Mage the Ascension Discussion, Homebrew, Worldbuilding, and Game finding.
- Thread starter TheLastOne
- Start date
- Location
- America
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Scion 2e also has a crafting system that you could straight up steal to use for Mage.
Technocrats and Technomancers would obviously need different kinds of Milestones (though using exotic materials from monsters you've slain, or supernatural artifacts you've stolen and repurposed is perfectly valid for Technomancers to do with the proper explanation about xenobiology or the "psionic resonance" of ancient artifacts, etc.) dependent upon individual paradigms.Scion Origin 2e said:
So I am planning on running a mage the ascension technocracy game if anyone is intrested in playing.
Its going to set in a version of the world where threat null has just made its move and shattered the technocracy, so now you have to gather resources, rebuild ties, fend off or ally with the traditions and then retake what you have lost, or maybe say fuck all that and be cool superspies in a world full of possibilities, its upto whats decided in session zero.
Its going to set in a version of the world where threat null has just made its move and shattered the technocracy, so now you have to gather resources, rebuild ties, fend off or ally with the traditions and then retake what you have lost, or maybe say fuck all that and be cool superspies in a world full of possibilities, its upto whats decided in session zero.
- Location
- my house
Anyone have advice for combat magic? Doing a forces (3), Matter (2) mage who's focus is a telekinetic gauntlet (light things on fire by vibrating molecules, throw trucks, etc). Want to have some cool, flashy attacks but IIRC attacking directly with magic isn't as useful as enhancing abilities? Anyway to make "summon lightning spears which fly at the enemy" viable?
Matter and Forces are really easy to cheat, but you're going to need to compromise a bit if you don't want to be hammered by Paradox.
One cheat is carrying bottles of some liquid, doesn't matter which though booze is fun, and pitching them as 'molotovs'. That'd be flashy as hell and avoid Paradox. Once they hit and something gets set on fire, you can do practically anything with the fire and you're probably good. Spread it other enemies, have it do extra damage, dampen it to avoid allies, whatever. The biggest advantage of setting a fire though is smoke.
Smoke obscures vision, which you absolutely want the option of doing, because even if you want to play fast and loose with physics, preventing the various mundanes from realizing you're doing that to avoid Paradox is crucial. Use a spell to be able to see through smoke and protect yourself from it while preventing people from seeing what's going on and you should be able to do whatever else you want a lot safer. The key to being flashy with magic is to be as sure as you can that a mundane isn't going to see it.
Alternatively, if you pick up some way to take the fight off Earth and into the Umbra or whatever, you can do whatever you want.
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It really depends on how brutal the paradox in your particular game are being. While you certainly can make spears of lighting (assuming you have a dot in Prime to make the ings out of nothing, or some way to gather electricity), usually this is going to draw paradox unless you have a really good explanation lined up.
The gauntlet using telekinetics is a good idea for an instrument/foci.
Some fun things to do with forces and matter is less using them for Fire and Lightning and instead go the way of tweaking/adding/removing kinetic energy, inertia, friction etc. (The bottles that Drake_azathoth mentioned are a good 'explanation' as well, some kind of 'super_soap' if a mundane wonders why Hitmark Bob is sliding down the hill and can't seem to stop himself or something.
The gauntlet using telekinetics is a good idea for an instrument/foci.
Some fun things to do with forces and matter is less using them for Fire and Lightning and instead go the way of tweaking/adding/removing kinetic energy, inertia, friction etc. (The bottles that Drake_azathoth mentioned are a good 'explanation' as well, some kind of 'super_soap' if a mundane wonders why Hitmark Bob is sliding down the hill and can't seem to stop himself or something.
- Location
- America
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Some basic, "I know it's vulgar, but I'm going to do it anyways" guidelines: 1) Use the lowest level of Sphere possible. Vulgar Magic with witnesses is already hard, make it easier on yourself. 2) Spend Quintessence to lower the difficulty. 3) Spend a point of Willpower to guarantee yourself at least one success (so you don't botch). 4) Work with the environment. 5) Try to avoid soak.
Forces 2 is enough to redirect existing forces. Mage Revised Core page 248 tells us that a electrical wall socket is 2 Health Levels of damage per turn, an electric fence is 4 per turn, a junction box is 6 per turn, and a subway rail is 8 per turn. It's rare to find enemies who can soak electricity. Forces 2 to redirect and amplify the electricity from a nearby electrical socket is difficulty (highest sphere effect +5, so 2+5) 7. Spending 3 Quintessence can lower the difficulty to difficulty 4 (-3 is the most you can decrease a difficulty). Spend a point of Willpower to guarantee at least one success (so you can't botch). You want one success to redirect the electricity, and at least one to amplify it. The base damage is already 2, and every success of forces you use to amplify does 3 more (a success on damage normally gives you 2, but forces gives you 3). So you have one success from your Willpower and if you can roll at least one success (an 86.8% chance), you'll do 5 lethal they can't soak. If you manage two successes you do 8 damage they can't soak (normally).
This works best if you can pull it off in a subway (or at least near a power line or junction box), where the base damage from the electric subway rail is 8 that they can't soak (normally), and anything you will add goes on top of that.
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