Mage House Rules

  • Please review How Magick Works for a primer on our view of Focus, Paradigm, Practices, and Instruments.
  • Please review the page on Ritual Magic. For the purposes of the Mage sphere, “ritual magic” is meant to encompass the specific game-mechanic-based category of “Great Work” (p. 542 of the 20th Anniversary Edition Core Rulebook, i.e., effects requiring more than 10 successes); this type of casting is likely to be restricted in some way under the final house rules, and should in general be avoided until we’ve figured out how, exactly. This does not apply to the use of rituals and rites as a Practice! That’s an entirely IC construct. A Hermetic Mage may spend many hours in their study preparing all but the very last few words of a spell to be cast, and a Dreamspeaker may spend just as much time summoning and bargaining with spirits in order to be ready to invoke effects on a moment’s notice at some later date.
  • Please review the page on Extended and Permanent Effects.

Character Creation

  • Maximum starting Arete is 3.
  • Mage characters begin with 5 dots in Backgrounds, rather than 7 as stated in the core book.

Resonance and Synergy

We are not currently using any game mechanics for Resonance and Synergy; the possibilities are still under review. The most likely outcome is that we will use the rules from Book of Secrets, but for the moment, Resonance and Synergy are strictly for flavor purposes. If and when we change this, characters will be able to set or reset their Resonance and Synergy dots to suit the character.

Awareness

Awareness has specific rules governing its use for the detection of supernatural phenomena. See the page on Awareness for details.

In addition to these rules, Mage characters can sense more types of supernatural phenomena, and gain more information about them, through use of Awareness than can most other character types:

  • Mages with Awareness 3 or above may read another person’s aura colors (that is, discern their emotional state). They must be able to focus their attention on the subject — which will likely be obvious unless the subject is distracted — to do so; the concentration required makes it impossible during combat. Success on a Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty 8) reveals the subject’s aura colors. It does not reveal whether the subject is a vampire, ghoul, mage, werewolf or fera, changeling, diabolist, or other supernatural-specific information; magick is required for that.
  • Mages may roll Perception + Awareness to note the presence of Awakened magick in their vicinity even if it does not meet the criteria for passively sensing supernatural effects. Doing so counts as an action. They may only detect Awakened magick in this way, and not, e.g., Disciplines, Gifts, Arts, etc., though they may still check passively to detect such effects as usual. (c.f. M20 Core Rulebook, p. 276)
  • Mages may roll Perception + Awareness to detect the presence, transfer, or use of Quintessence (but not other spheres’ equivalents, i.e., vitae, Gnosis, Glamour, etc.). Roll Perception + Awareness, difficulty 10 minus the number of points being transferred or used — or the Node/Wonder/etc. rating in dots as appropriate. Noting the transfer or expenditure of Quintessence is a passive ability and does not count as an action; detecting its mere presence counts as an action. They will still need the Prime sphere in order to get any detailed information. (c.f. M20 Core Rulebook, p. 332)
  • Mages may roll Perception + Awareness to sense the presence of spirits and ghosts in their general vicinity. They won’t be able to have any meaningful interactions with them if they don’t have the Spirit sphere, but they’ll know something is there. (c.f. M20 Core Rulebook, p. 418)

Do

A character must have at least one dot of Brawl in order to learn Do; learning esoteric physical discipline without having at least a basic grounding in the more mundane sort is difficult or impossible.

We do not currently use the “Special Do Techniques” listed on pp. 427-430 of the Mage Core Rulebook. Our feeling is that these are really magickal effects, and should be handled as such, rather than inherent benefits for a specific Tradition.

Characters with Do still enjoy the reduction in difficulty for basic combat maneuvers (but not for Martial Arts maneuvers), and the ability to do lethal damage with unarmed strikes or parry/block lethal damage when unarmed.

Since we have significantly reduced the number of Martial Arts maneuvers available, Do provides one such maneuver for free per dot of Do, rather than two as in the core book.

