Considering how comparatively fragile they are in comparison to their paranormal peers, mages have a potentially extensive arsenal of ass-kicking techniques. Of course, it’s wise to have options when a well-placed punch might kill you. But while the rest of this section does contain a wealth of fighting rules, the following expanded combat systems can add a dash of extra spice (or is that blood?) to those moments when wisdom dies and rage takes over.
Hollywood Reality
Word has it that the technological paradigm rules the twenty-first-century industrialized world. And that’s sort of true. Sort of. But y’know who really determines what the average person in today’s world thinks of as “reality”? Hollywood and its associates in the mass-media industry.
Intellectually, we all know (well, maybe not all of us — lots of people clearly don’t know this) that Hollywood is in the business of selling illusions. Cars don’t really explode every time someone bumps into them; neighbors don’t really walk into one another’s homes without knocking, just in time to provide a zinger to their conversations; you can’t really hip-fire a chain-gun for 5 minutes without reloading, outrun explosions, or walk away from a 15-car pileup with a few streaks of dirt on your face and maybe a trickle of blood that you manfully wipe off as you swagger back into action. And yet, we do kinda expect real life to act like the movies and shows we see, even when we know they’re fake. The mere fact that a “reality TV” star can become president of the United States reveals just how ingrained the media version of reality has become.
Clever mages can exploit this illusory vision of reality. Especially in combat or other dramatic situations, the Hollywood reality factor blurs the boundaries of coincidence and vulgarity. Essentially, this is a variation on the Mythic Threads concept, although in this case the Storyteller can rule that certain normally vulgar Effects are instead coincidental because they follow Hollywood reality. Obviously magickal feats remain vulgar (Harry Potter movies have not yet rendered flying broomsticks into the Consensus!), but many non-magickal feats that would be unlikely or impossible under strictly scientific principles might be considered coincidences if they fit into Hollywood reality tropes — wild car-chases, instant knockout blows, leaps from high places onto surfaces that would break every bone in your body, and so forth.
As always, your Storyteller has the final say regarding Hollywood reality feats. Also, Hollywood reality holds no sway in places where mass media hasn’t indoctrinated the populace into what is and is not “possible.” Technocrats consider Hollywood reality tactics to be fair game too, and such operatives are very good at using such tactics to their advantage — so good, in fact, that it often seems as though such absurd tropes are planted into films intentionally...
Murder charges suck. In order to avoid them, you might prefer to render an opponent unconscious as opposed to dead. While that’s not nearly as easy (or as possible) in real life, movies and books constantly feature characters who deck folks in one shot, or who get knocked out with a single blow and then wake up sometime later to find themselves in precarious situations.
Rules-wise, a character can be dropped into Sleepytime Central with the following optional rules:
In real life, a person can suffer brain damage from head injuries or prolonged unconsciousness. Hollywood-style pistol-whippings and blunt clubbing are more likely to fracture a skull and batter a brain while leaving the victim conscious than they are to knock a person out — see the Pistol Whip maneuver for a more realistic approach to that sort of attack. Mages, of course, can employ Hollywood Reality (as per that sidebar) as an excuse to render otherwise vulgar Effects coincidental, and so the proverbial “knockout blow” can involve a Life or Mind Effect tacked onto an impressive punch which inflicts a little bit of Bashing damage while delivering the recipient into the arms of Mister Sandman for a significant period of time.
While a punch in the gut is often effective, it lacks panache. Mages and their ilk are supposed to be above that sort of thing. And so, when trouble beckons, a flashy stunt often separates the mages from the murder-hobos. Such deeds display a skillful flair that moves mere violence into the realm of entertainment.
Our entertainment, of course, has inspired such theatricality. In real-life fights, these sorts of feats rarely come off well, and could easily get you arrested or killed. “Real life,” of course, is relative in Mage, and so the following stunts — especially when finessed with magick — make excellent additions to an action scene.
A mage with an appropriate focus, the right Spheres, and convenient instruments can also add a little push to the following stunts. The details can be found in the entries below, under the heading Magick, with the enhancement assuming a successful Arete roll before the stunt is performed. Yes, you have to roll the Arete for that Effect in the turn before the stunt occurs; you can’t perform a stunt and perform magick within the same turn unless either A) you’re using Time 3 to get additional actions within that turn, or B) the instrument is an intrinsic part of the stunt (a gun, a kick, etc.).
(Those focus instruments, meanwhile, need to be things you could conceivably employ while performing the stunt; a martial artist using the instrument Dances and Movement could easily stick the Hero Landing described below, but a wizard who needs to call the corners on the way down is more likely to become street pizza instead.)
Assuming that the characters in question have the ability to do such things, any sort of character can use the following stunts. Awakened characters may enhance a feat with a bit of subtle Sphere-craft, but the stunts themselves depend on physical capability, not Enlightened powers. Each entry below features a basic description of the feat, the Traits and rolls involved, and the potential enhancement a bit of magick can provide. Antagonists, of course, can use these stunts as well, turning the tables on a so-called protagonist who’s under the delusion that ze’s the hero of this show.
