Magnus

Of the 6 Career Skills, choose 3 to get a free rank. Of the 4 Specialization Skills, choose 2 to get a free rank.

Mystic Career Skills: Charm, Coercion, Knowledge (Lore), Knowledge (Outer Rim), Perception and Vigilance

Magnus Specialization Skills: Coercion, Discipline, Knowledge (Lore) and Medicine

A Mystic begins play with a Force rating of 1

To hear of a Magus, even during the time of the Galactic Republic, would be a rare event; to meet one, even more so. The Jedi Order, in its waning days, had become quite conservative regarding explorations into the Force. The Jedi either avoided or outright fought the myriad of sects and cults exhibiting mystical powers throughout the galaxy. The Force, they reasoned, was all they needed. Other teachings and experiments deviated too much from the clear path of the Jedi and thus danced too close to illusion and self-deception, leading to temptations — toward the dark side of the Force.

Paradoxically, a Force user may be more likely to become a Magus during the Galactic Civil War. With hope and the light in short supply, some disciples may be more open and willing to seek out so-called forbidden knowledge. A Magus develops and collects a hodgepodge of strange rituals and odd practices to commune with the Cosmic Force. They have no training, but at the same time, they have no teachings that would convince them not to try. The danger, of course, comes from a lack of oversight. Without a guiding hand or proper self-reflection, a Magus has a greater chance to experiment with powers fueled by the dark side of the Force.

Knowledge, especially forbidden knowledge, fuels the Magus. Unrestricted by the Jedi Order, defiant of the Galactic Empire, the Magus seeks a connection to the Force through knowledge. The source of that knowledge doesn’t matter; rituals, objects and places of power, and ancient religious and magical texts all hint at a singular source of energy. While some Magi crave knowledge for its own sake, most explore the Magus path in order to control the Force itself.

If the Force flows through everything and is a part of everything, then by manipulating the Force, the Magus can manipulate reality. The Force can be used to make matter, affect matter, affect life, and perhaps...even create life. With this power, the Magus can do amazing and impossible things. No, not impossible, for nothing is impossible if one believes in the Force.

This confidence, however, is the biggest trap for Magi. They can do impossible things, yes, but it is the Force that allows them to do so, not their knowledge or talent. Despite what they may think, Magi still have mortal trappings. They have histories, memories, early thoughts, and emotions that can never be truly removed. Hubris may be the greatest enemy for Magi. This hubris can trick Magi into thinking that pushing here or pulling there might be for the good of all, or for the good of the Force, but in reality, they are manipulating the Force for their own selfish needs. Many a Force-using tyrant became a Magus before falling to the dark side.

Potential Backgrounds

  • Artist: Artists on the path of the Magus tended to make the medium the message. These artists blended different artistic forms but also integrated their own bodies into the art. The suffering they inflicted upon themselves represented the suffering of the galaxy. The blood they shed expressed the vitality draining from society. The body modifications they endured reflected the changes and distortions of oppression. Some of these artistic projects perfectly mirrored ancient rituals to enhance perception, bringing them closer to an unexpected enlightenment.
  • Augurs: Some augurs who walked the Magus path appeared mad. They would act with no discernible pattern. One day, they plastered posters with images or phrases that caught a pedestrian’s imagination. On another day, they sent messages through the HoloNet to warn officials of incoming dangers. On still another day, these augurs shouted out warnings on the street corner to change the mood of a crowd. Magus augurs may appear not to act with a goal; however in actuality they can see the flow of the Force and do its will—whatever that will may be.
  • Con Artist: The Magus way urged these con artists to be skeptics. Educating themselves in the techniques of stage magic, they spotted shell games, sleights of hand, body readings, and a variety of other tricks. Often abrasive, they spent a lot of time critiquing religious doctrines, busting cults, and exposing scams. When these skeptics discovered an ancient ritual from an outdated religion called the Force, they enthusiastically tried to debunk it and failed. This drove them to dig deeper and find more secrets, until they became devout Magi.
  • Economist: Some economists lived the life of their own convictions by budgeting their existence (usually due to impoverished backgrounds). They spent their time sifting between their needs and desires, isolating what they could survive without, and identifying what they absolutely needed. Taking a literal accounting of one’s life on an economic balance sheet can reveal essential self-truths as much as any meditation (this is a reason why some Jedi turned to a life of monastic austerity). In some cases, desperation fora meaning behind the austerity drove these individuals onto the path of the Magus
  • Political Expert: A Magus utilizes rituals, but can also experiment, modify, and apply new rites. Political experts of this background experimented like social scientists. They took a political system and subtly influenced a variable, chipping away like a water drop on a stone to see what holes could be created. What patterns could they see, and could they replicate them elsewhere? Their awakening had begun the moment they realized they could influence these systems directly. They became a new variable, changing outcomes through sheer force of will. Their awakening arrived when they realized the variable was the Force.
  • Religious Ecstatics: Magus ecstatics found themselves using strange rituals and techniques to bring themselves to a higher state of consciousness. At first, they needed something to shock them out of their physical comfort, using fasting, icy cold or hot and sweaty immersions, and the like. Some pushed further, scouring their bodies in order to bolster the mind. A few adopted rituals to challenge their emotional or mental limits with pain, intense pleasure, disgust, or terror. Their use of these rituals bordered on obsessive and self-destructive. Even when they embraced the Force, these Magi never quite gave up their extreme ecstatic ways.