Magic has been a staple of TTRPGs since their inception with the first edition of Dungeons & Dragons. The very name Dungeons and Dragons suggests a fusion between medieval tactical tabletop wargaming and magical narrative elements drawn from the realm of myth and legend. In particular, I have always had a fondness for stories that feature powerful mages imposing their will on reality through incomprehensible (to the uninitiated) arcane arts. Even in TTRPGs of genres other than fantasy, magic is often represented in the guise of psionic ability, hyper-advanced technology, or some similar analog appropriate to the genre. In fantasy TTRPGs, such as D&D, I am often struck by how often magic is depicted as analogous to real world science. For example, in D&D magic draws upon the weave; a metaphysical force/ object that permeates the known multiverse. Whether through intense study, natural talent, or the intercession of superhuman intelligences, spells act as technologies that may be utilized to manipulate the weave to produce a desired effect. Spells reliably produce the intended effect so long as the appropriate components and procedures are observed. In this way we might define magic in D&D as the science (or as the branch of natural philosophy to use the parlance of a bygone age) of the workings of the weave. Some TTRPGs, such as Numenera, intentionally blur the lines between magic and science by invoking Arthur C. Clark’s third law that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. While this makes a lot of sense in the context of a TTRPG that requires consistent game mechanics, I can’t help but feel a bit unsatisfied by the magic as science analogue approach to magic. To my mind, magic is not quite so mechanical as that; it is more art than science. As it happens, there is a TTRPG that manages to capture the inherent mystery of magic and the mages that wield it: Mage: The Awakening 2e.
Mages in the Fallen World
Mage: The Awakening 2e is one of several horror/ dark fantasy TTRPGs set in the shared universe of Onyx Path Publishing’s Chronicles of Darkness gamelines. MtA explores mortal magic and the impact it has on those unique individuals capable of harnessing it. If you have read any of the other gamelines in the CoD, you might get the impression that humans exist merely to serve as prey for the monsters in their midst. Nothing could be further from the truth. Godlike knowledge and power are the birthrights of humanity, yet very few are aware of their inherent potential. Fewer still are those who awaken to their potential and possess the will to realize it. Those select few are mages. These remarkable individuals have broken free of the Sleeping Curse that keeps their fellow humans ignorant of their own nature and the true nature of reality itself. They have journeyed to the Supernal Realms and touched the transcendent, and in doing so, have enflamed their being with the celestial fire, only to bring that fire back with them to illuminate the Fallen World with its light. Theirs is the power of magic; the power to impose Supernal Truth upon a world of lies and reshape reality in accordance with their will.
While the awesome power of magic is theirs to command, mages must tread lightly and work their magic discreetly around the unawakened sleepers that surround them, lest they rouse the shard of the Abyss embedded in the souls of their cursed fellows and open the door to madness and unreality. It was not always this way. There was a Time Before when the world was whole and the mortal realm existed in harmonious concordance with the Supernal World from which all reality is informed. In the Time Before, the Awakened led humanity in the creation of a glorious civilization. This was the golden age of humanity; a time of wills and wonders, the likes of which have not been seen before or since. This golden age was not to last. The actions of the Awakened in the Time Before caused a great cataclysm that forever changed the nature of reality. Some say that some of the Awakened found a way to shed their mortality to become living Supernal symbols; beings of pure magic whose ascension broke the world. Others say that the Exarchs, sapient Supernal symbols of tyranny, manipulated the Awakened into a great war that caused the sundering of reality. Whatever the reason, the mortal world was riven from the Supernal World leaving an Abyss between the two. As a consequence of the great cataclysm, the Time Before not only ceased to be, it ceased to have ever been.
The Abyss is a great metaphysical rift between the Supernal and Fallen Worlds that is home to stillborn universes containing impossible beings born of madness and unreality. Within the Abyss abide all things that cannot and should not be. Within the Fallen World, all of reality is in some sense distorted by the Abyss. Reality is still informed by symbols of the Supernal World that emanate from across the Abyss, but these emanations are changed by their transmission through the Abyss, twisting Supernal Truth into the Lie. As the Fallen World embodies Supernal symbols distorted by the Abyss, all things in the Fallen world too are twisted by the Abyss’ corrupting influence. The unawakened masses of humanity carry within their souls a shard of the Abyss which blinds them to the mysteries and to their own potential. This Quiescence (as mages call this shard of the Abyss) causes intrusions from the Abyss into the Fallen World when the unawakened are exposed to undiluted Supernal Truth in the form of Awakened magic. Intrusion from the Abyss into the Fallen World takes the form of Paradox; an anomalous occurrence that results in detrimental effects to reality or even to the mage herself. It is for this reason that mages go about their business in secret, forming hidden societies far from the prying eyes of their unawakened brethren and the Sleeping Curse that imprisons them within the Lie.
