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M20: Magick System Changes
#1
The following changes have been implemented to the magick systems in Mage 20th Anniversary Edition:

Casting Mechanics
  • Rather than having a Specialty Sphere that’s tied to Tradition, mages now have an “Affinity Sphere” that’s unique to the individual. Everyone has an Affinity Sphere, regardless of affiliation (this includes Disparates such as Craft mages and Orphans.) The Affinity Sphere represents the sphere most closely tied to that character’s Focus/Paradigm. It may be the same as the Tradition specialty, or it may not. The Affinity Sphere is purchased at 7xp per level instead of 8. Mages do still need to take at least 1 dot in a Tradition specialty, but those spheres are no longer eligible for the XP discount unless taken as an Affinity.
  • “Focus” now refers to the combination of a mage’s Paradigm, Practice and Instruments. A Focus must be composed of at least one paradigm, one practice and 7 instruments. “Instruments” is kind of a misleading term, as it refers to both physical tools and other ritual aids, such as blood, pain, music, dance, and anything else that would have previously be classified as “foci.” An extensive list of Paradigms, Practices and Instruments can be found in Chapter 10, part 7.
  • Changing a character’s Focus requires that they adopt an entirely new set of practices and instruments, and the character’s Spheres – with the exception of their Affinity – will function at half their level for “several game months.”
  • The system for discarding Instruments works differently now. Mages begin with at least 7 Instruments, but they begin to discard them at Arete 3. This no longer relates to Spheres. Instead, mages can discard 1 Instrument per Arete level from Arete 3 onward. By the time they hit Arete 9, they will surpass the need to use them at all. This system works a bit differently for Technomancers. Mages who focus their arts through technology do not begin to discard Instruments until Arete 6, but once they do they can discard 2 per level instead of 1 – so it evens out by the end. (Technocrats cannot do this.) Mages can still use Instruments once they’ve been surpassed, and if they do they’ll receive a -1 difficulty modifier to casting.
  • A mage cannot raise their Arete or Spheres higher than their permanent WP rating. (This is not likely to be an issue on this site.)
  • Characters may roll WP at (usually – it can go higher in special circumstances) difficulty 6 to counter Mind magic. Successes scored remove successes from the effect. Sleepers must spend a WP point to be able to make this roll. Mages and Night-Folk can do it for free. Characters must be aware of the attack in order to resist it.
  • The amount of Quintessence a mage can spend or absorb per turn is limited by their Avatar rating.
  • Any effect that moves around 10 or more points of Quintessence is always vulgar and can be seen by mortal eyes.
  • When using a mundane action to lower casting difficulties, the successes on the action lowers the casting difficulty by -1 per success – up to a maximum of -3. The difficulty of the ability roll is the same as the BASE difficulty of the Effect (before modifiers.) WP cannot be used on the ability roll, and its difficulty cannot be lowered by any other means. This does not apply in the reverse scenario (using magick to enhance abilities.)
  • When using magick to enhance an attack, the successes on the Arete roll reduce the attack difficulty by -1 each, up to a max of -3 (the same as if it were the reverse.)
  • There are now two different methods for calculating successes when casting an Effect. One of them is the way we currently do it (dividing successes up and adding them together: targets+duration+effect, etc.) The other is more subjective and uses minimum thresholds based on general difficulty and what type of effect you’re trying to cast. Since the dividing successes option allows for more standardized casting (which is helpful on a large site where players have a lot of autonomy,) more specific customization of effects (being able to choose additional targets, etc.) and doesn’t require us to retrain ourselves to a new system, we will be sticking with the casting method we currently use.
  • There are updated Magickal reference charts in Chapter 10, Part 1. As stated above, we use the “Dividing Successes Option” for casting rules here on this site (this has not changed.) Also, the numbers listed on the Base Damage or Duration Chart are the total successes scored on the effect – not just those being spent on damage/duration. The Magickal Feats Chart is still kind of difficult to employ when using the Dividing Successes Option (for example, the successes required to conjure a fireball will vary depending on targets and the amount of damage you want to do.) It can be useful if you’re trying to gauge how difficult an effect should be to cast, but the successes listed there are only suggestions – and they’re meant to be used by STs who just want to toss out a reasonable threshold without having to calculate a lot of details.
  • The chart for Magickal difficulty modifiers has been updated. Much of it is the same, but there are a few small changes. See Chapter 10, Part 1.
