Goals
NWoD Base Rules
I consider the New World of Darkness to be overall better in the base rules department and so wish to run Mage: The Ascension with them. That aside, the Paradigm system could work with the classic rules.
Defined Paradigm
The open-ended paradigm is one of the best features of MtA, but it is also poorly explained in the core book and incredibly arbitrary in the end, both of which make it difficult for new players to grasp and can lead to problems while playing. I wanted a mechanics-backed paradigm that would encourage players to think about their mage's tools and view them as meaningful while also keeping paradigm something personal and subjective. I've also used the Paradigm system as a way to answer some questions that would arise when crafting effects, such as whether an effect can be dodged and what sort of effects will last a long time.
Slow Buildup for Magic
Rather than having powerful spells be just as quick to cast as minor spells, I want the easy stuff to be achievable in a single round while more outrageous effects require a lot of time and effort. This means that combat is unlikely to overwhelmed with world-shaking magic and also gives a reason for mages to employ traditional weaponry like swords and guns. MtA never seemed to portray mages as engaging in magic duels (Hermetics aside), but rather to use what's fast and easy (but not necessarily reliable) in the heat of the moment.
Arete
Arete is the fulfillment of the soul's potential, their purpose in life, the one ideal shared by all the Awakened. It becomes stronger as the mage becomes more practiced with magic, overcomes flaws in their character or obstacles in their path, and moves closer to unraveling the true nature of the world. With it comes greater proficiency for Willworking, the respect and fear of other enlightened minds, and being one step closer to the ultimate reward: Ascension.
A character's Awakening gives them one dot of Arete. Merit dots may be spent to increase it at the rate of three Merit dots per one Arete dot. In other words, you may spend three of your seven Merit dots for Arete 2, or six of your seven for Arete 3. Additional dots can be purchased with experience at a cost of 8 × New Dot.
Effects of Arete
As a mage's Arete rises, their ability to shape the world grows but so too does the weight of Consensual Reality upon them. The total number of quintessence points that they can have at any given time increases, as does the number of points they can spend in a turn. Their casting success cap also rises, reflecting their ability to cast more powerful spells without lengthy rituals. Once their Arete dots reach 6 or higher, the higher their Attribute and Skill dots can go as well. Unfortunately, once their Arete dots reach 4, they begin to accrue Permanent Paradox that increases the severity of Backlashes caused by their magic.
Arete | Attribute Max | Max Quintessence / Per Turn | Casting Cap | Occultation | Permanent Paradox |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | 10/1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
2 | 5 | 11/2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
3 | 5 | 12/3 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
4 | 5 | 13/4 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
5 | 5 | 14/5 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
6 | 6 | 15/6 | 13 | 4 | 2 |
7 | 7 | 20/7 | 16 | 5 | 2 |
8 | 8 | 30/8 | 20 | 6 | 3 |
9 | 9 | 50/10 | 25 | 8 | 3 |
10 | 10 | 100/15 | 30 | 10 | 4 |
Occultation
Awakening brings with it a veiling effect referred to as Occultation. Reality begins to actively hide the mage's presence, burying evidence of their past and making it more difficult for them to be found. At the extreme, records become lost and memories begin to blur so that no one is sure if they ever really existed. This is a both a blessing and a curse that only grows more pronounced as the mage's Arete rises.
The character's Occultation is subtracted from any successes on rolls to locate or investigate them through Skills like Computer, Investigation, or Streetwise. It also impedes attempts to examine resonance left by the mage's spells or to make a connection to them with sympathetic magic. What's more, Occultation extends to those in close proximity, so that it can be difficult to scry on a gathering of mages or locate a chantry shared by members of a cabal so long as one individual has high Arete.
The cost of a mage's Occultation is that it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain relationships or make a place in the mundane world. Their Occultation level is added to the cost of Social Merits based on ties to society, including Allies, Contacts, Fame, Resources, and Status. This cost increase is applied to Merit dots they already have, so that if the extra experience is not paid overtime the mage will start to lose Merit dots chosen by the ST until the deficit is eliminated.
Avatar
The vast majority of modern mages recognize a piece of themselves called the Avatar as the conduit of their Awakened magic. Though there remains much mystery about the nature of Avatars, they are believed to be shards of Prime energy that join with newborn souls. They remain intertwined with the human until death, at which time the Avatar seeks a new companion. Avatars therefor carry some degree of knowledge, experience, and enlightenment across lives.
The Avatars of most people remain asleep their entire lives, and so they are unaware of their potential for magic. Once Awakened, the Avatar often acts as a subconscious guide to mages, pushing them to development their art and further their understanding of the cosmos. Based on accounts of perceived goals and styles, theoreticians have devised four categories for Avatars:
Dynamic Avatars seek variety and exposure to different elements of the world. Mages gain power from experimenting with new spells and Magical Styles, attending parties or other high-energy events, and expressing oneself through art or other creative outlets.
Entropic Avatars want to make sense of reality by breaking it down to basic elements that can be understood. They encourage mages to spend time contemplating riddles or mysteries and exploring the unknown, meditating in silence or communing with nature, and finding new purpose for people or things that are rundown or forgotten.
Questing Avatars are driven, always pushing their mage to choose a personal goal and pursue it to completion. They reward individuals when they overcome a challenge or make progress towards that objective, when they seek out ways to test their capabilities and weaknesses, and when they find ways to improve the world in a lasting manner.
Static Avatars seek perfection and to share what they learn. They approve of repeated practice and refinement of Skills and Rotes, participating in education or training as either teacher or student, and finding ways to fix or improve existing constructs or systems.
Quintessence
Literally meaning "fifth essence", mages believe quintessence is the invisible building block of the universe, the atomic substance from which all patterns are formed. All matter, energy, thought, and spirit is created from it and returns to it when destroyed. It is raw potential, capable of becoming anything in the hands of the Awakened. Though they cannot touch quintessence, mages can draw it from places of power and store it within themselves.
The Quintessence Advantage is rated in points rather than dots. Quintessence points measure the amount of magical energy the mage has at their disposal. Mages spend quintessence in order to perform difficult spells, but they can only hold and spend a certain number of points per turn as determined by their Arete.
Uses for Quintessence
Spellcasting: Certain spells require quintessence, like when using sympathetic magic. Additionally, a point of quintessence can be spent to lower a spell's threshold, making it easier to perform.
Pattern Protection: Mages can resist damage or alterations to their Pattern by "charging" themselves with quintessence. Each point spent grants an automatic success on an Arete + Resistance roll or reduces damage inflicted by one. This may be done as a free action immediately after the roll is made.
Skill Enhancing: Mages can add (Arete + Sphere) / 2 bonus dice to a mundane Skill roll by spending a point of quintessence. However, they must have a related Sphere and an explanation for how their magical training aids their action.
Gaining Quintessence
Avatar: When a mage engages in activities their Avatar finds rewarding (as described above), it generates a point of quintessence. At most one point per scene can be generated this way. Additionally, a mage's quintessence pool is completely refreshed upon successful completion of a seeking. The Awakened are uncertain whether the Avatar consciously rewards mages with energy or whether it is merely a natural byproduct of pursuing enlightenment.
