USING MAGIC:

1) There are two ways to use magic, by channeling power directly through you, or by focusing your
power into a construct, circle, effigy, etc (ritual). The first step to using magic is to determine
which one you are going to do. Channeling power is a quick and dirty method of exerting power
in real time. This is combat magic, quick cast spells and the like. Ritual magic is done over time
and isnt something you normally would try while engaged in combat. The power of a ritual
spell is much higher however and requires symbolic links, circles of power, focus items and the
like to maintain and contain the power of the spell you are working with. More info on that
type of magic later.

2) Once you determine the way you are using magic it is time to determine the effect you want to
achieve. This could be as simple as saying I want to go invisible, to I want to bend gravity at a 90
degree angle to the ground to sweep that giant off his feat and cause him to fall into the wall on
the opposite side of the room. Once you have what you want to do it is time to put it into game
terms. For the invisibility spell we could say that it is an Illusion spell. For the Gravity spell we
would say that it is likely a Transmutation spell. .

3) The next step is to describe the effect in terms of one of the 4 basic actions: Attack, Defense,
Create Advantage, Overcome. Any spell can be attributed to one of these actions if you think
about it long enough. For example well use our two examples above; invisibility is creating an
advantage, the Gravity Spell could be considered either an Attack (if you mean for the fall to
harm the target), or Create advantage (if you mean to move the person across the room or pin
him to the wall).

4) Next we determine the power we want to put into the spell. This is the most complicated part
of the process as it requires you to determine the mechanical effect of the spell. This includes
the range (from melee to line of sight), duration (from instant to one scene) as well as the power
behind the spell and their effects. Below is a list of effects and their cost in shifts of power, if
you dont see specifically what you are looking for then bring it up with your GM.

Range: When casting a spell range is a pertinent component. If the enemy is in the same zone as
you then you dont need to apply any shifts of power to the spell as he is in effective melee range. If he
is 1 or more zones away from you however then youll need to apply a shift for each zone beyond the
one you currently occupy until you reach your target. So for example there is a werewolf charging
through the forest at you, he is 4 zones away. You decide to blast him with fire, youd need to dedicate
4 shifts of power to the spell for the range alone before taking into account duration and effect.
 Duration: Spells are usually instantaneous especially in combat, a blast of fire hits and burns and
then is gone. But sometimes you want to have a spell linger for a bit and that is where duration comes
into play. There are two things to consider when talking about duration. The area of effect of the spell
and the action used to create the spell. For spells that target only a single target (such as invisibility
above) you would need 1 shift of power for each exchange (turn of combat, from the time you cast the
spell until the start of your next turn) that you want the effect to continue.

For example you could feed three shifts of power into the invisibility spell to gain a total of 4 turns of
invisibility (1 for the initial casting and 3 for the 3 additional shifts of power). For area of effect spells
this becomes much more difficult and doubles the shift cost for each turn you what to have the spell
remain. This would mean that 3 turns of Mass Invisibility would cost 6 shifts of power but would blanket
everyone currently in the zone.

Effects: The effects of the spell make up what it does, this goes beyond how far it can go off or
how long it lasts, it is the meat and potatoes of the spell. The basic spell is powered by Shifts of Power
these shifts are used to produce effects which can include:

Damage: This is for combat spells which are intended to harm the target.

AOE: Area of effect is for affecting multiple targets either in an entire zone or splitting shifts of
power between two or more targets. Doing this also reduces the overall accuracy of the spell (take the
roll to attack and split the shifts up between each target who then defend separately).

Create Advantages: Shifts of Power can be used to create advantages, the base cost is 3 shifts
(this provides the advantage created with 1 free invoke on it), for each 2 additional shifts you would gain
another free invocation up to a maximum of your Conviction rating (IE: Conviction of +3 = max of 3
additional free invocations).

Overcome: Shifts of power can be focused to overcome an obstacle, remove already established
advantages, etc. The cost in shifts to do so for an obstacle would be the same as the passive opposition
to Overcome that obstacle normally (except in the case of magical Obstacles which only Magic or a very
clever player could counter). So for example if it would be a Great +4 obstacle you would need to
channel 4 shifts of power to overcoming it as well as any additional shifts for range, duration, etc.

