The following sections have been taken from the Revised edition of Mage: the
Ascension, for players who don't yet possess the book and to help foster a
better understanding of this Trait. Although Resonance is not new to the Revised
edition, the systems for it and the emphasis on it are.
As a mage creates magical Effects, she invests
them with her own wills, desires and drives. Naturally, the results reflect such
strong emotions as the mage imprints her own vision of reality over the cosmos.
Each mage has a few Resonance Traits, a set of adjectives that describe the
sorts of Resonance that the mage normally builds. A mage normally starts with
one dot in one Resonance Trait: a Dynamic Trait, an Entropic Trait or a Static
Trait. Through further actions, the mage may develop additional Traits of the
different sorts or garner additional dots.
During character creation, you need to select the
Resonance characteristics for each Trait. Your character’s Dynamic Resonance
might be Energetic, Violent or Fiery; Entropic Resonance could be Destructive,
Languorous or Seething; Static Resonance might manifest as Accurate, Geometric
or Smothering. These Traits describe how your character’s magic tends to
change according to her emotions. Every magical Effect that the mage does is
affected in some way by Resonance; the more dots the mage has in a Trait, the
stronger its manifestation.
Dynamic Resonance reflects the pure creative
force of the universe, the drive to make new and different things, action
without thought to consequences and continuous motion and evolution. Such
Resonance Traits are fast, moving and mutating, though the Trait itself tends to
stay the same for any given mage.
Entropic Resonance reflects the mage’s tie to
primordial energy, the bubbling morass that melts Creation back down into fluid
emptiness and makes room for new birth. Entropic Traits show decay, destruction
and death, though not always in a wholly negative way. Jhor is a special kind of
Entropic Resonance, garnered from too much interaction with death energy (see
Chapter Four).
Static Resonance shows up in patterns, constants
and the solidification of Creation into permanent or semi-permanent forms and
repeatable ideas. Such Traits are often intellectual, heavily patterned or
highly organized.
|
X |
Negligible Resonance |
o |
Quirky |
oo |
Odd |
ooo |
Noticeable |
oooo |
Influential |
ooooo |
Overwhelming |
|
- Each dot in a Resonance Trait indicates a certain level of Resonance that
appears in the mage’s magic. With high levels of Resonance, the mage is
likely to have every Effect twisted in a noticeable ay to reflect his
personal Resonance. A mage with low levels of Resonance might show only
subtle changes, and he might not manifest any noticeable Resonance in very
small effects.
- Resonance is traceable to those who know what to look for. A mage can
often determine if a particular Resonance fits a certain mage’s style.
With a Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty of 10 minus the Resonance
score), a mage can determine the type of Resonance present in an Effect if
it’s not otherwise immediately noticeable. (“Aha! My old nemesis Dr.
Lugan always used Vindictive magic, and this Effect fits his style
perfectly.”)
- A mage who builds an Effect that works with her Resonance often finds it
easier to work such magic. A mage with the Fiery Dynamic Resonance has an
easier time with fire magic, a mage with the Static Resonance of
Perspicacious is better with insightful Mind magic and so on. This effect
translated as a reduction in difficulty (by one) to Effects that play on the
mage’s specific Resonance, as long as the player describes a specific way
to make the spell use his Resonance Trait. It’s not enough just to say
“I have Static Resonance for Thinking so I get a bonus on all Mind
Effects.” The player must make some part of the Effect reflect the
appropriate Resonance deliberately.
- A mage’s Resonance usually changes only when she’s heavily influenced
by strong magical powers. This change can occur during a Seeking, after
botching an Effect in a spectacular fashion or when visiting a strange
Horizon Realm.
[Mage: the Ascension, revised ed., pages 128-129]
When a mage works his Effects, his Resonance causes
the Effect to reflect his intent and emotion. The personal, unique nature
of each mage causes each form of Resonance to be special, though. Mages
who are experienced in sensing Prime threads – or who just have good supernatural
instincts – can often tell a mage’s specific form of Resonance. They can
even recognize who built an Effect or tell a little about the individual.
Conversely, mages may try to dampen their own Resonance to make their
Effects more subtle.
