The World of Magic

Mage: the Ascension
d20 conversion
Introduction: A World of Magic

Chapter One: The Magic
- Asleep and Awake
- Feats and Paradigm
- Talents and Avatar
- Foci and Effects
- Skills and Spheres
- Combination Rotes
- Limits of Modern Magic
- Paradox
- Quiet
Chapter Two: The World
- Traditions
- Technocracy
- Other Awakened
- Outsiders
- Tricks of the Trade (Feats/Talents)
- Mundane Repertoire (Equipment)
- Wondrous Items (Magical Equipment)
Appendix I: Arcane Rituals
Appendix II: Creatures and NPCs
Appendix III: Glossary
Check for Chapter XX

INTRODUCTION: A World of Magic
Open your eyes, and see the world for what it is. Most people believe that its just
the simple stuff of everyday life. Mages know better: They can feel the very fabric
that makes up the world, pull its threads to change it and bend it to their wills. The
world isnt set in physical laws or immutable constants; its the playground for
every imagined whim, fantasy or nightmare of mages.
Belief is the first part of magic. Most people dont believe in magic, so for them, the
world is a comfortable, banal place, devoid of spirits, monsters or super-science.
Humans want to believe in a world thats comfortable, understandable and
accommodating, so thats the world they get. People who dont want to see magic go
about their lives without the slightest inkling that there could ever be anything
beyond their little experiences. Only the mages, who believe in magic and wonder,
find those hidden corners where spells have power, science is malleable and every
legend is truth.
The second part of magic is will. Because billions of people want and believe in a
safe, predictable world, the world follows suit but not everyone sees the world this
way, and mages realize that they have the power to change it. With belief in magic
and the power of will, a mage turns the world and shapes it by desire. Few people
ever Awaken to this will. Those few who do can tear away the comfortable illusion
that most people see. Mages have the will and the belief to work their magic on the
world and that magic forever changes their lives in return.
Magic is not just formulas and spells. It is not simply chants and prayers. It is not
just rigorous lists of powers. It is not merely the application of internal energies.
Magic is all of these things and more. Magic is whatever mages believe in. Magic is
calling down fire from the sky, leaping through the air, healing the wounded, casting
curses upon enemies, building impossible machines, walking through dreams,
charting the worlds of space and guarding the Earth from Things Beyond. Its every
power that a person could ever dream. By the mages will, so it is done.
Once a mage opens the doors of magic, the world is never the same again. Mages
consort with myths and dreams, vampires and ghosts, curses and treasures. Hidden
away where people cant or wont see them, these mythic threads weave their way
through a world superficially like our own. While mages are just as human as anyone
else is, they experience the mystical world alongside the mundane. An unsuspecting
viewer would see only the cities, politicians, industry, criminals, musicians and
desperate masses indeed, a world just like ours. The mage sees all of this but also
knows the hidden undercurrents. Perhaps it is our world, and nobody knows
except for you.
Nine Traditions
Mages safeguard the world in an alliance of sorcerers and mystics. Believing in the
power of human choice and the need for wonder, they fight to save the last
remnants of magic in a world increasingly ruled by technology. They are the Nine
Traditions, a council of mages who unite their different visions in one grand alliance.
Ultimately, they safeguard the vision of Ascension: the potential for any human to
move beyond this world, to true enlightenment and infinity.
The Technocracy
The Technocracy rules the powers of reason and efficiency. This Union of enlightened
scientists and philosophers seeks to bring order to the world: a perfect world under
its careful guidance. The Technocracys science holds no room for magic. Its world
would stifle creativity, chance and wonder in exchange for perfect security. Some in
the Union hope to protect humanity from the dangers of the supernatural, while
others hate that which they cannot fathom. Through super-science and social
manipulation, the Technocracy stamps out magic in favor of a controlled world. At
the forefront of the Technocracy, Iteration Xs cybernetic minions bring potent tools
to humanitys command, while they bury the human soul in steel and wire. Medicine,
genetic manipulation and evolution bend to the will of the Progenitors, whose skills
eradicate disease and injury, but also remove the potential for chance and
randomness in human growth weeding out the unknown factors that combine
unpredictably to form greatness. Six billion humans become numbers and resources
to the enlightened scientists whose goals are so grandiose that they have lost sight
of the individual.
Paradox
No mage of any faction can escape the threat of Paradox. Though mages control the
universe through belief and will, they must pay the price for their command. Magic
rarely functions exactly as the wielder intends. The world resists; six billion people
who do not believe in the power of magic all fight the exercise of a mages lone will.
Magic is a fickle force, and no mage can ever guarantee his power. That way lies the
fall of pride.
A Reckoning Has Come
For centuries, a terrible war has been fought. The war is over, the Traditions
defeated: Their strongholds lie in ruins, their places of power stolen, their leaders
gone. Concordia, center of Tradition authority, has fallen. Masters dare not appear
on Earth. Magic is dying.
In the lands of the dead, a great storm rises. Mages across the world feel the
retribution of a supernatural world torn apart by their own hubris. Stifled by Paradox,
hounded by reason, hunted by madness, the craft of magic labors under the weight
of a world blindly spiraling toward its own end.
Though the Traditions are wounded, the Technocracy also suffers. Long the foe of
mysticism and magic, the Technocracy has diligently purged the world of deviance,
spirituality and creativity. Mankind will no longer choose its own destiny, but that
fateful choice traps the Technocracy as well as the Traditions. Humanity no longer
cares for innovation, responsibility or risk. Without belief in and acceptance of new
directions, science is as dead as the magic that it destroyed.
Humanity has made its final choice: the choice not to Awaken. The Ascension War is
over; mankind slumbers in acceptance of mediocrity. Only mages see the true
diversity of the cosmos. Where once mages hoped to guide humanity to a wondrous
future, now the mages battle is for themselves.
The Revelations Are Here
Trying times bring desperation. With Earth the home to the survivors of the
Reckoning, mages slip unseen among the slumbering masses, each pursuing
personal enlightenment and saving a little magic for the few deserving individuals
with the spark of potential greatness. There is no one left to tell Tradition or
Technocracy what to do, how to proceed: Each mage must decide his own fate and
suffer the consequences of his own choices.
With the Ascension War over, humanity cannot be shepherded to a mass Awakening,
so mages turn their sight inward. The wars end raises questions of what mages
should do, whether they should have fought for one world and one truth, why they
threw their lives into battle instead of aiding the causes they held dear. New blood
joins the Traditions, and new leadership rises to take direction from the disciples and
apprentices who live, every day, in the world that their magic changes.
The Traditions lash out at old enemies to seek hidden lore. The secrets of vampirism,
blood magic and eternity beckon; the Traditions respond, gathering forbidden
knowledge wherever they may. Evading the Technocracy, the Traditions defend their
homes and families instead of sacrificing their souls in terrible war. New chantries
rise, and the Traditions build new seats of power. From a terrible winter, the
blossoms of spring emerge.
The end of the world may be coming, but theres too much to do in the meantime.
No Masters guide the Traditions or shield their charges from harm; each mage
makes a decision and a difference. Every mage has a vision that vision becomes the
power of magic. From bitter ash, to brilliant Ascension, mages walk a path that
swings wide the whole of the universe.
CHAPTER ONE: The Magic
Nothing defines a mage as readily as his ability to wield the reality-bending power of
magic. It is this power to impose personal views onto consensual reality that forever
sets the mage apart from the Sleeper society. By concentrating his Awakened will, a
mage can alter the nature of reality as easily as the average Sleeper might alter her
home's temperature by adjusting the thermostat. Still, the modern mage is very
unlikely to transform his enemies into swine, divide the sea or blot out the noonday
sun. The time of such extravagant displays of wizardry is long past.
Today's mage depends on subtlety, even more so since recent supernatural events
have made the blatant use of magic much harder to perform. By avoiding alerting
Sleepers with vulgar displays of magic, the mage lowers the risk of incurring Paradox
substantially. By blending quietly into the world around him, the mage avoids the
attention of suspicious other supernatural creatures or mortals.
A modern mage is not any less effective than his predecessors, however. The power
to alter reality is an awesome one, even limited as that power has always been by
the need to avoid Paradox. The fact that modern magicians are successful at all,
given their countless enemies and hostile reality, makes their feats even more
impressive. In a world overrun with science and technology, the existence of a subtle
magic is a potent feat in itself.
ASLEEP AND AWAKE
All human beings are divided into two categories: the Awakened and the Sleepers.
The former make up less than one percent of the population of Earth.
The Awakened are those who are fully aware of the true nature of the reality, more
specifically of every sentient being's potential to alter that reality through an act of
will. This awareness has little to do with rational thought: a human that consciously
fully accepts and understands the existence of the supernatural is still a Sleepr until
something snaps inside his being. It is said that no two Awakenings have ever been
the same, but this is impossible to confirm.
The Sleepers are all those who dwell in the mundane world, unaware of the forces
beyond it. Their presence may cause an awakened mage to experience difficulties
when attempting to create a magical effect (see Paradox in Chapter 2). If a Sleeper
experiences a supernatural event, he instinctively attempts to resist it though auto-
suggestion, but if he fails at that, he may eventually accepts that there is more than
the mundane, and may be treated as a borderline Sleeper; in game terms, such a
Sleeper no longer causes a mage to accumulate Paradox. The Technocracy routinely
performs re-alignment treatments upon the borderline Sleepers to return them to
the normal Sleeper status.
Awakened (Template)
Awakened is an acquired template that can be applied to any human. It uses all
the statistics and abilities of the base creature except as stated below.
Type: Add the awakened subtype.
Special Qualities: The awakened retains all the special qualities of the base
creature and gains the following two special qualities.
- Arcane Sense (Su): The awakened has a subtle sixth sense sense that lets
him feel (usually by sight, but sometimes using other senses) what the
Traditions refer to as quintessence, raw, unformed magic that appears near
supernatural creatures or events. This ability is a GM tool which he can use to
provide subtle hints to awakened characters about the nature (magical or
mundane) of their surroundings. It may also cause Sleepers to shun
awakened characters, since most dislike being around those who see things.
- Avatar Awake (Su): The presence of the creature no longer carries the risk of
Paradox for mages, as the presence of Sleepers does. This ability may
occasionally cause some supernatural creatures to sense that there is
something unusual about the characters.
Skills: The awakened can gain ranks in Sphere skills (see below). Note that the
awakened treats these skills as cross-class until he acquires a feat (or another
ability) that allows him to treat them as class skills.
Challenge Rating: HD 1-4, as base creature; HD 5-8, as base creature +1; HD 9+,
as base creature +2.
Level Adjustment: As base creature +2.
FEATS AND PARADIGM
All educated mages belong to one of the traditions. The choice of tradition
determines your basic approach to the supernatural, the viewpoint, the style, the
techniques in a word, it determines your Paradigm.
For example, when a member of the Hermetic Order wants to use the
Correspondence sphere to teleport somewhere, he consults an occult spellbook,
draws a conjuration diagram on the floor, speaks a few secret words, and hes off.
However, a Virtual Adept performs the same trick by logging on to access his arcane
database, loading the proper info, and encoding himself into a data-stream which is
instantly transferred to an exit point at the destination. Both are supernatural effects
that use the same game mechanic, but the method and more importantly, the
belief behind the method is radically different. It is the responsibility of both the
player and the GM to keep a characters Paradigm in mind and not to allow much
deviation.
Table: Tradition Feats

Feat Description
Akashic Paradigm You are a member of the Akashic Brotherhood
Celestial Paradigm You are a member of the Celestial Chorus
Disparate Paradigm You are a mage without a Tradition
Dreamspeaker Paradigm You are a member of the Dreamspeakers
Ecstatic Paradigm You are a member of the Cult of Ecstasy
Etherite Paradigm You are a member of the Sons of Ether
Euthanatos Paradigm You are a member of the Euthanatos
Hermetic Paradigm You are a member of the Order of Hermes
Technocratic Paradigm You are a member of the Technocratic Union
Verbena Paradigm You are a member of the Verbena
Virtual Paradigm You are a member of the Virtual Adepts
Table: General Feats
Feat Description
Bards Tongue
Crucial Component
Cyclic Magic
Fae Blood
Familiar
Fiends Mark
Garou Blood
Green Thumb
Natural Channel
Oracular
Parlor Trick
Preemptive Backlash
Stormwarden
Twin Souls
Unaging
Unbondable
BARD'S TONGUE [GENERAL]

You are compelled to always speak the truth, uncannily so, even against your will.
Prerequisite: Awakened.
Benefit: Approximately once per week, you spontaneously generate a divination
effect, with prophetic advice coming out of your mouth spontaneously. The GM
decides when and where this happens, as well as how relevant the revelations are to
you (or anyone else, for that matter).
Also, you suffer a -4 penalty on all Bluff checks made to tell a lie consciously or
otherwise verbally deceive someone.
CRUCIAL COMPONENT [GENERAL]

There is a raw ingredient that you need to work your magic, besides magic itself.
Prerequisite: Awakened, any one Tradition feat, any two Sphere skills 4 ranks.
Benefit: Choose an object, event, feeling, or an even less tangible category, and
designate it as your crucial component. This may be something rare or esoteric, like
diamonds or ghostly ectoplasm, or perhaps something common or easily obtainable,
like anger, alcohol or electricity. Depending on how rare the crucial component is,
you gain a circumstance bonus on all Sphere checks made while using it.
However, this narrow specialization has a downside - if you do not use your crucial
component, each Sphere check with a DC above 15 fails, without exception.
Similarly, if you can't think of a way to work your crucial component into an effect,
you are unable to create this effect.
Examples of crucial component are provided below, categorized by availability and
the circumstance Sphere check bonus.
Note that many components are expended when used several times (or even once),
and you might need to restock often. Clever mages figure out how to creatively store
the more exotic components.
- Common (sunlight, eggs, motor oil, tea, aspirin, electricity, emotion, ectoplasm):
Grants a +2 circumstance bonus on all Sphere checks.
- Uncommon (beeswax candles, blood, fresh lavender, hashish, grave dirt, holy
water, rage): Grants a +4 circumstance bonus on all Sphere checks.
- Rare (dead humans, gold, lightning strikes, platonic love, rare orchids, spectral
residue, virgin's blood): Grants a +6 circumstance bonus on all Sphere checks.
- Very Rare (diamonds, human sacrifice, transcendent joy, the fires of Hell, the
tears of angels): Grants a +8 circumstance bonus on all Sphere checks.
CYCLIC MAGIC [GENERAL]

Your magic is tied to some regular and repeating cycle - night and day, the moon,
the sun, the tides, or the wheel of the year.
Prerequisite: Awakened, 1 rank in any Sphere skill.
Benefit: Choose one of the cycles offered below, with the associated benefits and
penalties.
- Lunar: You have a +2 insight bonus on all Sphere skill checks during one phase of
the moon, and a -1 penalty during the other three phases.
- Menstrual: You have a +2 insight bonus on all Sphere skill checks while youre
menstruating (or, alternatively, ovulating), and a -1 penalty while youre not.
- Solar (short): You have a +2 insight bonus on all Sphere skill checks during
daytime, and a -2 penalty during nighttime (or vice versa).
- Solar (long): You have a +2 insight bonus on all Sphere skill checks during one
season of the year, and a -1 penalty during the other three seasons.
The GM might also allow other cycles to be selected, using the above guidelines to
assign the bonuses and penalties.
FAE BLOOD [GENERAL]