Ars Mysteriorum
While the necessary and sufficient conditions for an individual to break free of the Sleeping Curse and awaken are endlessly debated within mage circles, the methods of reshaping reality with magic are largely agreed upon. Mages of the Pentacle (a coalition of mages that oppose the Exarchs and the Abyss) have codified the study of magic into ten Arcana, or schools of magic. Each Arcanum represents a fundamental aspect of reality that can be understood and manipulated through the art of magic. The ten Arcana are Death, Fate, Forces, Life, Matter, Mind, Prime, Space, Spirit, and Time. Each Arcanum falls under the purview of one of the Supernal Realms (fundamental aspects of the Supernal World.) Fate and Time belong to the realm of Arcadia, Mind and Space to Pandemonium, Death and Matter to Stygia, Prime and Forces to Aether, and finally, Life and Spirit to the Primal Wild. Mages have an affinity for certain Arcana based on their Path. Paths represent the symbolic and mystic lens through which a mage views reality, and is contingent upon the Supernal Realm she has aligned herself with during her awakening. The witches of the Acanthus Path are aligned with Arcadia, the warlocks of the Mastigos Path with Pandemonium, the alchemists of the Moros Path with Stygia, the thaumaturges of the Obrimos Path with Aether, and the shamans of the Thyrsus Path with the Primal Wild. A mage’s Path influences not only how she sees the world, but also the symbols and motifs she draws upon to work her magic, as well as contextualizing her journey toward ascension; the stripping away of mortality to reunite with the Supernal World as a being of pure magic.
Magic in Mage: The Awakening 2e is unlike magic in most other TTRPGs. There are no set lists of spells that the mage must study or memorize in order to work wonders with the Art. Rather, each Arcanum has five levels of mastery that determine what a mage is broadly capable of within the sphere of that Arcanum: initiate, apprentice, disciple, adept, and master. Each level of mastery entails specific practices that allow for the manipulation of the aspect of reality described by a particular Arcanum in specific ways. If magic is an art analogous to painting, then the Arcana represent the color palette, while practices represent the techniques used to create a finished painting. Furthermore, multiple colors can be combined to create a finished painting. Many spells combine effects from more than one Arcanum. While there are rote spells that are roughly analogous to the fixed spells of D&D, most of the magic in MtA is improvised. Improvised magic is more difficult to cast, however, this difficulty can be mitigated somewhat by employing foci and magical tools. Of course, there is always an inherent risk in using awakened magic. Failure during the casting process (usually caused by trying to cast a spell beyond one’s the reach of one’s abilities or using magic in front of sleepers) can create an intrusion of the Abyss into the Fallen World in the form of Paradox. Paradox can corrupt a mage’s magic, create hazardous environmental effects, or even summon an Abyssal entity into the Fallen World. For these reasons, a prudent mage will approach spellcasting with caution.
John Constantine meets Dr. Strange
At this point, you may be wondering what mages actually do with the power of magic at their disposal. For the most part, mages seek to advance their understanding of magic by investigating mysteries in the Fallen World. The awakening yields a degree of awareness unknown to the sleeping masses. Mages perceive hidden forces at work in the Fallen World and are driven to understand them. To a mage, every bit of understanding brings them closer to ascension. The Fallen World is a mysterious place and provides innumerable opportunities for a mage to expand her knowledge and deepen her understanding. Some mysteries owe their origins to Supernal or Abyssal phenomena while some mysteries are born solely within the Fallen World itself. A mage may find herself seeking to understand why a particular physics textbook warps the laws of physics in its vicinity, only to find out that the text book is an Abyssal artifact. Alternatively, the mage may be investigating the properties of vampire blood, bringing her into conflict with the local vampire populace. The mage’s addiction to mystery supplies endless story hooks and because mages share the Fallen World with numerous supernatural denizens, crossover campaigns that include multiple CoD gamelines are easy to justify.
In addition to pursuing the mysteries, mages are charged with securing the Fallen World from incursions from the Abyss. To this end, mages have incorporated themselves into a coalition of magical sects called the Pentacle. The mages of the Pentacle aid each other in the pursuit of their understanding of magic and mysteries, and serve as a unified front against a plethora of supernatural threats. Mad mages tainted by the Abyss, Abyssal artifacts, and Abyssal entities such as the godlike Annunaki (think Dormammu from Dr. Strange) are ever-present threats to the Fallen World and mages are uniquely suited to deal with them. In addition to Abyssal threats, servants of the Exarchs seek to reinforce the Lie and ensure the unawakened masses remain subject to the Sleeping Curse. Foremost among the Exarchs’ servants are the Seers of the Throne, a group of mages who enforce the Exarchs’ will in the Fallen World in exchange for wealth, status, and power. The Seers of the Throne are the primary adversaries of Pentacle mages, with whom they have engaged in bitter conflict throughout history. Between the sheer number of mysteries to solve and supernatural threats to neutralize, mages have plenty to keep them occupied.
Closing Words
Magic in Mage: The Awakening 2e is exactly what I am looking for in fantasy fiction about wizards and sorcerers. Magic in MtA is portrayed as an art rather than a science. The mages of MtA are both occult investigators obsessed with unraveling the mysteries of the unseen world and mystic defenders of reality against supernatural threats from beyond. Maybe it’s because I read way too many Dr. Strange and Hellblazer comics growing up, but it is my opinion that other games cannot hold a candle to the magic and mages of MtA. I do not say this lightly. In addition to being a distillation of my own imaginings about magic and spellcasters, Mage: The Awakening 2e is beautifully written and is, in my estimation, one of the best TTRPGs on the market. If the brief description I have provided in this article piques your interest, I highly recommend that you give Mage: The Awakening 2e a look.
Until next time, happy gaming!