Defense: Shifts of power can be used to defend yourself from incoming attacks, to do so you
would need to use a number of shifts of power equal to the incoming attack (or as much as you want to
use, as you could just blunt the attack or lessen the damage in some way). So for example if the
Vampire throws a car at Harry and gets a +6 on his attack then Harry can defend with his shield bracelet
and summon up shifts of power to defend against the threat. In this instance he decides to go for broke
and summons up 6 shifts of power, if he succeeds on his Conviction roll (with any applicable bonus)
then he will get the spell off, if he gets less than 6 shifts then he could decide to let the car hit him (bad
idea) or push out the shifts he has and lessen the impact.
5) Once you know what you are going to do and how you are going to do it now is the time for you
to draw in the power of the Arcane to fuel your spell. To do this you need to roll your
Conviction + Relevant Specialties + Focus Items against a passive opposition (this will normally
be 0 but in certain circumstances this might be lower, if for example you are in a place of high
magical resonance, or higher if you find yourself in a magical dead zone. You take the result of
your roll and subtract the passive opposition and that determines how much Shifts of Power you
have drawn in.

When you roll your Gathering Power Roll (Conviction + Relevant Specialties + Focus Items) and your
result is less than the Passive Opposition then you not only do not gain power but you also incur
some negative consequences known as Mana Burn (NAME TBD). You can either internalize this
Burn and take a number of shifts of Mental Stress equal to the difference of your roll and the
Passive Opposition target number, this stress cannot be mitigated by a skill or defense.

OR you can externalize it and have its effects spill out of you into the nearby area, what exactly
happens is up to the GM and should reflect the nature of the spell you are casting but is generally
detrimental to the caster and his companions. This could be a temporary aspect on the
environment, damage to the environment, etc.

If the number of shifts you have drawn in is equal to or greater than the Spell that you built in steps
1 through 5 then your spell goes off (and those additional Steps of Power can be used wherever you
like as a bonus). If you end up with less Shifts of Power than the spell requires then you can do the
following:

Weaken the spell: This is for when you really need the spell to go off but didnt summon the power
required (but didnt fail to your Gathering Power Roll) you can choose to lessen the spells effects on
the fly to get the spell to go off.

Fuel the spell with your will: You can choose to fuel the remaining Shifts of Power with your own
will. You take the remaining shifts of power needed as Mental Stress and the power goes off as you
intended.

Hold the Power: You can also choose to hold the power in and keep it until next turn where you can
draw in additional power to get the shifts necessary to cast the spell that you intended. Doing so
will require you to roll a Concentration check at the start of your turn.

6) Once you have the required shifts of power to cast your spell then you would resolve the spell
normally. Certain circumstances can change the required range of the spell over the course of
several turns of gathering power, in that case you can adjust shifts of power around to
accommodate for this change or take an additional turn to gather additional power to make the
adjustments.
Holding in power:

At the start of any turn where you are holding in Shifts of Power from the previous turn you will
need to roll a Concentration check. A concentration check is made rolling Discipline + Specialty
+Focus Items vs the number of shifts you are currently holding. If you Tie or Succeed then you
retain those shifts and nothing else happens you proceed to the rest of your turn.

If you fail then you have 2 choices, internalizing the difference and taking mental stress equal to that
difference, OR you can externalize it and lose the difference in shifts from your held total as that
energy bleeds out into the surrounding area.

Concentration Checks:

Holding power is difficult under the best circumstances but imagine doing so while arrows are flying,
blades are being swung and its amazing to think a Wizard can do anything at all in combat. When a
caster holding shifts of power is stuck in combat he must make a Concentration check to see if he
can hold on to the power coursing within him. A check is made when an attacker scores one or
more shifts of damage on the caster.

The check to retain your concentration is your Discipline Skill + Relevant Specialty in school of spell
+ Focus Items + Stunts vs the number of shifts inflicted on the attack. If successful you are fine, if
you fail then you either internalize or externalize the difference in shifts of power. If you externalize
you lose held shifts of power as normal. Internalize you take mental stress.

