Mortal Magic

Proficiencies and good fortune come naturally to mortal heroes, but it is not the only potential resource they may employ. With enough knowledge and great effort, a mortal hero may learn how to gather and store raw Essence in her body and to channel it much as an Exalted sorcerer does, if on a far lesser scale. Some of these are quick spells and require only a few turns to shape into a useable form. Others are rituals, which are more powerful and dangerous to wield and can require hours or days of preparation.

Rules

Magic is similar to Exalted Charms in that both are arranged into trees. Unlike an Exalted sorcerer, a mortal magician must master the simplest spells before she can wield the most powerful magicks. It is like Exalted sorcery in that it is divided into three circles of power, but the circles are not the same as those of Exalted. Mortal magic breaks down into First Circle, Second Circle, and Third Circle. Each path of magic gives different names to these Circles, but they are otherwise identical, and a magician with the Edge First Circle Magic can purchase Hope Circle spells (First Circle Benemancy) as easily as Shale Circle spells (First Circle Geomancy).

Instead of each tree being rooted in an Ability, Attribute, or Virtue as are Charms spells are grouped into paths, which are areas of study related to a single element or intention. Only four of these - Benemancy, Enchantment, Geomancy, and Wardamancy - are described in detail in this guide, but others exist and will be explained fully in later supplements. Less common Paths include Aethermancy (magic of the air), Conjuration (magic of creating or summoning objects), Diplomancy (magic of creating bonds between people), Divination (magic of seeing the present, past, and future), Dryomancy (magic of living things), Hydromancy (magic of water and illusions), Malomancy (magic of curses), Necromancy (magic of the dead), Pyromancy (magic of fire), and Thaumaturgy (magic of altering other magic).

Using Magic

In order to use magic, the hero must meet the following criteria:

• She must have the Occult Edge that allows her to cast spells of that circle.
• She must know the spell she wishes to cast. It is possible to cast a spell from a book by means of a Heroic, but doing so is dangerous.
• She must have enough Willpower and Essence to cast the spell. First Circle spells have no Willpower cost. Second Circle spells cost 1 Willpower. Third Circle spells cost 2 Willpower.

Casting Time

Spells require a number of turns of shaping equal to their Circle. A First Circle spell, for example, would require one full turn of shaping and take effect on the second turn, a Second Circle spell would require two full turns of shaping and take effect on the third, and a Third Circle spell would require three full turns of shaping and take effect on the fourth. The time required to complete a ritual is given in the description.

Magic, like Sorcery, requires intense concentration. If the magician is interrupted during the shaping process, he must make a Wits + Occult check at a difficulty equal to 1 plus the number of health levels of damage the distraction inflicted. Wound penalties impede this roll as normal.

If the roll fails, the magic dissipates and the Essence flees in a rush of light and power. If the magician botches, the magic either runs terribly awry as decided by the Storyteller or burns the magician for a number of points of lethal damage equal to the number motes of Essence the character used to power the spell, which can be soaked as normal. Unlike Sorcery, this damage does not harm anyone except the magician.

On Finding and Storing Essence

Unlike Exalted, mortals do not have a vast quantity of Essence at their disposal, nor do they regain Essence except at an extremely slow rate (1 mote per day). Magicians must first learn how to store Essence in their bodies, no small task and one with a price. They must then find sources of Essence.

Storing Essence

A mortal magician may store a base number of motes of Essence equal to his Permanent Willpower + his Permanent Essence. This is generally adequate for most First Circle spells, but a mortal who wishes to wield more powerful magicks will need to find ways to make his body a more suitable vessel for Essence. This is often means a loss of some part of the wizard's sanity, health, or humanity - collectively called Quirks.

A magician develops Quirks over time. They do not require the expenditure of Experience, but they affect the magician for a number of weeks equal to the Essence value of the Quirk before expanding the wizard's maximum Essence pool. They are generally irreversible, and in those cases where they can be cured or negated, the hero immediately loses all benefits of the eliminated Quirk.