M AGE : T HE A SCEN SIO N

for

RISUS: The Anything RPG

Written by Timothy Groves

Mage: The Ascension is © White Wolf. RISUS is © Cumberland Games. In no way do
I challenge their copyrights. Please don't sue me.

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Table of Contents
The World of Darkness....................................... ......................3
Character Creation.....................................................................................3
Special Clichés............................................. ............................4
The Traditions.............................................................. .............5
The Akashic Brotherhood...........................................................................5
The Celestial Chorus..................................................................................6
The Cult Of Ecstasy....................................................................................6
The Dreamspeakers...................................................................................7
The Euthanatos..........................................................................................7
The Order of Hermes..................................................................................8
The Sons of Ether.......................................................................................8
The Verbena...............................................................................................9
The Virtual Adepts......................................................................................9
The Awakened.......................................................... ..............10
Organization.............................................................................................10
Mortals......................................................................................................12
Magick........................................................ ............................13
Creating a Magickal Effect........................................................................14
The Spheres.............................................................................................14
Correspondence.......................................................................................15
Entropy.....................................................................................................16
Forces.......................................................................................................17
Life............................................................................................................18
Matter........................................................................................................19
Mind..........................................................................................................20
Prime.........................................................................................................21
Spirit..........................................................................................................22
Time..........................................................................................................23
Quintessence............................................................................................24
Paradox....................................................................................................25
Character Advancement.................................. .......................27
The Advancement Roll.............................................................................27
Adversaries................................................................. ............28
The Technocracy......................................................................................28
The Marauders.........................................................................................29
The Nephandi...........................................................................................30
Werewolves..............................................................................................30
Vampires...................................................................................................30
Umbrood...................................................................................................31
The Inquisition..........................................................................................31
The Arcanum............................................................................................31

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The World of Darkness
T he World of Darkness is a complete role-playing environment, created
by White Wolf. Up until about 2003, it was quite nice. Thereafter, it kind
of backslid. In particular, Mage: The Ascension got hosed. My best guess
is that this was largely due to the re-emergence of Ars Magica, from which
large portions of M:TA seemed to have been “researched” from.
Largely, the World of Darkness is the world as we know it; just darker,
more grimy, and with vampires and werewolves running about. Oh, and
magic works. That sort of stuff. So you can basically use what you know
about the world today as your background. If you want a more in-depth look
at the World of Darkness, acquire some White Wolf books; my budget for
this book is 24 pages.

Character Creation
Characters in RISUS Mage are created using ten six-sided dice, with
no more than four dice in any one cliché. Both Hooks and Tales are
permitted, granting one bonus die each if used. Clichés may be double-
pumped, and certain clichés must be purchased double-pumpable.
One cliché in particular is required to be a Mage, and that cliché is
Arete. Without Arete, it is impossible to wield Magick! However, there is
certainly room in a game of Mage for a non-Mage. Consors are non-
spellcasting buddies of Mages; Consors who serve as bodyguards are
known as Grogs.
If a character is to be a Mage, he will gain one free die of Arete. Since
Arete is double-pumpable, this means that a Mage will technically start with
two bonus dice, just for being a Mage. What a deal! Consors do not gain
this bonus die, but neither do they suffer from Paradox.
Suggested Hooks include the following:
➢ Physical or Mental defects, such as missing limbs, blindness, or insanity;
➢ Unique Focus: an item that is Required Gear to create any Effect;
➢ Rotes Only: The Mage may not do “Free Magick”, but must instead
create all his Effects as Rotes;
➢ Wierdness: The Mage “leaks” magick, and strange things tend to happen
around him;
➢ Sphere Blind: The Mage can never access one Sphere of Magick, except
through Talismans;
➢ Cursed: The Mage just happens to have bad luck, and once per game
session, the GM can hose him for no apparent reason;
➢ Chantry Survivor: The Mage survived the destruction of his Chantry, but
is viewed as a bringer of bad luck by other Mages.

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Special Clich é s
C ertain clichés have special uses or purchase costs. They are mostly
specific to Mages, though other character types may have a rank or two
of Followers, Willpower or Talisman.
Arete. Arete measures a character's understanding of how the
universe works. Arete is required in order to perform Magick. Arete must be
purchased double-pumpable, at two dice per rank. When creating a Static
Magick effect, the character rolls his Arete. All Mage characters start with
one free die of Arete. For more, refer to the section on Magick, page 13.
Followers. Each die put into Followers allows you to place three dice
worth of clichés into various Followers. The only limit on the number of
Followers a character may have is the practial limit: Each Follower needs at
least one die in at least one cliché. Followers may not have Arete, Spheres,
Traditions or Willpower, nor may they have Followers of their own. Followers
may have double-pumpable clichés, at a cost of two of their dice per rank.
Spheres. Spheres may be purchased at one die per rank, or double-
pumpable at three dice per rank. No more than one Sphere may be
purchased double-pumpable. No Sphere may ever have more ranks than
the character has ranks of Arete. For more, see the section on Magick, page
13.
Sanctum. The Mage has a hideaway where he defines the rules of
reality! In this Sanctum, he can get away with more Vulgar Magicks. See
page 26 for details on Sanctums.
Talisman. This is a Magickal item. Ranks may be purchased at a cost
of one per die, and are never purchased double-pumpable. Each rank earns
the Talisman dice to spend on Cliches. Talismans can gain all normal
clichés, plus the special clichés of Arete and Spheres. For more on
Talismans, see page 25.
Traditions. Tradition clichés may be purchased at one die per rank.
They may not be purchased double-pumpable. No character may have more
than one Tradition cliché. Orphans may not choose to start with this cliché.
Wealth. A Wealth roll is required only if the Mage wishes to buy
something quite expensive. Examples include: A computer (5), a good-
quality firearm (10), a car (15), a solid silver sword (20), or a house (25).
Unlike other rolls, failure does not result in the loss of a die. Rather, success
causes the permanent loss of one die in Wealth. This loss can be recovered
through character advancement.
Willpower. Willpower may be purchased at one die per rank, or
double-pumpable at two dice per rank. The only real use for Willpower is to
boost dice pools. A die of Willpower may be 'burned' to add one die to any
other cliché before the roll is made. One die of Willpower may be recovered
at the end of each session. The condition under which this recovery is
possible is covered in the Tradition description. Orphans just need to survive
the session to recover their die of Willpower.

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The Tr aditions
M ages typically belong to one of nine Traditions. To be part of a
Tradition, the character must purchase at least one die in a Tradition
cliché. Each Tradition has its own flavour, and its preferred style of Magick;
however, for game purposes, all Traditions use the same rules for Magick.
Each Tradition is associated with a specific Sphere. The Traditional
Sphere is the Sphere in which the Tradition focuses; it also helps define the
nature of the Tradition in question. Or vice versa. No-one is completely
certain which way it goes. But either way, Tradition members gain a special
bonus of +1 point to any magic roll that involves their Traditional Sphere, per
die in the Tradition. So an Order of Hermes (3) that throws a fireball using
Forces (4) would roll 4d6+3.

The Orphans
A Mage with no dice in any of the Traditional clichés is called an
Orphan; they gain no bonus points to magic rolls of any sort. They also tend
to feel rather lonely. On the plus side, they are unfettered by any pre-existing
belief system. If a character is an Orphan, they may select this as a Hook,
above and beyond any other Hook they may have. The bonus die they gain
for being an Orphan, however, must be spent on Arete. (Which means they
also need to spend another die on Arete, since it must be purchased double-
pumpable.)
It is possible for an Orphan to join a Tradition. To do so, the Orphan
merely need purchase one die in a Tradition cliché.