IF AT ANY POINT THROUGH CONCENTRATION CHECKS, HOLDING POWER CHECKS, ETC YOUR TOTAL
NUMBER OF SHIFTS REACHES ZERO THEN THE SPELL IS LOST AND YOU WILL NEED TO BEGIN AGAIN
FROM THE BEGINNING.
 Enchanting, Focus Items, Potions and More!

Focus Items are very straight forward they enhance a casters spellcasting in a particular fashion by
providing a bonus to one part of the spellcastings effort. A single focus item slot, as granted by various
Spellcraft powers, grants a +1 bonus. For evocation focuses, this bonus may be applied to either the
wizards Discipline or Conviction with a specific School of Magic.

A Thaumaturgy focus is specified by any of the thaumaturgic types whether by function

(summoning, veils, wards, etc) or theme (biomancy, ectomancy, etc). Subsequent focus item slots allow
you to create new focus items. Alternatively, one or more slots may be spent to add greater capacity to
an existing focus item. So an item that offered +1 to discipline and +1 to control for both Evocation and
Abjuration would cost 4 focus item slots. All bonuses of an item always apply to all of the schools on the
item: you cant have +2 discipline for necromancy and +1 for wards in the same focus item, because the
+2 discipline should apply to both necromancy and wards.

This makes for narrow, potent focus items (one element or type with a large bonus) and broad, less
potent focus items (many elements or types with a small bonus). Broad, potent focus items are very
rare. As a result, most wizards tend to have many small bonus items for specific jobs, like a craftsmans
toolbox.

The one restriction on the bonuses provided is that they may not total to a number greater than
your Lore. So if your Lore is Good (+3), you can have an evocation focus item that provides a +3
conviction or discipline. Or a focus item that provides +1 to each of those or +2 to conviction and +1 to
discipline or vice versa. But you cannot construct one that provides bonuses totaling 4 or more. The
number of schools is not restricted and you can also have an item that adds to both conviction and
discipline so long as you have enough slots to accommodate them.

If you are willing to lock the item down to only ever being useful for one specific spell such as an
established spell then you get a single free slot upgrade (as described below) to add an extra +1
bonus.

You cant benefit from the same type of bonus (Conviction or Discipline) from two or more items at
the same time so if you had two items, one with a +2 conviction bonus and another with a +1
conviction bonus, the total effect is a +2 to conviction.

Enchanted Items are intended to hold a single, pre-generated effect that is stored until released,
after which the energy in the item must be recharged. The construction process is very similar to the
process for creating a focus item, except that the caster also imbues the item with minute amounts of
spell energy as he goes through the attunement process, gradually shaping it to hold the energy its
designed for. Making an enchanted item slot, which can be acquired by trading in a focus item slot for
two enchanted item slots.
 When you create an enchanted item, you must specify the effect that the item performs. Nearly
any effect within the range of ritual or channeling is allowed (though channeling tends to be easier
because the amount of power involved is usually comparatively small), subject to two limitations: the
effect has a strength equal to your Lore, and it may only be used once per game session. After its used,
the item requires time to recharge by some means that you determine; this is assumed to take long
enough to reach into the next session.

You may increase the number of uses per session by one by reducing the base strength of the item
by one. So if you have Good (+3) Lore, you could create an enchanted item with an effect strength of
Good (+3) that you can use once per session, or an item with an effect strength of Average (+1) that you
can use three times per session. When doing this, the base strength of the item may not go below 1.

The strength of an enchanted item may be reduced by one to make it usable by someone other than
the caster, such as a magically armored coat that anyone can wear.

Its possible that using an enchanted item will require some kind of skill roll, particularly if it needs
to be targeted in some way; discuss this with the GM and follow whatever course seems logical.
Defenisve items (ones that provide armor or a block, for example) often consume a use at the time of
defense and dont require a separate action to activate. If an enchanted item runs out of uses in a
session, if wielded by a practitioner he may make additional uses anyway by taking one point of mental
stress per use.

