Credits

Author and Quickstart Developer: Satyros Phil Brucato

Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Developer:
Satyros Phil Brucato
Creative Director: Richard Thomas
Editor: David A. Hill, Jr. and Rose Bailey
Art Direction and Design: Mike Chaney
Art: Brian Leblanc, Larry McDougal, Mike Gaydos, Jeff
Laubenstein

© 2014 CCP hf. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden,
except for the purposes of reviews, and for blank character sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf,
Vampire, World of Darkness, Vampire the Masquerade, and Mage the Ascension are registered trademarks of CCP hf. All
rights reserved. Vampire the Requiem, Werewolf the Apocalypse, Werewolf the Forsaken, Mage the Awakening, Promethean the
Created, Changeling the Lost, Hunter the Vigil, Geist the Sin-Eaters, V20 Companion, Children of the Revolution, Storyteller
System, and Storytelling System are trademarks of CCP hf.
All rights reserved. All characters, names, places, and text herein are copyrighted by CCP hf.
CCP North America Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CCP hf.
This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters, and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and
intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised.
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2 Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Quickstart

 Table of Contents
Mage 20th Anniversary Quickstart 5 Paradox Backlash Roll 18
You Change Your World 5 The Spheres 19

The Game 5 Effects 19

Factions and Sects 5 Damage or Duration 20

Characters, and the Correspondence Sphere Ranges 20

Things They Can Do 7 Spirit Sphere Gauntlet Ratings 20
Rules of the Game 8 Time Sphere Timelines 21
Dice Pools, and Feats of Time Magick 21
Rolling the Dice 9
Toll for the Trolls 23
Combat Rules 10
The Cabal 24
The Health Chart 12
Squats, Gigs and Scams 24
Healing Damage 12
Khan Salvatore 25
Armor and Shields 12
Synder 28
General Hand-to-Hand Maneuvers 13
Chopper 31
Dirty-Fighting Maneuvers
(min. three dots in Brawl) 13 Jinx 33
Ranged Combat Maneuvers 13 Sabra 35
Melee Weapons 14 The Family Dogs 38
Melee Weapons (Continued) 15 Spirit Entities 38
Ranged Weapons 16 Neutral Parties 42
Magick Rules 17 Antagonists 44
Paradox Points Generated 18 Story Hooks 45
Table of Contents 3
 I tell you this: We are Divinity.
Reality is ours to bend. To subvert. To command.
We have that power – all of us.
Not everyone knows what to do with it, orhuses it well. Most of us never
realize just what it is we are or how muc we can do.
Those of us who do… well, some of us areof mon sters. Manipulators.
Parasites. Tyrants. Fanatics. And the rest us never see that monster
“us.”
in our own mirror, only in the reflections of those folks who are not
d,
Here’s the truth, though: We are ALL “us.” We are ALL gifte
We can ALL change the world.
Most of us remain asleep.
A blessed few Awaken.
Fewer still use that power wisely.
And none without consequences.
And so, reality is up for grabs.
Where do you stand?
And will you Fall… or Ascend?

4 Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Quickstart

 You Change Your World
If you had the power of a god, what would In Mage, such “magic” is spelled with a “k” at the end. Why?
you do with it? And what would it do to you? Because, to quote master occultist Aleister Crowley, magick is
That question provides the heart of Mage: “the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity to the
The Ascension, a Storytelling game about reality will,” spelled as it is to “distinguish the science of the Magi from all of
on the brink of change. In Mage, players take on its counterfeits.” Other spellcasters use limited forms of “magic”;
the roles of people who have Awakened to their only a mage, however, can rework reality on a metaphysical
innate power to change the world. That rare level. That’s a risky pursuit, but the ability to change the world
gift forces them to confront their place in that is often worth the price.
world, and to face other people who might not
be as kind or careful about the things they do. Mood
Despite their power, every mage is a flawed human being, Mage’s world is grim, part of a larger World of Darkness.
with all the fears, doubts and passions each one of us confronts And yet, for a mage, there’s always hope. The power to change
in our everyday world. For a mage, however, belief – backed up by reality gives mages a great advantage in this dangerous world,
luck, skill and judgment – can transcend mortal limitations. By and so the overriding mood in any Mage game involves optimism
learning the Spheres, a mage can juggle elements of reality… and rather than despair.
by gaining Arete – “excellence” – that person can become a greater Despair, though, is the flipside of hope, and so Mage games
force for change and expand his or her effects upon the world. (also known as chronicles) ride along the edge of despair as well.
That power, of course, has a cost: the delusions of pride, The prices of magick can be high: madness, death, corruption
the lure of power, and the effects of Paradox, the backlash that and damnation. A Mage character, then, exists on the thin edge
occurs when several versions of “reality” collide. No mage remains of hope and horror – an edge that the gutter-mages within this
immune to those forces, and every mage must confront the limits quickstart booklet understand all too well.
of Awakening… often losing battles even if they win the war.
The Bridge Troll Cabal
Mage, ultimately, is about people who believe in something
so deeply that they change the world. Those changes can be Power exists in unlikely places. And so this quickstart
dangerous, even fatal… but they’re better than remaining a introduction to the epic world of Mage features an unlikely
pawn in someone else’s game. pack of mages: the Bridge Troll Cabal, a “family” of gutter mystics
whose life in the underside of Seattle, Washington, contrasts
Theme with the vibrant face of that city. Drawn from broken homes
Because the power of a mage’s Arts can alter reality through and tragic catastrophes, these mages protect their own weird
the power of Will, Mage’s primary theme is simple: Reality is little corner of the world. For the moment, they exist outside
flexible, and at your command. That “command” isn’t easy, or the vast intrigues of the greater Ascension War. Yet depending
cheap, or perfect, but it’s possible… and in a world where we on their choices, that isolation might not last for long…
so often feel like we’re stuck dancing to someone else’s tune, The details of the Bridge Troll Cabal can be found later in
that possibility does feel magical. this booklet, after a summary of Mage’s setting and basic rules.

The Game
Mage: The Ascension presents 21st-century demented visions of Descent and madness, corrupting the world
miracle-workers and the conflicts they endure. or tearing it apart at the seams. And many others – often referred
Divided, more often than not, into factions to simply as orphans because they lack “parental guidance” – exist
based on magic, faith, science and insanity, between the cracks, seeking Enlightenment and power wherever
these “mages” wage a shadowy “Ascension War” they can find it. Players take on the roles of these characters, and
over the different visions of reality they seek. the game revolves around their struggles in that world.
Some follow the crafts of classical mysticism,
embracing the ways of True Magick and its
crosscurrents in Enlightened Science. Others Factions and Sects
strive to govern the world through hypertech The many factions and sects of the Awakened world weave
disciplines, weeding out the “reality deviants” a complicated dance through the setting of Mage. Even so, four
who threaten humanity’s survival. Handfuls of them pursue factions stand out most clearly:
The Game 5
 • The Council of Nine Mystic Traditions, an embattled
fellowship of sorcerers, witches, unorthodox technicians,
and other devotees of esoteric orders. Bitter enemies of
the Technocratic Union, they appear to have been losing
the battle for reality.