Nodes: Nodes are places where quintessence naturally gathers, infusing the area with mystical energy. Most are permanent unless somehow corrupted or destroyed, though some nodes—called junctions—form for short periods at times of great importance. A mage can draw quintessence from a node by performing an oblation based on their mystical training and rolling Arete + Composure; each success generates one point of quintessence up to max produced by the node for the day.
Sacrifice: Though rare except for among the most degenerate of mages, quintessence can be drawn by sacrificing a living creature. A sacrificed human or animal generates one point of quintessence per their Size, though each lethal or aggravated wound level reduces this bounty by one. The mage must inflict the killing blow to gain the quintessence, and they can only do so once per day.
Wisdom and Quiet
Wisdom is an Advantage ranked 1-10 which replaces Morality. It ultimately measures a mage's respect for their power, other beings, and the world itself. The hierarchy of crimes against Wisdom, listed below, is similar to that of Morality but represents how they are willing to use their magic and what rights of others they recognize and respect. When a character shows disdain for Wisdom they make a degeneration roll with the number of dice designated by the level of crime. On a successful roll, the Awakened recognizes the line they have crossed and reaffirms their commitment to a higher principle. On a failed roll, their Wisdom drops by one; roll a number of dice equal to their new Wisdom trait. If the roll succeeds, their Avatar is not tainted by their descent. If the roll fails, they gain a dot of Quiet (see below). Quiet is removed by regaining the level of Wisdom that caused it. Characters begin with Wisdom 7, though they may choose to lower their rating to reflect past violations or their Morality trait pre-Awakening.
Effects of Wisdom
Spirit Empathy: Mages with high Wisdom are respected by, and even in some degree harmonious with, spirits and bygones of the world. Those with Wisdom 7-8 receive a +2 bonus to Social rolls and to resist the powers of such supernatural beings. This bonus becomes +4 at Wisdom 9-10. On the other hand, mages who have given into hubris bring out the worst in them. They receive a -2 penalty to Social rolls and to resist their powers at Wisdom 3-4 and a -4 penalty at Wisdom 1-2.
Paradox: Awakened magic draws from both knowledge and enlightenment. Those with Wisdom 8 or higher do not experience tension between the world as it is and the world as they envision it, and they face less resistance to their magic as a result. When casting vulgar magic, they reduce the Paradox Rating by one. Mages with Wisdom 4 or lower, however, draw Paradox to them! When they cast vulgar magic, increase the Paradox Rating by one.
Quiet is a form of madness unique to the Awakened. Wielding the power to remake the cosmos, it is inevitable that they would lose their grounding in reality. As their Wisdom declines their damaged Avatar begins to change them, reacting to internal conflicts unknown even to the mage. It leads to periods where they experience hallucinations, act irrationally, or even warp the world around them without realizing it.
These "episodes" become more frequent as their level of Quiet increases. At one dot, they occur rarely, once every couple of sessions. At two the Willworker experiences an episode when under stress, at most one per session. When their Quiet reaches three the madness is an everyday part of the mage's life, happening at least once per session and whenever they are stressed. Upon reaching four Quiet, any use of magic whatsoever—by the mage or others—triggers an episode. Finally, at five dots, sanity is the exception to the rule.
A mage's Quiet is deeply personal and develops based on their temperament, paradigm, and the type of actions that lead to their degeneration. The three traditional paths of Quiet are Bedlam, Clarity, and Jhor. The ST should adapt, even combine, these to fit the character's descent and loss of control. When experiencing an episode anything the mage does that does not conform to their warped perceptions, beliefs, or aura incurs a dice penalty equal to their Quiet rating. Thus it is difficult for a mage obsessed with death to heal others, or one who is being hounded by hobgoblins to converse with someone who does not recognize their existence.
Wisdom | Sin |
---|---|
10 | Disdain for Arete: Casting a spell that has negative consequences. Not helping another seek enlightenment. Selfish thoughts. (Roll five dice) |
9 | Disdain for Trust: Magically influencing a living being without their consent. Altering a person's perceptions. Minor selfish acts. (Roll five dice) |
8 | Disdain for Autonomy: Placing magical binds, compulsions, or curses on a sentient being. Injury to another. (Roll four dice) |
7 | Disdain for Custody: Using magic to violate a person's privacy (scrying into their home, divining their past) without good cause. Cheating others of goods. Petty theft. (Roll four dice) |
6 | Disdain for Sanctum: Stealing talismans or quintessence. Violating a person's inner thoughts or memories. Grand theft. (Roll three dice) |
5 | Disdain for Community: Contaminating/destroying a node. Performing an Unmaking. Destroying an important spirit. Intentional, mass property damage. (Roll three dice) (Roll three dice) |
4 | Disdain for Justice: Causing significant harm to bystanders through a spell or Backlash. Casting a Great Curse. Manslaughter. (Roll three dice) |
3 | Disdain for Integrity: Forcibly changing a person's essence (rewriting personality, changing species, soul manipulation). Plotted murder or assassination. (Roll two dice) |
2 | Disdain for Purpose: Preventing an Awakening or Seeking. Forcing others into fell subjugation. Murder for no reason, thoughtless cruelty and torture. (Roll two dice) |
1 | Disdain for Existence: Destroying a soul, incarna, or other fundamental aspect. Utter perversion, mass murder or rape, cannibalism. (Roll two dice) |
Merits
Dream (● to ●●●)
Effect: Some individuals learn know how to allow their consciousness to drift into the Astral Realm and touch the universal mind, a force that exists outside time and space and presumably holds the cumulative knowledge of all humanity (and possibly more). Awakened and Sleepers alike have used the universal mind to obtain visions of the future, explore the inner workings of their own mind, and perceive aspects of the world as they truly are.
Once per game session a mage with this Merit may attempt to gain insight regarding a specific problem by spending at least one hour meditating, dreaming, or otherwise opening themselves to the universal mind. The Storyteller rolls the character’s Wits + Composure. On a success, they receive a number of clues equal to their dots in Dream. These clues come in the form of riddles and symbolic imagery that must be interpreted, but should provide a direction for the mage to pursue.
Esoteric Library (● to ●●●●●; Team)
Effect: Mages spend much of their downtime performing original research and attempting to locate Grimoires left behind by others. The end result is an impressive collection of books and other media covering arcane topics that cannot be reliably researched in mundane sources. When undertaking a complex ritual (Difficulty Mighty or higher), the mage can reroll all failed dice in a spellcasting roll up to a number of times equal to their dots of this Merit. In order to gain the full benefits, however, they must devote a significant amount of time to study beforehand. This ranges from a few hours to review the contents of a one or two dot collection to a whole week perusing a five dot library.
Iconic Item (● to ●●●●●)
Effect: When purchased during character creation, this Merit allows players to design unique magical items that have come into their character's possession and may even be mystically bound to them. A magic item can produce at most one effect per dot, none of which requiring a Sphere level higher than its dot rating. In practice, most are capable of a single impressive feat or a small number of related effects. Each dot of this Merit grants 3-4 successes which are allocated between the item's abilities; activated abilities always take effect as if that number of successes had been rolled.
Node (● to ●●●●●; Team)
Effect: Nodes are highly valued places of magical energy, fought over by mages, shifters, spirits, and other supernatural creatures. A mage with access to a node is able to easily replenish their pool of quintessence and can harvest tass for use in an emergency or for trade. A node generates quintessence equal to its rating each day. Mages may claim this energy by performing an oblation based on their Tradition. Any unclaimed quintessence may form into small quantities of tass appropriate for the node’s location.
