Paradigm, or Why I Can Throw Plasma Bolts With My Voodoo Witch Doctor

Of all the mind bending concepts in the world of White Wolf's Mage: the Ascension, Paradigm has to be the one that has players scratching their heads and GMs crying bloody tears while explaining. Having GMed Mage for most of my GMing experience, I am crazy enough to attempt explaining this most interesting conundrum.

First of all, let's go to the basic definition of paradigm. A paradigm is the means by which a mage explains and manifests his will upon reality, thereby creating magic. Sounds simple enough, isn't it? However, this doesn't present the whole picture. A paradigm is also a Belief System that the mage has, that grants him the confidence and the willpower to force reality to change.

The true problem with paradigm lies with the fact that most people want to do everything that their spheres can allow them to, even if their paradigm says otherwise. Mechanically, a paradigm serves as a "one true way" of doing magic, restricting a mage from becoming godlings running around the world. Such would just be defined as twinkery.

What we really need to see is that rather than restricting a mage, a paradigm actually gives a mage more depth, and makes the magical effect that a mage does even more special.

Now for some examples of paradigm in motion, and how surprisingly flexible they can be:

Example 1: (Voodoo Combat)

Character A has Voodoo for his paradigm. As such, he casts his magic as according to the rules of Voodoo, primarily sympathetic magic and offerings to the Spirits. With such a paradigm, he can hurt people from afar, put curses on unfortunate victims or even make someone fall in love. However, creating plasma blasts is beyond his paradigm, no matter what his spheres allow.

Or is it?

With a good paradigm, you can still get away with some really nasty twinkery, and your GM will have no choice but to allow you to do it. Going back to Character A, if he REALLY wanted to throw plasma blasts, he would have to get around to explaining how his paradigm allows such. In Character A's case, it's simple science mixed with a Voodoo paradigm. Plasma is created with superheated gasses.

Meanwhile, there is a Voodoo Spirit of Lighting (Shango, I think). By imploring Shango to lend him power over lightning for a short while (by generous offerings of really strong alcohol, and some voodoo dancing and chants) A mage might be possessed by the Spirit of lighting himself, and be able to hurl ball lighting towards the unrighteous. Since the ball lightning heats up the air that it occupies, it's also a form of plasma.

Example 2: (Guilt Free High Rituals)

Character B has a more restricting paradigm than character A. Character B's paradigm is classic chinese bureaucracy. His paradigm is more formal and rigid than that of Character A, but he can do some interesting (non-combat oriented) effects. Let's say that Character B needs to earn a little money to pay off some bills incurred in the hospital after running away from the Technocracy. So, rolling up his sleeves, Character B gets to work.

Gathering a group of business associates and investors and going to a restaurant that he owns, Character B gives a huge and extravagant feast as an offering to his ancestors and the gods. after lighting a few sticks of incense and praying a few times to the gods of the hearth, Character B packs up and waits.

Within the next few days, the profits of his restaurant has become phenomenal, and it has suddenly become the place to be seen for celebrities and other well-off clientele. His picture is on the cover of Food magazine and nobody wants to be caught without a "favorite" dish from his establishment.

What's more amusing about this is the fact that it gets no paradox at all.

Example 3: (Really Mad Scientist)

Character C is a really demented Mad Scientist. His greatest scientific discovery, is based on the popular grade-school experiment of making a light bulb turn on by plugging it into a lemon. He theorizes, that it is possible to turn him into a living battery if he can get enough electrolytes into his body (Via a whole lot of lemonade) With a specially designed glove that has small tesla coils on the finger tips that runs on his body's electrical charge, he can discharge enormous amount of voltage to an intended target. Branching out with his electrifying paradigm, the mad scientist can learn to fly (with magnetism and tapping to the earth's natural magnetic field), lift objects (a la magneto) and perhaps even survive an attack designed to boil his blood (electrolytes raise the boiling point of liquids, hence he has a greater capacity to resist this highly unlikely event)

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written way back in 2002, but revived here for the benefit of my Mage players and anyone interested in the game. :)