The Akashic Brotherhood

The Akashic Brotherhood is on a road to perfection. They follow a path
they call do, supposedly the ultimate philosophy and martial art. Of course,
do is highly subjective, and means different things to different people. They
don't believe that they do Magick; to them, Magick is merely do.
It is because of this belief that the average Akashic can get away with
more vulgar Magicks than is typical for other Mages. Body-boosting effects,
ludicrous jumps, unerring strikes, even throwing fireballs – all are easily
swallowed by Sleepers. After all, everyone knows that martial artists can do
this sort of thing...just watch the latest Jet Li film.
The Akashic cliché may be used for injuring combat, meditation, or
learning do. Akashics recover Willpower at the end of any session in which
they take a step towards perfection, no matter how small. They favour the
Spheres of Life, Entropy, Correspondence, and Mind.
Traditional Sphere: Mind
Typical Clichés: Martial Artist, Monk, Warrior, Student of Theology,
Buddhist, Acrobat, Athlete

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The Celestial Chorus
The Celestial Chorus believe that all power in the universe flows from
one source, which they (in a fit of originality) call The One. They don't
believe in Magick; they believe in the power of One.
Many Celestial Chorus members are Christians, Jews or Muslims; they
see no reason why The One might not be their God. Surprisingly, the
Celestial Chorus is free of internecine tension. Moreso than their Sleeper
counterparts, the religious members of the Celestial Chorus understand that,
regardless of their individual beliefs, the God they serve is still The One.
Celestial Chorus members care for the welfare of the Sleepers more
than any other Tradition, and can often be found in soup kitchens and
shelters, aiding the poor...possibly with some Magickal intervention. And
since they are often religious, the laying on of hands and shouting, “Heal!”,
can turn the most Vulgar Life effect Coincidental.
The Celestial Chorus cliché may be used in debates, especially
theological debates, or when doing something beneficial. A Celestial Chorus
member will regain Willpower if they do something charitable. They favour
the Spheres of Life, Time, Spirit, and their Traditional Sphere of Prime.
Traditional Sphere: Prime
Typical Clichés: Faith Healer, Social Worker, Priest, Student of
Theology, Minister, Freemason

The Cult Of Ecstasy

The Cultists believe that life is a party...or if it isn't, it really should be.
They take as much as possible to excess, but in particular, they love music,
dance, drugs and sex. They don't believe in Magick, other than that you can
find in pure, simple enjoyment.
Despite this mindset, the Cult of Ecstasy remains well-respected among
the Traditions. This is mostly due to the fact that they ably defend their
viewpoint. In the words of one Cultist, “The freedom to seek pleasure is the
first freedom curtailed by the small-minded.” Many Cultists take this to heart.
The very name of the Cult gives a clue to their viewpoint: Ecstasy, from
the Latin: ex stasis: out of stasis.
The Cult of Ecstasy cliché can be used for entertainment, seduction or
distraction attempts. A Cultist recovers Willpower at the end of any session
in which they did something for sheer fun. They favour the Spheres of Time,
being their Traditional Sphere, but also make use of Entropy, Forces and
Mind.
Traditional Sphere: Time
Typical Clichés: Musician, Novelist, Hairdresser, Dancer, Public
Speaker, Hedonist, Beatnik, Hippie

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The Dreamspeakers
Dreamspeakers are shamans, mediums and others who try to bridge
the gap between our world and the spirit world. They don't believe that they
are doing Magick; they believe that the Spirits are doing the Magick.
These Spirits make for very powerful allies. Possessed of their own
magicks, the Spirits can interact with our world to a limited degree, and with
the aid of a Dreamspeaker, that interaction can be made more direct. It is
not unusual for a Dreamspeaker to have some dice allocated to the
Followers cliché, gaining one or more Spirits as companions.
The Dreamspeakers also have a good rapport with the Lupines. A few
Dreamspeakers are Garou Kinfolk, non-Garou but blood relatives to a
Werewolf. Should a Chantry need an envoy to the Garou, a Dreamspeaker
is the logical choice.
The Dreamspeaker cliché can be used for ceremonies or for dealing
with Spirits. Dreamspeakers recover Willpower after any session in which
they had a spiritual encounter. Aside from their Traditional Sphere of Spirit,
the Dreamspeakers also favour Mind, Entropy and Time.
Traditional Sphere: Spirit
Typical Clichés: Medicine Man, Tribal Elder, Garou Kinfolk, Ghost
Hunter, Shaman, Faith Healer, Medium

The Euthanatos
The Euthanatos are creepy. They have an unhealthy fascination with
death and decay. Many worship Death Gods, while others are just strange.
They don't believe in Magick; some believe that random chance just
happens to favour them, whereas others believe it is the will of their Deity.
But they're not just wierdos. Most Euthanatos firmly believe in a cycle
of life: Birth, death and rebirth. It's just that they're most concerned with
death. For all Euthanatos, however, the central belief is that everything must
die; everything must end. Despite their love of wearing black and looking
creepy, they have the greatest hatred of all the Traditions for the Undead.
The Euthanatos believe that a good death is as important as a good
life. And they are prepared to help others towards both. Faced with a
person living in pain, no Euthanatos would hesitate to end the sufferer's pain.
They firmly believe that every person has the right to choose death.
The Euthanatos cliché can be used in personal combat, or for leading
death cultists. Euthanatos regain Willpower after any session in which they
kill or destroy anything. The Spheres of Life, Forces and Matter are just as
useful for destroying things as their Traditional Sphere of Entropy.
Traditional Sphere: Entropy
Typical Clichés: Death-Cultist, Nihilist, Surgeon, Undertaker,
Statistician, Social Scientist, Gambler

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The Order of Hermes
The Order of Hermes are traditional wizards, Harry Potter and Merlin
types. They believe in Magick, but they think they need magic circles, star
charts, wands, potions or other such to make it happen.
The Order of Hermes is one of the oldest of Traditions, tracing its
origins back to the Ancient Egyptians. They take their name from the Greek
messenger God, said to be the one who taught Humans the secrets of
Magick. Though firm believers in the freedom of choice espoused by the
Traditions, many Hermetic Mages feel themselves above the Sleepers, and
feel they must act as the caretakers of those poor innocent souls.
The Order is divided into ten Houses. These Houses have seen
change over time. Each House concentrates on one particular Sphere, in
addition to the Traditional Sphere of Forces.
The Order of Hermes cliché can be used when trying to solve puzzles,
especially arcane puzzles, or for doing math or reading ancient languages.
Hermetics regain Willpower after any session in which they use Vulgar
Magick (which can get dangerous...) Besides Forces, they also favour the
Spheres of Time, Correspondence, and Matter, believing that these are most
amenable to their potions, magic circles, incantations, wands, formulae...
Traditional Sphere: Forces
Typical Clichés: Freemason, Student of the Occult, Librarian,
Archaeologist, Linguist, Mathematician

