The first section of this game will essentially take place with Mages.   I am basing it off MTA, but running on exalted rules.    As such, I'm having to wing it, and I'm pulling alot out of the NWOD mage, because it clicks with the system a little bit better.<br/><br/>This may seem a bit complicated, but you actually don't need to know it.    I'll take care of alot of this for you if you just tell me what you want out of the spell.   This stuff is just here for transparancy so that you'll see how I do it.<br/><br/>Here's the basics.<br/><br/><br/>Magic:<br/><br/>This part is tenative and subject to change.  However, I'm posting it here for feedback from those who know Mage, and for purposes of character planning.<br/><br/>I'm going to be using the magic system from the NWOD Mage, with the following modifications...<br/><br/>*   1 Mana in nWoD Mage = 2 motes of Essence<br/><br/>*   All mages will possess a Charm that will lower the target difficulty of a magic roll by one for every 2 motes of essence spent to a net difficutly modifier of three.<br/><br/>*   You can only channel as many motes of essence in a turn as your Avatar background rating x 2.   For those familiar with oWoD Mage, this is essentially spending quintessence to make your magik mesh better with reality.  This applies for both pulling Quintessence from a Node, and for funneling it into an effect.<br/><br/>*    Drawing Quintessence (Essence) from a node requires Prime 1.   Using Tass (solidified Essence/Quintessence) Requires Prime 3.  Prime 5 allows a mage to draw Essence out of the universal pool, but is always Vulger.<br/><br/>*   Any effect that uses 5 Essence in a turn, or 10 total is automatically Vulgar and obvious.<br/><br/>*   Essence stored in a Mage's personal pool cannot be pulled away.<br/><br/>*   Mages *DO NOT* Regain Essence normally through rest.   They must draw it from Nodes or some other means.<br/><br/>*   Foci (Props) are encouraged.  They'll reduce difficulties, and they'll help with the speed of combat casting.<br/><br/>*   A default casting action is 5 ticks.  This can be modified by the use of Foci.<br/><br/><br/>There will be more to come, as I can get to it.<br/><br/><br/>Taken from Mage The Awakening, pg 289<br/><br/>Step One: Describe the Spell’s Effect In as plain and simple terms as possible, describe just what it is the mage tries to achieve through magic. Examples: “I want to lift my friends off the ground, and onto the top of the van.”<br/>“I want to make the thug’s cigarette lighter blow up in his face.”<br/>“I want to send a telepathic message to Joe: ‘Beware of Stacy!’”<br/><br/>Step Two: Determine the Sphere (or Spheres) Each Sphere description includes the Sphere’s purview, and the listed spells provide examples for creating<br/>similar spells. For example, a mage might want to create a spell that gives him the “proportional strength of a spider.”<br/><br/>This is a Life spell, since it affects the target’s physical body.<br/>There are multiple paths to the same destination. The range of<br/>spells is quite broad, particularly as mages advance in understanding (and dots). Sometimes a mage can achieve a desired effect using any of several different Arcana in various ways. For example, a mage wanting to put out a fire might use a Forces spell to draw off the fire’s heat. A mage could also use a Matter spell to remove the oxygen around the fire, a Death spell to suddenly exhaust the fire’s energy and fuel, or a Time spell to speed up the fire’s combustion to the point where it burns itself out. Clever players will no doubt think of any number of ways to use different Arcana to accomplish a particular task.<br/><br/>It is perfectly valid to use different Spheres toward the same end. In fact, Storytellers should encourage players to be creative and play to their characters’ strengths, since different ways of accomplishing similar goals helps differentiate characters. Of course, the Storyteller has final say whether a particular Sphere rating can accomplish a particular feat. Taking the above example, the Storyteller may decide that Correspondence alone isn’t<br/>sufficient to transport a fire’s fuel source elsewhere, saying it is<br/>a conjunctional Correspondence/Matter spell. As always, the Golden<br/>Rule applies: If it’s fun and works for your game, go with it.<br/><br/>Conjunctional Spells<br/>The Sphere descriptions concentrate on what can be done with each Arcanum, but the most effective use of magic comes from mixing Spheres. Some spells require knowledge in more than one Sphere. For example, Angrboda wants to turn a puppet into a living creature with the cunning ability to kill whoever plays with it.<br/><br/>He needs Life 5 to transform the lifeless wooden object into a living being, but<br/>he also needs Mind 5 to give it sentience.<br/><br/>In general, a mage needs dots in a particular Sphere to affect the sort of thing governed by the Sphere. For example, he needs Forces to manipulate energy and Matter to transmute objects. He does not need Matter if he wants to conjure a fire using Forces to burn or melt an object. The magic works to conjure the fire, not to directly affect the object.<br/><br/>Step Three: Determine the Dot Rating<br/><br/>Some magic is simply too powerful for even the 5th dot of an Sphere. The Storyteller might deem that higher dots are required — in other words, the caster must be an archmage to perform such a superlative effect.<br/><br/>Examples of these spells include creating nuclear power. Forces 5 allows a mage to create radiation, but not a nuclear blast. For that, he’d need a higher dot level — how high is really up to the Storyteller. Another example is creating a mythical life form such as a griffin or dragon. Life 5 allows a mage to create such a creature, but he cannot borrow its traits and incorporate them into himself or another, as he can with the traits of base, median and sentient life<br/>forms. Such manipulation of an advanced effect requires at least six dots, one dot higher than that required to create the mythical creature. The Storyteller is free to declare that a certain effect is superlative and thus requires more than five dots of the sphere involved.