Editing Oni Mage (section)

===Background===
Oni Mages typically pick up their art through family lines, tracing back to the time when spirits and Others tried to divorce themselves from humanity in a stab at self preservation. In Practice and in the eyes of other Practitioners, they are functionally assassins, thieves, and deceivers with a strong combat focus. Part of their dark reputation stems from distant history, when practitioners took the side of the spirits in the war against humanity, gaining power for their betrayal.

In terms of terminology, Oni Mages draw heavily from Eastern influences in naming and reference, even though they can be from anywhere. A practitioner who was taught by family is frequently referred to by their House name, the family line that their craft was derived from. A plural of such practitioners might simply be called ‘House Kuro’, while a single practitioner might be ‘Son of Yama’ or ‘Blackhedge Mage’ for the houses of Yama and Blackhedge, respectively.

The remainder of practitioners are taught by an ‘oni’ or self-taught with the assistance of some item or source of power, and are termed Ronin Mages.

Oni themselves are the result of past attempts to break away from humanity and create an independent spirit kingdom. Many Others were embroiled in the cause, and shed their labels and natures to share out their strength. As such, Oni have elements of Faerie, Goblins, Spirits, Ghosts, and other forces, typically clad in iconography and traditional dress that marks them as something turned Oni. One that was once Faerie might be very attractive and slender, with old fashioned clothes, but it is not Faerie anymore and does not harbor the same weaknesses.

Oni typically have masks, traditional symbols of binding or restriction (cuffs, collars, chains), paper, old clothing or weapons (pre-1600s), cultural blending, stark contrasts of light and dark and either natural weapons (horn, fang and claw) or personal decoration (masks, gloves, tattoos) echoing these things. Oni are broken up into castes and successively greater Oni tend to take more and more of these decorations and play them up, with the greater ones bearing clothes, scrolls, and/or weapons to the point that they fill a room. A moderate oni noble could bear a weapon rack on his back with a dozen weapons, with pauldrons and gauntlets fit for a giant floating in the air around him, autonomous. If these things are not floating or carried, lesser Oni may bear them or may bear the greater Oni on a palanquin.

In terms of disposition, Oni are merciless, first and foremost. They are defined by hate and spite, cold resentment, and an inclination to cling to history. Very frequently they won’t deal with people not from Houses, or they will only deal with people with a steep and inevitable price to be paid. As such, a given Ronin may only have the Oni with her teaching her things because she has agreed that when she has murdered everyone on her list of people who wronged her, she will lose her life and her spirit will be dragged into an eternity of darkness. Complex cursed items with a tendency to find their way into the hands of mundane mortals and perpetuate their own existence are common Oni items that they contract from practitioners (if they don't have different practitioners make different parts so the item's course might be harder to avert).

When they lost the war, the Oni were bound to convention. The ongoing struggle to escape and bend the rules of convention has led to a form of practice which works against many common assumptions. Oni Mages are stronger when they defy pattern and convention. While weak on their own, techniques are stronger when used infrequently or as a surprise, to the targets and to the spirits.

In terms of Pact Dice game mechanics, a tentative suggestion might be…
{| border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse;" cellpadding="5"
|----
! scope="col" width="width:em;" |Power was used...
! scope="col" width="width:em;" |Strength
|-
| This encounter
| Halved each time
|-
| For the first time this encounter
| Normal
|-
| More than two encounters ago
| 2-3x Normal
|-
| So long ago GM forgot about it
| Five times normal
|}
Further, most common practices have special conditions that unlock additional potential or make them conditional to use. We see some of this in Ogre magic. The techniques may be combat-leaning with an emphasis on things like, "The more contact the target has with the ground, the more effective this is at binding them" or "If the target is bleeding, this poison is more effective". When targets aren't taken out of combat, the Oni Mage may well have to bury them under layered ailments. The target is hit with a simple trick that sends them sprawling- they're on the ground so another trick binds them there. They can't move, so a concentrated cloud of poison is created around them, where it can finish them off.

Most Oni Mage practices are traps, backstabs, deceptions or misdirections aimed at combat, and general-use anti-practice stuff.