Parma Magica

(Prime 3)

Bonisagus, the brilliant Archmage, ranked as his greatest creation the parma magica (Latin, "magic shield"). This countermagickal protection immunized medieval sorcerers against each other's magick, allowing for more peaceful communication. As a tool of diplomacy, the parma magica is extremely important to the history of magick: It permitted the founding of the Houses of Hermes and, indirectly, all the Traditions. The Order made details of this rote available to other Traditions during the Grand Convocation, 1457-66.

To prepare the parma magica, the Hermetic creates a hand-sized shield from a personal item that symbolizes her confidence (for instance, an award certificate cut into a shield shape, or a sapphire carved to resemble her mentor's face). The mage holds the item to her heart, then forehead and channels Quintessence into it. She then utters the "Incantation to Welcome Strangers" backwards and places the parma magica over her heart - often in a shirt pocket or pouch.

[The Parma Magica Effect lets a magician "bank" (store) Quintessence, usable only to aid defensive countermagick, anti-magick and unweaving (Mage, pages 172-175). For every success she scores on a "coincidental" Effect roll, the mage may bank 2 points of Quintessence, up to the limit on her Quintessence/Paradox wheel. Banked Quintessence does not fade or lose potency, and may be replenished after use in the same way as a mage's own Quintessence reserve. This shield is coincidental magick. However, the defender needs time to erect the shield; it does not work automatically.
[The Storyteller may assume that any character who knows this spell begins each story with a full bank of parma magica Quintessence, unless circumstances dictate otherwise.]

Of course, in an online setting, who's to say when a story ends and another begins? Joshua carries a parma magica, and a few people have even seen it, although only Morgan understands its function. He has a certain amount of Quintessence he can draw on from time to time, and if it isn't burned up in combat, he can replenish his personal reserves, or that of his parma magica. There's always the possibility of stealing Quintessence from other places - or from other supernatural creatures, for that matter - but Joshua tends to reserve that particular experience for the ones who are going to be destroyed, anyway.