As noted earlier, such feats tend to be improbable, if not impossible, in terms of real-world physics. Some of them might be a bit too goofy for your chronicle, too, at least for certain moments of it; a slapstick pantsing of the Arch-Nephandus might be amusing, sure, but totally wrong for the tone of your tale. Ultimately, the Storyteller decides whether or not a given stunt is possible or desirable for the chronicle in question... and if a given stunt isn’t possible in your world, your heroes might learn their limitations the hard way. And on that note, failing the rolls for the following stunts is a really bad idea — and botching them is even worse. The cost of failed theatricality tends to be spectacularly high.
System: Assuming that you’ve all fought together as a unit before (this stunt won’t work for strangers or new allies), a single member gets chosen to be the spokesperson for your group. That person makes a Dexterity + Alertness roll and, for 1 turn per success, the characters within your group all employ the same initiative roll — a new one, based upon the highest initiative rating in that group, and then act, one after another, until everyone within that group has taken their actions. Only after the entire group has acted can your remaining enemies (if there are any enemies remaining!) get to respond with anything other than a block, dodge or parry.
From a story perspective, the group moves like a well-oiled machine, each member intuitively synchronizing their attacks and defenses with dramatic efficiency. Once your foes lie scattered before you, be sure to toast your fellowship with a loud cheer and festive mayhem!
| Roll: Dexterity + Alertness | Difficulty: 8 |
| Damage: as normal | Actions: 1 |
Magick: A successful Entropy 1 or Mind 2 Effect on the spokesperson’s part reduces the Difficulty of that coordination roll by -1 per success, to the usual limit of -3.
System: 1 success gets a few people to pull back and give the hero some space. 3 successes clear a path for the showdown. 5 successes reflect a showdown of such ferocity that everyone nearby stops to watch until the last blow lands.
| Roll: Manipulation + Intimidation | Difficulty: 8 |
| Damage: N/A | Actions: 1 |
Magick: A successful Mind 2 empathy burst reduces the roll’s Difficulty by -1 per success. For this Effect, consider the Difficulty to be 5, as opposed to the usual Willpower-based Difficulty for Mind-based attacks.
System: In real life, this sort of stunt will maim your ass. So long as the character has at least 3 dots in Athletics or Acrobatics, however, and looks badass enough to survive such a stunt, that character can land gracefully and without injury from heights of roughly 30’ (8 meters) or less. Cyborgs, beastfolks or brawny powerhouses may be able to leap down 50’ or more, although that sort of distance is pushing the limits of even Hollywood reality.
If you roll 5 successes or more, the leaping character automatically has initiative on the next turn because everyone is just that impressed with zir. A failed or botched roll, though, is just plain messy — see Falls and Impact.
| Roll: Charisma + Athletics or Acrobatics | Difficulty: 8 |
| Damage: N/A | Actions: 1 |
Magick: A Forces 2 Effect bends physics enough to keep you from getting yourself killed. Even if you don’t stick the landing, you won’t take damage when you hit.
System: You need suitable surroundings (a construction site, kitchen, office, etc.) and at least 3 dots in Acrobatics, Athletics, Brawl, Do, and/or Martial Arts in order to pull off this stunt. A successful execution inflicts 1 level (not a die — a level) of Bashing damage per success upon each character within a 10’ (3 meter) circle, keeps them all from hitting you this turn, and stuns all of them until the beginning of the next turn. Your opponents can try to soak the damage, but your agile charisma still stuns them with surprise.
Obviously, this stunt works only in hand-to-hand combat. A hero can perform this stunt once per fight for every dot ze has in Charisma; after that, the trick gets old.
| Roll: Dexterity + Expression | Difficulty: 8 |
| Damage: as above | Actions: 1 |
Magick: A successful Entropy 3, Forces 2, or Life 3 Effect adds 1 level of Bashing damage per success to the damage inflicted by this attack. (2 successes add 2 more levels, 3 successes inflict 3 more levels, and so forth.)
As noted earlier, real-life “knockout blows” cause concussions and often inflict lasting brain damage; also, they don’t tend to work nearly as quickly or as easily — you’re more likely to give a pissed-up enemy a headache than to render xem quietly unconscious.
System: A successful roll of Dexterity + Brawl, Do, or Martial Arts inflicts normal Bashing damage. 5 successes or more, however, also drops the target into unconsciousness for 1 turn per success. This stunt doesn’t usually work on badass Night-Folk, although your Storyteller might let you punch out the werewolf for comedy’s sake. Just don’t be around when xe finally wakes up...
| Roll: as above | Difficulty: 8 |
| Damage: as above | Actions: 1 |
Magick: A Forces 2 Effect reduces the blow’s Difficulty by -1 for each success rolled, thus making it easier to knock your foe unconscious. A successful Life 3 Effect can put your target to sleep as described above, and a Life 4 Effect can “transform” the conscious enemy into an unconscious one. Other potential Effects can be found in the Martial Arts section of The Book of Tricks.