  • If an Effect’s difficulty goes above 10, the remaining balance is applied as additional threshold.
  • There is now a system for detecting illusions. Seeing through a mental illusion requires a WP roll at variable difficulty (see the associated chart in Chapter 10.) “Physical” illusions require a Perception+Alertness roll (also at variable difficulty.) Both of these require 5 successes.
  • There is also a more detailed system for creating illusions (see the associated chart in Chapter 10.) Please note: if you are using the unedited pre-release version of the pdf, there is a very probable typo in these rules where it states that “physical illusions” require Forces 2+ / Prime 4+. (That should be Forces 2+ / Prime 2 based on the Sphere guidelines.)
  • There’s an Aura chart now. See the Magickal Reference Charts in Chapter 10. Another chart tells how much Quintessence you can get from different patterns.
  • There is now a list of Common Magickal Effects in Chapter 10.
  • Sharing magickal perceptions now requires Mind 2 + the related Sphere.
  • Using a rote from a different paradigm (one not the mage’s own) adds +2 to the casting difficulty.
  • Mages can manipulate the Mythic Threads in order to reduce casting difficulty by -1. This involves employing powerful mythic symbology in a way that helps the masses to suspend disbelief. Used especially well, it could even make a vulgar effect coincidental. (See Chapter 10, Part 3.)
  • Using a tool or ritual even though it isn’t needed gives a -1 difficulty modifier (this applies to characters who’ve surpassed their foci.)
  • Extraordinary Citizens do not count as Sleeper Witnesses with regards to Technomagick, but they DO count with regards to mystic arts. Mystic Acolytes never count as Sleepers, unless they’ve been raised in an isolated community with no exposure to modern technology.
  • Crafting patterns out of thin air is difficult and should require an associated ability roll (Science, Crafts, etc.) Some counterfeiting skill is required in order to produce paper money.
  • Effects cast somewhere other than Earth can potentially go below difficulty 3, at ST discretion.
  • Modifiers can be applied to an Effect’s difficulty beyond the -3 limit if they are used to cancel out other modifiers. So, say, if the base difficulty was 5 and you had +1 difficulty from a modifier, you could lower the total diff by -4 (potentially.)
  • Mages cannot make more rolls in an extended ritual than the total of their WP + Arete. This is a small but noticeable change from Revised, which capped the total successes rather than the total number of dice rolls. Total successes are no longer capped.
  • When rolling an extended ritual, if an outside party interferes with the casting – either by attacking the effect or distracting the mage – the mage must roll WP at difficulty 8 or else botch the entire deal. If they succeed, they continue as if they had rolled a botch (-1WP, -1 success, and another interruption brings the whole thing crashing down.) This rule applies to lengthy, intense rituals. Not to those effects that only require an extra roll or two.
  • When casting extended rituals, characters may work for one hour per dot of Stamina without penalty. After that, they must roll Stamina for each additional hour spent casting, with the starting difficulty equal to the base difficulty of the effect. After the first roll, each subsequent roll goes up by +1 difficulty. Failure means exhaustion has set in. To continue, spend a WP point, and the next roll will suffer a +3 penalty. A botch counts as Interference (see above.)
  • When calculating Paradox on extended rituals, you still get +1 paradox per extra roll on a botch, however that now applies even if only one roll botched (and the effect itself succeeded.) The tally doesn’t reset. An extended effect with 4 total rolls where one of the rolls botched will still give +3 paradox.
  • When casting group effects, all mages involved must have at least 1 level in each sphere being used. All participants must remain in contact with each other for the duration of the ritual. (This does not need to be physical contact.) Enlightened Assistants, or mages who can’t cast the effect on their own, still add 1 auto success each, but now there’s a cap of +5 max. (These do not cancel out a botch on the caster’s roll.) Also, you cannot work with both equal collaborators (mages who CAN cast the full effect) AND enlightened assistants. Pick one or the other.
  • Unawakened acolytes no longer help with casting unless they’re purchased with the Cult background or there are at least 100 of them. Cultist helpers offer +1 die on the casting roll per level in the background (max +5.) If you’ve got over 100 people involved in the ritual AND there are no other witnesses, a vulgar effect can become coincidental.
  • Collaborative rituals that botch apply paradox to EVERYONE.
  • Effects normally work within the caster’s clear sensory range (unless Correspondence is involved.) To cast against a subject on the periphery of that range, or who is obscured, add +1 to the difficulty.