Familiars

  • Familiars are created using the rules in Gods and Monsters, p. 187.
  • Familiars are intended to be companions, not alternate or additional PCs. If a Familiar appears likely to overshadow the PC (or other PCs), we are likely to ask you to rewrite it.
  • A Familiar may be embodied (primarily on the material side of the Gauntlet) or spirit (primarily in the Umbra). Both types are designed using the same rules and have the same statistics on either side of the Gauntlet, just as PCs do. We do not use the Forged in Fire rules for spirit familiars.
  • As a template that would normally have 11/7/4 Ability dots, Familiars instead have 15/11/5. They may have Abilities specific to the Mage sphere (Awareness, Cosmology, Esoterica, etc.)
  • Familiars may have some Merits and Flaws that are not used for PCs, up to the usual limit of 7 points of Flaws. At some point we will have a list of what qualifies, but in the meantime, things that impose drawbacks without being play-crippling will probably be fine; things that don’t seem to offer any quantifiable drawback (especially those that only affect the relationship between character and familiar) are unlikely to be approved.
  • Familiars have the Empathy, Paradox Nullification, and Quintessence Feeding qualities described in the M20 Core Rulebook, for no additional cost; they may offer advice as justified by their statistics.
  • Familiars may purchase Charms. In general, spirit Familiars will be permitted more leeway in the number and type of Charms they can have than embodied Familiars. This is not a hard and fast rule, just a guideline.
  • Familiars that have both a Special Advantage and a Charm with a similar effect will generally not be permitted; you can’t have the Armor Advantage and the Armor Charm. Where there’s a choice, embodied Familiars should favor Advantages, while spirit Familiars should favor Charms.
  • An embodied Familiar may travel into the Umbra if it purchases the Spirit Travel power, but is assumed to be in the material world unless it uses that ability in play. While there are no explicit rules governing this, “embodied” Familiars should spend only limited time in the Umbra.
  • A spirit Familiar can materialize in the real world if it purchases the Materialize Charm, but is assumed to be in the Umbra unless it uses that ability in play; see below for changes to this Charm. Spirit Familiars may travel between layers of the Penumbra by paying a point of Willpower; this takes a number of turns equal to 10 minus the Familiar’s Willpower. When deeper in the Umbra, they cannot make use of this ability and must find a way between them just as any other character would.
  • As a general rule, Familiars may not use Special Advantages or Charms across the Gauntlet.
  • For purposes of Charms, a Familiar’s Gnosis and Rage are treated as equal to half their Willpower (round up).
  • The following Charms are suitable for purchase and use by Familiars: Airt Sense, Appear, Brand, Cling, Digital Disruption, Dream Journey, Ease Pain, Element Sense, Healing, Illuminate, Inhabit, Meld, Mind Speech, Peek, Spirit Static, Terror, Waves, Create Water, Blinding Fog, Jack In.
  • The following Charms are suitable for purchase and use with slight modifications:
    • Armor: remember that Gnosis is treated as half of Willpower.
    • Break Reality: this affects exclusively Umbral objects.
    • Call For Aid: this requires ST decision-making on what shows up and how you can negotiate with them.
    • Cleanse the Blight: exact effects are ST judgment.
    • Control Electrical Systems: the Essence cost applies per turn of control.
    • Create Fire: this Charm creates the environmental effect of things being on fire; it is not useful for directly damaging opponents or their possessions (so you can’t set their clothes on fire, either). People who are set aflame by contact with the fires set by this Charm are treated as if they had been set aflame normally.
    • Flee: extra Willpower may only be used to flee; if you’re taking combat actions other than “run away” or “dodge while running away”, it is not useful.
    • Materialize: use of this Charm costs Essence equal to half of the local Gauntlet, rounded down, and permits the user to remain materialized for the duration of the scene. If they choose to end this Charm prematurely, they must pay the Essence cost again in order to materialize a second time.
    • Shapeshift: each purchase of this Charm permits you to select one specific alternate form; this form may not be changed after purchase.
    • Soul Reading: this Charm allows the user to read the target’s passions and temperament, as stated, but does not reveal if they a supernatural creature, or which type they are if so.
    • Swift Flight: you may only take movement actions when using this Charm. Attacks (including attempts to charge into someone/something) immediately end the Charm’s effects before the attack is resolved.
  • Charms not listed here are not currently in use. Some of them may be added in the future — we are still considering Re-form, Short Out, Solidify Reality, Disorient, and Plant Command. Others are unlikely to be used for PC Familiars in the foreseeable future.