You are descended from the faeries.
Benefit: Choose either dancing lights, disguise self, or ghost sound; once per day,
you can create the selected effect as a spell-like ability (caster level equals character
level). Also, you have a +2 racial bonus on Disguise and Spot checks.
Special: You can only take this feat at 1st character level.
FAMILIAR [GENERAL]
You gain the services of a companion creature.
Prerequisite: Awakened, either Life or Mind or Spirit 6 ranks.
Benefit: Either spontaneously or through a lengthy process, (GMs call), you can
invest a portion of your Avatar into a lesser creature of the world which becomes
fully sentient and willing to serve and protect your interests. Traditionally, familiars
are made from small animals, elementals, or homunculi, but in the modern age
mages sometimes bind animated machines or even computer programs.
At the time of binding, you have the option of awakening your familiar to sentience
(if it's not already sentient). If you choose to do this, the creature's mental ability
scores are rolled randomly (4d6, drop lowest). This causes familiars of the animal
type to become magical beasts, and inanimate objects to become creatures of the
construct type, but otherwise the creature type is unchanged. Sentient familiars can
(and often do) advance through character classes normally.
Your familiar is unflinchingly loyal to you, but it (usually) has a mind of its own, with
its own needs and ideas. Abused or mistreated familiars eventually break the bond
and leave.
If a bond with the familiar is broken, or if the creature is killed, you instantly lose
200 XP per character level
FIEND'S MARK [GENERAL]

Somewhere along the line, you made a pact with a powerful fiendish entity and it
tunneled its foul power into you, leaving a mark in the process.
Prerequisite: Knowledge (arcane lore) 9 ranks.
Benefit: You gain a fiendish servant. This is usually an imp or a quasit, but certain
demonic lords might send a different creature (GM's option). The companion serves
more or less faithfully, but you both know where its true loyalties lie. It usually
attempts to guide you into further deals with the devil, acting as an intermediary.
Also, you are branded as belonging to your fiendish patron by a skin blemish (known
as a witch's nipple) somewhere on your body, a mark which is dark and
unwholesome-looking, but insensitive to pain. Most people who see this mark will
just think it's a birthmark, but a Knowledge (arcane lore) check against DC 15 will
reveal you as a servant of the low powers.
Special: Needless to say, your patron calls dibs on your soul when you die.
GAROU BLOOD [GENERAL]

By some quirk of fate, you are related to Garou, the werewolves. Even though the
changing blood has not stirred in you (at least not in the traditional way) it has left
its mark.
Benefit: You can communicate and empathize with wolves. This gives you a +4
racial bonus on checks when influencing the animals attitude and allows the
communication of simple concepts and (if the wolf is friendly) commands, such as
"friend", "foe", "flee", and "attack".
Also, the Garou recognize your scent and typically treat you better (different, in any
case) than they do other humans (Sleepers or Awakened).
Special: You can only take this feat at 1st character level. If you are related to
another changing breed, such as Bastet (cat), Corax (raven), or Gurahl (bear), the
above benefits apply to the relevant animal type, and the feat changes name
accordingly.
GREEN THUMB [GENERAL]

Flowers spring up in your footsteps and trees burst into bloom at your touch.
Prerequisite: Awakened, Knowledge (wilderness lore) 4 ranks, Life 4 ranks.
Benefit: You can communicate with plants at will, as if under the effect of the speak
with plants spell (caster level equals character level).
NATURAL CHANNEL [GENERAL]

You are natural weak point in the Gauntlet between worlds.
Benefit: You have a +4 bonus on Will saving throws made to traverse the Gauntlet.
All characters in physical contact with you have a +2 bonus if they attempt the
transit at the same time.
ORACULAR [GENERAL]
You have a flair for divination and glimpses into the past, present and future.
Prerequisite: Awakened, Time 4 ranks.
Benefit: Whenever the GM decides that you are in the position to see a sign or
portent, you can attempt a Time check to gain the benefits of an augury spell (caster
level equals character level). The DC is usually set somewhere between 10 and 20,
depending on how well the omen is concealed.
Also, you have a +2 bonus on all Time checks made to create an effect that shows a
vision of the past, present, or future.
PARLOR TRICK [GENERAL]

You have a natural ability to perform some small, pretty or useful bits of magic, in
the manner of hedge wizards.
Prerequisite: Awakened
Benefit: You can use prestidigitation at will as a spell-like ability (caster level equals
character level). The use of this ability must still be in accord with your paradigm.
PARADIGM, AKASHIC [TRADITION]

You are a member of the Akashic Brotherhood.
Prerequisite: Awakened subtype, initiated by an Akashic Brother.
Benefit: You treat all Sphere skills as class skills, regardless of which class you are
advancing in. The training you have received has allowed you to realize that to
manifest pure will upon reality one must bring mind and body into focus, harnessing
the energy commonly referred to as chi. You strive toward proper thinking, proper
speech, proper understanding, proper body, proper living, proper mind. You study
Do in your own manner, as the teachings of the Brotherhood are such that an
individual can only be pointed in the right direction, not hand-guided to
enlightenment.
Common foci for creating effects are: ascetism, breath control, calligraphy, chanting,
do weapons and kata, herbs, meditation, poetry, purification rites
Note: For more details on the Akashic Brotherhood and its paradigm, see Chapter 2.
PARADIGM, CELESTIAL [TRADITION]

You are a member of the Celestial Chorus
Prerequisite: Awakened subtype, initiated by a Chorister.
advancing in. The training you have received has taught you the way of the divine
inspiration. Small miracles are created by channeling the divine song into the world,
shaping a miniature aspect of creation, adding a personal note to the great
symphony. You strive to bring everyone and everything into unity with the One, into
celestial harmony. All choristers are parts of a delicate and complex hierarchy of men
who believe in the existence of a higher order.
Common foci for creating effects are: consecrated fire and water, fasting, holy
symbols, incense, prayer, song...
Note: For more details on the Celestial Chorus and its paradigm, see Chapter 2.
PARADIGM, DISPARATE [TRADITION]

You are a not a member of one of the established nine traditions. You are either self-
taught in the ways of magic or belong to a minor and generally unrecognized group
of reality-shapers.
Prerequisite: Awakened, Knowledge (arcane lore) 4 ranks.
advancing in. Whether or not you had any training, you are aware of the fact that
the world's barely able to withstand magic, but you also know that you need to
practice magic now that you are Awakened. There is no going back to Sleep.
Common foci for creating effects... can be just about anything, really. The GM is
strongly advised to require the disparate mage player to define his style to an
extent, in the broadest of terms if need be.
Note: For more details on the Disparate and their paradigm (or lack thereof), see
Chapter 2.
PARADIGM, DREAMSPEAKER [TRADITION]

You are a member of the Dreamspeakers.
Prerequisite: Awakened subtype, initiated by a Dreamspeaker.
advancing in. The training you have received has taught you to walk the boundaries
between the physical world and the realm of dreams, gathering wisdom and skill
from the spirits that are native to the earth, the sky and the water. Beyond the
edges of vision, these beings that have existed for eons are bound up in the
workings and the health of the world. Too many have forgotten their existence, but
you recognize and honor the spirits.
Common foci for creating effects are: bone amulets, chanting, drumming, herbs,
familiars, Odu language, mind-altering drugs, ritual fires, sand paintings, spiritual
quests, totems...
Note: For more details on the Dreamspeakers and their paradigm, see Chapter 2.
PARADIGM, ECSTATIC [TRADITION]

You are a member of the Cult of Ecstasy.
Prerequisite: Awakened subtype, initiated by a Cultist of Ecstasy.
advancing in. The training you have received has made you strive for a mental state
that transcends the physical world, a trance that allows you to see beyond normal
experience. To alter reality, you must exist outside of it, and the path outside leads
through breaking self-imposed limitations. Tools open the door to ecstasy and the
mind steps through to grip the pulse that drives the world.
Common foci for creating effects are: dance, drugs, exercise, fake VR routines
fasting, meditation, music, sensory implants, sex...
Note: For more details on the Cult of Ecstasy and its paradigm, see Chapter 2.
PARADIGM, ETHERITE [TRADITION]

You are a member of the Sons of Ether.
Prerequisite: Awakened subtype, initiated by a Son of Ether.
advancing in. The training you have received has shown you that not all science
needs to be banal and regimented process. You take the discarded cast-offs of
technology and turn them into creations of the imagination. No invention is too
strange, no theory is too obscure, for you to tweak it and find a way to use it.
Discovery and invention are personal processes, driven by the wonder and
inspiration of the individual. From the disproved theories of yesterday, an Etherite
creates the wonders of tomorrow.
Common foci for creating effects are: computer hardware, engineering schematics,
ether goggles, occult mechanics, tools, specialized alloys, timepieces...
Note: For more details on the Sons of Ether and their paradigm, see Chapter 2.
PARADIGM, EUTHANATOS [TRADITION]

You are a member of the Euthanatos.
Prerequisite: Awakened subtype, initiated by a Euthanatos.
advancing in. The training you have received has caused you to truly accept the fact
that all consciousness must eventually end. In knowing death, one comes to
understand when and how it might come. Life is the Wheel, and Chance is the speed
at which it turns; the Euthanatos are there to help it along in its path as required.
The burden is great and the risks greater, but the duty toward the Wheel always
comes first.
Common foci for creating effects are: Ashes, dice, fire, mantra and yantra,
meditation, obscure mathematic, scales, weapons, wraith fetters
Note: For more details on the Euthanatos and their paradigm, see Chapter 2.
PARADIGM, HERMETIC [TRADITION]

You are a member of the Order of Hermes.
Prerequisite: Awakened subtype, initiated by a Hermetic.
advancing in. The training you have received has taught you that the key to
imposing ones will upon reality is knowledge. A proper combination of learning the
lore of ancient masters and developing your own methods guides the Hermetic to
understanding and ascension. The drive to perfection manifests through trials, tests,
self-discovery, and research. Ultimately, one will step inward and outward at the
same time, both revealing its true nature and perceiving the entire existence on the
same level.
Common foci for creating effects are: ancient grimoires, coded incantations,
Enochian language, rings, seals, spell scrolls, staves, swords, wands...
Note: For more details on the Order of Hermes and its paradigm, see Chapter 2.
PARADIGM, TECHNOCRATIC [TRADITION]

You are a member of the Technocratic Union.
Prerequisite: Awakened subtype, initiated by a Technocrat.
advancing in. The training you have received has caused you to realize that reality is
a fragile thing; those who would like to see all rules dissolved, so that they could
easily bend it to their will are deviants, and must be stopped if the world as we
know it is to survive. You learn how to carefully stretch the limits of reality in order
to fight the deviants.
Common foci for creating effects are: Cybernetics, hypnotic techniques, various
types of advanced technology, modern weaponry
Note: For more details on the Technocratic Union and their paradigm, see Chapter 2.
PARADIGM, VERBENA [TRADITION]

You are a member of the Verbena.
Prerequisite: Awakened subtype, initiated by a Verbena.
advancing in. The training you have received has led you to believe that there is no
true mystery except life itself. The never-ending cycle of birth, blood, and death
occupies you. You feel its pulse within your body and soul as you strive to connect
the tiny fragments of the shattering complex into an understandable whole. The
process is never easy. Often, it is fraught with pain, predation and death. Life
perseveres.
Common foci for creating effects are: Altars, blood, cauldrons, chants, cups, dance,
herbs, incense, pentacles, runes, sacrifices...
Note: For more details on the Verbena and their paradigm, see Chapter 2.
PARADIGM, VIRTUAL [TRADITION]

You are a member of the Virtual Adepts.
Prerequisite: Awakened subtype, initiated by a Virtual Adept.
advancing in. The training you have received has you convinced that you are the
future. You ride the wave of the computer revolution, using code to expand minds, to
enable true global communication and model novel visions for reality. Information is
the ultimate power, the ultimate tool, and you are its savior. Many are trying to
contain it, but it wants to be free. Help information free itself, and it will show you
the universe, so that you can build Reality v2.0 and leave all the meat behind once
and for all.
Common foci for creating effects are: active decks, cybernetic implants, hacking
rituals, mathematics, sensory gear, smart programs, surveillance equipment.
Note: For more details on the Virtual Adepts and their paradigm, see Chapter 2.
PREEMPTIVE BACKLASH [GENERAL]

You soak in the destructive effect of a Paradox Backlash to prevent it from growing.
Prerequisite: 3 or more Paradox Points
Benefit: When you successfully create an Effect that would increase your Paradox
total, you can willingly experience a Backlash in order to reduce the Paradox
accumulation.
You can choose to roll for Backlash as many as three times for a single Effect, and
each Backlash roll reduces the Paradox accumulation by 1.
This type of Backlash does not reduce your Paradox total.
Normal: Backlash is normally experienced involuntarily, as a consequence of a failed
effect; it reduces your Paradox Point total by 1, but does not prevent Paradox
accumulation. See the "Limits of Modern Magic" section below for more details.
STORMWARDEN [GENERAL]
The Avatar Storm that rages across the Umbra has no effect upon you.
Prerequisite: Awakened, Natural Channel, Spirit 8 ranks.
Benefit: You never suffer damage or other ill effects from an Avatar storm. All
characters in physical contact with you have a +2 bonus on their saving throws
against the effects of the storm.
TRUE FAITH [GENERAL]

In a world of horror and uncertainty, you keep a small core of shining faith alive
through a strong belief in and love for an Almighty power.
Prerequisite: Awakened, Knowledge (theology and philosophy) 8 ranks, Prime 4
ranks.
Benefit: Choose one of the following creature types - shapechanger, undead, or evil
outsider. Since your beliefs see these as unnatural, you can channel your faith to
turn (but not destroy) the selected creatures as an Acolyte of a class level equal to
your total character level turns undead.
Special: Selecting "evil outsider" allows you to turn any creature of the outsider type
and evil subtype. Selecting "shapechanger" allows you to turn any creature of the
shapechanger subtype. Selecting "undead" allows you to turn any creature of the
undead type.
TWIN SOULS [GENERAL]

Your Avatar has been fragmented, and has a "soul mate" - equal in power to his own
Avatar, and often similar in nature.
Prerequisite: Awakened.
Benefit: There is another character out in the world whose Avatar is a fragment
matching your own perfectly. This could be physical twin, a look-alike, a familiar
mage, or a complete stranger. When in physical contact with this soul mate, you can
shape reality as one. Your effective skill ranks are unchanged, but you both add your
relevant ability modifiers to a Sphere checks that you make together. Both
characters perform the same (or similar) actions, and only one effect is the result.
Also, you can always detect the direction toward your "twin" by making a DC 15
Correspondence check as long as you are both alive and on the same plane.
UNAGING [GENERAL]
You do not grow old, ever.
Prerequisite: 11 ranks in four different Sphere skills.
Benefit: Your body remains unchanged as the years pass by. You cannot die from
old age, and you no longer suffer ability score penalties from aging. Bonuses still
accrue, however.
Note that there are also many different techniques, effects, and procedures that can
slow down or effectively stave off the onslaught of years.
UNBONDABLE [GENERAL]
Nothing can enslave your will - not vampiric blood, not a succubus' kiss, not soul-
binding powers of an Artifact.
Prerequisite: Awakened, Iron Will, Mind 9 ranks.
Benefit: You become immune to all compulsion effects.
Special: It's up to the GM to decide which Mind effect is a compulsion and which is a
charm; the boundary can be thin sometimes.
TALENTS AND AVATAR
A mages Avatar is generally seen as a shard of universal energy passed on through

all previous and future incarnations of the mage. As with all things magical, there is
a wide range of beliefs regarding the true natures of Avatars and their actual
categorization (or lack thereof). Still, most mages can agree on three general
directions to Avatars: Dynamic, Pattern, and Primordial. These categories are
thought to give some insight into the ways that different Avatars nudge mages
toward Ascension, as well as the sorts of goals that such Avatars pursue.
Although Avatars carry different sets of memories or goals, most (if not all) can be
classified according to the way they operate. These methods, fractured as they may
be, form Essences. A mage's Essence determines the basic motives and methods of
his Avatar, and it determines what sorts of metaphysical systems he's most
comfortable with.
DYNAMISM TALENT TREE