Additionally, the magical energy surrounding a node makes magic easier to perform. Reduce the threshold of any spells cast near the node by the node’s rating. For this reason Nodes are almost always combined with the Sanctum and Safe Place Merit.
Past Lives (● to ●●●)
Effect: The reincarnation of souls is a matter of great debate, even among Masters of Spirit, but those who study Avatars agree that upon a human’s death their Avatar seeks a new soul to bond with and that it carries with it memories of their past. Mages who know how to access these past lives can summon sudden insight or knowledge they could not possibly have otherwise.
Once per game session a mage with this Merit may spend a minute or more meditating, chanting, or otherwise concentrating on their past lives and then roll Wits + Composure. If successful, the character may then roll twice their dots in Past Lives as dice in place of their dots in a Skill on a number of rolls equal to their successes. The rolls must all be within the same scene and with the same Skill. They must also be for something your previous reincarnations knew how to do (no Computers, Academics may vary). This also cancels the unskilled penalty.
Alternatively, success allows you to retrieve information from your past lives, such as how a historical individual died, where an artifact was last seen, or the weaknesses of an obscure beast. More successes increase the lucidity of the memory and thus provide more detail. Unless specified in your backstory, the Storyteller decides who your past lives were and what insight they can provide. Players should record the names and details of their incarnations as they are discovered.
Requisitions (● to ●●●●●)
Effect: Mages with status in an organization may request additional resources before going out on a mission. This requires several hours of paperwork, phone calls, and brown-nosing followed by a Composure + Politics roll. The difficulty depends on their reputation; unless they have a spotless record and have demonstrated absolute loyalty, some penalty will apply.
On a success, you get your Requisitions rating to spend on Iconic Item, Resources, Safe House, or Staff. Members of the Technocracy receive three times this amount, though no individual item can exceed their Requisitions rating. These must be returned in good condition at the conclusion of the assignment or there is a good chance the mage will be cut off until they demonstrate greater responsibility.
Sanctum (● to ●●●●●; Team)
Effect: A sanctum is a mage's personal domain where the Consensus does not apply and vulgar magic is less likely to accrue Paradox. Each dot reduces the target number of Paradox rolls by two for any spells cast by the mage within the sanctum; if the target number is reduced to zero, the effect is considered coincidental. This allows the willworker to perform powerful healing effects, create their own wonders, and shield the sanctum in supernatural wards without risk of Backlash or potency erosion. However, if the spell extends outside of the sanctum, it is still vulgar.
Sanctums are tied to the owner's paradigm, so mages of other Traditions do not receive any benefit unless they are using foci and theories shared by both Traditions. At four dots and higher, the owner may decide that technology accepted by modern Sleepers like cellphones, cameras, or pharmaceutical drugs are vulgar and fail to work.
Magical Styles
A mage’s Magical Styles are the expression of their paradigm and training in their magic. Each revolves around a focus, some instrument or technique, and describes how the mage uses it to aid their magic. The Traditions all have their own Magical Styles, some of which that have been passed down from mentor to apprentice for centuries. It is the shared theories and principles behind a Tradition’s paradigm that enables its members to exchange Magical Styles relatively easily; it’s like being taught to use a new tool in one’s profession, and most within a Tradition will use a given focus in much the same ways that’s how it makes sense in their paradigm.
At the same time, paradigm and Magical Styles are very personal to mages. Magic is an Art; not all come to it the same way, and not all souls can speak through the same tools. The power of a focus and Magical Style has as much to do with the mage’s perspective and personality traits as it does with a Tradition’s metaphysical explanations for how it works.
Any mage who has received some rudimentary training or practiced willworking knows a couple different Magical Styles, and as they grow in experience they will learn new ones and refine those they know. When casting a spell, a mage determines the Spheres necessary and then selects the Magical Style they will use, which determines factors such as the spell’s duration and the components necessary. Different Magical Styles will be better suited for different effects, and most mages seek to diversify their training so that they will be prepared for a variety of situations.
Building a Magical Style
There are four properties of a Magical Style: delivery, duration, focus, and speed. These determine the characteristics of spells performed using that Magical Style. Choose a type for each property; each has an associated power modifier. The cumulative power level is added as bonus dice to spells used with the Magical Style. A Magical Style cannot have a power level greater than 3 or less than 0; types with a negative modifier must be countered by those with a positive modifier.
Delivery
There are a variety of ways a spell might reach its target, whether through a bolt of mystic energy, by drinking a magic elixir, or even exploding from within them. The delivery method places limits on who or what can be affected by an spell and determines whether Armor and Defense values apply.
Remote: The effect strikes a Pattern, regardless of protection or physical barriers, so long as the target’s location can be sensed and they are within the general vicinity of the mage.
Examples: telepathy, pyrokinetics, curses, oathbinding, true names, wave frequencies
Sensed: The focus is something that must seen, heard, or smelt. Such spells are hard to avoid, though an individual who recognizes the magic and its medium might be able to look away, cover their ears, etc.
Examples: airborne diseases, dancing, locking eyes, music, paintings, perfumes
Aimed: The effect shoots or is thrown at the target as a visible ray, ball, or other manifestation. Like conventional range weapons, Armor and Defense may apply, and the effect might be blocked by a suitably strong barrier.
Examples: lightning strike, ray gun, poisoned blow dart, thrown vials
Contact: The focus must touch or hold the subject of the spell for an extended moment. Thus the target might be able to dodge and otherwise evade the caster’s attempt.
Examples: tattoos, flagellation, surgery, vats or chambers, potions, herbs or roots
Self: The mage is incapable of affecting a Pattern other than themselves with the focus. However, this does not preclude scrying or other effects that extend the mage’s senses.
Examples: constructing mental fortifications, shifting one’s chi or humors, body control
Delivery Method | |
Power | Type |
Remote | -2 |
Sensed | -1 |
Aimed | 0 |
Contact | +1 |
Self | +2 |
Duration
Spells vary greatly in the amount of time that they persist. Many are flashes of power that are over in an instant, others last effectively forever. The Magical Style Duration determines the time scale by which the life span of spells cast with that Magical Style is measured. Thus, when used with different Magical Styles, a spell might last for hours, days, or even months. Very rarely, mages will make a spell permanent, effectively making the magic a natural part of reality. However, this requires a vast amount of power and investment. See pg. XX for rules on Permanent Spells.
You can choose to use any timescale for a spell shorter than the default for the Magical Style used. Thus, you could choose to make effect that would normally last weeks only last a few days, or even a specific number of days. This is most commonly done, however, when casting Instant spells. Spells with Duration: Instant cause an effect and immediately end, allowing natural laws to take their course. They are commonly used for spells involving damaging or healing, teleportation, divination, and other effects that normally don’t need to be sustained.
Once the Duration of a spell expires, the magic dissipates, and Patterns revert to a natural state. For example, a bar of lead that had been turned into gold—or a car—would once again be a bar of lead. Likewise, a doorway that had been formed in a wall would vanish as the wall took on its normal shape. On the other hand, secondary effects are not undone; if a block of stone was magically made soft and malleable, and then crafted by hand or other forces into a statue, the material would regain its firmness when the spell ended, but its current shape would remain. The same is true of virtually all spells that cause or heal damage, move objects around, reveal information, and so on. An individual who had been given supernatural strength and leapt onto a building rooftop would lose their increased strength when the spell ended, but not end up back on the ground.