The Sons of Ether

The Sons of Ether are mad scientists, a breakaway group of the
Technocracy that joined the Traditions. They are tinkerers and engineers,
crackpots who scoff at the laws of reality. They don't believe in Magick; it's
all just high-tech.
Despite their less than auspicious origins, no member of the other
Traditions feels any distrust towards the Etherians. Their break with the
Technocracy was based upon that group's static attitude towards science.
Feeling that the freedom to explore unconventional paths of science was
more important than rules and regulations, they turned their back on the New
World Order and signed on, with no regrets, with the Traditions. And despite
some rather spectacular failures, the Traditions have felt no reason to regret
the Etherians' defection.
The Son of Ether cliché can be used for almost anything related to
science, math or engineering. Etherians regain Willpower after any session
in which they broke a law of physics. Etherians favour the Spheres of
Forces, Life, Prime, and their Traditional Sphere.
Traditional Sphere: Matter
Typical Clichés: Mad Scientist, Researcher, Mad Scientist, Gadgeteer,
Mad Scientist, Engineer, Mad Scientist (well, it is a cliché...)
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The Verbena
Verbena are traditional witches, of the blood magic style. They use
herbs, stir cauldrons and sacrifice small animals for personal gain. They
believe in Magick, provided it has ten centuries of tradition behind it.
Verbena are often found in rural areas, rather than the cities. They
often care for Sleepers in their area. Since their specialty is Life Magick, they
can heal wounds, improve crops, or cure disease in either Humans or
livestock. Some Verbena have braved the cities, and are often found
practising medicine in hospitals or clinics.
As one of the oldest Traditions, the Verbena have opposed the
Technocracy since its inception. They are among the most highly respected
of the Traditions. But this age and respect often bring them at loggerheads
with the Order of Hermes. Both Traditions view themselves as the heart of
the Traditions.
The Verbena cliché can be used for medicine, for determining the
properties of animals or plants, or for using a knife. They like knives. A
Verbena recovers Willpower after any session in which they demonstrate
knowledge of the Old Ways of Witchcraft. Aside from Life, they also favour
the Spheres of Prime, Mindand Entropy.
Traditional Sphere: Life
Typical Clichés: Witch, Healer, Surgeon, Historian, Nurse, Occult
Bookstore Owner

The Virtual Adepts

Another breakaway group of Technomancers, the Virtual Adepts are a
bunch of computer nerds. They don't believe in Magick; however, with a
really good computer and access to the Net, you can do just about anything.
Originally members of Iteration X, the Virtual Adepts were, as a group,
too chaotic to remain within the Technocracy. Often hunted by Sleeper
authorities as well as the Pogrom, the Adepts rebel against conformity and
yearn for information to be free.
The development of FidoNet, ARPANet, and the Internet, and the
resulting explosion of information, worked as well for the Adepts as it did for
the Pogrom. Adepts view the Net as a natural extension of their
Correspondence. Or the other way around. Not that it matters to them.
The Virtual Adept cliché can be used for anything computer related.
Adepts regain one Willpower at the end of any session in which they “jack in”
and do something cool on the computer. They favour the Spheres of Matter,
Mind, Forces, and their Traditional Sphere of Correspondence.
Traditional Sphere: Correspondence
Typical Clichés: Computer hacker, Electronics Engineer, Social
Scientist, Social Engineer

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The Awakened
Of the four primary factions of Mages, the nine Traditions stand
opposed to the other three. But they certainly do not stand united! Often,
Mages will find themselves in closer agreement with their foes than they are
with their allies.

Organization
There are those Mages who sneer at the concept of organization within
the Traditions. Indeed, it was hard enough to get all nine Traditions to agree
to the Protocols – not because of objections to the Protocols, but simply
because certain Traditions lack any form of hierarchy. When every member
has a veto, very little gets done.

Cabals
A small group of Mages, of similar or dissimilar Traditions, may band
together to work towards a common goal. Such a group is known as a
Cabal. Some Chantries will demand that Cabals must register with the
Chantry, stating their purpose and their leader; other Chantries hold that the
business of the Cabal is its own, not that of the Chantry.

Acolytes
Most Mages have some unAwakened companions, known as Acolytes.
Sometimes, it is possible for an Acolyte to become Awakened, and some
even prove to have the gift of Magick.

Consors
Consors are similar to Acolytes, but are often Awakened. However,
being Awakened does not mean that they can practice Magick! Consors are,
by definition, Awakened non-Mages. Consors can still have supernatural
abilities. A Garou or Vampire who assists a Mage would be a Consor.
Consors may also possess Talismans. Some Consors serve as bodyguards
or as Chantry guards; they are known as Custos, or, less formally, Grogs. A
group of Grogs is called a Turb.

Chantries
Chantries are the great meeting-places of the Mages. Some Chantries
are held by only one Tradition, while others are less homogenous. Most
Chantries, even the single-Tradition houses, will offer shelter, rest, food and
healing to any Mage of the Traditions. But for those who are Fellows within
the Chantry, much more is available. Every Chantry has an extensive library,
and almost all possess a Node.
Many Chantries have a Head, either a single person or a Council.
Deacons are founding members of a Chantry; Fellows are other accepted
members.
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Status
It should be unsurprising that, among those who prize knowledge, those
with more knowledge are more highly prized. This is tracked through the
Status system. When resolving a social combat in an all-Mage situation,
subtract the lower-ranked Mage's status from the higher-ranked. This is the
number of additional dice the lower-ranked Mage loses if he loses a roll.
Orphans are the lowest of the low. Those Mages with no Tradition
cliché will always be status 0, regardless of whatever other clichés they have.
Apprentices are those Mages with at least one die in Arete, but no
Spheres – they are Awakened, but not yet educated. They are status 1.
Disciples have at least one die in a Sphere, and are status 2.
Adepts have four or five dice in at least one Sphere, and are status 3.
Masters have six dice in at least one Sphere, and are status 4.
Oracles have six double-pumpable dice in at least one Sphere, and six
dice in Arete. They are status 6, and considered infallible.

The Protocols
The nine Traditions have many and varied laws between them, but a
small subset of laws are agreed upon by all nine, and acts as a standard for
all Mages. These laws are known as the Protocols, and are listed below.
● Respect those of greater knowledge.
● Repay those who have increased your knowledge.
● The word of an Oracle must be obeyed.
● Never betray your Cabal or your Chantry.
● Conspire not with the enemies of Ascension.
● Protect the Sleepers, for they know not what they do.
The Protocols are informal, but it is unwise to violate them.
Punishments handed down by Chantry Heads and Oracles are usually not
informal, and rarely pleasant.

Tribunal
Occasionally, a Tradition feels it necessary to call an all-member
meeting to discuss matters of import; this is known as a Tribunal. The term
is beginning to be used to describe any large gathering of Mages. Tribunals
are also used to resolve disputes and mete out punishments.

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Mortals
Mages are supernatural by nature, but completely mortal as far as their
physical makeup is concerned. Dice lost during injuring combat may be
healed at a rate of one per game day.
It is possible to heal physical damage using Magick; rules for doing so
are given on page 18. This can be done Coincidentally – the Celestial
Chorister shouts “Heal!”, the Verbena knows the right plants to treat the
iunjury, or even so blatant as, “Good thing you had that whiskey flask in that
pocket!”

Aggravated Damage
Certain types of damage are harder to recover from; these types of
damage are known as Aggravated Damage. For a Mage, such damage is
caused by fire, Paradox and by the teeth and claws of a Spirit or other
supernatural creature.
Each time a Mage suffers Aggravated Damage, she gains one
Aggravated Damage point, rather than losing any cliché dice. For each such
point, the Mage may roll one less die on any cliché roll.
Aggravated Damage may only be healed at a rate of one per session,
and one Willpower die per point healed must be spent.
Life Magick may be used to heal Aggravated damage, in exactly the
same manner as it is used to heal regular damage. However, using Life to
heal requires burning a die of Arete if successful; this represents expending
Quintessence to restore the target's Pattern.
In addition, healing Aggravated damage is always Vulgar Magick.
There is a world of difference between a slash “turning out” to be only
superficial, and re-growing an arm.
Aggravated wounds caused by a Paradox backlash cannot be healed
Magickally.

