Difference between revisions of "Mage: The Ascension (Alternate Rules)"
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Mage: The Ascension is a roleplaying game set in the World of Darkness, a dark, gothic-punk alternative version of our own reality. In this setting, magic is real but hidden from most people's perception. The game revolves around mages - individuals who can reshape reality through the power of will, belief, and understanding. | Mage: The Ascension is a roleplaying game set in the World of Darkness, a dark, gothic-punk alternative version of our own reality. In this setting, magic is real but hidden from most people's perception. The game revolves around mages - individuals who can reshape reality through the power of will, belief, and understanding. |
Revision as of 08:38, 28 November 2024
To just see the alternate magic system read:
Alternate Sphere Magic
A character sheet for this system is at:
Alternate Character Sheet
Mage: The Ascension
Mage: The Ascension is a roleplaying game set in the World of Darkness, a dark, gothic-punk alternative version of our own reality. In this setting, magic is real but hidden from most people's perception. The game revolves around mages - individuals who can reshape reality through the power of will, belief, and understanding.
The Technocracy stands as a powerful organization seeking to control reality through science, technology, and rational thought. They view magic as a dangerous threat to human progress and work systematically to suppress and eliminate supernatural elements.
The central conflict in Mage: The Ascension is the struggle over the nature of reality itself. Mages fundamentally believe that reality is malleable and can be shaped by human will and belief.
Roleplaying happens inside of scenes. In fact, the entire game exists in scenes. The beauty of roleplaying a scene lies in its uncertainty. Neither the players, or the Storyteller know exactly how the scene will unfold.
A scene is a temporary collaborative reality. A shared imaginative space where individual creativity merges into a collective experience.
Like most role playing games played around a table, we use dice to determine the whims of chance. Anytime a character performs an action under adverse conditions or when the outcome is unclear, his player rolls dice to see whether the task succeeds or fails.
You just need two six sided dice to play. I have changed this from the original game, Mage: The Ascension from rolling a ten sided dice. I did a little math and it just made since.
For a success in this game, rolling a 7 or 11 with two 6 sided dice has the odds of 2/9 which is 0.2222.
A typical success in Mage is made by rolling a 8, 9, or 10 on one 10 sided die, which has the odds of 3/10 which is 0.3.
So, with a few other modifications the game
mechanics are basically the same.
Attributes and Skills
Characters possess a variety of traits,
describing their innate capabilities, trained
skills, and even how many wounds they can
suffer before dying. Two types of trait are
especially important: Attributes and Skills.
Each of these traits is rated in dots (●),
ranging from 1 to 5, much like the five-star
system many critics use to rate movies. For
example, a character might have a Dexterity
Attribute of ●●● (3 dots) and a Firearms
Skill of ●● (2 dots).
Whenever your character performs an action that
calls for dice rolls, you most often add the most
appropriate Attribute to the most appropriate
Skill. When your character shoots a gun, you add
his Dexterity to his Firearms for a total number
of dice rolls.
Modifiers
Various conditions and circumstances can
greatly improve or hinder your characters
tasks, represented by bonuses and/or penalties
to your dice rolls. On one hand, quality tools
might give him a bonus to repair a car. On the
other hand, a thunderstorm might cause
hazardous driving conditions, levying a
penalty on any driving rolls, and a distant
target is hard to hit with a gun, represented
by range penalties.
For example, when shooting a target 30 yards away with his Glock 17 pistol, your character suffers a -2 penalty.
The Storyteller determines whether or not any
circumstance imposes dice-roll modifiers and
how great those modifiers are.
Dice Rolls
So, we can say that that the number of times
you get to roll the dice is determined like
so: Attribute + Skill + modifiers (if any) In
general, bonuses are always added before
penalties are applied.
Rolling the Dice
Now that you know what to roll, lets see how
to read the results. Each roll uses two dice,
and a result of 7, or 11 is considered a
success. You might have more than one of
these, in which case you have multiple
successes. The dice don't just tell you whether
your character succeeds or fails it shows you
how well he does. If none of your die rolls
succeed, your roll fails. Obviously, the more
die rolls you have the better your characters
chances of success, and the greater your odds
of gaining multiple successes.
