Rotes & Procedures

Generally, a mage can keep track of one set of perceptions at a time. A single Effect can combine several different perceptions (say, like using a conjunctional Entropy/ Life Effect in order to spot a potential disease) without complications.

If, however, the mage tries to pile on additional sensory Effects at once, those perceptions will probably get muddled. In game terms, each Rank 1 Sphere Effect in play adds a +1 difficulty to that character’s Perception-based rolls (+1 for one Effect, +2 for two Effects, and so on), assuming that the character’s trying to run more than one Effect at a time. If, for instance, Kyle tries to scan an area with his Correspondence, there’s no penalty. If he tries to scan with Correspondence while also adding new Effects to scan for Life, Prime and Time, however, then he adds +4 to his Perception rolls due to sensory overload.

Enhanced perceptions could also make your character vulnerable to overwhelming sensory input. Jinx, for example, would probably score a pretty nasty headache if she boosted her hearing and tactile perceptions during a riot. The exact effects of sensory overload fall under the Storyteller’s discretion, but could range from increased difficulties (as above) to sudden blindness, deafness, or panic if the mage gets nailed with more sensations than she can process at once.

“Man, you can’t do ANYTHING with Rank 1 Spheres!” That’s not even remotely true. Although those enhanced perceptions lack the devastating power of higher-level Effects, the ability to perceive things that few mortals even understand – and thus, to be able to exploit opportunities that usually escape notice – can be an incredible advantage for a clever mage.

As each of the Sphere entries reveal, the first step toward learning a new set of reality-principles involves perceiving them on a metaphysical level. Entropy teaches a person to see probabilities and flaws; Matter lets her notice the underlying structure of inert objects. Time-sense helps you get a handle on the slippery passage of temporal flow, while Life-sense shows the current state of health in the living things around you. On their own, each of these perceptions can present a formidable edge; imagine being able to spot a lie (Entropy or Mind), Resonance (Prime), or that person sneaking up behind you (Correspondence). Combined, however, these “simple” perceptions bestow a wide range of potential insights.

Game-wise, a Rank 1 Effect allows the character to “turn on” a sense beyond the human range. Unless she’s obviously seeing through a wall or something like that, this sort of thing is almost always