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Magick
M agick is, of course, the heart and focus of this entire game. It is the
primary tool of every Mage. It is the means by which they can break,
alter or re-write the reality of their universe.
There are nine Spheres of Magick, each with its own Sphere cliché.
The Spheres can be used individually, or combined for really neat effects.
The Spheres are as follows:
➢ Correspondence: Control over locations.
➢ Entropy: Control over decay.
➢ Forces: Control over energy and forces.
➢ Life: Control over life forms.
➢ Matter: Control over inanimate matter.
➢ Mind: Control over the mind, both the Mage's and others'.
➢ Prime: Control over Quintessence, the stuff of Magick itself.
➢ Spirit: Control over Spirits and the Spirit Realms.
➢ Time: Control over time.
There are rumours of a tenth Sphere, with each Tradition holding out on
their own theories on such, but nothing has ever been discovered on that
subject.

Static vs. Dynamic Magick

Magickal effects are either Static (Coincidental) or Dynamic (Vulgar). A
Static effect could be explained away: A lucky coincidence, stage magic, or
so on. A Dynamic effect is something that is obviously impossible.
The classic example of Static vs. Dynamic magick: A Mage decides to
use Forces to fry a target with electricity.
➢ The Vulgar version: the Mage winds up and lets fly with a lightning bolt.
All the non-Mages standing around say, “Hey! That's not possible!”
Paradox descends on the luckless Mage.
➢ The Static version: an electrical cable above the target breaks, and falls
on his head. “Bad luck for him,” say all the non-Mages around. Paradox
says, “Huh? Did I miss something?”
The difference between the two is crucial to a Mage. Non-Mages
(known as Sleepers) still slightly influence reality, but they all do it in mostly
the same way. Trying to fight against the ingrained beliefs of six billion
people, so you can impose your own will on the universe, is rather difficult.
Therefore, Static Magick is easier to use, and less likely to go
catastrophically wrong. Dynamic Magick is much more difficult, especially if
there are Sleeper witnesses, and can cause Paradox. There is not a single
Mage out there who wants to deal with Paradox.

13
Creating a Magickal Effect
To create an Effect, the player begins by describing the Effect. The GM
decides what Spheres are required to create the Effect, and whether or not
the Effect is Static or Dynamic. The GM or player (or both) work out the
Difficulty of the effect, using the guidelines found under the Spheres and the
table below. If Static, the Mage rolls his Arete; if Dynamic, he rolls his
highest Sphere that is used in the effect. If the roll meets or exceeds the
Difficulty, the effect goes off. If not, the Mage runs the risk of Paradox, as
described on page 25.

Effect Parameter Difficulty

Effect is Dynamic +5
Sleepers witness a Dynamic Effect +5†
Effect requires more than one Sphere +5
Effect lasts until the end of the current Scene +5
Effect lasts until the end of the current Session +10
Effect lasts until the end of the current Story +15
Effect is permanent +20‡
Target is within line of sight +0
Ttarget is very familiar to the Mage +5
Ttarget is familiar to the Mage +10
Ttarget is unfamiliar to the Mage +15
Target is completely unknown to the Mage +20
Effect is a Rote -5
Mage spends one full round preparing the Effect -5
Mage spends one full day preparing the Effect -10
Regardless of modifiers, the easiest that any Magickal Effect can be is
a Difficulty of 10.

The Spheres
The next nine sections detail each of the nine Spheres of Magick. They
give a basic idea of what you can do with each Sphere, and also mention
some specific examples of such.
It is worth noting that the examples given are in no way exhaustive;
almost any Sphere can be used for almost any Effect. All that is required is
sufficient imagination on the part of the Mage.

† This is in addition to the +5 Difficulty for a Dynamic Effect, for a total of +10.
‡ All permanent Effects require the use of the Prime Effect, Fuel Pattern, whether or
not they are a Pattern Effect.
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Correspondence
The Sphere of Correspondence is centered on the belief that all points
in space are in fact one point. The person who can access that one point
can access all points. Simple, yet profound. And since distances and areas
are just combinations of single locations, it is even possible to stretch, bend
or otherwise mutate such distances and areas.
There are Mages in existence that believe that Correspondence is the
heart of all Magick. According to these Mages, all other Magick is just an
extension of Correspondence. According to all other Mages, these
Correspondence junkies are just plain nuts.

Effect Difficulty
Get exact distances or measurements, sense distortions in +0
space
Cast one's senses to a different area, teleport anything no +5
larger than a breadbox to oneself
Teleport oneself to a different location, view multiple locations +10
simultaneously
Co-locate oneself in two places at once, teleport others to +15
another location
Alter distances or sizes of objects or locations, co-locate +20
different locations in one place, warp or mutate a location

Special Effects
Correspondence is one of the most powerful tools available for spying;
simply cast your vision to another location. All senses are affected evenly,
and unfortunately the Mage loses the ability to sense his own surroundings
(unless the more difficult Effect, viewing multiple locations at once, is used).
Co-locating oneself can be used to devastating effect in combat,
allowing one PC to effectively become a Team. The +15 Difficulty assessed
in this effect is per additional Team Member “created” using this Effect.
It is impossible to cause injury with Correspondence directly, though
one could co-locate a place with another, very hazardous place. Doing so
has a Difficulty of +10 per die of damage inflicted, with a minimum Difficulty
of 20 total.
Correspondence can be used to boost another cliché, if that cliché
involves measuring or altering distances or locations. For each die added to
another cliché, the Difficulty is +5.

15
Entropy
The Sphere of Entropy is concerned with things that run down, break,
decay, and fall to chaos. It is a sphere profoundly centered around the
inevitability of destruction.
Those who specialize in this Sphere are an odd lot. They have a
preoccupation with death and destruction that seems a bit unhealthy. On the
other hand, nobody really wants to bother them over it, lest something
unhealthy happen to the one doing the bothering...

Effect Difficulty
Find the most disorderly point in a system, determine the age of +0
an object or person, learn a person's weak point
Control any purely random system, determine the next result in +5
a random system
Diffuse energy, cause an object to crumble to dust through +10
extreme ageing or rot, spontaneously organize something
Cause a living target to age, cause the destruction of a bodily +15
function in another, cause a random event to inflict severe
damage on someone
Destroy an idea, cause someone to be forgotten by everyone, +20
cause a person's mental processes to be suddenly scrambled.

Special Effects
Using Entropy to find a weak spot in a target will grant a bonus in a
follow-up combat attack. Bonuses can be added at a rate of +5 per die
added. At least a bit of duration is required to manage this, and please note
that the Difficulty spent on duration is not added as bonus dice.
An Entropy roll can also be used to counter any attack, by diffusing
energy (including kinetic energy), just as though it were a combat cliché.
Actually damaging someone with Entropy is difficult, requiring a +15
Difficulty modifier, but the results are pretty impressive. Not to mention quite
gruesome. This use of Entropy causes the loss of three dice if successful,
rather than the usual one die. If used in non-damaging combat, at the +20
level, it will cause the loss of four dice to the target, which is usually a
knockout punch. Further dice of damage cause a +10 Difficulty to the effect
per die. If the caster wishes to make a Difficulty 35(!) roll, she can remove
one die from a target's cliché permanently!
A target can be deprived of his Tools of the Trade by simply ageing or
corroding them to uselessness. The Difficulty for this result is +10.

16
Forces
The Sphere of Forces involves the control and creation of both Minor
Forces (most forms of energy) and Major Forces (gravitation, magnetism,
and the strong and weak nuclear forces). It is a flashy, dynamic Sphere, that
most often is used in a Vulgar fashion just because it's so much fun.