Snake Eyes
If one of your rolls turn up snake eyes, it
cancels out one success. If you roll snake eyes,
and none of you other rolls succeed it is a
botch.
Second Tries
When a roll fails, you can try again with a +1
difficulty modifier.
Fighting
Combat is a series of die rolls, until
someone surrenders or is rendered unable to
fight. The rolls determine whether or not your
character hits and how much damage he inflicts
on his target. The number of dice rolls is
determined as above, but a knife is more deadly
than a fist, and a gun is more deadly than all.
Each success gained on your attack roll
represents a point of damage inflicted against
the targets Health trait. If the target has no
more Health left, he is unconscious or dead
(depending on the type of damage done).
There are two types of damage: bashing
(caused by blunt weapons such as fists or
clubs; these wounds heal quickly), lethal
(caused by sharp weapons such as knives and
bullets; these wounds heal slowly). There are
a number of complications involved in combat,
such as a targets Defense Rolls, which are
subtracted from any attack successes targeted
against him.
Actions
The number of times you roll for an action is
made up of an attribute added to an ability.
Each of these are given a rating from 1 to five:
1) Poor
2) Average
3) Good
4) Exceptional
5) World Class
That dice pool is then modified by one
of these levels:
+1) Easy
+0) Routine
-1) Moderate
-2) Difficult
-3) Challenging
-4) Hard
-5) Exceptional
The number of successes you have is also
given a rating from one to five:
1) Marginal
2) Moderate
3) Good
4) Excellent
5) Phenomenal
Traits
The attributes your character has are listed here, they are divided into 3 categories:
Physical:
Strength - Physical Power
Dexterity - Athleticism
Stamina - Toughness
Social:
Charisma - Charm
Manipulation - Persuasion
Appearance - Attractiveness
Mental:
Perception - Insight To Surroundings
Intelligence - Pure IQ
Wits - Intuition & Instincts
Abilities are also divided into 3 categories:
Talents:
Alertness - Attention to Your Surroundings
Athletics - A Talent With Sports
Awareness - You Can Sense The Presence of Magic
Brawl - Skill With Unarmed Combat
Dodge - Avoiding Physical Danger
Expression - The Art of Communication
Intimidation - Flexing Your Muscles
Leadership - You Are Respected
Streetwise - Youre a Part Of The Underworld
Subterfuge - You Can Hide Your Motives
Skills:
Crafts - Working With Your Hands
Drive - Handling The Road
Etiquette - Managing Social Situations
Firearms - Firing Guns
Meditation - Regenerates Magic
Melee - Hand To Hand Weapons
Performance - Specialized as music etc.
Stealth - Hiding From Sight
Survival - Living In Difficult Environments
Technology - Repairing And Working With Machines
Knowledges:
Academics - Higher Education In A Field
Computer - From Typing To Hacking
Cosmology - Knowledge Of The Spirit World
Enigmas - Solving Puzzles Or Riddles
Investigation - Forensics Detective Work
Law - Professional Practice In Law
Linguistics - Specializing In Other Languages
Medicine - First Aid, & Surgery Etc.
Occult - Knowledge Of Magic Practices
Science - Engineering, Chemistry, & Physics
There are also some other very important traits:
Avatar - Your ability to store quintessence
Arete - Your mastery of magick
Willpower - Can be used to force success
Quintessence - The raw power of magic
Paradox - The backlash from magic into insanity
Health - The amount of damage you can take
Getting Started
Now that you know the basics of the Storytelling
System, you can proceed to create your own
characters. You’ll be able to judge what sort of
traits you’ll need based on their titles (they’re
mostly self-explanatory), and know that the more
dots you have in a trait the better your character
will be when accomplishing tasks with it.
Here is a quick overview of how to begin the
character creation process:
The 3 categories of attributes are divided into
3 levels of points: 7/5/3
The 3 categories of abilities are also divided into 3 levels of points: 13/9/5
You get 7 points to go into Backgrounds.
You also get 6 dots that can go into your Mage's magical knowledge called Spheres. The catch is that none of them can be higher than your level of Arete.