• The Technocratic Union or Technocracy, a ruthless

hypertech consortium that strives for control over an
increasingly chaotic world. Dedicated to wiping out
Reality Deviants, they’ve spent over 500 years at war
with the mystic Traditions.

• The Nephandi, a subversive network of nihilistic

corrupters. Existing on the fringes of the other factions,
this group commands a terrifying degree of influence
within the modern World of Darkness.

• The Marauders, a loose confederation of metaphysical

schizophrenics. Through rare and disorganized, these
mages carry personal bubbles of “psychotic reality”
wherever they go.
These four groups jockey for domination in a struggle for
Earthly reality, and their struggles have echoed throughout
human history, most especially within the last half-millennium.
For the most part, Mage characters come from within
either the Traditions or the Technocratic ranks. Other mystic
sects exist outside of these factions… many more, as it turns out,
than the average mage realizes. These four factions, however,
make up the bulk of that so-called Ascension War, and carry
its conflicts into all aspects of the Awakened world… and, in
many regards, into the mundane world as well.

The Nine Traditions

Seeking a return to the days of High Magick, or a new dawn
of mystic potential, the mystics within these nine Traditions
personify the word “mage.”
• The Akashayana: Masters of mind, body and spirit, this
“Brotherhood” pursues the Arts of personal discipline.

• The Celestial Chorus: Sacred singers who give a human

Voice to the Divine Song, the Chorus magi nurture
humanity and embody holy grace.

• The Chakravanti, or Euthanatoi: Disciples of mortality

who purge corruption and bring merciful release from
suffering, these “death mages” struggle with an ominous
reputation and their sacred duty to the Cycle of Being.

• The Cult of Ecstasy, or Sahajiya: Visionary seers who

transcend limitations through sacred experience, the
members of this “Cult” expand perceptions, physics
and time itself through their path of sacred excess.

• The Dreamspeakers, or Kha’vadi: Preservers and

protectors of both the Spirit Ways and the Earthly cultures
6 Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Quickstart
 that have been looted, abandoned and oppressed, these to the complex world of Mage. Even in between the shadows of
mystics mix timeless Arts with postmodern insight and this existential war, however, the battle for Reality influences
righteous anger. the mages who refuse to take part in it.

• The Order of Hermes: Rigorous masters of High Magick

and the Elemental Arts, the many Houses of Hermes
Characters, and the
study powerful Arts and esoteric Sciences in their quest Things They Can Do
to perfect the human condition through mastery of Whether they belong to a faction or take on the world
Creation as a whole. alone, each Mage character shares certain common elements:
• The Society (or “Sons”) of Ether: Graceful saviors of • Arete and an Awakened Avatar (or Eidolon) that
scientific potential, the Etherites delve into strange allows that person to rework reality through knowledge,
theories and unconventional machines. imagination and Will;

• The Verbenae: Devotees of rough Nature and mystic • Certain Traits that reflect your character’s abilities;
blood-Arts, these “witch-folk” command primal magicks
and pagan refinements of technology. • Magick, the talent for changing reality in ways that most
people cannot manage. Even when a given character
• The Virtual Adepts, or VAs: Reality-hackers devoted to doesn’t consider such talents to be “magical,” the game-
rebooting their world, the Adepts perfect the political term for that ability is still called magick;
ideals and esoteric uses of information technology.
• Focus , the combination of belief, practice and
The Technocratic Conventions instruments that allow your mage to employ magick.
Despite a fearsome (and well-earned) reputation as ruthless
oppressors, the agents of the Technocratic Union strive to unite Arete and the Avatar
humanity within a safely controlled technological ideal… under Regardless of her faction or practices, every mage has
their Enlightened guidance and protection, of course. Arete (“excellence”) that reflects her enlightenment, and an
Awakened Avatar – an “inner self” that helps her channel her
• Iteration X: Perfectors of the human machine, these
knowledge and imagination into magickal acts.
“machine people” combine esoteric cybernetics with
industrial precision. Certain groups, notably the Technocracy, don’t think
of such things in mystical terms. They prefer to call Arete
• The New World Order: Custodians of social order Enlightenment, and use the term Eidolon if and when they speak
and global stability, NWO operatives provide safety of the “avatar” at all. In game terms, however, it’s all the same
and security for the Masses while eliminating Reality thing. For simplicity’s sake, just think of them as Arete and
Deviants who threaten the human realm. the Avatar for now.
The higher your character’s Arete becomes, the more power
• The Progenitors: Innovators dedicated to the potential
she can use when casting spells. A high Avatar simply reflects
of organic life, these “mad doctors” challenge biological
the power of that mage’s inner self; although the Avatar has a
limitation in their quest to rectify nature’s “mistakes.”
range of other abilities in Mage: The Ascension, we just present
• The Syndicate: Masters of the financial realm, social the basics here. A low Avatar, then, reflects a faint “presence”
advancement and the power of wealth, these sharp within the mage’s mind, while a high Avatar represents a spirit
operators understand the true meaning of “value” that seems as real – to that mage – as anyone else she knows.
beyond mere monetary gain. Among the characters in this booklet, Chopper has a low
Avatar, while Jinx has a very powerful one.
• The Void Engineers: Courageous and often eccentric
operatives, the Engineers explore and protect Earthly Traits
and extradimensional space. Each character in Mage has a collection of Attributes (innate
capacities of body, mind, and social savvy), Abilities (Talents,
Unaligned Mages Skills and Knowledges), and Backgrounds (benefits that your
Other mages and sects – often referred to, disparagingly, character enjoys – friends, allies, financial resources, and so
as “orphans” and “crafts” – exist outside of this Ascension War, forth). Those Traits represent the in-game capabilities of your
either because they choose to avoid it, or because they don’t mage. Measured in dots – usually along a scale between 1 and
even realize it exists. Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary 5 – they reflect the character’s relative ability and tell you how
Edition explores the Crafts in greater detail, while this quickstart many dice to roll when determining what she can do. For each
booklet features a group of “orphans” as a simple introduction dot in the appropriate Trait, you take one die to determine
Characters and the Things They Can Do 7
your chance of succeeding at a given task. Added together, these terms, magick is what makes a mage a mage. The specifics
dice become your dice pool; the bigger your pool, the greater can be found below, in the rules about magick. For now, just
your ability. For details, see Rules of the Game, below, and remember that your mage employs nine Spheres when casting
the character sheets for the various characters described later spells; his ability with a given Sphere reflects what he’s able to
in this booklet. do with it. You roll your mage’s Arete Trait when using magick,
and the better you roll, the more you accomplish.
When building your Mage character, you spend certain
amounts of points on various Traits. The exact amounts depend
Focus
upon the Trait in question. A zero-dot rating in a Trait reflects
Focus represents the things your mage does in order to
the total absence of that characteristic, while six dots or more in
employ her magick, and is the combination of belief, practice
an Ability, Attribute or Background reflects an inhuman degree
and instruments. Although different groups favor different
of expertise. Certain Traits – Arete, Willpower, Quintessence
approaches and disciplines, each mage has a focus that suits
and Paradox – work on a different scale, ranging from 0 to 10.
that individual’s paradigm – the “model of reality” that reflects
Aside from Willpower, non-mages don’t have these Traits at
her beliefs about life, magick, the universe, and everything.
all. Such large-scale Traits represent the differences between a
mage and any other sort of character. Essentially, a focus takes the mage’s beliefs, puts them into
a practice, and then uses certain instruments to make things
For the majority of your Traits, think of your character’s happen. Those “instruments” don’t have to be objects, either;
abilities along this range: a martial artist, for example, can use meditation, physical
X No Capability movements, mental concentration, and sacred teachings as
the instruments of her practice.
• Poor/ Novice
Let’s take that martial artist as an example: She believes
•• Average/ Beginning Professional in perfection and transcendence of the self through mastery of
••• Good/ Experienced Professional physical, mental and metaphysical forces; that’s her paradigm.
Her focus would be martial arts, and her instruments, as
•••• Exceptional/ Highly Skilled Professional mentioned earlier, include various types of meditation, strikes
••••• World-Class and kicks, physical exercise, and so on.
To keep things simple, think of focus this way:
••••• • Beyond Normal Human Range
What does the mage believe? = paradigm
Most folks range between 1 and 3 in their various Attributes, How does the mage turn belief into action? = practice
and between 0 and 3 in assorted Abilities. For the details
involved in character creation, see Mage: The Ascension 20th What does the mage use to do so? = instruments
Anniversary Edition, Chapter Six. All three combined = focus
Each of the characters in this booklet feature entries about
Magick the ways in which those characters focus their magick. For details,
Each mage can perform magick. Whether a given mage see those entries, as well as the Focus and the Arts section in
considers it to be magick depends upon his beliefs, but in game Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition, Chapter Ten.

