Mage The Ascension Pdf

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Mage Chronicles, volume 2: Ascension's Right Hand and Halls of the Arcanum by Phil Brucato Sourcebook - Traditions Mage Chronicles, Volume 3: Loom of Fate, and The Chaos Factor by Chris Hind. MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition T-Shirt L; MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition T-Shirt XL; MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition T-Shirt XXL; 2001 - Year of the Scarab Edit February Edit. February 5: MTAs: Tradition Book: Akashic Brotherhood.

Character Creation‎ > ‎

Merits and Flaws

For every human ability, there are those who have a natural flair for it. Within your character’s specific Aptitude, reduce all difficulties by one. A natural linguist picks up languages easily, speaking without any trace of an accent, and a crack driver can perform phenomenal car tricks with ease. This Aptitude functions for one Ability.
Acute Sense (1-pt merit)
Your mage has an exceptionally sharp natural sense, be it vision, taste, hearing or whatever. She can manage about twice the sensitivity of a human, which allows you to get a two point reduction on difficulty for all challenges with the appropriate sense.
Ambidextrous (1-pt merit)
Your mage has equal facility with either hand. You never suffer a penalty for your character’s use of either hand in performing a task, since the character has no “off-hand.” The character can use both hands at once to perform two physical tasks but he may suffer a concentration penalty if the tasks are wildly different or in different arcs of vision.
Catlike Balance (1-pt merit)
Your mage possesses an innately perfect sense of balance. You reduce the difficulties of all balance-related challenges by two.
Code of Honor (2-pt merit)
Your mage has some personal ethic or code of honor, above and beyond the teachings of Tradition, by which she lives. This code guides her actions, promotes higher standards and gives a clear ethical path. Your mage’s belief in and struggle to uphold this code reduces the difficulty on all Willpower challenges by 2 when acting in accordance with this code or when resisting some compulsion that might force him to violate the code. You should work with the Storyteller to describe and flesh out the code. Note that if your mage does not uphold the code and ponder its impact on his lifestyle regularly, this Merit may be revoked.
Common Sense (1-pt merit)
Your mage has an exceptional body of everyday wisdom and a tendency to deduce clear courses of action in puzzling situations. Although this Merit does not give you a benefit to challenges, it means that the storyteller will warn you when your character’s actions violate common sense. She may even give you suggestions. This Merit is good for new players, as it gives the Storyteller an excuse to treat them lightly.
Conditional Magic (1 to 6-pt. Merit or Flaw)
There is one thing in the world that is a great boon, or bane, to your character’s magic. Perhaps her spells work particularly well against men, or on Tuesdays, or just after a storm, or on people dressed all in black. Maybe she’s powerless to affect those who are or who bear that certain thing, such as her magic being unable to affect Christians or those who carry a piece of rowan and red thread. It may be that a certain individual gave her power over them, or perhaps it is utterly proof against her magic due to an oath she swore or spells that were placed on her.
The conditions that affect your magic may be common, uncommon or rare, and the value of this Merit or Flaw depends on the rarity of the condition. The base costs listed here assume that you have a difficulty modifier of three on all Arete rolls under the given conditions. You may adjust the difficulty by one for every point more or less you devote to the Trait.
Points Condition
1 point Unique: The Sword of Roland, the Matriarch of the MECHA construct, Leap Year
2 points Scarce as hen’s teeth: Current or former members of the Council of Nine, your former Mentors, once in a blue moon
3 points Rare, but not unheard of: loadstones, Swedish royalty, werewolves, rowan and red thread, the holy days of the archangels
4 points Special order: virgins, middle eastern eye-bead charms, any member of Iteration X, during a thunderstorm
5 points Available without much trouble: cold iron, silver, Christians, any member of the Traditions, a windy day, holy ground
6 points Common as dirt: men, anyone who’s ever been baptized, the color purple, under cloud cover, Tuesdays
Cyclic Magic (3-pt. Merit)
Your character’s magic is tied to some regular and repeating cycle — night and day, the moon, the sun, the tides, the wheel of the year, or even such things as the stock market or the price of tea in China (very important for a Syndicate commodities broker). As such, your difficulties with magic fluctuate from the standard by a maximum of three, depending on what part of the cycle you set as your personal high point. You may be tied to the dark of the moon, the full moon, the Bull cycle or the Bear cycle. Regardless, while the cyclic nature of your magic is problematic, it is quite useful in some circumstances, allowing your character to schedule rituals for their times of greatest power.
Dual Traditions (7-pt. Merit)
Your mage has been educated by two traditions. Most likely, he was a Hollow One who studied a bit of this and that, and found a couple things that made sense to him. Or, perhaps, he was Awakened by a teacher of one Tradition, but then studied under a different Master and experienced a second Epiphany through this new knowledge. For purposes of spending experience, the specialty Spheres of both Traditions come with the bonus (cheap) multiplier. Your character is more open-minded about foci as well, and he may use those of either Tradition. (The penalties for unique foci still apply.) If your mage loses his Hermetic showstone, for example, he has to go either about getting another one or rely solely on the props of his other Tradition.
Eidetic Memory (2-pt merit)
A character with an eidetic memory remembers the general sense of everything that she experiences, and she has greater ease in total recall. Under normal conditions, your character easily remembers everything that happens to her. In stressful situations (like memorizing a book during a firefight), you may need to make a Perception + Investigation challenge to memorize or recall the pertinent information.
Green Thumb (1-pt. Merit)
Flowers spring up in your footsteps and trees burst into bloom at your touch. Your hands are as warm as sunlight or stones from a cheery hearth. A common Merit among Verbena.
Light Sleeper (1 or 2-pt merit)
For one point, your mage needs less sleep than other mortals. He can function quite well on four hours a night. If the Storyteller imposes penalties on other players for sleep deprivation, then you are exempt. Needless to say, this Merit allows your character to accomplish a lot more with his daily activities.
For two points, your mage sleeps only about two hours per night. This resilience is quite unusual, and it lets your mage get a lot more done. It also means that he has the luxury of sleeping while on the run.
Lightning Calculator (1-pt merit)
Your character can perform complex mathematical equations in her head instantly with little error at the speed of a computer. You as a player can use a calculator during play at any time, even when your character is fleeing for her life.
Medium (2-pt. Merit)
Your mage is a natural conduit to the Underworld. Although this Merit does not reduce the difficulty of working Spirit magic, it does mean that your mage can hear ghosts naturally. The mage might not see wraiths without the right magic, but they do tend to hang out, talk, bug the character and ask him to do things. This talent can be helpful in some cases; wraiths are eager to talk to those who can hear them. However, they often make demands, and they can be difficult to banish if the mage doesn’t have enough power with Spirit.
Natural Channel (3-pt. Merit)
Your mage is a natural weak point in the Gauntlet between worlds. The difficulty to use magic to pierce it is one less, and spirits react a bit more favorably to the mage. If your mage finds an especially weak spot in the Gauntlet (with Awareness or Spirit 1), he can step between worlds without magic.
Oracular Ability (3-pt. Merit)
No, your mage is not one of the mystic Master mages living in an ivory tower in the Deep Umbra. Neither is she a software company. What she is, is an ordinary mage with a flair for divination and glimpses into the past, present and future. Whenever the Storyteller feels you are in the position to see a sign or portent, you may make a Perception + Awareness challenge, with the difficulty relative to how well the omen is concealed. If successful, you may then roll Intelligence + Occult to interpret what you have seen, the difficulty is relative to the complexity of what you have seen. Your difficulty for all divination with magic (generally with Time) reduces by two.
Parlor Trick (1-pt. Merit)