System: Assuming that your character has at least 3 dots of Athletics and/or Acrobatics, with a Parkour specialty, a successful roll (or a series of extended rolls, for multi-turn travel) allows your character to navigate apparently impossible multilevel terrain at their usual running speed, thanks to the miracle of freerunning discipline and impressive theatrical prowess.
| Roll: Dexterity + Athletics or Acrobatics | Difficulty: 7 |
| Damage: N/A | Actions: 1 or more |
Magick: Each success rolled for a Forces 2 Effect reduces the Difficulty for your parkour rolls by -1 per success, down to the maximum -3 modifier.
System: This stunt demands 2 actions: the first to grab the clothing, and the second to yank it hard enough to have the desired effect. That grab roll involves Dexterity + Subterfuge, and the second roll involves Strength + Alertness. (And how often do those combinations come up, right?) The Difficulty for both rolls is 7 if the target can see you coming, 5 if you’re catching xem unawares. 3 successes or more will dislodge the average item of clothing in the desired way — flipping the cap down, ripping the shirt off, pulling the pants down around your target’s ankles, and so forth. Special clothing (armor, unitards, reinforced garments, etc.) remains more or less immune to this trick, though you might flip a helmet off-kilter or perform some other suitable wardrobe malfunction.
If successful, you startle your opponent for 1 turn, and render xem unable to act that turn. Xyr next action will depend on what you did, though xe might need to make a Willpower roll (Difficulty 8) to avoid a reflexive cover-up, a Dexterity roll to avoid tripping, or some other suitable roll that helps xem extract xemself from this unexpected predicament.
By the way, do not try this stunt on werewolves or vampires, unless you wish to become the target of an immediate frenzy check.
| Roll: as above | Difficulty: 7/5 |
| Damage: N/A | Actions: 2 |
Magick: A successful Entropy 3 or Matter 2 Effect lets you disrupt the garment with only 1 success on the Dexterity + Subterfuge roll — no strength required! If you use the Matter Sphere and roll 2 or more successes with your Arete roll, this stunt will essentially destroy a typical cloth garment. Matter 4 will have the same effect on garments made from materials that were crafted by, or reinforced with, magick.
Realistically, this stunt demands magick. Human bodies get pulped by concussion blasts in close proximity, and torn to shreds by flying debris. A cinematic high-adventure chronicle, though, might allow skilled Sleepers to pull off this sort of nonsense if the Storyteller agrees, and it certainly fits the definition of Hollywood reality even though it is... um, impossible.
System: A successful roll lets the character “ride the wave” for 20’ (6 meters) per success. Each success also inflicts 1 automatic level of Bashing damage from the impact, though the character can try to soak those injuries. A successful character takes no damage from the explosion itself; an unsuccessful one takes it all.
| Roll: Stamina + Athletics | Difficulty: 9 |
| Damage: N/A | Actions: 1 |
Magick: A Forces 2 and/or Entropy 3 Effect lowers the Difficulty by -1 per success, to the usual -3 modifier limit.
As extensions of fists and feet, weapons hold a long pedigree in the field of martial arts. A skillful combatant doesn’t simply hack away at enemies with zir sword — ze slashes, feints, disarms, subdues, and otherwise employs zir weapon like the extension of zir body that it truly is.
The following maneuvers listed in the ordinary Combat Maneuvers section can also be used with weapons: Disarm, Grapple (only chain- or rope-based weapons), Sweep, Pistol Whip (obviously), Death Strike, Deflecting Block, Joint Lock (again, only with flexible weapons), Nerve/Pressure Point Strike, and Withering Grasp (again, likewise). The defensive techniques of Blocking and Parrying and Rebound Attacks can, of course, be performed with weapons too... and often should be!
Certain techniques, though, work only with the weapons for which they’ve been designed. A character can employ the following maneuvers, then, if ze’s got 1 or more of the following Abilities:
The following maneuvers can be considered optional. A few of them are fairly cinematic, and so Storytellers may allow all, some, or none of them, as desired. The roll-designation (Ability) means that the attacker can use Melee, Martial Arts, or Fencing/Kenjutsu — whichever is appropriate.
The Mexican Standoff
Guns! Guns! Guns! Everybody’s got at least one, and mutually assured destruction appears imminent. More of a trope than a stunt or maneuver, this action-movie staple puts every character involved in the standoff into an extended and resisted Willpower-roll challenge. The first one to break does something stupid, and everyone might wind up dead.
In the grand tradition, these face-offs take place at point-blank range. Long-range standoffs use the normal rules for such combat. Once the guns are out (other weapons can serve as well, so long as every antagonist can hit their target with a single move), all players involved roll their Willpower. On the first turn, the Difficulty is 5; each subsequent turn, however, the Difficulty rises by +1 until somebody either backs down or fails a roll.
During the standoff, until the situation changes, all characters involved get 1 automatic attack on a single target. For that attack, the players simply roll for damage, not to hit. Each turn after the first one, that attack adds 1 automatic level to the damage inflicted; thus, the longer it goes on, the deadlier this standoff becomes.