Rules of the Game

The core of Mage’s Storyteller System is simple:
Roll one 10-sided die for every dot you have in
Players and Storytellers
a Trait or combination of Traits; compare the Within each Storyteller game, most players take on the roles
numbers on those dice to a target number called of individual characters. One player, though – the Storyteller
a difficulty; and then count all the dice that equal – essentially becomes the “director” of the story, playing the
or exceed that number. This basic system has a supporting roles, describing the setting, setting up the conflicts,
few permutations, but most situations in your and resolving the conflicts within your adventure.
Mage chronicle – from wrecking cop cars to Although the Storyteller has a certain degree of power (she’s
cooking a great meal – can be resolved quickly, the one setting up the plot and keeping things in motion, after
easily and fairly with the following rules. all), it’s worth remembering that your Storyteller is a player in

8 Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Quickstart

her own right. Ideally, a Mage game is an exercise in collaborative Difficulty Examples
creativity. Each player has at least one role, everyone contributes,
3 Trivial (hopping a creek)
and the Storyteller gets to enjoy the game as well. Although some
other games feature an adversarial relationship between the “Game 4 Easy (cooking a meal)
Master” and her players, Mage encourages everyone to work 5 Straightforward (changing the oil in your car)
together even when their characters are tearing each other apart.
6 Standard (punching someone in the face)

Dice Pools, and 7 Challenging (comprehending a book by

Crowley)
Rolling the Dice 8 Difficult (Playing through “2112” on your
As mentioned above, all characters have dice pools that guitar)
reflect their ability to get things done. Generally, that dice 9 Extreme (sealing a multimillion-dollar
pool comes from combining an Attribute with an Ability (say, business deal with reluctant partners involved)
Perception + Awareness), although certain situations call for a Degrees of Success
single Trait (usually Willpower, Arete, a Background, or some
other Trait) instead of two of them combined. One success Marginal (finding a helpful TV
Each dot (•) on your character sheet represents one Tropes entry)
10-sided die, and the resulting collection of dice becomes your Two Successes Moderate (getting someone’s
dice pool for that task. Sneaking across a room, for example, cellphone number)
would combine Dexterity + Stealth; if your character’s got three Three Successes Complete (delighting your new
dots in Dexterity and four dots in Stealth, then his dice pool playmate with a fresh-cooked
would contain seven dice. breakfast)
Four Successes Exceptional (selling five books
Difficulty to someone who’d come looking
When rolling those dice, you want to equal or exceed the for one)
task’s difficulty number, simply called its difficulty. That difficulty Five or More Successes Phenomenal (writing the 500,000-
shows how hard it is to accomplish a given task. Easy tasks have word anniversary edition of a series
low difficulty numbers, while hard ones have higher numbers. you helped create 20 years ago)
When you roll the dice, you want each die equal or exceed
Botching and the “Rule of One”
the difficulty number. For example, if that number’s 7, you
There’s also a kind of failure you can’t recover from: the
want to score a 7, 8, 9 or 10 on the dice. Each number that
botch, a catastrophic failure which leaves the character in a worse
equals or exceeds the difficulty is called a success; the more
situation than he was been in before the roll.
successes you roll, the better you do. If you don’t roll any dice
that exceed the difficulty number, then you fail. Story-wise, a botch reflects spectacular bad luck. Game-wise,
For most tasks, the “default” difficulty number is 6. If every 1 you roll takes away one success on your dice. Call this
there’s not a specific difficulty number mentioned for a given “the rule of one.” If your 1s cancel out all your successes, then
task, then assume that difficulty is 6. The Storyteller always has you fail. If you roll three successes, then roll three 1s, you’re
the final word on the difficulty for a given situation. left right where you were before.
Really simple tasks – those rated at difficulty 3 or 4 – Assuming that you rolled even one success, even after the
don’t usually require a roll unless the consequences of failure 1s cancel out all your successes, then your character simply fails.
are particularly severe (like getting caught using your boss’s But if you don’t roll any successes, and you roll a 1, then
computer) or the character in question has very little chance you botch.
of succeeding at even the simplest task (that is, he has a dice That’s where things get ugly. A high difficulty makes it
pool lower than four). In most cases otherwise, simply consider harder for you to score a success, and so the odds of a spectacular
the task an automatic success (again, see below.) catastrophe go up as you attempt more challenging feats. If Sabra
A roll of 10 is always a success unless there was no way tries to sneak through the yard in broad daylight (difficulty 9),
you could have performed that task to begin with. Not even a his chances of getting caught right out in the open (a botch) go
10 will help you shout the moon out of the sky! way up because he’s not likely to roll any 9s or 10s.
For examples for potential tasks and their associated If you roll several 1s, and no successes, then you botch in
difficulties, see the chart nearby. For further details, see Mage: a big way. A single botch might prove embarrassing, while a
The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition, Chapters Eight three-1s botch could prove fatal. The Storyteller gets the final say,
and Nine. but impressive botches should have impressively terrible results.