Your character has a natural ability to perform some small, pretty or useful bit of magic at will. This trick is nothing that can cause much damage, or even serious annoyance; it’s just enough to perform some small basic task or give your mage a little flair. Your mage might be adept at the old wizard’s trick of conjuring an orb of witchlight to hand or a flame to her finger. She might be a cyborg who had the bright idea of installing a light bulb or pilot light in her head for the same purpose. If your mage uses a magical sense like night-vision often, you might have the added perk that he can make his eyes glow like a vampire’s, allowing him to see even in total darkness. If your character is of the scientific bent, he may be able to emit enough x-rays to use with his x-ray vision, or he could have a laser pointer installed in his index finger just for fun. You don’t have to roll or spend anything to make this parlor trick work.
Storytellers should note that this Merit is provided to add color and reason to the game, not to give min -maxers a loophole to create engines of death. With this Merit, mages can light pipes without a lighter, conjure roses or martinis, have mood music play in the background or pop a penknife or a single claw out of a fingertip. Yes, you could put an eye out with one of those things, but the combat difference between a penknife, a single tiger claw, and a press-on fingernail is inconsequential.
Sphere Natural (5-pt. Merit)
Your character is able to use one of the Spheres of magic with a greater degree of ease than other mages. For whatever reason (inborn talent, powerful heritage, past life, supernatural bargain, etc.), she’s got an affinity for a certain kind of magic. She picked it up quickly, and she now progresses through it at an unusual rate.
During character creation, select one Sphere. From this point on, you only pay three-quarters of the normal cost (rounded down) when buying levels, rituals and similar improvements for magic of that Sphere alone. The favored Sphere must be declared at character creation, and it may be purchased only once.
Time Sense (1-pt merit)
Your mage has an uncanny sense of time, down to within a few seconds of accuracy. This merit duplicates the Perfect Time effect of Time 1, but it’s natural and ever-present.
True Love (4-pt merit)
Despite the bleakness of the world and the alienation that most mages suffer, your character has discovered a true love. Such love gives hope and inspiration in the face of even the greatest difficulty, for it is a sign that the world is not totally devoid of higher, purer powers. You gain one automatic success on all Willpower challenges. On the other hand, you probably have to spend time rescuing your true love from danger or questing to find him or her again.
Twin Souls (4-pt. Merit)
Your mage’s Avatar has been fragmented, and he has a “soulmate” — equal in power to his own Avatar, and similar in Essence, Nature and Demeanor. A physical twin, a look-alike, another mage or a complete stranger (possibly a Sleeper) might posses this fragment. When in physical contact with this soulmate (or spiritual mate, for actions in the Umbra), the two may share Quintessence and cast spells as one, taking the highest ratings in Arete and Spheres, also gaining an additional measure of Quintessence equal to the strength of either individual. The parts are greater than the whole. However, this joint pool must be replenished through meditation in a Node, the same as a regular pool of Quintessence. Paradox points gained from joint spells are not split, however, and each twin gains the same amount of Paradox.
With only one dot in Correspondence, your character will always know where her soulmate is. With one dot in Life, she’ll know his state of health, and with one in Mind, she may share his thoughts. If one soulmate dies, the player of the other must make a Willpower challenge (difficulty 8) to avoid psychic shock. She must wait also until her soulmate’s reincarnation before the power may again be shared. Soulmates are not just walking Merits; they must be presented and run as characters, preferably by different players in a group. Also note that a mage does not have to get along with her soulmate.. Twin souls are distinct and separate individuals, not just tag-team powerhouses.
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Addiction (1 or 3-pt flaw)
Your mage suffers an addiction to some substance, such as nicotine, alcohol or some hard drug. If the substance is relatively trivial and easily obtained, this Flaw is worth one point, and it probably won’t cause any game related difficulties. If the substance is illegal, dangerous, or liable to cause health or psychological problems, the Flaw is worth three points. Some mages may be addicted to extremely unusual or magical substances. Although such substances generally don’t assess any penalty, they may count as a severe addiction due to their unusual nature.
A mage who can’t get his fix will go through withdrawal, with penalties assessed by the Storyteller.
Amnesia (2-pt. Flaw)
Your character can’t remember anything about his past, his history or the events of his life. The character can still use his various Abilities, but he may not remember how he learned them. Your Storyteller has final say on your character’s history, and some things may come back to surprise you. You can set aside two to five additional points of Flaws for use by the Storyteller; the Storyteller gets to pick Flaws worth one fewer point (thus, if you take four extra amnesiac Flaws, your Storyteller chooses three points of Flaws but you get the four freebie points). Of course, you don’t know what these Flaws are, so you may be in for a surprise!
Bad Sight (3-pt flaw)
The character has some sort of non-correctable vision problem – a severe astigmatism, myopia or the like. This problem can’t be corrected with glasses or contact lenses, and fixing it with Life magic requires extensive permanent work to bypass the problems of Pattern bleeding. You always suffer a two point penalty to all challenges in which vision is a factor.
Blind (6-pt flaw)
The character has no natural sight – the world of color and vision is lost to him. You cannot even make Perception challenges that require vision, and you suffer a three point difficulty penalty on any awareness challenge where you do have a shot, unless the matter relies exclusively on another sense. The difficulty of all dexterity-related challenges increases by two. Your mage must target his magic by hearing, Correspondence or some other magical or mundane sense.
Compulsion (1 to 4-pt. Flaw)
There is something your mage is compelled to do or not do, and whether or not he likes this fact is immaterial. This Flaw may be psychological, physiological, or supernatural in nature. If it’s purely psychological, you may roll Willpower to resist the Compulsion (difficulty 6 + the point value of the Flaw). However, if it’s physiological or supernatural, it doesn’t matter how willing the mind is, since the spirit is bound or the body is crippled, and he is unable to do this thing no matter how hard he tries. The Flaw is worth two extra points if such is the case.
Compulsions can also vary. Not being able to touch something and not being able to harm it are two completely different things. An evil sorceress might not be able to physically touch an innocent, but she could still stand back and blast away with a shotgun or a spell of flaming death.
This Flaw is worth varied points, depending on the frequency and severity of the Compulsion.
Flaw Compulsion
1 point Do not cross a threshold without permission, never show fear to the enemy, never contradict a superior officer
2 points Never refuse a reasonable bet, never betray any emotion, do not touch anything holy or consecrated to a particular faith, never harm a child
3 points Never refuse a duel, never strike a woman, never refuse an offer of sex, never tell a lie, never take a life
4 points Never tell the truth, dance whenever you hear music, become entranced by mirrors or beauty or books, never refuse a dare, do no harm
Crucial Component (2 to 5-pt. Flaw)
There is some raw ingredient your mage needs to work his magic, besides magic itself. This component may be something rare or esoteric, like diamonds or ghostly ectoplasm, or perhaps something common or easily obtainable, like anger, alcohol or electricity. Without this crucial component, he cannot work his magic, and if this crucial component cannot be worked into a casting, oh well — you need to find a different Effect. This Flaw does not merely represent a Technocrat’s reliance on scientific devices and scientific principles. A Virtual Adept does not need a computer to work his computations; if he had to, he could use a slide-rule or a pencil and paper, or even do them in his head — it just takes longer. But Dr. Va-Voom requires diesel fuel to power all his Devices, and they won’t work if he tries to attach solar cells or an etheric proton pack — or at least they won’t work for him. This substance does not have to be direct from the source — moonlight can be charged into moonstones and holy water can be bottled — but it does have to be properly stored, with whatever methods or rituals are appropriate. (Charged moonstones must be kept in a black velvet pouch, away from the light of the sun, while holy water must be kept in a specially blessed flask.)
Flaw Crucial Component
2 pointssunlight, eggs, motor oil, tea, aspirin, electricity, emotion, ectoplasm
3 pointsbeeswax candles, blood, fresh lavender, grave dirt, holy water, rage, spectral residue
4 pointsvirgin’s blood, hashish, dead humans, gold, platonic love, the fires of Hell
5 pointsdiamonds, live humans, rare orchids, lightning strikes, transcendent joy, the tears of angels, any variety of Tass
Dark Fate (5-pt. Flaw)