If for some reason there is something impeding a Pattern reverting to its natural state, a Paradox backlash occurs to resolve the conflict. For instance, if a person shape-shifted into a cat were trapped inside a small box when the effect ended, Paradox would cause the box to break, the person to be shifted into some open space, or any other random effect that would restore the natural order.
Duration | |
Power | Type |
Week | -2 |
Day | -1 |
Hour/Scene | 0 |
Instant/Round | +2 |
Focus
The majority of mages recognize that they are willworkers, changing the world through belief, knowledge, and discipline. At the same time, the Awakened find it significantly easier to cast their spells when using some sort of tool, whether it be a gnarled staff or personal mantra. These make up the foci of their paradigm: the instruments of their craft through which their will is concentrated and their magic made manifest. While not being the source of a mage’s magical power, foci nevertheless aids them in channeling the potential within themselves.
Why use a focus at all? While it may be possible to create identical effects through force of will alone, most mages need the extra help. How and why the focus is useful depends on the mage’s paradigm. Many believe things like tarot cards and statues, or actions like reenacting ancient rituals and sagas, have symbolic power that can be tapped, essentially bringing the mage closer to the power they seek. Others see their foci as a method to enter a proper state of mind, or to call on forces greater than themselves for aid. Examples of either might include praying, dancing, or taking certain drugs. Some attribute certain objects as having mystical properties that, when combined with the mage’s energy and the proper procedures, can produce supernatural results. Potions and herbal remedies, true names and secret languages; many cultures long believed there was power to such things.
There is no universal set of objects or actions that can serve as a focus. Different mages will often rely on different tools to accomplish the same effect, particularly if they are from disparate backgrounds. While each Tradition has customs, research, and rationales explaining which foci are best for which tasks and why, novice mages learn to use only a small subset of their Tradition’s established foci based on their training, experiences, and personal preferences. As they mature, they expand their repertoire and find new uses for old tools, while a few experiment with foci unfamiliar to their Tradition or even attempt to incorporate those of another paradigm. Eventually, as their power develops and their wisdom grows, the mage learns to cast aside their foci as unnecessary crutches.
Selecting Focus
You must choose one focus for each of your Magical Styles. It can be something broad or specific, like crystals or diamonds, music or rock n’ roll. It might have an old reputation for mystical power, or be meaningful only to you. What’s important is that how the focus functions in the Magical Style is logical within your paradigm. When choosing your focus, ask yourself how your character came to rely on it and how it helps them perform their magic.
Not all foci are interchangeable; some require complex procedures or expensive components, while others are as simple as a whispered haiku. After you have decided on a focus, discuss with the ST which of the below categories it belongs in. If at a given moment your character cannot act within that category’s restraints, then they are unable to use the Magical Style based upon that focus.
Internal: The focus requires virtually no movement and cannot be easily taken away from you. This includes thoughts and states of mind as well as elements of your body or soul. Such foci can be used even when tied down, blindfolded, and gagged. Normally the only requirements are that you are conscious and able to concentrate, though conditions like being distracted or drugged might prove a hindrance at the ST’s discretion.
Examples: psionics, chi manipulation, nanomachines, dreaming, silently praying, rhythmic breathing, recalling past memories or lives, tattoos
External: The focus is some external object or relatively simple physical activity. This is the most common type of foci, and though a creative or prepared mage will typically have such foci readily accessible, anything that prevents you from accessing the item or performing the requisite action prevents you from using the Magical Style. This might include having your hands tied, being unable to speak, or even having your focus taken from you or destroyed.
Examples: books, clothing, drawing runes, herbs, jewelry, listening to music, martial arts, meeting eyes, money, religious icons, speaking, singing, using a computer, weapons
Inconvenient: The focus is either an external object that is quite rare, expensive, or large, or it is an action that cannot be performed at the drop of a hat. Such foci might be difficult to procure or require that the mage and the target be in a particular location. Typically these are only used as part of rituals and powerful spells.
Examples: acupuncture, bathing, cars, cauldrons, corpses, a forest, holy relics, movie screens, a laboratory, supercomputers, sex, statues, surgery, valuable crystals
Focus | |
Power | Type |
Internal | -1 |
External | 0 |
Inconvenient | +1 |
Speed
Mages have always worked their most powerful and wondrous spells after large, lengthy rituals, but such procedures are of little use when they find themselves in magical combat or other dangerous situations. Thus, most of the Awakened concentrate their efforts on producing quick effects in mere seconds, sometimes even incorporating their magic into otherwise mundane actions. The Speed of a Magical Style determines how quickly spells may be used in combat time. For Ritual Magic, see pg. XX.
Swift: You can a make single magic roll once per round as a reflexive action. However, you cannot extend the casting and must score enough successes for the spell on the initial roll. This is normally used in conjunction with normal attacks or defenses, such as empowering one’s fist with chi or cursing someone’s aim.
Examples: Activating a computer program, muttering a brief prayer, flashing a badge or ID, striking a pressure point
Normal: You can make a single magic roll once per round as a full action. This is the typical speed with which mages learn to focus their magic during combat or other tense situations. Though not as quick or as dangerous as modern weaponry, with a few rounds of effort reasonably powerful spells can be let loose.
Examples: Commanding another by their true name, drinking a potion, entering a trance, performing a series of hand mudras, reading a scroll, reciting a curse or oath
Slow: You can make a single magic roll once per minute. Rarely useful in threatening situations, such precision is normally necessary when the magic invokes dangerous forces or simply involves a focus that cannot be rushed. It remains fast compared to the methodical nature of ritual magic, however, and finds use in everyday situations.
Examples: Calibrating a machine, cutting someone in a precise manner, formally invoking a deity or spirit, performing a ceremonial dance, ritualistic bathing or flagellation, programming
Speed | |
Power | Type |
Swift | -2 |
Normal | 0 |
Slow | +2 |
Limitations
Limitations place additional restraints on the use of a Magical Style. Most exist as part of the mage’s paradigm. For instance, a Hermetic may believe certain metals serve as powerful foci when manipulating nonliving matter, but that they have no influence over living creatures. A member of the Celestial Chorus might be trained in a Magical Style meant to target those with supernatural abilities, while having no affect over mundane people. Limitations may also represent weaknesses in the mage’s training, areas where they have not learned how to use a focus against certain targets or do so with greater difficulty.
All Limitations have a +1 positive power modifier, thus making the Magical Style more potent in exchange for less versatility. However, Magical Styles in general should not have any more than two points of Limitations, preferably which really fit the mage’s paradigm or add some sort of interesting handicap.
Debilitative
The focus—or the magic it channels—comes at a cost that the mage must pay with each use. It may cause them bodily harm, leave them disoriented, or simply drain energy. The penalty should be strong enough to be a detriment in a stressful situation, or prevent them from casting any magic at all after repeated use in a short period of time.
Cannot Affect Energy
The Magical Style cannot affect energy, magical effects, or space-time itself. Common with curses, conjurations, and other effects that normally have physical targets. This cannot be taken with Delivery: Self.