  • The Countermagick rules have been revised a bit. Mages need to have at least 1 dot in at least 1 of the spheres being used (rather than all of the Spheres as it formerly stated.) Also, rolls are now made at difficulty 7. Countermagick now only works on incoming attacks (it’s basically a form of magickal Dodge,) unless you employ these optional rules (see below.)
  • Optional: “Protective or Offensive Countermagick.” This allows a mage to try to intercept an attack made against someone else. Doing this requires at least Prime 1 and 1 point of Quintessence. At +1 difficulty, the defendant can try to dispel the attacker’s effect. At +2, they can try to turn the effect back on the caster. In that case, they have to score more successes than the caster. Every success beyond that total reflects back.
  • Optional: “Anti-Magick.” This rule allows the mage to basically harden reality through the use of Prime to make casting an effect more difficult. This is commonly used by Technocrats, but mystic mages can do it too. The mage rolls their level in Prime at difficulty 8. Each success adds +1 difficulty to the caster’s roll, but the character employing anti-magick must also spend 1 point of Quintessence per difficulty modifier.
  • Optional: “Unweaving.” This allows the mage to actually unweave an effect that was already cast (wards, etc.) They need at least Prime 1 plus 1 dot in EACH sphere being used (not just one) and make their roll at difficulty 8. Quintessence can be spent to lower the difficulty of an unweaving roll. It must also be spent if the original effect required Quintessence from the caster (at the same amount that was spent.)
  • Primium (an anti-magick substance created and used by the Technocracy) works like automatic countermagick.
  • Night-Folk now have their own form of Countermagick. There are a lot of rules and modifiers to this process. See Chapter 10, Part 3.
  • Mages can counter Night-Folk abilities as well. They roll Arete to do this. Optionally, they may be required to have dots in the appropriate spheres.
  • Using unfamiliar instruments adds +2 to the difficulty initially, then +1 as the mage adjusts to using them.
  • Practice is the manner in which a mage turns their beliefs into reality. Mages must have at least 1 practice, but can mix as many as 3.
  • Specialty foci have been recategorized as “Personalized Instruments.” Mages are only allowed one personalized instrument, and it must be tied to their Affinity Sphere.
  • Losing a unique instrument now means that the mage is stuck without a proper focus for that sphere until they are able to discard their need for that instrument by increasing Arete.
  • There is a list of new Rotes in Chapter 10, part 8.
  • Practiced Rotes are no longer a thing (as far as impacting casting difficulties, anyway.)
  • There is an optional system for determining whether an Effect is coincidental that employs something called “Reality Zones.” We will be using this here. Effects and practices that fit in with the local reality are often coincidental and may (at ST option) be cast at -1 difficulty. Effects that work against that reality are often vulgar and may (again, optionally) be +1 difficulty to cast. See Chapter 10, part 9 for rules and details.

Spheres
  • The new Spheres Guidelines are listed in Chapter 10, part 2. A lot of things remain the same, but a number of things have changed. Please see the book for a complete run-down of the spheres. I will not be listing all of the differences here – only the most relevant ones.
  • When casting a remote Effect with Correspondence, the Effect is limited by the caster’s knowledge in the Correspondence Sphere (just like the rules for teleporting other patterns.) In order to remotely set off a Forces 3 attack, the caster must use Correspondence 3. If they only have Correspondence 2, then they are limited to rank 2 Effects.
  • The rules for Correspondence 2 apportation are explained better. Patterns must be house-cat sized or smaller, and can only be pulled short distances. At this level, the mage can also grasp items and work with them from a distance.
  • Correspondence 3 can now be used to make things fly/levitate (including oneself.) See Chapter 10.
  • Revised used to refer to the thickening of space against Correspondence magick (scrying and the like) as “Warding.” This is still something you can do (and it works the same way) but it’s no longer referred to as a Ward. (The book actually doesn’t call it anything.) Wards are now the term for what used to be referred to as a “Ban.” That is, a magickal barrier which prevents certain patterns from entering an area. Wards in M20 are also harder to cast, and now require Correspondence 4. However, it should be noted that under the guidelines for Data (the alternate version of Correspondence) Wards/Bans are still listed as being a 3rd level Effect. It’s unclear if one of these is a mistake or if they’re actually meant to function differently.
  • Entropy 4 can now heal damage as well as cause it, by “influencing the flow of Entropy within a living body to grant outstanding vitality.”