Some terrible fate looms over your mage, and worse still, she knows it. She will die in a horrible way, or she may be doomed to suffer for eternity. Maybe she had a vision of her own Gilgul, or of entering the Cauls of the Nephandi. Your character cannot escape this fate, and it will come to haunt her sooner than she thinks. Occasionally, situations may remind your mage of the futility of her existence. You must spend a Willpower point to overcome such lassitude or else lose a trait from all challenges for the rest of the day. Only the Storyteller knows the exact nature of this fate, and it’s up to him to determine how it will come to pass.
Dark Secret (1-pt flaw)
Some terrible past haunts your character. Perhaps he turned on his mentor, or maybe he is secretly in love with a Widderslainte. Either way, your character’s secret – which will come up from time to time as the Storytellers feels it appropriate – can cause some embarrassment or trouble for your mage (although it’s unlikely to get the character killed).
Deaf (4-pt flaw)
Your mage’s natural Pattern is deaf, and the mage cannot hear at all. You fail all tests involving hearing automatically. This Flaw increases the difficulty of many Awareness challenges by three as well, since your mage must rely on other senses for warnings and clues. Overcoming this defect with magic, as with all such Flaws, requires the use of difficult permanent rituals and the expenditure of experience points.
Deep Sleeper (1-pt. Flaw)
Snore, toss and ignore the alarm — your mage sleeps like a force of nature. Whenever your mage is trying to wake up, you suffer a difficulty penalty of two on the challenge, and the mage continues to stagger along bleary-eyed and uncomprehending for the rest of the scene (with a further one point penalty on all challenges).
Defective Sense (1-pt flaw)
One of your character’s senses is dulled or abnormally damaged in some fashion. Perhaps the character is hard of hearing, has limited taste receptors, is color blind or is correctably near-sighted. In each case, you suffer a two point penalty to the difficulty of all challenges involving the flawed sense.
Disfigured (2-pt flaw)
A hideous disfigurement makes your characters appearance disturbing. The difficulty of all challenges relating to social interactions increase by two. The character may not have an Appearance rating higher than two.
Echoes (1 to 5-pt. Flaw)
Your mage manifests the traditional marks associated with the supernatural. Maybe it’s a little quirk like not having a shadow, or something as severe as a baleful aura. Perhaps milk curdles around your mage and mirrors break. Look up some superstitions associated with the heritage of your mage’s Tradition, and pick a few! The Storyteller determines the value of this Flaw, based on the severity of these supernatural problems.
Geasa (1 to 5-pt. Flaw; must be attached to another Flaw or Merit)
There is something your character must or must not do, and his life, his luck, his magic (and perhaps his very soul) depends on it. It may be something that has always been upon him, a Geas prophesied by druids at bis birth, or a curse laid on him by faeries at his christening. It may also be a sacred oath or vow he swore, or a promise or bargain he made, and Someone (with a capital S) witnessed it and is going to hold him to it. If he disobeys, the consequences are dire, if not deadly.
The value of a Geas depends on how easily it is broken and the penalty for violating it. If the penalty is the loss of some Merit or Background, deduct the Geas’ rating from the value of the Merit or Background and make that number the value of the Flaw. For example, your character’s sword may be a five-point Artifact, but you have been told, “If you ever raise this blade in anger, the angels who gave it to you will take it away.” Never raising one’s sword in anger is a small sacrifice, so it’s worth four points, making a four point Flaw.
When you take a Geas, choose the Flaw(s), Background (s), and/or Merit(s) to which the Geas is attached. Then either lessen the final value of the Flaw(s) or decrease the cost of the Merit(s) and/or Background (s). In the case of Merits that may be taken multiple times, you may take the Geas the same number of times to decrease the cost. However, your Geas should be at least one point less than the total value of the Merits, Backgrounds and/or Flaws to which it’s linked. In other words, you cannot get a Merit or Background for free just by piling on strictures and limitations. Storytellers should examine each Geas to make sure it makes sense in terms of story, rather than just being a pile of bizarre restrictions and commandments that could only be explained by faeries dropping acid at a christening. Storytellers should also blackball any Geas that does not cause actual problems. Losing your soul if you die is a problem, and so is losing an legendary Attribute if you lose your virginity. However, it’s to be expected that you’ll lose all of your Attributes, enhanced or otherwise, when you die, so this is not a legitimate problem unless your character also has some way to come back from the dead.
The point value of the Geasa suggested here is only approximate, and it will vary depending on character and circumstances.
Value Geas
1 point Inevitable circumstance or incredible sacrifice: When you die, if you ever let the sun touch your skin, if you ever allow your feet to touch the earth, if you ever speak another word
2 points Almost unavoidable circumstance or significant sacrifice: Remain a virgin, never harm a living creature, never tell a lie
3 points Everyday circumstance or common sacrifice: Never back down from a fight, never tell a secret, never refuse hospitality, never marry, never have children
4 points Unlikely circumstance or a small sacrifice: Stop and pet every cat you see, never eat any animal product, never harm a certain type of animal or a certain type of person, never raise your sword in anger
5 pointsEasily avoided circumstance or trivial sacrifice: Never break bread with a red-haired man, say your prayers every night, take your vitamins, never harm the king, don’t eat ham, keep one small secret
Classic penalties for violating a Geas include suffering a dark fate, losing one’s Avatar, having luck turn from good to bad, being deserted by one’s familiar (especially if the Geas was a pact you made with the beast), losing a totem, losing all one’s friends and losing one’s worldly possessions.
Characters may have several Geasa that may come into conflict. Cuchulainn had the Geasa to “Never refuse hospitality” and to “Never harm a dog” (his namesake). Three hags then offered him roast dog for dinner and Cuchulainn died soon after. Consequently, most mages try to keep their Geasa secret, lest they be used against them by enemy mages. Unfortunately, Geasa can be divined by a simple Entropy 1 Effect mixed with a little skill in fortune-telling as can one’s destiny. Elaborate traps have been devised to force mages to violate all their Geasa in succession, leading to their flamboyant destruction. Perversely, Geasa, curses, holy vows and binding oaths are also marks of great status among certain Traditions, particularly the Akashic Brotherhood, Verbena, and Celestial Chorus, who accord status to mages with such Flaws. Simply put, unimportant people don’t have Geasa or family curses, and someone who takes a binding oath or makes a sacred vow (and keeps it) is worthy of respect. Most Technomancers, on the other hand, aren’t impressed by people who take vows of chastity or silence, and they are similarly blase about those who break them. Traditionally, there is very little that may be done about Geasa, which are simply facets of one’s destiny, and curses are devilishly hard to lift (and the Flaw must be bought off if they are). However, with binding oaths, sacred vows, and bans imposed by totem spirits, characters who violate them accidentally may attempt to atone for their crime. A witch who has vowed to never eat any red meat, then suddenly finds ham in her pea soup, might be able to atone for the trespass by fasting and sending checks to PETA. However, if a mage violates an oath willingly and with full knowledge — and survives — he becomes an oathbreaker, one of the most foul epithets among the Traditions. The destiny of an oathbreaker is scarred permanently, and the marks show clearly to the same Entropy 1 magic that reveals a mage’s destiny. As such, it is virtually impossible for an oathbreaker to find a tutor or any sort of aid among those Traditions that value one’s sworn word. Some Traditions, notably the Order of Hermes and the Verbena, kill oathbreakers on sight, numbering them among the Nephandi, whose dark paths of power are the only ones left open to them.
Ironically, many oathbreakers are young internalists who foreswore their allegiance to the Dark Masters — and the binding oath they had been given — after realizing the price of that power. Destiny, however, does not play favorites, and those who break their word to Hell are just as stigmatized as those who lie to Heaven.
Characters who wish to begin as oathbreakers should take Dark Fate or some other curse. Occasionally there are good and noble characters who have sworn foolish oaths in the past, then have broken them rather than allow some greater evil to occur. It is impossible to erase the stain from the soul once one is foresworn, but some have friends who will still stand by them, even though most mages will spit when they say their names.
Geasa may be taken at the same time as the Compulsion Flaw, assuming that the Compulsion does not make the Geas impossible. For example, a witch could be both under a Geas and supernaturally (or just psychologically) compelled to stop and pet every cat she saw, lest she suffer a dark fate.
