Mage:

The Ascension
Mage: The Ascension

Mage: The Ascension is a roleplaying

game set in the World of Darkness, a
dark, gothic-punk alternative version
of our own reality. In this setting,
magic is real but hidden from most
people’s perception. The game revolves
around mages - individuals who can
reshape reality through the power of
will, belief, and understanding.

The Technocracy stands as a powerful

organization seeking to control reality
through science, technology, and
rational thought. They view magic as a
dangerous threat to human progress and
work systematically to suppress and
eliminate supernatural elements.

The central conflict in Mage: The

Ascension is the struggle over the
nature of reality itself. Mages
fundamentally believe that reality is
malleable and can be shaped by human
will and belief.

Roleplaying happens inside of scenes.

In fact, the entire game exists in
scenes. The beauty of roleplaying a
scene lies in its uncertainty. Neither
the players, or the Storyteller know
exactly how the scene will unfold.

A scene is a temporary collaborative

reality. A shared imaginative space
where individual creativity merges into
a collective experience.

Like most role playing games played

around a table, we use dice to
determine the whims of chance. Anytime
a character performs an action under
adverse conditions or when the outcome
is unclear, his player rolls dice to
see whether the task succeeds or
fails.
You just need two six sided dice to
play. I have changed this from the
original game, Mage: The Ascension
from rolling a ten sided dice. I did a
little math and it just made since.
For a success in this game, rolling a 7
or 11 with two 6 sided dice has the
odds of 2/9 which is 0.2222.

A typical success in Mage is made by

rolling a 8, 9, or 10 on one 10 sided
die, which has the odds of 3/10 which
is 0.3.

So, with a few other modifications the

game mechanics are basically the same.

Attributes and Skills

Characters possess a variety of traits,

describing their innate capabilities,
trained skills, and even how many
wounds they can suffer before dying.
Two types of trait are especially
important: Attributes and Skills. Each
of these traits is rated in dots (●),
ranging from 1 to 5, much like the
five-star system many critics use to
rate movies. For example, a character
might have a Dexterity Attribute of ●●●
(3 dots) and a Firearms Skill of ●● (2
dots).

Whenever your character performs an

action that calls for dice rolls, you
most often add the most appropriate
Attribute to the most appropriate
Skill. When your character shoots a
gun, you add his Dexterity to his
Firearms for a total number of dice
rolls.
Modifiers

Various conditions and circumstances

can greatly improve or hinder your
characters tasks, represented by
bonuses and/or penalties to your dice
rolls. On one hand, quality tools might
give him a bonus to repair a car. On
the other hand, a thunderstorm might
cause hazardous driving conditions,
levying a penalty on any driving rolls,
and a distant target is hard to hit
with a gun, represented by range
penalties.

For example, when shooting a target 30

yards away with his Glock 17 pistol,
your character suffers a -2 penalty.

The Storyteller determines whether or

not any circumstance imposes dice-roll
modifiers and how great those modifiers
are.

Dice Rolls

So, we can say that that the number of

times you get to roll the dice is
determined like so: Attribute + Skill +
modifiers (if any) In general, bonuses
are always added before penalties are
applied.

Rolling the Dice

Now that you know what to roll, lets

see how to read the results. Each roll
uses two dice, and a result of 7, or 11
is considered a success. You might have
more than one of these, in which case
you have multiple successes. The dice
don’t just tell you whether your
character succeeds or fails it shows
you how well he does. If none of your
die rolls succeed, your roll fails.
Obviously, the more die rolls you have
the better your characters chances of
success, and the greater your odds of
gaining multiple successes.
Snake Eyes

If one of your rolls turn up snake

eyes, it cancels out one success. If
you roll snake eyes, and none of you
other rolls succeed it is a botch.

Second Tries

When a roll fails, you can try again

with a +1 difficulty modifier.

Fighting

Combat is a series of die rolls, until

someone surrenders or is rendered
unable to fight. The rolls determine
whether or not your character hits and
how much damage he inflicts on his
target. The number of dice rolls is
determined as above, but a knife is
more deadly than a fist, and a gun is
more deadly than all. Each success
gained on your attack roll represents a
point of damage inflicted against the
targets Health trait. If the target has
no more Health left, he is unconscious
or dead (depending on the type of
damage done).

