Mazdean Characters

Mazdean characters have access to unique Virtues, Flaws, and Abilities, reflecting their faith, culture and society.

Making a Mazdean character depends on the saga. Sagas set in predominately Muslim or Christian lands would see the Mazdean character take the Outsider Major Flaw. In areas where Mazdeans are a sizeable minority, or even a majority, then the other Social Status Virtues and Flaws can also be taken.

A mobed character may take the Senior Clergy Major Social Status Virtue (see The Church, Diocese Chapter), reflecting the character's status as a dastur ("senior priest"). This reflects the fact that your character is in charge of several subordinate mobeds, and probably governs a large fire temple.

Mazdeans typically do not take Virtues or Flaws that would make them a monk or nun. To Mazdeans, the world is a wonderful place to be lived in and enjoyed. The fight against evil takes place in society, so being cloistered away and practicing an ascetic lifestyle of deprivation is not in keeping with their faith. There is also no tradition of wandering holy men or women in orthodox Mazdeanism (precluding analogs of Virtues or Flaws such as Mendicant Friar).

Avestan is the holy liturgical language of the Zoroastrian Holy Scriptures, used by Zoroaster himself. No longer spoken or written outside of the fire temples, the language is now used purely for sacred hymns and prayers. This ability allows your character to read and write texts in Avestan, and to understand the words of prayers spoken in Avestan.

To write this language (written from right to left), your character must have a score of at least one in Artes Liberales. This Ability is generally only possessed by mobeds.

Specialties: Liturgies, scripture, oral tradition, alphabets, myths. (Academic)

New Virtue: Magian Lineage

Minor or Major, General

This Virtue makes the character a true blood descendent of the original Median

tribe of Magians, the original priestly caste of Persia. Many mobeds possess this Virtue, either Minor or Major, but is not a requisite.

Minor: Your character's lineage is weak, although he or she is still ethnically Magian, and gains a strong constitution due to his purity. The character gains a –1 bonus to Aging rolls and a +3 bonus to resist the effects of disease.

Major: In addition to the benefits of the Minor Virtue, your character has an affinity with the ancient prophetic and other mystical arts of your ancestors. The player must choose three Arcane or Supernatural Abilities which the character need not start play with, and which cannot be True Names. These Abilities are considered connected, so that whenever your character successfully studies one of these Abilities (that is, gains at least one experience point from study), he or she gains an additional experience point in each of the other two.

New Virtue: Mazdean Priest

Minor, Social

Your character is an ordained Mazdean priest, initiated as a mobed. This means that the character may carry out the various rituals and ceremonies, such as the Yasna, Vivevdat, Navjote, marriage, burial, official prayers, purification rituals, lighting of sacred fires, and initiation of new priests. In Mazdean communities, your character is held in high regard and treated with great respect. The character wears pure white clothes and when performing ceremonies, covers his face with a white veil to protect the sacred flame from his breath and saliva.

As a mobed, your character resides in a community that likely has a fire temple. This means that your character has arduous and time-consuming religious and ceremonial duties. Most of your time is spent praying, performing ritual purification rites and tending to the sacred fire. If you are Wealthy, you have several ervads (junior priests) who perform many of the more arduous tasks.

If you are Poor, it likely reflects the poor station of Mazdeans in the community in general, and you may also possess the Outsider Flaw.

Your character may take Academic Abilities at character generation. You must take the Minor Personality Flaw Vow (ArM5, page 60) to reflect your constant state of ritual purity, and dedication to your community. This Virtue is only available to male characters.

Minor or Major Supernatural

Your character may start play knowing one or more True Names of supernatural beings. Any Mazdean character may take this Virtue, although it is only of use to those characters with supernatural abilities or powers. This Virtue reflects the deep and ancient occult knowledge possessed by the mobeds.

At the storyguide's discretion, this virtue may be made available to other characters, such as sahirs, Hermetic theurgists, infernalists, or Holy Magi.

Minor: This virtue grants you 30 experience points to spend on True Names — each True Name costs 5 experience points to learn. Names with fewer than 5 experience points provide no benefit at all, but you can decide to partially learn a True Name by spending fewer than 5 experience points on it. Each True Name is recorded under Abilities as "True Name of (Being)." The character may know the True Names of beings from the Magic, Faerie and Infernal realms. You may take this virtue more than once to gain additional experience points to spend on True Names.

Major: The Major Virtue version of Knowledge of True Names is identical to the Minor version, also granting 30 experience points, except that you may also know the True Names of angels and other divine beings. Storyguides and troupes should consider this Virtue carefully before allowing it.