Class: Mage

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Playing a Mage

Mages exercise their affinity for magic primarily through the use of Spell abilities. In order to use (cast) most Spells, a Mage must first be attuned to magic, which can be accomplished with the ◆ Attune action. While attuned, a Mage can use each of their known Spells only once. In order to use any given Spell a second time, the Mage must ◆ Attune again. The only exception to this rule are Cantrips, which are Spells that ignore this restriction.

Mages must be cautious to not ◆ Attune too frequently, because doing so means gaining Fatigue, which is difficult to remove and pushes the character closer to becoming exhausted.

One common strategy for Mage characters is to ◆ Attune before embarking on an adventure or mission, then use Cantrips such as ◆ Arcane Bolt throughout the adventure whenever the need arises. When an especially dire or complex obstacle is presented, the Mage might use one or more of their non-Cantrip Spells. When the Mage has run out of these non-Cantrip spells, they may wish to ◆ Attune again, thus regaining use of all their spent Spells.

Many particularly powerful Spells such as ◆ Arcane Storm also have the De-Attune trait, which causes the Mage to no longer be attuned after the Spell is resolved. A Mage might save a De-Attune ability to use once all their other Spell options have been depleted in order to make the most efficient use of their attunement.

Attuned (status effect). While attuned, you can use your Mage Spell abilities, but you cannot use any of your non-Cantrip Mage Spell abilities more than once until you become attuned again.

You lose the attuned status effect when any of the following occurs:

You become exhausted, unconscious, or dying.
The Magic item you used to ◆ Attune leaves your space.
You use a De-Attune ability.

Mage Features

As a Mage, you gain the following features at 1st level:

Class Trait. You gain the Mage trait.

Class Skills. You gain 2 skill boosts to Discipline and 4 skill boosts that you can apply across any mental or physical skills. You cannot increase a skill above apprentice (d8) in this way.

Subclass. Choose Graviturge, Neuroshaper, or Voltaist and gain the associated features.

Starting Abilities. You gain the ◆ Attune, ◆ Arcane Bolt, and ◆ Arcane Storm abilities, and 1 other Mage ability of your choice for which you meet the prerequisites.

Equipment. You gain a Magic item that you can use to ◆ Attune to magic. It can take any form you wish, but it cannot be a Weapon, Consumable, or other item with a mechanical benefit. For example, it could be an earring, a crystal, a book, or an amulet. This item has no other magical effects or capabilities. Note that any item with the Magic trait can be used with the ◆ Attune ability, so you can use other Magic items you acquire for this purpose as well.

Graviturge

You gain the Kinetic Magic ability and 2 Kinetic Spell abilities of your choice for which you meet the prerequisites. Many Graviturges develop a paranoia of being watched, an obsession with drawing mazes, or a dangerous passion for heights.

Neuroshaper

You gain the Cognitive Magic ability and 2 Cognitive Spell abilities of your choice for which you meet the prerequisites. Mages with this specialization sometimes hallucinate or lose their sense of personal identity.

Voltaist

You gain the Elemental Magic ability and 2 Elemental Spell abilities of your choice for which you meet the prerequisites. Voltaists are known to suffer from explosive bouts of anger and periods of depression, often one after the other.

Arcane scholars believe the mage's use of the word "attune" is intentional, as it said that one must shape their mind and thoughts to a kind of "frequency" in order to use magic. Taxing

Requirement: You must be carrying, holding, or wearing a Magic item.

Take 1 Fatigue unless it is your first time using this ability since you last finished a ⧗ Rest. You become attuned using the chosen Magic item and may immediately use a Cantrip maneuver or action.

One of a mage's first tricks is learning to hurl raw arcane force at their foes. Unexpected uses of this ability are often the first indicator that one has magical potential. Spell Cantrip Attack Ranged 5

Roll Finesse against a target within this Attack's maximum range (creatures use Might or Reflex to ◇ Defend against Attack effects).

Roll with -1 edge for every additional range increment beyond the first between you and the target. Roll with -2 edge if you are adjacent to an enemy creature.

Success. The target takes 1 unblockable Damage.

The mage unleashes a barrage of arcane bolts. Spell De-Attune

Use ◆ Arcane Bolt, targeting up to three targets within range instead of one.

Spell (trait). Spells are magical effects that are cast by those with magical talent.