Just as mages are forces of change, so too are Dynamic Avatars the incarnation of
that change. The Dynamic Essence pushes a mage in new directions constantly,
unable to settle and simply interested in the raw creation of new ideas, experiences
and horizons. Dynamic mages are true heralds of randomness and inspiration, as
they bring forth concepts never before imagined.
- Dynamic Essence: You gain a +1 bonus on Correspondence, Mind, and Time

checks.
Required: Awakened subtype.
- Improved Dynamic Essence: You gain a +2 bonus on Correspondence, Mind,
and Time checks. This bonus does not stack with the one gained from the Dynamic
Essence talent.
Required: Awakened subtype, Dynamic Essence
- Advanced Dynamic Essence: You gain a +3 bonus on Correspondence, Mind,
and Time checks. This bonus does not stack with those gained from the Dynamic
Essence and Improved Dynamic Essence talents.
Required: Awakened subtype, Dynamic Essence, Improved Dynamic Essence
PATTERN TALENT TREE
When other mages create new methods, Pattern mages refine and reuse these
methods until they become stable and well-defined. The Pattern Essence cements
magic into reality, gives shape to the poorly executed and repairs the flawed. They
stabilize existing elements or methodically build on solid foundations. Naturally, such
Essences are vital to stability, learning and society. Mages who feel the push of
Pattern are commonly rational thinkers driven by a strong desire for familiarity.
- Pattern Essence: You gain a +1 bonus on Forces, Life, and Matter checks.
- Improved Pattern Essence: You gain a +2 bonus on Forces, Life, and Matter
checks. This bonus does not stack with the one gained from the Pattern Essence
talent.
Required: Awakened subtype, Pattern Essence, Improved Pattern Essence
- Advanced Pattern Essence: You gain a +3 bonus on Forces, Life, and Matter
checks. This bonus does not stack with those gained from the Pattern Essence and
Improved Pattern Essence talents.
Required: Awakened subtype, Pattern Essence, Improved Pattern Essence
PRIMORDIAL TALENT TREE

All things came from a great morass of unformed creation at the birth of the
universe, and the universe will return to such a state ultimately. Primordial Essences
reflect the raw elements of such creation and destruction. Primordial mages seek
new experiences, yet always comparing them to the past; they are driven by deep
and overwhelming emotional urges or needs, but they also seem to experience the
heights of grand passion more powerfully than anyone else.
- Primordial Essence: You gain a +1 bonus on Entropy, Prime, and Spirit checks.
- Improved Primordial Essence: You gain a +2 bonus on Entropy, Prime, and
Spirit checks. This bonus does not stack with the one gained from the Primordial
Essence talent.
Required: Awakened subtype, Primordial Essence
- Advanced Primordial Essence: You gain a +3 bonus on Entropy, Prime, and
Spirit checks. This bonus does not stack with those gained from the Primordial
Essence and Improved Primordial Essence talents.
Required: Awakened subtype, Primordial Essence, Improved Primordial Essence
FOCI AND EFFECTS
A mage practices his magic by creating magical effects, what the non-enlightened
would call spells. These effects are utilizations of one or more of the nine Spheres
of Magic, which can be shaped and combined in a number of ways to achieve any
desired result any being the key word here, as it illustrates the very core of the
mutable reality views.
Of course, in addition to Awakened consciousness (represented by the Awakened
template above), a mage must also possess proper perceptions of reality
(represented by the Paradigm feats above), and a proper degree of knowledge
(represented by ranks in Sphere skills, see below). To bring all these factors into
play, and create a magical effect, a mage needs his focus. A mages foci are many,
depending on his paradigm, and can be more or less anything a holy scripture, an
arcane verse, a snakes tongue, a minute of meditation, a visualized concept, a blood
sacrifice It is the spellcasting technique he has learned, a set of conditions
required to create an effect. Without its designated focus, an effect can be either
impossible to create, or, if the GM is feeling generous, more difficult to create than
usual (represented by a numerical penalty on the Sphere check; see below).
Most mages choose a number of foci as they develop their magic, a couple for each
Sphere they study, but some just wing it, making up foci as they devise specific
effects depending on what is available at the time.
SKILLS AND SPHERES
While a mage's paradigm describes his basic beliefs in the dynamic reality and his
general approach to magic, this is all mostly theoretical. For a mage to truly bend
reality to his will, he must learn the practical methods. For ease of referrence, the
Traditions have established a simple notation system that sorts all magical effects
into one (or more) general areas of expertise the so-called Spheres of Magic.
In game terms, proficiency with each of the eight Spheres is represented by a
mage's skill rank. These nine Sphere skills are detailed below. The effects included
in the description are examples of reality-shaping that can be performed by using a
particular sphere skill. They are intentionally left vague and only broadly defined
the GM and the player are to decide upon the details of an effect (such as exact
range, target selection, duration, etc.) on a case-by-case basis, taking into account
the player characters Paradigm, subtle vs. vulgar magic, potential Paradox
accumulation, and other circumstances.
Additional effects can (and should) be devised, whether in advance or ad hoc, and
the DC of the skill check required for these new effects is set by comparing their
relative power with the example effects given in the skill descriptions below.
Note that Sphere skills can be, and often are, combined to create effects that belong
to both Spheres. Some examples are given in the Rotes section below.
The stated DC of each listed effect is little more than a guideline; it can and should
be modified as circumstances dictate. For example, the GM could rule that a
particular effect is more difficult to create within an urban setting (+2 DC), and much
simpler in the countryside (-2 DC); another effect may assume the presence of
secondary performers, and have a +4 DC increase if only a single mage is
attempting the check; yet another may designed for the Digital Web and carry a +6
DC increase if attempted off-line.
Similarly, a mage without an appropriate focus should at the very least suffer a
numerical penalty on his Sphere skill check (-2 to -8 is suggested).
Table: Sphere Skills

Key
Skill* Ability Description
Correspondence Int Perceive and alter the spatial dimensions
Entropy Int Manipulate destructive processes and chance
Forces Cha Control various types of energy
Life Wis Influence natural processes within living beings
Matter Int Alter, create, or destroy inanimate matter
Mind Wis Exert influence over mental processes
Prime Cha Touch the essence of magic, imbue it into effects
Spirit Wis Contact and influence the Spirit-world
Time Cha Estimate and manipulate the temporal dimension
* Only creatures with the Awakened template can gain ranks in a Sphere skill.
Creatures with the appropriate feats always treat Sphere skills as class skills
regardless of which class they advance in.
CORRESPONDENCE (Int; Sphere skill)

All points in space are one. Command of this Sphere allows a mage to transcend the
constraints of space and distance.
Check: If you make a Correspondence check, you can create one of the effects listed
in the table below.
Action: Anything between a free action and several minutes, depending on your
paradigm and other circumstances.
Retry: Yes, but each failure (and even some successes) carries the risk of Paradox
accumulation, so you cannot take 20.
Table: Correspondence Effects

DC Effect
15 Estimate Space, Landscape of the Mind, Sense Connection
20 Clairsentience, Touch Space
25 Chain, Filter All-Space, Pierce Space, Seal Gate
30 Bubble of Reality, Gateway, Polyappearance
35 Co-Location, Mutate Localities
- Estimate Space (DC 15): This subtle effect provides you with intuitive judgment of
exact distances or dimensions of an object or small area. Also, it allows you to
determine your general direction and location in relation to a known local landmark.
- Landscape of the Mind (DC 15): This subtle effect enables you to perceive your
immediate environment without the use of normal senses. You gain blindsense 60 ft.
Blindsight can be gained instead, but at +10 DC.
- Sense Connection (DC 15): This subtle effect enables you to detect any use of
Correspondence effects in your vicinity, as well as any fixed dimensional alterations
such as teleportation gateways or trans-planar portals.
- Clairsentience (DC 20): This subtle effect allows you to see and hear a distant
location (either familiar or obvious) almost as if you were there. The effect does not
work across planes.
- Touch Space (DC 20): This vulgar effect enables you to manipulate light objects at
a distance. You must see the object either directly or through clairsentience (or a
similar effect). Generally, only objects weighing up to about 10 pounds. can be
manipulated, and you exert only as much force as you normally could with one hand;
the object can be moved at a speed of 15 ft. per round, but you need to make the
Correspondence check each round.
- Chain (DC 25): This subtle effect creates an unnoticeable connection between two
creatures, objects, or locations, so that when one uses a teleportation effect (such as
Pierce Space) to reach the other, the destination is treated as if already known. The
Correspondence check to create the teleportation effect gains a +5 bonus, and it can
always be performed as a move action.
- Filter All-Space (DC 25): This subtle effect allows you to discern the exact location
of a known creature or object. You learn the name of the location (place, business
name, building name, or the like), community, county (or similar political division),
country, continent, and the plane of existence where the target lies. Certain
mundane materials, such as lead sheeting, can block this effect, and an unwilling
target is also allowed a Will save (DC 10 + the result of your Correspondence
check) to negate.
- Pierce Space (DC 25): This obviously vulgar effect teleports you to a destination
you are familiar with, having either seen it directly or experienced it through
Clairsentience. The destination must be on the same plane on existence. Pierce
Space is especially difficult to perform on Earth in recent years, and various mishaps
often occur.
- Seal Gate (DC 25): This subtle effect secretly blocks other Correspondence effects
in a designated area (usually no more than several dozen feet in radius).
Clairsentience, Pierce Space, and other intrusive effects fail, but Sense Connection
may function: A mage that suspects that a Seal Gate ward has been set up can
attempt a Sense Connection effect at +10 DC to detect the Seal (and try to
circumvent it somehow, through mundane or magical means).
- Bubble of Reality (DC 30): This usually vulgar effect shifts a creature or object onto
its own miniature plane for a short period. The target is allowed a Will save (DC 10 +
the result of your Correspondence check) to negate the effect, or if that fails, a
new one each round it spends banished to end the effect. Some archmages used to
combine this effect with the Spheres of Prime and Time to create long-lasting prisons
where creatures are kept in temporal stasis.
- Gateway (DC 30): This vulgar effect is essentially a long-lasting version of Pierce
Space. It creates a rip through the fabric of space through which creatures can pass
to a distant destination. The Gateway usually lasts only a couple of minutes, but it is
said that the Order of Hermes still knows the rituals that can make permanent
portals through space. Unlike Pierce Space, this effect can be used to travel to a
different plane of existence.
- Polyappearance (DC 30): This usually vulgar effect allows you to project an
illusionary image of yourself to another location. You can create multiple images by
increasing the DC by +2 each time. You can see and hear everything that an image
could. An image is insubstantial and inactive, although if you can maintain
concentration to control its actions, or even to activate previously prepared Sphere
effects using the image as the point of origin. Some mages combine this effect with
Pierce Space to move between several images, leaving their exact location unknown.
Advanced rituals exist that can create autonomous, lasting images.
- Co-Location (DC 35): This extremely vulgar effect lets you stack multiple objects
or creatures and allow them to interact freely. No damage occurs to objects that
superimpose themselves on one another during Co-Location, yet they are solid to
one another. How the superimposed subjects manage interact is entirely up to the
GM. Once separated, they will not superimpose again. This effect is extremely
vulgar, and causes the mage to accumulate twice the standard amount of Paradox.
Stacking entire areas (instead of just objects) is possible at increased DCs, but even
more vulgar and usually only done by desperate or crazed mages.
- Mutate Localities (DC 35): With true mastery of Correspondence, you can alter
relative distance and dimensions around you as desired. Though you cant really
create space per se, you can easily cause a perceived distance to change without
affecting the relative outside world. You can bend space around to make strange
shapes that dont hinder objects or creatures inside; to those on the inside, the
space seems normal while the outside appears distorted. You can cause things to
appear shrunken, grown or distorted, though such magic does not actually affect the
subjects directly it just makes them appear different relative to the rest of the
world. You can cause an object to become very small relative to you, but it would
still have the same mass and strength. You could make something larger but it would
not become any more resilient. In effect, the material properties of various subjects
do not change, just their appearance in three-space.
Obviously, this effect is broadly defined to say the least; the GM should decide what
can and cannot be done on a case-by-case basis. This effect is extremely vulgar, and
causes the mage to accumulate twice the standard amount of Paradox.
ENTROPY (Int; Sphere skill)

Things fall apart. The Wheel turns on its inexorable course, destroying what exists to
make way for new growth. This Sphere encompasses both fortune and destruction.
Check: If you make an Entropy check, you can create one of the effects listed in the
table below.
Table: Entropy Effects

DC Effect
15 Locate Disorder and Weakness, Ring of Truth
20 Adjust Fortune, Read Fates
25 Affect Process, Like Clockwork, Slay Machine
35 Mutate Ephemera
- Locate Disorder and Weakness (DC 15): This subtle effect enables you to locate
areas of chaos, disorder, and decay. It detects all uses of the Entropy Sphere in an
area, as well as any other external probability alterations. It also detects whether a
process is truly random or fixed. Additionally, it allows you to discern the right
pressure points in both material objects (doors, walls, vehicles) and ongoing
processes (conversations, social activities); thus you learn where and how to
interfere in order to push the object or process toward chaos (usually represented by
a insight bonus of +2 to +8 on any required roll).
- Ring of Truth (DC 15): This subtle effect allows you to estimate the accuracy of any
information by comparing it to your visions of destiny. Effectively, you can
substitute an Entropy check instead of a Sense Motive Check, although a successful
check may provide more information than a Sense Motive check does instead of
merely doubting the information, you also have a subtle, often cryptic hunch of how
and why the information is false.
- Adjust Fortune (DC 20): This usually subtle effect modifies the mages luck for a
few hours so that he can reroll any one dice roll. He must take the result of the
second roll. The only exceptions are Sphere skill checks, which cannot be affected.
- Read Fates (DC 20): This subtle effect provides you with a useful piece of advice in
reply to a question concerning a specific goal, event, or activity that is to occur
within a week or so. The divined advice can be as simple as a short phrase, or it
might take the form of a cryptic rhyme or omen. If you dont act on the information,
the conditions may change so that the information is no longer useful. The base
percentile chance for a correct fate reading is 60 + the result of your Entropy check,
to a maximum of 90%. A check that fails by 10 or more may yield false information.
Multiple fate readings about the same topic by the same mage yield the same
answer each time.
- Affect Process (DC 25): This often vulgar effect causes random processes to bend
to your will. Any uncontrolled event can be nudged in the desired direction, either
to break down or to improve; the modification amount is always about 50%. For
example, a forest fire can be caused to increase or decrease its intensity by half, or a
current weather pattern can be moved up or down on the random weather table by
50%. Affect Process can be designated as subtle if there are few Sleeper witnesses,
but even one Sleeper present usually causes the effect to be treated as vulgar.
- Like Clockwork (DC 25): This subtle effect shields objects and processes that rely
on precision. By insulating the target against the forces of entropy, a device can be
not only protected from decay and rust, but made to run perfectly for years, never
failing and never allowing errors to creep in. The better the check result, the longer
the protection lasts (GMs discretion). Obviously, time catches up with all things so
this effect can never be made permanent, regardless of you mastery over the
Spheres of Time or Prime. The Technocracy uses this effect extensively, simply
through regular maintenance of its machinery. Tradition mages also work small
charms and blessings into a device to give it similar benefits.
- Slay Machine (DC 25): This often subtle effect allows you to render a modern
technological device inoperable by accelerating the process of inaccuracy and failure.
Unattended objects are not allowed a saving throw, but attended objects (and self-
reliant machines such as androids) are. The save DC is 10 + the result of your
Entropy check. An affected target is dysfunctional until repaired or rebuilt (Repair or
Craft check, usually against DC 25). The default DC of the Entropy check assumes a
relatively small target (firearm, personal computer, vehicle), but targets of greater
size or complexity (nuclear missile, computer network, spaceship) are more difficult
to affect, and thus require a higher DC. When you use this effect against an object
protected by a Like Clockwork effect (see above), the DC of your Entropy check is
increased by +10.
- Mutate Ephemera (DC 35): This usually vulgar effect lets you significantly alter
reality by calling upon Chance. You can reweave destiny to design just about any
chain of events (occurring in the present or immediate past/future), that is
reasonably probable (GMs discretion) to occur. If another creature is affected by
your alterations, it is allowed a Will saving throw (DC 10 + the result of your
Entropy check) to keep itself out of the change, but not negate the effect entirely;
this may or may not throw your design out of sync. No manifestation of Entropy
guarantees the final outcome, but the results of Mutate Ephemera are less
predictable than those of any other effect.
FORCES (Cha; Sphere skill)