Quintessence & Tass

Followed strictly in an always-on online setting, the tabletop rules for Mage permit — encourage, really — characters to stockpile large quantities of Tass (and, if they have the proper spheres, Quintessence) for future use. We don’t think this is really the intent of the rules; rather, it’s an artifact of their use in a setting where characters may not have to deal with significant challenges on a regular basis, and are likely to know in advance of major upcoming events. And, to be quite candid, we think there are better uses of both player and staff time than submitting +requests to increment someone’s Tass stockpile on a weekly basis. Therefore, we have adopted the following rule:

  • Characters begin play with an amount of Quintessence equal to their Avatar rating.
  • Characters with the Node Background regain Quintessence according to that Background’s guidelines. Characters with a Familiar are expected to subtract the Familiar’s upkeep from the resulting number. Characters without Node generally do not regain Quintessence unless transferred to them by another character (or unless directed by staff).
  • A character may have up to 5 + (2 * Prime or Avatar) — the higher of their Prime or Avatar ratings is used — in Quintessence and/or Tass. Both Quintessence and Tass count against this same limit; it does not apply to both separately.
  • Characters with Prime may have the full amount stored in their personal Pattern, if they wish; characters without Prime are limited to their Avatar rating.
  • Characters who have either Node or Prime 3 may have some or all of this amount stored as Tass; characters without either are restricted to having it stored in their personal Pattern.
  • It is assumed that additional Quintessence (or Tass) beyond this limit is being used in the character’s offscreen life, whether burned up in research or spellcasting, traded for information or mentorship, etc., etc.

Summoning and Binding

The game mechanics for summoning and binding often revolve around being able to extend the PCs capabilities via a selected NPC or NPCs, who, in turn, often wield powers and abilities not normally available to PCs. This means that a PC’s ability to solve problems can no longer be reasonably measured by what’s on their own character sheet. If a character can reliably access the abilities of a summoned angel, for example, that character’s own lack of the Life sphere for healing is pretty much moot — and the variety of entities a Mage character could potentially summon is vast. That’s a problem, because characters having limited capabilities is an important part of a cooperative roleplaying game. If one character can answer any challenge by conjuring the right creature, they don’t really need to work with any other characters, and other players are likely to grow tired of their characters being redundant.

Therefore, we’ve elected not to use the summoning and binding rules from How Do You Do That?, pp. 90-95 and onward. Instead, we suggest one of several options: 

  • If you want a long-term conjured NPC companion with defined abilities, purchasing dots in Familiar or Spirit Familiar is suggested.
  • Sometimes summoning and bargaining is the start of or conclusion to an adventure — negotiating with a powerful spirit to transport the group into the Deep Umbra, in exchange for some task. In this case, the bargain is either a tool to allow the current story to continue, or else the springboard for another story about the task itself (or both). This is a story effect, and it’s up to the Storyteller (and/or the other players) to determine what’s reasonable, subject to staff oversight.
  • If you want to have direct control of non-narrative effects, then you should treat “summoning and binding” as a Practice in its own right, with its effects governed by the character’s Instruments, Arete, spheres, et al., rather than providing access to some NPC’s abilities. That is: conjuring a fire elemental to throw fire at your enemies is a special effect for the character creating a Forces effect. Just as a Flambeau wizard might recite mystical incantations, a Dreamspeaker might break a bottle and release a bound salamander, with the effect in both cases being a stream of fire incinerating their enemies. (If you’ve played Champions, this way of thinking will probably be familiar.)

This does not necessarily mean a summoner character must do all their conjuration on the spur of the moment. In the same way that the Hermetic magician might have a selection of memorized incantations close at hand, the Dreamspeaker might have a pocketful of bound entities for emergencies. The player can describe the bargains made or sacrifices invested to bind these beings as desired, within the constraints of the character’s Focus. 

This way of handling conjuration is not meant to, and should not be interpreted to, eliminate characters’ ability to interact with extradimensional entities on the fly. Bargaining with spirits you find at the scene of a crime to convince them to help you out, for instance, should still be handled using the Spirit sphere in conjunction with IC negotiation and diplomacy via the Storyteller. If your character is instead conjuring up something very specific, engaging in a contest of wills to force them to employ a particular Charm in a particular way, etc. etc., that’s a sign that you should be creating the effect using your own spheres instead.