Arete starts at 1 and can’t begin higher than 3.
Willpower starts at 5 and can’t begin higher than 7.
You also get 15 Freebie Points:
To increase an Attribute requires 5 freebie points.
To increase an Ability requires 2 freebie points.
To increase a Background requires 1 freebie point.
To increase Willpower requires 1 freebie point.
To increase Arete requires 4 freebie points.
To increase a Sphere requires 7 freebie points.
Prioritize the categories with 3 levels of
points.
Select Attributes (7/5/3)
Physical: Strength, Dexterity, Stamina
Social: Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance
Mental: Perception, Intelligence, Wits
Select Abilities (13/9/5)
Talents: Alertness, Athletics, Awareness,
Brawl, Dodge, Expression, Intimidation,
Leadership, Streetwise, Subterfuge
Skills: Crafts, Drive, Etiquette, Firearms, Meditation, Melee, Performance, Stealth, Survival, Technology
Knowledges: Academics, Computer, Cosmology, Enigmas, Investigation, Law, Linguistics, Medicine, Occult, Science
Additionally, characters also have a number
of advantages called Backgrounds.
Backgrounds (7):
Allies - Friends who help you
Arcane - You are unnoticed as a Mage
Avatar - The Strength of the soul
Contacts - Information sources
Destiny - A greater purpose
Dream - Visions from the unknown
Influence - Pull over the mortal world
Library - Access to metaphysical knowledge
Node - A place of magical power
Resources - Extra Money
Wonder - A Magical talisman or device
Combat
We will now go over the combat system. It is
very simple.
Combat is broken down into three steps, Initiative, Attack, and Resolution.
Stage one - Initiative
During initiative, both players roll
Dexterity + Wits. Whoever has more successes
gets to go first.
Each player declares either to attack or defend.
It is also possible to ambush someone with: Dexterity + Stealth vs Perception + Alertness
Stage two - Attack
The attacker rolls one of these:
Unarmed Combat: Strength + Brawl
Armed Combat: Strength + Weaponry
Firearms: Dexterity + Firearms
Throwing Objects: Dexterity + Athletics
Then the defender either takes the hit, or if they chose to defend they roll:
Block: Dexterity + Brawl
Dodge: Dexterity + Dodge
Parry: Dexterity + Melee
The successes of the attack roll minus the defense roll equals damage, which is either Bashing or Lethal.
If a weapon is being used the storyteller can increase the modifier for an attack by up to +4. Some guns allow you to shoot multiple times in a turn.
Stage three - Resolution
Roll as many times as your Stamina points to
eliminate a point of bashing damage for each
success.
If the fighting continues you roll again for initiative.
Keep track of the damage to your health with this chart:
Health
1) Bruised -0
2) Hurt -1
3) Injured -2
4) Wounded -3
5) Mauled -4
6) Crippled -5
7) Unconscious
Each point of damage is marked with a / for
bashing damage and an X for lethal damage.
If you acquire 7 bashing damage you are
unconscious, further bashing damage can
become lethal damage. Either way, you apply
a penalty to everything you roll as the damage
goes up.If you acquire more than 7 in lethal
damage, you can die.
Finally, your character needs to learn magic!
Magic
There are 12 Spheres in this system that are
divided into coincidental & vulgar magic. The
first three levels of each sphere are limited
to coincidental effects, and the highest levels
of the sphere are divided into two levels of more
advanced magic.
The Twelve Spheres in alphabetical order are:
Control, Destruction, Feeling, Influence,
Penetration, Production, Revelation, Restoration,
Transformation, Travel, Understanding, and
Vanishing
These are the degrees of power for the Spheres:
1) Awareness
2) Sympathetic
3) Coincidental
4) Manipulative
5) Miraculous
-
1) Awareness
Allows the Mage to sense things with their magic.
2) Sympathetic
The Mage can effect things they’re personally
connected to.
3) Coincidental
The Mage can work magic as long as it doesn’t
defy physics.
4) Manipulative
The Mage can manipulate and bend the laws of
physics.
5) Miraculous
The Mage can now create impossible miracles.
