Mage Awakening Spellcasting Steps

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Step One: Declare Spell

Nicodemus, an Acanthus Silver Ladder, is going to work a spell against a trio of enemies that threaten him and his cabal. He has Death ••••, Gnosis ••••.

Example:
"I cast Rotting Flesh, a Death ••• spell. The primary factor for this spell is Potency, and it has no Withstanding. I have a Gnosis of 4 and a Death Arcanum 4, giving me a dice pool of 8. I have open Spell Control slots."
(Dice Pool: 8)

  • Spell & Arcanum Rating: Declare the spell, by name and arcanum rating.
  • Primary Factor: Declare the spell's primary arcanum.
  • Withstanding: Declare what trait the spell is Withstood by, if any. (This is marked with a (W) in the spell header.)
  • 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

Example:
"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)

  • 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.)
  • 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).
  • Spell Reaches: Declare any Reaches spent on spell traits.
  • Rote Spells: If the spell is a Rote, reduce the Mana cost by 1 (min. 0). You are also assumed to have five dots in the Arcanum in question for the purpose of determining Spell Reaches.
  • Praxis Spells: If the spell is a Praxis, reduce the Mana cost by 1 (min. 0).

Step Three: Declare Casting Time

Example:
"I spend 1 Reach to cast it as an Instant spell."
(Dice Pool: 8 • Mana Spent: 1 • Reaches Spent: 2)

  • Rituals (Default): All spells default to Ritual Casting.
    • Extra Time: For each additional increment of Ritual Time (based on Gnosis), gain an additional +1 die to the spell dice pool (max. +5).
  • Instant Casting (1 Reach): Spend 1 Reach to cast a spell as an Instant Casting.

Step Four: Declare Yantras

Example:
"I am using only my Path tool, which gives me a +1 bonus to the dice pool."
(Dice Pool: 9 • Mana Spent: 1 • Reaches Spent: 2)

  • 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.
  • Rotes: Add the rating of the Skill associated with the Rote to the spell dice pool as a Yantra. This is automatically the first Yantra for the spell, and still counts against the maximum number of Yantras.

Step Five: Declare Potency

Example:
"Rotting Flesh has Potency as its primary Factor, and I have a Death ••••. That gives me a Potency 4. I'm going to increase it by two more steps, to Potency 6."
(Dice Pool: 5 • Mana Spent: 1 • Reaches Spent: 2)

  • Steps: If Potency is the Primary Factor of the spell, you start with a number of Steps down the standard Potency chart equal to the Arcanum used to cast it.
    • Otherwise, you have one Step down the chart.
  • Increasing Potency (-2 dice/step): For each additional Step down the Potency chart, subtract 2 dice from your dice pool.
  • Advancing Potency (1 Reach): If you wish to use the Advanced Potency chart, spend 1 Reach. You keep the same number of Steps.

Step Six: Declare Duration

Example:
"I have one Step of Duration. I will spend 1 Reach to increase Duration to Advanced, and increase Duration up one Step, to one day."
(Dice Pool: 3 • Mana Spent: 1 • Reaches Spent: 3)

  • Steps: If Duration is the Primary Factor of the spell, you start with a number of Steps down the standard Duration chart equal to the Arcanum used to cast it.
    • Otherwise, you have one Step down the chart.
  • Increasing Duration (-2 dice/step): For each additional Step down the Duration chart, subtract 2 dice from your dice pool.
  • Advancing Duration (1 Reach): If you wish to use the Advanced Duration chart, spend 1 Reach. You keep the same number of Steps.

Step Seven: Declare Scale

Example:
"I have one Step of Scale, using Subjects. I will spend 1 Reach to increase Scale to Advanced. Since I am targeting 3 enemies, one Step of Advanced Scale is 5 Subjects, so I don't increase it any more."
(Dice Pool: 3 • Mana Spent: 1 • Reaches Spent: 4)

  • Steps: You have one Step down the chart.
  • Increasing Scale (-2 dice/step): For each additional Step down the Scale chart, subtract 2 dice from your dice pool.
  • Advancing Scale (1 Reach): If you wish to use the Advanced Scale chart, spend 1 Reach. You keep the same number of Steps.

