Mage: The Ascension
General rules for character creation:
* In this reality, the Technocracy isn't the omnipresent, all-powerful global juggernaut that they are believed to be in the standard Mage storyline, and are more often limited to roles of social engineering, influence and other more subtle applications of political, technological and psychological might.  No Technocrat may begin with the Requisitions background higher than 3, though this can be improved through the course of play.
* Beginning mages start with 25 Freebie points.
* Beginning mages start with six dots in Spheres.  No Sphere may begin higher than 3.  Nephandus characters may substitute Qlippothic Entropy for Entropy but will be assumed to be in an infernal Pact; choose 1 or more points of Investments and a matching number of Flaws.  See next item:
* Nephandus characters may begin play entered into a demonic Pact; choose up to 7 points of infernal Investments, but select both the Echoes flaw at four points as well as three points of other Flaws; these Flaws do not count towards your normal 7-point Flaw limit during the freebie point phase.  And be sure to select the name of your patron demon or evil god during character creation, as different entities will demand different services and/or modes of worship or respect from the Nephandus, and can earn the mage plausible access to certain Merits and Flaws (ie. the
Lord of the Flies merit for serving Beelzebub).  If you can't decide on a god or demon, the sample lists of gods and demons from Infernalism: The Path of Screams can be provided on request.  Even though I'm forever expanding Tcher'nogogorath's pantheon of dark, primordial, Cthulhoid gods, only a select few player-characters are familiar enough with them to enter a Pact with one; make a backstory and request for this.
* Nephandus player-characters are restricted in one way: I'm attempting to keep the ratio of Ministry Nephandi to Unbeliever Nephandi at around a 3-to-1 ratio, favoring the Ministry Nephandi.  If someone in-game is already playing an Unbeliever Nephandus and no one else is playing Nephandi, I'll have to ask new players who want to play Nephandi to join play on the Ministry's side until this ratio is reconciled.  Birds of a feather flock together....
Welcomed:
  Council of Nine Traditions:
    Akashic Brotherhood
    Celestial Chorus
    Cult of Ecstacy
    Dreamspeakers
    Euthanatos
    Order of Hermes
    Sons of Ether
    Verbena
    Virtual Adepts
  Technocracy Conventions:
    Iteration X
    New World Order
    Progenitors
    Syndicate
    Void Engineers
  Orphans:
    Hollow Ones
Restricted:
 
Traditions:
    Ahl-i-Batin

 
Constructs:
    Most Technocracy constructs, acceptable within beginning Mage
      standards (cyborgs, robots, clones, Victors or other augmented
      clones,  biotech mutants, reintegrated Technocrats, etc.)
    Most Tradition constructs (Etherite robots, golems, Frankenstein
      monsters, incarnated spirits, etc.)
    Mages with the Enhancements background at 3 or higher.
    Anyone with construct-specific Merits and Flaws (Soulless,
      Dissolve, Construct (
of course), etc.).
  Nephandi (
up to 7 points of infernal Investments):
    Barabbi
variants of all Traditions and Conventions
    Fallen Orphans
    Widderslaintes (
reborn Nephandi)
    Laham (
mages of demonic blood-heritage, not necessarily
      Nephandi--though most likely are.
)
  Orphans:
    Any besides Hollow Ones
  Marauders (
Quiet will be enforced!):
   
Marauder variants of all Traditions and Conventions
    Orphan Marauders

Forbidden
:
  Constructs:
    HIT Marks
    GENES
    Anything outside beginning Mage standards (
Sorry, no giant
      sentient battlemechs.
)
    Anything non-sentient
    Anything
too outlandish (cybertooth tigers, AI computer
      networks, sentient vehicles, etc.)
  Nephandi:
    K'llasshaa (
direct servants of the Things Beyond.)
  Extinct Traditions and Conventions (Solificati,
    Craftmasons, Ksirafai, etc.)
  Sorcerers and hedge wizards (
Again, I lack the right
    book.  Sorry!
)