he destabilizes, reweaves, or shatters the assumptions of reality.
• Uses urban geometry, resonance points, sacred ratios, and paradox as both sword and shield.
• All rotes are Layer-Aware: effects echo across Waking World, Dream, Digital Web, and Umbra (at the ST’s discretion).

Practices:

• Finger-drawn glyphs in the air, footsteps that echo in impossible places, uttering paradox questions.
• Any space in Madison can be invoked as a ritual instrument.

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2. Mechanics for Mage 20th Anniversary (M20)

Arete Rolls Only (RAW):

• All effects resolved with Arete rolls vs. Difficulty (based on Spheres/Paradox).
• Jay Dee’s Arete is 8; he does not combine Spheres for the roll—Arete only, but Sphere dots determine effect scope and difficulty.
• Vulgar magick is rare; most effects are coincidental via layered manipulation, but in crisis, he will risk Paradox for reality-breaking results.

Quintessence:

• Jay Dee always has access to ambient Quintessence at a Node, or draws from the Mnemosyne Shard (dangerous—costs Paradox).

Special Rule:

• Once per story, Jay Dee may “invoke an Echo” (ST: allow a single retcon, echo of a previous action, or a reality rewrite—at severe Paradox risk).

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Signature Combat Rotes

A. The Philosopher’s Storm

Spheres: Forces 4, Entropy 4, Mind 3

Effect:

• Unleashes a wave of paradox and soul-reflection (shreds illusions, drains Quintessence from enemies, forces Confessions of Will).
• All magickal/illusory effects in 100-ft radius must roll to resist unraveling (ST: opposing Arete vs Jay Dee's).
• Anyone with magickal protection or a supernatural “lie” suffers Willpower roll vs. 8 or is compelled to confront a personal truth (e.g., flaw revealed, secret exposed).

Arete Roll: Difficulty 7 (coincidental if woven through urban resonance).

Paradox: 2–5 (if vulgar, double Paradox).

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B. Tetragrammaton Sigil

Spheres: Prime 5, Correspondence 4

Effect:

• Stabilizes reality in a 30-meter radius. No Paradox backlash within for 1 hour. All effects (friendly or hostile) must succeed on an Arete roll vs. Jay Dee's Arete to function inside the sigil.
• Can “seal” a battlefield, cut off an area from outside reality, or anchor time (prevents time magick, temporal assaults).

Arete Roll: Difficulty 8 (vulgar outside Madison; coincidental at Node or with prepped ritual).

Paradox: 2 minimum, but often coincidental in his ritual city.

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C. The Eternal Question

Spheres: Mind 5, Prime 2

Effect:

• Targets one mind; forces an existential crisis. If the victim fails a Willpower roll vs. Jay Dee’s Arete, they must either:
  • Suffer a temporary Derangement (ST’s choice based on context),
  • Awaken (if a Sleeper with hidden potential),
  • Or be stunned/confused for several rounds (if Enlightened/supernatural).

Arete Roll: Difficulty 6–8 (lower for philosophical battle, higher if “dueling” another Master or Paradox entity).

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D. Lexicon of Reality

Spheres: Time 4, Mind 4, Prime 3

Effect:

• Minor local rewrites (“You never said that.” “This wound is a scar instead.” “The door was locked all along.”). Can be used mid-combat to rewrite minor effects, reverse a single non-lethal event, or implant a memory (“You always trusted me.”).
• Not for reversing death or large-scale events (that requires Paradox and the Mnemosyne Shard).

Arete Roll: Difficulty 7–8 (varies by the “subtlety” of the rewrite; ST discretion).

Paradox: 1–3 (more if abused or used to “cheat” major outcomes).

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E. Sigil of Static Disjunction

Spheres: Forces 4, Prime 4, Entropy 2

Effect:

• Collapses technology or structured effects (guns jam, security fails, Technocratic constructs unravel, cybernetics glitch).
• Within 50ft, every device/structured magickal effect must resist or malfunction for one turn.

Arete Roll: Difficulty 7 (coincidental vs. technomancy; vulgar in front of sleepers).

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F. Mnemosyne Shard (Legacy Effect)

Spheres: Prime 5, Time 5, Mind 5

Effect:

• Once per scene, Jay Dee may “recall” an event that never occurred but should have. Example: a bridge is there now, an ally never died, an enemy always wore red.
• Costs 3 Paradox (minimum). ST and player must collaborate to ensure dramatic consequence.

Arete Roll: Difficulty 9 (always vulgar; catastrophic failure risks shattering reality nearby).

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G. The Glyphwalker’s Map

Spheres: Correspondence 5, Mind 3

Effect:

• Reveals all nodes, leylines, and anchor points in the area. In combat, can instantly “step” to any point in the map—teleport, redirect attacks, or appear behind an enemy (if it “makes sense” narratively).

Arete Roll: Difficulty 6 (in Madison; 8 elsewhere).

Paradox: 1–3 (vulgar outside of his city or the Dream).

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H. Harmonic Collapse Field

Spheres: Entropy 5, Prime 3

Effect:

• Causes highly ordered systems (Weaver/Technocracy magick, Technocratic cybernetics, ritual circles) to collapse into chaos.
• In combat: auto-fails or ends one enemy’s prepared effect/rote, unravels sustained magic, disables security grids, etc.

Arete Roll: Difficulty 7–9 (lower in chaos; higher in highly ordered/Technocratic space).

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Optional: Layer Echo Combat Effects

Jay Dee’s attacks (and some defenses) may “echo” into other layers:

• Waking → Dream: The battle triggers recursive events in Dream, creating double/ghost images.
• Digital Web: Each major effect leaves a “data signature” readable by Digi-8 or Virtual Adepts.
• Umbra: Banes and spirits may react, especially if Paradox is triggered.

