SR5:MetaMagics List
| 5th Edition Lists |
|---|
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| Spell List | Ritual List | Spirit List | Adept Powers List | Mentor Spirits List | Metamagics List | Traditions List |
|---|
Adept Centering (Adepts Only)
Adept Centering allows you to reduce negative dice pool modifiers to Physical and Combat skills (such as modifiers from adverse conditions) by performing some mundane action at the same time. This action is something you use to focus on what you’re doing (you center yourself), for example chanting, singing, shouting—it can be just about anything as long as it’s not subtle. Reduce negative dice pool modifiers by your initiate grade as long as you can perform your chosen method of centering, which is a Free Action you take during your Action Phase.
Centering
A magician who learns to center has an easier time resisting Drain. By using a mundane activity appropriate to your tradition to quiet your mind and block out distractions, you add a number of dice equal to your grade to all your Drain Resistance Tests. Centering is a Free Action. The actual activity for your technique is something you choose for yourself (appropriate to your tradition, of course), and could be something like chanting in Latin, playing a musical instrument, dancing, singing, making arcane gestures, screaming the names of ancient gods—just about anything that isn’t subtle. If you’re prevented from performing your centering technique of choice, you can’t use it.
Fixation
You magically infuse an alchemical preparation with Karma, extending its shelf life. When you create the preparation, spend at least 1 Karma (up to the Force of the preparation). When the preparation’s Potency starts to decay, instead of losing 1 Potency every hour it loses 1 every day. It also gets a dice pool bonus against Disjoining (p. 307) equal to the amount of Karma you spent on it.
Flexible Signature
You can alter your astral signature (p. 312) at will. You can disguise your aura so that it can’t be used to identify you, or forge the astral signature of another magician you’ve assensed, or simply reduce the amount of time your astral signature lasts. When someone attempts to assense your faked signature, add your initiate grade to the Assensing Test threshold—if a Grade 2 initiate leaves a forged astral signature, another magician could read the signature with 3 hits as usual, but at 5 hits would realize the signature is fake and spot the true signature underneath. You can only forge astral signatures you’ve read through assensing (your gamemaster may ask for a Memory Test). You can also reduce the longevity of the astral signatures you leave behind by your grade in hours—so that Grade 2 initiate can choose to leave no signature at all on effects that are Force 2 or less, and the signature of a Force 5 effect would last only 3 hours.
Masking
You learn to change the appearance of your aura (and astral form). You can make it look mundane, or make your Magic Rating look higher or lower by up to your grade. When someone tries to read your masked aura, the Assensing Test becomes opposed by your Magic + initiate grade—if they get any net hits, they see both your mask and your real aura. If you can use astral perception, you can even make your aura look like a different type (like a spirit or a focus—great for astral costume parties). You can also use this metamagic to mask the auras of as many of your bonded foci as your initiate grade.
Power Point (Adepts Only)
If you’re an adept, you gain a Power Point instead of a metamagic. You can take this as many times as you like.
Quickening
You can manipulate your sustained spells into a sort of loop, so that they sustain themselves instead of relying on you to do it for them. To quicken a spell, take a Complex Action and spend karma while you’re sustaining the spell. You must spend at least 1 Karma but may spend up to the Force of the spell. The spell becomes permanent and gets a dice pool bonus against dispelling (p. 295) equal to the amount of Karma you spent on it.
Spell Shaping
You can reshape your area spells at the cost of making casting them harder. For every –1 dice pool penalty you take to your Spellcasting Test, you may either increase an area spell’s radius by 1 meter, decrease it by 1 meter, or create a 1-meter-radius spherical “bubble” within the area of your spell that remains unaffected by it. You must declare the use of this metamagic when you cast the area spell. You may not take more dice worth of penalty than your Magic Rating.
Shielding
A character with the shielding metamagic learns to better protect herself and others against hostile spells as they are cast. When the magician declares spell defense, they can add additional dice to the spell defense pool equal to his initiate grade. These additional dice cannot be used for any other use of Counterspelling, including dispelling.
Sympathetic Linking
- Source
- SR5:SG
For all links, the object must be small and easily carried by the magician. While a rigger’s favorite car could be considered as a sympathetic link, it is too large to carry. Just take the driver’s seat cushion. Using sympathetic or symbolic links in a ritual that normally contains the Material Link keyword is more difficult to successfully complete. When using a sympathetic link, add 2 to the Force of the spell for the opposing test in Step 7: Seal the Ritual (p. 296, SR5). With a symbolic link, add 4.