Effect Difficulty
Sense forces or energy in the area, see in the dark or through +0
walls
Control an already existing Minor Force, discharge static in the +5
area on top of someone, cause a computer to go haywire, call a
lightning bolt from the heavens
Spawn a Minor Force, toss a lightning bolt at someone, create a +10
visual or auditory illusion1
Control a Major Force, telekinetically move something, slow +15
one's rate of fall, walking on water
Spawn a Major Force, toss a fireball at someone, create a +20
gravity well under someone's feet2

Special Effects
The use of Forces to simply fry a target is commonplace – even
stereotypical - among Mages. Any effect above causes one die of damage
per +5 Difficulty selected – so, for example, discharging static on top of a
target will cause the loss of one die if they fail to resist. This includes the
increased Difficulty needed to Fuel Pattern, for both the Fuel Effect and the
Conjunctional use of Prime. So tossing a fireball at someone will cause the
loss of six dice. Since this is the maximum a character can have in one
cliché, said fireball will probably convert the target into fine ash and charred
teeth.
The use of Forces to sense energy can grant a bonus to any cliché that
would benefit from such. The Difficulty for this sort of Effect is +5 per die
granted.
Finally, Forces can cheerfully be used to increase someone else's
Difficulty numbers. Whatever the Mage rolls when using Forces to do so is
halved, then added to the target's Difficulty (or subtracted from his result) for
whatever task seems appropriate. For example, scrambling a computer will
make a L33t Hacker (4) much less of a threat. Likewise, a hologram image
could be created using Greater Forces and used to distract an attacking foe;
the Difficulty modifier would be subtracted from the target's total result.

1 Spawning a Minor Force requires the Prime Effect, Fuel Pattern

2 So does spawning a Major Force
17
Life
The Sphere of Life concerns itself with control of life forms. Life forms
are divided into Lesser Life (plants and invertebrates) and Greater Life (fish,
amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals). Some Life Mages hold out that
fish are Lesser Life, and since they believe it, so it is. (Of course, believing
that a human being is a Lesser Life pattern doesn't work quite so well...too
many human beings believe otherwise.)
One rarely enters the home of a Life Mage without invitation. It is a
sure bet that he has some nasty mutated Life Pattern standing guard. (Like
a guppy, raised to six feet tall, given legs, arms, a lead pipe and a tatoo that
says 'Mom'.)

Effect Difficulty
Learn details of a Life Pattern, scan an area for Life, learn the +0
best way to treat an injury
Heal, alter or kill a Lesser Life Pattern +5
Create a Lesser Life Pattern , heal oneself, improve one's own
3
+10
Life Pattern
Heal, alter or kill a Greater Life Pattern, control another's +15
emotions by manipulating their hormones
Assume animal form, turn another into an animal, create a +20
Greater Life Pattern4

Special Effects
The uses of Life are many and varied, and one of the most common
uses is healing. The Difficulty listed is per die of damage recovered from
injuring combat.
Life Magick may also be used to boost another's clichés. Doing so
generally requires a duration parameter, from page 14. As with healing, the
Difficulty listed is per die added to a cliché. Raising a cliché above six dice is
Vulgar Magick!
When assuming animal form, a Mage gains four dice in the cliché
appropriate to the beast form, but cannot use any of his other mundane (non-
Magickal) clichés. Additional dice may be purchased, to a maximum of six,
by increasing the Difficulty by +5 per die.
Created Life Patterns will have their appropriate cliché at one die per +5
Difficulty selected from the table above – so, for example, a stock Lesser Life
Pattern will have two dice in its cliché. As above, the Mage may increase
this with a Difficulty of +5 per die added.

3 Creating a Lesser Life Pattern requires the Prime Effect, Fuel Pattern
4 So does creating a Greater Life Pattern
18
Matter
This Sphere deals with the manipulation of unliving patterns. It is quite
useful, but not terribly exciting.

Effect Difficulty
Find hidden compartments or rooms, find secret doors, analyze +0
the makeup of some object
Create an amount of some unified substance in any shape the +5
Mage desires5
Alter or destroy an existing Matter Pattern, change the +10
properties of a substance, cause two Matter Patterns to become
disassociate (so they don't affect each other in any way)
Transmute substances in many neat ways without distrupting its +15
shape, create complex objects containing many different
materials6
Create new substances with entirely new properties, alter the +20
properties of existing materials beyond recognition, give paper
the strength of six inches of steel

Special Effects
Like many other Spheres, Matter can be used to grant a bonus to
appropriate clichés. If knowing the exact properties of a substance would
help, the Mage can use Matter to grant himself a one-die bonus on his cliché
check.
Replacing Tools of the Trade using Matter is a Difficulty +15 Effect;
removing someone else's Tools of the Trade is a Difficulty +10. (There's no
need to destroy your opponent's sword; you can just turn it into a rubber
chicken.)
Turning regular clothing into bulletproof wonder cloth is Difficulty +20,
and will give the Mage two free “hits” before he starts losing cliché dice.
Further “hits” can be added at a Difficulty of +10 per “hit”.
Creating unified substances can be used in combat (summoning an
anvil above someone's head will ruin his whole day). However, the best that
can be managed is to cause one die of damage. On the other hand, bonus
dice can be permanently granted to an object through Matter refinement, at a
Difficulty of +20 per die added.

5 Creating a Unified Matter Pattern requires the use of the Prime Effect, Fuel Pattern
6 So does creating a complex Matter Pattern
19
Mind
This Sphere deals with affecting a target's mind, either for good or ill.
Unlike Forces, Life and Matter, Mind is not a true Pattern, and so the effects
do not require Fuel Pattern.
Mind Mages are the most subtle of opponents, given their ability to
influence another's emotions and reason. Few people care to cross them.
Of course, this could simply be because the Mage makes them not want to
cross them, but...

Effect Difficulty
Improve one's own mind +0
Send a mental impulse to another, read another's emotions or +5
surface thoughts, scan the area for thinking minds
Communicate telepathically, create an illusion in another's mind, +10
probe another's thoughts
Take possession of another's body, manipulate another's +15
memories
Un-link a mind from its body, bind a freed mind to another body +20

Special Effects
Affecting any mind beyond that of the Mage himself requires a
Familiarity parameter, from page 14.
Mind can be used to add bonus dice to any cliché. The Difficulty to do
so is +5 per die added, much as with any other Sphere. The effects last but
a single roll. Alternately, a mental illusion or thought impulse at just the
wrong time can wreck another's concentration. Using Mind in this way will
raise the Difficulty of the target's cliché check by half the total amount rolled
by the Mage.
Unlinking your mind from your body; unlinking another's mind from his;
re-linking your mind to the other's body. Sounds like a recipe for immortality,
right? Remember to include the Permanent duration parameter from page
14, and also remember that this sort of thing is always Dynamic Magick.
Plus, someone's bound to notice, and try to “correct” the situation.
Sometimes the someone is a government official, determined to get to the
bottom of an identity official; other times, it is the family and friends of the
victim.
Manipulating memories takes as long to do as the memories run – that
is, the memories must be replayed or erased in real time. Replacing one
memory with a false memory actually takes three times as long – once to
scan the original memory, once to erase it, and once to write in the new
memory.

20
Prime
Quintessence is the basic energy of Magick, and also the building
blocks of reality. Prime is the Sphere of Quintessence. Students of Prime
learn to manipulate Quintessence in several ways. Any Mage that wants to
do any serious work had best learn some Prime.
Every Mage believes his own choice of Sphere is the centerpiece of the
entire set, the most important Sphere of Magick. Prime Mages are no
exception. They just happen to be right...