Cannot Affect Living
The Magical Style cannot affect living beings, spirits, or anything related to them. Common with effects that would could violate a creature’s essence so that they would no longer be alive, such as by changing the atomic elements in their body. This cannot be taken with Delivery: Self.
Cannot Affect Material
The Magical Style cannot affect inanimate objects, or anything related to them. Common with spells that involve the mind or other abstract ideas. This cannot be taken with Delivery: Self.
Prepared Often
Use of the Magical Style requires that an object undergo some sort of modification or preparation ahead of time before it can be used as a focus. A holy symbol may need to be blessed and purified, a reactor charged, the mage may need to fast, or simply perform research and memorization. The time and effort required varies, but it must be sufficiently inconvenient as to prevent use of the Magical Style on short notice.
Skill-Dependent
Use of the focus involves training, knowledge, and quality tools. Select a Skill necessary to use the focus; the mage must have two dots in the requisite Skill to cast Basic spells, three for Hard spells, four for Mighty spells, five for Epic spells, and six or more for Godlike spells. Further, they must have a specialty relevant to how the Skill is used in their magic.
Rotes
Rotes are standardized expressions of a Magical Style, formulas for generating a specific effect that have been detailed and refined to the point that they can be taught to others lacking the appropriate Sphere mastery. Rotes still reflect a mage’s personal approach to their paradigm and choice of foci, but are grounded in principles understood by peers within their Tradition (and perhaps even by a few Sleepers). Many mages learn a couple of rotes outside their area of interest, the better to ward their homes, hide themselves from enemies, and be prepared for any situation.
Rotes are desgiend just like a Magical Style, but they do not have Specialty Spheres or Limitations. Instead, decide on a specific effect to be produced by the rote, noting the Threshold as determined by the Storyteller (see Step 1 of Spellcasting). Sum the power modifier from the rote’s Delivery, Duration, Foci, and Speed, and then add 3 to get its total power level. The power level must still be at least 0, but can be as high as 5. If the effect is vulgar, the Storyteller may optionally work with you to predefine a Paradox Backlash generated by the rote.
Mages may design rotes using their Sphere levels without experience cost, requiring only as much time dedicated to research as the Storyteller feels appropriate. They may also continue to refine a rote, increasing its power level up to 5, at the cost of 1 experience point per level. Rotes can be taught to other mages with a similar paradigm, but its power level starts at its base level before any refinement. If an individual does not have high enough Sphere levels to produce the rote effect, they must spend experience equal to half the highest Sphere (rounded up) to learn the rote. Additionally, failure to cast enact rote is always a dramatic failure, triggering a Paradox Backlash.
Sample Styles
Akashic Brotherhood
Moment of Zen [+1]
The infinite moment between one second and the next is laid bare in the face of those who have reached enlightenment. The ability to focus the energy of the self in that perfect sliver of time allows an Akashic to empower themselves to feats of strength, skill and mind that astound others.
Specialty Spheres: Mind, Fate
Delivery: Self [+2]
Duration: Instant [+2]
Focus: Internal [-1]
Speed: Swift [-2]
Cult of Ecstasy
Drugs [0]
Though the stereotype of all Cultists being drug addicts is unfair, the truth is the majority of the Tradition uses them at one point or another. Powerful mind-altering substances assist the mage in perceiving the world in differently, the first and biggest step in reshaping it to suit their desires. Specific drugs warp their minds in particular ways that help produce specific effects, but all come with mental or physical side-effects that impair the mage’s functioning.
Specialty Spheres: Space and Time
Delivery: Remote [-2]
Duration: Scene [0]
Focus: Inconvenient [+1]
Speed: Normal [0]
Limitations: Debilitative [+1]
Music [+1]
Most cultures recognize the importance and transformative power of music. For Cultists, it is a quick and subtle way for them to influence their own frame of mind and that of others, to set a mood and inspire certain ways of thinking. All they need to do is listen for a few minutes, or mere seconds if it is a familiar song, and their senses open up to something that transcends the simple material world.
Specialty Spheres: Mind and Spirit
Delivery: Sensed [-1]
Duration: Scene [0]
Focus: External [0]
Speed: Normal [0]
Limitations: Cannot Affect Energy [+1], Cannot Affect Material [+1]
Rhythmic Breathing/Meditation/Yoga [+3]
Meditation allows people to center themselves and become truly aware of their surroundings and their own body. For those with the patience, it is one of the most popular methods for Cultists to expand their senses, channel their internal healing energy, and free their mind from worldly attachments.
Specialty Spheres: Life and Mind
Delivery: Self [+3]
Duration: Scene [0]
Focus: Internal [-1]
Speed: Normal [0]
Limitations: Ability-Dependent
Order of Hermes
Enochian [0]
It is widely believed that Enochian is the first language, spoken by the angels to weave Creation into existence. Though only fragments remain, and what is known is but a pale mockery of the words of power that once gave birth to the elements and commanded all life, it still holds great sway over the ephemeral. The Hermetic must carefully recite bindings and supplications specific to the spirits and powers they wish to command, requiring that they perform research ahead of time with an idea of the effects they intend to create.
Specialty Spheres: Fate and Spirit
Delivery: Remote [-2]
Duration: Scene [0]
Focus: External [0]
Speed: Normal [0]
Limitations: No Energy [+1], Prepared Often [+1]
Runes and Symbols [+2]
A symbol can easily represent a place or object, even capture something of its essence. By drawing the appropriate rune upon that which the Hermetic wants to affect, all that the target is becomes embodied by that rune. Then, by altering the rune, they alter what it illustrates, allowing the mage to conjure things into existence or redefine what something is completely. Unfortunately, living beings are generally too complex to be symbolized and manipulated so.
Specialty Spheres: Matter and Space
Delivery: Contact [+1]
Duration: Months [-2]
Focus: External [0]
Speed: Slow [+2]
Limitations: Cannot Affect Living
Staves and Wands [+3]
Proper wizards’ tools must be both finely crafted and expensive, adorned with precious materials such as gold or jewels that both speak to the power of the mage and connect them to the pure essence of the world. Hermetics need merely hold their staff or wand and focus their will through it in order to channel raw magical energy to direct as they desire. However, most such instruments are keyed to the mage who created them and very difficult to replace.
Specialty Spheres: Forces and Prime
Delivery: Aimed [0]
Duration: Instant [+2]
Focus: Inconvenient [+1]
Speed: Normal [0]
Sons of Ether
Blasters [+3]
Etherites of all ages are fans of the classic ray-gun motif. And though they long became vulgar in the eyes of Sleepers, they’re employed in just about any firefight involving the technomages. Of course, not just any projectile weaponry will work. Properly functioning blasters must be built and tested rigorously before there is any hope of them working in the field.
Specialty Spheres: Forces and Matter
Delivery: Aimed [0]
Duration: Instant [+2]
Focus: Inconvenient [+1]
Speed: Normal [0]
Limitations: Defined [+1]
Hammer, Wrench, and Duct Tape [+3]
The works of Etherites with the right tools are stuff of legends, but the stuff they can do with junk is pretty cool too! Given time, some minimal hardware, and a bit of inspiration the mage can craft some fantastic devices to suit their needs at the time. And while the results are limited to building, repairing, or destroying machines, there’s a lot of versatility inherent in making something blowup at just the right moment.