Psychometry
| SITUATION | MODIFIERS | |
|---|---|---|
| TIME SINCE IMPRESSION* | ||
| 1 Day | +0 | |
| 1 Week | –2 | |
| 1 Month | –4 | |
| 1 Year | –6 | |
| 1 Decade | –8 | |
| Each Additional Decade | –2 | |
| NATURE OF ITEM | ||
| Nature of item has a strong connection to the impression (wedding ring, beloved toy, etc.) | +2 | |
| Initiate had a strong connection to item when impression was formed (friend’s toy, school building, etc.) | +2 | |
| Impression recorded violence or powerful emotions | +3 | |
| Impression recorded violent death | +4 | |
| Item is a bonded focus | + (Rating)** | |
| Item is a place of more than 500 square kilometers | –2 | |
| Item carries more than one significant impression –1 for each Astral signature has been erased (p. 312, SR5) | –1 | |
| Cleansing metamagic has been used (Smudging, p. 136) | –Force | |
| Each subsequent attempt to read the item | –2 | |
| INFORMATION | ||
| INFO GAINED | HITS | |
| None | 0 | |
| Flashes of insight, superficial and disjointed impressions | 1 | |
| Longer and deeper insights, though visions are still disjointed | 2 | |
| Greater details, multiple sensory feedback, more coherence | 3 | |
| Lengthy sequences, multiple senses, coherent visions, significant information | 4+ | |
| ||
- Source
- SR5:SG
Psychometry is like experiencing flashbacks, a flood of senses and emotions that can be uncontrollable. Once the magician develops this skill, the door can be difficult to close. Everything the magician touches generates this kind of feedback. Do you really need to know the life story behind every shot glass and barstool? The magician learns to put up mental shields to filter out distractions from all the input he would get from astral imprints. The magician needs only a few moments to raise or lower his shields to attempt reading an object. To read an object, the magician makes an Assensing + Intuition + initiate grade [Astral] Test; see the Psychometry table for modifiers and results. When reading an object, the magician has a –2 dice pool penalty to all other actions. Unfortunately, while reading the object, the magician has no control over how long the reading takes, and she cannot stop until the reading is done. It can take 1 minute, 5 minutes, or longer. The gamemaster can roll 1D6 to choose the duration, or he can decide the duration based on the psychometric experience.
Magicians And Their Material Link
- Source
- SR5:SG
Some people fear magicians because of what they believe magic can do, right? Well, magicians fear other magicians, especially if the latter have a material link that can be used in ritual magic. Trids and mythology push this paranoia of stolen locks of hair or drops of blood by evil wizards, and they’re not off base in doing this. The vodou tradition specifically focuses on indirect ritual magic. Because of this, certain cleaning drones and services designed around the quick disposal of any organic material left behind are labeled as “mage sensitive.” Shadow versions of this kind of service even take care of cleaning bloodstains, no questions asked. The Jolly Barber in San Diego, for example, has a dragon- shaped brazier homunculus that eats the sweepings after each haircut. Note that this is different from mana- sensitive services, which are drones and gear that filter pollution or uses less-harsh chemicals to prevent disturbing the magician’s feng shui.
Danger Sense
- Source
- SR5:SG
A magician can attune himself to a higher awareness of the path he takes in life. This hyperawareness lets the magician sense danger before it occurs. This ability is the same as the adept power of the same name, but substitute the power’s levels with magician’s initiate grade. The metamagic and the adept power cannot be combined, so a character with both only applies the higher of the two.
Channeling
- Source
- SR5:SG
When a magician summons a spirit, she may choose to allow the spirit to possess her instead of allowing the spirit to exist in the astral plane to either manifest (p. 314, SR5) or materialize (p. 398, SR5). This must be decided at the time of summoning. Treat channeling the same as if the spirit has the Possession power (p. 197), with a few exceptions:
- The magician can use her own skills and has motor control over her body.
- She may relinquish control of her body to the spirit, but at the cost of a service.
- The magician can use the powers of the spirit, but at the cost of a service.
- Because two minds inhabit this same body, Mana spells or powers are resisted by the lowest Mental attribute of the two. Damage from Mana spells or powers is applied to both (no free rides).
- The spirit cannot leave the magician’s body until either the services are up, the magician dismisses it, or time expires as per the rules of summoned spirits.
Exorcism
- Source
- SR5:SG
Exorcism is a unique form of spirit combat where the magician pulls the spirit from its vessel. The ability requires physical contact with the vessel. A magic user makes an Opposed Test pitting Willpower + Charisma against twice the spirit’s Force. A magician with the Banishing skill may add his Willpower to the normal Banishing skill test.
Successfully forcing the spirit from its vessel requires an accumulated total of net hits equal to the spirit’s Force. Each exorcism attempt is very taxing: the exorcist suffers Drain equal to twice the number of hits (not net hits) that the spirit achieves in each attempt. Magicians resist this Drain as per their tradition; adepts resist with Body + Willpower.
If the exorcism is successful, the spirit loses its corporeal connection and is pushed into astral space. Once in astral space it begins to suffer from Evanescence. Exorcism can only be used against channeled spirits, spirits with the Possession power, or true-form spirits (p. 195) with the Inhabitation power.
Extended Masking
- Source
- SR5:SG
- Prerequisite
- Masking
Extended masking extends your masking to include anchored, sustained, or quickened spells; imbued or attuned items; or alchemical preparations that are in the magician’s possession. The magician may mask a number of items up to his initiate grade (this is in addition to bonded foci). Each item masked in this way must have a Force less than the magician’s Magic attribute. As per the masking rules, an Opposed Assensing test is required to view such items. If the observer fails to gain any net hits, the masked items appear to the observer as normal fluctuations in the background count.