<br/><br/>Generally, if a power is more impressive than any listed for the 5th dot of an Sphere, the Storyteller can assume thatit is reserved for higher levels. These levels are outside the scope of this rulebook; their effects are left to storytellers to discover should characters in his chronicle seek to learn such<br/>lore. (A character cannot learn more than five dots in an Sphere unless his Essence dots exceed five.)<br/><br/>Step Four: Determine the Casting Action Instant or extended. Spells that can be achieved within a single turn of casting are instant. Those that are best achieved with a ceremony or ritual are extended. There are no firm guidelines for choosing; it’s best to call upon the traditional legends and lore of<br/>wizardry. We’ve all heard tales in which witches spend hours or days “brewing up a storm.” To capture that feel, spells that conjure thunderstorms should be extended actions. It’s also a well-known trait of wizards to fling lightning bolts from their staves, so such spells would be instant actions. Instant-action spells can be performed as extended castings, but not vice-versa.<br/>(ST Note: This will largely depend on if you can accumulate enough successes in time.)<br/><br/><br/>Step Five: Determine the Spell Aspect (Coincidental or vulgar. If the spell is possible within the normal laws of physics and isn’t wildly improbable, then it is covert.  It does not risk invoking Paradox. If its effect is literally “out<br/>of this world” — impossible by normal physics — or if it is wildly improbable, then it is vulgar. The caster must contend with the risk of Paradox.<br/><br/>(ST Note:  I use the "HOLY SHIT!" rule.  If an action would just make me go...  "Wow, that's pretty damned cool," then it's probably coincidental.  But if it makes my jaw drop and go "HOLY SHIT!" it's probably vulgar.)<br/><br/>Step Six: Determine the Basic Spell Factors If the spell is an instant-action spell, determine its primary spell factor: either Potency, Target or Duration.<br/>The basic Duration factors are: lasting (the effects of the spell are permanent, such as a healed wound), concentration (the effects last only for as long as the caster maintains concentration), transitory (one turn) and prolonged (one scene). There are no hard guidelines for deciding a spell’s basic Duration, but game balance is a major consideration. If the spell’s continuing effect would greatly hinder its target from being able to defend<br/>himself and/or fight back against the mage, the effect should be of minimal Duration (concentration or transitory). An exception can be made in the case of Sleeper targets. Extreme magic might be longer lasting against them (prolonged, perhaps), because their souls refuse to accept the existence of magic and<br/>thus refuse to even accept that they’re affected by it. Some spells apply to an area or radius rather than to one or more discrete targets. For example, spells that create light or darkness or that transform the properties of the air or ground are usually area-affecting spells. If the sole aim of a spell is to<br/>affect a lot of people or a large object, the caster should have to contend with multiple targets and/or increased target Size.  The effect should determine whether the spell is area affecting,<br/>regardless of the caster’s intent.<br/><br/>Step Seven: Resistance Spells that affect a target directly should always allow the target some degree of resistance. If the spell’s effect is incremental —<br/>measured by degrees, such as damage points inflicted — then the target’s relevant Resistance Attribute should be subtracted from the caster’s dice pool. If the effects are all or nothing, a contested roll is made for the target, usually with a relevant Resistance Attribute plus his Essence(or other supernatural potency trait). Such a roll is usually reflexive. If the spell is aimed (like a ranged-weapon attack, directed as a physical object or bolt of energy from the caster through intervening space to the target), the target receives no innate resistance. Instead, he gains whatever protection is relevant<br/>to a ranged attack, such as cover, going prone, or even his Defense if the casting is at point-blank range.<br/><br/>Step Eight: Determine the Essence Cost. Most spells do not require essence, but the following conditions should levy a cost:<br/><br/>• The spell inflicts aggravated damage<br/>• The spell uses sympathetic range (requires Correspondence 2)<br/>• If the Storyteller feels that casting a spell multiple times within the same scene might provide undue advantage, or if it risks derailing the story in an inappropriate way, he can levy a cost as a means of discouraging multiple castings.<br/><br/><br/>Sympathetic Magic Table:<br/><br/>Sympathetic Spells<br/>Students of the Correspondence Sphere learn that distance is an<br/>illusion, a limit magic can overcome. By including the correspondence sphere in a spell, mages can extend the reach of their magic virtually anywhere in Creation.<br/>Spells including a correspondence element to increase range are called sympathetic spells, since they take advantage of what some mages call the Law of Sympathy: “Like produces like.”