Mana Aspect Rules

The Mana aspect rules dictated below are OPTIONAL for use on your table. Please note on your run post if you are planning on using these rules for your run.

Mana Aspect Playtest

Mana Aspect Basics

• The Mana Aspect level equals that of the Background Count but follows different rules.
• Mana Aspects with an absolute value of 12 or higher are dangerously powerful and follow the rules for background counts of that level on page 32 of Street Grimoire.
• A Mana Aspect can be positive or negative. These categories represent the same astral phenomena as positive and negative background counts.
• Players may utilize Assenssing (if you have Astral Bouncer), Arcana, or magical knowledge skills to detect and get the aspect of a Mana Aspect.
  • Numinous perception however does not work.

Positive Mana Aspects

• Provides a bonus for acting with the aspect.
• Provides a penalty for acting opposed to the aspect.
• May be cleansed to eliminate both the bonus and the penalty.

Negative Mana Aspects

• Have no associated action
• Never provide a bonus
• Always apply their penalty to any skill tests boosted by magic
• May not be cleansed.

Character Impact

• Characters can still become acclimated to Mana Aspects as per the rules for background counts.
  • Characters acclimated to a Mana Aspect do not suffer a penalty but may gain a bonus.
  • PCs are unlikely to gain bonuses from most city-wide aspects, as they tend to be related to pollution.
• Characters may not be aligned to a positive mana aspect, only their actions may be aligned with the aspect.
  • If their actions are in line with the aspect they receive a bonus.
  • If their actions are opposed to the aspect they receive a penalty.
    • Even a toxic adept can take a penalty in a toxic aspect if they for whatever reason act against it.

Bonuses

• When appropriate the following bonuses or penalties apply
  • All magic or Magic-enhanced skills
    • 100% of the Mana Aspect rating as a die pool penalty.
    • 50% of the Mana Aspect rating (rounded up) as a die pool bonus.
  • Skills in the Enchanting skill group
    • 100% of the Mana Aspect rating as a limit penalty.
    • 50% of the Mana Aspect rating as a limit bonus.
  • Resonance skills are never affected.
  • All other skills
    • Never receive a penalty
    • 50% the Mana Aspect rating (rounded up) as a die pool bonus.
• Actions that are unrelated to the Mana Aspect do not get a bonus or a penalty, they are simply unaffected.

Spells

• Sustained spells of a force lower or equal to the rating of the Mana Aspect fizzle out when entering a new Mana Aspect.
• Alchemical preparations, when activated in a Mana Aspect, reduce their Potency by the rating of the Mana Aspect, to a minimum of 0 (preparations with a potency of 0 fail to activate).

Other Interactions

• Cleansing
  • Cleansing an area is always considered to be opposed to the Mana Aspect, and as such always takes a penalty.
• Foci
  • Foci are unaffected by Mana Aspects.
• Lodges
  • Must be set up in an area with a Positive or Neutral Mana Aspect.
  • Changes the aspect within the lodge to a positive Mana Aspect, aspected towards “Studying [Tradition] Magic”.
  • This only provides a bonus towards magical knowledge skills related to the lodge-owner’s tradition.
• Mana Static (SG 117)
  • Creates an additional positive Mana Aspect with a rating of the net hits on the spellcasting test that is aspected towards “Anti-Magic”
  • all magical tests that are normally affected receive a penalty
  • Never provides a bonus to anything.
  • This aspect is on top of already existing ones and may be cleansed.
    • When Cleansing an area affected by Mana Static (inside the radius of the spell based on Force), you must cleanse the total rating at the same time.
    • Example: In an area with a natural positive Mana Aspect of 3 and a 4-hit Mana Static, you would roll Cleansing against 7 dice and would need to resist 7 Drain.
• Astral Hazing (RF 119)
  • Creates a rating 3 Mana Aspect that is aspected towards "Anti-Magic", and extends as normal.
  • Areas affected by Astral Hazing may not be cleansed, though it still increases the opposing die pool for Cleansing by 3 and the amount of Drain by 3.
• Domain of the Spiritual (SG 158)
  • The character gains the full rating of the aspect as a bonus (when applicable) in Mana Aspect aspected toward a religion or spiritual significance.
• Domain of the Warrior (SH 159)
  • The character gains the full rating of the aspect as a bonus (when applicable) in Mana Aspects aspected to violence and war.

GM Advice on Mana Aspects

• GMs should take note that, under these rules, toxic traditions specifically are at a bonus in nearly every city of the Sixth World. Confronting magical opposition in a place of power is significantly more dangerous, but there are tools to deal with this.
• GMs are encouraged to be imaginative and fairly lenient with what they allow to be acting with an aspect, but here are some “safe bets”: attacking someone in an area aspected towards violence, social skills playing towards an emotional aspect, fire spells in a desert or cold spells in Antarctica, etc.