Spheres

Prime

  • A character with Prime may spend a number of Quintessence in one turn equal to the higher of their Prime or Avatar ratings without needing to cast a Prime 3 effect. A Prime 3 effect is still required (c.f. How Do You Do That?, p.43) for spending more than 5 Quintessence per turn.
  • The “Heart’s Blood” section of the “Harvesting Quintessence Through Sacrifice” optional rule (c.f. How Do You Do That?, p.50) is in use. Bear in mind that, per the rule as written, this is only useful for the task at hand, and cannot be used to stockpile Quintessence for later use. The other sections of this optional rule (“Burnt Offerings”, “Bond of Blood”, “Lambs to the Slaughter” and “Disintegration/Purifying Flames”) are not currently in use.

Time

  • It is very likely that Time 4 will be toned down in some significant way. Conditional-trigger spells are problematic for large lightly-ST’d games for reasons similar to why Ritual Magic is. We’re not likely to spend too much time on this until someone is much closer to achieving Time 4, but please be aware of it.
  • Time 5 is not likely to ever be permitted in-game. Time travel can be great fun in tabletop, but it raises far too many headaches in a game like this one.

Rotes

The concept of rotes in Mage: the Ascension has a somewhat tangled history. Originally, in the first edition, rotes were just “magickal effects that have been documented by mages for centuries.” In effect, although not so stated, they were sample spells — demonstrations of how the magick system was supposed to work for those players who were not familiar Ars Magica and Mage‘s other antecedents. Second edition followed suit by describing a rote as “a famous Effect that has gone into general usage.” Not until Revised was the idea of rotes being a way to avoid the fast-casting penalty introduced. (Mage: the Awakening also makes use of the idea of rotes, in a much different way that has significantly larger implications for how spellcasting works.)

As best we can determine, M20 has backed away from Revised’s use of the term: “Rules-wise, a rote is simply an Effect that your character has used before or learned from someone else.” (M20 Core, p. 529) The core rulebook makes no mention of any game mechanical effects for rotes, and, while a rote is one way to avoid the fast-casting penalty for “making stuff up and firing it off without preparation or practice,” it’s definitely not the only way. We think that subjecting every effect to that penalty if it isn’t a rote would defeat the purpose of Mage’s highly flexible and improvisational magick system.

So — while characters are certainly welcome to develop backstory and legends that surround particular effects, give those effects names, and so on — this carries neither benefit nor penalty. For some Traditions, use of rotes will be extremely common — Order of Hermes magi might go weeks at a time without using an effect that doesn’t have centuries of sonorous tradition behind it. Magi who belong to younger or more individualistic Traditions might never use such an effect at all, sticking only to those they’ve developed themselves. Both are equally valid ways to learn how to cast magickal effects.

Fast-Casting

The M20 Core Rulebook states that a character who is “making [an Effect] up in the heat of the moment … adds +1 to her usual difficulty, including the difficulty of any Effect cast in a single turn during a fight.” (Italics ours.) For TowersMUX purposes, this penalty applies only if the character is inventing a new Effect — e.g., if the effect is so unusual, so rare, or so specific to the current situation that it is implausible that they would ever have studied or practiced it or an effect closely similar to it. If the player is the one creating the effect, and the character might reasonably be familiar with it, the penalty is ignored.

For instance, an Order of Hermes mage wishes to throw a ball of fire at an enemy. This is a very common Hermetic effect, but the mage’s player may not previously have worked out the casting modifiers, the required successes, et al. In this case the fast-casting penalty applies only if the player (or Storyteller, if any) does not think it would be reasonable for the character to be familiar with it — perhaps if the character has previously been roleplayed as a devout pacifist, or if the character were specifically attempting to adapt a non-Hermetic version of the spell on the fly.

Our feeling is that the “martial arts” and “weapons” Instruments already have considerable advantages in combat, and there is no need to make them even better by allowing them and only them to ignore the fast-casting penalty. A House Flambeau magus might be just as well-versed in combat (or more so) than an Akashic tai chi practitioner while having neither of those two instruments.