There are two types of damage: bashing

(caused by blunt weapons such as fists
or clubs; these wounds heal quickly),
lethal (caused by sharp weapons such as
knives and bullets; these wounds heal
slowly). There are a number of
complications involved in combat, such
as a targets Defense Rolls, which are
subtracted from any attack successes
targeted against him.
Actions

The number of times you roll for an

action is made up of an attribute added
to an ability. Each of these are given
a rating from 1 to five:

1) Poor

2) Average

3) Good

4) Exceptional

5) World Class

That dice pool is then modified by one

of these levels:

+1) Easy

+0) Routine

-1) Moderate

-2) Difficult

-3) Challenging

-4) Hard

-5) Exceptional

The number of successes you have is

also given a rating from one to five:

1) Marginal

2) Moderate

3) Good

4) Excellent

5) Phenomenal
Traits

The attributes your character has are

listed here, they are divided into 3
categories:

Physical:

Strength - Physical Power

Dexterity - Athleticism

Stamina - Toughness

Social:

Charisma - Charm

Manipulation - Persuasion

Appearance - Attractiveness

Mental:

Perception - Insight To Surroundings

Intelligence - Pure IQ

Wits - Intuition & Instincts

Abilities are also divided into 3

categories:
Talents:

Alertness - Attention to Your Surroundings

Athletics - A Talent With Sports

Awareness - You Can Sense The Presence
of Magic

Brawl - Skill With Unarmed Combat

Dodge - Avoiding Physical Danger

Expression - The Art of Communication

Intimidation - Flexing Your Muscles

Leadership - You Are Respected

Streetwise - Youre a Part Of The Underworld

Subterfuge - You Can Hide Your Motives

Skills:

Crafts - Working With Your Hands

Drive - Handling The Road

Etiquette - Managing Social Situations

Firearms - Firing Guns

Meditation - Regenerates Magic

Melee - Hand To Hand Weapons

Performance - Specialized as music

etc.

Stealth - Hiding From Sight

Survival - Living In Difficult

Environments

Technology - Repairing And Working With

Machines
Knowledges:

Academics - Higher Education In A

Field
Computer - From Typing To Hacking

Cosmology - Knowledge Of The Spirit

World

Enigmas - Solving Puzzles Or Riddles

Investigation - Forensics Detective

Work

Law - Professional Practice In Law

Linguistics - Specializing In Other

Languages

Medicine - First Aid, & Surgery Etc.

Occult - Knowledge Of Magic Practices

Science - Engineering, Chemistry, &

Physics

There are also some other very

important traits:

Avatar - Your ability to store

quintessence

Arete - Your mastery of magick

Willpower - Can be used to force

success

Quintessence - The raw power of magic

Paradox - The backlash from magic into

insanity

Health - The amount of damage you can

take
Getting Started

Now that you know the basics of the

Storytelling System, you can proceed to
create your own characters. You’ll be
able to judge what sort of traits
you’ll need based on their titles
(they’re mostly self-explanatory), and
know that the more dots you have in a
trait the better your character will be
when accomplishing tasks with it.

Here is a quick overview of how to

begin the character creation process:

The 3 categories of attributes are

divided into 3 levels of points: 7/5/3

The 3 categories of abilities are also

divided into 3 levels of points:
13/9/5

You get 7 points to go into

Backgrounds.

You also get 6 dots that can go into

your Mage’s magical knowledge called
Spheres. The catch is that none of them
can be higher than your level of
Arete.

Arete starts at 1 and can’t begin

higher than 3.

Willpower starts at 5 and can’t begin

higher than 7.
You also get 15 Freebie Points:
To increase an Attribute requires 5
freebie points.

To increase an Ability requires 2

freebie points.

To increase a Background requires 1

freebie point.

To increase Willpower requires 1

freebie point.

To increase Arete requires 4 freebie

points.

To increase a Sphere requires 7 freebie

points.

Prioritize the categories with 3 levels

of points.