Resonance tends to flavor Effects in proportion to the
Effects’ own intensity – a large, flashy vulgar Effect will have more
Resonance than a subtle, coincidental Effect. This Resonance manifests in the
Effect itself, causing it to look or feel strange according to the mage’s
Resonance Traits. It may also cause the Effect to generate a subtly eerie
feeling that causes mages to take note, animals to become uneasy and humans to
get a creepy feeling. …
When a mage creates an Effect, the mage’s Resonance
characteristics often show how the mage’s emotions get involved in her magic.
It’s not as if the Resonance actually changes the Effect; rather, the
Resonance is an indicator of how the mage’s Effects always manifest. The
Resonance is a natural way to describe the mage’s particular style of magic.
An angry, violent mage tends to create very fiery and dynamic Effects, while a
particular and studious mage will do magic that’s systematic and precise.
The simplest way to let Resonance affect magic is just to
take the mage’s highest Resonance Trait and find some way to influence the
Effect accordingly. That sort of emotion comes through in all of the mage’s
Effects. The more powerful the Resonance, the more it impacts the Effects and
causes them to take strange properties – weird lights or sounds, strange ways
of manifesting, bizarre hallucinations, spectacular appearance or any other
number of odd changes. A mage with a single dot of Dynamic Resonance, for
instance, may have Effects that are a little whimsical or that sometimes do
chaotic and unpredictable things, while five dots of Dynamic Resonance would add
whirling, spinning alterations, bizarre manifestations and strange, completely
unplanned changes to the magical results. …
Of course, Resonance needs not affect a mage’s Effects all
the time. It can be quite cumbersome to come up with an alteration for
every magical Effect that every mage does! Instead, it may be easier to
come up with a few “signature signs” for each mage. Look at the Resonance
Traits that the mage has, and come up with a couple of key ways in which
the mage might color her magic. For instance, if your mage has the Entropic
Resonance Trait of Dissonant, you might decide that a harsh musical chord
often accompanies the mage’s vulgar Effects. …
Of course, Resonance doesn’t just affect the mage’s
magical powers. A potent mage has an almost tangible aura, a mystical something
that sets him apart from mortals. His power radiated from his incredible
enlightenment, his mastery of the Spheres and the changes that his will causes
to the world around him.
Naturally, normal humans aren’t exactly comfortable with
this weirdness.
Most newly Awakened mages have a sense of the world being a
little more strange and different than they ever believed. Their own alienation
reflects in a disconnection from the world that mortals know and feel
instinctively as the “normal” world.
Since a mage’s Resonance manifests in his actions, voice,
mannerisms and magic, people can sometimes tell that the mage is more than
human. In normal social situations, the mage may suffer a penalty in reactions
with humans – one point of difficulty for each dot in the highest Resonance
Trait. This penalty can be overcome with appropriate Mind magic, or if the
mage’s Resonance wouldn’t necessarily discomfit the human in question (at
the Storyteller’s discretion). Acolytes and free-thinkers often deal with
“weird” people as a matter of course.
Detecting a mage’s Resonance isn’t really a subject for
dice rolls, though you might use a Perception + Awareness roll to determine if
someone has Resonance. In general, Resonance is a descriptive effect for mages.
Including subtle hints at the mage’s Resonance is a good way to add some
description to the character and an indication of the mage’s strangeness or
areas of magical study.
[Mage: the Ascension, revised ed., pages
197-198] |
Sample
Resonance Traits
Your character’s Resonance Traits can be just
about any descriptive adjectives that describe some appropriate
characteristic. Don’t just be limited to these – make up your own!
Dynamic traits describe things in motion, change,
new ideas and action. Try traits like Quick, Flashy, Unique,
Creative, Spinning, Whirling, Frantic, Frenzied, Intriguing, Liberating
or Novel.
Entropic Resonance covers destruction, death,
decay, renewal and primordial energy. Use things like Seething,
bubbling, Destructive, Corrupting, Withering, Disintegrating, Chaotic,
Subtle, Primal or Ravaging.
Static Resonance ties into principles of definition and construction.
Good ones include Single-Minded, Focused, Intense, Patterned, Tiered,
Enfolding, Encompassing, Defined, Programmed or Illuminating.
[Mage: the Ascension, revised ed., page 207] |
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