Mechanics
Casting Magic
You can only cast magic up to the level of
your sphere. Arete is the number of dice to
roll when casting a spell. No Sphere can be
higher than your level of Arete. A mage can
optionally roll fewer dice to avoid a potential
botch.
Avatar
A Mage’s Avatar is the maximum Quintessence they can store.
Quintessence
Quintessence is the power source for Magic.
Spending Quintessence points reduces the difficulty of a
spell, up to your level of Arete. Meditation is required
to regain Quintessence for at least an hour at a place
of power. The maximum Quintessence a Mage can store
is their Avatar score. Quintessence can also be stored in things
that are carried by a Mage.
Willpower
One point of willpower generates 1 success
Willpower can resist mind magic
Willpower can fight Quiet
Willpower can ignore penalties from fear & damage
Willpower can be regained after role play
Difficulty
The difficulty for casting magic is the level of the sphere you are using. Add +1 for Vulgar magic, if there are no
witnesses. Add another +1 if a Sleeper witnesses it.
Bonuses
If you have time to do a ritual, Intelligence + Occult can be rolled. Successes are added to your Arete roll up to a +3. If there isn't time for a full ritual, magical tools can add a +1 bonus.
Successes
Simple magic requires only one success, two
successes are required for more powerful magic,
and larger effects can take even more.
Botches
If a Mage rolls a failure when casting a spell & they
also roll snake eyes on any of their dice then they botch.
This is a dangerous situation.
Spheres
Spheres in Mage: The Ascension are the
way Mages effect reality. They
represent different kinds of magic,
which Mages use to perceive and
reshape the world.
Understanding
Power: Wisdom / ESP
Knowledge: Realization - Unveiling the inner knowledge within.
Description: The Power of Understanding manifests as inspiration and insight, granting effortless access to answers and discoveries beyond conventional understanding. It endows the practitioner with the gift of foreknowledge. The key to unlocking this power lies in the realization that all knowledge already resides within oneself.
1) Elevated Mental Attributes
2) Predicting Outcomes
3) Seeing the Past
4) Seeing the Future
5) Stopping Time
Feeling
Power: Empathy / Telepathy
Knowledge: Association - Recognizing the interconnectedness of all things.
Description: The Power of Feeling enables one to empathize and understand others deeply, perceiving their thoughts and emotions without the need for words. It stems from the profound insight into Association, the intrinsic link that binds all living beings together.
1) Reading Mindstates
2) Bonus to Social Attributes
3) Mental Shield
4) Reading Thoughts
5) Mental Link
Production
Power: Attraction / Creation
Knowledge: Synchronicity - Uniting the threads of existence.
Description: The Power of Production empowers a wizard to draw situations and desires into their reality. This ability stems from a profound understanding of Synchronicity, the cosmic principle that everything is interconnected and influences each other. It acknowledges that the power to attract lies within, awaiting manifestation.
1) Sensing Opportunity
2) Arranging situations
3) Attracting Wealth
4) Produce Small Objects
5) Win Lotteries & Elections
Influence
Power: Charisma / Hypnotism
Knowledge: Possession - Will shaping the realm of the mind.
Description: The Power of Influence grants a wizard the power to captivate others. Known as Possession, it allows one to enchant and charm, eliciting positive perceptions or even gaining control over anothers thoughts and actions. The essence of this mastery lies in the understanding that ones will can wield dominion over the minds of others.
1) Sensing Willpower
2) Social Influence
3) Hypnotic Suggestion
4) Mind Control
5) Altering Identities
Penetration
Power: Escape / Intangibility
Knowledge: Spiritualism - Perceiving the world as a realm of spirit.
Description: The Power of Penetration delves into the realm of Spiritualism. It unveils the truth that the world is fundamentally composed of spirit, allowing a wizard to transcend physical boundaries and become intangible. Chains and locks lose their hold, dissolving effortlessly under the wizards touch.
1) Find Exits
2) Open Locks
3) Escape From Restraints
4) Escape From Prisons
5) Becoming Intangible
Control
Power: Energy / Telekinesis
Knowledge: Evocation - Harnessing the forces of the spiritual realm.