  • Forces 2 can now amplify forces. This was previously done with Forces 3.
  • The rules for limiting the area of effect with Forces magick have been better defined. A Forces 2 Effect can encompass a single human pattern or a space of up to 20 square feet. At Forces 3, this expands to several dozen yards or a handful of people.
  • The rules for healing with Life magick have been revised! At Life 2, a mage can now heal any form of damage done to their own pattern. At Life 3, they can heal any form of damage to any living pattern.
  • Life 3 can be used to protect the caster from open flames and other extreme environmental hazards that could ordinarily kill them.
  • Life 4 can now “increase brain capacity” in complex organisms.
  • To create Matter with Matter 2, the material must be simple, inert and homogenous. Basic compounds such as bread, milk, paper and gunpowder can be achieved with enough successes, but anything beyond that would be considered Matter 3 or 4. This is not really new, but it’s been better explained in this edition.
  • Mind Effects used to read or influence a target’s mental state are rolled at a difficulty equal to the Target’s WP (with a minimum of 4.) Drastic acts of mind control (suicide, etc) are made at WP+3, as are Mind-based attacks against Night-Folk and other mages who use the Mind Sphere. This ruling does not apply to attacks made against multiple targets. Please Note: Due to the potentially problematic nature of this system, I will be addressing it in the Judgment Calls.
  • Mind 2 can now project a single word into a target’s mind, in addition to empathic/emotional projections.
  • You can now channel Quintessence from Tass with Prime 1. (Formerly this was done with Prime 2.)
  • Attacks made with pure Quintessential energy, such as Prime Bolts, now require Prime 3 to cast.
  • Objects infused with Prime can either protect against aggravated damage or inflict it. (This is done at Prime 2. Formerly it only gave the option to cause damage.)
  • In order to pull Quintessence from a sacrifice (either living or matter) the mage now needs to have Life 3 or Matter 2 in addition to Prime 3.
  • Spirit 3 can cause direct damage to a spirit’s pattern the same way that Life 3 can to a living one.
  • Spirit 3 is no longer required to make other Spheres function in the Umbra. (However, the other Spheres do have some unusual quirks when used there. This depends on the sphere and the rules of the particular realm. Spirit 2 is still necessary in order to affect spirits/ephemeral patterns.)
  • Spirit 3, Matter 3 and Prime 2 can be used to craft temporary objects from ephemera.
  • Spirit 4 can compel spirits to appear.
  • When prolonging an effect with Time magick, the mage can either spend successes according to the Duration chart or they can employ Entropy 3 to set a specific condition.
  • Effects that involve going back in time add +3 to the difficulty, are always vulgar and stack the effects of paradox. This includes rewinding time by turns. Doing so multiplies the Paradox by each turn they rewind (so rewinding two turns gives 2 times the paradox.) Traveling back in time stacks paradox twice for each level on the Time chart they travel through. (So going back 50 years – 4 intervals – gets paradox x 8.)
  • Rewinding Time requires 2 successes for each turn rewound.
  • There are now descriptions and guidelines listed for Data, Dimensional Science and Primal Utility, the three alternate spheres for Correspondence, Spirit and Prime. The latter two are only available to Technocrats, but Data is also usable by Tradition Technomancers. (Note that mages can take either Data or Correspondence – not both.) See Chapter 10, Part 2.
Paradox
  • The Paradox system has changed. See Chapter 10, part 4. In general, Paradox is now more difficult to get rid of (keeping more in line with pre-revised versions of the game.) When rolling for a backlash, you should only remove the number of points that come up as successes (except in the case of a botch.) The rest sticks around until it either bleeds off over time or another backlash hits. When a backlash roll botches, all of the Paradox is harmlessly purged (think of it as the Paradox botching – not the character.) A failed backlash roll causes no harm, but does not discharge any Paradox. When determining the result of a backlash, use the associated chart. The degree of the backlash is determined based on the number of successes rolled on the backlash (not on the total Paradox pool.) Backlashes will either deal out damage OR Flaws. As in Revised, higher degrees of backlash can inflict lethal or even aggravated damage. However I do not plan to change the judgment call that removed this in our game. Because if a mage gets hit with 11 points of lethal damage… they will be dead.