Effect Difficulty
Store Quintessence (essentially gaining one free die of Arete), +0
sense for the presence of a Node
Fuel a Pattern Effect (Forces, Life or Matter) +5
Create a Talisman, “store” or “loan” a die of Arete outside of +10
one's body
Cause the Quintessence of an existing Pattern to escape, force +15
a Paradox Backlash on a target
Recover a lost die of Arete, remove one die of Paradox +20

Special Effects
Prime is one of the most important tools in any Mage's toolkit—and one
of the most useless on its own. That said, however, it's got some really
clever stunts.
One of the low-Difficulty tricks is storing Quintessence7. The Difficulty is
not high for this, but first the Mage has to find some free Quintessence. This
is often found near a Node, and Nodes are often guarded by big nasties.
One free “die” of Arete can be gleaned using this power. This die cannot be
rolled, but can be used for pumping and such. Using a Difficulty of +20, the
free die can be pulled from anywhere.
Another use for Prime is to store a die of Arete elsewhere, or to give it
to someone else. If stored, the die of Arete can be recovered later using the
Store Quintessence effect, to replace a lost die. This is a complete
replacement; the recovered die can be rolled.
Causing the Quintessence of a target to escape usually causes
damage to the target; they will lose one die of Arete (or any other cliché, if
they don't have Arete) each time this Effect is used on them.
Creating a Talisman is a complex and involved procedure, and if you
want the Talisman to be permanent, you have to give up one permanent die
of Arete for every two dice of clichés granted the Talisman. Of course, this
die can be replaced through character advancement, as described on page
27, but it cannot simply be recovered as normal.

7 Quintessence is covered in detail on page 24.

21
Spirit
The Spirit World is very real; this Sphere allows those with the
knowledge to tap into it. The realm of Spirits is known as the Umbra, and the
barrier between the Umbra and the real world (known as the Tellurian) is
called the Gauntlet. The Umbra mirrors the Tellurian in almost all ways, save
that there are no people there other than fellow Umbral travellers. Instead,
there are Spirits.
The strength of the Gauntlet is measured in dice, as given in the table
at the bottom of the page. Basically, the less natural or spiritual the area, the
higher the Gauntlet.

Effect Difficulty
Sense the presence of a Spirit, test the strength of the Gauntlet, +0
sense if someone is looking across the Gauntlet
Call a Spirit to aid the Mage, look through the Gauntlet to the +0
other side
Cross the Gauntlet +5
Bind a Spirit to an object, create a Spirit Realm, alter the local +10
Gauntlet by one die
Travel to the Deep Umbra, the Sphere Realms, or Horizon +20
Realms

Special Effects
Calling or binding a Spirit, peering through or crossing the Gauntlet, or
creating a Spirit Realm, are all contested rolls. The Spirit or Gauntlet being
affected rolls their dice, and their result is added to the Difficulty of the Effect.
As an example: A Dreamspeaker (4) with Spirit (2) wants to cross a Gauntlet
(3). The Gauntlet rolls a 10, so the Dreamspeaker has a Difficulty of 15 to
cross the Gauntlet. Luckily, Spirit is the Traditional Sphere of a
Dreamspeaker, so he gains +4 to his two-die roll (+1 per die of
Dreamspeaker).
Binding a Spirit to an object creates a Gauntlet Strengths
Talen or Fetish. A Talen is one-shot, and 1d Nodes, ley lines or
uses only the listed Difficulty. A Fetish is crop circles
permanent, with a +20 Duration parameter. 2d Werewolf lairs or
Either way, the Talen or Fetish will have one Faerie hangouts
of the summoned Spirit's clichés, at the same 3d Unspoiled forest or
level as the Spirit. mountain pools
Travel to the Deep Umbra, the Sphere 4d Rural areas or
Realms, or Horizon Realms is beyond the small towns
scope of this book. Let's simply point out that 5d Cities and large
it's weird out there. towns
6d Downtown, or in a
Technocratic lair

22
Time
If there is a more dangerous Sphere to be mucking about with, this
writer could not say. Not only are the effects likely to be earth-shattering, but
the most powerful and dangerous Paradox Spirits enforce the use of this
Sphere.
Having said that, however, it's worth pointing out that Time can be the
most fun Sphere to play with. Nothing makes a Game Master's hair go gray
as quickly as time travel...

Effect Difficulty
Tell the exact time relative to any event, detect an effect in the +0
time flow
See into the past or future +5
Slow or speed up time +10
Freeze time, “hang” a spell until a certain time passes +15
Travel into the future +20

Special Effects
There are a few instances when having perfect timing will help with
another cliché; a Mage can use Time Magick to enhance a cliché. The
Difficulty is +10 per one die added to another cliché.
Seeing into the past is relatively straightforward to adjudicate; use
Duration Parameters to determine Difficulty based on how far back in time
you wish to look. Seeing into the future is more difficult to adjudicate, and
requires considerable forethought on the part of the GM; mechanics-wise,
however, it is handled identically to looking into the past.
Altering time rate can give a character a remarkable advantage in
combat. Two dice can be granted to any non-Magickal cliché when engaging
in damaging combat by altering the rate of time.
Freezing a target in time can also be helpful; the Mage can gain three
dice to any non-Magickal cliché in damaging combat.
Time can be used to seriously muck with another's ability to carry out
tasks. The Mage can add the total result of his Magick roll to a target's
Difficulty when using Time against the target.
Travelling into the future is done by shifting the character through a “null
time” space, by definition inviolable until the desired time is reached.
However, any character who attempts to travel backward in time will be
immediately, permanently and totally destroyed by the massive Paradox
backlash that ensues.

23
Quintessence
The so-called Fifth Element of the ancient Greeks, Quintessence is the
central building block of reality, and the most important substance in the
world of the Mage. Existing in a halfway state between matter and energy,
Quintessence can be used to fuel a Magickal Effect or to stabilize a Magickal
creation.
For the most part, Quintessence is handled as a Tool Of The Trade in
RISUS: Either you have it, or you don't. A Mage who has lost all of her
dice in Arete can be considered to be out of Quintessence. The Sphere of
Prime (covered on page 21) is all about manipulating Quintessence.

Tass
On occasion, and usually within Nodes, Quintessence can be found in a
semi-solid form. This is known as Tass. The appearance of Tass is
subjective, and usually conforms to the viewer's Paradigm. One full measure
of Tass (occasionally referred to as a dram) can be absorbed by a Mage to
replace a lost die of Arete, or can be burned to add one die to a roll for a
Magickal Effect.

Nodes
In many places within the world, the boundary between our world (the
Tapestry) and the spirit world (the Umbra) is weak enough for magical energy
to leak across. These locations are known to Mages as Nodes. Nodes are
often fought over, either by rival factions of Mages, or by Mages and Garou.
Nodes are awash in Quintessence, and usually contain a measure of
Tass as well. Nodes are rated in dice. This rating is the total number of dice
that may be gleaned from the Node using Prime. Dice gleaned in this
manner recover at a rate of one per day.
It is also possible to remove Tass from the Node, though this takes
longer to recover. Each dram of Tass removed reduces the Node by one die.
These dice recover at a rate of one per week.
Mages creating an Effect within a Node gain a +1 to their roll for every
die within the Node.

Countermagick
Of course, Mages do not just stand around and watch each other throw
spells; any good Mage worth his salt can countermagick another's spells.
A countermagick roll is made using the same Sphere as the casting
Mage, or with Arete if the casting Mage is using a Static Effect. If the
countering Mage defeats the casting Mage, it is treated as a normal failure in
all ways, including the chance to gain Paradox as listed in the next section.

24
Paradox
The collective belief in reality can bite the Mage in a really harsh way:
Defying it can bring the disbelief of six million people down on the head of
one Mage. This is called Paradox.
Whenever a Mage attempts Magick, he risks gaining Paradox. The
amount gained depends on the Magick being worked. If the effect was Static
and the roll a failure, the Mage will gain one Paradox if any of his dice came
up ones. If the effect was Dynamic, the Mage will gain one Paradox just for
attempting the spell, and if the roll fails, the Mage will gain one Paradox for
each die that comes up one.
Each time that Paradox is gained, the Mage immediately rolls dice
equal to his (newly adjusted) total Paradox. For each six that is rolled, the
Mage will lose one point of Paradox, but will also suffer one point of
Aggravated Damage!