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Jay Dee’s Combat Philosophy

• He will never use brute force when a question, echo, or recursive paradox will suffice.
• When forced, he “stabilizes the board,” creating sanctuaries or traps within the environment.
• Most of his attacks are disruptive, not destructive—reality reboots, ideas shatter, truths are revealed.

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Example: Jay Dee in Combat (Narrative/Mechanics)

Scene:

Jay Dee faces a Nephandic sorcerer and three Technocratic hit-squads in the rotunda of the Madison Capitol.

• Opening: Draws Tetragrammaton Sigil, stabilizing reality (Arete 8, Diff 8, effect: all vulgar magic is suppressed/paradox-immune in this space).
• Technocrats charge: Jay Dee traces a spiral on the floor—Sigil of Static Disjunction (Arete 8, Diff 7). The hit-squad’s weapons and comms instantly fail; cybernetics spark and overload.
• Nephandus hurls a paradox blast: Jay Dee, finger to temple, unleashes Philosopher’s Storm (Arete 8, Diff 7), unraveling the blast into fractal wind, forcing the Nephandus to make a Willpower roll vs. 8 or confess their truest desire aloud.
• Backup arrives: Jay Dee “walks the map,” stepping through a ley intersection—appears behind the Technocrat, whispers the Eternal Question (Arete 8, Diff 6). The Technocrat must resist or become paralyzed in a philosophical crisis.
• Finale: Realizing the fight’s lost, Jay Dee invokes the Mnemosyne Shard: “What if I had locked the doors before this began?” With a 3 Paradox cost, reality glitches, and all exits are now locked—the scene resets for one last round.

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Jay Dee’s Combat Weaknesses (for Balance)

• Paradox Magnet: He takes extra Paradox if he overuses the Mnemosyne Shard or reality edits.
• Layer Interference: If a layer (Dream, Web, Umbra) is unstable, some rotes become unreliable or may “echo” into unintended realms.
• Questions as Vulnerability: If an enemy can force Jay Dee into a true paradoxical contradiction, his effects may fail or even backfire.

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Quick Reference Table (for Storytellers/Players)

Rote	Spheres	Arete Diff	Effect (Combat)	Paradox
Philosopher’s Storm	Forces 4, Entropy 4, Mind 3	7–8	Unravels magick, drains Quintessence, exposes secrets	2–5
Tetragrammaton Sigil	Prime 5, Corr 4	8	Stabilize zone, nullify Paradox, seal magickal area	2+
The Eternal Question	Mind 5, Prime 2	6–8	Force existential crisis/stun	1–3
Lexicon of Reality	Time 4, Mind 4, Prime 3	7–8	Minor edits: rewrite statements, non-lethal effects	1–3
Static Disjunction	Forces 4, Prime 4, Entropy 2	7	Disable technology, unravel tech magic	1–2
Mnemosyne Shard	Prime 5, Time 5, Mind 5	9	Retcon/rewrite scene event (once/scene, min 3 Paradox)	3+
Glyphwalker’s Map	Corr 5, Mind 3	6–8	Map/teleport/redirect attacks	1–3
Harmonic Collapse Field	Entropy 5, Prime 3	7–9	Unravels order/ends enemy effects	1–3

Forces Attacks in M20: Damage Resolution

• Forces magick (like lightning, fire, or force blasts) does double Arete successes as damage.
• RAW: Unless a target has explicit supernatural resistance (like a Garou’s Gifts, a vampire’s Fortitude, or a mage’s magical shield), the damage from Forces magick is applied directly as health level loss—no soak roll allowed for most targets, especially Sleepers and typical supernaturals.
• Exception: Supernaturals with explicit "soak all damage" traits, magickal shields, or Paradox immunities might get a soak (Storyteller discretion).

M20 Core, p. 508:

“By default, Forces attacks cause twice the Arete successes in automatic health level damage, unless the target has supernatural resistance or magical defense. Most mortals and unprotected beings simply take the damage, no soak roll.”

How It Works for Jay Dee’s Lightning Rote:

• Jay Dee (Arete 8) rolls.
• Gets 4 successes → 8 health levels of lethal/aggravated damage.
• Mundane targets: Take that many health levels, no soak, straight to incapacitated/dead.
• Supernaturals: If they have no relevant resistance, same. If they do (e.g., Garou in Crinos with Rage/Fortitude, a Mage with a shield, etc.), they may soak per rules.

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Updated: Architect’s Judgement (Lightning Glyph)

System (M20 RAW):

• Arete Roll: Arete 8 (Jay Dee), Diff 6–8
• Damage: Double Arete successes in automatic health level loss (no soak for most targets).
• Prime 3: Makes damage aggravated vs. supernaturals/Paradox creatures, or allows it to bypass normal resistances.
• Correspondence 2 (optional): Strike at range.

Example

• Jay Dee rolls 8 dice, gets 5 successes.
• Target takes 10 lethal/aggravated health levels (no soak, unless supernatural defense).

Quick Reference Table

Rote Name	Spheres	Roll	Damage	Soak?
Architect’s Judgement (Lightning Glyph)	Forces 3, Prime 2	Arete 8, Diff 6–8	Double Arete successes, direct health levels (lethal/aggravated)	No soak (unless supernatural defense)

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Flair

The lightning isn’t just energy—it’s structured, symbolic, burning the very concept of the target’s presence in the Tapestry. Against Sleepers, it leaves behind sigils of paradox. Against Awakened, it fries Quintessence and conviction.

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ST’s Note: For truly reality-shattering effects, always balance Jay Dee’s powers with:

• Paradox (and story consequences),
• Layer feedback/echoes,
• The philosophical cost of “changing the story.”