Mage Awakening Spellcasting Steps
Example: Nicodemus, an Acanthus Silver Ladder, is going to work a spell against a trio of enemies that threaten him and his cabal.
Step One: "I cast Rotting Flesh, a Death ••• spell. I have four dots of Death, so that gives me 2 free Reaches. The primary factor for this spell is Potency, so I cast it at Potency 4. I have a Gnosis of 4, giving me a dice pool of 8. I have open Spell Control slots." (Dice Pool: 8)
Step Two: "This costs me 1 Mana, because Death isn't an Acanthus arcanum. I spend 1 Reach to use the spell's extra Reach trait, which inflicts a -1 die to the target's Social rolls each rank of Potency inflicted, maximum of -3." (Dice Pool: 8 • Mana Spent: 1 • Reaches Spent: 1)
Step Three: "I spend 1 Reach to cast it as an Instant spell." (Dice Pool: 8 • Mana Spent: 1 • Reaches Spent: 2)
Step Four: "I am using only my ritual tool, which gives me a +1 bonus to the dice pool." (Dice Pool: 9 • Mana Spent: 1 • Reaches Spent: 2)
Step Five:
Step One: Declare Spell
- Spell & Arcanum Rating: Declare the spell, by name and arcanum rating
- Free Reaches: Declare how many free Reaches this gives you (you gain 1 Reach for having the dot in the arcanum necessary to cast the spell, plus one additional Reach for each dot above that).
- Primary Factor: Declare the spell's primary arcanum, and the automatic rating you get in that. (You start with a total number of steps in that spell equal to your rating in the arcanum used to cast it.)
- Dice Pool: Declare your starting dice pool, which is your Gnosis + Arcanum of the spell being cast.
- Spell Control: If you have enough Spell Control slots, you can cast the spell. If all your spell control slots are filled, you must spend 1 Reach per spell you currently control in excess of your limit.
Step Two: Declare Cost
- Spell Mana Cost: Declare any Mana Cost listed in the spell description.
- Non-Path Arcanum (1 Mana): If the arcanum used is not one of your Path Arcana, it costs 1 Mana. (Ignore this if the spell is a Rote or Praxis spell.)
- Spell Reaches: Declare any Reaches spent on spell traits.
Step Three: Declare Casting Time
- Rituals (Default): All spells default to Ritual Casting.
- Instant Casting (1 Reach): Spend 1 Reach to cast a spell as an Instant Casting.
Step Four: Declare Yantras
- Determine Yantras: Declare which Yantras you will use, and how long it will take.
- Reflexive First Yantra: You may use your first Yantra (except for High Speech) as a reflexive action, as part of casting your spell.
- Additional Yantras: Each yantra after that takes one action to utilize.
- Ritual Yantras: Yantras other than High Speech add no time to Rituals. Using High Speech adds 30 minutes.
Step Five: Declare Potency (if not Primary)
- Type: Decide whether you wish to use standard Potency, or Advanced Potency.
