Any mage may attempt a Will roll at -4 to do anything magick is capable of. Normal magickal penalties apply. Normal people (sleepers) may also attempt this, but at Will-6 instead.
+1 ... modifying a luck roll (+1 per point of success)
+0 ... controlling a minor chance event (the roll of a die, for example)
-1 ... controlling a large chance event (whether a cab driver happens to drive by)
-2 ... controlling an unlikely event (your cabbie friend Jane happens to drive by)
+1 ... local consensual reality agrees that the effect is possible
+0 ... local consensual reality is agnostic as to whether the effect is possible
-1 ... local consensual reality believes the effect is impossible
-1 ... you have 1-4 hostile witnesses
-1 ... per doubling of hostile witnesses (5-8, 9-16, etc)
+1 ... affects only the casting mage or a soccer ball sized area
+0 ... affects a single person or person sized area
-1 ... per doubling of people affected
-2 ... affects the immediate area
-4 ... affects a house sized area
-6 ... affects a small neighborhood sized area
-8 ... affects several square miles
-2 ... per x10 area affected
+0 ... does not significantly change the environment
-1 ... causes minor changes in environment (blowing up a car)
-2 ... causes major changes in environment (car becomes a boat)
-3 ... causes huge changes in environment (car becomes a tiger / ceases to exist)
Upon attempting a magickal effect, the mage then rolls Will again (at +0) with the SAME MODIFIERS as above; each point of failure results in +1 Paradox gained.
Most mages work within paradigms, however, defined by Spheres. A Sphere is a particular type of magick (or grouped types of magick) which the mage is particularly good at. A Sphere can be broad or narrow. Examples are below.
Rank 1 (-4, x32): Substance, Elemental Essences, Continuum
Rank 2 (-4, x16): Matter, Life, Energy, Time, Space, Mind
Rank 3 (-4, x8): Solid Matter, Fluids, Clairvoyance, Telepathy, Intellect
Rank 4 (-4, x4): Natural Earth, Wind, Water, Heal/Harm, Postcognition, I See Dead People, Arcane
Will (+0, x200): For purposes of the game, all human beings are assumed to have a base Will of 10, and then have hours put into improving it. Mages have devoted more time to this than most, and consequently have a higher Will. Most mages should plan on a Will of 11 or 12. Note that all Spheres are affected by Will, so improving this will also improve your Spheres.
Paradox is the unconscious will of the sleeper population punishing a mage for transgressing against consensual reality. Paradox aftershocks can range from the petty and cruel to simple cleaning up. Paradox of some sort happens every time the mage practices magick, but the likelihood of any effect coming of it varies with the mage's strength of will, and the degree of transgression (see the Spheres, above, for notes on gaining Paradox).
Paradox bleeds off naturally at a somewhat variable rate. A mage automatically recieves a penalty to all social rolls (discomfort, unease) based on the amount of Paradox the mage is carrying around:
1+ Paradox = -1 penalty
4+ Paradox = -2 penalty
9+ Paradox = -3 penalty
16+ Paradox = -4 penalty
25+ Paradox = -5 penalty
A mage may attempt to "burn off" Paradox, taking lumps in exchange for forgiveness by consensual reality. This is done by rolling 3d6 versus the mage's current Paradox; each point of success burns off a point of Paradox. The more Paradox burned off at once, the worse the effect. This may only be attempted once per day.
Possible Effects
Pain: 1d6 SC per point of Paradox burned off.
more will be coming
A character will typically have 2,000 hours by age 10, plus 500 hours per year thereafter, but might up to double that with fanatical training. A mage is assumed to have Awakened at some point, which has no particular amount of time associated with it. After this point, fanatical training is generally assumed (1000 hours per year) and hours may be put into Will and Spheres. These numbers are very flexible, however, as the soul may "remember" magickal skills from past lives, giving bonus hours in a particular Sphere or two.
Spring Mage: At 10,000 hours or less of magickal training, the mage's spirit is still "youthful and vigorous", and gets a +1 on Paradox resistance rolls. Spring mages bleed off Paradox naturally at a rate of one per day.
Summer Mage: At 20,000 hours or less of magickal training, the mage's spirit is still vigorous, but has lost some of its youthful resilience. Summer mages bleed off Paradox naturally at a rate of one per week.
Fall Mage: At 40,000 hours or less of magickal training, the mage's spirit has begun the long decline, and gets a -1 on Paradox resistance rolls. Fall mages bleed off Paradox naturally at a rate of one per month.
Winter Mage: At 80,000 hours or less of magickal training, the mage's spirit has become decrepit and corrupt, and gets a -2 on Paradox resistance rolls. Winter mages bleed of Paradox naturally at a rate of one per season.
Advanced Winter: At more than 80,000 hours, the mage gets a -3 on Paradox resistance rolls, and bleeds off Paradox at a rate of one per year.
ASCENSION: Mages go through this cycle with each lifetime. Most mages believe in Ascension, a kind of way of achieving sufficient enlightenment to step out of the cycle, to transform decline into immortality.