Select Attributes (7/5/3)

Physical: Strength, Dexterity, Stamina

Social: Charisma, Manipulation,

Appearance

Mental: Perception, Intelligence,

Wits

Select Abilities (13/9/5)

Talents: Alertness, Athletics,

Awareness, Brawl, Dodge, Expression,
Intimidation, Leadership, Streetwise,
Subterfuge

Skills: Crafts, Drive, Etiquette,

Firearms, Meditation, Melee,
Performance, Stealth, Survival,
Technology

Knowledges: Academics, Computer,

Cosmology, Enigmas, Investigation, Law,
Linguistics, Medicine, Occult,
Science
Additionally, characters also have a
number of advantages called
Backgrounds.

Backgrounds (7):

Allies - Friends who help you

Arcane - You are unnoticed as a Mage

Avatar - The Strength of the soul

Contacts - Information sources

Destiny - A greater purpose

Dream - Visions from the unknown

Influence - Pull over the mortal world

Library - Access to metaphysical

knowledge

Node - A place of magical power

Resources - Extra Money

Wonder - A Magical talisman or device

Combat

We will now go over the combat system.

It is very simple.

Combat is broken down into three steps,

Initiative, Attack, and Resolution.

Stage one - Initiative

During initiative, both players roll

Dexterity + Wits. Whoever has more
successes gets to go first.

Each player declares either to attack

or defend.

It is also possible to ambush someone

with: Dexterity + Stealth vs Perception
+ Alertness
Stage two - Attack

The attacker rolls one of these:

Unarmed Combat: Strength + Brawl

Armed Combat: Strength + Weaponry

Firearms: Dexterity + Firearms

Throwing Objects: Dexterity +

Athletics

Then the defender either takes the hit,

or if they chose to defend they roll:

Block: Dexterity + Brawl

Dodge: Dexterity + Dodge

Parry: Dexterity + Melee

The successes of the attack roll minus

the defense roll equals damage, which
is either Bashing or Lethal.

If a weapon is being used the

storyteller can increase the modifier
for an attack by up to +4. Some guns
allow you to shoot multiple times in a
turn.

Stage three - Resolution

Roll as many times as your Stamina

points to eliminate a point of bashing
damage for each success.

If the fighting continues you roll

again for initiative.

Keep track of the damage to your health

with this chart:
Health

1) Bruised -0

2) Hurt -1
3) Injured -2

4) Wounded -3

5) Mauled -4

6) Crippled -5

7) Unconscious

Each point of damage is marked with a /

for bashing damage and an X for lethal
damage. If you acquire 7 bashing damage
you are unconscious, further bashing
damage can become lethal damage. Either
way, you apply a penalty to everything
you roll as the damage goes up.If you
acquire more than 7 in lethal damage,
you can die.

Finally, your character needs to learn

magic!

Magic

There are 12 Spheres in this system

that are divided into coincidental &
vulgar magic. The first three levels of
each sphere are limited to coincidental
effects, and the highest levels of the
sphere are divided into two levels of
more advanced magic.

The Twelve Spheres in alphabetical

order are:

Control, Destruction, Feeling,

Influence, Penetration, Production,
Revelation, Restoration,
Transformation, Travel, Understanding,
and Vanishing
These are the degrees of power for the
Spheres:

1) Awareness
2) Sympathetic

3) Coincidental

4) Manipulative

5) Miraculous

1) Awareness

Allows the Mage to sense things with

their magic.

2) Sympathetic

The Mage can effect things they’re

personally connected to.

3) Coincidental

The Mage can work magic as long as it

doesn’t defy physics.

4) Manipulative

The Mage can manipulate and bend the

laws of physics.

5) Miraculous

The Mage can now create impossible

miracles.
Mechanics

Casting Magic

You can only cast magic up to the level

of your sphere. Arete is the number of
dice to roll when casting a spell. No
Sphere can be higher than your level of
Arete. A mage can optionally roll fewer
dice to avoid a potential botch.

Avatar

A Mage’s Avatar is the maximum

Quintessence they can store.