Specialty Spheres: Fate and Matter
Delivery: Contact [+1]
Duration: Month [-2]
Focus: External [0]
Speed: Slow [+2]
Limitations: Cannot Affect Living [+1], Defined [+1]
Z-Wave Emitters [+1]
What are Z-waves? No one knows. Do they really exist? Leading scientists…aren’t sure. What would their applications be? The Sons of Ether say the sky’s the limit! Using custom built emitters about the size of a TV remote, the mage can send out subaudible signals that transmit information to and from those within range. They seem to have greatest effect on mental and ectoplasmic patterns, though the results are not always (if ever) exactly as the mage intended.
Specialty Spheres: Mind and Spirit
Delivery: Sensed [-1]
Duration: Scene [0]
Focus: Inconvenient [+1]
Speed: Normal [0]
Limitations: Cannot Affect Energy [+1]
Verbena
Blood [+2]
While the Verbena find use for many different fluids, blood, as the essence of life itself, is considered one of the most potent. It can be used to transfer energy and create powerful enchantments, to attune the mage to the immaterial and control the growth and decay of living creatures.
Specialty Spheres: Life and Prime
Delivery: Contact [+1]
Duration: Scene [0]
Focus: External [0]
Speed: Normal [0]
Limitations: Debilitative (when using their own blood, suffers one level of resistant bashing damage)
Mirrors [+1]
Silver, glass, pools of water, and any other reflexive surface serve as gateways to distant times and places. Verbena gaze into such mirrors to scry other lands and divine the past or future, and sometimes even cross into them. Most feared are curses cast through such medium from the safety of a witch’s home.
Specialty Spheres: Space and Time
Delivery: Remote [-2]
Duration: Scene [0]
Focus: External [0]
Speed: Slow [+2]
Limitations: Defined (only for viewing or crossing space, time, or spirit boundaries)
Herbs and Potions [+3]
The Verbena believe that particular plants possess mystical properties that can be tapped when cooked or brewed properly. They are most commonly used for healing wounds or specific ailments, but potions have also been known to sharpen wits, ease madness, or create love.
Specialty Spheres: Life and Mind
Delivery: Contact [+1]
Duration: Day [-1]
Focus: External [0]
Speed: Slow [+2]
Limitations: Preparation Required
Passion [+1]
Specialty Spheres: Forces and Life
Delivery: Aimed [0]
Duration: Instant [+2]
Focus: Internal [-1]
Speed: Swift [-2]
Limitations: Cannot Affect Energy, Debilitative
Virtual Adept
Computer Code
Specialty Spheres:
Delivery: Remote [-2]
Duration: Scene [0]
Focus: External [0]
Speed: Slow [+2]
Limitations: Ability Dependent
Math and Calculators
Specialty Spheres: Fate
Delivery: Remote [-2]
Duration: Scene [0]
Focus: External [0]
Speed: Slow [+2]
Limitations:
Telecommunication Equipment
Specialty Spheres: Mind and Space
Delivery: Sensed [-1]
Duration: Scene [0]
Focus: External [0]
Speed: Slow [+2]
Limitations:
Step 1: Choose Desired Effect, Determine Spheres and Threshold
Describe the effect that you wish to create and then determine the necessary Sphere levels involved. The ST then dictates the spell difficulty and the threshold, the number of additional successes needed. A spell's difficulty is a factor of many things: the complexity of the change, the size of the target, how precise the mage's control over the effect is, and the spell's overall power.
Difficulty | Threshold |
---|---|
Basic | +0 |
Average | +2 |
Hard | +5 |
Mighty | +10 |
Epic | +25 |
Godlike | +50 |
Step 2: Fast or Ritual Casting
There is a limit to what a mage can accomplish in short periods of time, and pushing too hard too fast increases the risk of the magic going awry. Given enough time, it is typically safer and more effective to cast spells by performing lengthy rituals. Either way, the mage must be mindful of their limits, for difficult spells may require more successes than they can accumulate with their level of skill.
When fast casting, the number of successes a mage can accumulate is capped based on their Arete. If the threshold is greater than their limit, they must either spend quintessence to lower the threshold or perform a more elaborate ritual. Ritual casting allows the mage to raise the success cap by taking more time per roll, as indicated on the table below.
Time per Roll | Success Cap |
---|---|
Ten Minutes | +5 |
Hour | +10 |
Three Hours | +15 |
Eight Hours | +20 |
Day• | +25 |
Esoteric | •• |
• Ritual Casting Time that requires a day is equivalent to fifteen hours of continuous casting in between rest with no other strenuous activity.
•• An esoteric effect has an unusual time schedule, such as one casting roll every full moon. Such rituals may allow you to bypass your maximum success limit.
Step 3: Magical Style
When casting a spell, choose a Magical Style to use based on the intended effect and available resources at hand. The Magical Style influences factors such as what actions the caster must take, how long the spell will last, and what manner of resistance the subject of the spell may use. Only one Magical Style may be used with a spell at any given time in fast casting, but mages often use multiple foci in rituals. The highest potency is used, but the most restrictive Delivery and Limitations apply (though the ST should consider making an exception depending on how the foci are combined and creativity on the player's part).
It is possible to use magic without a Magical Style, a practice called surpassing one's foci. This is exceedingly difficult, and generally only done when a mage is in desperate need and does not have their tools at hand. Spells cast in this manner have the properties Delivery: Remote, Duration: Instant, Focus: Internal, and Speed: Normal.
Casting Dice Pool
When using a Magical Style, the base dice pool for spells is the mage's Arete + highest Sphere + Potency. Use the mage's level in the primary Sphere of the spell. The Potency is equal to that of the Magical Style used. If the primary Sphere is one of the Magical Style's Specialty Spheres, add +2 dice to the casting roll. When surpassing one's foci, the base dice pool is simply the mage's Arete.
Targeting
The means by which a spell reaches its mark is determined by the Delivery of the Magical Style used. Remote and Sensed spells automatically find their mark so long as the mage has an idea of the target's location and they are within the spell's range (see Step 4). Aimed spells are treated as ranged attacks using the casting dice pool to determine whether the effect strikes true, incurring penalties such as Concealment or Cover when appropriate. Contact spells require the caster to be touching the subject of the effect, typically requiring a Dexterity + Brawl roll to grab the target followed immediately by a casting roll for the spell.
Duration
Many spells, particularly those cast in combat, are instantaneous; they come and go in a flash, having achieved an effect desired by the caster. Others last a single scene, day, or even a month depending on the Magical Style. A mage can extend it even further, up to the Magical Style's Duration times the mage's Arete, by spending a point of quintessence. In most cases you are free to dismiss a spell you cast at any time.
Step 4: Spell Factors
Area and Shape
By default, a spell targets only a single creature or objects within 1 cubic meter of space. However, a mage may increase the area of effect in exchange for decreased potency in order to catch more targets at once. The spell becomes a burst of magical energy that affects everything within its area equally, originating from a point of the willworker's choosing based on the spell's delivery and range.
A spell can be crafted into something other than a spherical burst, such as a straight line or cone emanating from the mage. The spell does not extend any further than normal, however; this simply makes it possible to avoid striking those the willworker may not want to effect. Otherwise, a mage may employ Fate 3 and spend a point of quintessence to alter the spell to pick and choose those affected.