Ineptitude (1-pt. Flaw)
Your mage just sucks at one particular Ability. Maybe he can’t handle driving worth a damn, or he makes computers burst into flames and emit pink smoke. Pick one Ability in which your character has at least one dot — preferably one that will be important to your character in some fashion. (Your Storyteller will know if you do otherwise, and he has nasty ways to make you pay.) You suffer a difficulty penalty of two on all challenges with that Ability.
Lame (3-pt flaw)
Due to an unhealed injury or a missing limb, your mage has trouble walking. The character has a pronounced limp and a slow stride, and he must use some means of support to walk like a cane, leg braces or Forces magic. The character’s movement speed is quartered, and running is impossible. This Flaw may also add to the difficulty of maneuvers that rely on the legs – jumps, swimming, martial arts kicks – at the Storyteller’s discretion.
Mistaken Identity (1-pt flaw)
Your mage is not the reincarnation of some ancient hero or nefarious character from history, the favored child that some great animal totem set its mark upon, a powerful immortal wizard who has not been seen for a hundred years or some god come down in human form. Unfortunately, he looks the part, and people who value iconography more than actions will believe he fits the role. This confusion can naturally get your mage into all sorts of trouble. People may expect him to have capabilities that he doesn’t, or they may blame him for problems that aren’t his own.
Monstrous (3-pt flaw)
Your mage has an Appearance rating of zero. He may be the stereotypical pock-marked leper, or he may have the face and body of a demon or bug-eyed monster. Otherwise, someone just beat him with the ugly stick.
Mute (4-pt flaw)
Your mage can’t speak. This shortcoming may derive from the physical damage, a magical curse or a natural deformity. You are not allowed to talk in character. You can use Linguistics to learn sign language, or write. Mind magic can also overcome this problem to a limited degree.
Nightmares (2-pt. Flaw)
Horrid nightmares afflict your mage, whether due to a natural condition like night terrors, a curse or perhaps a vivid replaying of a terrifying event. Your mage has trouble getting enough sleep, and he often wakes up horrified, soaked with sweat and exhausted. You must make a Willpower roll when your mage wakes up. Failure indicates that you lose a trait from all categories for the rest of the day.
Permanent Wound (3-pt flaw)
Due to Pattern damage, a permanent Paradox injury or some other nastiness, you have a wound that never heals. Even if you repair the injury with magic, it reoccurs at sunset or sunrise of each day (your choice as to which). This wound causes your character to suffer the Wounded health level with lethal damage that cannot be soaked. Such damage is cumulative with other injuries (and it could kill a badly wounded mage if it reoccurs while he’s already injured), but it is not self-cumulative. That is, your character’s bleeding head wound doesn’t cause any more damage the next morning or evening if he hasn’t bothered to heal it magically for a day.
Phobia (2-pt. Flaw)
Some simple stimulus, engenders an overwhelming fear in your mage. Your character might be afraid of snakes, heights or large crowds of people. You must make a Willpower challenge whenever your mage is confronted by the object of terror. If you tie, your mage retreats from the situation, while a fail means that the mage flees completely out of control or curls up into a helpless ball and quivers. If forced to stand ground against such a fear (fighting a giant magical snake, for instance), you suffer a difficulty penalty of two on all challenges.
Primal Marks (2-pt flaw)
Your mage may have Primordial Essence, some totem of god or legend, or perhaps she’s just gained some powerful spirit’s patronage and it’s set its mark on her. If the totem is an animal, she resembles what such animal would look like in human form so strongly that people who don’t even know her call her “Bear” or “Moose” or “Raven.” If the totem is some well-known god or hero, your character looks just like people would expect her to, including any particular deformities. Your mage looks the part so much that anyone can guess her nature at a glance, and there is some danger in that, especially if your totem has a legendary enemy.
Your mage might alternately be the descendant of some famous or infamous house: Pendragon, Murasaki, Bacon, Bathory, Borgia or Le Vey. Besides the family name, you’ve also inherited the family “look.” Students of history can easily picture you banishing the Devil and slaying dragons, or poisoning entire families and bathing in the blood of virgins – especially since they have the illustrations that might give them this idea.
Alternately, your mage may just look the part of their profession too well. Perhaps she has the red hair and green eyes of an Irish witch, the pale eyes and dark skin of an Arabic sorcerer, the grown-together brows and elongated ring-fingers of a born shapeshifter, or the intense yellow, violet or emerald green eyes of one of the fae. Students of ancient lore recognize these signs, and your mage may easily become the victim of witch hunters. However, some witches, changelings, shapeshifters and others may accord you more status in their societies if you “look the part.”
Short Fuse (2-pt. Flaw)
Your mage is quick to anger. Whenever anybody ticks off your character, you must make a Willpower challenge (difficulty 6) to not go on the offensive.
Shy (1-pt flaw)
Large groups of people make your mage uncomfortable, and although he doesn’t necessarily panic and flee from crowds, he has trouble dealing with such gatherings. Your mage has trouble speaking and presenting himself when the world’s watching. Any time your mage interacts with strangers or becomes the center of attention for a group of three or more people, you suffer a difficulty penalty of three on all social challenges.
Slow Healing (3-pt flaw)
The mage’s body’s natural healing processes are slow, whether due to a bad immune system, old age, bad diet or just genetics. You heal all of your character’s wounds twice as slowly as everyone else. All Life magic effects heal half the damage they should, rounded down.
Soft-Hearted (1-pt. Flaw)
Your character cannot stand to watch others suffer. Your mage avoids any situation that involves causing someone physical or emotional pain, unless you make a Willpower challenge (difficulty 8).
A severe lisp, stutter, cleft palate, outburst of Tourette’s Syndrome or similar problem makes it difficult for your mage to speak clearly. Try to
roleplay this Flaw; you suffer a two-point penalty to all verbal communication rolls.
Sphere Inept (5-pt. Flaw)
For some reason, your mage sucks at a certain kind of magic. She could be paying off some karmic debt or struggling with some metaphysical concept. Maybe she invested her knowledge in some item in a past life and she hasn’t run across it yet in this incarnation. This Flaw acts like Sphere Natural in reverse. Advancement in one particular Sphere (chosen at character creation) costs ¼ more experience points than normal, rounded up. To take this Flaw, choose one Sphere that your character plans to study. This Flaw can be selected only once, and it must be chosen at character creation.
The Bard’s Tongue (1-pt. Flaw)
Your character speaks the truth, uncannily so. Things he says tend to come true. This Flaw is not a facility for blessing or cursing, or an Effect ruled by any conscious control (use Time 2 instead). However, at least once per story, an uncomfortable truth regarding any current situation will appear in your character’s head and come out his mouth. To avoid speaking prophecy, the owner of this “gift” must expend a Willpower point and take a wound of one bashing health level from the strain of resisting (especially if he bites a hole in his tongue).
Vengeful (2-pt. Flaw)
Someone pissed your mage off, and he plans to get even. Your mage wants to even the score with one individual or group. This victim may or may not be an enemy — the subject may not even be aware of the perceived slight — but your mage takes it seriously and counts it as a major part of his life. You must spend a Willpower point to turn your mage away from the object of his vengeance when a situation crops up to potentially wreak havoc on the opponent in question.
Witch-Hunted (4-pt flaw)
A dangerous and skilled mortal hunter stalks your character, fully aware of what your mage is and what he can do. Worse still, the subject is intelligent and crafty, he works to negate the advantages of your character’s magic, and he may extend his hunt to your companions and associates. While just about every mage can claim some enemy, this Flaw makes your mage a pariah. (Nobody wants to hang out with someone who’s going to bring a psycho-killer along!) The hunter may even have friends or allies who continue to trouble your mage if your mage eludes, dissuades or kills the individual. Whatever the case, this guy wants your mage dead, he’s not going to stop, and he has access to special resources (or, at the very least, specialized knowledge) in his quest.
Mage: The Ascension
Designer(s)Stewart Wieck, Christopher Earley, Stephan Wieck, Bill Bridges, Sam Chupp, Andrew Greenberg
Publisher(s)White Wolf
Publication date1993 (1st edition)
1995 (2nd edition)
2000 (Revised edition)
2015 (20th anniversary edition)
Genre(s)Modern Mysticism
System(s)Storyteller System

