Casting A Spell
Casting Magickal Effects
All elements described below are detailed between pp. 528-547.
Step One – Effect
What Do You Want to Do, and How?
• -- What Effect are you trying to accomplish? • Which Spheres are you using? Step Two – Ability: Can You Do It? • How does your character focus belief and practice into making it happen? • Which tools and/ or rituals are you using? • How long does it take? • Is what you’re doing vulgar or coincidental? • Are any allies assisting you? • Do you have any mundane skills that might help? Step Three – Roll: Are You Successful? • Roll your Arete/ Enlightenment versus appropriate difficulty (minimum difficulty is 3): Coincidental: Difficulty = highest Sphere + 3 Vulgar Without Witnesses: Difficulty = highest Sphere + 4 Vulgar With Witnesses: Difficulty = highest Sphere + 5 • Add or subtract modifiers (maximum +3/ -3). • If you need to hit your target, roll appropriate combat Traits. • Spend Quintessence and/ or Willpower (if desired). • Check the number of your successes. • Do you need to roll more successes? • Repeat for extended rituals/ rolls. Step Four – Results: What Happens? • What sorts of results did your magick have? (Damage, Duration, apparent effects, etc.) • Did someone dodge, soak, resist, or use countermagick against your Effect? If so, remove the successes they rolled from your own successes. • Did you succeed? If so, determine its results. (Take Paradox if required.) • Did you fail? If so, Effect fizzles. (Take Paradox.) • Did you botch? If so, take Paradox as below: Coincidental Botch: Gain one point of Paradox per dot in the highest Sphere used. Vulgar Without Witnesses Botch: Gain one point of Paradox + one point per dot in the highest Sphere.
Vulgar With Witnesses Botch: Gain two points of Paradox + two points per dot in the highest Sphere.
(Paradox has different rules in Mage Revised; see the Paradox Points Generated chart.)
• Did you get more than five points of Paradox? If so, Storyteller may roll for backlash.