Rules of the Game 9

Spending Willpower by +5 or even more, but magick rolls (see below) are limited
Determination makes a huge difference, especially when to +/-3 modifiers.
you’re the heroic type. In game terms, you can spend a point
of your character’s Willpower trait to get one automatic success Combat Rules
even under stressful conditions. By putting serious focus When life gets rough, things can get ugly. Although mages
behind the task at hand, your character pushes past his usual aren’t as hands-on as their more violent rivals in the World of
limits. Though you can spend only one point of Willpower per Darkness, they often know how to kick ass when the situation
turn – but several during an extended action – you can avoid demands it. That said, mages are normal human beings, despite
botching and give your character a better chance at success. an extraordinary capacity for magick. Injuries hurt, and it takes
radical applications of magick to heal gunshots or broken bones.
Modified Difficulties and Dice Pools
Under certain circumstances – say, in high winds or driving Initiative
rain – a task might be more challenging than usual. In such If things get violent, the various players roll initiative for
cases, your Storyteller may raise the difficulty one to three steps their characters, to see which ones go before the others. Each
above its usual level. In the opposite case – say, really favorable player rolls one die, and then adds the result to his or her
circumstances – the difficulty might fall a step or two. Dexterity + Wits dice pool. Jinx, for example, has Dexterity 3
On a related note, a character might find a given task harder and Wits 2; her dice pool, then, is 5. For initiative, you would
than usual because of internal circumstances – injuries, fears, roll one die and add it to 5. A roll of 5, added to that 5, would
disorientation, etc. In that case, the Storyteller might tell her give Jinx an initiative of 10 for that particular combat scene.
to take some dice out of the pool she would normally use. On Each combat scene demands a new initiative roll.
the other hand, favorable internal circumstances might boost The characters with the highest initiatives go first, with
her usual chances, adding to her dice pool. those who rolled lower following behind them. In the case of
For clarity and simplicity, Mage usually limits modifiers tie-rolls, the character with the highest Dexterity goes first; if
to +3 or -3, and generally takes up to three potential modifiers the tied characters have the same Dexterity, than the one with
into account. Really extreme situations might raise the difficulty the higher Wits goes first.

10 Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Quickstart

Attacks • Lethal damage, which comes from deadly attacks (guns,
When assaulting someone, the player rolls a certain dice claws, blades, etc.).
pool against difficulty 6:
• Guns: Dexterity + Firearms.

• Thrown Weapons: Dexterity + Athletics. • Aggravated damage, which inflicts massive tissue and
organ damage (fire, radiation, electricity) or metaphysical
• Hand-Held Weapons: Dexterity + Melee. harm (vampire claws, spiritual attacks, etc.).

• Bare-Hand Attacks: Dexterity + Brawl or Martial Arts.

• Magickal Attacks: Arete. If the attack involves a strike

or weapon, then roll the appropriate Trait, as above.
Each success after the first one adds one additional die to Soaking Damage
the damage dice pool; if Jinx scores four successes when kicking Normal people and animals can try to “soak” bashing
a dude in the face, then her player adds three more dice to the damage through physical toughness. In game terms, a player
amount of damage she inflicts with that kick. rolls his character’s Stamina Trait against difficulty 6. Each
success reduces the amount of damage by one health level.
Defense (See Health Levels, below.)
When attacked, a character usually gets a chance to defend Normal organic beings cannot soak lethal or aggravated
himself unless he’s tied up, unconscious, or otherwise unable injuries. Soaking that sort of damage demands either armor
to react to the assault. or a Life 3 spell that toughens the character’s body and allows
As with an attack, each type of potential defense involves a him to endure more injury than usual. (See the Common
different dice pool. Each success removes one of the attacker’s Magickal Effects chart in the Magick Rules section, below.)
successes. If the defense removes all of those successes, then
the attack misses completely. Health Levels
When your character suffers damage, mark it off on the
• Dodge: Dexterity + Athletics, difficulty 6.
Health track of the character sheet. Use a pencil, not a pen.
• Block: Dexterity + Brawl or Martial Arts, difficulty 8. As he recovers from injury, erase those marks as the Health
Trait goes back up. You mark bashing damage with a single
• Parry: Dexterity + Melee or Martial Arts, difficulty 7. slash (/), lethal damage with an X, and aggravated damage
with an asterisk (*).
Under the full Mage rules, blocks and parries are a bit
more complex. For this quickstart booklet, however, simply New damage pushes existing damage to the right on the
assume the difficulties given above. Health track, as shown in the nearby example. If Khan has
two levels of bashing damage on his Health track, and then
Countermagick suffers a level of lethal damage, then his player would add an
When one mage attacks another one, the defender can try asterisk to the left side of the Health track and add a slash to
to “counter” his magick with an intuitive “dodge.” This dodge the right side, to reflect the addition of that “pushed” damage.
demands a full action, and an Arete roll, difficulty 8. Bashing damage heals much faster than lethal or aggravated
Successful countermagick reduces the attacker’s injury. For the normal healing rates, see the Health Level
effectiveness. Each success on the countermagick roll reduces chart nearby. Life-Sphere magick, however, can heal damage
that attacking mage’s Arete roll by one success. If all the attacker’s far more quickly – for details, again, see Common Magickal
successes are wiped out, then the spell is “countered,” and it fails. Effects under the Magick Rules section.

Damage and Injury Weapons, Armor and

Mage features three types of damage: Combat Maneuvers
In combat, weapons and certain maneuvers add damage
• Bashing damage, which reflects blunt trauma and minor
and sometimes modify the attack roll as well. Armor, meanwhile,
injuries (scratches, bruises, etc.).
adds to the Stamina roll when soaking damage, and also allows
a character to soak damage that she normally could not soak
otherwise. The game effects of weapons, armor, and combat
maneuvers can be found on the appropriate charts.

Combat Rules 11
 The Health Chart
Health Dice Pool
Levels Penalty Movement Penalty
Bruised 0 Minor pain and swelling; he’s banged up but otherwise fine.
Hurt -1 Cuts, bruises, aches, perhaps bleeding but no major impairment.
Injured -1 Minor and painful injuries limit the character to half his normal movement.
Wounded -2 Notable injuries handicap him; the character can’t run, but may still walk.
Mauled -2 Significant internal and external damage; character can hobble around (three
yards/ turn) but not move normally.
Crippled -5 Catastrophic injuries; character can only crawl (one yard/ turn).
Incapacitated N/A Character’s unconscious from pain and trauma; no movement possible.
Dead N/A Another soul greets the Great Mystery.

Healing Damage Armor and Shields

Health Level Recovery Time Dexterity
Armor Type Rating Penalty
BASHING DAMAGE
Tough Hide 1-3 0
Bruised to Wounded One hour
Cybernetic Armor 1-4 0
Mauled Three hours
Reinforced Clothing 1-2 0
Crippled Six hours
Enhanced Clothing 1-5 0
Incapacitated 12 hours
Biker Jacket 1 -1
LETHAL AND AGGRAVATED DAMAGE
Leather Duster 2 -2
Bruised One day
Kevlar Vest 3 -1
Hurt Three days
Flak Vest 4 -2
Injured One week
Riot Suit 5 -2
Wounded One month
Military Armor 5 -2
Mauled Two months
SHIELDS
Crippled Three months
Incapacitated Five months Trashcan Lid 3/+1 0
Wooden Shield 2/+2 -1
Metal Shield 4/+2 -2
Riot Shield 5/+2 -1