Mage: The Ascension is a role-playing game based in the World of Darkness, and was published by White Wolf Game Studio. The characters portrayed in the game are referred to as mages, and are capable of feats of magic. The idea of magic in Mage is broadly inclusive of diverse ideas about mystical practices as well as other belief systems, such as science and religion, so that most mages do not resemble typical fantasy wizards.

In 2005, White Wolf released a new version of the game, marketed as Mage: The Awakening, for the new World of Darkness series. The new game features some of the same game mechanics but uses a substantially different premise and setting.

  • 3Game setting
    • 3.1History
  • 4Factions
  • 5Rules and continuity

History[edit]

Following the release of Vampire: The Masquerade, White Wolf put out a new roleplaying game every year, each set in Vampire's World of Darkness and using its Storyteller rule system. The next four games were: Werewolf: The Apocalypse (1992), Mage: The Ascension (1993), Wraith: The Oblivion (1994) and Changeling: The Dreaming (1995).[1]:217–218Mage was the first World of Darkness game that Mark Rein•Hagenwas not explicitly involved with, although it featured the Order of Hermes from his Ars Magica as just a single tradition among many.[1]:218

Lore[edit]

The basic premise of Mage: The Ascension is that everyone has the capacity, at some level, to shape reality. This capacity, personified as a mysterious alter ego called the Avatar, is dormant in most people, who are known as sleepers, whereas Magi (and/or their Avatars) are said to be Awakened. Because they're awakened, Magi can consciously effect changes to reality via willpower, beliefs, and specific magical techniques.

The beliefs and techniques of Magi vary enormously, and the ability to alter reality can only exist in the context of a coherent system of belief and technique, called a paradigm. A paradigm organizes a Mage's understanding of reality, how the universe works, and what things mean. It also provides the Mage with an understanding of how to change reality, through specific magical techniques. For example, an alchemical paradigm might describe the act of wood burning as the wood 'releasing its essence of elemental Fire,' while modern science would describe fire as 'combustion resulting from a complex chemical reaction.' Paradigms tend to be idiosyncratic to the individual Mage, but the vast majority belong to broad categories of paradigm, e.g., Shamanism, Medieval Sorcery, religious miracle working, and superscience.