Each turn, a player who succeeds at their Willpower roll can choose to take an action, to talk, or to hold their action until someone else moves. A winning character can try to talk their way out of the standoff (using roleplaying and/or a Social Attributes roll), distract an opponent (again, usually a Social roll, although certain physical actions are possible), hold their action, dodge/block the intended assault, or attack. Each turn the standoff continues, all rolls other than Social Attribute rolls add +1 to the Difficulty. Social rolls start off at Difficulty 9, but a successful player can lower that Difficulty by -1 per turn each time that individual succeeds at the roll.
A player who fails a roll can spend a point of Willpower in order to succeed.
Anyone who fails a Willpower roll and hasn’t spent a point of Willpower in order to keep things together, or who botches any sort of roll involved, immediately does something really stupid. At that point, the standoff ends and everyone attacks.
Anyone who makes a sudden move (dodge, block, run, etc.) immediately kicks off the carnage.
Characters can choose to lower their weapons at any time. The other characters can choose to respond however they want. Once the shooting starts, though, it won’t end until only one side in the dispute still stands.
| Roll: Dexterity + Brawl | Difficulty: [Weapon + 1] |
| Damage: [Weapon - 1] / Bashing | Actions: 1 |
As the opponent attacks, the defender captures xyr weapon with zir own. A successful roll represents a successful capture attempt, which deflects that attack and immobilizes both weapons (meaning that neither party can use them) until either the defender ends the bind or the opponent successfully breaks free as described under the Grapple maneuver.
Both parties can use other attacks — kicks, head-butts, punches, etc. — during a successful bind. Due to the close range, occupied attention, and lack of leverage and space, however, attacks other than head-butts add +2 to their usual Difficulty. Other opponents, however, subtract -2 from the Difficulty of trying to hit either fighter while their weapons are bound.
Bind attempts typically begin with the defender maneuvering zir opponent into position — often with a held action, a Feint (see below), a taunting remark, or some similar enticement to strike. That enticement isn’t necessary, but it’s a common tactic that — if successful — reduces the Difficulty of the Bind maneuver itself to Difficulty 6, not 8. This enticement requires an additional action before the Bind attempt itself. As with other 2-action moves, this enticement could be performed within the same turn if the player chooses to employ multiple actions.
Obviously, this is a hand-to-hand fighting technique that typically demands weapons that are strong and rigid enough to bind and be bound (blades, staves, clubs, etc.). That said, an especially flexible weapon (like a chain, whip, or rope) could be used to capture an opponent’s weapon too... and with such weapons, this is a popular technique.
| Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) | Difficulty: 6/8 |
| Damage: N/A | Actions: 1+ |
It takes at least 2 successes on the attack roll in order to cause that blood to flow. The “curtain” effect kicks in 1 turn after the slice is made. The cut itself is too shallow to cause damage; until the target can clear zir eyes and staunch that flow of blood, however, xe’s using half of xyr usual dice pools. (Stopping the flow requires 1 full action unless the opponent can close up wounds through force of will or innate healing abilities.) Naturally, this attack means nothing against opponents who do not bleed, or whose faces are protected from cuts and incidental blindness.
| Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) | Difficulty: 8 |
| Damage: N/A | Actions: 1 |
For the fake-out, the attacker adds zir Manipulation to the appropriate weapon Ability, and rolls against Difficulty 6. The target gets a chance to notice the feint (Perception + whichever Ability is highest from among the target’s Melee, Martial Arts, or Do Abilities, Difficulty 8); if xe blows that chance, the attacker sets xem up and — with zir next action — strikes. If successful, this attack inflicts extra damage because it hits the opponent in an unexpected, vulnerable spot.
As is possible with other multiple-action maneuvers, an attacker who can use 2 or more actions within the same turn can deploy the fake-and-strike in that same turn. This is a hand-to-hand combat technique that does not work at range.
| Roll: Manipulation + (Ability) | Difficulty: 6 |
| Damage: [Weapon + 2] | Actions: 2 |
| Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) | Difficulty: 7 |
| Damage: [Weapon + 1] | Actions: 1 |
| Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) | Difficulty: [Weapon + 2] |
| Damage: [Weapon + 3] | Actions: 2 |
| Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) | Difficulty: [Weapon + 1] |
| Damage: [Weapon - 2] | Actions: 1 |
Although this maneuver represents hand-to-hand attacks, a skilled marksman could use the same technique to hit objects at a distance — blasting out lights, knocking over lanterns, shooting objects out of people’s hands, and so forth. In this case, the usual modifiers for distance and cover apply to the usual specifics for this maneuver.
For details about the breakability of material objects, see Bustin’ Stuff and Sample Objects and Surfaces.
| Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) | Difficulty: 8 |
| Damage: Weapon | Actions: 1 |
The Difficulty for this maneuver is 6 +1 for every attacker beyond the first (+2 for 3 attackers, +3 for 4 attackers, and so on). With 5 successes or more, ze breaks the opponents’ weapons, too, forcing them to roll their Willpower (Difficulty 7) or back away in fear.
Unless ze has extra actions within a single turn, the defender cannot do anything this turn except deflect the incoming assaults. As a rule, this trick should work only against blade-fodder mooks, not against serious antagonists; for details, see Mook-a-Palooza.
