Downtime Spellcasting
From CamMelbourne
Written by Luke Hill, modified by Angelus Michaels
Summary
Since the basis of Mages power comes from being able to prepare, there needs be a series of guidelines to limit exactly what they can come into game with. The following is a series of guidelines that Storytellers should use to determine feasibly what a mage can get away with. This system assumes that the spells being pre-cast are in fact ritual-cast spells, instant-cast spells should be done on site of the game with the player before game starts. Use all of the applicable guidelines when recording the effects you want to enter play with. All rules for Spellcasting abide by the rules set out in [A.6.00] of the Camarilla Addendum and can be found in the Awakening Addendum.
Contents |
[edit] Section One: Universal Guidelines
These guidelines cover four things: the maximum number of spells that a character can enter play with, the cost for each of these spells, the mitigation of paradox for any vulgar spells, and any meta-spell modifiers added to the casting. Proceed through each sub-section in order and the whole process ought to explain itself.
[edit] Maximum spells per character
When deciding what spells to have pre-cast on your PC, keep the following guidelines in mind:
- A character may (at the maximum) enter play with a number of spells cast on them equal to the lower of their Gnosis.
- Ritual-cast spells must, in addition to abiding by the guidelines later, also conform to the extended casting guidelines explained in the Camarilla Rules Addendum.
- A given spell may only be cast once by a given character at the same target before entering play
- When recording combined spells (see the guidelines for casting combined spells on pg. 128-9 of Mage: The Awakening for details), write the spells as several parts to the same entry. Combined spells count as a single spell for the purposes of these guidelines.
- If a spell is improvise cast, put an “(i)” after the name. If a spell is rote cast, put an “(r)” after the name. This serves to remind you which dice pool to use later on.
At this point, write down each of the spells you would like to cast – in the order you want to cast them, and keeping to the above guidelines – in a manner similar to the following (note the blank lines between entries, and the lines for Name, Path, Gnosis, and Stamina):
Joe the Mage Gnosis 4, Stamina 3, Mastigos
1) Supreme Augmentation (i)
2) Teleportation (r)
3) Combined spell: Mental Shield (i) & Organic Resilience (r)
[edit] Spell costs
Some spells require the expenditure of Mana, and others can benefit from the expenditure of Willpower. Note all spell costs on the second line of a spell’s entry in your write-up. Spell costs include:
- Mana spent as required by the spell (as for Fate 2 “Exceptional Luck”)
- Mana spent for casting an improvised spell outside of the caster’s primary Arcana
- Mana spent to mitigate paradox
- Mana spent to install sense the threads or a conditional trigger on a spell
- Mana spent to cast a sympathetic spell
- Mana spent to cast a combined spell
- Mana spent for additional duration on shielding spells
- Mana spent on special roll modifiers for instant-cast spells (see Section Two)
- Willpower spent to add power to a defensive spell
All costs are paid as a character enters play - you do not regain Willpower, health, or Mana between the time of casting your spell and entering play. If your PC is in possession of a Hallow, then the Mana cost for each spell is reduced by 1, though other PCs who do not have dots in that Hallow cannot 'borrow' it for that purpose. The costs given above are explained in more detail in the appropriate sections (as noted), or in Mage: The Awakening. Note the costs in the following way (pay attention to the totals line at the end):
Joe the Mage Gnosis 4, Stamina 3, Mastigos 1) Supreme Augmentation (i) Costs: 3 Mana (1 for spell, 1 for sense the threads, 1 for 9-again), 1 Willpower
2) Teleportation (r) Costs: 3 Mana (1 for spell, 1 for sense the threads, 1 for cond. trigger)
3) Combined spell: Mental Shield (i) & Organic Resilience (r) Costs: 3 Mana (1 for combined, 2 for extended duration (one per spell)), 1 Willpower
Total costs: 9 Mana, 2 Willpower, 0 bashing
[edit] Paradox Mitigation
For every vulgar spell cast, a price must be paid. Each spell accrues a number of dice of paradox, as given by the rules in Mage: The Awakening. Once the number of dice of paradox is found for a given spell, then mitigation must occur. No Paradoxes are allowed to have happened on pre-cast spells – all paradox must either be bought off with Mana or paid for with backlash. The following additional rules apply:
- All spells are considered to have been cast in the same scene/day for purposes of paradox
- All spells are considered to have been cast away from sleeper witnesses
- All spells are considered to have been cast using a magical tool
- If a PC has a demesne, then all spells are considered to have been cast inside of it. Only the PC with the demesne may use it – no other PCs may ‘borrow’ that demesne for their pre-cast spells.