In the Mage setting, everyday reality is governed by commonsense rules derived from the collective beliefs of sleepers. This is called the consensus. Most Magi's paradigms differ substantially from the consensus. When a mage performs an act of magic that does not seriously violate this commonsense version of reality, in game terms this is called coincidental magic. Magic that deviates wildly from consensus is called vulgar or dynamic magic. When it is performed ineptly, or is vulgar, and especially if it is vulgar and witnessed by sleepers, magic can cause Paradox, a phenomenon in which reality tries to resolve contradictions between the consensus and the Mage's efforts. Paradox is difficult to predict and almost always bad for the mage. The most common consequences of paradox include physical damage directly to the Mage's body, and paradox flaws, magical effects which can for example turn the mage's hair green, make him mute, make him incapable of leaving a certain location, and so on. In more extreme cases paradox can cause Quiet (madness that may leak into reality), Paradox Spirits (nebulous, often powerful beings which purposefully set about resolving the contradiction, usually by directly punishing the mage), or even the removal of the Mage to a paradox realm, a pocket dimension from which it may be difficult to escape.

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In Mage, there is an underlying framework to reality called the Tapestry. The Tapestry is naturally divided into various sections, including the physical realm and various levels of the spirit world, or Umbra. At the most basic level, the Tapestry is composed of Quintessence, the essence of magic and what is real. Quintessence can have distinctive characteristics, called resonance, which are broken down into three categories: dynamic, static, and entropic.

In order to understand the metaphysics of the Mage setting, it is important to remember that many of the terms used to describe magic and Magi (e.g. Avatar, Quintessence, the Umbra, Paradox, Resonance, etc.) as well as the appearance, meaning, and understanding of a character's 'Spheres,' the areas of magic in which their character is proficient, vary depending on the Paradigm of the Mage in question, even though they are often, in the texts of the game, described from particular paradigmatic points-of-view. In-character, only a Mage's Paradigm can explain what each of these things are, what they mean, and why it's the way it is.

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Game setting[edit]

History[edit]

Early times[edit]

In the game, Mages have always existed, though there are legends of the Pure Ones who were shards of the original, divine One. Early mages cultivated their magical beliefs alone or in small groups, generally conforming to and influencing the belief systems of their societies. Obscure myths suggest that the precursors of the modern organizations of mages originally gathered in ancient Egypt. This period of historical uncertainty also saw the rise of the Nephandi in the Near East. This set the stage for what the game's history calls the Mythic Ages.

Until the late Middle Ages, mages' fortunes waxed and waned along with their native societies. Eventually, though, mages belonging to the Order of Hermes and the Messianic Voices attained great influence over European society. However, absorbed by their pursuit of occult power and esoteric knowledge, they often neglected and even abused humanity. Frequently, they were at odds with mainstream religions, envied by noble authorities and cursed by common folk.

The Order of Reason[edit]

Mages who believed in proto-scientific theories banded together under the banner of the Order of Reason, declaring their aim was to create a safe world with Man as its ruler. They won the support of Sleepers by developing the useful arts of manufacturing, economics, wayfaring, and medicine. They also championed many of the values that we now associate with the Renaissance. Masses of Sleepers embraced the gifts of early Technology and the Science that accompanied them. As the masses' beliefs shifted, the Consensus changed and wizards began to lose their position as their power and influence waned.

This was intentional. The Order of Reason perceived a safe world as one devoid of heretical beliefs, ungodly practices and supernatural creatures preying upon humanity. As the defenders of the common folk, they intended to replace the dominant magical groups with a society of philosopher-scientists as shepherds, protecting and guiding humanity. In response, non-scientific mages banded together to form the Council of Nine Traditions where mages of all the major magical paths gathered. They fought on battlefields and in universities trying to undermine as many discoveries as they could, but to no avail - technology made the march of Science unstoppable. The Traditions' power bases were crippled, their believers mainly converted, their beliefs ridiculed all around the world. Their final counteroffensives against the Order of Reason were foiled by internal dissent and treachery in their midst.

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Rise of the Technocracy[edit]

However, from the turn of the 17th century on, the goals of the Order of Reason began to change. As their scientific paradigm unfolded, they decided that the mystical beliefs of the common people were not only backward, but dangerous, and that they should be replaced by cold, measurable and predictable physical laws and respect for human genius. They replaced long-held theologies, pantheons, and mystical traditions with ideas like rational thought and the scientific method. As more and more sleepers began to use the Order's discoveries in their everyday lives, Reason and rationality came to govern their beliefs, and the old ways came to be regarded as misguided superstition. However, the Order of Reason became less and less focused on improving the daily lives of sleepers and more concerned with eliminating any resistance to their choke-hold on the minds of humanity. Ever since a reorganization performed under Queen Victoria in the late 1800s, they call themselves the Technocracy.

Contemporary setting[edit]

The Technocracy espouses an authoritarian rule over Sleepers' beliefs, while suppressing the Council of Nine's attempts to reintroduce magic. The Traditions replenished their numbers (which had been diminished by the withdrawal of two Traditions, the secretive Ahl-i-Batin, and the Solificati, alchemists plagued by scandal) with former Technocrats from the Sons of Ether and Virtual Adepts factions, vying for the beliefs of sleepers and with the Technocracy, and perpetually wary of the Nephandi (who consciously embrace evil and service to a demonic or alien master) and the Marauders (who resist Paradox with a magical form of madness). While the Technocracy's propaganda campaigns were effective in turning the Consensus against mystic and heterodox science, the Traditions maintained various resources, including magical nodes, hidden schools and fortresses called Chantries, and various realms outside of the Consensus in the Umbra.

Finally, from 1997–2000, a series of metaplot events destroyed the Council of Nine's Umbral steadings, killing many of their most powerful members. This also cut the Technocracy off from their leadership. Both sides called a truce in their struggle to assess their new situation, especially since these events implied that Armageddon was soon at hand. Chief among these signs was creation of a barrier between the physical world and spirit world. This barrier was called the Avatar Storm because it affected the Avatar of the Mage. This Avatar Storm was the result of a battle in India on the so-called 'Week of Nightmares.'

These changes were introduced in supplements for the second edition of the game and became core material in the third edition.

Later plot and finale[edit]

Aside from common changes introduced by the World of Darkness metaplot, mages dealt with renewed conflict when the hidden Rogue Council and the Technocracy's Panopticon encouraged the Traditions and Technocracy to struggle once again. The Rogue Council only made itself known through coded missives, while Panopticon was apparently created by the leaders of the Technocracy to counter it.

This struggle eventually led to the point on the timeline occupied by the book called Ascension. While the entire metaplot has always been meant to be altered as each play group sees fit, Ascension provided multiple possible endings, with none of them being definitive (though one was meant to resolve the metaplot). Thus, there is no definitive canonical ending. Since the game is meant to be adapted to a group's tastes, the importance of this and the preceding storyline is largely a matter of personal preference.

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Factions[edit]

The metaplot of the game involves a four-way struggle between the technological and authoritarian Technocracy, the insane Marauders, the cosmically evil Nephandi and the nine mystical Traditions (that tread the middle path), to which the player characters are assumed to belong. (This struggle has in every edition of the game been characterized both as primarily a covert, violent war directly between factions, and primarily as an effort to sway the imaginations and beliefs of sleepers.)