Realistically, this maneuver should apply only to hand-to-hand attacks; martial arts movies, though, use this technique against missile weapons all the time.
| Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) | Difficulty: 6+ |
| Damage: N/A | Actions: 1 |
| Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) | Difficulty: [Weapon - 2] |
| Damage: Weapon | Actions: 1 |
A 2-action maneuver, the shiv “technique” requires a successful Grapple maneuver first. Assuming ze’s successful, the attacker uses zir next action to shove a short stabbing weapon (dagger, stiletto, hatpin, spike, etc.) into the vulnerable spot. This demands a second roll (Dexterity + Melee) but lets zir ignore all protections from armor while inflicting a bit of extra damage too.
This attack’s base Difficulty is 7; however, a target with very few vulnerable spots (that is, covered except for eyes and/or with only small chinks in their armor) raises that Difficulty to 9.
So long as the attacker keeps zir weapon in the target, ze can twist it around and inflict an extra level of Aggravated damage per turn. This damage cannot be soaked unless the target is essentially immune to harm caused by weapons digging around in his innards. Werewolves, vampires, dragons, and similar critters can attempt to soak such damage because they’re just that tough to kill; cyborgs and so forth, though, can have their workings seriously messed up by this sort of thing. (Spirits and ghosts, lacking physical substance, can’t be harmed by a shiv attack unless the fighter employs a weapon that can hurt them, they’ve already materialized, or both. Zombies, skeletons, and other critters that lack functioning organs are unfazed by such mayhem.)
As with the Bind, Grapple, and Stabbing Frenzy maneuvers, the attacker remains vulnerable to other assailants. Characters who take shots at zir subtract -2 from their usual Difficulties; if they miss, however, they hit zir target instead.
| Roll: Dexterity + Melee | Difficulty: 7/9 |
| Damage: [Weapon + 1] + Special | Actions: 2 |
| Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) | Difficulty: [Weapon + 1] |
| Damage: [Weapon + 2] | Actions: 1 |
The feat demands at least 3 dots in both Dexterity and the appropriate weapon Ability on the part of the attacker. For each success, that attacker renders 1 mook-level assailant either dead or dying of grotesque mortal wounds. This maneuver works only against faceless agents of antagonism — serious foes must be fought with the usual combat methods. Although it’s usually associated with martial-arts films, this maneuver can be used with bows and firearms as well, to reflect Legolas- or Rambo-style prowess.
| Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) | Difficulty: 6 |
| Damage: Special | Actions: 1 |
On a similar note, this attack is useless against armor that’s thicker than 2 points of protection. These zero-range stabs have no momentum behind them, and so cannot penetrate thicker types of armor.
Because it depends upon using a short, fast weapon to stab the target at exceedingly close range, this maneuver can be performed only with short knives (switchblades, pocket knives, stilettos, etc.), razor blades, needles, broken bottles, small hand axes, or spiked fist-load weapons. There’s no room in this frenzy for slashing or elaborate technique — it’s just a brutal, desperate barrage. Hence, this maneuver employs either Brawl or Melee, not any form of refined martial art.
| Roll: Dexterity + Brawl or Melee | Difficulty: 4 |
| Damage: [Weapon + 3] | Actions: 1 |
Unlike most combat maneuvers, this technique depends upon awareness, not agility. And so, the roll is Wits + Awareness. Each success rolled adds 1 automatic success to the damage that weapon would normally inflict, plus 1 automatic success for each dot of Willpower the opponent has that is less than 5. (Ze would, then, receive an extra 2 successes when striking a Willpower 3 opponent.) This maneuver does not receive the usual success-based bonus damage that hand-to-hand weapons normally receive, but the attack is devastating enough without them.
If the warrior fails zir roll, zir attack misses completely. If ze botches it, the bonus damage ze would have inflicted on zir opponent gets inflicted upon zir instead. That opponent also subtracts -2 from xyr next attack against zir if the warrior fails or botches zir roll; if xe still misses zir, though, then the warrior remains unharmed that turn.
This technique demands concentration, and so the warrior must take 1 action to enter the Zen trance. After that, ze may remain essentially motionless for 1 hour per point of Willpower, and yet respond instantly to any form of attack.
Because of zir stillness, the attacker seems like easy prey; a character who attacks zir at close range, however, winds up on the receiving end of the strike. The first long-range attack is automatically deflected by the character’s weapon. From that point onward, the trance is broken and the fighter acts as usual.
If two warriors face off and employ this technique, both players must make an extended and resisted roll. The Difficulty of that roll is the lowest Willpower Trait between those two warriors; if a warrior with Willpower 7 faces off against one with Willpower 5, then the Difficulty is 5. Each roll reflects 1 hour of stillness. The first warrior to roll 10 successes wins, and the losing warrior automatically attacks zir. A warrior who runs out of Willpower before 10 successes have been rolled automatically attacks; because xe’s lost xyr cool, xe attacks using a normal attack maneuver, not the Stillness Strike. Otherwise, xe can still use the normal damage bonus from this maneuver. Yes, this means that both warriors can kill each other in a single blow. That sort of thing happens during these showdowns!