Dice Penalty | Area of Effect |
---|---|
0 | 1 meter |
-2 | 3 meters |
-4 | 10 meters |
-6 | 30 meters |
-8 | 100 meters |
-10 | 300 meters |
Connection and Range
Spells are normally limited to a mage's sensory range, meaning they must be able see, hear, or touch the Pattern they wish to affect. Being able to spot someone on television, through binoculars, with a scrying pool, or other means is not sufficient—the target must be within their natural sensory range. When using a Magical Style with Delivery: Remote, any concealment or barriers between the mage and target do not matter. However, with Delivery: Aimed any penalties that would apply to ranged attacks apply to the magic roll. Casting spells over a distance with Delivery: Touch is impossible.
With the Space Sphere, a mage can send spells far beyond their senses and even through solid barriers. Space 2 is required for effects on a single distant target or point and Space 4 for hitting multiple targets or locations. A point of quintessence must also be spent. The difficulty of extending the reach of a spell is based on either the distance, if the mage knows exactly where their target is and can sense them, or the degree of sympathetic connection the mage has. Note that at the very least, the mage must know the target's name or have a physical description by which they can be singled out; it is not enough to know of someone by alias or deeds.
An additional option solely exists for mental spells. The minds of sentient beings are by their nature open to outsiders through language and other forms of communication. Social mages can spread a mind-influencing effect through the text of a book, words spoken over a phone, or a specially crafted poster. By observing the medium, a person subconsciously becomes receptive to its hidden message and may be affected by the spell. While this works best with a direct and personal message, spells spread through mass media, social networks, or by propaganda outlets have the potential to reach significant numbers of targets.
Dice Penalty | Range | Sympathetic Connection | Psychic Connection |
---|---|---|---|
0 | 100 m | Personal: Yourself, close twin, soul or true name | Direct Interaction: Local conversation, body language |
-2 | 1 km | Intimate: A loved one, place just visited, familiar or talisman | Direct Communication: Speech, theatrical performance |
-4 | 10 km | Close: Relative/close friend, place you frequent, fresh physical sample | Remote Interaction: Phone calls, video conference |
-6 | 100 km | Familiar: Friend/coworker, place you knew well, personal possession | Remote Communication: Email, mass media |
-8 | 1000 km | Acquaintance: Someone you’ve met, place you’ve been, portrait | Observed Message: Letter, audio/video recording |
-10 | Earth and Moon | Described: Name and description detailed enough to identify a person or place | Incidental Message: Second-hand account, stock trading |
Description and Subtlety
Players have free rein to describe their spells as they please, including any visual, audible, or olfactory characteristics so long as they are not strong enough to cause any harm. Generally a spell's appearance is heavily influenced by the Magical Style, though some mages make a point of adding their own personal touches, and some effects are visible by their very nature.
Even if a spell would not normally be discernible by mundane senses, supernatural creatures can often sense the use of nearby magic. Of Awakened magic, Prime can be used to analyze spells as they are being cast and is commonly used in wards to detect attempts to penetrate them. Furthermore, after a spell effect has dissipated a trace of resonance remains that can be studied to determine what was done—and by whom—much later.
The range at which a spell can be detected and the duration of its resonance is determined by the level of the highest Sphere used. Subsequent casting of spells add to both the range and the persistence of resonance in the area. However, a mage attempting to hide evidence of their willworking can put effort into obscuring their trail. For every -2 dice penalty, treat the spell as one step lower on the Magic Detection table and subtract one from the potency of any effect attempting to sense it.
Sphere Level | Range Detectable | Persistence of Resonance |
---|---|---|
1 | None | None |
2 | 10 m | Minutes |
3 | 100 m | Hours |
4 | 1 km | Days |
5 | 10 km | Weeks |
6+ | 100 km | Months |
Step 5: Coincidental or Vulgar
The days of mages turning men into swine and bringing towers down with eldritch fire are largely in the past. Modern day willworkers must be careful not to openly reveal their power or flaunt the laws of reality, for those who use so-called vulgar magic quickly discover the strength of reality's resistance in the form of Paradox.
If a spell is vulgar, there is a chance of a Paradox Backlash as described in Step 8. The severity of the Backlash is based on the setting's Paradox Rating; the risk of Paradox has been increasing over the last millennium and is quite high in the modern era, though near nodes or spiritually significant places the Paradox Rating is lowered by one. However, if the effect is noticed by Sleepers, the Paradox Rating increases by two!
Historical Setting | Paradox Rating |
---|---|
Dark Age and earlier | 1 |
Middle Age | 2 |
Modern Age | 4 |
Identifying Vulgar Magic
The ST decides if an effect is vulgar based on whether an average Sleeper observing the caster and the effect would consider the results supernatural. Onlookers may be left awed and amazed, but if the effect can be reasonably explained away as a trick or a random coincidence, reality accommodates the spell. Part of this has to do with the effect, part of it with the mage's foci. By modern thought, people shouldn't be able to glean information from scrying pools, but someone with a computer and the Internet can find almost anything.
With that in mind, an effect is vulgar if an average person witnessing it would be unable to explain it as anything other than magic. Purely divinatory spells can be vulgar if they provide the caster information they couldn't possibly know through astute research and an intelligent guess. Likewise, controlling minds, teleportation over large distances, and instantly making oneself twice as strong is nothing short of impossible in the world mortals are accustomed to.
Step 6: Cost
Quintessence is the fuel of Awakened magic, and must be spent to power certain types of spells. This cost is paid directly from the caster's pool immediately at the start of the casting. Spend one point for the following:
- Creating a pattern from nothing, or taking something that exists and making it much larger.
- The caster wishes to extend the spell's duration. (Step 3)
- The spell factors are augmented by the Fate, Space, Spirit, or Time Sphere. (Step 4)
- Powerful healing effects, or those fueled by the Prime Sphere. (Step 8)
- Damage inflicted by the spell is aggravated. (Step 8)
Step 7: Opposition
Armor and Defense
Once a magical spell has been let loose, the effect cannot normally be dodged. Instead, individuals must rely on cover and defensive spells to survive. An individual's Armor value, whether derived from mundane equipment or magical shields, is subtracted from the damage inflicted by aimed and contact spells. This protection is applied equally whether the attack comes in the form of a blast of flame, telekinetic jab, raygun bolts, or any other effect one might encounter. Contact spells also require touching the subject; the caster must first make an attack roll to grab the target, subtracting their Defense as normal, before making the casting roll.
Innate Resistance
An individual's last line of defense is the innate resistance all creatures have against magic. Remote or sensed damaging effects incur a penalty to the casting roll equal to the Resistance Attribute of the target (or highest of multiple targets); Armor and Defense do not apply, nor does any form of cover or concealment.
Most other effects instead allow each target to make a reflexive contested action using their Arete + Resistance Attribute, with successes on their roll diminishing the spell's effect on them. Composure might be used against emotional manipulation, attempts to beguile or exploit socially. Resolve might be used to resist mind control, soul alterations, or fate tampering. Stamina might counter temporal shifts, teleportation, or any bodily transmutations. When in doubt, use the highest applicable Attribute.
Step 8: Roll for Results
Gather a number of dice equal to your casting pool as determined in Step 3 and 4. Pay any quintessence cost from Step 6 once, at the start of casting. Additional quintessence can be spent to lower the threshold by one per point. Roll and count the number of successes, subtracting any from the target's resistance roll (if any) to get the total successes.
