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   Meditation - Regenerates Magic   
   Melee - Hand To Hand Weapons   
   Performance - Specialized as music etc.   
   Stealth - Hiding From Sight   
   Survival - Living In Difficult Environments   
   Technology - Repairing And Working With Machines   
      
   Knowledges:   
      
   Academics - Higher Education In A Field   
   Computer - From Typing To Hacking   
   Cosmology - Knowledge Of The Spirit World   
   Enigmas - Solving Puzzles Or Riddles   
   Investigation - Forensics Detective Work   
   Law - Professional Practice In Law   
   Linguistics - Specializing In Other Languages   
   Medicine - First Aid, & Surgery Etc.   
   Occult - Knowledge Of Magic Practices   
   Science - Engineering, Chemistry, & Physics   
      
   There are also some other very important traits:   
      
   Avatar - Your ability to store quintessence   
   Arete - Your mastery of magick   
   Willpower - Can be used to force success   
   Quintessence - The raw power of magic   
   Paradox - The backlash from magic into insanity   
   Health - The amount of damage you can take   
      
   Getting Started   
      
   Now that you know the basics of the Storytelling   
   System, you can proceed to create your own   
   characters. You’ll be able to judge what sort of   
   traits you’ll need based on their titles (they’re   
   mostly self-explanatory), and know that the more   
   dots you have in a trait the better your character   
   will be when accomplishing tasks with it.   
      
   Here is a quick overview of how to begin the   
   character creation process:   
      
   The 3 categories of attributes are divided into   
   3 levels of points: 7/5/3   
      
   The 3 categories of abilities are also divided   
   into 3 levels of points: 13/9/5   
      
   You get 7 points to go into Backgrounds.   
      
   You also get 6 dots that can go into your Mage's   
   magical knowledge called Spheres. The catch is   
   that none of them can be higher than your level   
   of Arete.   
      
   Arete starts at 1 and can’t begin higher than 3.   
      
   Willpower starts at 5 and can’t begin higher   
   than 7.   
      
   You also get 15 Freebie Points:   
      
   To increase an Attribute requires 5 freebie   
   points.   
      
   To increase an Ability requires 2 freebie   
   points.   
      
   To increase a Background requires 1 freebie   
   point.   
      
   To increase Willpower requires 1 freebie   
   point.   
      
   To increase Arete requires 4 freebie   
   points.   
      
   To increase a Sphere requires 7 freebie   
   points.   
      
   Prioritize the categories with 3 levels of   
   points.   
      
   Select Attributes (7/5/3)   
      
   Physical: Strength, Dexterity, Stamina   
      
   Social: Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance   
      
   Mental: Perception, Intelligence, Wits   
      
   Select Abilities (13/9/5)   
      
   Talents: Alertness, Athletics, Awareness   
   Brawl, Dodge, Expression, Intimidation   
   Leadership, Streetwise, Subterfuge   
      
   Skills: Crafts, Drive, Etiquette, Firearms   
   Meditation, Melee, Performance, Stealth   
   Survival, Technology   
      
   Knowledges: Academics, Computer, Cosmology   
   Enigmas, Investigation, Law, Linguistics   
   Medicine, Occult, Science   
      
   Additionally, characters also have a number   
   of advantages called Backgrounds.   
      
   Backgrounds:   
      
   Allies - Friends who help you   
   Arcane - You are unnoticed as a Mage   
   Avatar - The Strength of the soul   
   Contacts - Information sources   
   Destiny - A greater purpose   
   Dream - Visions from the unknown   
   Influence - Pull over the mortal world   
   Library - Access to metaphysical knowledge   
   Node - A place of magical power   
   Resources - Extra Money   
   Wonder - A Magical talisman or device   
      
   We will now go over the combat system. It is   
   very simple.   
      
   Combat is broken down into three steps,   
   Initiative, Attack, and Resolution.   
      
   During initiative, both players roll   
   Dexterity + Wits. Whoever has more successes   
   gets to go first.   
      
   Each player declares either to attack or   
   defend.   
      
   It is also possible to ambush someone with:   
   Dexterity + Stealth vs Perception + Alertness   
      
   Stage two - Attack   
      
   The attacker rolls one of these:   
      
   Unarmed Combat: Strength + Brawl   
      
   Armed Combat: Strength + Weaponry   
      
   Firearms: Dexterity + Firearms   
      
   Throwing Objects: Dexterity + Athletics   
      
   Then the defender either takes the hit,   
   or if they chose to defend they roll:   
      
   Block: Dexterity + Brawl   
      
   Dodge: Dexterity + Dodge   
      
   Parry: Dexterity + Melee   
      
   The successes of the attack roll minus the   
   defense roll equals damage, which is either   
   Bashing or Lethal.   
      