<br/><br/>Sprinkling rain onto a map, scrying into a bowl of ink mixed with a drop of the subject’s blood, sticking pins into a puppet containing a lock of the subject’s hair — all of these are examples of sympathetic spells. To cast a sympathetic spell, the mage must have at least 2 dots in correspondence and a two motes of essence must be spent. The stronger the connection between the mage and the target, the easier it is to include the target in the spell. If the mage knows little or nothing about the target, it is hard to perceive it in his mind’s eye, making it difficult to build a sympathetic connection. This difficulty is represented with dice penalties.<br/><br/>Instead of penalizing a spell for the distance involved (distance is an illusion), it is penalized for the vagueness of the connection to the target. The less a mage knows about the subject, the higher the penalty — the greater his sympathetic “distance” from the target.<br/><br/>Dice Penalty Sympathetic Connection Between Caster<br/>and Target*<br/><br/>— Sensory: You can see, hear or otherwise<br/>sense your target directly. This is the<br/>default factor, a sensory spell. (When<br/>trying to locate a target with hearing or<br/>smell, use the rules on pp. 166-167 of the<br/>World of Darkness Rulebook.)<br/><br/>–2 Intimate: You have a piece of the target’s<br/>physical substance, such as hair, nail<br/>clippings or blood from a creature, a leaf<br/>or flower from a plant, or a sliver of<br/>material from an object. Or you know the<br/>target very well, such as a longtime friend<br/>or close family member, a beloved pet or<br/>a prized possession.<br/><br/>–4 Known: You know the target, which might<br/>be a friend, co-worker or personal posCHAPTER<br/>THREE: MAGIC 115<br/>session. You have a photo or other accurate<br/>representation of the target, or you<br/>can see the target on live video or hear<br/>the target over live audio.<br/><br/>–6 Acquainted: You’re acquainted with the<br/>target. It might be a casual acquaintance,<br/>a co-worker you hardly know, or an item<br/>you held or used once.<br/><br/>–8 Encountered: You have encountered the<br/>target briefly, such as a person you passed<br/>on the street or an item you touched once.<br/>–10 Described: You have never encountered<br/>the target, but can describe it. You might<br/>know a person’s name or physical<br/>description, or what an object or place<br/>looks like.<br/><br/>— Unknown: If you know nothing about the<br/>target, you cannot cast a sympathetic<br/>spell on it. Knowing that there is a rival<br/>mage in town is not enough to affect the<br/>mysterious figure from afar. You must at<br/>least know his name, description<br/>or location.<br/><br/>*Note, I haven't edited this.  Some of the terms used may be from NWOD.  Please substitute the appropriate terminology.   Ie: Arcanos = Sphere, Gnosis = Arete/Essence, Mana = Motes of essence (I'm currently working off 2motes = 1pt of Mana).  Again, these rules are being used as a guidline, and if something turns out to be unfair/unworkable, then we can tweak it.   Also, ignore the metaphysics of anything that mentions Atlantis.  I *hate* the whole Atlantian bit of NWoD.   The mechanics behind the runes is kinda cool, however, so if you can fit that into your paradigm, then it'll fly with me.<br/><br/><br/>Spell Factors All the preceding rules assume only the most basic<br/>spellcasting aspects: that a spell affects a single target for a<br/>very short amount of time. A mage can create an Imago,<br/>however, that calls for a burst of flame to affect an entire area<br/>or for an enchantment to last for a whole day. These elements<br/>of a spell — the number of targets or area affected, the<br/>amount of time the spell lasts, and even its raw power — are<br/>called spell factors, and the mage can increase them as he<br/>desires. Spells are limited only by a mage’s power and knowledge.<br/><br/>Potency is a measure of a spell’s power. For damaging<br/>spells, it is the spell’s damage. For other spells, Potency has<br/>different effects. Potency also denotes a spell’s resilience<br/>against other mages’ attempts to counter or dispel it.<br/><br/>Target is the creature or object or the number of creatures<br/>or objects that a spell affects. The default is one target: a<br/>single living being or inanimate object of up to Size 20, or a<br/>small area. To affect larger beings or things, you must add<br/>additional Target factors.<br/><br/>Duration is how long a spell lasts. The default for most<br/>spells is one turn (for transitory spells) or one scene (for<br/>prolonged spells). Once Duration elapses, the spell ends.<br/>Any mage can increase his spell’s various factors, although<br/>he does so at the cost of dice penalties (for instant castings)<br/>or additional required successes (for extended castings). A<br/>mage with advanced understanding of a spell’s Arcanum<br/>(one dot higher than is normally required to cast the spell)<br/>can increase her factors by more dramatic amounts, as<br/>explained below.<br/><br/>Note that spell factors might seem complicated at first, but<br/>they are optional. A mage does not have to alter the default<br/>factors of his spellcasting, as explained in the individual spell<br/>descriptions for each Arcana, but he has that choice. Beginning<br/>players might want to wait until they’ve mastered the basics of<br/>the spellcasting system before they try altering spell factors.<br/><br/><br/>Instant Spellcasting<br/><br/>The spell’s description lists which factor is primary. Successes<br/>rolled in the spellcasting are applied to this factor. A<br/>single success gives a spell the following factors:<br/><br/>Potency: 1 point<br/>Target: One (of Size 20 or smaller), or a circular radius of<br/>one yard or a defined area of five square yards.<br/>Duration: One turn (three seconds) for transitory spells,<br/>and one hour or scene for prolonged spells.<br/><br/>Extra successes enhance the primary factor only. To enhance the<br/>other factors, you must assign dice penalties before the roll is made.<br/>Note that only successes can increase the primary factor.