If the warrior has more dots in the Meditation Ability than ze has in Awareness, then ze may use Meditation instead of Awareness when making this roll. Ze must, in any case, have no less than 3 dots in Martial Arts, Fencing/Kenjutsu, or Do, and at least 5 dots in Willpower. This is not a technique for amateurs!
The Stillness Strike is a hand-to-hand fighting technique. For similar situations with guns at very close range, see the Mexican Standoff sidebar, above.
| Roll: as above | Difficulty: 6 |
| Damage: Special | Actions: 2+ |
If ze scores 3 successes or more, that enemy will continue bleeding out, suffer from perforated organs, or otherwise take an additional level of Lethal damage per turn until someone with medical expertise treats xyr wound. Armor, obviously, will not help xem soak that internal damage.
| Roll: Dexterity + (Ability) | Difficulty: [Weapon + 1] |
| Damage: [Weapon + 2] | Actions: 1 |
Additional stunts and flashy maneuvers can be found in the Mage sourcebook Tales of Magick: Dark Adventure (pp. 72-76), and the Sorcerers Crusade supplement The Swashbuckler’s Handbook (pp. 121-128). Specific systems might require a bit of tweaking in order to reflect the 20th Anniversary Edition rules; even so, for the warrior-mage with a touch of style, you can never have too many options when it’s time to bust somebody’s head.
Violence only looks easy. In real life, it’s scary, unpredictable, and traumatic in ways that game systems can’t accurately reflect. Although certain mages may be hardened to carnage by their training and experiences, the average person can be unnerved by “simple” violence and emotionally scarred by deadly force. The hardened folks get traumatized by violence too, either retreating into callous emotional cocoons or growing jumpy even when no threat is obvious... and quite often both. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a real thing, and mages who spend lots of time facing violence will almost certainly acquire some.
Now, Mage is a roleplaying game, and RPGs are infamously violent. But mages, unlike werewolves and vampires, aren’t supernatural murder machines. Ascension War or not, the Awakened are supposed to be more enlightened than blood-drinking corpses or Mama Nature’s meat grinders. Part of that enlightenment includes a deeper appreciation for the Big Picture. And so, it makes sense that a typical mage — that is, one who’s not an ice-cold cyborg or Man in Black — will feel the effects of deadly violence long after a fight is done... and yeah, even the ice-cold folks feel it as well, although they rarely admit as much.
Players and Storytellers might want to reveal the deeper effects of violence through roleplaying; Resonance; Willpower rolls; Flaws like Icy, Berserker/Stress Atavism, or PTSD and other story-based consequences. Violence may come with the territory when you’re a mage, but in Mage, as in real life, it’s hard to walk away from it without scars.
In the early days of the Hermetic Order, cranky wizards needed a way of blowing off steam and sorting out disputes, preferably without killing each other and laying the countryside to waste. Centuries later, the Council of Nine adopted their solution: Certámen, a “gentlemen’s duel” in which magick, cleverness, and theatricality would matter more than sheer might and the resulting carnage thereof.
The basic rules for such contests can be found under Old Form Certámen, in the Magickal Duels section. If you’d like a wider range of options, however, the following expanded rules may add spice to a Certámen duel. Use or ignore them as you see fit. Oh, and for clarity’s sake, remember that a lower-case sphere refers to the floating weapons, shield, and reserves of a dueling mage, while a capitalized Sphere refers to the nine Spheres used to perform magick.
Facing a clearly superior wizard in Certámen can be extremely daunting. Mages can’t “see each other’s character sheets,” as it were, so the characters don’t usually know what their opponents can do. When the glowing spheres manifest, however, a duelist may realize that ze’s seriously outclassed.
At the beginning of a duel, a combatant whose opponent has at least 3 glowing spheres more than ze does may have to make a Willpower roll (Difficulty 4 + 1 per additional sphere), or else automatically lose initiative that first turn. If ze botches that Willpower roll, don’t bother rolling initiative at all — ze’s always attacking second.
The defending player can try to use zir Aegis to entirely block an incoming attack. In this case, roll Wits + Aegis Sphere against the Difficulty of the attacker’s Gladius Sphere + 3. A successful roll means that the Gladius gets completely deflected that turn. The defender can either perform multiple actions in order to block an attack this way, use zir entire turn as a blocking attempt, or employ Time 3 to give zirself an extra action so that ze can block the attack with zir full dice pool.
A botched Certámen roll reflects a loss of concentration. Essentially, the duelist fumbles zir Gladius or Aegis, and both disappear. To use them again, ze needs to rearm zirself, as described in the Rearming entry below.
Striking at the opponent’s weapon or shield, the duelist tries to disrupt zir rival’s dueling spheres with zir own. This maneuver demands the usual attack roll, this time at Difficulty 9. Each success disrupts the target Gladius or Aegis for 1 turn; 4 successes or more destroys the target completely, leaving the rival duelist either unarmed or unprotected.
