Mage: The Ascension (Alternate Rules)

Like most roleplaying games played around a table, This game uses 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 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.

Traits

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 dontt 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 cancel 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.

Combat Fighting is a series of die rolls, until someone surrenders or is rendered unable to fight. The rolls determines 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 successs targeted against him), Roll to hit and apply successes as damage minus any successful deffense rolls.

Example

Lets see how it looks in action. Your character tries to shoot at a thug who just killed his friend. Your characters Dexterity is 3, his Firearms 2, and hes using a Glock 9mm pistol. You therefore get to roll the dice five times. The thug is about 30 yards away which is a -1 penalty. So, you are reduced to 4 dice rolls. But thats not all. Its raining cats and dogs. The Storyteller decides that theres an additional -1 penalty for poor visibility. That leaves you just 3 dice rolls. If a roll yields a 7 or 11 that is one success. If the thug is hit. He suffers 1 points of lethal damage to his Health for every success. Lets say you make 2 successs. It hurts, but it might not be enough to stop him. and he staggers away. Your character needs to decide whether to give chase and close the distance, or try to fire again.

The number of times you roll for an action is made up of an attribute added to an abillity. 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 subtracted by a difficulty level from 0 to 6.

0) Easy

1) Routine

2) Moderate

3) Difficult

4) Challenging

5) Hard

6) 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

The attributes your character has are listed here, they are devided into 3 categories:

Physical:

Strenght - 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 devided 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 - Reparing 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 - Represents your abillity 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 ammount 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. Youll be able to judge what sort of traits youll need based on their titles (theyre 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 devided into 3 levels of points: 7/5/3

The 3 categories of abillities are also devided in 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 Mages magical knowledge called Spheres. The catch is that none of them can be higher than your level of Arete.

Arete starts at 1 and cant begin higher than 3 willpower starts at 5 and cant 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 increasae a Sphere requires 7 freebie points.

Prioritize the categories with 3 levels of points

Select Attributes (7/5/3)

Physical: Strenght, 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 listed here:

Backgrounds:

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

We will now go over the combat system. It is very simple.

Combat is broken down into three steps, Initiative, Attack, and Resolution.

During initiative both players roll Dexterity + Wits. Whoever has more successes gets to go first.

Each player declares either to attack or deffend.

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 deffend they roll:

Block: Dexterity + Brawl

Dodge: Dexterity + Dodge

Parry: Dexterity + Melee

The successes of the attack roll minus the defense roll equal damage, which is either Bashing or Lethal.

If a weapon is being used the story teller can increase the modifier for an attack by up to +3. 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 aquire 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 aquire more than 7 in lethal damage you can die.

Finally your character needs to learn magic!

Overview

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 theyre personally connected to.

3) Coincidental

The Mage can work magic as long as it doesnt 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

Arete is the Mages level of enlightenment. In game terms Arete plus your level in a sphere is the number of dice a Mage rolls when casting their spell. No Sphere can be higher than your level of Arete. You can also only spend up to your level of Arete in quintessence on a single spell. A mage can optionally roll less dice to avoid a potential botch.

Avatar

A Mages Avatar is the maximum Quintessence they can store.

Quintessence

Quintessence is the power source for Magic. Spending Quintessence reduces the difficulty of a spell, up to a modifier of -3. Meditation is required to regain Quintessence for at least an hour at a place of power. 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

Add +4 difficulty for coincidental magic, and +5 for Vulgar magic, if there are no witnesses. Add +1 for magic witnessed by Sleepers.

Successes

Simple magic requires only one success, two successes are required for more powerful magic, and larger effects can take even more. If your level of Arete is at least one point higher than the Sphere you are using, you can succeed without a dice roll.

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

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) Bonus to Subterfuge

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)

Also, here are some examples of how to attempt other actions using the abillities 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