Granted, Entropy 4 can just give someone a disease, so Jesse is overcomplicating the matter and I really don’t think this oculd be anything but Vulgar Magic, but…
I’d argue you need correspondence to cast it to a place you can’t see, but that’s just how I run it, every table is different.
Having run both MTAs and MTAw, I prefer not having so many spheres to achieve a relatively simple goal. Like in this case, you are looking to use three spheres at reasonably high ratings to just remove a guard. In MTAw you could use any one Arcana at 3 or 4 to accomplish the same task.
Time 4: The guard is transported a day into the future.
Forces 2: Render your group invisible and soundless.
Life 4: The guard is turned into a rat or whatever.
Mind 2: The guard forgets the group was there, or any higher rank to just mind control the guard in various ways (MTAs can also do this with the single sphere)
Prime 4: The guard is forced to look into the Supernal and his eyes are burned out in the process. Dick move.
Space 4: The guard is teleported away.
Spirit 4: Chuck the guard across the gauntlet.
And if you just want to kill or incapacitate the guard any single Arcana can do that at 3 (bashing) or 4 (lethal) all by itself.
I really like Awakening but it’s hard to find players for it.
I had a group for about six months once, and it was pretty good. Except one player just never learned the rules, and refused to read clues. Like they found a clue on site that was like 10 sentences and she was like “I’m not reading all that”.
It takes a level of buy-in from players that is hard to get. I couldn’t run it at my table for years due to having a few players for whom the magic system and general focus on esotericism were RPG kryptonite. The main thing I have noticed is that the game changes pretty dramatically at Gnosis 3, so I establish at the start that the entire cabal has to go from 2->3 at the same time.
I had to stop due to some IRL stuff, but I am hoping to start a new campaign soon or I might try running Mummy: The Curse since I find it really interesting.
TBF, this is clearly an intern-level slinger gettin’ sweaty and blithely careening toward oblivion at record speed. I give 'em two sessions tops before they’re rolling up a new character. 🤣
Ehat is mta?
World of Darkness is a setting that includes Mage: The Ascension which OP is referencing. (MTAs)
The same publisher released a later gameline now referred to as Chronicles of Darkness which includes Mage: The Awakening (MTAw) with a similar dynamic magic system.
I was in a band called Vulgar Magic. We were dreadful but charming.
I don’t pressume I could listen to your songs anywhere?
Nah, that’s the drawback of bands invented for a joke: no music to listen to 🤷
Cuts down on practice time, though…
Had a similar argument someone wanting to use heat metal to make and impromptu fireball using metal powder, I don’t think any one agreed with the guy that it wasn’t pushing things a bit too hard
Hey, now. I feel attacked. 🤣🤌🏼
If you can change water into air:
- Get target bleeding.
- Focus on the visible blood.
- Change the water in that blood, and up to all of the water in the blood of the target to air.
Step 1 has prereqs beyond the capacity of this noob mage, and Step 2’d more likely result in them tipping into the bottomless well within. 😅
Use the Catapult spell to throw one of the following: A javelin at a target 3d8 bludgeoning plus, if you can try to get the DM to let you roll a d20 to see if the pointy end stuck in for an extra d6 piercing. At level 3, upcast this and launch a greatsword instead for an extra 2d6 and likely destroying the sword.
If the DM is being a stickler: Get someone in the group to roll 2 levels of Artificer(potentially you as the wizard) get the alchemy jug infusion at level 2. Every day, provided the gang doesn’t find out it can make a lot of wine or beer, you can make two vials of acid. Sell one per day to recoup cost of empty vials. Catapult vial at target, 3d8 bludgeoning and 2d6 acid on hit.
If your entire concept relies on the graces of the DM, it isn’t a good concept.
A DM could let a level 1 wizard cast meteor strike if they wanted, nothing can stop them.
NGL, as a forever-GM, I take personal pride in “allowing” all sorts of shenanigans at char gen & beyond with a gentle disclaimer toward balance (see: prev. post re: red=fireproof scarf) like a sort of karmic layaway. Nothing stopping the bright-eyed folk hero fresh outta the noob fields from inheriting a Holy Avenger… when said blade is secretly a storied artifact named in the obscure scripture of a rising cult power, et al. 🤷🏼♂️
Yes, definitely.
The OP-ness of your players doesn’t matter, as long as they are all equally OP in their own way.
You can always just use higher CR creatures.
Heh. Oh penis.
dammit, Laura Bailey! Every time!
The real way is you pull it off after a melee has attacked the thing with something.
But crazy catapult shenanigans is more fun. Also, the 2nd method to get them bleeding. with the acid vials is absolutely RAW. 1.Free action to place a vial, or bundle of vials on the ground.
2. Use catapult on it. 3. Catapult does damage to the thing it hits and to the thing doing the hitting, which destroys the vial(s), releasing the acid for that damage.Catapult already does a specific amount of damage.
Any extra damage is by the grace of the DM. They could just say no, and there is nothing in the rules that could help you.
It is like trying to do damage with a cantrip that specifically says it can’t do damage.
I’m so sorry that you lost your creativity. I hooe you find it again in the future.
Nothing about my argument goes against creativity.
It just goes against players who think they can outsmart a DM by rules lawyering. Especially by some “hack” they found online that could “totally do OP damage and is completely RAW”.
In fact, it being at the grace of the DM is actually more creative, since you aren’t bound by rules.
And to top my argument off, the most important rule in the DMs guide is the first one: Page 4 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide:
The D&D rules help you and the other players have a good time, but the rules aren’t in charge. You’re the DM, and you are in charge of the game.
I need that meme where in one pane, the gymnast is like flipping over spikes and flames and stuff. Label that one “being creative in D&D”. The other pane is the gymnast just walking across the mat. Label that one “Games that support creativity” or something.