An ability with the Spell trait requires the user be attuned in order to cast it.
Spells that don't have the Cantrip trait can only be cast by a character once per attunement. If a character wishes to use the same Spell a second time, they must become attuned again.
Spells require the user to gesticulate and produce some kind of obviously magical sound (chanting, echoes from another dimension, supernatural buzzing, etc.). Spells often produce a visual glowing for a brief period. These factors typically cause Spell effects to be easily noticed by observers within 10 spaces, or possibly noticed by observers within 20 spaces unless they're distracted.

Subtle (trait). An ability with the Subtle trait is not particularly noticeable when it is used. If the ability also has the Spell trait, no gesticulation or sounds are required.

Augment (trait). Some abilities and effects allow you to improve them with an Augment effect. Using an Augment effect is optional, and often comes with an additional cost. When you use an ability, you cannot apply more than one Augment effect to it.

Mage Advancement

At higher levels, Mages gain access to more Spells and magical capabilities, potentially branching out into other avenues of magic entirely.

In addition to the normal benefits provided at each character level beyond 1st, you gain the listed class features at the indicated levels. All ability selections provided by this class must be Mage abilities unless otherwise specified. If an ability has prerequisites, you may take that ability if you meet those prerequisites at the same time you would gain that ability.

Levels 2, 5, and 8. You gain one non-Spell ability and one Spell ability.

Levels 3, 6, and 9. You gain one Ritual Spell ability and one Spell ability.

Levels 4, 7, and 10. You gain two Spell abilities.

Level 1 Mage Abilities

"Your minds are open to me, though you don't know it."

While attuned, you can use a maneuver to create a minor Cognitive Magic effect within 10 spaces, such as sending a telepathic message to a creature or committing a scene or image to memory. Creatures receiving a telepathic message in this way gain no special ability to understand your words if they are unable, and they cannot respond in kind.

Additionally, when you use ◆ Arcane Bolt, you can use the following boon:

★ Confuse (17-20; Augment; Cognitive). Each target takes 1 unblockable Stress. Then, if they are exhausted, they are also confused until the start of your next turn.

The elements are yours to command.

While attuned, you can use a maneuver to create minor Elemental Magic effect within 10 spaces, such as lighting or dousing a small flame, summoning a gust of wind, raising or lowering a small object's temperature, or creating patterns of frost within 10 spaces.

Additionally, when you use ◆ Arcane Bolt, you can use the following boon:

★ [Combust / Freeze] (17-20; Augment; Elemental). This Attack gains the [Fire/Cold] trait and each target becomes [burning / slowed until the end of your next turn].

Spacetime is an illusion, and one you can exploit.

While attuned, you can use a maneuver to create a minor Kinetic Magic effect within 10 spaces, such as causing a small object to levitate and move at your command, opening or closing a simple door or small container, or tapping a creature.

Additionally, when you use ◆ Arcane Bolt, you can use the following boon:

★ Kinetic Blast (17-20; Augment; Kinetic). Each target is pushed 2 spaces in direction(s) of your choice and falls prone.

Bracketed Effects

Some rules include [bracketed] text with two or more terms separated by slashes within the brackets. Such abilities and effects do different things depending on which bracketed option is chosen. Effects with bracketed text will usually specify how the bracketed options are determined. Otherwise, the user decides which option will be used.

Bracketed options are ordered in each instance. Once the ordered placement of a bracketed rule has been selected, all other instances of bracketed rules text must use the same order, and all other bracketed options are ignored for the duration of the effect.

For example, the Elemental Magic ability allows the Mage character to use the ★ [Combust / Freeze] boon. When the Mage uses this boon, they must select either Combust or Freeze. If Combust is selected, then every other instance of braceketed rules in that effect must also use the first of the two bracketed options. In this case, the effect gains the Fire trait (rather than the Cold trait), and afflicts the target with burning (rather than slowed until the end of your next turn).

Electricity surges from your fingertips. Spell Cantrip Elemental Attack Lightning Taxing

Take 1 Stress. Roll Discipline against a target within 5 spaces and up to 1 additional target within 3 spaces of the first target.

Success. The target takes 1 unblockable Damage.

Failure: The target takes 1 unblockable Stress.

★ Chain Attack (17-20). Target another creature within 3 Spaces of one of the previous targets that hasn't already been targeted by this ability.

Elemental energy erupts from your allies' weapons. Spell Elemental

Target up to 5 Weapons within 3 spaces that are either unattended or carried by willing creatures. You cannot target a Weapon of 3 Burden or greater with this effect.