Quintessence

Quintessence is the power source for

Magic. Spending Quintessence points
reduces the difficulty of a spell, up
to your level of Arete. Meditation is
required to regain Quintessence for at
least an hour at a place of power. The
maximum Quintessence a Mage can store
is their Avatar score. Quintessence can
also be stored in things that are
carried by a Mage.

Willpower

One point of willpower generates 1

success

Willpower can resist mind magic

Willpower can fight Quiet

Willpower can ignore penalties from

fear & damage

Willpower can be regained after role

play
Difficulty

The difficulty for casting magic is the

level of the sphere you are using. Add
+1 for Vulgar magic, if there are no
witnesses. Add another +1 if a Sleeper
witnesses it.

Bonuses

If you have time to do a ritual,

Intelligence + Occult can be rolled.
Successes are added to your Arete roll
up to a +3. If there isn’t time for a
full ritual, magical tools can add a +1
bonus.

Successes

Simple magic requires only one success,

two successes are required for more
powerful magic, and larger effects can
take even more.

Botches

If a Mage rolls a failure when casting

a spell & they also roll snake eyes on
any of their dice then they botch. This
is a dangerous situation.

Spheres

Spheres in Mage: The Ascension are the

way Mages effect reality. They
represent different kinds of magic,
which Mages use to perceive and reshape
the world.
Understanding

Power: Wisdom / ESP

Knowledge: Realization - Unveiling the

inner knowledge within.

Description: The Power of Understanding

manifests as inspiration and insight,
granting effortless access to answers
and discoveries beyond conventional
understanding. It endows the
practitioner with the gift of
foreknowledge. The key to unlocking
this power lies in the realization that
all knowledge already resides within
oneself.

1) Elevated Mental Attributes

2) Predicting Outcomes

3) Seeing the Past

4) Seeing the Future

5) Stopping Time
Feeling
Power: Empathy / Telepathy

Knowledge: Association - Recognizing

the interconnectedness of all things.
Description: The Power of Feeling
enables one to empathize and understand
others deeply, perceiving their
thoughts and emotions without the need
for words. It stems from the profound
insight into Association, the intrinsic
link that binds all living beings
together.

1) Reading Mindstates

2) Bonus to Social Attributes

3) Mental Shield

4) Reading Thoughts

5) Mental Link
Production
Power: Attraction / Creation

Knowledge: Synchronicity - Uniting the

threads of existence.
Description: The Power of Production
empowers a wizard to draw situations
and desires into their reality. This
ability stems from a profound
understanding of Synchronicity, the
cosmic principle that everything is
interconnected and influences each
other. It acknowledges that the power
to attract lies within, awaiting
manifestation.

1) Sensing Opportunity

2) Arranging situations

3) Attracting Wealth

4) Produce Small Objects

5) Win Lotteries & Elections

Influence
Power: Charisma / Hypnotism

Knowledge: Possession - Will shaping

the realm of the mind.
Description: The Power of Influence
grants a wizard the power to captivate
others. Known as Possession, it allows
one to enchant and charm, eliciting
positive perceptions or even gaining
control over anothers thoughts and
actions. The essence of this mastery
lies in the understanding that ones
will can wield dominion over the minds
of others.

1) Sensing Willpower

2) Social Influence

3) Hypnotic Suggestion

4) Mind Control

5) Altering Identities
Penetration
Power: Escape / Intangibility

Knowledge: Spiritualism - Perceiving

the world as a realm of spirit.
Description: The Power of Penetration
delves into the realm of Spiritualism.
It unveils the truth that the world is
fundamentally composed of spirit,
allowing a wizard to transcend physical
boundaries and become intangible.
Chains and locks lose their hold,
dissolving effortlessly under the
wizards touch.

1) Find Exits

2) Open Locks

3) Escape From Restraints

4) Escape From Prisons

5) Becoming Intangible
Control
Power: Energy / Telekinesis

Knowledge: Evocation - Harnessing the

forces of the spiritual realm.
Description: The Power of Control
enables a wizard to command powerful
forces. Through evocation, the
practitioner can manipulate energy and
bend it to their will. This
understanding arises from recognizing
that spiritual entities are themselves
embodiments of force and possess the
capacity to shape and impact the
physical world.