<br/><br/>Potency<br/><br/>Potency describes a spell’s raw power. It is also the measure<br/>of a spell’s resiliency, how hard it is to counter or dispel. Even<br/>if a spell requires only one point of Potency, the caster might<br/>still wish to increase its Potency if he suspects a target will try<br/>to counter or dispel it. A spell with Target or Duration as its<br/>primary factor (i.e., successes are applied to one of those<br/>factors), has a default Potency of one point, making it easy to<br/>counter or dispel even if the casting resulted in an exceptional<br/>success. (The spell affects many targets or lasts a long time, but<br/>has little resilience against countering or dispelling attempts).<br/>Potency is the primary factor for the majority of spells listed<br/>later in this chapter. If a spell description does not call for<br/>successes to be devoted to number of targets (or area affected)<br/>or Duration, assume that its successes apply to Potency.<br/><br/><br/>Potency Dice Penalty<br/>1 None (basic success)<br/>2 –2<br/>3 –4<br/>4 –6<br/>5 –8*<br/>* Impose an additional –2 die penalty per extra point of<br/>Potency. For example, Potency 6 would levy a –10 dice<br/>penalty.<br/><br/>Target<br/>Spells are targeted against one or more creatures or objects.<br/>The magic is woven directly into that target’s Pattern,<br/>bypassing any intervening obstacles. Two questions to consider<br/>are: How many targets are to be affected, and how big<br/>is each target?<br/><br/>Number of Targets Dice Penalty<br/>One None (basic success)<br/>Two –2<br/>Four –4<br/>Eight –6<br/>16 –8*<br/>* Impose an additional –2 die penalty per x2 targets. For<br/>example, 32 targets would levy a –10 dice penalty.<br/>Size<br/><br/>Once a mage knows who he targets, he must account for<br/>the largest target in the group. Targets of exceptional size<br/>(larger than a dump truck) require extra spell control.<br/><br/>Size of Largest Target Dice Penalty<br/>20 or less None (basic success)<br/>21-30 –2<br/>31-40 –4<br/>41-50 –6<br/>51-60 –8*<br/>* Impose an additional –2 die penalty per +10 extra Size.<br/>For example, a target of Size 61-70 would levy a –10 dice<br/>penalty.<br/><br/><br/>Area-Affecting<br/>Instead of one or more specified targets, a spell might affect<br/>a circular radius around a specified spot (radiating equaling<br/>in all directions), or a defined volume (measured in three<br/>dimensions — width, length and height — defined by the<br/>spellcaster). The spell then applies to anyone or anything in<br/>that radius or volume, friend or foe. The mage cannot single<br/>out specific targets within the declared space.<br/><br/>Radius or Defined Volume Dice Penalty<br/><br/>1-yard radius 5 cubic yards None<br/>(basic success)<br/>2-yard radius 10 cu. yards –2<br/>4-yard radius 20 cu. yards –4<br/>8-yard radius 40 cu. yards –6<br/>16-yard radius 80 cu. yards –8*<br/>* Impose an additional –2 die penalty per extra x2 radius<br/>or x2 area. For example, a 32-yard radius or a 160-cubicyard<br/>volume would levy a –10 dice penalty.<br/><br/>Note: The central spot for the radius must be within<br/>sensory range. This usually means the mage must be able to<br/>see it, unless the center is making a noise he can pinpoint or<br/>feel. Otherwise, he must use sympathetic magic (Space 2) to<br/>affect a spot outside of the range of his senses.<br/>Advanced Area-Affecting: If the mage has dots in the spell’s<br/>primary Arcanum that are one or more higher than normally<br/>required to cast the spell, he can increase the radius or<br/>defined volume by more dramatic steps.<br/><br/>Radius or Defined Volume Dice Penalty<br/><br/>1-yard radius 5 cubic yards None<br/>(basic success)<br/>4-yard radius 20 cu. yards –2<br/>16-yard radius 80 cu. yards –4<br/>64-yard radius 320 cu. yards –6<br/>256-yard radius 1280 cu. yards –8*<br/>* Impose an additional –2 die penalty per extra x4 radius<br/>or x4 area. For example, a 1024-yard radius or a 5,120-<br/>cubic-yard volume would levy a –10 dice penalty.<br/>A mage can alter a spell that normally affects one or more<br/>targets to affect a radius or defined volume, instead. His<br/>Arcanum dots must be one or more higher than what is<br/>normally required to cast the spell (although he uses the<br/>basic, not advanced, chart to determine the actual area<br/>affected), and doing so costs one Mana spent during casting.<br/><br/>Duration<br/><br/>There are four types of spell Duration: lasting, concentration,<br/>transitory and prolonged. The spell descriptions provided<br/>later in this chapter list each spell’s Duration.<br/><br/>Lasting<br/><br/>A lasting spell’s effect is a natural part of reality; it has no defined<br/>Duration, since it persists as long as it is natural for it to. For example,<br/>a spell that sets a target on fire is lasting. The fire is real and continues<br/>to burn normally until it is put out or there’s nothing left to burn.<br/>The target’s injuries are also real and must heal normally. Likewise,<br/>a spell that heals injuries is lasting. The healing restores the target<br/>to its natural state, so wounds do not re-appear when the spell ends.<br/>Concentration-based, transitory and prolonged spells all<br/>create an unnatural effect, such as transforming someone’s<br/>shape. Their effects end once the spell’s Duration expires. That<br/>is, reality restores things to normal. Spells with a lasting<br/>Duration do not count against the maximum number of spells<br/>a mage can maintain (based on his Gnosis).<br/><br/>Concentration<br/><br/>A concentration-based spell’s Duration is as long as the mage<br/>applies mental effort to keep it going. The mage cannot take<br/>any other action, except for simple movement (up to his Speed;<br/>he cannot run). The mage also receives no Defense against<br/>attacks, although he can seek cover from ranged attacks. If the<br/>mage is attacked, a reflexive Resolve + Composure roll must be<br/>made for him to maintain concentration.