Astral Bluff
- Source
- SR5:SG
When a magician uses Assensing on an initiate possessing this technique, astral bluff allows the targeted character to spend a Simple Action to adjust his aura to give a temporary false impression. These are small adjustments (emotional state, health, etc.), but this change can add weight to a character’s disguise or other such falsehoods. The character makes a Con + Magic [Social] (3) Test; if they succeed, they’ve managed to give the right impression and keep targets from examining their aura too closely. This affect is brief; if the magician’s aura stays in visible range of someone who would be inclined to give a closer investigation for longer than five minutes, the jig is up. The target decides that bluff or no, the aura should be inspected, so they take a closer look that is enough to see past any astral bluffs. At this point, if the magician wants to convincingly disguise his aura, he will need to use masking metamagic. The astral bluff metamagic can be used in conjunction with a Con or Disguise test as per teamwork rules (p. 49, SR5)
Flux
- Source
- SR5:SG
With flux, the magician can set his aura in constant flux. While doing so makes his shifting aura stand out in the astral plane, it also temporarily scrambles the mystic link between himself and potential ritual links (material, sympathetic, or symbolic), bonded foci, attuned animals/ items, summoned/bound spirits, mana barriers, active spells (sustained, quickened, or anchored), and alchemical preparations (active or command triggered). If the magician casts spells with his aura in flux, the astral signature is also mixed and cannot be read. Any ritual magic that targets a magician in a state of flux has its effective Force increased by 4 + initiate grade for the opposed test in the final step (p. 296, SR5). Any attempt to track the target meets a similar problem, increasing in threshold by 4 + initiate grade (p. 315, SR5).
A magician with his aura in flux can also attempt to bypass wards (p. 297, SR5). Additionally, alchemical preparations with a contact trigger might not activate if touched by a target with his aura in flux. When the magician makes contact with a preparation with a contact trigger, he makes an Opposed Test pitting his Magic + initiate grade against the Force of the preparation; if the magician is successful, the preparation will not activate while the aura is in flux.
The magician can safely keep his aura in flux for (Magic) hours per twenty-four-hour period. While the aura is in flux, the magician cannot command any spirits or watchers that he would normally control, activate foci, or activate any preparations with the command trigger. Excessive use of flux starts to permanently affect the magician. Any use beyond (Magic) in hours in a twenty-four-hour hour period but less than twice (Magic) in hours, unattunes items (foci, fetishes, etc.), which then must be reattuned before they can be used again. Summoned and bound spirits are automatically dismissed. After twice (Magic) in hours, mystic links to items have a fifty percent chance to be permanently broken. This means that foci have to be rebound, magical group bonds have to be redone, etc. An aura in flux for more than eighteen hours in a twenty-four-hour period can cause more permanent problems. These problems are left up to the imagination the gamemaster, but not limited to permanent magic loss or negative magical qualities.
Absorption
- Source
- SR5:SG
Absorption allows the magician to siphon some of the mana away from a spell used against her. This includes triggered preparations and some ritual spells whose ritual includes the spell keyword. With an Interrupt Action, the magician rolls Magic + Counterspelling [Force], where the Force is equal to the spell the magician is defending against. Each success does two things:
- Reduces the Force of the spell by 1.
- Creates a “mana charge” in the magician’s aura that the magician can use. The magician can retain this mana charge for 1 + initiate grade Combat Turns and can only retain up to (Magic) in charges.
These temporary charges dissipate when the magician casts a spell. Each mana charge in the magician’s aura reduces the Drain Value of the spell he casts by 1 per charge (though the minimum Drain Value of 2 still applies), and then the mana charges are gone. The magician cannot divide the charges among different spells; all stored charges go toward the next spell he casts. If the magician absorbs a number of mana charges greater than the magician’s Magic rating, the magician suffers 1 box of Physical damage per mana charge (meaning all stored mana charge, not just the excess), and all stored charges immediately dissipate. Also, if the magician doesn’t cast a spell before the mana charges expire, the magician suffers Drain with a Drain Value equal to the remaining mana charges, as they dissipate on their own. The Drain may be resisted as normal.
- Prerequisite
- Shielding
- Absorption and the Spell Defense Pool
- If a magician maintains active spell defense while attempting the absorption technique, the number of hits scored on an absorption roll reduces her spell defense pool by that amount for the rest of that Combat Turn. Resisting damage and spell defense rules occur as normal.
Reflection
- Source
- SR5:SG
- Prerequisite
- Shielding
Reflection is an advanced understanding of shielding metamagic, allowing the magician to turn a defensive ability into an offensive action. If an astrally perceiving magician sees that he or those he’s protecting with spell defense are the target of a spell (and note that astral perception is a necessity, not just the knowledge that a spell is being cast), he can access three additional Interrupt Actions that can protect the group instead of using spell defense dice (p. 294, SR5). With each Interrupt Action, the magician uses up 1 die from the spell defense dice pool. If no more defensive dice remain, then the Interrupt Action cannot be taken. The three actions possible are: Reflect Spell, Deflect spell, and Greater Reflection.
Reflect Spell
- Source
- SR5:SG
- INTERRUPT ACTION
- (–7 INITIATIVE SCORE)
- Prerequisite
- Reflection
With this action, the magician can use Counterspelling + Magic [Astral] versus the caster’s Spellcasting Test. If the reflecting magician scores more hits than the caster, the spell is redirected at the caster at half the spell’s Force, and the original target takes no damage. The reflecting magician suffers Drain as if he had used a Reckless Spellcasting action to cast it (increasing the customary Drain by 3). This reflected spell only affects the caster, regardless of whether it was an area-effect spell. Treat the net hits in reflecting as spellcasting hits, as if the magician had actually cast it. This would add to any net hits from the original Spellcasting Test. If the magician does not get more hits than the caster, then the spell hits as if the magician didn’t attempt to defend against it.
Deflect Spell
- Source
- SR5:SG
- INTERRUPT ACTION
- (–5 INITIATIVE SCORE, –1 EDGE)
- Prerequisite
- Reflection
For any indirect spell targeting those the magician is protecting with spell defense, the magician makes a Counterspelling + Magic [Astral] Test against the opponent’s Spellcasting Test. Each net hit on the test adds one scatter die to the attack, and the gamemaster determines scatter (p.181, SR5). If the magician does not get more net hits than the caster, then the spell hits as if the magician didn’t attempt to defend against it.