A duelist who loses zir Gladius, Aegis, or both must either form a new one from one of zir reserve spheres, or else — if ze has no reserve spheres left — conjure a new sphere to use. Forming a new Gladius or Aegis from a reserve sphere takes only 1 turn, but conjuring a new sphere and then transforming it into the proper shape requires 2 turns. In the meantime, the duelist is either unarmed, unprotected, or both.
Here, the defender tries to move the Locus itself. Ze rolls Wits + Arete (Difficulty 6), and each success removes 1 success from the attacker’s total. A Locus dodge requires a full action; you cannot perform multiple actions in order to attack within the same turn, though a Time 3 hastened mage could use 1 action to attack and another as a Locus dodge.
Typically, the attacker and defender keep a single Sphere as the Gladius and another as the Aegis. A tricky mage, however, might shift between them in mid-duel, replacing one for the other. Ze could even pull one of zir reserve spheres into play, changing tactics by switching spheres.
In game terms, it takes 1 turn to transform the Gladius into the Aegis, the Aegis into the Gladius, or a reserve sphere into either the weapon or the shield. Under most circumstances, there’s no roll required — the ability to switch between spheres easily is built into the circle. Under extreme circumstances (injury, fury, fear, etc.), the duelist might have to roll zir Willpower against Difficulty 7 in order to change them in the middle of a match. A successful roll allows zir to do so easily, and a failed roll reflects scrambled concentration. That failed roll allows the opponent to get 1 free attack while the duelist regains zir composure. After that, ze can try to switch the spheres again, though at the usual penalty for a new attempt at a failed roll. (See Trying it Again in The Book of Rules.)
A cunning mage can decide not to reveal zir true power until the duel has begun. Then, at a strategic point, ze conjures zir remaining glowing spheres in an attempt to intimidate zir opponent. In game terms, the player simply says something like, “I’m going to conjure only 3 spheres, rather than the 6 I could conjure because I have Arete 6.” In the middle of the duel, ze lets those other spheres manifest, forcing zir opponent to make the Willpower roll above. This sort of thing is considered sneaky, and the Certámen Marshall might stop the duel. Still, xe might not stop it, and the psychological edge may be worth the risk.
A duelist might be able to carry Tass into a Certámen match in order to refuel the Locus during the duel. If the terms of the match forbid refueling, however, that extra Tass would be considered cheating. In many matches, though, that little extra edge is quite traditional — Hermetic wizards used to do it all the time back in the old days.
Refueling takes 1 turn, and requires Prime 2 or better. A normal Prime 2 Effect must be cast in order to draw the Quintessence from that Tass. The roll involved is Difficulty 6, and each success moves 1 point of Quintessence into the Locus. Technically, you could refuel from the Chantry’s Node during a duel; this, however, is extremely bad form and usually leads the Marshalls to cancel the duel and chastise the offender.
As with any other sort of contest, you can psyche out your opponent in a Certámen duel. This could involve anything from taunts or aggressive body language to a terrifying manifestation of the Gladius and Aegis — say for instance, a Gladius that looks like a roaring hell-beast and an Aegis that resembles a shrieking face.
In game terms, the intimidating player rolls an appropriate Social Attribute (usually Manipulation or Charisma) + an appropriate Ability (probably Intimidation, although Art, Empathy, Expression, or even Seduction could work as well). Each success inflicts a -1 penalty on the defender’s next roll; 5 successes or more might cause xem either to concede the match immediately or lose initiative for the rest of the duel and remain on the defensive throughout the Certámen match.
As explained under the heading Shaping the Spheres, Certámen duelists can shape their Gladius, Aegis, Locus, and glowing spheres into whatever forms they like. At the beginning of the match, this shape choice is essentially part of the ritual and isn’t counted as part of combat. Once the duel begins, however, it takes an extra effort of will in order to reshape the spheres into new configurations.
If a duelist wants to change sphere shapes in the middle of a match, that combatant should roll zir Wits + Arete. The Difficulty depends on whether ze’s winning (Difficulty 5) or losing (Difficulty 7). A successful roll transforms the spheres as desired; a failed one keeps them in their current forms; and a botched roll flusters the mage’s concentration, giving zir opponent 1 free attack.
If a duelist has the correct magickal Spheres, and ze conjures them as glowing spheres with zir Arete, ze may be able to tap one of those spheres as a reserve. In this case, the duelist employs multiple actions in order to draw upon the power of that sphere during combat. For the effects of different reserve spheres, see the sidebar, under Special Sphere Effects.
In a serious grudge match, Certámen opponents may battle “to the pain.” In this case, the duelists employ Quintessence from their own life-force, and the fight lasts until one of them passes out from the strain. Story-wise, the two combatants sling power in one another’s directions in the usual way, but with serious focus and deep emotional investment.
