Magickal Difficulty Modifiers

Mage Information

Activity ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty Modifier

Tools and Rituals

• Using a personalized instrument..............................................................-1
• Using a unique instrument........................................................................-1
• Using a unique and specialized instrument.............................................-2 (total)
• Working with unfamiliar instruments...................................................+2/ +1
• Working without usual instruments..............................................................+3
• Using instruments when you don’t need to..........................................-1
• Using personal item from target (sympathetic magick)..........................................-1 to -3
• Appropriate Resonance (personal, instrument, ritual, or Tass)..........................................-1
• Opposed Resonance (personal, instrument, ritual, or Tass)..........................................+1
• Manipulating Mythic Threads/ hypernarrative...............................................................-1

Time and Effort

• Spending Quintessence -1 per point, max. -3
• Spending extra time (per additional turn each roll; max. -3) -1
• Fast-casting +1
• Turning time backwards +3

General Circumstances

• Researches lore about subject before using magick -1 to -3
• Near a Node -1 to -3
• Distant or hidden target or subject +1
• Juggling several Effects at once +1 per two Effects
• Mage distracted +1 to +3
• Mage in conflict with Avatar +1 to +3
• Domino Effect +1 per two coincidences after first; see p. 539.
• Outlandish to godlike feat +1 to +3

Notes

• Maximum net modifier +3 or -3.
• Minimum difficulty 3, maximum difficulty 10. If you employ the Thresholds option, max difficulty is 9; in the latter case, extra modifiers add to threshold, requiring one additional success per +1 difficulty modifier.
• Modifiers that would take the difficulty above 10 add additional successes at a one-to-one ratio; a +3 modifier to difficulty 10, for example, would demand at least three successes.
• If you use both the threshold option and modifiers that take the difficulty above 10, then each additional +1 difficulty over 9 demands an extra success. A +3 modifier to difficulty 9 would require at least three successes.