Greater Reflection
- Source
- SR5:SG
- INTERRUPT ACTION
- (–10 INITIATIVE SCORE, –1 EDGE)
- Prerequisite
- Reflection
This works the same as Reflect Spell but with the option of either sending the spell’s full Force back at the caster or as the same version (i.e., if the reflected spell was an Area spell, then the area of effect would be centered on the caster). If the magician does not get more hits than the caster, then the spell hits as if the magician didn’t attempt to defend against it. Regardless of success, the magician attempting this action must resist Drain as if he cast the spell himself.
Anchoring
- Source
- SR5:SG
- Prerequisite
- Quickening
Anchoring metamagic is similar to alchemy but is tied to the foundation rules of a quickened spell. The quickened spell can be attached to a temporary astral construct. This anchor later releases the quickened spell based on a pre-specified trigger. A spell with any duration type can be anchored, and the spell can be triggered by any type of preparation trigger (p. 305, SR5), including the background count and Detection spell triggers (p. 219). The trigger’s conditions must be defined before the anchored spell is cast.
Once the trigger and its conditions are defined, the magician casts the spell into the anchor and records the number of hits for later reference. The magician must then resist Drain with the added Drain Value cost for the specific trigger.
Because the anchored spell is not tied to a physical lynchpin like an alchemical preparation, creating the spell’s anchor requires something a little extra from the magician. To complete the anchor, the magician pays Karma equal to the anchored spell’s Force. Anchored spells should be treated the same as quickened spells (p. 326, SR5) with regard to astral intersections (p. 316, SR5), astral combat, and dispelling attempts. Anchored spells retain the spellcaster’s astral signature and thus may be used for astral tracking (p. 315, SR5) or as a sympathetic link (p. 146).
When the trigger condition is met, the anchor collapses and the spell is released as if the magician just cast it, using the recorded hits achieved. Sustained spells will remain sustained in the same manner as quickened spells. Permanent spells will remain sustained until the effects become permanent, and then the spells end. An anchor may be designed with multiple triggers, if so desired. Triggers may be set to only activate if another trigger condition is met. For example, a contact trigger could be set to activate only when a Detection spell is activated first, so the anchor would be safe to touch until the Detection spell gets a hit. When using multiple triggers, add up all the Drain costs for all of the trigger conditions before casting the anchored spell.
At any given time, an initiate may have a maximum number of anchors active equal to her initiate grade. The magician can end one of her active anchors as a Free Action, letting the spell dissipate without effect.
See p. 219 for all available triggers.
Advanced Alchemy
- Source
- SR5:SG
- Prerequisite
- Fixation
With advanced alchemy, the magician can prepare magical compounds (p. 218) that can imbue the user with extraordinary powers … or curse them. The magician can also tailor more specific triggers with preparations (see Advanced Alchemy, p. 218).
Efficient Ritual
- Source
- SR5:SG
Why sacrifice a whole day standing over a bonfire when twelve hours could do? Magicians who advance their study into rituals can learn to complete a magical ritual faster. Reduce the time to complete a ritual by half for any ritual that the magician is the leader of. The cost of the time reduction is +2 to the Drain Value at the completion step the ritual (p. 296, SR5).
Greater Ritual
- Source
- SR5:SG
Greater ritual allows the magician to participate in a ritual without adding dice to it. Instead, the magician amplifies the ritual by adding her Magic rating to the ritual’s Force for determining its limit, size, and effect. This addition is not included in the completion step of the ritual (p. 296, SR5). The magician takes Drain as if she actively participated in the ritual. The magician can be the leader of the ritual and still use greater ritual metamagic, but this adds +2 to the Drain Value when the ritual completes.
Penetrating Spell
- Source
- SR5:SG
With this metamagic, the magician can choose to increase a Combat spell’s AP at a cost of reduced damage before casting the spell. Reduce the DV by 1 for every point of AP increased, up to the Force of the spell. Minimum damage is 1. Drain Value increases by 1 for every point of AP increased. For example, a Force 5 Fireball spell (normally with a DV of 5P and AP –5) is modified to have a DV of 3P and AP –7 before the spell is cast; since the AP was increased by 2, the normal Drain Value is then increased by 2. Net hits are then applied to either increase the Damage Value or reduce scatter, as normal (p. 283, SR5).
Cleansing
- Source
- SR5:SG
This technique allows the magician to temporarily reduce background count. Cleansing only affects positive background counts such as from a domain (p. 25) or aspected mana. The magician uses a Complex Action and makes an Opposed Test pitting Counterspelling + Magic + initiate grade [Astral] against a dice pool equal to the background count. Each net hit can either reduce the background count by 1 or extend the duration of a previously achieved background reduction by 1 Combat Turn. This background count reduction is temporary and only affects the cleansing magician for (Magic) Combat Turn(s). After the test, the magician suffers Drain with a Drain Value equal to the natural background count. If the background count exceeds the magician’s Magic, Drain is Physical. If the background count is greater than twice the magician’s Magic, then the magician cannot perform a cleansing action. This action can be done each Combat Turn to further reduce or extend the temporary background count reduction, but the magician suffers Drain equal to the natural background count prior to a second attempt to cleanse the same area.