Description: The Power of Control enables a wizard to command powerful forces. Through evocation, the practitioner can manipulate energy and bend it to their will. This understanding arises from recognizing that spiritual entities are themselves embodiments of force and possess the capacity to shape and impact the physical world.
1) Quick Reactions
2) Bonus to Physical Abilities
3) Influencing Physical Outcomes
4) Moving Objects
5) Controlling Natural Forces
Restoration
Power: Renewal / Healing
Knowledge: Forgiveness - Liberating from suffering caused by transgressions.
Description: The Power of Restoration holds the gift of healing. It grants the ability to alleviate pain, cure diseases, and bring renewal to the afflicted. This power emerges from the understanding of Forgiveness, recognizing that suffering often stems from transgressions. By embracing forgiveness, a wizard becomes a conduit for healing and restoration.
1) Sense illness
2) Relieve Pain
3) Protection from Disease
4) Heal Sickness / Damage
5) Resurrection
Vanishing
Power: Stealth / Invisibility
Knowledge: Misdirection - Manipulating attention and perception.
Description: The Power of Vanishing encompasses the art of Misdirection. It allows a wizard to control focus and attention, rendering themselves unseen and secrets concealed. Meticulous study and practice grant the ability to achieve complete invisibility as the wizard manipulates perception and directs attention elsewhere.
1) Detect Lies
2) See in The Dark
3) Stealth
4) Disguise
5) Invisibility
Travel
Power: Direction / Teleportation
Knowledge: Unity - Dissolving the illusion of separation.
Description: The Power of Travel operates on the understanding that all separation is illusory. By harnessing this power, a wizard can navigate without traditional directions and locate objects or places that are lost or hidden. A skilled practitioner can transcend distance, stepping from one location to any desired destination.
1) Locate Lost Objects
2) Find Directions
3) See at a Distance
4) Teleport Objects
5) Make a Portal
Transformation
Power: Developing / Shapeshifting
Knowledge: Personification - Authoring ones own identity.
Description: The Power of Transformation allows a wizard to assume the form and essence of another being, whether it be an abstract concept, an animal, or even a deity. The essence of this mastery lies in the understanding that one has the power to create and define their own identity, refusing to be shaped by external forces. The power of transformation can also be used to improve who you already are.
1) Sense Others Attributes
2) Bonus to Attributes
3) Developing Attributes
4) Shapeshifting
5) Transmutation
Destruction
Power: Curses / Annihilation
Knowledge: Pragmatism - Dissolving the constructs of right and wrong.
Description: The Power of Destruction holds immense power that should be wielded with caution. It encompasses the ability to curse, annihilate, and disrupt the natural order. However, the utilization of this power draws one away from their true path and blurs the distinction between right and wrong.
1) Sense Black Magic
2) Protection from Curses
3) Curse Enemies
4) Cause Physical Damage
5) Kill & Destroy
Revelation
Power: Visions / Rapture
Knowledge: Above as Below - The symbiotic connection between gods, angels, and humanity.
Description: The Power of Revelation unveils profound visions and grants enlightenment to the practitioner. It is rooted in the understanding of the symbiotic connection between gods, angels, and humanity. By tapping into this power, a wizard gains access to celestial knowledge, perceiving the intricate tapestry that binds all realms and entities together.
1) Sense Spirits
2) Speak with Spirits
3) Banish Spirits
4) Summon Spirits
5) Spirit Travel
Paradox & Quiet
The official rules say Paradox is caused by Vulgar
magic. In these alternative rules Paradox happens
when a Mage fails at casting their spells.
When a Mage fails a magic roll they gain a Paradox
point. A botched roll will then releases that Paradox
in the form of a Quiet (Insanity).
If a Mage has a Paradox level of 1-3, the Quiet happens in one of three ways:
Hallucinations, Fixations, or Depression
If they have a Paradox level of 4-6, the Quiet happens in three more ways:
Delusions & Mood Swings, Repetitive Behaviors, or Suicidal Thoughts
If they have a Paradox level of 7-10, the Quiet happens as:
Wild Hallucinations, Compulsions, and Anti-Social Behavior
If they have a Paradox level of 11+, the Quiet happens in more severe ways:
Complete Madness, Obsession, or Violence
Quintessence can be spent to reduce Paradox, but it
has to be done before the Insanity of Quiet occurs.