<br/><br/>If the mage stops concentrating for any reason, voluntarily or not,<br/>the spell ends. The exception is if he decides to add Duration factors<br/>as if it were a transitory spell (see below) before the spell is cast, in<br/>which case the spell lasts for an additional time equal to its assigned<br/>Duration, and then lapses. The mage cannot start concentrating on<br/>a spell again once he has stopped, even if the spell hasn’t lapsed yet.<br/>Note: A mage cannot use a concentration-based Duration<br/>when casting aimed spells (see “Aimed Spells,” p. 116).<br/><br/>Transitory Spells<br/><br/>A transitory spell’s default Duration is one turn.<br/><br/>Duration Dice Penalty<br/><br/>1 turn None (basic success)<br/>2 turns –2<br/>3 turns –4<br/>5 turns –6<br/>10 turns –8*<br/><br/>* Add an additional –2 dice penalty per extra +10 turns.<br/>For example, a 20-turn transitory Duration would levy a –<br/>10 dice penalty.<br/>Prolonged Spells<br/>A prolonged spell’s default Duration is one scene or one hour.<br/>Duration Dice Penalty<br/><br/>One scene/hour None (basic success)<br/><br/>Two hours –2<br/>12 hours –4<br/>24 hours –6<br/>Two days –8*<br/><br/>* Impose an additional –2 dice penalty per extra +2 days. For<br/>example, a four-day prolonged Duration would levy a –10 dice<br/>penalty.<br/><br/>Advanced Prolongation: If a mage has dots in the spell’s<br/>primary Arcanum that are one or more higher than normally<br/>required to cast the spell, he can increase the Duration by<br/>even more dramatic steps.<br/><br/>Duration Dice Penalty<br/><br/>One scene/hour None (basic success)<br/>24 hours –2<br/>Two days –4<br/>One week –6<br/>One month –8<br/>Indefinite* –10<br/><br/>* The spell is permanent until cancelled or dispelled.<br/>Living targets, however, grow, change and heal. Spells with<br/>an indefinite Duration cannot be cast upon a living creature.<br/>A vulgar spell with Duration longer than one hour or scene<br/>might suffer from the corrosive effects of Disbelief whenever<br/>a Sleeper witnesses the magic. See “Disbelief,” p. 274.<br/>Atlantean Runes<br/><br/>The alphabet of Atlantis, like the words of that<br/>language, reverberates with power. (See “Words<br/>of Power,” p. 117.) Atlantean runes can be<br/>inscribed onto the target of a transitory or<br/>prolonged spell to automatically extend the<br/>spell’s Duration by +1. (The mage does not have<br/>to extend the Duration himself by assigning dice<br/>penalties or extra successes; the rune does all<br/>the work.) Runes do not affect spells with<br/>Durations of lasting or concentration. If the spell<br/>is area-affecting, the periphery of each cardinal<br/>direction must be marked with a rune.<br/><br/>The spellcaster must personally inscribe the<br/>rune himself by drawing, painting or carving it<br/>no more than a day before spellcasting. This<br/>effort requires at least an instant action and<br/>maybe a successful Dexterity + Crafts roll,<br/>depending on the method used. Mages cannot<br/>use pre-made runes, printing them out in bulk<br/>and slapping them onto targets as needed. Each<br/>rune must be handmade in the moment.<br/><br/>Runes are most appropriate for use with ritual<br/>(extended) castings, such as the creation of a<br/>magical circle of protection (a Space Ward spell;<br/>see p. 236), and are not very practical for use<br/>with combat magic, unless the mage can mark<br/>the rune on the target before casting. Mages<br/>who know High Speech can recognize runes and<br/>avoid being marked with them.<br/><br/>The drawback to using runes is that a spell<br/>becomes inert if the rune (or one of the directional<br/>runes marking an area or radius) is<br/>removed or erased, even if the spell’s Duration<br/>is still active. The caster can redraw the rune<br/>upon the target (or replace a removed area<br/>marker) to reactivate the spell; no casting roll is<br/>required. Any time that has passed still counts<br/>against the spell’s Duration, even though the<br/>spell’s effect wasn’t active.<br/><br/>Mages usually carve runes onto an item they<br/>intend to enchant (see “Ephemeral Enchantment,”<br/>p. 225) or imbue (see “Imbue Item,” p. 225).<br/><br/>Extended Spellcasting<br/>Legends and tales of yore abound with images of witches<br/>spending hours over boiling cauldrons, sorcerers incanting<br/>ancient names of power for days, or mystics meditating for<br/>weeks to achieve miraculous effects. Each of these willworkers<br/>performs an extended-action casting, also called a ritual<br/>casting, allowing successes to be accumulated over a series of<br/>rolls.<br/><br/>The target number of successes depends on all the factors<br/>described in the Imago. The first success on an extended<br/>casting provides all the basic factors listed above for an<br/>instant casting: 1 point of Potency, one target, and a oneturn<br/>Duration (for transitory spells) or one hour/scene<br/>Duration (for prolonged spells). Extra factors are gained by<br/>adding more successes to the target number. To determine<br/>the target number required, use the charts below, adding the<br/>successes listed for each factor.<br/>An extended casting spell is not activated until the required<br/>successes for all the stated factors are attained. Unlike<br/>an instant casting, no factor needs to be declared primary;<br/>successes are allocated as needed among all factors to achieve<br/>the target number for the spell.<br/><br/>Potency<br/><br/>Potency Target Number<br/>1 Basic success<br/>2 +1 success<br/>3 +2 successes<br/>4 +3 successes<br/>5 +4 successes*<br/>* Add an additional success to the target number per<br/>extra point of Potency.