Paradox Spirits
Rather than cause a Paradox Backlash, the GM may instead decide
that the Mage will be visited by a Paradox Spirit. The Mage still loses the
indicated Paradox, but the Paradox Spirit will insist that the Mage undo the
Effect that caused the Paradox, or else. The “or else” is often not pleasant.
Paradox Spirits will have the following clichés rated to one die per six
rolled on the Paradox Backlash roll: Paradox Spirit (good for bashing things),
Arete, and the Sphere used that caused the Paradox. Paradox Spirits will
either use their personal cliché to pummel the Mage, or, if that isn't working,
will use Magick to either erase the Effect, or to erase the Mage.

Talismans
Talismans are magickal artifacts created by Mages. The primary
reason to create a Talisman is simple: To allow another Mage to create an
Effect that would normally be beyond him. Talismans have their own clichés,
usually Arete and Spheres. Arete for Talismans may not be double-
pumpable; nor may Spheres. For every die of Arete, a Talisman may also
have one Rote. It is important to realize that whenever a Mage uses a
Talisman, he rolls only the dice that the Talisman has available!
Where do the dice for Talismans come from? Why, from the Mage!
Any dice placed in the Talisman cliché is referred to as a purchase die, and
will gain the Talisman dice for clichés.
For every purchase die a Mage invests in a Talisman, the Talisman
gains two dice to spend on clichés. Some Talismans are created by binding
a Spirit to a physical object; these are called Fetishes. Fetishes gain three
cliché dice for each purchase die, but require that the Mage attempting to
use it roll his Spirit Sphere vs the Fetish's dice (those paid by the Mage)
before using it the first time. Talismans or Fetishes that may only be used
once gain four dice for clichés for every purchase die.

25
Gaining Talismans after Character Creation
There are two ways to gain a Talisman. The first is to find it or be given
it. Unfortunately, gaining a Talisman in this manner is not permanent; the
item will soon leave the Mage's possession. If the Mage wishes to keep the
Talisman, he will need to invest Advancement Points (page 27) in it. The
Advancement Roll necessary to gain the Talisman is made with the purchase
dice of the Talisman. Note that a Mage cannot simply whistle up a new
Talisman this way; the opportunity to gain the Talisman must exist.
Alternately, the Mage may create a Talisman. In this case, the Mage
must permanently expend one die of Arete for each purchase die of Talisman
he creates, and succeed in either a Prime Roll at Difficulty 30, or a contested
Spirit Roll against the target Spirit's highest cliché + 20!

Losing Talismans
A character may choose to expend a Talisman's dice by "Taking The
Hit" with the Talisman. However, should a Talisman be reduced to zero (or
fewer) dice through such action, the Talisman is destroyed and erased from
the character's sheet.
A Talisman may also be lost as a consequence of a player's action,
beyond merely “Taking The Hit”. A Talisman lost in such a manner may be
replaced by succeeding in one Advancement Roll. No bonus dice are gained
for this roll; rather, the Talisman is replaced. The roll is made with the
Talisman's purchase dice, not with the dice the Talisman itself possesses.

Sanctum
A Sanctum is an area of altered reality, where the controlling Mage
defines the laws of the universe. The obvious advantage of this is that,
within a Sanctum, Vulgar Magicks may instead be Static!
Within his own Sanctum, all of the Mage's Effects are considered
Coincidental, for both Difficulty and Paradox. Furthermore, Sanctums are
stocked with handy bits of equipment and ingredients. Dice in Sanctum may
be burned to pump a Magickal Effect roll. Dice so burned are permanently
lost, but can be replaced through Character Advancement (page 27). Note
that the act of burning dice counts as 'non-trivial successful use'.
Dice in Sanctum may also be rolled as a Team Member when a Mage is
hiding something (like himself) within, and rolling to avoid detection.

26
Character Ad vancement

C haracter Advancement in RISUS Mage is tracked using Advancement

Points (AP). Each cliché on the character's sheet can gain
Advancement Points. In particular, an individual cliché will gain an AP under
each of the two circumstances:
➢ The first time in the session that a Mage successfully uses the cliché at a
non-trivial moment; and
➢ The first time in the session that a Mage rolls all sixes on a cliché roll.
In addition, each character can gain anywhere from one to eight “free”
Advancement Points per session. These AP are “free” because they are not
automatically assigned to any one cliché; however, before any Advancement
Checks are made, the Mage must have no unassigned AP. AP can be
assigned to any cliché with five dice or less, or to a new cliché not currently
possessed by the character.
“Free” AP can be gained for the following:
➢ One for participating in the session;
➢ One for at least attempting to role-play the character;
➢ One if the character made a significant discovery;
➢ One if the character displayed heroic behaviour;
➢ One if the character solved a significant challenge;
➢ One to three if a Story was completed, based upon the difficulty of the
Story.

The Advancement Roll

At the end of any session, a character may attempt an Advancement
Roll for any cliché that has Advancement Points invested into it. This
includes for new clichés, which are assumed to have one die for purposes of
this roll. The character rolls the cliché's dice, and if he matches or goes
under the total AP for the cliché, then the cliché increases by one die, and all
AP are removed from the cliché. If, however, the Advancement Roll fails, the
character will lose a number of AP from the cliché equal to its current number
of dice.

Rotes
Once a Mage has successfully created any Magickal Effect, that Effect
can be codified into a Rote. This costs one “free” AP and will lower the
Difficulty of the Effect by five. Remember, however, that the minimum
Difficulty for any Effect, even a Rote, is ten.
Mages may freely trade Rotes, rather like sharing MP3 files. (Heck,
given that the Virtual Adepts are certain they're just running shell scripts,
maybe there's a Rotes'ter program out there.)

27
Ad versaries
M ages generally work towards the betterment of mankind. However, not
every Mage does so; a few work simply for the betterment of
themselves. Further, not every Mage agrees on what betters Humanity.
Such differences make up all the spice in life, of course, but when you have
the power to re-write reality as you see fit...well, debates can sometimes get
very spirited.
Mages find themselves divided into four factions. The Traditions are
the 'central' faction, being interested in maintaining the balance between the
supernatural and the mundane.

The Technocracy
The Progenitors, the Void Engineers, Iteration X, the Syndicate, the
New World Order. These five Conventions work to maintain the status quo
among the mundane, and hold that unrestrained use of Magick is dangerous
to mortals. They seek to stamp out creativity, randomness, and all
supernatural activity beyond their own. Each Technocratic Convention has
one or more Conventional Spheres:
➢ Iteration X: Forces and Matter
➢ New World Order: Mind and Time
➢ Progenitors: Life and Entropy
➢ Syndicate: Prime
➢ Void Engineers: Spirit and Correspondence

Men In Black
These are the enforcers of the New World Order. Whenever a Mythic
Remnant (meaning a Dragon, Chimera, or similar) runs amok, or whenever a
Mage cuts loose a particularly Vulgar Effect, or whenever their services are
needed, the Men In Black arrive in their black limousine, and control the
situation. Controlling the situation means modifying memories, removing
evidence, and generally making sure anyone in the area does not notice
what happened, so they can go about their happy lives. Thanks to the movie
Men In Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, most Sleepers
consider the Men In Black to be the good guys...
Men In Black always travel in threes, one of which will have the Sphere
of Mind. The other two will be selected to have Spheres likely to be useful in
the current situation. When defeated, they melt into puddles of goo, which
quickly evaporates, leaving behind no evidence of their own Magickally-
created nature.
Man In Black: Arete [2], Sphere [2], Government Official (2)