This Sphere provides command over the fundamental forces of the universe.
Electromagnetism, fire, gravity, kinetic energy and nuclear power all are within its
purview.
Check: If you make a Forces check, you can create one of the effects listed in the
table below.
Table: Force Effects

DC Effect
15 Darksight, Quantify
20 Electrical Chaos, Energy Shield
25 Friction Curse, Telekinesis
30 Embracing Earth, Storm Watch
35 Inferno, Tempest in Teapot
- Darksight (DC 15): This subtle effect shifts your visual perception range up or down
the spectrum. You become able to see in poor illumination, gaining both darkvision
60 ft. and low-light vision. You also gain a +2 bonus on Search and Spot checks for
the duration of the effect. Darksight can also be used to counter an invisibility effect
if it results from Energy Shield (see below).
- Quantify (DC 15): This subtle effect enables you to sense the type and amount of
energy emanations at work, both mundane and magical. Basically, you act as if you
possess an average-quality measuring instrument regarding detection and
quantification of various forms of physical energy (not mental, magical, and other
abstract energies).
- Electrical Chaos (DC 20): This usually vulgar effect invokes an electrical discharge,
whether atmospheric, bioelectrical, from a power line, or from other sources. The
targeted creature suffers 3d6 points of electricity damage and is stunned for 1d4
rounds; a successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + the result of your Forces check)
halves the damage and negates the stunning. For every 4 points by which you beat
the DC, you can add either 1 dice of damage, or 1 round of stunning. For every 8
points by which you beat the DC, you can include another target. Hi-tech
objects/creatures suffer a -5 penalty on their saving throws against this effect.
- Energy Shield (DC 20): This extremely versatile and often vulgar effect allows
minor manipulation of various forms of energy in your personal area. You can make
yourself unheard by limiting sonic emanations. You can make yourself invisible by
bending light (but those under the Darksight effect can still see you). You can gain
electricity, fire, or sonic resistance 10 (or 15 if you beat the DC by 8 or more). You
can levitate yourself up or down slowly by manipulating gravity. Finally, you can
substitute your Forces check instead of your Fortitude save to avoid radiation
exposure. Only one of the above effects can be active at any one time.
- Friction Curse (DC 25): This usually vulgar effect causes its target to continually
convert a portion of its kinetic energy into damaging heat (Reflex negates, DC 10 +
the result of your Force check). The target is effectively slowed (can take only a
single attack action each round), and suffers 1d6 points of fire damage in each round
in which it moves at least 5 feet. The effect lasts for 1 minute; exceptionally
successful check results (GMs discretion) may increase the duration, although the
target would be entitled to a second Reflex save when the original duration expires.
- Telekinesis (DC 25): This usually vulgar effect allows telekinetic manipulation of
objects and creatures. The given DC allows you to move a target weighing about 200
lbs. at a speed of 20 ft. per round, and each doubling of weight or speed increases
the DC by +5. A target is allowed a Fortitude save (DC 10 + the result of your
Forces check) to negate the movement. Alternatively, Telekinesis can be used to
disarm, grapple, or trip an opponent in combat; in this case, simply substitute the
Force check in place of the disarm, grapple, or trip check. An important thing to
remember is that this effect cannot create the kinetic energy out of thin air; it
always requires an external energy source of some sort (unless accompanied by a
Prime check against the same DC; see the rotes section below).
- Embracing Earth (DC 30): This vulgar effect greatly increases the existing pull of
gravity on a single target. Unless it makes a Fortitude save (DC 10 + the result of
your Forces check), the target is held helpless for 1 minute, taking 2d6 points of
bludgeoning damage per round. Even if the save succeeds, the target is slowed for 1
minute, suffering a -2 penalty on all Strength- or Dexterity-based checks.
- Storm Watch (DC 30): This subtle effect allows you to predict weather patterns (no
more than a few days ahead) and manipulate them to an extent. It takes you 10
minutes to change the weather in the local area (a few miles around you), but the
new condition must be within the normal limits imposed by the climate and season of
the area you are in (so no hurricanes in Scandinavia). You control the general
tendencies of the weather, such as the direction and intensity of the wind. You
cannot control specific applications of the weather where lightning strikes, for
example, or the exact path of a tornado.
- Inferno (DC 35): This extremely vulgar effect instantly sucks out all the light and
sounds out of a small area (from a few square feet to several dozen) and turns them
into heat. The designated area becomes completely dark for one round, and then
bursts into flames, dealing 15d6 points of fire damage to everything within it.
- Tempest in Teapot (DC 35): Similar to Storm Watch, this often vulgar effect
manipulates the weather patterns directly and quickly. Within a few minutes, you can
create any weather condition you desire, without the geographical and seasonal
limits mentioned in the Storm Watch description (so even blizzards in Sahara are
possible, although vulgar).
LIFE (Wis; Sphere skill)

The biology of all life forms, from simple viruses to the complex human body, falls
under this Sphere's control. Biological functions may be sped up, slowed down or
even completely rewritten at the whim of the mage who masters the Sphere
Check: If you make a Life check, you can create one of the effects listed in the table
below.
Table: Life Effects

DC Effect
15 Healing Revelation, Life Scan
20 Alter Simple Creature, Heal Self
25 Better Body, Heal Other
30 Mutate Form, Physiological Emotion Control
35 Metamorphosis
- Healing Revelation (DC 15): This subtle effect allows you to diagnose a specific
injury, illness, or another health difficulty in a single creature. The GM should
increase the DC for specific unusual conditions.
- Life Scan (DC 15): This subtle effect allows you to detect all living beings within
close range, but not their specific location or identity. In addition to their number,
you also sense their general physical condition uninjured, lightly injured, injured,
or severely injured.
- Alter Simple Creature (DC 20): This subtle effect can be used only on creatures of
less than 1 Hit Dice. The touched target is healed of 1d8 hit points of damage.
Alternatively, the effect can be used in reverse, instantly killing the creature if it fails
its Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + the result of your Life check).
- Heal Self (DC 20): This usually subtle effect can be used to either heal you of 2d6
points of hit point damage, 1 point of ability damage, or neutralize a poison or
disease present in your system. When healing hit point damage, for every 4 points
by which you beat the DC, you add an extra 1d6 to the hit points healed. In case of
particularly difficult poisons or diseases, instead of removing the affliction, the effect
merely grants you a new saving throw with a +4 bonus. At the GMs discretion,
conditions that cannot be classified as poisons or diseases (genetic disorders, cancer,
diabetes, etc.) can be remedied only with multiple successful checks accompanied by
mundane treatments.
- Better Body (DC 25): This versatile effect is occasionally vulgar, but it can be
usually passed off as subtle. It can be used to increase your Strength, Dexterity, or
Constitution by +4. It can be used to increase your natural armor Defense bonus by
+2. It can be used to alter small parts of your body you can change facial features,
improve your leg muscles (+10 ft. base land speed), grow gills, claws (1d4 each),
fangs (1d4), or webbed hands and feet (swim speed 20 ft.), etc. Usually, only one of
the above effects can be active at any one time, but if the additional effects are
mostly cosmetic, the GM could allow them.
- Heal Other (DC 25): This effect functions like Heal Self, except it works on any
touched creature. Also, it can be used in reverse, dealing damage (hit point or
ability) instead of curing it, and afflicting the target with a disease or poison of your
choice instead of removing the condition. The target is allowed a Fortitude saving
throw (DC 10 + the result of your Life check) to negate the effect. To affect a
creature with a specific poison or disease, you need to have first-hand experience
with the affliction.
- Mutate Form (DC 30): This vulgar effect can be used to produce the effects listed
under Better Body above on any touched creature. If the target is not willing to be
altered, it is allowed a Fortitude save (DC 10 + the result of your Life check) to
negate the effect. Alternatively, Mutate Form can polymorph you into an animal of
equal size category (combined with Matter, animals of up to 1 size category smaller
or larger are allowed; see Rotes section below).
- Physiological Emotion Control (DC 30): This usually subtle effect induces desired
emotion/sensation/behavior in a target by direct hormone manipulation. You can
cause a creature within close range to become charmed, enraged (+4 Strength, +4
Constitution, -2 Defense, attacks nearest foe in melee), panicked, or stunned (in
pleasure or pain). A successful Fortitude save negates the effect; if this save fails,
the target is also allowed a Will save to reduce the effect to 1d4 rounds of daze.
- Metamorphosis (DC 35): This vulgar effect can polymorph you or another target
into any creature within one size category (combined with Matter, creatures of any
size are allowed; see Rotes section below). If the target is not willing to be altered, it
is allowed a Fortitude save (DC 10 + the result your Life check) to negate the
effect. Although the metamorphosis is physical, even the creatures psyche starts a
slow change to fit its new body; even mages of old were not too keen on spending
much time in alternate forms. The effect generally lasts until you dismiss it, but a
target may be allowed new saving throws under specific circumstances at the GMs
discretion (for example, when faced with obvious proof of its previous existence).
MATTER (Int; Sphere skill)

This Sphere encompasses the study of material, inorganic patterns. Everything from
simple analyses of chemical composition to the transmutation of base metals into
gold is possible using the magic of Matter.
Check: If you make a Matter check, you can create one of the effects listed in the
table below.
Table: Matter Effects

DC Effect
15 Analyze Substance, Fragments of
Dream
20 Melt, Straw to Gold
25 Destroy Structure, Sculpt
30 Alloy, Transformer
35 Alter Weight, Matter Association
- Analyze Substance (DC 15): This subtle effect allows you to determine basic
physical properties of an object you can estimate its chemical composition, mass,
general structural state (how much pressure it can withstand), or find its weak spots
(halving its effective hardness against your next attack).
- Fragments of Dream (DC 15): This subtle effect causes you to view material
objects in their true nature as existential patterns. Effectively, you gain X-ray
vision and become able to see through the object.
- Melt (DC 20): This usually vulgar effect causes solid matter to slowly shift into a
semisolid state for a few rounds, allowing you to quickly manipulate and sculpt it by
mundane means before it re-solidifies.
- Straw to Gold (DC 20): This usually subtle effect allows you to change the degree
of quality of a substance, but not its basic nature. The change is somewhere in the
range of cheap beer into excellent beer, but not quite ordinary object into
mastercraft object. In fact, no direct in-game properties of the targeted item can be
altered, but all other minor alterations are possible, as long as its mass isnt
significantly increased or decreased. These alterations are never permanent, but the
duration of the effect can last up to several days if the check result is exceptionally
successful (GMs discretion).
- Destroy Structure (DC 25): This usually subtle effect strategically applies internal
pressure on weak spots within structures and objects. If the target fails its Fortitude
save (DC 10 + the result of your Matter check), it permanently loses its hit
points and hardness (and, at the GMs discretion, some or all of its functionality).
Large structures or complexes thereof may require multiple successful checks.
- Sculpt (DC 25): Similar in end result to Melt, this vulgar effect allows you to
directly reshape an object, without bothering to first transmute it into a shapeable
state. You affect its pattern directly, and freely design the new shape. Precise
creation of complex objects is not possible; only fairly simple forms can be sculpted.
An attended object is allowed a Fortitude save DC 10 + your Matter check result)
to negate the effect.
- Alloy (DC 30): This usually vulgar effect melds two different substances into one
alloy. The new object retains the properties of either object (or both, if so desired).
For example, melding a metal revolver into a wooden quarterstaff would result in a
quarterstaff with the hardness and hit points of a metal object, a plastic wall alloyed
with a glass plate could be made into a semi-transparent wall, etc.
- Transformer (DC 30): This usually vulgar effect functions as Sculpt, except even
complex objects can be created, if they are of approximately same size and mass. In
addition to the Matter check, you must make an appropriate Craft skill check when
creating the object. For example, a cell phone could be transformed into a hand-held
computer by making a Craft (electronic) check, but to make it into a handgun, a
Craft (mechanical) check would be required.
- Alter Weight (DC 35): This usually vulgar effect can turn object super-dense or
ultra-light. It can alter an objects effective mass by a factor of 50; additional effects
applied double this ratio. How an object functions with heavily altered weight is left
to the GMs imagination. Numerical penalties may be in order for wielded objects like
weapons and tools, but the rest is usually a judgment call.
- Matter Association (DC 35): This vulgar effect changes the way how objects
interact with each other you can make one material insubstantial to certain
substances (ghost touch bullets), or extremely resistant (bullet-proof T-shirts).
Multiple Matter Associations on a single object are not possible, except to dismiss the
original effect.
MIND (Wis; Sphere skill)

The study of sentience, perhaps even separate from the biological brain, is the goal
of this Sphere. It allows the mage to plumb the depths of his own consciousness and
unlock the powers within.
Check: If you make a Mind check, you can create one of the effects listed in the
table below.
Table: Mind Effects