1) Quick Reactions

2) Bonus to Physical Abilities

3) Influencing Physical Outcomes

4) Moving Objects

5) Controlling Natural Forces

Restoration
Power: Renewal / Healing

Knowledge: Forgiveness - Liberating

from suffering caused by
transgressions.

Description: The Power of Restoration

holds the gift of healing. It grants
the ability to alleviate pain, cure
diseases, and bring renewal to the
afflicted. This power emerges from the
understanding of Forgiveness,
recognizing that suffering often stems
from transgressions. By embracing
forgiveness, a wizard becomes a conduit
for healing and restoration.

1) Sense illness

2) Relieve Pain

3) Protection from Disease

4) Heal Sickness / Damage

5) Resurrection
Vanishing
Power: Stealth / Invisibility

Knowledge: Misdirection - Manipulating

attention and perception.
Description: The Power of Vanishing
encompasses the art of Misdirection. It
allows a wizard to control focus and
attention, rendering themselves unseen
and secrets concealed. Meticulous study
and practice grant the ability to
achieve complete invisibility as the
wizard manipulates perception and
directs attention elsewhere.

1) Detect Lies

2) See in The Dark

3) Stealth

4) Disguise

5) Invisibility
Travel
Power: Direction / Teleportation

Knowledge: Unity - Dissolving the

illusion of separation.
Description: The Power of Travel
operates on the understanding that all
separation is illusory. By harnessing
this power, a wizard can navigate
without traditional directions and
locate objects or places that are lost
or hidden. A skilled practitioner can
transcend distance, stepping from one
location to any desired destination.

1) Locate Lost Objects

2) Find Directions

3) See at a Distance

4) Teleport Objects

5) Make a Portal
Transformation
Power: Developing / Shapeshifting

Knowledge: Personification - Authoring

ones own identity.
Description: The Power of
Transformation allows a wizard to
assume the form and essence of another
being, whether it be an abstract
concept, an animal, or even a deity.
The essence of this mastery lies in the
understanding that one has the power to
create and define their own identity,
refusing to be shaped by external
forces. The power of transformation can
also be used to improve who you already
are.

1) Sense Others Attributes

2) Bonus to Attributes

3) Developing Attributes

4) Shapeshifting

5) Transmutation
Destruction
Power: Curses / Annihilation

Knowledge: Pragmatism - Dissolving the

constructs of right and wrong.
Description: The Power of Destruction
holds immense power that should be
wielded with caution. It encompasses
the ability to curse, annihilate, and
disrupt the natural order. However, the
utilization of this power draws one
away from their true path and blurs the
distinction between right and wrong.

1) Sense Black Magic

2) Protection from Curses

3) Curse Enemies

4) Cause Physical Damage

5) Kill & Destroy

Revelation
Power: Visions / Rapture

Knowledge: Above as Below - The

symbiotic connection between gods,
angels, and humanity.

Description: The Power of Revelation

unveils profound visions and grants
enlightenment to the practitioner. It
is rooted in the understanding of the
symbiotic connection between gods,
angels, and humanity. By tapping into
this power, a wizard gains access to
celestial knowledge, perceiving the
intricate tapestry that binds all
realms and entities together.

1) Sense Spirits

2) Speak with Spirits

3) Banish Spirits

4) Summon Spirits

5) Spirit Travel
Paradox & Quiet

The official rules say Paradox is

caused by Vulgar magic. In these
alternative rules Paradox happens when
a Mage fails at casting their spells.
When a Mage fails a magic roll they
gain a Paradox point. A botched roll
will then releases that Paradox in the
form of a Quiet (Insanity).

If a Mage has a Paradox level of 1-3,

the Quiet happens in one of three
ways:

Hallucinations, Fixations, or
Depression

If they have a Paradox level of 4-6,

the Quiet happens in three more ways:

Delusions & Mood Swings, Repetitive

Behaviors, or Suicidal Thoughts

If they have a Paradox level of 7-10,

the Quiet happens as:

Wild Hallucinations, Compulsions, and

Anti-Social Behavior

If they have a Paradox level of 11+,

the Quiet happens in more severe ways:

Complete Madness, Obsession, or

Violence

Quintessence can be spent to reduce

Paradox, but it has to be done before
the Insanity of Quiet occurs. If
Paradox reaches a level greater than 10
it is released automatically.
Occult

This system of magic can connect to

occult themes, for interesting role
playing.
There are 12 Spheres in this system.
Each Sphere connects to one of the 12
signs of the Zodiac. And each Zodiac
sign connects to one of 10 planets in
Astrology. The 10 planets and 12 signs
connect with the 22 Major Arcana of the
Tarot.