Each of the targeted Weapons gains the [Fire / Cold / Lightning] trait and gains the ★ Surge (18-20) boon. Once a Weapon deals Damage with this boon or is ever more than 20 spaces away from you, this Spell's effect ends on it. The Spell's effect also ends on all targeted Weapons when you are no longer attuned.

★ Surge (18-20). The target takes 1 Damage.

Sudden and extreme changes in temperature in a localized area can have devastating results. Spell De-Attune Elemental Attack

An explosion erupts in a Radius 1 area within 10 spaces. Choose [Fireball / Coldsnap]. This ability gains the [Fire / Cold] trait.

Roll Discipline, targeting all creatures within the area.

Success. Each target you succeed against takes unblockable Damage equal to your result divided by 3 (minimum 1) and is [burning / slowed until the end of your next turn].

Failure. Each target you fail against takes unblockable Stress equal to your result divided by 3 (minimum 1).

★ Expand Area (19-20). The area value of this effect increases by 1 if it is a Radius, by 2 if it is an Arc, or by 4 if it is a Line. If the effect has no area value, give it Radius 1, Arc 2, or Line 4, and decide whether to include the source space.

You summon an invisible ward to deflect an incoming attack. Spell Cantrip Kinetic Taxing

Trigger. You or a creature you can see within 5 spaces would take 1 or more Damage from an Attack.

Take up to 2 Stress and block that much Damage from the triggering Attack.

At any time, any object could theoretically be in any place. You simply turn theory into reality. Spell Kinetic Teleport

Choose yourself or a non-Large, adjacent creature or object. If you target a creature, they must be willing. The target teleports to an unoccupied Space within 10 spaces of yourself that you can see or to which you have line of effect.

Augment (De-Attune). You can target up to 5 eligible creatures instead of 1, choosing a different space within range for each target.

Augment. The target can be non-willing. Roll Discipline against the target's Reflex. On a failure, the target is unaffected and instead takes 1 Stress.

You bind your enemies to earth, crushing them under their own weight. Spell De-Attune Kinetic Attack

You increase the effects of gravity in a Radius 2 area within 10 spaces. The height of this area is a cylinder, and is 20 spaces tall.

Roll Discipline, targeting all creatures within the area. All creatures in the affected area are encumbered until the end of your next turn. Creatures in midair fall a number of spaces depending on whether the roll succeeds or fails against them. A creature that falls in this way cannot use any instants in response to this forced movement except for ◇ Absorb Fall.

Success. The target takes 2 unblockable Damage, falls 20 spaces, and falls prone.

Failure. The target takes 2 unblockable Stress and falls 5 spaces.

You scramble the target's perceptions. Spell Cantrip Cognitive Influence Taxing

Take 1 Stress. Target a Person or Beast within 5 spaces and roll Discipline (creatures use Discipline to ◇ Focus against Influence effects).

Success. The target must choose one:

Take 2 Stress (Taxing).
Become confused for 1 minute or until they take Damage or Wither, whichever comes first.
Drop all held items and fall prone.

Note: This ability has the Influence trait, meaning you can use basic Influence boons when you use it.

Influence—★ Muddle (16-20). On a success, remove one of the “Success” choices available to the target(s) (if any).

Influence—★ Mass Influence (18-20). Target up to two additional creatures within range.

Trust, memory, choice—all these things can be manipulated with a light touch from an experienced mage. Spell Cognitive Influence Subtle

Target a Person or Beast within 5 spaces and roll Discipline (creatures use Discipline to ◇ Focus against Influence effects).

Success. Choose one of the following:

The target divulges a secret, especially one they were trying to keep from you.
The target loses all memory from the last minute.
The target carries out the next suggestion made to them in the next minute, so long as doing so wouldn't put them in immediate danger.

The target doesn't immediately realize they were charmed, though they may grow suspicious upon later reflection, especially if they experience direct consequences.

Failure. The target is aware you attempted to control their mind.

★ Extra Effect (17-20). On a success, choose an additional effect from those provided.

Note: This ability has the Influence trait, meaning you can use basic Influence boons when you use it.

Influence—★ Mass Influence (18-20). Target up to two additional creatures within range.