Subsequent enchanted item slots allow you to:

- Create a new enchanted item with a new effect

- Add +1 to the strength of the default effect on an existing enchanted item.
- Add 2 to the uses per session for existing enchanted item.

Regardless, an items casting strength after all bonuses are totaled should never exceed two times the
crafters Lore rating at least not without a very good rational and a ton of baggage.

Crafting Specializations for items and potions arent used for Conviction or Discipline; they
usually affect frequency or strength without making you spend an extra slot to do it. A frequency
specialization allows you one more use per session. A strength specialization increases the effect
strength of your basic enchanted items by 1 (this strength specialization bonus cant be traded in for an
additional per-session use). In the case of potions, this can create stronger potions, or ones that you can
get two uses out of. Alternatively, a crafting specialization may be applied to increase the limit on how
many bonuses may be placed on a single focus item ( a focus specialization).

You can create focus items which are used to provide frequency and strength bonuses for
crafting when making other items and potions. That said, you cant create a focus item that helps you
create other focus items.
 Potions are created through a fairly complex process that involves combining ingredients into
some sort of base liquid and using it as the focus of a thaumaturgical ritual to put power into the potion.
Many wizards have workspaces that they use for this purpose, complete with shelves full of odd
ingredients from diamond dust to eye of newt. The ingredients that go into a potion metaphorically
signify its effects. In addition to the base liquid, each potion requires one ingredient for each of the five
senses (touch, taste, smell, sight and sound), one ingredient for the mind, and one for the heart. These
ingredients dont have to be consumable; the magic that creates the potion makes a potable substance.

Potions are very similar to enchanted items in terms of function (and, in fact, even use
enchanted item slots to make), but are both more limited and more flexible. To be able to make a
potion, you must commit an existing open enchanted item slot to be a potion slot. When youre
outfitting your wizard, consider leaving some enchanted item slots unallocated so you can create
potions as you need them.

At the beginning of each session, you may declare what potions you have on hand to fill these
slots, or otherwise leave them open. If you have an open slot and a successful Lore roll or a fate point to
spend, you may later declare that you coincidentally have an appropriate potion. A given potion can
only be used once, period, but it doesnt face a surcharge for being useable by someone else.

The effect strength of a potion, like enchanted items, is equal to the wizards Lore. Multiple
slots devoted to potions allow the wizard to either:

- Have multiple potions at one time: or,

- Add +1 to the strength of any potion

Unlike a normal enchanted item, the effect strength of the potion may be boosted on the fly or
at the time it is created with the invocation of aspects. Each invocation allows the potions strength to
be increased by 2. You may choose to take a compel in order to get this bonus for free, but that means
the GM can introduce that compel at any time later without giving you the opportunity to refuse
youve already agreed to it by taking the additional strength for the potion. In general, only one such
pay-it-forward compel should be allowed at a time.

Hidden Power

Focus Item Slots Enchanted Item Slots No Smaller Than

1-2 14 Ring (ear or finger)

3-4 5-8 Fist or Rod

5-6 9-12 Basketball or Staff

 Power is hard to squirrel away without it being noticed. This is particularly true where items are
concerned, both in terms of their physical and supernatural dimensions. First, the physical. Use this
chart as a guideline, counting up the number of slots spent on a single item.

The size of an item will play into how hard it is to physically detect. Fortunately, even when a
magic item is physically obvious, its not always obvious what its for. A casual observer might not look
at a staff as much more than a funny walking-stick, even though such a thing is as lethal as a machine-
gun in the hands of the right wizard.

Thats where the supernatural dimension comes in. Those who are in the know (generally,
those with actual occult training) can use their Lore skill to pick up on the presence of an item of magical
potency, getting a +1 to the roll for every two enchantment slots or one focus slot spent in the items
construction. A staff composed of 4 focus item slots provides a whopping +4 bonus to that roll so
while it might look like a funky walking-stick, a trained pro will recognize right away that its an object of
absolutely lethal potency. This isnt the same as knowing what the staff does, mind you it only
identifies it as an item of supernatural power.