If Paradox reaches a level greater than 10 it is
released automatically.
Occult
This system of magic can connect to occult
themes, for interesting role playing.
There are 12 Spheres in this system. Each Sphere connects to one of the 12 signs of the Zodiac. And each Zodiac sign connects to one of 10 planets in Astrology. The 10 planets and 12 signs connect with the 22 Major Arcana of the Tarot.
Control:
Energy / Telekinesis
(Aries / Emperor) + (Mars / Tower)
Transformation:
Developing / Shapeshifting
(Taurus / Hierophant) + (Venus / Empress)
Understanding:
Wisdom / ESP
(Libra / Justice) + (Venus / Empress)
Revelation:
Visions / Rapture
(Pisces / High Priestess) + (Neptune / Hanged Man)
Feeling:
Empathy / Telepathy
(Virgo / Hermit) + (Mercury / Magician)
Influence:
Charisma / Hypnotism
(Leo / Strength) + (Sun / Sun)
Penetration:
Escape / Intangibility
(Gemini / Lovers) + (Mercury / Magician)
Travel:
Direction / Teleportation
(Sagittarius / Temperance) + (Jupiter / Wheel of Fortune)
Production:
Attraction / Creation
(Capricorn / Devil) + (Saturn / World)
Restoration:
Renewal / Healing
(Aquarius / Star) + (Uranus / Fool)
Vanishing:
Stealth / Invisibility
(Cancer / Chariot) + (Moon / Moon)
Destruction:
Curses / Annihilation
(Scorpio / Death) + (Pluto / Judgement)
Finishing Touches
Here are some finishing touches to add to your
character sheet.
Traditions
There are 12 types of Mages representing different world views. You can pick whichever one you feel resonates with your character:
Akashic Brotherhood - Buddhist Warriors
Celestial Chorus - Gnostic Priests
Cult of Ecstasy - Hippies and New Agers
Dreamspeakers - Shamans
Euthanatos - Terrorists and Activists
Order of Hermes - Ceremonial Magicians
Sons of Ether - Rebel Scientists
Verbena - Wiccans
Virtual Adepts - Reality Hackers
Hollow Ones - Goths
Marauders - Permanently Insane
Nephandi - Make Demonic Pacts
Technocracy - Agents of Reason
If you have your own Coven you can also list
it as your Cabal.
Concept
All characters need to have a concept which
can be anything you want to make up. However
here are some example concepts that you might
like to use:
Criminal
Drifter
Entertainer
Intellectual
Investigator
Kid
Night-lifer
Outsider
Politician
Professional
Reporter
Socialite
Soldier
Worker
Nature and Demeanor
There are two more important categories at the
top of the character sheet, called Nature &
Demeanor. Nature is your inner character. and
Demeanor is what you project into the outside
world. Below you can pick one of these for each:
Architect - Purpose / Obsession
You desire to leave a mark on the world.
Autocrat - Leadership / Dictatorship
You want control.
Bon Vivant - Love of Life / Hedonism
You want to live Life.
Bravo - Strength / Anger
You want power.
Caregiver - Compassion / Smothering
You look out for others.
Celebrant - Passion / Intemperance
You have a calling
Child - Innocence / Immaturity
You never grew up.
Competitor - Striving / Competitiveness
Life is a challenge to be won.
Conformist - Cooperation / Low-Self Esteem
You are a follower.
Conniver - Clever / Envy
You are a manipulator
Curmudgeon - Critical Eye / Lack of Imagination
You find the faults in others.
Deviant - Shatter Boundaries / Perversion
You are an outcast.
Director - Organization / Lack of Tolerance
You want things under control.
Fanatic - Dedication / Stubbornness
You live for a cause.
Gallant - Artistry / Flamboyance
You want to be the center of attention.
Judge - Justice / Lack of Vision
You want to resolve problems.