<br/>Target<br/><br/>Number of Targets Target Number<br/>One None (basic success)<br/>Two +1 success<br/>Four +2 successes<br/>Eight +3 successes<br/>16 +4 successes*<br/><br/>* Add an additional success to the target number per x2<br/>targets. For example, 32 targets would add five successes<br/>to the target number.<br/><br/>Size<br/><br/>Size of Largest Target Target Number<br/>20 or less Basic success<br/>21-30 +1 success<br/>31-40 +2 successes<br/>41-50 +3 successes<br/>51-60 +4 successes*<br/><br/>* Add an additional success to the target number per +10<br/>Size. For example, a target of Size 61-70 would add five<br/>successes to the target number.<br/><br/>Area-Affecting<br/><br/>Radius or Defined Volume Target Number<br/>1-yard radius 5 cubic yards Basic success<br/>2-yard radius 10 cu. yards +1 success<br/>4-yard radius 20 cu. yards +2 successes<br/>8-yard radius 40 cu. yards +3 successes<br/>16-yard radius 80 cu. yards +4 successes*<br/><br/>* Add an additional success to the target number per<br/>extra x2 radius or x2 area. For example, a 32-yard radius<br/>or a 160-cubic-foot defined volume would add five successes<br/>to the target number.<br/><br/>Advanced Area-Affecting: If the mage has a rating in the<br/>spell’s primary Arcanum that is one dot higher than normally<br/>required to cast the spell, he can increase the radius or<br/>defined volume by more dramatic steps.<br/><br/>Radius or Defined Volume Target Number<br/><br/>1-yard radius 5 cubic yards Basic success<br/>4-yard radius 20 cu. yards +1 success<br/>16-yard radius 80 cu. yards +2 successes<br/>64-yard radius 320 cu. yards +3 successes<br/>256-yard radius 1280 cu. yards +4 successes*<br/><br/>* Add an additional success to the target number per<br/>extra x4 radius or x4 area. For example, a 1024-yard radius<br/>or a 5120-cubic-foot defined volume would add five successes<br/>to the target number.<br/><br/>Duration<br/><br/>Transitory Spells<br/><br/>Duration Target Number<br/>1 turn Basic success<br/>2 turns +1 success<br/>3 turns +2 success<br/>5 turns +3 successes<br/>10 turns +4 successes*<br/>* Add an additional success to the target number per<br/>extra +10 turns. For example, a 20-turn transitory Duration<br/>would add five successes to the target number.<br/><br/>Prolonged Spells<br/><br/>Duration Target Number<br/><br/>One scene/hour Basic success<br/>Two hours +1 success<br/>12 hours +2 successes<br/>24 hours +3 successes<br/>Two days +4 successes*<br/><br/>* Add an additional success to the target number per<br/>extra +2 days. For example, a four-day prolonged Duration<br/>would add five successes to the target number.<br/>Advanced Prolongation: If a mage has dots in the spell’s<br/>primary Arcanum that are one or more higher than normally<br/>required to cast the spell, he can increase the Duration by<br/>even more dramatic steps.<br/><br/>Duration Target Number<br/><br/>One scene/hour Basic success<br/><br/>24 hours +1 success<br/>Two days +2 successes<br/>One week +3 successes<br/>One month +4 successes<br/>Indefinite* +5 successes<br/><br/>* The spell is permanent until cancelled or dispelled.<br/>Living targets, however, grow, change and heal. Spells with<br/>an indefinite Duration cannot be cast upon a living creature.<br/><br/>Relinquishing Control of Spells<br/><br/>Spells count against the total limit of spells a<br/>mage can actively maintain, determined by his<br/>Gnosis (see p. 75). A mage can choose to<br/>relinquish a spell from his control, allowing it to<br/>continue on its own (until dispelled). To do so,<br/>one Willpower dot is sacrificed (it can be<br/>restored at the cost of eight experience points).<br/>Once he relinquishes such a spell, he can no<br/>longer dismiss it at will, restrict or limit its spell<br/>factors, or alter it in anyway using the normal<br/>rules for spell control(see “Spell Control,” p. 128).<br/><br/>It acts as if it were a spell cast by another mage.<br/>Mages usually reserve relinquishment for<br/>indefinite Duration spells; the cost is judged to<br/>be too high for spells that will eventually<br/>dissipate after their Duration expires.<br/><br/>Fast Casting to Ritual Casting<br/><br/>A mage’s talent — his dice pool — might not be enough<br/>to produce all his desired factors, reducing him to a risky<br/>chance die. This is not enough to deter or defeat the Awakened,<br/>however. A mage can perform an instant-action spell<br/>as a ceremonial or ritual casting, performed as an extended<br/>action, allowing him to collect the factors over a series of<br/>rolls. He cannot perform extended-action spells as instant<br/>castings, though.<br/><br/>Example: Arctos wants to cast an improvised Forces 2<br/>“Control Light” spell to brighten the beam of his flashlight, and he<br/>wants it to last a full day (24 hours). His Gnosis 3 + Forces 3<br/>gives an unmodified dice pool of six. The 24-hour Duration levies<br/>a –6 dice penalty on the pool. Arctos’ player is reduced to a<br/>chance die.<br/><br/>Arctos decides to cast the spell as an extended casting, which<br/>takes him longer (one hour per roll with his Gnosis of 3), but it<br/>gives his player a better dice pool. For the 24-hour prolonged<br/>Duration, three successes are added to the target number required.<br/>Since Arctos needs only a Potency of 1, the base target<br/>number is one success, for a total of four. With the player’s six<br/>dice, he might get this amount in one roll, but it will more likely<br/>take two or three rolls (two or three hours of casting).<br/>A mage might wish to quit early and accept a weaker spell,<br/>or keep going and make a stronger spell once he has attained<br/>enough successes. In either case, a Willpower point must be<br/>spent to alter the Imago or else lose all accumulated successes.<br/>The amount of time required per roll depends on the<br/>mage’s Gnosis.