DC Effect
15 Detect Mind, No Mind, Read Emotions
20 Empathic Projection, Psychic Impression, Read Thoughts
25 Influence, Link Mind, Manipulate Memory, Telepathy
30 Confusion, Dreamwalk, Probe Thoughts
35 Domination, Possession
- Detect Mind (DC 15): This subtle effect allows you to detect all sentient beings
(Intelligence 1 or higher) within close range, but not their specific location or
identity. In addition to their number, you can also sense their general mental
condition angry, excited, frightened, happy, mind-controlled, nervous, sad, etc.
- No Mind (DC 15): This subtle effect dulls your outward brain activity in order to
resist external mental influence. Instead of your next Will save, you can attempt a
Mind check.
- Read Emotion (DC 15): This subtle effect discerns a single target's feelings and
motives. This is similar to the information gained through Detect Mind above, but in
more detail - a distinction is made between violently angry at someone and
generally angry at the world, between expecting something excited and sexually
excited, etc. A successful Will save (DC 10 + the result of your Mind check)
negates the effect.
- Empathic Projection (DC 20): This usually subtle effect alters a creatures mood,
adjusting its attitude toward you or another character by one step in a positive or
negative direction (Will negates, DC 10 + the result of your Mind check). For
instance, an unfriendly creature can be made indifferent, or a hostile creature
unfriendly. Successfully using Empathic Projection can grant a +4 bonus on a Bluff,
Diplomacy, Intimidate, Perform, or Sense Motive checks involving the affected
creature.
- Psychic Impression (DC 20): This subtle effect leaves a Mind imprint on a given
place or object, thus imbuing it with a particular emotion. Most often, this impression
resembles the emotion felt by the mage at the time the effect was created. In time,
the impression fades away from the object (unless enhanced with Prime effects), but
as long as the impression is carried, the object can be used in conjunction with
another Mind effect, it may provide up to a +4/-4 bonus/penalty on the check,
depending on the nature of the effect and the impression.
When a mage places a Psychic Impression on an area, that place gains an undefined
emotional weight. A house could be made to seem creepy, a nightclub might have
a dance floor that brings out anger or lust, or a church could be made peaceful. Such
an effect can be felt by anyone who enters the area, though generally only the
Awakened will recognize it as supernatural.
- Read Thoughts (DC 20): This usually subtle effect allows you to read the surface
thoughts of a creature that fails its Will save (DC 10 + the result of your Mind
check). Creatures of animal intelligence have simple, instinctual thoughts that you
can pick up. If you read the thoughts of an extremely intelligent or essentially alien
creature, the effect ends and you are stunned for 1 round.
- Influence (DC 25): This usually subtle effect lets you either charm a creature or
target or implant a suggestion of a course of action into its mind. A successful Will
save (DC 10 + the result of your Mind check) negates either version of the effect;
if the creature is currently being threatened or attacked by you or your allies, it
receives a +5 bonus on its saving throw against charm, but not against suggestion.
A charmed creature regards you as its trusted friend and ally (attitude treated as
friendly). You cant control it as if it were an automaton, but it perceives your words
and actions in the most favorable way. You can try to give the subject orders, but
you must win an opposed Charisma check to convince it to do anything it wouldnt
ordinarily do. (Retries are not allowed.) A charmed creature never obeys suicidal or
obviously harmful orders, but it might be convinced that something very dangerous
is worth doing. Any act by you or your apparent allies that threatens the charmed
person breaks the effect.
An implanted suggestion of a course of activity is limited to a sentence or two; it
must be worded in such a manner as to make the activity sound reasonable. Asking
the creature to do some obviously harmful act automatically ends the effect.
- Link Mind (DC 25): This subtle effect forges a temporary telepathic bond between
you and your target. You can communicate telepathically through the link even if you
do not share a common language, and distance is not a factor. If the target is not
willing to Link Minds, it is entitled to a Will save (DC 10 + the result of your Mind
check) to negate the effect.
- Manipulate Memory (DC 25): This usually subtle effect allows you to reach into ca
creatures mind and modify several minutes worth of its memories, either to
eliminate the memory of an experienced event, to allow it to recall with perfect
clarity an experienced event, to change the details of an event the subject actually
experienced, or to implant a memory of an event the subject never experienced.
Usually, you are required to maintain concentration for as long as the memory of the
event lasts. A successful Will save (DC 10 + the result of your Mind check)
negates the effect.
- Telepathy (DC 25): This subtle effect opens your mind to mental communication
with all sentient creatures within close range. Telepathically contacting a creature as
far away as across the globe increases the DC by +5, and communication usually
becomes one-way only.
- Dreamwalk (DC 30): This subtle effect can be created only while you are asleep. It
projects your consciousness into a dreamscape floating in the Umbra. You can freely
choose the particular dreamscape (if it is not warded), and can leave it for another
as desired, but you must have at least second-hand previous experience with it.
While so projected, you are able to perceive the dreamscape, but cannot interact
with its inhabitants in any way, significantly alter the environment, or use magic.
Still, specific dreamscapes may have special rules overriding these restrictions. While
your consciousness is mentally projected, your body sleeps normally; if you are
planning on extended dream-walks, additional Life effects to slow your metabolism
are strongly recommended. Most mages combine this effect with Body of Light (see
the Prime Sphere below).
- Confusion (DC 30): This usually vulgar effect causes hallucinations in the minds of
all sentient creature within close range that fail their Will save (DC 10 + the result
of your Mind check), resulting in generally irrational behavior. Confused creatures act
randomly, without any logic; most of the time they just stand about stunned, by
they will instinctively answer to any obvious threat by either attacking or retreating.
- Probe Thoughts (DC 30): This usually vulgar effect renders all memories and
knowledge of the target accessible to you, from memories deep below the surface to
those still easily called to mind. You can learn the answer to several questions, to the
best of the subjects knowledge; it is allowed a Will save (DC 10 + the result of
your Mind check) to avoid answering each question. Probing the thoughts of a
sleeping subject automatically get you an answer. If the subject then succeeds on a
Will save, it wakes after providing the answer and thereafter can resist answering by
making Will saves as described above.
- Domination (DC 35): This vulgar effect allows you to control the actions of a
creature that fails its Will save (DC 10 + the result of your Mind check). If you and
the creature have a common language, you can generally force the creature to
perform as you desire, within the limits of its abilities. If no common language exists,
you can communicate only basic commands, such as Come here, Go there, etc.
You do not receive telepathic input from your controlled target, and all commands
must be issued verbally (unless using Link Mind, Telepathy, or a similar effect)
Once you have given a dominated creature a command, it continues to attempt to
carry out that command to the exclusion of all other activities except those
necessary for day-to-day survival (such as sleeping, eating, and so forth).
Subjects resist this control, and any creature forced to take actions against its nature
receives a new saving throw with a +2 bonus. Obviously self-destructive orders are
not carried out. Once control is established, the physical distance at which it can be
exercised is unlimited. You need not see the subject to control it.
- Possession (DC 35): This usually vulgar effect grants you direct control over a
creatures body, forcing its mind back, and leaving your body behind, paralyzed in
trance. A possessed creature obeys your commands as a dominated creature would
(see Domination above), except even self-destructive actions can be performed (the
creature is entitled to another Will save to refuse the command, but even if it
succeeds, your control is not broken). If the possessed creature is killed, you return
to your own body unharmed, except if it is on another plane, in which case you may
be killed or left adrift in the Umbra as a disembodied spirit, at the GMs option.
PRIME (Cha; Sphere skill)

This Sphere covers the study of Quintessence, the raw stuff of Awakened Magic.
Mages trained in this Sphere understand and manipulate creation at its most basic,
learning to detect, absorb and alter this mysterious Fifth Essence.
Check: If you make a Prime check, you can create one of the effects listed in the
table below.
Table: Prime Effects
DC Effect
15 Effuse Personal Quintessence, Heart's Blood, Watch the Weaving
20 Banish Quintessence, Body of Light, Fuel Pattern
25 Channel Quintessence, Expel Quintessence, Holy Stroke
30 Nullify Paradox, Place Enchantment, Purifying Flames
35 Paradox Ward, Unravel Quintessence
40 Node Genesis
- Effuse Personal Quintessence (DC 15): This subtle effect disguises your effects or
your own magical aura against detection and divination attempts such as Watch the
Weaving (see below). You choose how the aura will register to the detector, and
each time a detection effect is attempted, it must beat your opposed Prime check to
discern the correct information. This check is not an action on your behalf, and you
are usually not even aware of it.
- Heart's Blood (DC 15): This subtle effect allows you to sacrifice of yourself to
improve another one of your (or another mages) effects. The more quintessence you
choose to channel out of your body, the better the improvement: if you choose to
suffer only superficial harm, you grant a +1 bonus on one Sphere check for every 5
points of nonlethal damage you take; if you choose to sacrifice your true health of
body or soul, you gain a +4 bonus for every point of Constitution or Charisma
damage you take. Either way, the damage taken cannot be healed magically in any
way, only through natural rest. If you botch the Prime check, you still suffer the
damage, but gain no bonus.
- Watch the Weaving (DC 15): This subtle effect allows you to discern magical auras.
Every supernatural creature and effect radiates such an aura, and this effect detects
them and reveals (often through colors and other visual patterns) general
information about them. From a creatures aura, you can learn its approximate
personal power (in terms of Hit Dice, +/- 4), degree of supernatural awareness
(awakened/sleeper/supernatural creature; if mage, highest rank in a Sphere skill,
+/- 4), its supernatural alignment with the world (number of Paradox and Quiet
points, +/-2), etc. From an active effects aura, you learn the Spheres that were
involved in its creation, the effects primary Sphere, whether the effect was subtle or
vulgar, how much Paradox has it caused (+/- 2), approximately how long has it
been/will be active, etc. If the aura bearer (or the creator of the effect) is trying to
hide or disguise some of the above information, they must use Effuse Personal
Quintessence (see above) in which case opposed Prime checks are made for each
peace of information.
- Banish Quintessence (DC 20): This subtle effect either counters or prematurely
ends a single other effect. In either case, you must first know what the effect does
and what Spheres it involves (see Watch the Weaving above). If you possess that
knowledge, you pose your Prime check against the original Sphere check that had
created the effect you are trying to negate. If you win, the effect is negated. If you
lose, the effect functions normally; in case of a counter attempt, the creator of the
effect is usually alerted to your attempt.
- Body of Light (DC 20): This usually subtle effect builds a semi-solid shell around
your body that can contain your spirit if you project it into the Umbra. Normally,
when you use Dreamwalk (see Mind Sphere above) you mentally enter the
dreamscapes of Umbra, but cannot interact with anything material there. However,
with Body of Light, you effectively have a construct of yourself, and act as if you had
physically entered the dreamscape (even though your real body is still back on
Earth). This effect is often imbued into body armor or environmental suits to
combine mundane and magical protection.
- Fuel Pattern (DC 20): This usually subtle effect can extend another magical effect
that would normally end. Although duration of all effects is generally determined by
the GM on a case-by-case basis, Fuel Pattern can be used to keep the duration going
once the GM informs you that it is about to expire. Fuel Pattern usually extends the
duration of an effect for the remainder of an encounter or scene, but it should never
be allowed to extend it to more than twice the original.
- Channel Quintessence (DC 25): By storing magical energies into mundane objects,
you can create minor charms which usually last up to a few months. A charm created
by this effect can either continually provide a enhancement bonus of up to +6 on any
one skill (including Sphere skills), or store a specific effect to be activated on
command; in the latter case, the charm is expended when activated, and it always
targets the possessor. Channel Quintessence entails an experience point cost,
usually ranging from 50 to 500 XP.
- Holy Stroke (DC 25): This vulgar effect channels raw, charged Prime energy to
negate the very essence of certain supernatural beings. Only constructs, undead, or
outsiders with the spirit subtype can be affected. It allows you to make a single
touch attack (either in melee or at a close range) which deals 3d6 points of damage
to the target creature, with a Will save allowed for half damage (DC 10 + the
result of your Prime check). Alternatively, if you increase the DC by +10, you can
create a short-lasting aura of this Prime energy that deals this damage to all
constructs, undead, and spirits that come within 10 ft. of you.
- Expel Quintessence (DC 25): This usually subtle effect functions similarly to Banish
Quintessence, except it affects everything in a 60 ft. radius. If you beat the DC by 10
or more, even Talismans can be suppressed for several rounds. Alternatively, you
can target yourself with Expel Quintessence, creating a thin aura that automatically
attempts to counter any effect directed at you, including your own effects.
- Purifying Flames (DC 30): This highly vulgar effect shrouds an object (usually a
weapon) in mystical flames that shed no heat but harm supernatural beings. All
constructs, undead, and spirits touching the object (or hit by it) suffer the effects of
Holy Stroke (see above), with no saving throw. Unavoidably, the object is also being
slowly consumed by the flames, and is destroyed or rendered operative within a few
minutes, unless you choose to end the effect prematurely.
- Place Enchantment (DC 30): This usually subtle effect must be produced several
times during the creation of a Talisman. See the Equipment section in Chapter II for
more details on Talismans and the rules regarding their creation.
- Nullify Paradox (DC 30): This subtle, yet highly complex effect requires at least an
hour of uninterrupted concentration to produce, and reduces the target creatures
Paradox Point total by 1 point, to a minimum of 1. The affected creature cannot be
targeted by Nullify Paradox a second time for at least one week. Unless this effect is
performed at a Node, either the mage's or the target creature's current Paradox total
(whichever is higher) is added to the DC.
- Paradox Ward (DC 35): This subtle effect imbues a single creature with partial
protection from Paradox accumulation. The next time the creature provokes Paradox,
his Paradox accumulation is reduced to (round down, to a minimum of zero), and
if the creature is risking Paradox by trying to produce an effect, there is no chance
that the Paradox will nullify this effect. Paradox Ward is expended after a single use
and it can only be held in reserve for several days before it dissipates.
- Unravel Quintessence (DC 35): This usually subtle effect functions similarly to
Banish Quintessence, except it can affect everything in a 90 ft. radius, and you are
able to choose which creatures/objects/effects are targeted. Also, if you are aware of
the specifics of the effect active on a single target (through Watch the Weaving, for
example), you can selectively negate one or more of these effects. Finally, you have
the option of suppressing all Talismans in radius (not selectively) for as much as
several minutes; if you beat the DC by 10 or more, some of the Talismans (GMs
discretion) are permanently negated, becoming mundane objects.
- Node Genesis (DC 40): This subtle effect channels natural energies into creating
the seed of a future Node. If not disrupted, the seed should germinate into a young
Node within a decade or two; sadly, few Nodes are created these days, as the state
of the world creates unfavorable conditions for Node development. Node Genesis is
best left to true masters of Prime, as it entails a large experience point cost, usually
about 3,000 XP.
SPIRIT (Wis; Sphere skill)

Knowledge of the Umbra and its inhabitants comes from studying this Sphere. The
mage who commands its power may converse with spirits and travel to their realms
(albeit with difficulty).
Check: If you make a Spirit check, you can create one of the effects listed in the
table below.
Table: Spirit Effects

DC Effect
15 Detect Possession, Spirit Sense
20 Call Spirit, Spirit's Caress
25 Awaken Inanimate, Stepping Sideways
30 Affix Gauntlet, Breach Gauntlet
35 Break Dreamshell, Deep Umbra Travel
- Detect Possessions (DC 15): This subtle effect allows you to determine whether a
material creature is animated by its own spirit, or it is under a spiritual rider
possessed, in other words. You can sense the general mood and attitude of the
possessing spirit, if any.
- Spirit Sense (DC 15): This subtle effect allows you to extend one sense (usually
either sight or hearing) into the Near Umbra. If you choose sight, you see umbral
images within 60 ft. superimposed over your material reality (which may or may not
be beneficial). If you choose hearing, you hear umbral sounds from within 60 ft. on a
slightly different frequency than material sounds. When using Spirit Sense, you can
choose to make yourself seen and/pr heard in the Umbra, if you want; either way,
spirits and other denizens of the Umbra eventually become aware of an observer if
he spends much time peeking in.
- Call Spirit (DC 20): This subtle effect attracts the attention of a minor spirit
previously known to you (you can also try to call a random one, but results are
unpredictable). If the spirit chooses to answer (usually a 75% chance), it approaches
you while remaining in the Umbra, and you can engage it in conversation (assuming
that you are also using Spirit Sense). You gain no special control over the creature,
but most benevolent spirits are generally willing to trade favors.
If you have first-hand (or detailed second-hand) knowledge of more powerful spirits,
you can try to call them too, but you can never call a greater spirit randomly.
- Spirit's Caress (DC 20): This usually subtle effect is almost always used in
conjunction with Spirit Sense; it enables you physical contact with the Umbra. You
become able to directly affect umbral creatures or objects, either by mundane means
or by Sphere effects. Umbral creatures can affect you in the same way. You are still
fully present on the Material plane; in effect, you exist in both planes simultaneously.
- Awaken Inanimate (DC 25): This vulgar effect animates a mundane object by
awakening its spirit. The animated object obeys your commands, ether because the
spirit so compelled or from simple gratitude; however, the animated object usually
breaks free from your control and starts refusing commands - occasionally even
acting against you before the effects duration ends. If the object you are trying to
animate is in the possession of another creature, it is entitled to a Will saving throw
(DC 10 + the result of your Spirit check) to negate the effect.
- Stepping Sideways (DC 25): This usually vulgar effect enables you to fully pass
from the Material plane into the Umbra; this is one-way traffic, and you must repeat
the effect to return. See the Cosmology document for more details on the Umbra.
Due to the barrier between the two planes created in these modern days (a.k.a. The
Gauntlet), this transfer is difficult and dangerous: it never takes less than 1d4+1
rounds, and each round you suffer 2d6 points of nonlethal damage; traveling back
deals only 1d4 points of nonlethal damage per round.
- Affix Gauntlet (DC 30): This usually vulgar effect takes advantage of the Gauntlet,
molding and shaping it to create a trap for a spirit, presumably one that you
summon using Call Spirit. If the creature answers and fails a Will save (DC 10 +
your Spirit result), it is held in place either on the Umbra or the Material (your
choice), and can escape only by successfully opposing you with a Charisma check or
a Spirit check; it can attempt each check once per day only. Any spirit will bargain
for its freedom sooner or later, and most are true to their word. However, spirits are
known to hold grudges
Alternatively, you can use this effect to create a long-lasting ward against spirits; an
area up to several dozen feet in radius can be so warded. A spirit attempting to pass
through the ward must make a Will save (DC 10 + your Spirit result) or be held
back; a failed save renders the spirit unable to pass through the ward for several
hours.
- Breach Gauntlet (DC 30): This vulgar effect functions like Stepping Sideways,
except that when you pass from one plane to the other, you leave behind a short-
lasting tunnel, a passageway that any other creature can use to safely follow you.
Creatures passing through the breach arrive to the Umbra almost instantly, and do
not suffer nonlethal damage on the way. The breach usually closes in several rounds,
although ancient permanent portals enhanced with Prime magic are known to exist.
- Break Dreamshell (DC 35): Superficially similar to Stepping Sideways, this usually
subtle effect allows you to pass from the Near Umbra into the Deep Umbra, over the
great border known as Horizon. The transition generally requires at least several
minutes, although thin spots exist where passage can be achieved almost
instantaneously. Unlike with traveling through the Gauntlet, penetrating the Horizon
does not entail the risk of physical damage, but the destination itself carries great
risks (see below).
- Deep Umbra Travel (DC 35): This subtle effect enables you to create and maintain
a protective shell essential to any Deep Umbra exploration effort; without warding
the spirit in this manner, any sentient creature in the Deeps would die a cold death
in the void. Most explorers prefer to utilize heavily warded vehicles rather than
relying on a complex personally maintained effect. See the Cosmology document for
more details on the Deep Umbra.
TIME (Cha; Sphere skill)