Control:

Energy / Telekinesis

(Aries / Emperor) + (Mars / Tower)

Transformation:

Developing / Shapeshifting

(Taurus / Hierophant) + (Venus /

Empress)

Understanding:

Wisdom / ESP

(Libra / Justice) + (Venus / Empress)

Revelation:

Visions / Rapture

(Pisces / High Priestess) + (Neptune /

Hanged Man)

Feeling:

Empathy / Telepathy

(Virgo / Hermit) + (Mercury /

Magician)
Influence:
Charisma / Hypnotism

(Leo / Strength) + (Sun / Sun)

Penetration:

Escape / Intangibility

(Gemini / Lovers) + (Mercury /

Magician)

Travel:

Direction / Teleportation

(Sagittarius / Temperance) + (Jupiter /

Wheel of Fortune)

Production:

Attraction / Creation

(Capricorn / Devil) + (Saturn /

World)

Restoration:

Renewal / Healing

(Aquarius / Star) + (Uranus / Fool)

Vanishing:

Stealth / Invisibility

(Cancer / Chariot) + (Moon / Moon)

Destruction:

Curses / Annihilation

(Scorpio / Death) + (Pluto /

Judgement)
Finishing Touches
Here are some finishing touches to add
to your character sheet.

Traditions

There are 12 types of Mages

representing different world views. You
can pick whichever one you feel
resonates with your character:

Akashic Brotherhood - Buddhist

Warriors

Celestial Chorus - Gnostic Priests

Cult of Ecstasy - Hippies and New

Agers

Dreamspeakers - Shamans

Euthanatos - Terrorists and Activists

Order of Hermes - Ceremonial Magicians

Sons of Ether - Rebel Scientists

Verbena - Wiccans

Virtual Adepts - Reality Hackers

Hollow Ones - Goths

Marauders - Permanently Insane

Nephandi - Made Demonic Pacts

Technocracy - Agents of Reason

If you have your own Coven you can also

list it as your Cabal.
Concept

All characters need to have a concept

which can be anything you want to make
up. However here are some example
concepts that you might like to use:

Criminal

Drifter

Entertainer

Intellectual

Investigator

Kid

Night-lifer

Outsider

Politician

Professional

Reporter

Socialite

Soldier

Worker
Nature and Demeanor

There are two more important categories

at the top of the character sheet,
called Nature & Demeanor. Nature is
your inner character. and Demeanor is
what you project into the outside
world. Below you can pick one of these
for each:

Architect - Purpose / Obsession

You desire to leave a mark on the

world.

Autocrat - Leadership / Dictatorship

You want control.

Bon Vivant - Love of Life / Hedonism

You want to live Life.

Bravo - Strength / Anger

You want power.

Caregiver - Compassion / Smothering

You look out for others.

Celebrant - Passion / Intemperance

You have a calling

Child - Innocence / Immaturity

You never grew up.

Competitor - Striving /
Competitiveness

Life is a challenge to be won.

Conformist - Cooperation / Low-Self
Esteem

You are a follower.

Conniver - Clever / Envy

You are a manipulator

Curmudgeon - Critical Eye / Lack of

Imagination

You find the faults in others.

Deviant - Shatter Boundaries /

Perversion

You are an outcast.

Director - Organization / Lack of

Tolerance

You want things under control.

Fanatic - Dedication / Stubbornness

You live for a cause.

Gallant - Artistry / Flamboyance

You want to be the center of

attention.

Judge - Justice / Lack of Vision

You want to resolve problems.

Loner - Self-Reliance / Lack of

Empathy

You work best by yourself.