Sensing
- Source
- SR5:SG
The magician can use the Observe in Detail action (p. 165, SR5) to learn details of the surrounding area—such as background count, how the background count is aspected, and if background count changes—without having to astrally perceive or project. The magician can also feel a negative background count based on mana ebbs and voids (p. 32) but is more sensitive to them: add +2 when determining the effect of background count. The magician cannot use this ability to sense astral forms, spells, mana barriers, spirits, or foci. Gamemasters may also give the character a chance to sense some unusual change nearby even if they are not actively using sensing; in this case, the gamemaster should make the Observe in Detail Perception Test in secret to not give anything away. This phenomenon includes noticing alchera (p. 29), mana storms, warps, or surges (p. 34).
Infusion
- Source
- SR5:SG
- ACTIVATION COST
- COMPLEX ACTION
- Prerequisite
- Adept Centering
When focused, an adept can pull energy from the cosmos and channel it into one of his existing powers. For each level of initiate grade, the adept can add 0.5 PP to an adept power. The total levels of a power enhanced this way cannot exceed the adept’s Magic rating. The enhancement will last for (Magic) Combat Turns. Once the power boost ends, the adept immediately suffers Stun damage from this stretch of qi. The Damage Value equals four times the total power point cost of the enhanced power (not just the power point boost). In addition to this damage, the adept suffers a temporary loss of a number of power points equal to the power point boost for (Magic) minutes. The gamemaster selects what powers are affected, and the adept should not know a power is inaccessible until he tries to use it.
Qi Sculpt
- Source
- SR5:SG
- ACTIVATION COST
- COMPLEX ACTION
- Prerequisite
- Adept Centering
An adept at peace with herself can adjust her qi like wet clay. Qi sculpt allows the adept to remove qi from one power and temporarily add it to another power in which they already have invested power points. For each level of initiate grade, the adept can shift 0.25 PP of one adept power to another power. The enhanced power cannot have more levels than the adept’s Magic rating. This shift of power lasts for (Magic) minutes. Once the shift ends, the adept suffers Stun damage with a Damage Value equal to the four times the power point boost.
Air Walking
- Source
- SR5:SG
- Prerequisite
- Light Body
The adept can briefly step on air as he would a stone. Add the adept’s initiate grade when calculating the maximum jumping distance (p. 134, SR5).
Supernatural Prowess
- Source
- SR5:SG
For any physical action, the adept can substitute a physical attribute for Magic + initiate grade for that test. If done during combat, the substitution affects all physical actions associated to that attribute within a Combat Turn. This metamagic cannot be combined with Attribute Boost. This can be done 1 + initiate grade times per day. Dice pools and Physical limits temporarily change with this action.
Pied Piper
- Source
- SR5:SG
The adept’s mastery of the artistic skill becomes an incredible work. His performance of the skill not only mesmerizes the audience, it attracts them. Those who see or hear the performance enter a mild trance. The adept can target a person or a group of people to do nothing else but experience the performance. The adept must have line of sight to the target(s). The adept makes an Opposed Test pitting Performance + Charisma[Magic] against Willpower + Charisma. If multiple individuals are targeted, use the largest dice pool among the defenders and add +1 die per additional target (maximum +5). If the test is successful, the target(s) follow the adept as he performs for (Charisma x10) minutes. Subjects entranced this way can still have the trance interrupted by significant distractions, such as loud noises or a hard shove.
Skin Artist
- Source
- SR5:SG
- Prerequisite
- Melanin Control
With this enhancement, an artist’s body is her own canvas. The adept possesses even finer control over her skin pigmentation, including formation of more colors (black, red, and blue) from her body. The adept can create a variety of tattoo markings anywhere on her body or change her whole skin tone to an unnatural hue.
Hot Qi
- Source
- SR5:SG
- Prerequisite
- Living Focus
As the adept burns out, he normally becomes unable to use some foci because his Magic rating is too low. With the hot qi technique, the adept can still use a qi focus, but he takes unresisted Stun damage equal to the difference between the focus’s Force and his Magic rating. If the Force of the focus exceeds twice the adept’s Magic rating, the damage is Physical. The focus’s Force cannot exceed 12.
Shadow Touch
- Source
- SR5:SG
- Prerequisite
- Traceless Walk
Adepts following the Invisible Way can learn to avoid leaving fingerprints on items they touch. This ability can also be used to avoid triggering alchemical preparations that use a contact trigger. The latter ability requires a successful Opposed Test between the adept’s Magic rating and the current Potency of the preparation.
Stillness Of The Void
- Source
- SR5:SG
An adept who meditates can steel his mind against Detection spells and ritual magic and become as nothing. To enter this state, the adept must remain still and concentrate only on managing his breathing for five minutes; he also cannot speak, gesture, or move. Performing any action, such as being moved or taking any damage, will break the adept’s concentration, and he will have to start again. While resisting Detection spells, add 1 + initiate grade to the Opposed test. Items in the adept’s possession are also resisted by the adept in this manner to prevent detection (e.g., a Detect Guns spell). Astrally tracking the adept also becomes difficult, adding 1 + initiate grade to the threshold of the Assensing Test for astral tracking (p. 315, SR5). The adept can stay in this mental state for eight hours.
Digital Celerity
- Source
- SR5:SG
- Prerequisite
- Nimble Fingers
This power allows the adept greater control in the palming or pickpocketing of an object and preventing anyone from noticing the act. This is true sleight of hand that mundane magicians attempt to attain. It imposes an additional –1 Perception modifier per initiate grade to anyone observing or being targeted by the adept.