Council of Nine Mystic Traditions[edit]

The Traditions (formally called the Nine Mystic Traditions) are a fictional alliance of secret societies in the Mage: the Ascensionrole-playing game. The Traditions exist to unify users of magic under a common banner to protect reality (particularly those parts of reality that are magical) against the growing disbelief of the modern world, the spreading dominance of the Technocracy, and the predations of unstable mages such as Marauders and Nephandi. Each of the Traditions are largely independent organizations unified by a broadly accepted paradigm for practicing magic. The Traditions themselves vary substantially from one another. Some have almost no structure or rules, while others have rigid rules of protocol, etiquette, and rank. Though unified in their desire to keep magic alive, the magic practiced by different Traditions are often wildly different and entirely incompatible with one another. Understanding Traditions as a whole requires understanding each Tradition separately, and then assembling them into a somewhat cohesive whole.

The nine traditions are: the Akashic Brotherhood, Celestial Chorus, Cult of Ecstasy, Dreamspeakers, Euthanatos, Order of Hermes, Sons of Ether, Verbena and Virtual Adepts.

  • Mages of Akashic Brotherhood are ascetics, martial artists, and monks, largely drawing from Buddhism, Taoism, Shinto, Hinduism and other such religions. They are masters of the sphere of Mind.
  • Mages of Celestial Chorus are pious believers in a supreme being that encompasses all Gods ever worshipped. They are masters of the sphere of Prime, the raw essence that fuels magic itself.
  • Mages of Cult of Ecstasy are intuitive seers using sensory stimulation, consciousness-expanding techniques, and meditation. They are masters of the sphere of Time.
  • Mages of Dreamspeakers are shamanistic emissaries to the spirit world. They are masters of Spirit magic, such as summoning or binding spirits, necromancy, creating fetishes and travelling to the Umbra.
  • Mages of Euthanatos are Thanatoic willworkers and killers drawing from a legacy of death-cults in India, Greece, and the cultures of the Arabs and Celts. They are masters of the sphere of Entropy.
  • Mages of Order of Hermes are formalized sorcerers, alchemists, and mystics drawing from classical occult practices. They are masters of the sphere of Forces.
  • Mages of Sons of Ether are inspiration-oriented scientists dedicated to fringe theories and alternative science. They are masters of the sphere of Matter.
  • Mages of Verbena are blood-shamans, healers, primordial witches and warlocks. They are masters of the sphere of Life.
  • Mages of Virtual Adepts are technological adepts capable of informational wizardry. They are masters of the sphere of Correspondence, magic dealing with three-dimensional location, space, and communications.

The Technocratic Union[edit]

The Technocracy is likewise divided into groups; unlike the Traditions, however, they share a single paradigm, and instead divide themselves based upon methodologies and areas of expertise.

  • Technocrats of Iteration X are experts in the arena of the physical sciences, especially when it comes to mechanical and robotic advancements.
  • Technocratic Progenitors, on the other hand, are masters of the biological sciences as a whole, including genetic engineering and the medical science.
  • Technocrats of the New World Order maintain control of information and knowledge, controlling the thoughts and actions of the masses by directing what they learn and see.
  • Technocrats of the Syndicate control the flow of money and power—though the two are frequently the same thing—between disparate groups.
  • Technocratic members of the Void Engineers are explorers of the unknown. In the modern day, this not only extends to outer space, but to extradimensional planes of existence.

Marauders[edit]

The Marauders are a group of mages that embody Dynamism. Marauders are chaos mages. They are completely insane. To other mages, they appear immune to paradox effects, often using vulgar magic to accomplish their insane tasks. Marauders represent the other narrative extreme, the repellent and frightening corruption of unrestrained power, of dynamism unchecked. Marauders are insane mages whose Avatars have been warped by their mental instability, and who exist in a state of permanent Quiet. While the nature of a Marauder's power may make them seem invincible, they are still severely hampered by their madness. They cannot become Archmages, as they lack sufficient insight and are incapable of appreciating truths which do not suit their madness. In the second edition of Mage: The Ascension, Marauders were much more cogent and likely to operate in groups, with the Umbral Underground using the Umbra to infiltrate any location and wreak havoc with the aid of bygones. They were also associated heavily with other perceived agents of Dynamism, particularly the Changing Breeds (who equate Dynamism with the Wyld) and sometimes Changelings. For example, the Marauders chapter in The Book of Madness is narrated by a Corax (were-raven) named Johnny Gore, who relates his experiences running with the Butcher Street Regulars. In the revised edition, Marauders were made darker and less coherent, in keeping with the more serious treatment of madness used for Malkavians in Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition. The Avatar Storm was a very convenient explanation for the Underground's loss of power and influence, though they also became more vulnerable to Paradox. In this edition, the Regulars are a cell of the Underground, and like the other cells have highly compatible Quiets.

Nephandi[edit]

With the Technocracy representing Stasis and the Marauders acting on behalf of Dynamism, the third part of this trifecta is Entropy, as borne by the Nephandi. While other mages may be callous or cruel, the Nephandi are morally inverted and spiritually mutilated. While a Traditionalist or Technocrat may simply fall prey to human failings or excessive zeal in their ethos, while a Marauder may well commit some true atrocities in the depth of her incurable madness; a Nephandus retains a clear moral compass, and deliberately pursues actions to worsen the world and bring about its final end. To this end, the Technocracy and Traditions have been known to set aside the ongoing war for reality to temporarily join forces to oppose the Nephandi, and even the Marauders are known to attack the Nephandi on sight. Some of their members, called barabbi, hail from the Technocracy and Traditions, but all Nephandi have experienced the Rebirth, wherein they embrace the antithesis of everything they know to be right, and are physically and spiritually torn apart and reassembled. This metamorphosis has a sort of terrible permanence to it: while each Mage's avatar will be reborn again and again, theirs is permanently twisted as a result of their rebirth: known as Widderslainte, these mages awaken as Nephandi. While some of the background stories detail a particular mage and her teacher trying—and succeeding—at keeping her from falling again, this is very rare.

Others[edit]

Other mystical traditions that are not part of the nine exist, and are known as Crafts. Some examples of these are the mages of Ahl-i-Batin (also known as The Subtle Ones) who are masters of the Correspondence Sphere and former holders of the seat now held by the Virtual Adepts, as well as the djinn binding magicians known as The Taftani and the eclectic nonconformist group of willworkers known as Hollow Ones, however they are far from the only ones.

Rules and continuity[edit]

The core rules of the game are similar to those in other World of Darkness games; see Storyteller System for an explanation.

Like other storytelling games Mage emphasizes personal creativity and that ultimately the game's powers and traits should be used to tell a satisfying story. One of Mage's highlights is its system for describing magic, based on spheres, a relatively open-ended 'toolkit' approach to using game mechanics to define the bounds of a given character's magical ability. Different Mages will have differing aptitudes for spheres, and player characters' magical expertise is described by allocation of points in the spheres.

There are nine known spheres:

Correspondence[edit]

Deals with spatial relations, giving the Mage power over space and distances. Correspondence magic allows powers such as teleportation, seeing into distant areas, and at higher levels the Mage may also co-locate herself or even stack different spaces within each other. Correspondence can be combined with almost any other sphere to create effects that span distances.