Expanding one's perceptions out-of-body is a disorienting process at first. Spell De-Attune Cognitive Augury

You cast out your mind in search of distant secrets, targeting a creature, item, or location that you know of. Roll Discipline against a difficulty based on your knowledge of, and familiarity with, the target. Roll with +2 edge if you're carrying an item with a strong association with the target.

Difficulty 2-4: Extremely familiar; spent several years in the target's presence.
Difficulty 5-7: Somewhat familiar; spent several weeks in the target's presence.
Difficulty 8-10: Not very familiar; spent several days in the target's presence.
Difficulty 11-12: Unfamiliar; spent several minutes in the target's presence.

Success. You experience a vision of the target's current state, complete with sounds, smells, and other sensations. You learn the direction and approximate distance to the target.

Failure. You receive incomplete and vague information about the target's current state. You may learn a few useful details, but without the full context required to understand them.

Level 2 Mage Abilities

Blood magic is considered taboo by many societies. Proponents of this dark art argue that it is no different from any other magic, and squeamishness should not be a valid reason for banning it.

While attuned, you can take 1 unpreventable Damage in order to use a Spell ability you've already used during your current attunement.

Additionally, when you use ◆ Arcane Bolt, you can use the following boon:

★ Share Torment (17-20; Augment; Blood). Take 1 unpreventable Damage. If you do, each target takes 1 unpreventable Wither and 1 unpreventable Fatigue.

Often called necromancers, spectral mages are able to tap into the spiritual essence of creatures, whether living or deceased.

While attuned, you can use a maneuver to create a minor Spectral Magic effect within 10 spaces, such as causing a skull's eyeholes to glow with dim light in a Radius 1 area, channeling mostly nonsensical whispers from the spirits of nearby dead people, or catching passing glimpses into a sleeping creature's dreams.

Additionally, when you use ◆ Arcane Bolt, you can use the following boon:

★ Debilitate (17-20; Augment; Spectral). Each target removes 1 Damage. Then, each target that did so takes 2 unpreventable Wither.

Practitioners of verdant magic tend not to live in urban cities or scholarly academies. They usually feel ill at ease in such places.

While attuned, you can use a maneuver to create a minor Verdant Magic effect within 10 spaces, such as healing a minor scratch, causing a flower to bloom, or changing a small plant's growth pattern.

Additionally, when you use ◆ Arcane Bolt, you can use the following boon:

★ Tanglevine (17-20; Augment; Verdant). Each target becomes grappled by grasping vines in their space that have ⬖ Escape difficulty d8 and Vitality 1.

It is unclear why a creature's final heartbeat offers more power than any other, though this is a vital truth of blood magic. Spell Blood

Prerequisite: Blood Magic

Trigger: A living Person or Beast within 10 spaces is defeated and killed.

You remove up to 4 Damage, then take 1 Wither.

You reach into planes beyond to draw forth a shadow. These creatures are plentiful, though mostly harmless unless compelled to devour the thoughts and feelings of mortals. Spell Spectral Summon

Prerequisite: Spectral Magic

You create a ♟Shadow minion in an unoccupied space within 5. They act on your turn (including this one) and obey your mental commands to the best of their ability.

The Shadow vanishes if they are defeated, if they are ever more than 20 spaces away from you, if you are no longer attuned, or if you use this ability again.

Shadows are weak imitations of mortal spirits. They have no desires of their own, which makes them easy to command. Horror Mindless Dreadful Inorganic

Vitality 1 ♡ Size Medium 1
Stamina 1 ⛉ Speed 3 (flying)

Physical skills Mental skills
Finesse d6 Discipline d6
Might — Guile d6
Reflex d8 Presence d8

Intangible. This creature fails all Might rolls, cannot hold or manipulate items or creatures, and cannot be grappled or prone.

◆ Drain Life—Presence (d8). Target all non-Horror creatures within 2 spaces. They must ◇ Resist, taking 1 Wither on a failure or 1 Stress on a success.

Bones can be mended, flesh re-knit, infections cleansed. Spell Verdant Healing

Prerequisite: Verdant Magic

Roll Discipline and target a willing, adjacent creature. The target removes Damage equal to half the result (rounded down).

★ Inspire (17-20). The target removes 1 Stress.

★ Nurse (17-20). Choose an Injury or Disease affliction the target has and add 1 Point to their recovery progress track for it.