Loner - Self-Reliance / Lack of Empathy
You work best by yourself.
Martyr - Sacrifice / Self-Deprecation
You devote yourself to helping others.
Masochist - Devotion / Self-Destructiveness
You want to suffer.
Monster - Mirror of Villainy / Depravity
You are an evil person.
Pedagogue - Knowledge / Logorrhea
You are a teacher.
Penitent - Responsibility / Contrition
You are consumed with guilt.
Perfectionist - Exactitude / Incompleteness
You need to be the best.
Rebel - Individuality / Lack of Direction
You like to break the rules.
Rogue - Valor / Selfishness
You look out for yourself.
Survivor - Perseverance / Lack of Trust
You keep going no matter what.
Thrill-Seeker - Daring / Recklessness
You live on the edge.
Traditionalist - Consistency / Complacency
You support the status quo.
Trickster - Empathy / Hypocrisy
Your life is a comedy.
Visionary - Imagination / Pride
You want to remake the future.
Essence
Your character's Avatar Essence is also on the
character sheet. An Avatar represents a Mage's
soul, and the essence represents the drive a
mage has at their core. There are four essences
you can pick from:
Dynamic - Change
Pattern - Improvement
Primordial - Stability
Questing - Purpose
Resonance
All Mages also have a Resonance. As a Mage
uses magic their Resonance changes. Other
Awakened can read a Mage's Resonance as well.
You start with one dot in one Resonance
trait, and add dots as you continue working
magic.
There are three types of Resonance:
Dynamic, Entropic, and Static
Dynamic represents change.
Entropic represents destruction.
And Static represents protection.
Purpose
In these alternate rules we also have another
trait called Purpose. You can fill in the
dots anyway you like into these 3 categories:
Self, Others, and World.
Representing your primary motivation.
Foci
Mages tend to have certain tools for using magic.
When a Mage has access to these tools, they receive a +1 bonus to their magic roll. You can
pick at least one at the start of the game. Here
is a list of suggestions for you to choose from:
Art
Astrology
Blood
Books
Bones
Cauldrons
Chalices
Candles
Chanting
Circles
Computers
Crystals
Dancing
Devices
Martial Arts
Drugs
Elements
Feathers
Fire
Formulas
Herbs
Holy Symbols
Incense
Language
Music
Internet
Ordeals
Poetry
Pure Water
Purification
Ritual Sacrifice
Runes
Science
Sex
Songs
Tarot Cards
Ouija boards
Tattoos
Piercings
Toys
Wands
Weapons
Examples
Also, here are some examples of how to attempt other actions using the abilities and attributes already mentioned:
Climbing - Dexterity + Athletics
Driving - Dexterity + Drive
Encumbrance - Strength
Intrusion - Dexterity or Intelligence + Technology
Jumping - Strength or Strength + Athletics
Lifting / Breaking - Strength or Willpower
Pursuit - Dexterity + Athletics / Drive
Shadowing - Dexterity + Stealth
Sleight of Hand - Dexterity + Stealth
Sneaking - Dexterity + Stealth
Stealing - Dexterity + Stealth, Perception + Streetwise
Swimming - Stamina + Athletics
Throwing - Dexterity + Athletics
Fast Talk - Manipulation + Subterfuge
Fitting In - Charisma + Expression
Impersonation - Charisma + Expression or Manipulation + Subterfuge
Interrogation - Manipulation + Intimidation or Charisma + Intimidation
Oration - Charisma + Leadership
Performance - Charisma + Performance
Academic Knowledge - Intelligence + Academics
Building Devices - Intelligence + Technology
Cryptography - Intelligence + Linguistics or Intelligence + Computer
Detecting The Supernatural - Perception + Awareness
Foraging - Intelligence + Survival
Fortune Telling - Perception + Awareness
Hacking - Intelligence / Wits + Computer
Inventing - Intelligence + Science
Investigation - Perception + Investigation
Meditation - Stamina / Intelligence + Meditation
Repair - Dexterity + Technology
Research - Intelligence + Investigation / Computer
Surveillance - Perception + Alertness, Dexterity + Stealth
Tracking - Perception + Survival