If a spell is paid for with backlash, then subtract the number of paradox points paid for with backlash from the spell’s dice pool (i.e. if Joe backlashes two points of paradox from a given spell and that spell’s base dice pool is +11, then that spell’s dice pool is lowered to +9 due to his having paid for it in that manner). For the teleportation spell given above, paradox is figured in the following manner:
- As the first vulgar spell cast, the spell’s paradox dice pool begins at 2 (because Joe is Gnosis 4)
- Because Joe used a tool, the spell’s paradox pool lowers by one (to 1)
- Because Joe cast the spell as a rote, the spell’s paradox pool lowers by one (to 0)
Thus, Joe doesn’t have to pay Mana or take resistant bashing in order to mitigate paradox. If, however, this were the fourth vulgar spell rather than the first, paradox would have been figured in the following manner:
- As the fourth vulgar spell cast, the spell’s paradox dice pool begins at 5 (2 for Gnosis 4, +3 for being the fourth vulgar spell cast)
- Because Joe used a tool, the spell’s paradox pool lowers by one (to 4)
- Because Joe cast the spell as a rote, the spell’s paradox pool lowers by one (to 3)
Now, Joe can choose to spend up to three Mana or take up to three levels of backlash (resistant bashing) in order to alleviate the remaining paradox. If Joe opts to take any levels of backlash, then his spell’s dice pool is lowered by an amount equal to the levels of backlash taken.
Note paradox in the following manner:
Joe the Mage Gnosis 4, Stamina 3, Mastigos 1) Supreme Augmentation (i) Costs: 3 Mana (1 for spell, 1 for sense the threads, 1 for 9-again), 1 Willpower Paradox: no paradox for covert spells
2) Teleportation (r) Costs: 3 Mana (1 for spell, 1 for sense the threads, 1 for cond. trigger) Paradox: 2 (base) – 1 (tool) – 1 (rote) = 0 backlash
3) Combined spell: Mental Shield (i) & Organic Resilience (r) Costs: 3 Mana (1 for combined, 2 for extended duration (one per spell)), 1 Willpower Paradox: no paradox for covert spells
Total costs: 9 Mana, 2 Willpower, 0 bashing
For the second example given above, the entry would look like this:
4) Teleportation (r) Costs: 5 Mana (1 for spell, 2 for paradox, 1 for sense the threads, 1 for cond. trigger) Paradox: 2 (base) + 3 (fourth spell) – 1 (tool) – 1 (rote) – 2 (Mana) = 1 backlash
Total Costs: 11 Mana, 2 Willpower, 1 bashing
(note: although Joe’s dice pool isn’t figured here, it would be lowered by 1 for this spell due to his taking the 1 level of backlash)
[edit] Meta-Spell Modifiers
Meta-spell modifiers are additional elements added to a spell during casting that extend or modify the spell, giving it new capabilities. These modifiers include:
- Conditional Duration (Fate 2, pg. 150 M:tA)
- Conditional Trigger (Time 2 + Fate 2, pg. 151 MtA)
- Prepared Spell (Time 2, pg. 260 MtA)
- Prime Cloak (Prime 3, pg 70 TotM)
- Sense the Threads (Prime 2 + Space 2, pg. 222 MtA)
- Target Exemption (Fate 2, pg. 154 MtA)
Each of these modifiers can be found in the sections with the noted Arcana, above. The effects of these differ from one to the next, but each should be noted when added to a pre-cast effect. Those requiring a condition to be set must have that condition recorded during casting – the rest can simply be noted at the end of a spell’s write-up. Several of the modifiers require Mana to use, and that Mana should be noted in the “costs” section of a spell’s write-up, also. When writing up all of these elements, it should look like this:
Joe the Mage Gnosis 4, Stamina 3, Mastigos 1) Supreme Augmentation (i) Costs: 3 Mana (1 for spell, 1 for sense the threads, 1 for 9-base), 1 Willpower Paradox: no paradox for covert spells Sense the Threads
2) Teleportation (r) Costs: 3 Mana (1 for spell, 1 for sense the threads, 1 for cond. trigger) Paradox: 2 (base) – 1 (tool) – 1 (rote) = 0 backlash Sense the Threads Conditional trigger “beginning of combat”
3) Combined spell: Mental Shield (i) & Organic Resilience (r) Costs: 3 Mana (1 for combined, 2 for extended duration (one per spell)), 1 Willpower Paradox: no paradox for covert spells
Total costs: 9 Mana, 2 Willpower, 0 bashing
[edit] Step One: Determine Ritual Actions
Casting ritual spells requires a lot of time. Though the Mage has a month of downtime, they simply can-not devote their entire energies into the act as they are supreme demands of the Supernal. For every downtime action that a mage devotes to ritual casting, they get a number of ‘ritual actions’ that they may assign to the rituals they performed.