   If a weapon is being used the storyteller can   
   increase the modifier for an attack by up to +3.   
   Some guns allow you to shoot multiple times in   
   a turn.   
      
   Stage three - Resolution   
      
   Roll as many times as your Stamina points to   
   eliminate a point of bashing damage for each   
   success.   
      
   If the fighting continues you roll again for   
   initiative.   
      
   Keep track of the damage to your health with   
   this chart:   
      
   Health   
      
   1) Bruised -0   
   2) Hurt -1   
   3) Injured -2   
   4) Wounded -3   
   5) Mauled -4   
   6) Crippled -5   
   7) Unconscious   
      
   Each point of damage is marked with a / for   
   bashing damage and an X for lethal damage.   
   If you acquire 7 bashing damage you are   
   unconscious, further bashing damage can   
   become lethal damage. Either way, you apply   
   a penalty to everything you roll as the damage   
   goes up.If you acquire more than 7 in lethal   
   damage, you can die.   
      
   Finally, your character needs to learn magic!   
      
   Overview   
      
   There are 12 Spheres in this system that are   
   divided into coincidental & vulgar magic. The   
   first three levels of each sphere are limited   
   to coincidental effects, and the highest levels   
   of the sphere are divided into two levels of more   
   advanced magic.   
      
   The Twelve Spheres in alphabetical order are:   
      
   Control, Destruction, Feeling, Influence,   
   Penetration, Production, Revelation, Restoration,   
   Transformation, Travel, Understanding, and   
   Vanishing   
      
   These are the degrees of power for the Spheres:   
      
   1) Awareness   
      
   2) Sympathetic   
      
   3) Coincidental   
      
   4) Manipulative   
      
   5) Miraculous   
      
   1) Awareness   
      
   Allows the Mage to sense things with their magic.   
      
   2) Sympathetic   
      
   The Mage can effect things they’re personally   
   connected to.   
      
   3) Coincidental   
      
   The Mage can work magic as long as it doesn’t   
   defy physics.   
      
   4) Manipulative   
      
   The Mage can manipulate and bend the laws of   
   physics.   
      
   5) Miraculous   
      
   The Mage can now create impossible miracles.   
      
   Mechanics   
      
   Casting Magic   
      
   Arete is added to the Sphere you are using to   
   get the number of dice to roll when casting a   
   spell. No Sphere can be higher than your level   
   of Arete. You can also only spend up to your   
   level of Arete in quintessence on a single spell.   
   A mage can optionally roll fewer dice to avoid a   
   potential botch.   
      
   Avatar   
      
   A Mage’s Avatar is the maximum Quintessence they   
   can store.   
      
   Occult   
      
   This system of magic can connect to occult   
   themes, for interesting role playing.   
      
   There are 12 Spheres in this system. Each   
   Sphere connects to one of the 12 signs of   
   the Zodiac. And each Zodiac sign connects to   
   one of 10 planets in Astrology. The 10 planets   
   and 12 signs connect with the 22 Major Arcana   
   of the Tarot.   
      
   Control:   
      
   Energy / Telekinesis   
      
   (Aries/Emperor) + (Mars/Tower)   
      
   Transformation:   
      
   Developing / Shapeshifting   
      
   (Taurus/Hierophant) + (Venus/Empress)   
      
   Understanding:   
      
   Wisdom / ESP   
      
   (Libra/Justice) + (Venus/Empress)   
      
   Revelation:   
      
   Visions / Rapture   
      
   (Pisces/High Priestess) + (Neptune/Hanged Man)   
      
   Feeling:   
      
   Empathy / Telepathy   
      
   (Virgo/Hermit) + (Mercury/Magician)   
      
   Influence:   
      
   Charisma / Hypnotism   
      
   (Leo/Strength) + (Sun/Sun)   
      
   Penetration:   
      
   Escape / Intangibility   
      
   (Gemini/Lovers) + (Mercury/Magician)   
      
   Travel:   
      
   Direction / Teleportation   
      
   (Sagittarius/Temperance) + (Jupiter/Wheel of Fortune)   
      
   Production:   
      
   Attraction / Creation   
      
   (Capricorn/Devil) + (Saturn/World)   
      
   Restoration:   
      
   Renewal / Healing   
      
   (Aquarius/Star) + (Uranus/Fool)   
      
   Vanishing:   
      
   Stealth / Invisibility   
      
   (Cancer/Chariot) + (Moon/Moon)   
      
   Destruction:   
      
   Curses / Annihilation   
      
   (Scorpio/Death) + (Pluto/Judgement)   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)