Master Of The Nine Chakras
- Source
- SR5:SG
- Prerequisite
- Nerve Strike
The adept has a better understanding of how magic flows with a person’s vital energy. With this power, the adept can strike specific spots of energy concentration, causing a disruption of this flow and temporarily reducing the target’s Magic attribute. Refer to Nerve Strike (p. 173), but the attack reduces Magic instead. Magic lost this way has an effect similar to a background count, as the target accumulates dice pool penalties for casting spells or using Magical skills. If the subject’s Magic is reduced to 0, the target cannot use any magically related skill or adept power until the attribute recovers.
Domain Of The Spiritual
- Source
- SR5:SG
The background caused by domains of religious significance, such as churches, cemeteries, and so forth, doesn’t affect those on this path as much as other adepts. Reduce background count penalties by 1 + initiate grade if the background count is aspected toward a religion or spiritual significance.
Fae-touched
- Source
- SR5:SG
Those on this path gain a hauntingly beautiful appearance. An adept may pit his Magic + Intuition + initiate grade against the target’s Willpower + Intuition in an Opposed Test. If the opponent fails, then the target believes in an idealized mana-based illusion of the adept. The adept can then substitute Magic + initiate grade for Charisma for all Charisma tests against those who believe the illusion. If the Opposed Test was successful, the illusion lasts twenty-four hours. This can be done 1 + initiate grade times a day. Drain from each attempt equals the target’s hits in resisting the attempt (minimum 2).
Silver-tongued Devil
- Source
- SR5:SG
- Prerequisite
- Commanding Voice
An adept of the Speaker’s Way can create a longer-lasting impression on subjects when using Commanding Voice (p. 170). If the adept wins the Opposed Test, the target continues to carry out the action for one minute before realizing what they’re doing. The Silver-Tongued Devil’s verboseness makes it unusable in combat situations. This power comes at a price of mental stress. When using the power, the adept suffers Stun damage equal to the hits (not net hits) from the target’s Opposed Test. Damage is resisted by Body + Willpower.
Presence
- Source
- SR5:SG
The presence of a follower of the Speaker’s Way is very palpable, sometimes even visible, when the adept speaks. An adept with this metamagic can add her initiate grade in dice to all tests for one social skill, which is chosen when the metamagic is selected. The metamagic cannot be selected multiple times. The bonus also only applies when the adept is using her skill on others, not when she is resisting social skills of others.
Barrage
- Source
- SR5:SG
- Prerequisite
- Missile Mastery
A single improvised weapon in the hands of an adept is deadly; a handful is even worse. An adept mastering the Barrage technique can loose a handful of readied, improvised throwing weapons at a target(s). When making the throwing weapon attack, the adept can use the rules for narrow or medium spreads (p. 180, SR5). The adept must have either two or more throwing weapons or a gamemaster-approved handful of improvised weapons readied to use this technique.
Domain Of The Warrior
- Source
- SR5:SG
Those on this path are not as affected by the background taint of violence and war as other adepts. Reduce background count penalties by 1+ initiate grade if the background is aspected to violence and war.
Master Of Taijiquan
- Source
- SR5:SG
- Prerequisite
- Counterstrike
While people around the world practice taijiquan—a.k.a. t’ai chi—for its defense-training and health benefits, an adept mastering taijiquan flows like a river in combat, especially with multiple melee combatants. He uses the various attackers’ strengths to maneuver their strikes against each other. When the adept successfully blocks a melee attack from one attacker with Counterstrike, he may choose instead to redirect that attack against a second attacker. The second attacker would have to defend against the first attack with the number of hits equal to the adept’s Counterstrike test. The base Damage Value is equal to the melee attack from the first attacker. This mastery of kinetic energy only works in combat against multiple melee opponents. You can’t make an attacker hit himself, though you can taunt him with the promise to do so.
Improved Astral Form
- Source
- SR5:FA
A magician draws energy from their body to create the astral form, leaving their physical frame in a sleep-like state in the process. Those who take this technique have learned to draw more energy, putting their frame in a deeper slumber in exchange for more time away from it. This technique allows the magician to add their initiate level to the duration that they may remain projected. If this technique is used, the deep slumber means that it takes one minute for a magician’s body to wake up after the astral form rejoins it.
Astralnaut
- Source
- SR5:FA
- Prerequisite
- Improved Astral Form
By truly mastering the act of drawing energy from the physical frame, an astralnaut can drain so much that their body enters a coma, their physical processes slowing to a crawl. This allows the magician to greatly expand the duration of their astral jaunts, including metaplanar explorations. When using this technique, the magician’s allowed time in an astral form is measured in days, not hours. Due to the coma-like state, it requires twenty-four hours for the magician’s body to wake up once the astral form has rejoined it.
Harmonious Defense
- Source
- SR5:FA
- Prerequisite
- Way of Unified Mana (Hapsum-Do)
A character with harmonious defense has learned the ability to use their connection to magic to shield themselves and others from hostile magic. When the adept declares that they will use harmonious defense (a Free Action), they receive a dice pool equal to their Willpower + Magic + initiate grade, which can be used in the same fashion as spell defense dice from the Counterspelling skill. Note that whenever an adept uses harmonious defense, they automatically begin perceiving astrally.
Harmonious Reflection
- Source
- SR5:FA
- Prerequisite
- Way of Unified Mana (Hapsum-Do), Harmonious Defence
Harmonious reflection is the adept version of the reflection metamagic. Instead of using the Counterspelling Skill, however, the adept focuses their own magic and discipline to counter offensive magic.