Step Eight: Declare Range

Example:
"I will cast this spell at Sensory Range, spending 1 Reach."
(Dice Pool: 3 • Mana Spent: 1 • Reaches Spent: 5)

  • Default: You may cast this spell on yourself, or someone that you touch, or as an Aimed Spell.
    • Aimed: After casting the spell, make a reflexive Gnosis + (Athletics or Firearms) - Defense of the target. Target benefits from cover. Range is Short (Gnosis x10), Medium (Gnosis x20), Long (Gnosis x40).
  • Sensory Range (1 Reach): Spend 1 Reach to cast it on any target you can pinpoint within range of your senses. (Lose 2 dice from casting pool if you are relying on non-precise human senses, such as hearing or smell.)
  • Sympathetic Range (1 Reach, Space ••): If you have Space ••, spend 1 Reach to cast a spell sympathetically. (Sympathetic Withstanding applies.)

Step Nine: Paradox

Example:
"I spent 5 Reaches, but gain 2 for free, which means I invoke Paradox. Half of my Gnosis is 2, and I need to do it 3 times, so that's a Paradox Pool of 6 dice; I used my Path tool as a Yantra, so that is reduced to 4. I will spend 3 Mana, so that is reduced to 1 die. I will Contain the Paradox."

(The Storyteller rolls one die, gaining 1 success; and Nicodemus' player rolls his Wisdom of 4, gainin 2 successes. Nicodemus' cancels out the Paradox success, and takes 1 point of resistant bashing damage.)

  • Paradox Pool: If you spent more Reaches than you gained for free in Step One, your Narrator will create a Paradox Pool.
    • This dice pool consists of a number of dice equal to half Gnosis rating (rounded up) for each Reach beyond your Free Reaches spent.
    • Reduce this dice pool by 2 if an Order or Path Tool was one of your employed Yantras.
    • You may also spend 1 Mana to reduce your Paradox Pool by 1 per Mana spent (but if you spend more Mana than you can spend in any turn, you have to take multiple turns to cast it).
    • Add 1 die to this pool for each additional Paradox Pool you have generated this scene.
    • Tell your Storyteller if you are Releasing Paradox or Containing Paradox.
  • Releasing Paradox: The mage allows the Paradox to flee their control, escaping into the environment.
    • For each success on the Paradox roll, take a -1 penalty to the spellcasting dice pool. If this results in a dramatic failure, gain a Paradox Condition.
    • The Storyteller may change one die of penalties into one Paradox Reach instead. May spend Paradox Reaches to alter how the spell functions or to create Anomalies.
  • Containing Paradox: The mage internalizes the Paradox, preventing it from escaping into the environment.
    • Roll your mage's Wisdom. Each success cancels one success from the Paradox Pool, but inflicts 1 bashing (resistant) damage to the mage.
    • If there are leftover Paradox Pool successes, the mage gains a Paradox Condition.

Step Ten: Roll Spell Dice Pool

Example:
Nicodemus' player spend a point of Willpower, giving him 6 dice to roll. He rolls, and gains 3 successes, which is a success. (If the spell were a Praxis, it would be an exceptional success.)

With a Potency of 6, he inflicts his Nimbus Tilt on anyone with a Resolve of 5 or lower, for five total turns (because of five Reaches).

  • Willpower Boost: You may spend a point of Willpower to add +3 to the dice of your spell dice pool.
  • Spell Test: Roll remaining dice in spell dice pool, determine whether exceptional success, success, failure, or dramatic failure result.
  • Praxis: If the spell is a Praxis, you gain an exceptional success on three instead of five successes.
  • Nimbus Tilt: If Potency of spell cast is greater than Resolve of someone in the area, they gain a specific Nimbus Tilt for one turn per point of the spell's total Reaches.
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