MIRROR CONTROL


Inspired by, but not based upon, the powers of the Shroudlings, from the short story 'The Shroudling and the Guisel', by Roger Zelazny.


Cost : 45 Points

PRE-REQUISITES : Basic Pattern or Basic Logrus.

This is a Trump-like power which uses mirrors for travel and communication across shadow, to places which are the reflected scene which matches in shapes and colours the place the user is in. It can be self-taught, though in this case it is a much longer and slower process.

To use the Mirror Control power the adept concentrates upon their mirror, and as the power comes into effect and their mirror links to the destination mirror the reflection of the adept fades away and the image of the destination appears, as if the mirror has turned into a window. Once this is done, visibility through the mirror is two way, so that people at the destination will see the user as well as vice versa. However, no sound passes through the mirror.

Once the link is open, the adept can pass other people through the mirror as long as they continue to exert themselves with the power to hold the link open (much as with a Trump link). However, as soon as they themselves go through the mirror, the link closes and to return they must go through the whole process again.

People at the other end of the mirror link cannot come through the mirror or do anything physical to the adept as long as they remain on the other side. However, mental attacks are possible through the mirror once the link is open.

Of course, protecting oneself against this power is relatively easy. Removing all the mirrors from one's home is one way to do so. Another is to turn all the mirrors so that they reflect things any mirror adept is unlikely to have as a background, such as a wall or a long drop.

Like Trump, this power works all the way into Amber and Chaos themselves.

The more powerful the user (that is, the higher their Psyche), the less like their current location the destination has to be, and the faster the contact comes on. Also, the more power they have the more they can specify what lies out of sight of the mirror, and certain non-visible aspects of the scene (e.g. the level of magic).


This power can be used with any mirror although in order to travel through a mirror it obviously has to be large enough to allow a person through; ones smaller than full-length can certainly be a bit difficult to use for travel!. However, to use it with an arbitrary mirror requires quite a lot of effort. For preference, a specially prepared mirror should be used instead. This takes about a week of effort for the adept to construct, but once it is done allows the mirror to be used to make much easier contact and travel.

It is possible to obtain a personal item that performs this function much like a Personal Trump Deck. This would be bought as follows:

Prepared Travel Mirror - 1
Alternate Form (Pocket-Sized/Full-Length) - 1

Total Cost = 1 + 1 = 2 points

However, such an item would always be left behind when the user travelled through the mirror - it could not be brought through itself. However, as long as the adept is planning to return via the same mirror, that should not be a problem as the prepared mirror is just as easy to open from another mirror as it is to use to open a far-off mirror.

Buying the power includes one such prepared travel mirror as part of its cost. The form of this mirror depends on what the adept wants.


Rebma, the palace of which is hung with many mirrors, is an obvious choice for a place where this power is used. Moire or Llewella would then, logically, be a mistress of it.


Note that this power has not, as yet, been play-tested, so I have no idea how balanced, or otherwise, it may actually be.


The power divides into the following partial abilities:

SENSE EMPOWERED MIRROR (5 points) - The ability to detect a prepared travel mirror from fairly close range (anything up to a couple of metres away), and also to feel a mirror becoming active before it clears into a 'window' through which travel can occur. With a Psyche advantage, the adept can also tell who is activating the mirror if they have encountered them before, again before the contact clears.
FEEL THROUGH MIRROR (5 points) - The ability to feel 'through' any mirror for reflections of it out in shadow. This ability tells the adept how easy making a contact through this particular mirror will be, and allows them to optimise a contact to get to the best location. If done hastily it is quite likely that a mirror contact will open into a non-ideal location; precisely how non-ideal it will be depends on the Stuff of the Adept. Note that by changing the way the mirror is facing, that is, what is reflected in it, the ease of making contact can vary wildly, from very easy indeed to impossible. Having a prepared travel mirror makes this process much easier.
CREATE TRAVEL MIRROR (5 points) - The ability to place power within any mirror and thus turn it into a prepared travel mirror. This takes about a week, in general, although those of higher Psyche will be able to do it somewhat faster.
CONTACT EXACT IMAGE (5 points) - The user can, with effort, reach out through a mirror, to a place which is the exact reflection in the mirror and make contact with it. As contact is made, the reflection of the adept fades away and the image of the destination appears, as if the mirror has turned into a window. Once this is done, visibility through the mirror is two way, so that people at the destination will see the user as well as vice versa. However, no sound passes through the mirror. Once the link is open, the adept can pass other people through the mirror as long as they continue to exert themselves with the power to hold the link open (much as with a Trump link). However, as soon as they themselves go through the mirror, the link closes and to return they must go through the whole process again. People at the other end of the mirror link cannot come through the mirror or do anything physical to the adept as long as they remain on the other side. However, mental attacks are possible through the mirror once the link is open. Having a prepared travel mirror makes this process much easier. The speed with which contact is made, and over what distance contact can be made depends entirely on the Psyche of the user, although Endurance may also become an issue if the contact is hard. Things which the adept cannot see, and over which at this level they have no control, depend on their Stuff.
CONTACT NON-EXACT IMAGE (5 points) - Much like contacting an exact image, but the place being reached for does not have to be an exact reflection of where the user is. Precisely how different the place can be and still be contacted depends on the Psyche of the adept. Regardless of their Psyche, the more different the place is to the real reflection, the longer it takes to make contact and the harder it is to do. Having a prepared travel mirror makes this much easier.
CONTROL UNSEEN ASPECTS (5 points) - This allows the adept to control the aspects of the place they are reaching for which cannot be seen in the reflection. This includes the general features of what lies outside the reflection, and features of the shadow itself, such as its level of magic. Having a prepared travel mirror makes this much easier.
HIDDEN CONTACT (10 points) - The ability to make contact with a mirror and use it for travel, without it becoming a two-way window. This causes some degradation of the image the adept sees, though this is helped if they are in a place that is dark relative to the target. To make contact this way requires much more effort than making a contact that can be seen from both sides. Having a prepared travel mirror does not help in this case.
LOCK OR WARD MIRROR (5 points) - With this ability, the Adept can do things to protect their own mirrors. First, they can 'lock' a mirror so that it cannot be used for travel or contact, although it is possible for a hostile adept to break through if they have a Psyche advantage and take the time to do so. As an alternative the adept can simply set an alarm on the mirror which can send out a psychic alert which may be noticed by those of high Psyche in the vicinity, or even make an audible alarm, such as a bell tone. Lastly, they can combine these things so that if the 'lock' is broken an alarm will be sounded. Any of these wardings takes at least a quarter of an hour to set up, and longer for adepts with lower Psyches. They will be broken whenever someone uses the mirror, although the adept can use the mirror without ending their own wards. Whether an alarm will work before the incoming adept can silence it depends on their Psyche relative to the person who set up the alarm in the first place.

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