  • Backlash rolls for Paradox are no longer done automatically whenever Paradox is gained. If a mage scores 5 or more points of Paradox in a single event, they must make a backlash roll. Otherwise, the Paradox just accumulates until it reaches 10 points (at which time they must roll a Backlash.) However, an ST may call for a backlash at other moments – such as when a character does something exceptionally unwise. Backlash rolls can still be staved off until the end of a scene by spending a WP point.
  • Paradox that remains on a character’s Paradox wheel bleeds off at a rate of one point per week if the total is kept to under 5 points. As an optional rule, an ST may allow characters with 5-9 points of Paradox to retreat from magick entirely and bleed off at 1 point per month for the first five points, then 1 point per week after that.
  • Cameras do not count as Sleeper witnesses when calculating Paradox.
  • Successful and Failed Vulgar Effects now accumulate only 1 point of Paradox.
  • The different levels of Paradox Flaws are listed in Chapter 10, part 4. Active Paradox flaws can increase in severity as more Paradox is accrued.
  • Paradox burns from a backlash that deal out 10 or more points of damage become explosions that radiate out around the mage, as per the Explosion rules in chapter 9.
  • Backlashes of 10 points or more have a chance of drawing a Paradox spirit. Paradox spirits are immune to the Spirit Sphere at any rank lower than 5, except for direct attacks and even then they have a habit of shrugging it off. The larger the backlash, the more formidable the spirit. See Appendix 1 for examples.
  • Paradox Realms often have something to do with the offending Sphere, but not always. They can manifest in all sorts of ways, so feel free to be creative. Sometimes they have Paradox Spirits guarding them. The way to escape these Realms should involve solving problems without the use of magick. See Chapter 10, Part 4 for more info.
  • Characters who acquire 10 or more points of Paradox have a chance of slipping into Quiet.
Quiet
  • The rules for Quiet have changed. See Chapter 10, part 5.
  • Quiet can happen as a result of: accumulated Paradox, large Paradox backlashes (10 points or more – in which case the degree of Quiet is determined by how many points were discharged), and/or trauma (including botched Mind spheres rolls at level 3 or higher, extended torture or social conditioning, sanity-cracking experiences, devastating loss, massive Mind Sphere attacks that leave the character incapacitated, or physical brain damage.) At such times, a successful WP or Stamina roll (depending on the form the trauma takes) at a difficulty of the mage’s current paradox pool MIGHT keep the insanity at bay.
  • Optionally, if using Resonance or Synergy, when a mage reaches level five in a resonance or synergy trait, they must roll Arete at difficulty 8. If unsuccessful, they enter Quiet.
  • Two of the three types of Quiet have been renamed (and one has different characteristics.) The types of Quiet are now: Denial, Madness and Morbidity. See the chart in Chapter 10, part 5 for associated symptoms. The type of Quiet a character undergoes is no longer determined by Resonance. Choose the type most applicable to your character and circumstances.
  • Characters can temporarily hold the effects of Quiet at bay, but it’s difficult. First they must spend a point of WP and lose a turn doing nothing but resisting Quiet, then they roll WP at difficulty 7 (or optionally at the level of Quiet + 5.) If they achieve 3 successes or more on this roll, the Quiet is held at bay for one scene and the mage removes 1 point of paradox from their pool. This must be done in one roll – it cannot be extended. Anything less than 3 successes will be unhelpful, and a botch means the mage’s delusion manifests as a hobgoblin.
  • Mages can use the above method to slowly Will themselves out of Quiet (by knocking their Paradox down.)
  • Other characters can help a mage come out of Quiet. This involves roleplaying and possibly social and/or knowledge based rolls, plus an extended Mind 4 / Prime 4 effect in which the healing character attempts to drive out the paradox within the mage’s mind. The healer must invest their own Quintessence into the effect, spending 2-3 points of Quintessence per point of Paradox they wish to heal. The particulars of such curing efforts are left to the players and the ST, but it should NOT be easy.
  • Hobgoblins are self-willed hallucinations/manifestations of the mage’s internal fears, memories, emotions, etc. They can take on pretty much any form, from a song repeating in the mage’s head to an evil doppelganger. Typically, hobgoblins last for one day per dot of Arete the mage has, though some can last longer.
  • Another method of healing Quiet is through a Mindscape. Mindscapes can be either voluntary or involuntary. To voluntarily enter a mindscape, the mage meditates herself into a mental sanctuary where she can then work through her Quiet (much like a Seeking.) They make “a few successful Per + Meditation rolls” (difficulty Quiet level + 3) to get there. If the character has a Demesne, she can go there instead with a WP roll at difficulty 9. Involuntary mindscapes just happen, and will be of the storyteller’s design. In either case, when the character wakes up all of their Paradox is cleared (except permanent Paradox) and they are no longer in Quiet. See Chapter 10, part 5 for more details on Quiet-related Mindscapes.