Martyr - Sacrifice / Self-Deprecation

You devote yourself to helping

others.
Masochist - Devotion /
Self-Destructiveness

You want to suffer.

Monster - Mirror of Villainy /

Depravity

You are an evil person.

Pedagogue - Knowledge / Logorrhea

You are a teacher.

Penitent - Responsibility / Contrition

You are consumed with guilt.

Perfectionist - Exactitude /
Incompleteness

You need to be the best.

Rebel - Individuality / Lack of

Direction

You like to break the rules.

Rogue - Valor / Selfishness

You look out for yourself.

Survivor - Perseverance / Lack of

Trust

You keep going no matter what.

Thrill-Seeker - Daring / Recklessness

You live on the edge.

Traditionalist - Consistency /
Complacency

You support the status quo.

Trickster - Empathy / Hypocrisy
Your life is a comedy.

Visionary - Imagination / Pride

You want to remake the future.

Essence

Your character’s Avatar Essence is also

on the character sheet. An Avatar
represents a Mage’s soul, and the
essence represents the drive a mage has
at their core. There are four essences
you can pick from:

Dynamic - Change

Pattern - Improvement

Primordial - Stability

Questing - Purpose

Resonance

All Mages also have a Resonance. As a

Mage uses magic their Resonance
changes. Other Awakened can read a
Mage’s Resonance as well. You start
with one dot in one Resonance trait,
and add dots as you continue working
magic.

There are three types of Resonance:

Dynamic, Entropic, and Static

Dynamic represents change.

Entropic represents destruction.

And Static represents protection.

Purpose

In these alternate rules we also have

another trait called Purpose. You can
fill in the dots anyway you like into
these 3 categories:

Self, Others, and World.

Representing your primary motivation.

Foci

Mages tend to have certain tools for

using magic. When a Mage has access to
these tools, they receive a +1 bonus to
their magic roll. You can pick at least
one at the start of the game. Here is a
list of suggestions for you to choose
from:

Art

Astrology

Blood

Books

Bones

Cauldrons

Chalices

Candles

Chanting

Circles

Computers

Crystals

Dancing

Devices
Martial Arts
Drugs

Elements
Feathers

Fire

Formulas

Herbs

Holy Symbols

Incense

Language

Music

Internet

Ordeals

Poetry

Pure Water

Purification

Ritual Sacrifice

Runes

Science

Sex

Songs

Tarot Cards

Ouija boards

Tattoos

Piercings

Toys

Wands

Weapons
Examples

Also, here are some examples of how to

attempt other actions using the
abilities and attributes already
mentioned:

Climbing - Dexterity + Athletics

Driving - Dexterity + Drive

Encumbrance - Strength

Intrusion - Dexterity or Intelligence +

Technology

Jumping - Strength or Strength +

Athletics

Lifting / Breaking - Strength or

Willpower

Pursuit - Dexterity + Athletics /

Drive

Shadowing - Dexterity + Stealth

Sleight of Hand - Dexterity + Stealth

Sneaking - Dexterity + Stealth

Stealing - Dexterity + Stealth,

Perception + Streetwise

Swimming - Stamina + Athletics

Throwing - Dexterity + Athletics

Fast Talk - Manipulation + Subterfuge

Fitting In - Charisma + Expression

Impersonation - Charisma + Expression

or Manipulation + Subterfuge

Interrogation - Manipulation +
Intimidation or Charisma +
Intimidation

Oration - Charisma + Leadership

Performance - Charisma + Performance

Academic Knowledge - Intelligence +
Academics

Building Devices - Intelligence +

Technology

Cryptography - Intelligence +
Linguistics or Intelligence + Computer

Detecting The Supernatural - Perception

+ Awareness

Foraging - Intelligence + Survival

Fortune Telling - Perception +

Awareness

Hacking - Intelligence / Wits +

Computer

Inventing - Intelligence + Science

Investigation - Perception +
Investigation

Meditation - Stamina / Intelligence +

Meditation

Repair - Dexterity + Technology

Research - Intelligence + Investigation

/ Computer
Surveillance - Perception + Alertness,
Dexterity + Stealth

Tracking - Perception + Survival