Many spirits are beneficent, and will happily gift life force to those on the brink of death, if the proper signs are given. Spell Spectral

Prerequisite: Spectral Magic

Target a willing, adjacent creature. They are warded against death for 24 hours, until you use this ability again, or until you finish a ⧗ Rest, whichever happens first.

When a creature warded by death would become dying, they instead take 1 Wither and remove 3 Damage. This effect then expires on the creature.

You cast out a tendril of empowered blood to pierce through your enemies, then pull yourself through the lance to reform and appear in a new location. Spell Blood Attack Teleport

Prerequisite: Blood Magic

Take 1 Damage. Target all creatures in a Line 10 area. After the attack resolves, you may teleport to any unoccupied space in the area.

Success. The target takes 3 Damage.

Failure. The target takes 1 Stress.

Animus (trait). Animus effects change a creature's shape and function, making them appear as a different creature entirely, typically an animal. An Animus effect ends on a creature when they are no longer attuned, or when they dismiss the effect as a maneuver. Animus effects cannot be used by a creature that is grappled or encumbered. The following changes apply to a character while they are in an Animus form:

Carried, worn, and held items are melded into the creature's form and cannot be used or retrieved. Burden from these items is ignored.
The creature loses the Person trait if they had it, and they gain the Beast trait.
The creature cannot speak but can still understand languages they know.
The creature cannot cast Spells or wield Weapons.

A character who gains an Animus ability typically chooses a specific form and appearance for that Animus ability, and it cannot be easily changed. For instance, a Mage's Avian Animus might appear as a white raven. The Mage cannot use Avian Animus to turn into any other kind of bird or avian creature other than the same white raven. If a character does wish to permanently gain a new form for one of their Animus abilities, the GM may permit them to begin a progress track to study a particular animal over the course of several Downtime days.

"It is the duty of the dead to pass on their secrets to the living." Spell Spectral

Prerequisite: Spectral Magic

Target the skull or other essential remains of a Person or Beast that died within the last year. For ten minutes, the target may speak with a ghostly voice in whatever languages they could speak in life. They remember only the events that occurred during their life, and have no special compulsion to speak the truth. For the duration, they can perceive using all normal senses.

Once the duration ends, the target crumbles to dust and cannot be affected by this ability again.

You take on the shape of a flying animal such as an eagle, owl, bat, sparrow, or raven. Spell Verdant Animus

Prerequisite: Verdant Magic

You transform into a flying animal. While in this form, the following changes apply to you (in addition to those from the Animus trait):

You lose the Small and Winged traits, allowing you to use your Speed to fly.
Your normal Burden limit becomes 1, and your encumbered Burden limit becomes 2.

You take on the shape of a tiny crawling animal such as a spider, rat, cockroach, or lizard. Spell Verdant Animus

Prerequisite: Verdant Magic

You transform into a crawling animal. While in this form, the following changes apply to you (in addition to those from the Animus trait):

You gain the Small trait and can use your Speed to crawl along most horizontal surfaces.
You gain +3 edge on Guile rolls made to ⬖ Hide or otherwise avoid detection.
Your normal Burden limit becomes 1, and your encumbered Burden limit becomes 2.

You take on the shape of a small aquatic creature such as an eel, fish, or octopus. Spell Verdant Animus

Prerequisite: Verdant Magic

You transform into a water-breathing animal. While in this form, the following changes apply to you (in addition to those from the Animus trait):

You gain the Small and Aquatic traits, allowing you to use your Speed to swim in water, and you can breathe underwater.
Your normal Burden limit becomes 1, and your encumbered Burden limit becomes 2.

Level 3 Mage Abilities

Spell Ritual

Level 6 Mage Abilities

Spell Ritual Elemental

You channel elemental energy to manipulate the weather in a limited area. Roll Discipline and choose a weather option based on the result. The weather in your zone changes to match the chosen option for one day. You can choose to make the weather change occur only in the zone(s) you used this ability, or have the weather change follow you for the duration.

1. No effect.
2-4. Clear away or produce light wind and/or precipitation.
5-7. Clear away or summon heavy wind and/or precipitation.
8-10. Clear away or summon a lightning storm or blizzard.
11-12. Clear away or summon a hurricane or extreme blizzard.

The GM decides what impact weather has on the game, but some examples of changing the weather to rain might include muddying tracks, helping crops grow, slowing down armies, etc., while clearing away rainclouds would do the opposite of these.

★ Extend Duration (18-20). Multiply the duration of this effect by 3.