Entropy[edit]

This sphere gives the Mage power over order, chaos, fate and fortune. A mage can sense where elements of chance influence the world and manipulate them to some degree. At simple levels machines can be made to fail, plans to go off without a hitch, and games of chance heavily influenced. Advanced mages can craft self-propagating memes or curse entire family lines with blights. The only requirement of the Entropy sphere is that all interventions work within the general flow of natural entropy.

Forces[edit]

Forces concerns energies and natural forces and their negative opposites (i.e. light and shadow can both be manipulated independently with this Sphere). Essentially, anything in the material world that can be seen or felt but is not material can be controlled: electricity, gravity, magnetism, friction, heat, motion, fire, etc. At low levels the mage can control forces on a small scale, changing their direction, converting one energy into another. At high levels, storms and explosions can be conjured. Obviously, this Sphere tends to do the most damage and is the most flashy and vulgar. Along with Life and Matter, Forces is one of the three 'Pattern Spheres' which together are able to mold all aspects of the physical world.

Life[edit]

Life deals with understanding and influencing biological systems. Generally speaking, any material object with mostly living cells falls under the influence of this sphere. Simply, this allows the mage to heal herself or metamorphose simple life-forms at lower levels, working up to healing others and controlling more complex life at higher levels. Usually, seeking to improve a complex life-form beyond natural limits causes the condition of pattern bleeding: the affected life form begins to wither and die over time. Along with Matter and Forces, Life is one of the three Pattern Spheres.

Mind[edit]

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Dealing with control over one's own mind, the reading and influencing of other minds, and a variety of subtler applications such as Astral Projection and psychometry. At high levels, Mages can create new complete minds or completely rework existing ones.

Matter[edit]

Matter deals with all inanimate material. Thus, being alive protects a thing from direct manipulation by the Matter sphere. Stone, dead wood, water, gold, and the corpses of once living things are only the beginning. With this Sphere, matter can be reshaped mentally, transmuted into another substance, or given altered properties. Along with Life and Forces, Matter is one of the three Pattern Spheres.

Prime[edit]

This sphere deals directly with Quintessence, the raw material of the tapestry, which is the metaphysical structure of reality. This sphere allows Quintessence to be channeled and/or funneled in any way at higher levels, and it is necessary if the mage ever wants to conjure something out of nothing (as opposed to transforming one pattern into another). Uses of Prime include general magic senses, counter-magic, and making magical effects permanent.

Spirit[edit]

This sphere is an eclectic mixture of abilities relating to dealings with the spirit world or Umbra. It includes stepping into the Near Umbra right up to traveling through outer space, contacting and controlling spirits, communing with your own or others' avatars, returning a Mage into a sleeper, returning ghosts to life, creating magical fetish items, and so forth. Unlike other Spheres, the difficulty of Spirit magic is often a factor of the Gauntlet, making these spells more difficult for the most part. The Sphere is referred to as Dimensional Science by the Technocratic Union.

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Time[edit]

This sphere deals with dilating, slowing, stopping or traveling through time. Due to game mechanics, it is simpler to travel forward in time than backwards. Time can be used to install delays into spells, view the past or future, and even pull people and objects out of linear progression. Time magic offers one means to speed up a character to get multiple actions in a combat round, a much coveted power in turn-based role-playing.

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The tenth sphere[edit]

One of the plot hooks that the second edition books put forth were persistent rumors of a 'tenth sphere'. Though there were hints, it was deliberately left vague. The final book in the line, Ascension implies that the tenth sphere is the sphere of Ascension (in as much as spheres are practically relevant at that point in the story). As the book presents alternative resolutions for the Mage line, Chapter Two also presents an alternative interpretation that the tenth sphere is 'Judgement' or 'Telos' and that Anthelios (the red star in the World of Darkness metaplot) is its planet (each sphere has an associated planet and Umbral realm).

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Sphere sigils[edit]

The various sphere sigils are, in whole or in part, symbols taken from alchemical texts.[2][3]

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  • Correspondence is a symbol for amalgam or amalgamation, 'Amalgama'.
  • Entropy is a symbol for rotting or decay, 'Putredo/putrefactio'.
  • The sigil of Forces is part of the symbol for 'boiling,' 'Ebbulio'.
  • Life is a symbol for composition, 'Compositio'.
  • As with Correspondence, the sigil of Matter is another symbol for the process of amalgamation, 'Amalgama'.
  • Mind is a symbol for solution, 'Solutio'.
  • Prime is a symbol meaning essence, 'Essentia'.
  • Spirit may be derived from the symbol for fumes, 'Fumus'.
  • Time is the symbol for dust, 'Pulvis'.
  • The tenth symbol depicted in Ascension is a symbol for vinegar.[4]Mage: The Sorcerer's Crusade also presented a symbol for the tenth sphere, a combination of the symbols for stone and distillation.[5]

The third revision of the rules, Mage: The Ascension Revised, made significant changes to the rules and setting, mainly to update Mage with respect to its own ongoing storyline, particularly in regards to events that occurred during the run of the game's second edition. (Like other World of Darkness games, Mage uses a continuing storyline across all of its books).

Reception[edit]

Adam Tinworth of Arcane gave Mage: The Ascension's second edition a score of 8/10, calling it good for those who like involving and challenging games; he noted that it could be difficult for new players to grasp the entire background and how magic works, and to develop their own style of magic, but found the gameplay system itself to be easy to understand for newcomers.[6]

Mage: The Ascension was ranked 16th in the 1996 reader poll of Arcane magazine to determine the 50 most popular role-playing games of all time. The magazine's editor Paul Pettengale commented: 'Mage is perfect for those of a philosophical bent. It's a hard game to get right, requiring a great deal of thought from players and referees alike, but its underlying theme - the nature of reality - makes it one of the most interesting and mature roleplaying games available.'[7]

Reviews[edit]

  • Shadis #27 (May, 1996)

See also[edit]

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References[edit]

  1. ^ abShannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. ISBN978-1-907702-58-7.
  2. ^From Symbols, Signs and Signets, Lehner, Ernst (1950)published by World Publishing Co., Cleveland by way of a post to Everything2.com (possibly containing the archived contents of an email to the old wizards.com Mage email list). Accessed 15 December 2006.
  3. ^Latin terms obtained from The alchemy website's copy of symbols from Medicinisch-Chymisch- und Alchemistisches Oraculum, Ulm, 1755. Accessed 15 December 2006.
  4. ^Symbols.com, accessed 15 December 2006
  5. ^A post to Bill's Mage Forum by Enantiodromos, 14 September 2003
  6. ^Tinworth, Adam (April 1996). 'Mage: The Ascension 2nd Edition'. Arcane. Future Publishing (5): 62–63.
  7. ^Pettengale, Paul (Christmas 1996). 'Arcane Presents the Top 50 Roleplaying Games 1996'. Arcane. Future Publishing (14): 25–35.

External links[edit]

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