| Gnosis | Number of Actions |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Resolve ÷ 2 |
| 3-4 | Resolve |
| 5-6 | Resolve × 2 |
| 7-8 | Resolve × 6 |
| 9-10 | Resolve × 10 |
(note: credit and inspiration for the above chart goes to Justin Diaz, US ANST-Mage)
[edit] Step Two: Maximum Pool
The dice pool for a ritual-cast spell is equal to six (base) plus the spell’s dice pool (gnosis + Arcanum for an improvised spell, Attribute + Skill + Arcanum for a rote spell). The maximum pool provides the cap for successes as per the Camarilla Addenda Appendix I The mage may modify the pool with the following:
- High Speech: If a Mage has the High Speech Merit then that may add an additional +2. For defensive spells, a Willpower point (per ritual action) may also be spent for an additional +3.
- Spell Augmentation: Attribute and Skill augmenting spells do not change the dice pool of a ritual-cast spell.
- Exceptional Luck (adv. Prolongation - Fate 3, pg. 151 MtA): Pay 1 Mana and gain the “9-again” quality on the casting of a number of ritual actions equal to their Fate dots (does not stack with 8-again or double-down).
- Superlative Luck (adv. Prolongation Fate 4, pg. 156 MtA): Pay 1 Mana and gain the “8-again” quality on the casting of a number of ritual actions equal to their Fate dots (does not stack with 9-again or double-down).
- Probable Cause (adv. Prolongation Fate 5, pg. 157 MtA): Pay 1 Mana in order to gain the “double-down” quality on the casting of a number of ritual actions equal to their Fate dots (does not stack with 8- or 9-again).
Mages may grant the above roll modifiers to other Mages only if they have advanced Arcanum knowledge for the effects listed above, but they must pay the cost (i.e. a Mage may grant the “8-again” quality if one has Fate 4, but s/he must still pay the Mana cost for it). If a Mage is not Acanthus or does not know the equivalent rotes, then the above-noted dice pool modifications (8-again, 9-again, double down) cost 1 Mana more. Furthermore, for a mage to gain their effects on a ritual cast spell they must have accounted for every ritual action dedicated to that spell. If a ritual-cast spell has 10 actions dedicated to it, then a Mage with Fate 5 would have to spend 2 Mana to ensure that the affect is assigned to each action. Using any of these effects effectively make a covert spell vulgar, and will add +1 to the paradox pool of a vulgar spell. If the Mage has Time 3, they may perform these effects at the normal dot level (as per the rules of Temporal Command) instead. If a Mage is in possession of a Hallow and has points in that Hallow, then all Mana costs for the above-noted dice pool modifications cost 1 Mana less.
- 9-again: The base of the spell increases by 1
- 8-again: The base of the spell increases by 2
- Double-down: The final number of successes gained on the spell is doubled
Record the final results of an instant-cast spell as noted below (note that the Potency and effect of the spell are recorded next to its name, and the dice pool and successes below. All factors that are augmented above the base are also noted – in this case, duration):
Joe the Mage Gnosis 4, Stamina 3, Mastigos 1) Supreme Augmentation (i) – Potency 1, +3 Intelligence Costs: 3 Mana (1 for spell, 1 for sense the threads, 1 for 9-base), 1 Willpower Paradox: no paradox for covert spells Roll: 4 (Gnosis) +4 (Mind) +6 (base) +3 (Willpower) +2 (Atl) -2 (duration) = 17 = 2 successes Duration: 2 hrs. (+1 factor, prolonged) Sense the Threads
2) Teleportation (r) – Potency 3 Costs: 3 Mana (1 for spell, 1 for sense the threads, 1 for cond. trigger) Paradox: 2 (base) – 1 (tool) – 1 (rote) = 0 backlash Roll: 3 (Int) +4 (Oclt) +5 (Space) +6 (base) +2 (atl) -2 (symp) = +18 = 2 successes x3 rolls = 6 (of 14) successes Delay: 24 hrs (+3 successes) Sense the Threads Conditional trigger “beginning of combat”
3) Combined spell: Mental Shield (i) & Organic Resilience (r) – Potency 4 & 4 Costs: 3 Mana (1 for combined, 2 for extended duration (one per spell)), 4 Willpower Paradox: no paradox for covert spells Roll: 4 (Gnosis) + 4 (Mind) +6 (base) +2 (atl) +3 (Willpower) – 2 (combine) = +17 = 2 successes x4 rolls = 8 (of 13) successes Duration: 24 hrs (+1 factor from Mana, adv. prolonged)
Total costs: 9 Mana, 5 Willpower, 0 bashing