If an adept using harmonious defense sees that they or those they’re protecting with spell defense are being targeted by a spell, they can use an Interrupt Action to protect the group instead. With each reflection, the adept uses up 1 die from the harmonious defense dice pool. If no more harmonious defense dice remain, then harmonious defense cannot be used. Using harmonious reflection is described below.
Harmonious Reflection
- Interrupt action (-5 initiative score)
With this action, the adept can use Willpower + Magic [Astral] versus the caster’s Spellcasting test. If the reflecting adept scores more hits than the spellcaster, the spell is redirected back at the caster at half the spell’s Force, and the original target takes no damage. The reflecting adept suffers drain as if they had used a Reckless Spellcasting action to cast it (increasing the customary drain by 3). This reflected spell only affects the caster, regardless of whether it was an area-effect spell or not. Treat the net hits in reflecting as Spellcasting hits, as if the adept were a magician and had actually cast it. This would add to any net hits from the original Spellcasting test. If the adept does not get more hits than the caster, then the spell hits as if the magician didn’t attempt to defend against it. If the adept instead takes –8 to their initiative score and uses 1 Edge, then the spell is reflected back at the caster at full strength, rather than half.
Noble Sacrifice
- Source
- SR5:FA
Superfcially similar to blood magic, the noble sacrifce metamagic is actually its opposite. The Awakened individual with noble sacrifice is convinced of the inherent goodness of risking harm to one’s self for the benefit of others. As such, when they are suffering on behalf of others, they become much more powerful than they would be otherwise. This metamagic requires the mage to take a Free Action to activate. Once activated, the mage designates a metahuman individual or individuals within X meters of themselves (where X is Magic Rating). When any of these individuals take damage, it applies instead to the magician, who may resist it normally, as if the damage was happening directly to them (before the designated individual(s) do their own resistance rolls). Their own stats, skills, and attributes are used to resist the damage. Every three boxes of Physical or Stun damage suffered by the magician in this way generate one Protection Magic Point that must be used before the end of the next Combat Turn. Protection Magic Points generated by noble sacrifice can be used in any of the following ways, in any combination:
• Increase the Force of a non-offensive spell or ritual being cast by one per point; this can exceed twice the caster’s Magic Rating. • Reduce the amount of drain a Health spell inflicts by one per point, to a minimum of 0. • Increase the Force of a summoned spirit by one per point.
Additionally, if the magician has not attacked an enemy this round, they receive +4 dice to Spellcasting, Counterspelling, and Ritual Spellcasting tests using Protection Magic Points.
Paradigm shift
- Source
- SR5:FA
Perhaps the single most interesting technique yet discovered, paradigm shift allows a magician to set aside their old tradition and choose a new one. Once chosen, this new tradition defnes their use of magic, and they lose all access to their old tradition. When the magician initiates again, they may choose paradigm shift as the new metamagic if they wish to change again.
Paradigm shift: Insect Shaman
Leaving their old tradition behind, the magician now follows the insect shaman tradition. This differs from a normal paradigm shift in two ways. The first is that the magician may never take another paradigm shift to leave this tradition. The second is that the insect patron gifts the magician with Karma equal to what it cost to initiate and take this technique. That’s so kind! You’d think that there’d be something in the fine print about paying the queen back with something else down the line, but maybe the queen assumed the candidate would be aware.
Paradigm shift: Toxic
This is less something you learn, more something you become. Any magician may turn toxic once given a good enough reason, or having been exposed to enough corrupted energy. On the downside, there is no known way for a toxic mage to leave this tradition behind and take a new paradigm. On the positive side, the act of going toxic gifts the magician with Karma equal to what it cost to initiate and take this technique. All it cost was their sanity...
Reckless Necro Conjuring
- Source
- SR5:FA
Unlike normal reckless conjuring (p. 192, Street Grimoire), reckless necro conjuring allows a necro mage to summon a spirit without a Necro Summoning ritual. When reckless necro conjuring is used, a necro mage summons a necro spirit in the same way a normal mage would summon a spirit, except the host needed for the spirit (see Necro Summoning Ritual, p. 52) is still required. Only one necro spirit can be summoned at a time in this fashion, and the mage must resist drain like a normal mage does when summoning a spirit, except the drain value is now equal to two times the hits (not net hits) on the spirit’s defense test, with a minimum drain value of 4. This metamagic only applies to summoning necro spirits.
Spirit Expansion: UMT
- Source
- SR5:FA
- Prerequisite
- Able to summon 5 types of spirit
One of the defining moments in Universal Magic Theory was when a group of shamans in Prague were able to call forth an elemental, previously the exclusive domain of hermetic magicians. It took some time to perfect the technique, but it has since been expanded. Each time that this technique is taken, the magician learns to summon one new type of spirit, chosen from air, earth, fire, water, beasts, man, guardian, guidance, plant, or task. As the new spirit is from outside the magician’s tradition, they do not slot into a spellcasting area, but may otherwise serve as normal for a spirit of their kind.
Spirit Expansion: Shedim
- Source
- SR5:FA
- Prerequisite
- Able to summon at least one type of spirit. Power must be learned from a master shedim that knows this metamagic.