Optional Rules
  • Optional Rule: “Minimum Abilities.” This optional rule requires that abilities used to focus effects be at the same level as the associated Spheres. So, for example, a character could not cast a rank 3 effect using Martial Arts unless they had at least Martial Arts 3.
  • Optional Rule: “The Data Sphere.” Characters who use Data instead of traditional Correspondence magic get -1 difficulty to all Data-based magick in the Digital Web.
  • Optional Rule: “Wild Talent.” Wild Talent is what happens when a character Awakens. It’s basically a raw explosion of power that comes directly from the Avatar. With this optional rule, Wild Talent can manifest during other rare, extreme (and dramatically appropriate) occasions. The player has no control over the effects – this is determined by the ST. But it can allow the mage to access extra points of Arete and Spheres beyond the level they actually have. This option should be employed very sparingly. For most mages, it only happens once or twice in their lives.
  • Some Marauders manifest their magick only through Wild Talent. In their case, their Avatar rating (usually powerful) adds itself to their Arete (which itself is usually only 1 or 2.) These characters have no control over their magick. It comes and goes and manifests in ways they can’t predict.
  • “The Death-Strike” is Wild Talent that manifests at the moment of death, allowing the mage to channel the last of their life-force into one last, overwhelming attack or defense.
  • Optional Rule: “Dividing Successes.” This is the way we currently calculate effects in our game. Instead of having a base threshold and saying “you need this many successes to do this thing” you divide the successes up into each part of the effect (targets, damage, duration, etc.) Using this option, time-release damage for timed effects has a specific cost chart (Chapter 10, Part 3.)
  • Optional Rule: “Automatic Successes.” With this, mages can succeed automatically on simple, coincidental effects if they have an Arete of at least the highest Sphere used + 3. (So Arete 4 for a level 1 sensory effect.) This cannot be used for anything dramatic or resisted (damage effects, for instance.)
  • Optional Rule: “The Domino Effect.” For every two notable coincidences within a scene, add +1 difficulty to the casting roll for the next one.
  • Optional Rule: “Rite, Ceremony and Great Work.” This rule divides extended rituals into three categories based on how difficult the effect is and how many successes are needed to cast it. Rites (1-5 successes) are relatively quick and each roll lasts a turn to a minute or so. Ceremonies (5-10 successes) require more elaborate rituals and a lot more time – 1 hour per roll. Great Works (10+ successes) take 5 hours per roll. There is a system for “pausing” these kinds of extended rituals in order to take necessary breaks. To do this, spend 1 WP. Then when you’re ready to resume, roll Wits+Esoterica or Wits+Technology (whichever applies.) The difficulty begins at the Effect’s base difficulty and goes up by +1 for each break taken after the first one. Breaks cannot last longer than 48 hours, and the ritual area must not be disturbed. Even one failed roll will ruin this entire process.
  • Optional Rule: “Paradox in Mage Revised.” This optional rule makes successful and failed vulgar effects apply Paradox as per Revised rules. Backlashes also hit every time the character gains Paradox (as per Revised.)
  • Optional Rule: “Resonance and Synergy.” Resonance is an optional component of M20. There is also a second option called Synergy. You can have one or both or neither. Resonance is an outward manifestation of the mage’s actions and temperament. Synergy is more like cosmic principles working through the mage. Synergy aligns with the categories that were formerly applied to resonance: Dynamic, Static and Entropic. There is no associated signature as there is with resonance. Resonance, on the other hand, now has 4 flavors: Devotional, Elemental, Stabilizing and Temperamental. It still manifests as signatures like before: Feral, Fiery, etc. See Chapter 10, Part 5. We will still be using Resonance on this site. Synergy will not be employed.
  • Optional Rule: “Significant Instruments.” A mage can employ significant instruments that tug on the Mythic Threads to either reduce the casting difficulty by -1 or make an otherwise vulgar effect coincidental.
  • Optional Rule: “Management and Human Resources.” As an option, mages with the right concept and background can use people as instruments for their effects. In order to do this, they must have at minimum 3 dots in two applicable backgrounds. See Chapter 10, part 7.


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