12 Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Quickstart

 General Hand-to-Hand Maneuvers
Maneuver Traits Difficulty Damage
Bite Dexterity + Brawl 5 Strength +1 to +3 /B or L
Claw Dexterity + Brawl 6 Strength +1 to +3 /L
Disarm Dexterity + Melee +1 / 8 Special #1
Flank/ Rear Attack Dexterity + Ability -1 /-2 As Attack
Grapple Strength + Brawl 6 Strength or None
Kick Dexterity + Brawl 7 Strength +1 /B
Punch Dexterity + Brawl 6 Strength /B
Sweep Dexterity + Brawl 8 Special #2
Tackle Dexterity + Brawl 7 Strength + #3 /B

Notes
#1 = Attacker rolls Dexterity + Melee at +1 difficulty; if successes exceed opponent’s Strength score, he drops weapon. If
not, attacker inflicts usual damage. On botched roll, attacker loses own weapon. Bare-handed disarm is Dexterity + Brawl,
difficulty 8, minus one die from usual attack pool.
#2 = Knockdown: if blow succeeds, antagonist winds up on ground.
#3 = Requires at least two yards to achieve effective momentum. Each combatant needs successful Dexterity + Athletics roll
(difficulty 6 for the attacker, difficulty 6 + the attacker’s successes for the target) or wind up on ground. May damage attacker.

Dirty-Fighting Maneuvers
(min. three dots in Brawl)
Maneuver Traits Difficulty Damage
Blinding Dexterity + Subterfuge 9 Special #1
Body Slam Dexterity + Brawl 6 Strength + 2/B or L
Curbstomp Strength + Brawl 6
Strength +2 /L
Haymaker Dexterity + Brawl 7 Strength +2/ B +
Knockdown
Low Blow Dexterity + Brawl 7 Strength + Stun /B or L
Pistol Whip Dexterity + Melee 7 Strength +2 /L

Notes
#1 = Enemy blinded for one turn per success, loses two dice from his dice pools until he recovers. Perhaps lasting injury,
depending upon attack.

Ranged Combat Maneuvers

Maneuver Traits Difficulty Damage
Aiming Dexterity + Firearms N/A +2 dice to hit, per turn
Full-Auto Dexterity + Firearms +2 +10 dice
Point-Blank Dexterity + Firearms 4 Weapon
3-Round Burst Dexterity + Firearms +1 +3 dice to hit
Thrown Weapon Dexterity + Athletics 6 Weapon

Charts 13
 Melee Weapons
Weapon Difficulty Damage/Type Conceal Notes
AXES
Hatchet 6 Strength +1/L J
Tomahawk 6 Strength +2/L J
Axe 7 Strength +3/L N
Great Axe 7 Strength +6/L N #1
Polearm 7 Strength +3/L N #2
BLADES
Stiletto 4 Strength +1/L P #3
Knife 4 Strength +1/L P
Short Sword 5 Strength +2/L J
Sword 6 Strength +2/L T
Katana 6 Strength +3/L T #4
Great Sword 5 Strength +6/L N #1
Sai 5 Strength +1/L J #5, #6
CLUBBING WEAPONS
Bo Stick
Staff 6 Strength +1/B N
Mace 6 Strength +2/L N

14 Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Quickstart

 Melee Weapons (Continued)
Nunchaku 7 Strength +2/B T #5, #7
Crowbar 6 Strength +1/L J
Baseball Bat 5 Strength+2/B T
Spiked Club 6 Strength +2/L T
Huge Spiked Club 7 Strength +4/L N #1
FIST-EXTENSION WEAPONS
Sap 4 Strength +1/B P
Brass Knuckles 6 Strength/L P
Spiked Gauntlet 6 Strength +1/L J
Hand Claws (small) Strength +1/L
Hand Claws (large) Strength +2/L
IMPROVISED WEAPONS
Broken Bottle 6 Strength +1/L P #8
Chair 7 Strength +2/B N
Chainsaw 8 Strength +7/L N #9
Table 8 Strength +3/B N #1
Whips and Chains #7, #10
Chain 5 Strength/B J
Flogger 6 Strength +1/B
Barbed Cat 6 Strength/L J
Whip 6 Strength/L J
Bullwhip 7 Strength +1/L J

Notes
Difficulty: The normal difficulty at which the weapons is used.
Damage: The number of damage dice rolled when employing *3 = Penetrates up to three points of armor.
this weapon. *4 = May be used two-handed for an additional +1 damage die.
Type: B = Bashing L = Lethal A = Aggravated *5 = +1 to dice pool when used to block.
Conceal: P = Pocket J = Jacket T= Trenchcoat N= N/A *6= +2 to dice pool for disarm attempts.
*1 = Two-handed weapon; very heavy – requires min. Strength *7 = +1 difficulty to opponent’s block attempts.
3 to employ.
*8 = Breaks after three uses.
*2 = Requires two hands to employ properly; +2 difficulty if
used one-handed. *9 = On a botch, user inflicts damage upon self.

Charts 15
 Ranged Weapons
Type Damage Range Rate Clip Conceal Notes
Revolver, Lt. 4 12 3 6 P
SW M640 (.38 Special)
Revolver, Hvy. 6 35 2 6 J
Colt Anaconda (.44 Magnum)
Semi-Automatic Pistol, 4 20 4 17+1 P
Lt.
Glock 17 (9mm)
Semi-Automatic Pistol, 5 30 3 7+1 J
Hvy.
IMI Desert Eagle (.50 AE)
Rifle 8 200 1 5+1 N
Remington M-700 (30.06)
SMG, Small 4 25 3 30+1 J #1
Ingram Mac-10 (9mm)
SMG, Large 4 50 3 30+1 T
HK MP-5 (9mm)
Assault Rifle 7 150 3 42+1 N #1
AK-47 (7.62x39mm)
Shotgun, Sawed-Off 8 10 2 2 J
Winchester Model 24 double-barrel (12 Gauge)
Shotgun 8 20 1 5+1 T
Ithaca M-37 (12 Gauge)
Taser 5 5 1 1 P #2
Tear Gas 3 3 1 5 P #2
Pacification Spray 5 3 1 5 P #2

Notes
Damage: All damage from firearms is lethal.
Range: Within listed range (in yards), difficulty is 6; at twice listed Range, difficulty is 8; within two yards, difficulty is 4.
Rate: Maximum number of bullets or three-rounds bursts the gun can fire in a single turn.
Clip: Maximum number of bullets the gun can hold. Some guns, listed as “+1”, can hold a full clip with a round ready
in the chamber.
Conceal: See Melee Weapons chart.
#1 = Gun may fire full-auto, three-round bursts, and strafing sprays.
#2 = Bashing damage, not lethal; adds no extra damage from successes scored. Tear gas and Technocratic pacification
spray also reduce target’s dice pools by two dice for one turn per success.

