Magic Skill Reviews

Skills

• Magic is a unique and powerful skill in ST. By virtue of that power, mages are unable to choose magic as a fast track skill and must have a thread reviewer approve their reward as applicable to the magic skill. For novice to competent mages, the use of magic in a thread should always merit them full use of their exp in magic points. Use your best judgement when determining if the amount of magic used necessitates them growing towards a new understanding in a skill. A Competent Becomer who uses a simple Echo rather than any full body transformations for a single post may not have used enough magic to progress in their skills.

• For expert to master, the expectation changes. Here are mages that are quite competent in their craft. Simple uses of their magic well below their capability should not merit full experience. If you are unsure, speak to a member of staff or go with whatever you feel is the best decision. The purpose of this guide is not to restrict mages from developing, but simply from showing a story where a mage only uses simple techniques and somehow becomes a master of their craft.

• Examine whether a mage has his corruptions and changes clearly labeled on his character sheet. If the mage does not have appropriate Brands/Mutations/Awakenings for their level of magic, withhold a grade until it is corrected.

• When in doubt but don't want to escalate a grade, speak with the player. They should know the magic they're using and can point out where they believe they've used their powers in accordance with the lore.

• Remember, if a mage is Revealed in a magic they are using, they can only be granted lore...but none of their exp can increase an already maxed magic

• In addition, remember that each Spark is different. If an Expert Becomer used a flurry of novice and competent techniques in their thread and only mentioned using Attunement once, perhaps you might consider that the easy uses of magic at a level lower than their spark would not necessitate a growth in becoming and the limited use of Attunement would not necessitate that advancing either. When you award magic exp for a thread, be sure to mark WHICH magic they can advance. You cannot grow your Abrogation spark from a thread where you only used Defiance.

Knowledges

• Work with your player on this. New techniques should face some study, trial and error. If someone is using a new technique in a thread without the knowledge for it and are using it perfectly on the first try, do not be afraid to point that out, slap them with some overstepping and withholding Knowledge of that technique for that thread until they more adequately show that development in another. Defer to your best judgement and when in doubt, don't be afraid to reach out.

Overstepping

• Overstepping is when a mage extends past their limits. Taxing use of magic can often cause these consequences. In each magical article there are suggested overstepping penalties divided into three categories. Light, Moderate, and Heavy. Usually you will know when Heavy consequences are necessary, as will the player. In deciding whether overstepping applies, first decide if you believe their use of magic was too liberal or even too showy for the techniques they have. Again, best judgement is appropriate here, but consider the level of the magic they are and be sure to consider if they have used multiple magics in the same thread.

• Overstepping is not a cut and dry element. It is intended to create unique challenges for mages to overcome in future threads. Most light overstepping can be handled between threads but moderate and heavy overstepping is expected to play out in a thread at some point in time. Due to the fluid nature of time during a season, a player may be allowed to defer their penalty to another season or a far later thread depending on continuity issues. Overstepping is not meant to punish a player, simply challenge them and some players will elect to overstep themselves in their own thread. Overstepping is a natural part of being a mage and happens quite often, don't feel unnerved if you think it should be handed out and feel free to get creative with it, using the overstepping in the magic article as your guide.

Credit

Credit to Plague