The Blind Seer (Template)
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This character is a Blind Seer, a famous archetype. Seers are stereotypically Criamon, and so is this template.
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Note that you still need to choose the character's native language, wizard's sigil, background, and name.
Notes on Mechanics and Choices
It is assumed that a Blind character can use Vision-target spells, such as Vision of Heat's Light, and vision-like supernatural senses (such as Second Sight). To preserve the character's effective blindness, His incompatible Arts (InIm and InCo) were chosen to restrict access to such effects.
Even so, to maintain the character's theme, it is recommended he avoid spells that closely mimic normal sight (such as a Vision-target version of Eyes of the Bat).
The character remains incomprehensible and twilight prone, as in the standard Criamon template. These flaws reinforce the seer motiff and his unusual perception of time.
A high Quickness was chosen, to reflect his presicence. It is recommended the character should roll Defense as normal, even though he is Blind, as long as he can perceive the dangers by means such as Eyes of the Bat.
Customization Notes
The Death Prophecy Major Virtue can be replaced with another Major Virtue, or with three Minor Virtues, without disrupting the core concept. Keen Hearing is a particularly appropriate alternative, reinforcing the character’s reliance on non-visual senses.
The Stigmatic Catalyst Flaw connects the character more closely to House Criamon and spurs stories. These stigmata may manifest as symbolic marks foretelling dire or strange fates, that he could reveal and intervene in. Though he cannot see them, he could perhaps interpret their description, or feel them by touch, or observe them by means of minor spontaneous InVi spells. Note that he cannot use InIm or InCo to perceive these marks.
Stigmatic Catalyst can be replaced if desired. Covenant Upbringing is a suitable alternative. To emphasize a more unstable or unreliable perception, replace it instead with Hallucinations. In this case, the character cannot reliably distinguish between genuine visions and false impressions, significantly reducing the dependability of his prophetic abilities.
Further Customization Notes
This character is designed for use with Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults, though it can be used without it. If that supplement is in use, the character is intended to follow the Path of Seeming. This is part of the reason he does not possess Second Sight or Magic Sensitivity, despite their thematic suitability.
If the supplement is not used in your saga, consider granting one or both of these Virtues, possibly in place of Death Prophecy, to better support the character’s perceptive abilities.
More broadly, troupes may wish to adapt existing Criamon paths or introduce new Mystery Virtues to better reflect the character’s unusual relationship with time. For example, the higher stations of the Path of Seeming could replace astrological inceptions with “enigmatic” ones, using Enigmatic Wisdom in place of Artes Liberales. This approach preserves the theme of the Path while aligning it more closely with the character’s nature.
Roleplaying and Gaming Notes
Blind from birth, you were raised in a Criamon covenant from infancy. Whether this shaped your Gift or merely revealed it is uncear - but your perception of the world is unlike that of any other.
House Criamon teaches that all are trapped in the prison of time. You, however, seem less fettered by the temporal chains. You are not truly blind - you simply do not perceive the present. Instead, you see echoes of the past and glimpses of possible futures. Sometimes they lie moments away, sometimes they come across years or centuries; sometimes they are set in your current location, sometimes they show distance places you never encountered. But the present place and time, always eludes you.
To navigate the world, you rely on our other senses - especially hearing - and on your magic. You have also learned, imperfectly, to recognize when a Vision carries special importance [granted by the Visions flaw]. Even so, the boundary between past, present, and future is difficult you to make out. You may find yourself speaking to peaple who are not there, or referring to events that have not yet happened, or may never occur at all.
This condition shapres your poor Communication and Incomprehensiblity. You may describe events out of sequence, or shift abruptly between between times, places, or even languages.
As a player, remember the degree of confusion is up to you. The character is not delusional - he can distinguish true Visions and Premonitions, and sense his true environment with his magic and other senses. Use the character's temporal and spatial displacement as flavor, but do not let it hinder your ability to act and make decisions.
Interpret your other virtues and flaws accordingly. Your All According to Plan virtue represents not careful planning, but prescient readiness. You act as though events have already unfolded. Similarly, your Stigmatic Catalyst manifests as symbolic marks foretelling strange or dire fates, reinforcing your role as a harbinger of possibility.
You should request Premonitions rolls when you are about to take a potentially dangerous action — opening a door, entering an unknown place, or beginning a journey. Ask your storyguide to also call for such rolls before sudden threats such as ambushes or betrayals. Decide together whether your Premonitions extend only to yourself or also to your friends and covenant.
Premonitions should be treated as a sense of what might occur, not as predestination. They reflect the storyguide’s assesment of future dangers at the moment of the roll, not a binding prediction. The future remains unwritten.
As a Criamon magus, you are expected to behave in an Apt manner, as described in Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults. This includes avoiding violence, especially lethal force. Your magic should reflect this: develop spells that disarm, hinder, or exhaust, such as Grip of the Choking Hand or Incantation of the Milky Eyes. Effects that alter perception, memory, or understanding — especially those revealing truths of the past — are also appropriate. Consider mastering your spells for fast-casting, allowing you to respond instinctively to danger.
You should avoid Aimed spells due to your blindness.
Divination is a natural extension of your nature, but it lies somewhat outside standard Hermetic practice. If your troupe agrees, you might pursue mysteries such as Divination (especially Dream Interpretation) from The Mysteries Revised Edition. Though similar, astrology, as presented in Art & Academe, is less suitable for a blind magus.
See Also
- The Blind Seer in the Atlas Game Forum thread "Better example magi!" for a completely different take on this concept.