This Sphere promulgates the subjectivity of time. Using it, a mage may manipulate
the perception and passage of time for himself and others.
Check: If you make a Time check, you can create one of the effects listed in the
table below.
Table: Time Effects

DC Effect
15 Perfect Time, Time Sense
20 Temporal Divination, Time Ward
25 Distort Time, Time Warp
30 Contingency, Stasis
35 Sidestep Time
40 Time Travel
- Perfect Time (DC 15): This subtle effect allows you to feel and measure the flow of
time with great accuracy, automatically adjusting for distortions in subjective time.
You can also discern how long an effect that you create will last (with more precision
than until the end of the encounter).
- Time Sense (DC 15): This subtle effect detects and broadly analyzes external
influences that cause these temporal distortions, jumps, skips mentioned under
Perfect Time above. Supernatural events and phenomena activated only at certain
periods in time can also be discerned.
- Temporal Divinations (DC 20): This subtle effect allows you to draw back the
temporal curtain for a moment to snatch glimpses of what might become or might
have been. You are granted brief insight into the past or (a potential) future, but
these visions may be hazy or indeterminate; the further from the present, the more
clouded the vision. Both the accuracy and reliability of the Temporal Divination
increase proportionally to the success of the roll, although the vision should never be
trusted unquestionably.
- Time Ward (DC 20): This usually subtle effect lets you blur another's Temporal
Divination (see above). It is essentially an opposed Time check that the would-be
divine r must win to gain any into the past or future of the warded creature, object,
or time period. This effect is more commonly used in conjunction with other Spheres,
particularly Correspondence and in order to make a ward passable at certain
occasions.
- Distort Time (DC 25): This vulgar effect creates a small shell of subjective time
flow around the subject, causing it to alter act slower or quicker compared to the
outside world. You can slow a target (-1 attack, -1 Defense, speed halved, can only
take a single attack or move action each round), or haste it (+1 attack, +1 Defense,
speed +30 ft. an additional attack action per round) for a brief period of time.
Unwilling targets are allowed a Will saving throw (DC 10 + the result of your Time
check) to negate the effect. If you increase the DC by +10, you can even phase out
the target, causing it to become helpless (but impossible to affect in any way) for up
to 5 rounds, or to effectively jump 5 rounds into the future; saving throws still apply
as stated above.
- Time Warp (DC 25): This extremely vulgar effect rewinds time slightly, so that
you can relive the previous few rounds (usually no more than 5). However, if you
want to deviate from the course of activity you took in the previous loop, an
additional Time check against the same DC is necessary for each action; simple
observation without any changes does not require additional Time checks. Others
may act any way they wish once you alter your first action.
Despite its relative simplicity, this effect is extremely vulgar and causes the mage to
accumulate twice the standard amount of Paradox.
- Contingency (DC 30): This subtle effect allows you to delay the activation of
another effect that you create (from Time or any other Sphere) by a set amount of
time; when this period passes, the contingent effect goes off without any action on
your part. To activate it prematurely, you must repeat the Sphere check that had
created it in the first place, albeit at a -10 DC. See also the Improved Contingency
rote below.
- Stasis (DC 30): This vulgar effect creates a small stasis bubbles around an object
or creature that freezes it in time unless it succeeds at a Will save (DC 10 + the
result of your Time check). You can designate when the stasis collapses and the
target resumes its normal temporal motion, but if the target is touched, attacked, or
otherwise actively interacted with in any physical or supernatural way, the effect
ends immediately. Extending the stasis field over more than several square feet
(spatially) or several minutes (temporally) is extremely difficult and Paradox-
inducing.
- Sidestep Time (DC 35): This vulgar effect enables you to step laterally to the
current of time, effectively removing yourself from the perception of others. While in
this state, you can move and act normally, insulated by a tiny field of time
adjustment but otherwise moving so rapidly that the world is standing still by
comparison.
You can physically interact with things that you can touch you still generate
enough force to move along the ground, and can pick up items and move them but
actively interacting with anything that's not included in your field allows this creature
or object to make a Will save (DC 10 + the result of your Time check) to either be
brought along with you and included in the effect (as long it keeps in touch), or to
pull you out of your time adjusted field effectively ending the effect.
Note that while using Sidestep Time your magical powers are fully tied up in
maintaining the field; it's impossible to create additional effects without ending
Sidestep Time. However, you can still activate Talismans and other magic items.
Sidestep Time usually lasts for no more than 2d4 rounds, and extending it further is
considered to be practically impossible.
- Time Travel (DC 40): This vulgar and highly unpredictable effect basically moves a
creature or object from one point in the time-stream to another, relatively distant
one. The trip is usually one-way, unless the traveler has some sort of anchor point
prepared to pull him back to the present. Traveling into the future is relatively easy
and not overly vulgar; still, the exact temporal destination is very difficult to
pinpoint. Traveling into the past is much more difficult and vulgar (causing double
Paradox accumulation), and only slightly more precise.
A widely accepted stand on time travel issues is that time streams are many,
fractured, and intertwined; while temporal paradoxes do happen, and relatively
often, what they do is merely cause a new branch in the flow, which takes the
traveler along. The more disruptive the travelers actions, the higher the probability
that his time stream and the time stream of his temporal point of origin become
divided (killing your grandparents has never been easier). Likewise, forward-moving
travelers see only one of the possible futures, and their insight into it may alter the
probability of it actually taking place, adversely or not.
COMBINATION ROTES
A mages creativity is effectively infinite. He can combine the Spheres of magic in

any conceivable way, use the foci he deems appropriate, and forge his effect under
the desired circumstances. Thus, one could assume that no two mages create their
effects in same ways. This assumption would be wrong.
Mage techniques are usually taught, and for educational purposes, the Traditions
usually come up with established recipes for creating certain effects, which they
pass on to each new generation of mages. These rotes, as they are called, are fairly
common among mages of a single Tradition, but may have very different (or very
similar) counterparts in other Traditions. Some example rotes are presented below.
It is worth noting that even these rotes are not always performed in the prescribed
manner a mage often adds his own touch, as the vagaries of the modern world
dictate, and eventually passes the slightly altered rote on to a new initiate.
- Dream Drama (Correspondence 20, Forces 20, Mind 20): With this rote, developed
in the XVI century by the hermetic Giuseppe Malatesta, the mage taps the mind of a
sleeping subject and displays the subtle light-and-sound illusions that enact the
dream. The rote can be used both to directly show the ongoing dream to other
witnesses, or to manipulate the dream images itself, creating the desired images
inside the subjects mind. Given the subconscious elements and personal symbolism
of most dreams, the practical benefits gained from this process may vary.
To perform the rite, a modern Hermetic lights a roomful of candles and incense, then
focuses her mind on that of the sleeping subject. The smoke from the incense seems
to form the substance of the dreams illusions, which the mage can observe and/or
alter until it disperses.
If the target is within arms reach, the DC of the Correspondence check may be
reduced to a symbolic 10. If the target is in a guarded or extremely distant location,
the DC may be increased appropriately. This rote is vulgar.
- Dousing (Correspondence 15, Life 15): Using a forked stick (hazel is best) and this
subtle rote, a Verbena witch can search an area for the presence of water (or
another specified type of liquid), by sensing both the presence of minute life forms
attracted to the moisture, and the volume of liquid present. This is useful both for
discovering underground resources and for finding drinking water in arid
environments.
After detecting the liquid, the effect can be extended into the following round(s) by
repeating both checks in order to discern further information how close to the
surface the liquid is, how much there is, is it safe to drink, etc. (one piece of
information per round).
- Ether Shielding (Matter 20, Spirit 20): Sons of Ether adventuring in the Umbra
usually don their hand-made thick metal suits that appear cumbersome but are
actually incredibly lightweight. These suits are, of course, magically enhanced.
Ordinary materials can be converted to resist intrusion from alien dimensions,
providing both physical and mental protection against the horrors of the unknown.
Imbuing standard clothing or armor (or even a tent) with extra-dimensional material
or adapting materials with proven anti-Ether properties (lead, polyester) in precise
amounts creates a garment or enclosure resistant to umbral meddling.
The wearer (or user) of the resulting object is resistant to mental possession from
umbral creatures: the would-be possessor must make a level check against DC 20
prior to attempting to the character. Also, if the garment provides an armor bonus to
the wearers Defense, this bonus cannot be ignored by physical attacks of umbral
creatures (unlike common armor bonuses, which are ignored).
These protections typically last for a number of hours equal to the mages character
level; they can be extended simply by repeating the effect. A sophisticated version of
this rote (Matter 30, Spirit 25, Prime 20) can actually imbue the object permanently,
creating a wonder (see Equipment in Chapter 2), but this requires an expenditure
of 250 experience points from the mage, and the imbued object must be of
mastercraft quality.
- Holo Projector (Forces 25, Mind 25, Correspondence 20, Prime 20): Through this
rote, a Virtual Adept projects a hologram (or an icon) of herself wherever she
desires. Since holograms are nothing but patterns of light, the percipients must also
be fooled into thinking that there is actually a person there. In addition to Prime-
created and Force-manipulated visuals, the mage also uses Mind to project smell and
other non-visual sensory data to the audience of the holo.
Percipients do not receive saving throws until they interact significantly with the holo
(communicate, touch, etc.) When they do, the Will save DC is 10 + the result of
the mages Mind check.
Note that the rote does not allow the mage to gain feedback from the holo he
usually utilizes some mundane tool to witness the events unfolding at the point of
projection and manipulates the hologram accordingly.
This rote is usually subtle. The effect lasts up to a number of minutes equal to 10
times the mages character level.
- Iron Avatar (Life 25, Mat 25, Mind 20, Prime 20): By attuning herself to the
essence of Kali, an Euthanatos assumes the guise of her goddess. (Male Euthanatoi
often channel Shiva the Destroyer instead.) As sharp blades grow from her nimble
hands, she grows into a 10-ft., six-armed monstrosity, and spins into a dance of
blood and madness that ends with her enemies reduced to severed limbs.
The mage increases by one size category (from Medium to Large), gaining a +8 size
bonus to Strength, a +4 size bonus to Constitution, and a +6 natural armor bonus to
Defense. The size alteration also applies a -2 size penalty to the mages attack rolls
and Defense, grants a +4 size bonus on her grapple checks, and a +20 ft. size bonus
to her land speed. Clothing and gear does not grow with the mage, and may burst or
tear away.
The mage gains eight natural attacks, each dealing a base amount of 1d10 points of
slashing or piercing damage; all eight attacks can be used together at the mages
highest attack bonus during a full attack action.
During the transformation, the mage is driven into a killing frenzy, and must make a
DC 20 Will save in order to use any skill or ability that requires concentration,
including creating additional effects.
The Iron Avatar effect lasts for up to 1 round per character level of the mage, plus
her (newly improved) Constitution modifier; when it ends, the mage is fatigued.
This vulgar rote is now identified with the Chakravanti archmage Voormas. It is
practically identical to the Avatar Form rote of the Akashic Brotherhood.
- Spear of My Fathers (Matter 25, Spirit 25, Prime 20): By molding the stuff of the
spirit world into solid form, a Dreamspeaker shaman can create weapons, tools, and
other objects. Although the name given refers to a weapon passed down through
generations, variations devised by modern Dreamspeakers can create complex
objects, including hi-tech equipment.
A relatively simple object (such as an archaic weapon or herbal medicine) can be
created with no additional checks, but a complex object (such as a rifle or a cell
phone) requires a Craft check of the appropriate type and DC. See the Craft skill
description in the d20 Modern Core Rulebook.
An object created by this rote remains in material existence for up to a number of
minutes equal to the mages character level. Beyond that, the mage must perform
additional effects to prevent the object from returning into the spirit world, usually
once per day (at the GMs discretion). This rote is initially vulgar, but subsequent
effects to maintain the object in existence are usually subtle.
LIMITS OF MODERN MAGIC
Since the close of the Mythic Ages, the restrictions imposed by material reality have
come to hamper the castings of the will-worker greatly. It has been said wistfully
that the first mages had no fear of Paradox, as no single consensual reality yet
existed. Whether such a beatific age ever truly existed is unknown, though certainly
such an open and free world of magic is a dream for many mages. In the ages since,
the unchecked population growth of humankind and mass media united the planet,
creating a truly global society and thereby a global reality too. Whereas humanity
first existed in only isolated pockets whose mercurial belief systems allowed for great
displays of magical power, today the worldwide sharing of beliefs in what is and is
not possible serves to shackle modern workings of the Art.
Vulgar magic, also known as dynamic magic, occurs as the result of a mage forcing
reality to conform to his expectations. Using such magic, a mage may let lightning fly
from his fingertips or transform his enemies into glass. During the time of the
Renaissance, such magic was referred to as "vain," an accurate description even
today, as only a mage of monumental hubris would dare such effects except under
the greatest duress. Such reckless castings rend the Tapestry of reality and invite
the not-so-tender consequences of such changes.
No logical explanation exists for vulgar magic. To Sleepers who may view it, its
Effects are patently impossible. Truly amazing results are possible, but only at
terrible risk to the mage employing vulgar magic. Static reality abhors vulgar magic
and any mage who uses it. The mage who uses such magic will pay the price, usually
in Paradox (see below).
The smart mage uses vulgar magic only when the stakes are life and death. Think of
dynamic magic as the tactical nuke of Awakened society. It is dangerous and messy,
and it has far-reaching consequences. Those mages who use such power frivolously
don't remain a problem for long.
Subtle magic, or coincidental magic, is the only choice for mages planning to stick
around for any substantial length of time. By couching magical Effects in chance
occurrences, the mage operates in plain sight with potential Sleeper witnesses none
the wiser. Such castings are referred to as static magic, as they, like the powers of
the sorcerer, work within the confines of static reality. Think of coincidental magic
like water flowing downhill; it will flow around obstacles to reach bottom. In much
the same way, magic follows the path of least resistance to reach an appropriate
resolution if it is not forced to conform to specific shapes and results. Confronted
with an enemy, a mage might focus his will and hatred, manipulating the flow of
Forces around him to await a convenient trigger event like the eruption of a faulty
gas pipeline instead of just torching him with a vulgar fireball. By shrouding magic in
incidents that Sleepers find believable, if lucky, the mage finds that her casting is
accepted by humanity's collective unconscious.
PARADOX
Perhaps the single thing that any mage can be said to fear most is Paradox. The very
idea, be it is called scourge, backlash, distortion or any other name, is enough to
frighten even some of the most insane Marauders. The force of Paradox itself will
cause any mage to think twice before he tosses a fireball down the street. Paradox is
perhaps most terrifying because it's unpredictable, it's dangerous, and lies waiting
for a mage to make a single misstep.
Paradox is not a sentient force. It is not malicious, and it is not benevolent. It
doesn't favor certain individuals, and it isn't out to get others. It simply exists.
Paradox's results could be described as analogous to the human immune system: It
fights off anything that seeks to disturb the equilibrium of the system it protects.
Paradox occurs in any case when a mage makes enough of an impact on reality to
"disturb the waters", so to speak. The disturbance can be a badly failed attempt to
alter reality coincidentally or the use of any vulgar magic. In fact, vulgar magic
always incurs Paradox. However, it's important to note that Paradox only seems to
afflict Awakened mages. The fact that the mage changes the universe through force
of will, rather than through some inherent power, seems to draw down powers that
lash at the mage in return. The mage undergoes a process of self-exploration and
transformation in order to alter the universe in turn, and that process means that the
mage is subject to the unleashed forces of change. The harder the mage pushes
the bigger the change the more Paradox rebounds.
Paradox Accumulation: Paradox Points (PXP) that you accumulate depend on
several factors - whether you cast your magic subtly or vulgarly (the GM's call,
ultimately), and whether or not there are Sleepers present.
Table: Paradox Accumulation