16 Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Quickstart

Magick Rules supernatural forces – changing form, conjuring fire, flying
through the air on a broom – tend to be vulgar in the modern
In Mage, magick is freeform, an extension of the mage world. As a simple rule, assume that any act of magick that
rather than a fixed collection of spells. By combining the a normal citizen of today’s world could see and accept as an
Spheres, a focus, and a lot of imagination, skilled mages can everyday occurrence is coincidental, while some spell that looks
alter reality in an almost limitless number of ways. Obviously, supernatural or otherwise “impossible” is vulgar.
the real power comes at greater levels of expertise. Still, a clever
mage can tilt circumstances in her favor with a little bit of basic Witnesses or No Witnesses?
magick and a lot of imagination. When a mage casts a spell, one factor makes a huge
difference in that spell’s ultimate results: Did someone see him
The Consensus: do it? If a more or less “normal” person – that is, someone
Coincidental and Vulgar Magick who’s not a mage or some other denizen of the supernatural
Unlike the wizards of legend, modern mages cannot simply world – witnessed that event, then the potential for failure and
throw thunderbolts or turn people into frogs. In today’s world, Paradox is higher than it would be if that spell had been cast
a mage needs to think about what may or may not seem possible in secret or in front of other “believers.”
to the average person. Strange things that appear to fit into In terms of magick, that “witness” is Joe or Jane Average
everyday reality may be passed off as “coincidences.” Obvious – not a cultist or a vampire or some other person who’s been
magickal spells, on the other hand, are “vulgar” because they initiated into occult mysteries. And because the average citizen
violate the Consensus of what is and is not considered “possible.” of today’s world trusts in the miracles of technology, a mage who
So certain types of magick are considered coincidental, while uses technological tools and beliefs – that is, a technological focus
others are condemned for being vulgar. – can get away with more outrageous things than a mage who
In game and story terms, coincidental magick is easier to employs the tools of classical magic. To the average person, a dude
cast, and less hazardous, than vulgar magick is. Spells whose who shoots fire out of his fingertips while chanting the names of
effects no one can see – altered perceptions, quirks of luck, 16 demons is violating the laws of reality; strap a flamethrower
enhanced effects from a perfectly “normal” activity – are easy onto that dude’s back, however, and that bolt of fire is totally
to pass off as coincidences, while spells that obviously involve acceptable – dangerous, sure, but not at all “impossible”!

Magick Rules 17
 Thanks to such perceptions, a mage’s focus can make a Paradox Points Generated
huge difference when he’s using magick. If, for example, Synder
chants arcane words, sprinkles bone-dust in the air, and then ON A SUCCESS
points her finger at a dude’s face, giving him a bloody nose Coincidental None
from a distance, then she’s committing vulgar magick. If she Vulgar One point
mutters something under her breath and then belts him in the
ON A BOTCH
teeth, however, the resulting carnage can be explained away
as “a really good punch,” and thus a coincidence. In Mage Coincidental One per dot in highest Sphere
the way you do something is often more important than the Vulgar Without Witnesses One + one per dot in highest
thing you do. Sphere
(For more details about focus, see the section of that Vulgar With Witnesses Two + two per dot highest
name, above, and the various Focus entries on each character’s Sphere
description.)
Paradox Backlash Roll
Casting Magick Successes Effects of Discharge
Okay, so how, in game terms, does your character cast a spell?
Botch All Paradox points discharge harmlessly.
• Step One – Effect: Based on your character’s abilities No successes No effects, but no Paradox points discharge.
and needs, you decide what you want to do and how
1-5 One point of Paradox discharged per
you want to do it. This is called the Effect: the thing you success. Mage also suffers one level of
want to accomplish with your magick. bashing damage per success, and acquires
a trivial Paradox Flaw.
• Step Two – Ability: Based on your mage’s focus and
Spheres, figure out if you can create the Effect you want 6-10 One point of Paradox discharged per
success. Mage also suffers a “burn” of one
to create… and if so, how your character will make it level of bashing damage per success, and
happen in story terms. acquires a minor Paradox Flaw.
• Step Three – Roll: Roll one die for every dot in your 11-15 Usual Paradox point discharge, as well as
(successes -10) levels of lethal damage and
Arete Trait. The difficulty of that roll depends upon one of the following effects: a significant
the Effect you’re trying to use; whether it’s vulgar or Paradox Flaw, a Paradox Spirit visitation,
coincidental; and whether or not someone’s watching or a mild Quiet.
you: 16-20 Usual Paradox point discharge, as well as
(successes -10) levels of lethal damage
ºº Coincidental: Difficulty = highest Sphere + 3 and two of the following effects: a severe
Paradox Flaw, a Paradox spirit visitation,
ºº Vulgar Without Witnesses: Difficulty = highest a moderate Quiet, one point of permanent
Sphere + 4 Paradox, or banishment to a Paradox
Realm.
ºº Vulgar With Witnesses: Difficulty = highest 21+ Usual Paradox discharge; plus (successes
Sphere + 5 -20) levels of aggravated damage; two
severe, or one drastic, Paradox Flaws; one
If you’re trying to hit a target with an attack (sword, gun, point of permanent Paradox; and perhaps
fireball, etc.), then roll the appropriate attack roll; see Combat a Paradox spirit visitation, a severe Quiet,
Rules, above, for details. or banishment to a Paradox Realm.
• Step Four – Results: The number of successes that
you roll determines whether or not you succeed. If you the mage sprawling, tear him apart on a metaphysical level,
fall short of your goal, you may roll again to get more drive him insane, or even kick him out of this world and into
successes. If you fail, the Effect fizzles out. And if you an otherworldly Paradox Realm… aka “reality jail.”
botch, bad things happen. The full rules for Paradox and its many calamities can be
found in Mage 20th Anniversary Edition. The basics, though,
Paradox are easy:
When a mage pushes too hard in his efforts to change reality, • If your mage casts a coincidental Effect, then he gets no
reality pushes back; the stronger the push from that mage, the Paradox if he’s successful, and one point of Paradox for
harder the pushback against his efforts. In a phenomenon that each dot in the highest Sphere if he botches. (See Botching
mages often call the Paradox Effect, that pushback can knock and the Rule of One, above, and The Spheres, below.

