Alternate Effect Techniques

I’ve had trouble working out special Effects for some time. Like when a mage wants to cast an Effect but have it go off later. I had an idea today so I’m going to “put a pin in it” before I forget. I’ll have to work out details later. I can’t recommend it to anyone until I playtest it.

I see 3 categories for delaying Sphere Effects:

1. Hanging Effects
2. Triggered Effects
3. Delayed Effects

Hanging Effects

These are cast in a way they will last a long time. After being cast, they “hang” there, continuing to work. The mage gets a lot of successes or uses a ritual to build up a large number of successes and then sinks them into duration. An example would be raising Dexterity in case the mage needs to escape attackers.

Triggered Effects

These Effects use Time 4 to trigger them when a time is reached or an event occurs. If someone sits in this chair, chair and person teleport away. At sunrise tomorrow, the tree will wither and die.

Delayed Effects

These are the ones I was having trouble with. Books 6 through 10 of the Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny feature a wizard who casts spells and, just before they go off, he freezes them. With a mental command, he can trigger them later. He does this for self defense. I don’t remember seeing this kind of thing in Mage books.

What if we used Mind 1 together with Time 3 to handle it? When safe at home, the mage casts an Effect. He freezes it and holds it in reserve. Since he cast it himself he will know if it went well or poorly. Keeping a muffed Effect in reserve for later can get one killed. With a mental command the Effect goes off later. The limit is the Effect will center on the Mage. A Time 4 Effect can trigger when the mage isn’t around. A Delayed Effect will always be in the mage’s vicinity. How many Delayed Effects can a mage create? One at Arete 3, 2 at Arete 4, 3 at Arete 5, etc. I think this should keep things under control. If a Storyteller thinks that’s too powerful, make it every other level. 1 at Arete 3, 2 at Arete 5, etc.

In practice, a mage casts a Correspondence 3 Effect to “teleport” home when danger threatens. When he uses it, his successes may not be enough to bridge the distance he currently is from home. I don’t think this needs to be handled in published rules. Let the Storyteller and player hash it out. Magick should have some risk, after all. The Effect could fail or drop the mage in an unexpected place.

Related Matters

The only other thing that comes to mind is alchemy. Basically, the idea that a mage can use Matter (2?) to “bake” an Effect into a liquid, paste, etc. The Effect waits until the glass vial is broken, paste is smeared on someone/something, etc. Untying a mystic knot is the same idea. I don’t think this upsets my scheme of crafty Effects. Alchemy has been mentioned a few times in published Mage books. I don’t think it breaks game balance or my scheme of delaying Effects. A competent Storyteller will keep paradigm considerations in mind for things like alchemy. Delaying an Effect is a benefit but there should be other considerations to balance it. For example, some Effects would be too flashy or abstract to be appropriate for a vial someone drinks. Also, the need to throw the stuff far enough or cover enough of one’s target can be a limiting factor.