Successful Subtle effect No PXP
Failed Subtle effect 1 PXP
Successful Vulgar effect 2 PXP
Failed Vulgar effect 3 PXP
Up to 10 Sleeper witnesses +1 PXP per 3 Sleeper witnesses
More than 10 Sleeper witnesses +1 PXP per 2 Sleeper witnesses
Paradox Consequences: Your PXP total is added to the DC of all Sphere skill
checks. When your PXP total equals or surpasses your Charisma score, it is also
applied as a penalty on your Constitution score.
Even before you accumulate such a large amount of Paradox, you may suffer a
Backlash. Whenever you fail a Sphere skill check and have at least one PXP, you
must make a Backlash check. Roll a d20 and add your Charisma modifier; the DC is
equal to 10 plus your current PXP. If you fail this check, you suffer Backlash. Roll a d
%, add your PXP, and consult the table below to determine consequence. In addition
to the results listed there, each occurrence of Backlash reduces the mages PXP total
by one.
Table: Backlash
d% +PXP Outcome
01-10 None
11-20 2d6 nonlethal damage
21-30 6d6 nonlethal damage
31-40 6d6 lethal damage
41-50 8d6 lethal damage plus confusion for 1d4+1 rounds
51-60 1d4+1 temporary Int damage and 1 Quiet Point*
61-70 1d4+1 temporary Wis damage and 1 Quiet Point*
71-80 1d4+1 temporary Cha damage and 1 Quiet Point*
81-90 1d4+1 negative levels (DC 20 to remove) and 2 Quiet Points*
91-99 2d4+1 permanent drain to Int, Wis, and Cha and 2 Quiet Points*
00+ 1d4+1 Paradox Spirits appear; roll again
* see the Quiet section below
Paradox Removal: Paradox is remedied either by ripping out the offending

presence from your mind, or through patient conciliation of your Awakened will with
consensual reality. In game terms, you reduce your PXP total either by suffering a
Backlash, or by using a Prime effect (Nullify Paradox, see the Prime Sphere above).
Alternatively, some traditions teach mages how to perform prolonged meditations at
a Node (see Locations in Chapter 2) to reduce their Paradox.
QUIET
When reality itself bows to the subjective whims of a mage, it's all too possible to
become lost in one's own vision of the world. Quiet is the term that awakened
mages use to note the degree of mental detachment one has undergone as a
consequence of magic practicing. It is a measure of seriousness of a mages
delusional state.
This insanity in a mage can be truly terrifying. With the power to bend reality to his
whims, the mage can turn the world around him into a nightmare reflecting his own
inner turmoil. It's no wonder the Marauders are so feared. They see a world far
different than the one in which everyone else lives, and they impose that skewed
perspective on static reality.
Quiet causes the mage to experience hallucinations and various distortions of reality.
It's an unpredictable, but always feared, fate for mages. Worse still, mages in Quiet
can even spawn bizarre hallucinatory creations from their own twisted psyches, and
these hobgoblins can sometimes manifest and take on lives of their own.
Quiet Accumulation: Anything from sensory overload to badly botched Mind magic
to supernatural NDE to Paradox overload to extreme age can lead to Quiet. Quiet
comes in many forms, but generally can be divided into three main categories:
Madness Quiet results from external mind-wrenching experiences; Clarity Quiet is a
consequence of an inward collapse of the mages will; Jhor Quiet accumulates when
a mage is brought in contact with death and negative energies too often; finally, any
type of Quiet can be produced by a Paradox Backlash (see above). Each type has its
own set of possible consequences.
In game terms, the GM chooses to assign a Quiet Point (QP) whenever he decides
that a mages avatar has been significantly rattled. There is no need to distinguish
between different Quiet types when noting Quiet Points; it is only when and if Quiet
overcomes the character that the GM should decide which type of Quiet was
dominant, and act accordingly (see consequences below).
Quiet Consequences: As long as your Quiet Point total is lower than your
Wisdom score, there are no in-game consequences, although the GM may
occasionally inform you that you experience minor hallucinations and/or behavioral
quirks.
Once your QP total equals or surpasses your Wisdom score, you are continually at
risk: every time you accumulate an additional QP, you must make a Will save (DC
equal to 10 + your new QP total) to avoid either entering a Quiet Mindscape or
creating one or more Quiet Hobgoblins (GMs choice).
If your QP total equals your Wisdom score, you enter a Twilight.
Quiet Hobgoblins: These are illusionary manifestations made real by your

Awakened (and slightly disturbed) psyche. Such manifestations are usually adept at
causing all manner of trouble for their creator and its surroundings. They typically
reveal your dark secrets and desires, cause trouble and raise questions of conflicts
within your troubled mind.
A hobgoblin could manifest in any number of forms as a small creature, an actual
object, a sensory effect or the like. A hobgoblin seems, for all intents and purposes,
to be totally real, and it can affect and be perceived by other people, not just you;
furthermore, it is not always easy to decide whether you are facing a hallucinatory
creature or a real one.
Hobgoblins vary according to your Quiet type: They most commonly appear for
Madness Quiet episodes (and can be just about anything; consult your Menace
Manual liberally!), but disembodied voices or machine emanations may occur for
Clarity Quiet, or vicious demonic creatures may appear in cases of Jhor Quiet.
Any hobgoblin sticks around for a number of days equal to your QP total, although
they can be destroyed or "killed" earlier.
Quiet Mindscape: This is a hallucinatory world-construct that appears entirely real
to you. Within a Mindscape, you are usually exposed to a series of challenges and
obstacles that you must overcome in order to return to your senses During a
Mindscape experience you are mostly unaware of the events in the real world
you are either rendered unconscious, or your Mindscape seemingly merges and
overlaps with the real world, making it impossible for you to distinguish one from the
other. Whatever happens to you within a Mindscape has equal (or at least vaguely
proportional) consequences to you in reality.
Mindscapes vary according to your Quiet type: predominantly Madness Quiets spawn
chaotic, strange, and often violently dangerous Mindscapes; Jhor Mindscapes are
dark, gloomy, worlds, usually filled with shades of dead acquaintances; Clarity
Mindscapes tend to be complex maze-like puzzles with hidden meaning that only you
subconscious can fully relate to.
In game terms, a Quiet Mindscape experience should be played as a short solo
adventure, preferably created by the GM in advance. Overcoming the challenges of a
Mindscape grants experience points normally, and should either cause the mage to
regain full consciousness, or allow a new Will save to do so.
Quiet Twilight: This state is essentially a permanent Mindscape. After becoming too
detached from reality, the character is no longer suitable for use as a PC, and the GM
takes control of it; how he role-plays it depends on the Quiet subtype. Characters in
a Madness Twilight are unpredictable lunatics, those in a Jhor Quiet are typically
death-obsessed necromancers, while those in a Clarity Twilight are simply too
focused inward to meaningfully interact with the world. Twilight is too often the fate
of the oldest and wisest archmages; since they usually retain full magical proficiency,
it is assumed that most wander off into the Umbra on personal
Quiet Removal: Quiet can be remedied only through experience the longer you
manage to cope with your delusions, the greater the chance that you realign your
Awakened perceptions with reality (both dynamic and static). Whenever you gain a
new experience level, you can choose to spend 1d4 Action Points to remove 1 Quiet
Point. Alternatively, some Traditions experiment with risky long-term techniques
combining mundane treatment with Mind and Prime effects that can relieve heavy
Quiet accumulation.
CHAPTER TWO: The World
The World of Darkness is a hard place to Sleep in, and a harder to Awaken to. A
mage must learn about various organizations, locations, creatures, objects, and
activities that his reality consists of if he is to have any chance of redefining that
reality.
TRADITIONS
In mid-fifteenth century, when the ascent of cold, hard reason over mutable reality
became apparent, mages from across the world came together in what is today
referred to as the Great Convocation to unite against the common enemy and
establish a survival strategy. After almost a decade of debating, they agreed to
systematize their various orders, cults, and clans into nine organizations that would
broadly encompass the various theories and practices of magical reality alteration.
Each of these traditions (now Traditions properly) were given nominal command
over a single Sphere of magic, but each one explores all Spheres, seeking their
version of Ascension. While new Traditions have been know to come and go the total
number was usually kept at nine, both for symbolism and (other) practical reasons.
The activities of the Traditions are theoretically coordinated by the Council of Nine, a
body of representatives seated at the Horizon chantry. While the Traditions share the
broadest views of the purpose behind magic practice, some technicalities such as
ranks and titles, and a single enemy (now known as the Technocratic Union), their
teachings differ on countless points. All of the Nine Traditions are allies, but few are
friends, and some are even enemies in an awkward truce.
Short description of each Tradition is presented below. A separate document will go
into further detail.
Honing body and mind with martial arts and discipline, the Akashic Brotherhood
combines inner peace with physical prowess. Through their incredible skills they can
strike down any enemy with their bare hands or evade him through the depths of
inward contemplation. Their Sphere is Mind.
The power of the Divine shines forth through the Celestial Chorus. In every human
soul shines the spark of Creation, and from the universes song that spark can be
coaxed into the flame of righteousness. Their Sphere is Prime.
Out of music, dance and passion, the Cult of Ecstasy creates the magic of
entrancement and exhilaration. Pushing past the boundaries and comfort zones of
humanity, they seek the ultimate experience. Their Sphere is Time.
The Dreamspeakers serve as intermediaries between the physical and spirit worlds,
and open the way for humans to experience the power of dream and soul once more.
Shamans and seers call out to the heart of every item and creature, and the spirits
respond. Their Sphere is Spirit.
The chilling Euthanatos center on the suffering of humanity, but theirs is the burden
of that pain and its release. When no one else will shoulder the weight of
responsibility, the Euthanatos make a choice to end pain and cleanse corruption by
accepting and administering death itself. Their Sphere is Entropy.
As the most organized and methodical magicians, the Order of Hermes exemplifies
the wizards of folk tales: spell-weavers, alchemists and lore-keepers. Ancient
libraries hold secrets cast in numbers and symbols, in languages that the Orders
wizards use to command the primal elements. Their Sphere is Forces.
The Sons of Ether take the cast-offs and strange fringes of science, and breathe life
into bizarre theories and inventions. Their brilliant eccentricity mutates old, dead
sciences into vibrant new forms, and pushes technology into the realm of fantasy.
Their Sphere is Matter.
From the Slavic practitioners of blood magic, to the pagan worshippers of the Dark
Ages, to even the candomble and santeria groups of the Atlantic, the Verbena find
magic in the pulse of life. Gods and rites connect them to the growing, consuming,
torrid flow of all living beings. Their Sphere is Life.
As the most modern Tradition, the Virtual Adepts skate along the cutting edge of
technology with computer science and the interconnected Web. Their manipulation of
information allows them to alter any data, command any program and crack any
code even the cryptic mysteries of the universe itself. Their Sphere is
Correspondence.
TECHNOCRACY
In the first half of the fourteenth century, several groups of enlightened individuals
convened at the White Tower in Normandy. There it was decided that the careless
reality shaping conducted by the various awakened mages was a threat to the
existence itself, and had to be reined in. Through careful planning and conditioning,
a consensual reality would be established in which all sentient beings would
collectively shape the most stable, sensible, and probable universe. Those that
oppose the newly established Order of Reason would need to be eliminated.
Today this organization is known as the Technocratic Union, a conglomerate of power
groups that works toward bringing into being their vision of reality, one that they see
as safe and ultimately enlightening, but also one that non-technocratic mages
(reality deviants, as the Union calls them) see as constraining, stagnant, and spirit-
crushing. The Technocratic Union rules the modern mundane world that it helped
build, and utilizes its great resources in its struggle to eliminate all disruptive
influences that may interfere with their visions of future. The majority of operatives
that an awakened mage may encounter usually on the other end of a gun barrel
are Sleepers, recruited into service and given only shards of truth, as much as the
inner circles have deemed reasonable.
Like the Traditions, the Technocracy is also segmented. Five groups, typically
referred to as Conventions, share the general outlook and work together toward a
common goal, but mostly in different fields.
Resolute in their intent to transcend the limitations of the human body and mind,
Iteration X perfects the Man by melding him with the Machine. They see the
synthesis as inevitable, and develop new techniques of mutual improvement.
As the most humanistic of the five conventions, the New World Order uses
sociology and psychology to weave the Truth that the masses need to see, and then
to forge this into world-shaping belief. Their work is highly depended upon.
The Progenitors believe that life, properly harnessed, is the most beautiful and
efficient answer to the problems of the world. Adaptation and evolution through
genetic engineering is only the most obvious of the paths they choose to advance.
Using the single tool that all Sleepers know and crave, the Syndicate skillfully
manipulates matters of economy to ensure maximum security and optimum
exploitation of resources. Money is seen not as power, but as the way to power.
Modern explorers and wanderers, the Void Engineers strive to carve humanity a
place on the edges of reality. Whether space colonists or dimensional skippers, they
are out there, pushing the boundaries of knowledge, looking ahead.
OTHER AWAKENED
Some mages deliberately choose not to join the ranks of the Traditions or
Technocracy. Others simply Awaken on their own and learn their magic in unique
styles. Yet others hail from small cultural enclaves that practice styles of magic less
broad than the Traditions studies. A few even take a hodge-podge mixture of
everything and stir it together, making magic out of the potpourri. Collectively, these
mages are Disparates those who do not fit with the order of mage society. Some
sample groups are presented below.
The group known as Ahl-i-Batin is a former member of the Nine Traditions that
sought to connect humanity into a divine web of minds. They were mostly destroyed
by the Technocracy, and now only a few small, sadly disconnected cabals remain.
Many other similarly fragmented groups exist, such as the treacherous Solificati
alchemists, the vigilant Sisters of Hippolyta, and the dogmatic Templar warriors.
Chaos and dynamism incarnate manifest in the Marauders. Some mages simply go
over the edge, blown into total magical madness by their mystic awareness. Driven
by cracked thoughts that only they can understand, the Marauders work without any
cohesion or plan, each one simply twisting the world into a crazed design.
In hell-pits and labyrinths, the Nephandi build dark designs. Twisted by the taint of
otherworldly influence or personal malfeasance, the Nephandi hope to drive the
world into utter oblivion. Their vision is one of Descension: a universe reduced to
bubbling primordialism, devoid of hope, life or light.
Self-schooled mages that discover and develop their own style are commonly
referred to as Orphans. Without someone to teach and shelter them, they typically
dont last long in a world as inhospitable to will-workers as this one. Those who do
manage to survive are either exceptionally fortunate or exceptionally gifted.
OUTSIDERS
Every Sleeper knows deep down that the world is a far more terrifying place than he
allows the rational mind to acknowledge. To accept this subconscious truth is to
invite madness, to succumb to the raw chaos that lurks at the edges of our
perception. Best to shut my eyes, pretend its not there. If I dont see it, it might not
see me.
An Awakened knows, however, that pretending something isnt there does not make
it go away.
In the urban jungle, vampires prowl the night, feeding on the hapless and fighting
their endless clan wars. A vampire, or kindred as most like to call themselves, is a
transformed human empowered with the blood of its ancestral lineage, drawing upon
it to sustain itself beyond death and perform feats beyond mortal ability. It is
harmed by sunlight, and thus walks the night. It must feed on the blood of mortals
nightly, or it will lose strength and perish quickly. While most vampires are told that
feeding on an Awakened human is never a good idea, some remain blissfully
unaware and may attempt this.
Away from the cities, tribes of werewolves and other changing breeds roam the
wilderness. Insular and xenophobic, they mostly detest civilization and claim that the
modern human society has been touched by the Wyrm, corrupted beyond all
measure. Most Awakened mages dont contest this claim, knowing what they know.
Interestingly enough, the Garou (werewolves) hate the aforementioned Kindred
(vampires) with all theyve got, and hunt them down whenever possible.
Part flesh and part dream, mysterious sylvan beings known as changelings struggle
to survive in a world quickly running out of belief that sustains them. Dual-natured
and inherently magical, they feel the onslaught of Paradox (which they refer to as
Banality) and occasionally escape to the fae realm of Arcadia. Changeling magic,
mostly illusionary and enchanting in nature, is not the equal of true reality-shaping
that Awakened mages perform, but rather a temporarily application of dreams onto
the mundane.
Restless spirits of the dead, better known as wraiths, plague the Dark Umbra and
occasionally interact with the Material Plane. These insubstantial ghosts are held in
their sad state of semi-existence by abstract fetters objects, acts, or individuals
that they have unfinished business with. Some mages summon and bind wraiths to
their will, while some are, perhaps wisely, content to negotiate and bargain with
them for services.
Possibly the most dangerous of the supernatural beings are the exiled
revolutionaries, banished angels, escaped demons. The fallen are outsiders that find
their way from an extraplanar prison into the mind and body of a mortal human.
There they merge, becoming an amalgam-creature, both more and less than what
they had been before. The fallen always adapt a religious story found in the mortals
mind that suits their history the best; therefore, most claim to be children of God,
fell from grace, banished from their sins, and only recently returned to the world. For
the most part, their exact motives, loyalties, and abilities remain unknown.
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
- Arcane Companion
- Craft Wonder
- Do Defense
- Do Offense
- Good Death
- Hermetic Focus
- Hermetic Research: Gain temporary check bonus through research
- Imbue Fetish: Create sentient wonders
- Jhor Gaze: Strike fear by gaze
- Spirit Ally: Obtain a guardian angel in the shape of a watchful spirit
ARCANE COMPANION [General]