With the closing of the DeeCee portal, the pathway for more shedim spirits to enter our world was lost. This meant that each one destroyed or banished was one less that would ever exist here. Realizing that extinction was the final result, several master shedim in Europe gathered together and crafted a technique not unlike that of insect shamans, allowing them to teach a metahuman to summon their kind. In exchange for serving a new master, the shedim would be allowed entry into this plane of existence and, like any spirit, would have a small chance of slipping free. These master shedim have been quietly teaching this technique in hopes of saving their kind. Most magicians who have seen it call it “necromancy,” conflating it with previously discovered necromantic traditions, an error that the shedim have seen no reason to correct. A shedim summoner may also summon a master shedim as a great form ritual.
Structured Spellcasting
- Source
- SR5:FA
This metamagic seeks to take the risk (and some reward) out of spellcasting by making it more tame and controlled. A mage with this metamagic may not use reckless spellcasting. Another effect of this metamagic is that in no case whatsoever may the mage ignore the limit on Spellcasting tests, even by using reagents or Edge. For giving up this freedom, the drain the mage suffers for casting spells is reduced by 1 (but always at least 1).
Tarot Summoning
- Source
- SR5:FA
- Prerequisite
- Tarot tradition
This metamagic may be taken up to five times. At the first level of Tarot Summoning, mages choose one suit of the tarot: blades, coins, batons, or cups. The mage can only summon spirits from this suit using tarot summoning (see Tarot Summoning sidebar, p. 93, SR5:Forbidden Arcana). If a card is drawn that is not of a suit chosen by the mage, no spirit is summoned (or a spirit is summoned but refuses to obey the mage, gamemaster’s discretion). Tarot mages may remove suits from their deck that they are unable to summon, but only entire suits, rather than individual cards of some suits.
For each additional time tarot summoning is chosen, the mage may select another suit that they are able to summon. When a tarot mage takes the fifth and final level of Tarot Summoning, they are then able to summon the Major Arcana.
Toxic Metamagic
Corruption
Corruption is a metamagic technique that allows a magician to twist a spirit into a toxic version of itself. This is done by making a standard Banishing Test (p. 301, SR5). The toxic magician may add his initiate grade as a dice pool bonus to the test. If the toxic magician succeeds in a Summoning Test after reducing the spirit’s services to 0, the spirit immediately turns into a toxic version of itself (see Toxic Spirits, p. 87).
Taint
Taint is a metamagic technique that increases the background count of an area. It uses all the same rules as Cleansing metamagic (see Cleansing, p. 122), with the sole exception of increasing the background count instead of decreasing it. In all other ways it follows the rules for Cleansing.
Blood Metamagic
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the metamagic technique that defines a magician as following the path of Blood. In essence, it is the ability to draw magical power from the act of inflicting harm on another living being, with sentient beings generating the most amount of power. Blood magic in all its forms is universally derided by other practitioners of magic. Sacrifice is an exclusive metamagic technique that can only be learned from another magician of the same tradition who already knows it, or from a spirit that knows it. It can never be self-taught.In order to use Sacrifice, the magician must inflict Physical damage on another living thing, using a melee weapon that draws blood. The drawing of living blood is the powerful symbol that generates raw magical power referred to as Blood Magic Points. To do this the magician makes a standard melee attack using the weapon. If the target is able to defend themselves they may do so, but if they cannot resist (due to being restrained, for example) then the attack is unopposed. Additionally, if the victim is restrained and unable to defend themselves, the magician receives a +4 dice pool bonus on their attack.While any living creature can be used, the magic is more powerful when harm is inflicted on sapient creatures, especially the unwilling. If damage is inflicted on a living creature without the Sapience power or the victim is willing (such as the magician themselves), then every 3 boxes of Physical damage inflicted generates one Blood Magic Point. If damage is inflicted on a Sapient critter or unwilling metahuman victim, then every 1 box of Physical damage generates one Blood Magic Point. Spirits can never be used as victims, even if they possess a living body.
If not used, Blood Magic Points are lost after the following Combat Turn. Blood Magic Points generated by the act of Sacrifice can then be used in any of the following ways, in any combination:
- Increase the Force of a spell being cast by one per Point; this can exceed twice the caster’s Magic Rating.
- Increase the caster’s Magic Rating for the purposes of determining if the spell’s drain is Physical or Stun, by one per Point.
- Reduce the amount of Drain the spell inflicts by one per Point, to a minimum of 0.
- Store any number of Points in an athame focus (see Athame, p. 90).
- Summon a Blood Spirit (see Blood Spirits, p. 91).
Cannibalize
(ADEPTS ONLY)
Adepts and mystic adepts who follow the path of blood may learn a unique metamagic technique related to Sacrifice. When using Cannibalize, the adept draws blood from a victim and then consumes it to gain a measure of power. In game terms, the adept inflicts physical damage on a willing or unwilling victim exactly as per the Sacrifice metamagic to generate Blood Magic Points. The adept can then increase a physical attribute by 1 for every 3 Blood Magic Points they spend, up to the individual’s augmented maximum in that attribute. The same or different attributes may be increased in any combination with one Simple Action. This increase lasts (Magic x initiate grade) Combat Turns, but if the adept immediately spends Karma equal to the total number of attribute points increased, the duration is increased to (Magic x initiate grade) days.
Power Bleed
(ADEPTS ONLY)
Prerequisite: Cannibalize
Power Bleed is an advanced metamagic technique that builds upon the Cannibalize power. Power Bleed functions the same as Cannibalize, except that instead of generating 3 Blood Magic Points, the adept can siphon one critter or adept power possessed by the victim (if they have one), and may then use this power as if it were their own. The effect lasts for (Magic x initiate grade) Combat Turns, but the adept may immediately spend 3 Karma to extend the duration to (Magic x initiate grade) days.