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HIT Mark V
The HIT (Hyperdyne Intelligent Technologies) Mark V, developed by
Iteration X, is a robotic chassis with a flesh exterior. The chassis includes a
wide variety of weapons, and is well defended against attacks. The HIT
Mark's weapons are Magickally enhanced, granting the HIT Mark the ability
to roll seven dice on all attacks, regardless of its clichés' levels.
HIT Marks are the special operations soldiers of the Technocracy.
Should a Chantry need raiding, or a Mythic Remnant destroyed, the HIT
Marks are deployed. While the HIT Mark would seem an outstanding
example of Vulgar Magick, it is in fact quite Static. After all, everyone has
seen The Terminator...
HIT Mark V: Cybernetic Killing Machine (7), Walking Encyclopedia of
Mythic Remnants [2], Willpower (1)

Superiors
The Superiors are genetically-created supermen. Unfortunately, they
tend to be psychotic. They were created by the Progenitors as an alternative
to the HIT Marks, due to the fact that under most mundane examination, they
are merely human. Typically they are trained as assassins or soldiers.
Superior: Assassin (8), Crazy Psycho With No Real Reason To Live
(3), Hook: Psychotic

The Marauders
The Marauders wish to re-integrate the supernatural into everyday life.
They are also quite insane. However, their insanity gives them one
enormous advantage: In effect, they live in a world of their own, a world with
a population of one. In such a world, anything they do automatically
conforms to consensual reality.
Yep, you guessed it: They don't suffer from Paradox. Or rather, they
can gain Paradox, but never suffer from its deleterious effects.
Unfortunately, other Mages can and do, and this is the primary reason that
the Traditions and the Conventions opposed the Marauders. Paradox Spirits
flock around Marauders like flies, and though they cannot touch the
Marauder, they will descend without mercy upon any hapless Mage in the
Marauder's vicinity.
Marauders are often found in the company of Dragons and other Mythic
Remnants. Having such critters running amok also fails to endear the
Marauders to their more...conventional brethren.
Marauder: Scholar of the Arcane (3), Arete [2], three Spheres at (1),
Follower (Mythic Remnant) (1)

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The Nephandi
These Mages seek nothing more or less than the destruction of
everything. Why? Because they believe that destruction is why the universe
is here! Once it's all gone, the universe can be reborn.
Yep. Just as nuts as the Marauders.
The Nephandi come from the deep Umbra; nobody's really sure exactly
where. They arrive in our world, corrupt a few innocents, then perform some
horribly cruel atrocity on as many people as they can. Most Nephandi that a
Mage will deal with are actually Barabbi: Human Mages that have been
corrupted by a Nephandus.
Barabbi: Former Euthanatos (1), Entropy (3), Arete [3]

Werewolves
Werewolves are the ultimate eco-terrorists, fighting to protect the world
from corruption. For the most part, Werewolves and Mages do not interfere
with each other. The exception is at Nodes (which Werewolves call Caerns).
These they have been known to fight over, a lot. On the flip side, frequently
Werewolves and Mages will band together against a common enemy.
Werewolves are divided into thirteen Tribes, each with their own
personalities and stereotypes. However, one thing is common among
Werewolves: They all want to fight. They fight because they believe that
they are the last, best hope for the Earth. They particularly hate the
Technocracy, the Nephandi and the Vampires.
The most important thing to remember about Werewolves is that they
gain three bonus dice, on top of their cliché dice, when in their hybrid, half-
man half-wolf form.
Werewolf: Big Hairy Nasty with claws [5]

Vampires
These are the undead, the drinkers of blood. They are generally
unpleasant to have around, but Mages and Vampires generally leave each
other alone. They can control minds, and use supernatural strength, and
move really quick; all that Vampire sort of stuff. If you are not using RISUS
Vampire: The Masquerade, just assume that Vampiric supernatural powers
are lumped into the Vampire cliché.
Vampires are organized into Clans, and each city will have a Prince. A
Prince will try to put himself on good terms with the local Mages. Lesser
Vampires, often known as Fledgelings, might try to take on a Mage.
Fledgeling Vampire: Vampire [4], Biker Buddy (2)
Vampire Prince: Vampire [6], Well-Respected Businessman (4), Power
Behind the Scenes (3), Novelist (1)

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Umbrood
The denizens of the Umbra, the Spirits, are referred to as Umbrood by
the Awakened. They range in rank from one to six.
Umbrood will always have the Spirit cliché, which is both the Sphere of
Spirit and a cliché for just being a Spirit. Even without Arete, an Umbrood
can peek across or breah the Gauntlet. Magickal Effects created by
Umbrood are always Static when performed in the Umbra.
Spirits may have Arete as a cliché, at half the listed value (because it's
double-pumpable). They may also have Spheres, or (if you are using RISUS
Werewolf or RISUS Vampire) may have Gifts or Disciplines.
Gaffling: Spirit (1)
Jagling: Spirit (2), any other cliché (2)
Perceptor: Spirit (4), any other three clichés (4)
Umbral Lord: Spirit (6), any other five clichés (6)

The Inquisition
“Suffer not a witch to live.” Thanks to that single mistranslated line,
hundreds of Sleepers, aware of the presence of Mages, seek them out to
persecute and destroy them. And yet the sad joke is that the Inquisition was
initially started by the Celestial Chorus and the Order of Hermes.
But it would be a grave mistake to assume that the agents of the
Inquisition are fanatical idiots. Most are scholars as well as hunters, making
them all the more dangerous in their aims.
Though most Inquisitors are trained in combat, they are more likely to
call upon other assets – such as the police, or the Technocrats – to deal with
a Mage.
Witch Hunter: Arcane Scholar (3), Priest (5), Swordsman (2)

The Arcanum
Little is known about this shadowy agency, save that they study all
supernatural activity – such as Mages. They are believed to be an offshoot
of the Inquisition, or possibly a breakaway group of the Rosicrucians or
Freemasons.
Unlike the Inquisition, the Arcanum does not seek to destroy; merely to
study. The existence of the Arcanum gives many Mages pause; if the
Sleepers were to learn of the Ascension War, their reactions, and the effect
of this knowledge on their well-being, would be difficult to judge.
Arcanum Scholar: Researcher [3], Cunning Investigator (2), Scholar of
the Supernatural (2)

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Other Games by the Author
GURPS Caverns and Creatures – a 160-page fantasy role-playing
supplement for the Generic Universal Role-Playing System. Just add a copy
of GURPS Lite 3rd Edition, and start playing!

RISUS Star Wars – The cinematic feel of Star Wars, and the cinematic
play-style of RISUS – a perfect match! Includes rules on The Force, alien
races, gadgets and starships, all in only twelve statement-sized pages!

RISUS Vampire: The Masquerade – Everyone's favourite gothic horror

game, boiled down to thirty-two statement-sized pages! Playing a Vampire
was never this easy.

RISUS Werewolf: The Apocalypse – The RISUS guide to being big

and furry, in only thirty-two statement-sized pages. Take on the Wyrm, hunt
Vampires, and get completely raged out!

All games are completely free to download and play.

Check them all out at:
http://www.tailkinker.net/rpg.htm

RISUS was created by S. John Ross, of Cumberland Games

(http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/risus.htm). This document mentions specific
rules from RISUS, particularly the Teamwork Rules and elements of the
Character Creation system, but does not directly quote from the RISUS
rulebook. As such, it qualifies as a Type A, or RISUS Supplemental,
document. The author would like to express his gratitude to Mr. Ross for
such a neat game.

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