You have bound your Avatar to that of a lesser creature, which becomes a loyal
companion.
Prerequisite: Awakened, Prime 2 ranks, either Life 2 ranks or Mind 2 ranks.
Benefit: By performing a 24-hour-long ritual, you have summoned a small animal,
construct, vermin, or a similar creature to serve you. The arcane companion can be
anything the GM deems acceptable, from a house cat to a wolf to a small elemental
to a sentient teddy bear; an arcane companion uses all the game statistics of this
base creature, except as noted below:
- Type: If the companion creature was previously an animal or vermin, its type
becomes magical beast. Otherwise, the creature type remains unchanged.
- Hit Dice: For the purpose of effects related to number of Hit Dice, use the
arcane companions normal HD total or your character level, whichever is
higher.
- Hit Points: The arcane companion has one-half your total hit points (not
including temporary hit points), rounded down, regardless of its actual Hit
Dice.
- Defense: The arcane companion uses your level-based Defense bonus or its
own, whichever is higher.
- Base Attack Bonus: The arcane companion uses your base attack bonus or its
own, whichever is higher.
- Special Quality Avatar Shared (Su): If the arcane companion dies or is
dismissed, you must attempt a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw. Failure means
you lose 200 experience points per level; success reduces the loss to one-half
that amount. A slain or dismissed familiar cannot be replaced for a year and
day.
- Special Quality - Empathic Link (Su): The arcane companion has an empathic
link with you out to a distance of up to 1 mile. You cannot see through each
others eyes, but you can communicate empathically. Because of the limited
nature of the link, only general emotional content can be communicated.
- Special Quality - Speak with Master (Ex): You can communicate verbally with
your arcane companion as if you were using a common language. Other
creatures do not normally understand the communication.
- Saving Throws: The arcane companion uses your base saving throw bonuses
or its own, whichever is higher. It uses its own ability modifiers to saves, and
it doesnt share any of the other bonuses that you might have on saves.
- Abilities: When you summon an arcane companion, its Intelligence and
Charisma scores are changed to 3d6 each. However, whenever one or more
of your ability scores increases permanently (normally at every 4th level, or
when changing age category), the companion can also increase any one of its
ability scores by +1.
- Skills: The arcane companion uses your skill ranks or its own, whichever is
higher. In either case, it uses its own ability modifiers. Regardless of a
companions total skill modifiers, some skills may remain beyond the
creatures ability to use.
CRAFT WONDER [Item Creation]

You can wondrous magic items that store power for later use.
Prerequisite: Craft (appropriate sub-skill) 9 ranks, Prime 9 ranks, any other two
Sphere skills 6 ranks each.
Benefit: You can create and Wonder (magic item) for which you meet the listed
requirements. Creating a Wonder typically entails a Craft check (even if the item is
not built from scratch) and one or more Sphere skill checks, one of which is always a
Prime check. The required DCs are specified in each Wonders description (see
Wondrous Items section below).
Wonders generally come in four different types:
- A Charm is a limited-use (often single-use) Wonder, an expendable magic item.
For example, a potion of healing is a Charm.
- A Periapt is a Wonder that has its normal functionality significantly improved by
magic, and works at this increased level constantly. For example, a +1 katana is a
Periapt (providing a +1 enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls), but so is a
ring of entropy +4 (providing a +4 enhancement bonus on Entropy checks).
- A Talisman is a Wonder that an Awakened mage can use to create one or more
specific effects on command. For example, a staff of fire is a Talisman.
- An Artifact is a Wonder that provides an ongoing, continuous magical effect that
even the Sleepers can take advantage of if he knows the command word. For
example, a flying carpet is an Artifact.
To create a Wonder, a mage must expend raw materials for which the purchase DC
is the highest required Sphere rank required + of all other Sphere ranks required.
He must also sacrifice an amount of XP equal to 10 x the purchase DC of raw
materials.
DO DEFENSE [General]
Your combat style relies on your uncanny avoidance.
Prerequisite: Akashic Paradigm, Awakened, either Correspondence 6 ranks or Mind
6 ranks or Time 6 ranks.
Benefit: You apply your Wisdom modifier to your Defense score, in addition to your
Dexterity modifier. This bonus is not lost when you are flat-footed or have the
Dexterity bonus otherwise negated, but it is lost when you are rendered helpless.
DO OFFENSE [General]
Your combat style relies on your uncanny accuracy.
Prerequisite: Akashic Paradigm, Awakened, either Correspondence 6 ranks or Mind
6 ranks or Time 6 ranks.
Benefit: You can apply your Wisdom modifier on your melee attack rolls, melee
damage rolls, and/or grapple checks, instead of your Strength modifier.
GOOD DEATH [General]

You find a profound satisfaction in the task of sending tainted souls on their way.
Prerequisite: Awakened, Euthanatos Paradigm, Entropy 9 ranks.
Benefit: Every time you kill a character whose Jhor total is equal or higher than 1/3
your Entropy skill rank (and if you are aware of his Jhor total), you gain a +2 morale
bonus on all task resolution rolls (attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability
checks) for 24 hours.
HERMETIC FOCUS [General]

Prerequisite: Awakened, Hermetic Paradigm, Decipher Script 6 ranks, any 2 Sphere
skills 4 ranks.
Benefit: Select a number of known rotes equal to your Intelligence modifier
(minimum 1). If you write down each of these rotes, making Sphere skill checks as if
you were using them, you can use this writing as a special focus for these rotes only.
This spellbook replaces all other common foci normally required for you to use the
rote, and provides a +2 competence bonus on all Sphere checks involved.
Inscribing a rote requires one hour of work and a Decipher Script check against a DC
equal to the highest Sphere check DC involved. If you fail this check, you cannot
attempt to inscribe the rote again until you gain another rank in Decipher Script.
If you choose to erase some rotes (or if your Intelligence modifier increases), you
can inscribe new rotes.
Special: The GM should disallow the Hermetic Focus to replace some special foci; for
example, if a rote requires an 8-hour summoning ceremony and a human sacrifice,
this wont change if the mage writes it down in a book. Only common foci can be
replaced incantations, gestures, material components, etc.
IMBUE FETISH [General]
By connecting the pattern of a mundane object and an umbral spirit, you can create
sentient Wonders.
Prerequisite: Craft Wonder, Craft (appropriate sub-skill) 9 ranks, Prime 11 ranks,
Spirit 15 ranks, any other two Sphere skills 9 ranks each.
Benefit:
Talents
Adaptive Mage Talent Tree

- You can re-roll a failed Sphere skill check 1/day (2/day, 3/day)
Trans-dimensional Combat Talent Tree

- Make a Correspondence check instead of a ranged attack (minimum DC 20)
- Make a Correspondence check instead of a Reflex save
- Make a Correspondence check to oppose an attack roll (instead of your Def)
MUNDANE REPERTOIRE
Equipment
WONDROUS ITEMS
is 10 + the highest required Sphere rank required + of all other Sphere ranks
required. He must also sacrifice an amount of XP equal to 10 x (the highest required
Sphere rank required + of all other Sphere ranks required).
is 5 + the highest required Sphere rank required + of all other Sphere ranks
required. He must also sacrifice an amount of XP equal to 15 x the purchase DC of
raw materials.
Artifacts
Charms
Unless otherwise specified, a charm is expanded after a single use.
Holy Water Flask: Holy water damages undead creatures and evil outsiders almost as
if it were acid. A flask of holy water can be thrown as a splash weapon.
Treat this attack as a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 10 feet. A flask
breaks if thrown against the body of a corporeal creature, but to use it against an
incorporeal creature you must open the flask and pour the holy water out onto the
target. Thus, you can douse an incorporeal creature with holy water only if you are
adjacent to it. Doing so is a ranged touch attack that does not provoke attacks of
opportunity.
A direct hit by a flask of holy water deals 2d4 points of damage to an undead
creature or an evil outsider. Each such creature within 5 feet of the point where the
flask hits takes 1 point of damage from the splash.
Purchase DC 19.
Craft Wonder, Life 6 ranks, Prime 9 ranks; Creation Cost DC 17, 255 XP.
Potion of Healing: A character that drinks this potion instantly heals 2d6 points of
damage.
Purchase DC 20.
Craft Wonder, Life 8 ranks, Prime 9 ranks; Creation Cost DC 18, 270 XP.
Potion of Body Enhancement: There are three different types of this potion, one for
Strength, one for Dexterity, and one for Constitution. A character that drinks the
potion gains a +5 enhancement to the appropriate ability score for 5 minutes.
Purchase DC 23.
Craft Wonder, Life 6 ranks, Matter 8 ranks, Prime 9 ranks; Creation Cost DC 21, 315
XP.
Potion of Mind Enhancement: There are three different types of this potion, one for
Intelligence, one for Wisdom, and one for Charisma. A character that drinks the
potion gains a +5 enhancement to the appropriate ability score for 5 minutes.
Purchase DC 23.
Craft Wonder, Life 6 ranks, Mind 8, Prime 9 ranks; Creation Cost DC 21, 315 XP.
Wand of the Dead: This hollowed bone can be used to touch a relatively preserved
corpse and animate it into an undead skeleton or zombie. The newly formed
mindless undead obeys the characters commands, and remains in existence until
destroyed or dismissed. The wand can be used for 25 times before expended.
Purchase DC 32.
Craft Wonder, Life 8 ranks, Matter 6 ranks, Prime 10 ranks, Spirit 13 ranks; Creation
Cost DC 30, 450 XP.
Fetishes
Periapts
Talisman
APPENDIX ONE: Arcane Rituals

The World of Magic

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The World of Magic

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Mage: the Ascension

Introduction: A World of Magic

Check for Chapter XX

A Reckoning Has Come

The Revelations Are Here

ASLEEP AND AWAKE

Type: Add the awakened subtype.

Level Adjustment: As base creature +2.

FEATS AND PARADIGM

Table: Tradition Feats

BARD'S TONGUE [GENERAL]

CRUCIAL COMPONENT [GENERAL]

CYCLIC MAGIC [GENERAL]

FAE BLOOD [GENERAL]

FIEND'S MARK [GENERAL]

GAROU BLOOD [GENERAL]

GREEN THUMB [GENERAL]

NATURAL CHANNEL [GENERAL]

PARLOR TRICK [GENERAL]

PARADIGM, AKASHIC [TRADITION]

PARADIGM, CELESTIAL [TRADITION]

PARADIGM, DISPARATE [TRADITION]

PARADIGM, DREAMSPEAKER [TRADITION]

PARADIGM, ECSTATIC [TRADITION]

PARADIGM, ETHERITE [TRADITION]

PARADIGM, EUTHANATOS [TRADITION]

PARADIGM, HERMETIC [TRADITION]

PARADIGM, TECHNOCRATIC [TRADITION]

PARADIGM, VERBENA [TRADITION]

PARADIGM, VIRTUAL [TRADITION]

PREEMPTIVE BACKLASH [GENERAL]

TRUE FAITH [GENERAL]

TWIN SOULS [GENERAL]

TALENTS AND AVATAR

A mages Avatar is generally seen as a shard of universal energy passed on through

DYNAMISM TALENT TREE

- Dynamic Essence: You gain a +1 bonus on Correspondence, Mind, and Time

PRIMORDIAL TALENT TREE

FOCI AND EFFECTS

SKILLS AND SPHERES

Table: Sphere Skills

CORRESPONDENCE (Int; Sphere skill)

Table: Correspondence Effects

ENTROPY (Int; Sphere skill)

Table: Entropy Effects

FORCES (Cha; Sphere skill)

Table: Force Effects

LIFE (Wis; Sphere skill)

Table: Life Effects

MATTER (Int; Sphere skill)

Table: Matter Effects

MIND (Wis; Sphere skill)

Table: Mind Effects

PRIME (Cha; Sphere skill)

SPIRIT (Wis; Sphere skill)

Table: Spirit Effects

TIME (Cha; Sphere skill)

Table: Time Effects

A mages creativity is effectively infinite. He can combine the Spheres of magic in

LIMITS OF MODERN MAGIC

Table: Paradox Accumulation

Paradox Removal: Paradox is remedied either by ripping out the offending

Quiet Hobgoblins: These are illusionary manifestations made real by your