System-wise, give each duelist an extra 3 Quintessence points for each dot of permanent Willpower they possess. This is not actual Quintessence, only a reflection of the contestants’ strength of will. Those “will points” go into the Locus, giving the duelists a deeper reserve of power. After the initial Quintessence points in the Locus (that is, the ones that aren’t drawn from Willpower) are depleted, the duelist needs to make a Stamina roll each time zir Locus gets hit. That roll’s Difficulty starts at 6, and then goes up +1 for each subsequent Willpower roll. If ze succeeds, ze keeps fighting; if ze fails, the attacker drains a will point, and the defender loses 1 temporary Willpower point for every 3 will points that get drained. Once a combatant loses all of zir will points, ze drops unconscious and the Certámen match ends. The losing mage wakes up with a ferocious headache and a temporary Willpower rating of 1 until ze manages to restore zir self-respect.
Certámen was designed to pit power against power without causing physical harm to the combatants. Therefore, the duelists attack one another’s Quintessence Loci, not each other’s bodies. Even so, certain Certámen duelists throw feints at their opponents, trying to unnerve the rival mage with an apparent attack upon xyr person.
In this case, count the attack as a Psychological Warfare maneuver (above), using the Social Attribute + Gladius Sphere. In story terms, it looks as though the Gladius flares up and goes straight for the rival duelist. A successful roll puts that duelist on the defensive, forcing xem to roll xyr Willpower or else lose xyr next attack. (If the roll succeeds by 3 successes or more, the Storyteller might subtract a -1 penalty from the defender’s Willpower roll for every success rolled by the attacker.)
Unless the duel has already been established as an all-out grudge match, actually attacking a rival mage in the Certámen circle, with intent to injure xem, is extremely poor form. The Marshall will probably stop the match right there, award victory to the defender, and charge the attacker with either a low crime (if the opponent isn’t harmed) or a high crime (if xe’s badly harmed). In either case, the attacker will be banned from Certámen matches for the foreseeable future, as ze clearly cannot be trusted in them.
Optional Rule: Special Sphere Effects
As a seasoned Certámen veteran knows, different Spheres can offer special benefits to a duelist who knows how to employ them properly. The following optional rule can spice up a Certámen match. A combat Sphere grants advantages in attack or defense, whereas a reserve Sphere supplies an edge in other ways.
- Correspondence (Reserve): Thanks to its disorienting effects, Correspondence can add extra dice to the duelist’s attack or defense rolls. When employed this way, Correspondence supplies 1 extra die for every dot the duelist has in that Sphere. (A mage with Correspondence 3, for example, would get 3 extra dice for either attack or defense.) In any given turn, these bonus dice must be used for either attack or defense, not both.
- Entropy (Combat): When used as a Gladius, Entropy adds 1 automatic success to the attacker’s roll; however, it also consumes 1 point of Quintessence every time it drains Quintessence from the defender’s Locus. That Quintessence goes to feed the Void and does not transfer Quintessence into the attacker’s Locus.
- Forces (Combat): If the attacking duelist rolls at least one 10, a Forces Gladius grants the attacker 1 extra attack die for every 10 that ze has rolled with that attempt. (Three 10s, for example, would give 3 more dice.) Each 10 rolled on those bonus dice gives the attacker yet another bonus die.
- Life (Combat): Used as the Aegis, the Life Sphere gives the defender 1 extra soak die for every Rank in that Sphere. (Life 3, for instance, would give 3 more soak dice.)
- Matter (Combat): For every dot the duelist has in the Matter Sphere, ze can add 1 extra die to attack (when Matter is used as the Gladius) or defense (when it’s used as the Aegis).
- Mind (Combat): Due to the almost-invisible forms of Mind-based weapons and shields, all attack or block rolls against a Mind-based Gladius or Aegis add +1 to the Difficulty for each dot in the duelist’s Mind Sphere. (Mind 3, obviously, adds +3 to the Difficulty. And yes, this bonus can exceed the usual +/-3 modifier maximums.)
- Prime (Reserve): When tapped for reserve, the brightly shining Prime Sphere allows the duelist to lower zir Difficulties for both attack and defense by a total of -1 for every rank in the Sphere. (Prime 3, as above, grants a -3 Difficulty reduction, which can be applied to attack, to defense, or split between them, each turn.)
- Spirit (Combat): When used as a Gladius, the Spirit Sphere adds 1 automatic drain success for every 10 rolled during an attack. (Two 10s, for instance, would drain 2 additional Quintessence points.)
- Time (Reserve): For every dot in Time over the first one, a duelist who taps Time as a reserve Sphere can spend a point of Quintessence from zir own Locus to perform 1 additional action. (Time 3, for example, would give that duelist the ability to spend up to 2 points of Quintessence and perform up to 2 additional actions, per turn.
When formed into glowing spheres, Correspondence, Prime, and Time are extremely hard to look at directly. Correspondence seems to warp space around the sphere, Prime blazes in a ball of incandescent white, and Time ripples perceptions in several feet around the glowing sphere itself. A mage trying to attack one of those reserve spheres must add +1 to zir attack Difficulty for every dot the defending mage has in the Sphere Trait. (Someone attacking the Time reserve sphere of a mage with Time 3, for example, would add +3 to zir Difficulty to hit that rippling sphere.) Such Spheres, for obvious reasons, have dazzling strategic and visual appeal when used during a Certámen match.