San Antonio by Night: Paths

Sorcerers are born, not made. But they require training. Without it, many spontaneously develop numina, (See next topic.) others die as the power within them causes them to self-destruct. With training this magical energy (called mana) can be drawn out and turned into fuel for spells. There are two types of spells, rituals and spells.

Spells are more immediate. They can be cast in a single round and be adapted to the current situation. The trade-off is reliability, a poor roll might mean starting over or taking an extra round to cast the spell with the desired effect. A botch (no successes, at least one 1.) results in catastrophic and usually painful results. Mana can be spent to gain extra successes on a one for one basis. Anytime a spell is extended for an additional roll costs one point of mana.

There is a special kind of spell called a hanging spellthat prepares a spell in advance. The terms of the spell must be defined exactly, no changes may be made to the spell at the time of casting, and a willpower must be spent to activate the spell. Reduce your Composure background by 1 for each hanging spell. These spells expire when a caster loses conciousness and must be renewed on waking.

Rituals are the traditional forms of spell casting. They use symbolism, tradition, rote and occult philosophy to create a reliable form of magic that can be tested and used over and over again. While powerful and reliable, these rituals are inflexible, requiring advance preparation to work, and usually have only a single effect. While rituals are never forgotten, the number of active rituals you may maintain is limited by your Rotes background. The effect of any given ritual is related to the caster's skill level in the requisite Path.

Here is a list of the paths you may choose from and a summary of their effect:

Alchemy - Intelligence+Occult
No spells. Create potions. Effects last for scene. May require other skills.
Conjuration - Dexterity+Occult
Move objects without touching or crossing intervening distance.
Conveyance - Stamina+Occult
Move people faster or without crossing intervening distance.
Divination - Perception+Occult
See the future. Talk to me about what you want out of this before you take it.
Enchantment - Intelligence+Occult
Create objects with magic in them. No spells. May require other skills.
Fascination - (Charisma/Manipulation)+Occult
Manipulate peoples minds using occult symbols, sounds and body language.
Fortune - (Charisma/Manipulation)+Occult
Improve your luck or curse your enemies.
Healing - Manipulation+Occult
Fix any ailment, given time and materials. Always requires a sacrifice.
Hellfire - Manipulation+Occult
Turn the world against your enemies to hurt them.
Mana Manipulation - (Perception/Manipulation)+Awareness
Can be taught to Numinists. Detect magic and resonance. Manipulate energy.
Oneiromancy - Wits+Occult
Enter and manipulate dreams. Induce sleep.
Shadowcasting - Manipulation+Occult
Manipulate shadows (First three levels of obtenebration)
Shapeshifting - Stamina+Occult
No rituals. Change your form like ancient wizards. (Think Sword in the Stone.)
Summoning, Binding, Warding - Intelligence+Occult
No spells. Minimum three rolls. May require lore. Dire consequences for failure.
Weather Control - Manipulation+Occult
No rituals. Usually requires extra willpower and mana for effectiveness. Dire consequences for failure.

All paths have 6 levels.

Dice Pools (Up to 16 dice! + Autosuccesses!)

All paths add their path rating to dice pools.

Spellcasting always uses occult, however, extended rolls for rituals may require additional abilities to acquire, craft or test the results. Once completed a ritual remains a part of the sorcerer's repertoire until he retires it for a different ritual. Naturally, sorcerers try to maximize their occult. Please don't ask for more than three levels of occult. Only ask for three levels of occult if your sorcerer has spent at least 15 years studying magic. Upper levels of occult will be rewarded as a result of game play, if the game lasts that long.

Aspects (Flexible spellcasting.)

Aspects are the different parts of the spell you are casting. For example: Hellfire has damage, special effects, range, and area. Aspects range from 1-6. When casting a spell, the successes gained will be divided among the aspects. Not all aspects require a single point. Each spell has a minimum of three aspects. More complicated spells (such as weather control and healing) may have up to five. If no points are placed in an aspect, the result is up to the storyteller.

Failure (Rule of 10 1s.)

You automatically fail a spell any time you botch, or in the case of an extended roll, accumulate ten or more 1's. Failure may cause permanent stat losses, especially for powers with dire consequences. Rituals may be failed.