<br/><br/>Gnosis Time per Roll<br/><br/>1-2 3 hours<br/>3-4 1 hour<br/>5-6 30 minutes<br/>7-8 10 minutes<br/>9-10 1 minute<br/><br/>Rolls must be made continuously. The caster may rest for<br/>only a short time between rolls — 10 minutes per dot of<br/>Gnosis. For this reason, mages who spend too much time<br/>spellcasting can suffer the effects of fatigue. See pp. 179-180<br/>of the World of Darkness Rulebook. A mage who cannot<br/>resume spellcasting between breaks loses all his accumulated<br/>successes. Mages sometimes use Life or Mind magic to help<br/>them resist the effects of fatigue before beginning a long<br/>ritual.<br/><br/>Resistance Against Magic Before dice are rolled for spellcasting, any resistance the target might have against magic must be considered, as it<br/>could affect the dice pool and outcome of the casting.<br/>Living creatures have a degree of innate resistance to<br/>magic; their Patterns can sometimes resist change imposed<br/>from without. Consult the spell’s description to see whether<br/>it allows the target some form of defense.<br/>There are two types of innate protection against magic:<br/>“contested” resistance and “automated” resistance. Mages<br/>can also use countermagic to gain additional protection<br/>against spells. See “Countermagic,” p. 122.<br/><br/>The target can choose not to resist a spell, but he must<br/>consciously choose to do so. Mind magic cannot be used to<br/>make a target let down his defenses. (Of course, the target<br/>might believe a mage casts a beneficial spell and so let down<br/>his defenses, but there’s nothing to guarantee that the mage<br/>won’t then betray that trust with a malicious spell.)<br/><br/>Contested Resistance<br/><br/>Some spells allow a contested roll to be made for a target<br/>to avoid the magical effects. This is a reflexive roll, made<br/>right after the roll for the spellcaster. If successes equal or<br/>exceed those for the caster, the spell does not affect the<br/>target.<br/><br/>The spell description lists which Resistance Attribute is<br/>rolled for the target. Composure might be used to contest<br/>emotion-affecting spells and any spell intended to confuse<br/>his perception. Resolve might be used to contest mental<br/>effects, such as mind control or anything that diminishes his<br/>volition. For spells that affect him physically, such as a Death<br/>enervation spell, Stamina might be used to contest.<br/>A mage’s Gnosis is added to such a contested dice pool,<br/>giving her more potent defense against magic than a Sleeper<br/>gets.<br/><br/>Contested Roll: Resistance Attribute + Gnosis<br/><br/>If a target is aware that he is being magically attacked, a<br/>point of Willpower can be spent for a +3 dice bonus to his<br/>contesting dice pool.<br/>Roll Results<br/>Dramatic Failure: The target succumbs completely to the<br/>spell. Its factors are the same, but their effects are more<br/>intense — pain is more painful, hypnosis more complete. At<br/>the Storyteller’s discretion, the target might lose his action<br/>in this turn or the next as he is completely distracted by the<br/>spell.<br/><br/>Failure: The spell’s effects are applied against the target.<br/><br/>Success: If the successes equal or exceed the caster’s<br/>successes, the spell does not affect the target (or if the spell<br/>is an extended casting, the caster does not accumulate<br/>successes this roll).<br/><br/>Extraordinary Success: If the successes equal or exceed<br/>the caster’s successes, the spell does not affect the target (or<br/>122 if the spell is an extended casting, the caster does not<br/>accumulate successes this roll).<br/><br/>Automated Resistance<br/><br/>The target’s Resistance Attribute is subtracted from the<br/>spellcasting dice pool. The spell description lists the Attribute<br/>to use. If a spell affects multiple targets, the highest Resistance<br/>Attribute of all affected targets modifies the dice pool. Therefore,<br/>a mind-affecting spell that applies to three targets with<br/>Resolve scores of 2, 3 and 5 suffers a –5 penalty (the highest<br/>Resistance trait of the group). For extended-action castings,<br/>subtract the Resistance Attribute from each dice roll.<br/>If a target is aware that he is being magically attacked, a<br/>point of Willpower can be spent for a +2 bonus to his<br/>Resistance trait.<br/><br/>Supernatural Conflict<br/><br/>It’s inevitable that mages come in contact with<br/>the other terrifying and bizarre denizens of the<br/>World of Darkness. Mages may clash with<br/>werewolves, vampires or stranger things. When<br/>such contact can’t be resolved peacefully, supernatural<br/>powers and capabilities may be brought<br/>to bear to decide which creature prevails.<br/>In this book, spells are applied against mortal<br/>human beings and against other mages. In those<br/>cases, the rules operate as written. There’s little<br/>question as to what protection a target might<br/>have. A mortal probably has little protection<br/>against contestable spells other than his relevant<br/>Resistance Attribute, while a mage’s Gnosis is<br/>added to his Resistance Attribute. For example, a<br/>mortal target of Mind magic has only his Resolve<br/>to apply in a contested roll against a mage’s<br/>dice pool. Meanwhile, another mage who is the<br/>target of a Mind spell has a contested dice pool<br/>composed of Resolve + Gnosis.<br/><br/>So what happens when a mage encounters a<br/>supernatural being and is subjected to the powers<br/>that creature wields? How does the mage’s<br/>inherent nature or capabilities protect him? In<br/>cases where a contested roll is made to determine<br/>the power’s effects, the mage’s relevant Resistance<br/>Attribute + Gnosis is rolled. The Resistance<br/>Attribute is any one of the mage’s Stamina,<br/>Resolve or Composure. Stamina is used against<br/>powers that have a physical effect, Resolve is<br/>used against powers that have a mental effect,<br/>and Composure is used against powers that have<br/>an emotional effect.