18 Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Quickstart

 • If he casts a vulgar Effect, then he gets one point of Sphere. As a result, she can do more things with it, adding a new
Paradox if he’s successful. If he botches without any level of abilities onto the previous levels of accomplishment:
witnesses, then he gets one point + one more point for • Rank 1: Perception – the ability to perceive and
each dot in the highest Sphere. If he botches in front of observe the forces in question. With such basic
witnesses, then he gets two points of Paradox, plus two (yet useful) understanding, a character can sense
points for each dot in the highest Sphere. Those points things that few mortals ever recognize.
of Paradox go onto the Paradox/ Quintessence wheel,
located at the bottom of the Mage character sheet. •• Rank 2: Manipulation – the ability to do small things
with those forces. At this point, the mage begins to
• If he gets five points of Paradox or more, than the exert minor control over the phenomena she sees,
Storyteller rolls one die for each point of Paradox in and may use it to work small changes upon herself.
that character’s current Paradox pool, against difficulty ••• Rank 3: Control – the ability to alter reality in
6. The Paradox Backlash Roll chart tells you what
noticeable ways, though these effects are usually
happens after that.
restricted to the mage herself. In most cases, the Sphere
To keep things simple, a new Storyteller could just use begins inflicting damage at this level, and allowing the
physical damage as a Paradox backlash. For details about character to work small alterations on other characters.
Paradox Flaws, Spirits and Realms, plus the mystic insanity •••• Rank 4: Command – the ability to perform major
called Quiet, see Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary acts of alteration through the principles of the
Edition, Chapter Ten. Sphere. Generally, this level allows the mage to make
significant changes to the Patterns of other characters.
The Spheres ••••• Rank 5: Mastery – the ability to command vast
To make a terrible pun of it, Mage’s Spheres reflect a “well- forces in connection with that element of reality.
rounded knowledge” of nine different yet interrelated elements By now, the mage knows almost everything there
of reality. In story terms, these nine constructs represent a is to know about the principles of that Sphere,
sort of “unified field theory” of Earthly metaphysics. In game and can perform godlike deeds with them.
terms, they measure what Mage characters do and cannot do,
based upon their understanding of theoretical knowledge and
practical results. Effects
In Mage, characters can use the Spheres to craft all kinds of
The nine Spheres, and the fields they control, are as follows:
amazing Effects – spells, rituals, acts of mad science, and so forth.
• Correspondence – the element of connection between The characters use their own names for such miracles, but in
apparently different things. the language of the game, every act of magick is simply called an
“Effect.”. The differences between the magick cast by a Catholic
• Entropy – the principle of chance, fate and mortality. priest, a steampunk scientist, a Pagan witch and a cybernetic assassin
come through the focus that each mage employs. The game systems
• Forces – the understanding of elemental energies.
all work the same way for each character – it’s the roleplaying and
• Life – keys to the mysteries of life and death. the Storytelling that mark the differences between them.
Certain Effects demand a certain degree of skill with the
• Matter – the principles behind supposedly “inanimate” proper Spheres. If you don’t have Life 3, for example, you can’t
objects. heal an injured friend. Assuming that your mage has the right
Spheres, however, she can perform a range of Effects, and
• Mind – exploration of the potentials of consciousness.
combine Spheres to expand the possibilities.
• Prime – an understanding of the Primal Energy within For simplicity, this quickstart booklet features an array of
all things. common magickal Effects, along with the Spheres used to create
them. When your character wants to cast an Effect, check the
• Spirit – comprehension of Otherworldly forces and Common Magickal Effects chart to see whether or not she
inhabitants. can pull it off. The larger game has many more possibilities,
• Time – the strange workings of chronological forces and the specifics can be found in Mage: The Ascension 20th
and perceptions. Anniversary Edition, Chapter Ten.

Each Sphere features five different levels of progress and Damage and Duration
result. That progression gets represented by the number of dots When Effects cause or heal damage, the amount of that damage
in your character’s Sphere Trait. Each successive level allows depends upon the Damage or Duration chart, below. Certain
your mage to understand a bit more about the principles of that Spheres inflict bashing damage, others lethal, and still others
Magick Rules 19
aggravated. See the chart for details. In most cases, characters can’t Correspondence, Spirit and
soak damage that’s inflicted directly by Life, Mind, or high-level Time-Sphere Effects
Entropy magick. Damage that’s inflicted by magickally created
The mysterious Spheres of Correspondence, Spirit and
attacks, however (like fire, bullets, flying rocks, and so forth) can
Time work differently than other Spheres. Each one has certain
be soaked by anyone who can soak the appropriate kind of attack.
game-based effects that – like damage and duration – are based
A falling ceiling tile, for instance, would inflict bashing damage,
upon the number of successes you roll:
which anyone can try to soak. A Forces-based fire attack, however,
would involve fire, which most characters cannot soak. • Correspondence allows a mage to reach or perceive across
For Effects that last a certain amount of time – like a distances. The more successes you roll, the further you
dimensional gateway or a shift into fox-form – the duration is also can extend yourself.
based upon the number of successes you roll. You can find the
• Spirit allows you to see through, or cross over, the Gauntlet
duration lengths on the Damage or Duration chart as well. That
between the physical world and the spirit-realm called
chart measures only damage or duration, not both! A given Effect
the Umbra. (For details, see Mage: The Ascension 20th
either inflicts damage instantly, or else alters reality for a particular
Anniversary Edition, Chapters Four and Nine.)
period of time. (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition
covers more complex combinations of damage and duration, but • Time allows the mage to dilate time, speed things up, slow
those rules go beyond the scope of this booklet.) things down, or perceive things that exist at different
points of the past or future.
Damage or Duration
In all three cases, the appropriate charts list the successes
Successes Damage Duration you need to roll in order to achieve certain levels of effect with
One None One turn these Spheres.
Two Two levels One scene
Correspondence Sphere Ranges
Three Six levels One day
Successes Range Connection
Four Eight levels One story
One Line of sight Body sample
Five Ten levels Six months
Two Very familiar Close possession or
Six+ Number of Storyteller’s option companion
Successes x 2
Three Familiar Possession or casual
Magickal Damage friend
• Bashing Damage: Mind-Sphere Effects. Four Visited Once Casual acquaintance, or
object used once
• Lethal Damage: Most other Sphere Effects.
Five Described Briefly touched or met
location object or person
• Aggravated Damage: Any Sphere when “charged” with
Prime 2 and a point of Quintessence. Six+ Anywhere on No connection
Earth
ºº Fire or electrical Forces Effects.
Spirit Sphere Gauntlet Ratings
ºº Vulgar Entropy-, Life- or Prime-based Effects that
Area Difficulty Successes Needed
directly disrupt the target’s Pattern.
Node 3 One
Correspondence and Time inflict no damage unless they’re
Deep Wilderness 5 Two
combined with other Spheres.
The Forces Sphere adds one automatic success to Damage. Rural Countryside 6 Three
Entropy inflicts damage only through indirect attacks until Most Urban Areas 7 Four
Rank Four; after that, damage is aggravated. Downtown 8 Five
Damage also reflects the amount of health levels healed Technocracy Lab 9 Five
by the Life Sphere, or the points of Quintessence channeled
by the Prime Sphere. Notes
To preserve game balance, the Storyteller may choose to An area’s Gauntlet Difficulty may vary with time and
circumstances. For example, a dark alley on Halloween night
cap damage at 20 health levels (10 successes, or nine successes might have a Gauntlet of 6, while a rigidly cultivated garden at
for Forces-Sphere attacks). noon could have a Gauntlet of 8.