A mage may continue casting as an extended action so long as the Speed of the Magical Style employed is not Swift. However, after the initial roll mages, many supernaturals, and even some mortals may sense the magical connection and be able to respond. Regardless, the mage's casting pool and the target's resistance are rolled again, with any additional successes added to the total successes. The mage can take no other action while concentrating on the magic, but continues to receive passive defense.
Upon conclusion of casting, take the total successes or the success cap from Step 2, whichever is lower, and subtract the threshold from Step 1 to get the net successes. If greater than zero, the spell manifests, with the net successes determine the potency of the effect. There can be no hard and fast metric for every type of spell, but rules for the most common types are provided:
Damaging: Each point of potency inflicts one health level of damage, or one die of damage for effects with duration greater than one round. Most Basic spells deal bashing damage, depending on the nature of the attack, while more powerful spells do lethal damage. A mage may choose to degrade the type of damage an attack deals. A spell can only inflict aggravated damage through use of a fifth level Sphere and the expenditure of a point of quintessence.
Domination: Completely controlling or incapacitating a target (as opposed to emotional control or implanting individual commands, but including putting them instantly to sleep or rewriting their personality) requires a number of successes equal to 5 + their current Willpower pool × 2. For that reason, most mages will spend time mentally wearing down an individual before attempting something so extreme.
Healing: The Spheres of Life, Matter, and Spirit can each be used to heal elements of their respective domains, while the Prime Sphere can—with an expenditure of quintessence—restore patterns of any of the three to their natural condition. Each point of potency immediately removes two levels of bashing damage or one level of lethal or aggravated damage. Healing aggravated damage requires a point of quintessence and is always vulgar when not part of a ritual. Likewise, effects that restore more than two health levels in a single scene cost a point of quintessence.
Information: Each point of potency grants a bonus die in situations where the mage's insight would be applicable, reveals one bit of information, or results in any knowledge obtained being more thorough, valuable, or easier to understand.
Modifier: Every two points of potency raise or lower a primary trait by one, or every point of potency raises or lowers a derived trait by one. For example, increasing a creature's Dexterity by three dots would require six net successes, but increasing their Defense by three would only require three. Raising a trait above its normal limit or reducing it to zero is usually a vulgar act unless the change is short-lived and justifiable.
Transformation: Pretty much every other effect, whether turning someone to stone or simply influencing their emotions, is a transformation of one form or another. These tend to be of greater difficulty, but one success beyond the threshold is normally enough to produce the change. In some circumstances the ST may rule that additional successes make the transformation more extreme or closer to the mage's ideal vision.
Step 9: Paradox Backlash
At the end of casting, if the effect was vulgar or the attempt botched, the Storyteller makes a Paradox roll consisting of one die per casting roll made by the mage. The target number is 3 + highest Sphere used in the effect; each die result equal to or lower than the target number produces half the Paradox Rating in Paradox Points. However, if the die result is equal to or lower than half the target number, it produces the full Paradox Rating in points instead! Sum the amount of Paradox Points generated and add any Permanent Paradox the mage may have to determine the strength of the Paradox Backlash: 1-5 points cause a Minor Backlash, 6-15 a Major Backlash, and 16+ a Severe Backlash. Backlashes tend to manifest as uncontrolled magical effects, attempts to reconcile conflicting laws of reality, or a direct punishment against the offending mage. The exact result is up to the ST; the most common examples are detailed below.
Suppressing Backlashes
You may attempt to contain Backlashes before they manifest by spending quintessence. Each quintessence point reduces the number of Paradox points by one. You must choose to do this immediately after the spell is cast and before the ST narrates the Backlash. Quintessence points spent in this manner count against the mage's quintessence spending limit in their next turn!
Common Backlashes
Mark (Minor): The mage is branded with a troublesome magical effect. Examples include the mage being surrounded by a nimbus of cold air, carrying an unnatural electric charge that distorts electronics and zaps those nearby, or their shadow acting independently against the mage's wishes. This lasts one minute per Paradox point.
Pain (Minor): The mage suffers physical pain or illness. Roll a die for each Paradox point and apply the number of successes (minimum 1) as resistant bashing damage or as a penalty to rolls until the end of the next scene. This pain cannot be negated by supernatural means and must heal naturally.
Suppression (Minor): Reality attempts to quietly limit the effect. This may be as simple as detracting one or two points of potency or unexpectedly shortening the duration. More rarely it manifests as a "counter", with Paradox points acting as potency for an effect that occurs a few rounds later, like a power outage interrupting electronic tampering or a bystander commenting on the odd behavior of a subject of Mind magic.
Anomaly (Major): A strange supernatural occurrence pervades the area. Wind and lightning appear from nowhere, inanimate objects spring to life, time speeds up or down in different places. The effect should depend on the Spheres used but still be unpredictable. This lasts one round per Paradox point.
Flaw (Major): The effect created by the mage has some important defect; protective spells have a weakness through which they can be bypassed, divinations reveal incomplete or twisted information, and transformations work too well. It may be undesired side effects that the mage doesn't predict and has difficulty countering. They must achieve successes equal to the Paradox points on an Arete + Composure + Wits roll to notice a flaw.
Scarring (Major): The mage is harmed and disfigured by magical energy, leaving open wounds or minor disfigurements. Roll one die for each two Paradox Points and apply the number of successes (minimum 1) as resistant lethal damage. This harm cannot be negated by supernatural means and must heal naturally. In addition, the mage is stunned for one round.
Havoc (Severe): The spell manifests in an uncontrolled state. The effect may strike targets at random or simply rebound upon the caster. Transformative effects cause undesired or unstable mutations. The mage cannot undo the spell without casting a second spell using the same Spheres and achieving potency equal to the Paradox points accrued by the first.
Intervention (Severe): The mage's magic draws the attention of one or more creatures that wish to punish them for their hubris. In past eras this would usually be a hungry demon, mischievous fae, or even one of the elusive Paradox Spirits, but in modern times it is usually a team of Men in Black.
Permanent Paradox (Severe): The mage gains a level of Permanent Paradox. Their level of Permanent Paradox is added to the number of Paradox Points accumulated in each roll of Step 9.
Delayed and Recurring Backlashes
The ST is free to delay the manifestation of a Paradox Backlash, particularly if it takes the form of Suppression, Flaw, or Intervention. Mages do not know why Backlashes occur as they do, and beyond some correlation with the exact Sphere and Practice involved, cannot predict what will happen. That is one of the reasons they put so much effort into designing rotes.
Powerful effects that persist for multiple scenes or longer can generate Backlashes repeatedly. It is one thing to create a force field that protects you from gunfire for a scene, it's quite another to rely on it when stepping in front of a moving car hours or days later. As a general rule a Backlash may occur whenever a spell's effects would be considered vulgar, but at most once per the spell's unit of duration. Roll a dice pool equal to the original Paradox points accrued and apply successes as Paradox Points for another Backlash.
Post preview:
Close previewThree to five, to ensure they are prepared for common scenarios. Something fast and strong for combat, another to provide long term protection or transformations, and one for whatever the character specializes in.
How many Magical Styles would you recommend that a starting Mage possess?