<br/><br/>For example, if a vampire seeks to Mesmerize<br/>your mage, roll Resolve + Gnosis in a contested<br/>action to resist. If a werewolf uses the Scent<br/>Beneath the Surface Gift to detect your mage’s<br/>lies, roll Composure + Gnosis to resist.<br/>Otherwise, follow all the other rules that apply<br/>for the power used.<br/><br/>The Storyteller can invoke this general rule<br/>whenever he confronts your character with<br/>monsters of his own creation — weird beings<br/>that may have never been seen before. Or he<br/>can allow you this kind of contested roll when<br/>your Mage chronicle overlaps with Werewolf:<br/>The Forsaken, Vampire: The Requiem or any<br/>other Storytelling game. When the Gifts, Disciplines<br/>or other powers from those games are<br/>turned upon your character, you know that his<br/>inherent potency as a creature of the night may<br/>afford him some protection.<br/><br/>Note, however, that such protection doesn’t<br/>apply when no contested roll is allowed against<br/>the power used. Say the Storyteller rolls a dice<br/>pool to determine the effects of a werewolf’s Gift<br/>turned on your mage, and the rules say your<br/>character’s Resolve is simply subtracted from<br/>that pool. In that case, your mage’s Gnosis is not<br/>subtracted from the pool as well. Since no<br/>contested roll is involved to fight off the power,<br/>your character’s Resistance Attribute alone<br/>applies as a dice-pool penalty.<br/><br/>And be prepared! Just as mages get special<br/>defenses against the powers of other supernatural<br/>entities, so too do those beings get extra<br/>benefits against Awakened magic. When spells<br/>are combated with contested rolls, creatures<br/>such as werewolves and vampires get special<br/>dice pools based on their own otherworldly<br/>nature. Their extra protection is addressed in<br/>Werewolf: The Forsaken, Vampire: The Requiem<br/>and other Storytelling games.<br/><br/>Countermagic<br/><br/>Mages have the ability to counter many uses of magic,<br/>particularly magic directed at them. Countermagic is in<br/>addition to any form of resistance against magic that a<br/>character already receives, as described above. Countermagic<br/>is applied before any roll is made to contest an incoming<br/>spell.<br/><br/>A mage has three different options for countermagic:<br/>“Dispel Magic” (see p. 220), whereby the he cancels existing<br/>spells; “Magic Shield” (see p. 222), whereby he shields<br/>himself against other spells; and “Counterspell” (see below),<br/>whereby the mage blocks an attacking spell with a special<br/>countering spell. The first two methods require the Prime<br/>Arcanum. “Counterspell” requires one dot in one of the<br/>Arcana used by the attacking spell.<br/><br/>Counterspell<br/>(Any one of the attacking spell’s Arcana at •)<br/>The mage creates Pattern interference that can weaken or<br/>even cancel a spell.<br/>Practice: Shielding<br/>Action: Instant and contested; successes are compared to<br/>the target spell’s Potency<br/>Duration: Lasting<br/>Aspect: Covert<br/>Cost: 1 Mana<br/>When someone directs a vulgar spell at the mage or other<br/>targets whom the mage wishes to protect, he can cast a<br/>countering spell that creates a form of magical interference,<br/>weakening or even canceling the attacking spell, similar to<br/>how an obstacle can act as cover against a ranged attack. He<br/>must first have Mage Sight to be able to perceive the<br/>attacking spell. Like a dodge action, he can cast Counterspell<br/>against vulgar spells cast by another mage with a higher<br/>Initiative. (He cannot counter attacks with lower Initiatives<br/>if he has already performed an action in the turn. See<br/>“Dodge,” p. 156 of the World of Darkness Rulebook, for<br/>rules on how this circumvents the normal Initiative order for<br/>the turn.) A mage can even counter sympathetic spells cast<br/>directly at him (but not those cast at other targets), by<br/>sensing the sympathetic conduit being forged by the spell<br/>(again, he must have Mage Sight for this).<br/>Successes are subtracted from the target spell’s Potency. If<br/>the target spell is left with no Potency, it is canceled entirely.<br/>If even a single point of Potency remains, the spell is applied<br/>against its target (at its reduced Potency).<br/>A covert spell cannot normally be countered, since the<br/>defending mage must first identify its Arcanum components<br/>using the normal rules for doing so (see “Scrutinizing Spells,”<br/>p. 278). Such investigation is not normally possible within<br/>the same turn in which the spell is cast, although some Time<br/>magic might give a mage the extra time needed or clue him<br/>in on what spell the caster will cast before he casts it. Vulgar<br/>spells do not need this kind of scrutiny; they are obvious<br/>enough to counter within the same turn of casting.<br/>A spell aimed at more than one target does not need to be<br/>countered for each target; a successful countering diminishes<br/>or prevents its effects against all targets.<br/><br/>A countering mage must have at least one dot in one of the<br/>Arcana used by the attacking spell. For example, to counter<br/>a conjunctional Mind 3 + Life 2 spell, a mage needs either<br/>Mind 1 or Life 1, but not both. If he does not have a proper<br/>Arcanum lore, he cannot counter the spell. Counterspell can<br/>be learned as a rote (use Occult Skill), but it must be learned<br/>separately for each Arcanum to which it applies.<br/>A mage with two dots of Prime can instead use the<br/>“Counterspell Prime” spell, p. 222, to counter any spell,<br/>regardless of Arcanum. In addition, Counterspell Prime<br/>allows him to counter covert spells (assuming he has active<br/>Mage Sight) without first needing to identify them.