20 Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Quickstart

 Time Sphere Timelines Cause/ Cure Disease Life 2 (3)
Successes Effect Time-span Cosmetic Alteration Life 3
One Within a year Create Body Life 2 (simple) or 5
(complex)/ Prime 2
Two Five years
Duplicate Body Life 5/ Prime 2
Three 20 years
Grow New Limbs or Other Life 3 (4)
Four 50 years Features
Five 100 years Heal/ Harm Living Being Life 2 (3)
Six + 500 years Heal/ Harm Fae Life 3/ Mind 3
10+ 1000 years or more Heal/ Harm Vampire Life 3/ Matter 2
Notes
Heal/ Harm Werecreature Life 3/ Spirit 2
Time-span limits apply only to looking or reaching through time,
not to the duration of a given Effect. Increase Physique/ Traits Life 3 (4)
Increase/ Reduce Speed Time 3
Feats of Time Magick
Revive Dead Life 4/ Spirit 4/ Prime 3
Successes Feat
Rot Body Entropy 4 (or Life 4)
Three Step out of time/ minor aging.
Shapeshift Life 4 (5)
Four Take one other character out of time/ noticeable
aging. Soak Aggravated Damage Life 3
Five Take several characters, or a roughly 10’ x 10’ Transform into Element Life 3/ (appropriate
area, out of time/ severe aging. elemental Sphere)
Eight Take larger area (25’ x 25’) out of time/ age FATE & FORTUNE
to decrepitude. Alter Probability Entropy 2
10-20 Take an even larger area out of time/ age to Bless/ Curse Entropy 3/ Life 3
brink of destruction.
Cause Decay Entropy 3+
20+ Freeze or isolate very large and dynamic area
or event/ age out of existence. Spot Flaws Entropy 1
Notes OBJECTS & ELEMENTS
Any Time-Sphere Effect that attempts to wind time backwards, Call Storm Forces 4/ Prime 2
reversing time, add +3 to its difficulty and requires no less than
five successes. Such acts are always vulgar magick. Conjure Element Forces 3/ Prime 2 (fire,
wind); or Matter 3/Prime
Common Magickal Effects 2 (earth, metal, water);
or Life 3/ Prime 2 (wood)
Many of the Effects listed below feature two different Sphere
levels. The first one lets a mage work on herself, while the second, in Conjure New Object Matter 3+/ Prime 2
parentheses, allows her to work on others. Changing your own shape, for Conjure “Physical” Illusion Forces 2+/ Prime 2
example, requires Life 4, while changing someone else’s shape demands Direct Existing Elements Forces 2+
Life 5. Other workings begin small, but then their effects escalate with
Disintegrate an Object Entropy 3/ Time 3 (or
higher Sphere-levels. These workings have been marked with a “+.” Matter 3)
Entries marked (appropriate Sphere) reflect whichever Spheres apply
to the feat in question. Transforming an object into air or fire would Invisibility/ Silence Field Forces 2
by Matter 2/ Forces 2, while liquefying it would simply be Matter 2. Invisibility on Living Being Forces 2/ Life 2
Given the flexibility of the Spheres, there may be several Levitation/ Flying Forces 2+ (or
options when performing particular feat. The methods listed Correspondence 3/ Life
below are simply the easiest ways to cast a spell, not necessarily or Matter 2)
the only ways to do it. Speed/ Slow Velocity Forces 2+
Transform Objects Matter 2+/ (appropriate
BODY MAGICK Sphere) 2
Adapt to Environment Life 2 (3) Transform Forces Forces 3+/ (appropriate
Animate Corpse or Parts Life2/ Prime 2 Sphere) 2

Magick Rules 21
 PERCEPTION & PSYCHIC POWERS Fuel New Pattern Prime 2/ appropriate
Sphere
Astral Projection Mind 4+
Share/ Prime 3
Clairvoyance Correspondence Exchange Quintessence
2 (or Mind 3/
Correspondence 2) SPIRIT POWERS
Conceal/ Alter Aura Mind 1 or Prime 2 Bless/ Curse Entropy 3
Conceal Avatar Spirit 2/ Mind 1 Command Spirit Mind 4/ Spirit 4
Conceal Thoughts Mind 1 Conjure Spirit Spirit 3
Conjure Mental Illusions Mind 2+ Drain Spirit’s Essence Prime 4/ Spirit 4
Influence Mood Mind 2 Harm Spirit/ Wraith Spirit 3
Influence Subconscious Mind 3+ Open/ Close Gateway Spirit 4
Mind Control Mind 4 See Spirits Spirit 1
Prophecy/ Hindsight Mind 2/ Time 2 Speak to Spirits Spirit 2
(or Time 2)
Step Sideways Spirit 3
Scramble Thoughts Mind 3
Touch Spirit Spirit 2
See Through Another’s Eyes Mind 3
TIME & DISTANCE *
Sense Energies (appropriate Sphere) 1
Affect Distant Object/ Being Correspondence 2+
Share Perceptions Mind 1/ (appropriate
Sphere) 1 Aging/ Reversing Age Time 3 + Life 4 (living
being) or Matter 2
Shield Mind Mind 2 (object)
Tear Mind Apart Mind 3 (Mind 3/ Life 3 Conjure Earthly Being Correspondence 4/
for agg. Damage) Life 2
Telepathy Mind 3 Create Multiple Images Correspondence 3 (or
Forces 2+)/ Prime 2
Telekinesis Forces 2+
Create Multiple Objects Correspondence 5/
Translate Languages Mind 3 (Mind 3/ Forces Matter 3/ Prime 2
2 for a group)
Open Gateway Between Correspondence 4
QUINTESSENCE ENERGY Locations
Absorb Quintessence Prime 3 “Rewind” Time Time 3
Channel Quintessence Prime 3 Set Time Trigger Time 4
Destroy by Draining Prime 4 (object) or Prime Speed/ Slow Time Time 3
Quintessence 5 (creature)
Teleport Correspondence 3 (4)
Drain Node Prime 4
Time Travel Time 5
Drain Quintessence Prime 3
*= Such Effects are almost always vulgar magick.

22 Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition Quickstart

  
  
  

  
Strength ____________
OOOOO
● Charisma___________
OOOOO
● Perception____________
OOOOO
●
Dexterity __________
OOOOO
● Manipulation_______
OOOOO
● Intelligence __________
OOOOO
●
Stamina _____________
OOOOO
● Appearance __________
OOOOO
● Wits_____________ OOOOO
●


  
Alertness ____________
OOOOO Crafts______________
OOOOO Academics___________
OOOOO
Art______________ OOOOO Drive_____________ OOOOO Computer__________ OOOOO
Athletics_____________
OOOOO Etiquette____________
OOOOO Cosmology_____________
OOOOO
Awareness____________
OOOOO Firearms____________
OOOOO Enigmas____________OOOOO
Brawl____________ OOOOO Martial Arts_________
OOOOO Esoterica_________OOOOO
Empathy_____________
OOOOO Meditation__________
OOOOO Investigation________
OOOOO
Expression____________
OOOOO Melee ____________ OOOOO Law______________ OOOOO
Intimidation_______OOOOO Research__________ OOOOO Medicine_____________
OOOOO
Leadership___________
OOOOO Stealth _____________
OOOOO Occult___________OOOOO
Streetwise ____________
OOOOO Survival ____________
OOOOO Politics____________
OOOOO
Subterfuge__________
OOOOO Technology __________
OOOOO Science __________OOOOO

Correspondence________
OOOOO Life______________
OOOOO Prime____________OOOOO
Entropy__________OOOOO Matter___________OOOOO Spirit____________OOOOO
Forces_____________
OOOOO Mind_____________OOOOO Time_____________ OOOOO

  
________________OOOOO O
●O O O O O O O O O Bruised -0
________________OOOOO Hurt -1
________________OOOOO  Injured -1
________________OOOOO Wounded -2
________________OOOOO O O O O O O O O O O
 Mauled -2
________________OOOOO
Crippled -5
Incapacitated
 
________________OOOOO
________________OOOOO
________________OOOOO 
________________OOOOO •
________________OOOOO
________________OOOOO
________________OOOOO 