Vulgar Magery

Self-initiated mana shaping, if one doesn't kill themselves learning it, is at once more flexible and less refined than that of the schools. On the one hand, the vulgar mage can purchase any catalyst at any level and gain command of any one reagent per level, leading to a fully customized array of abilities that perfectly suit the needs and personality of the individual caster. On the other hand, without the ability to draw upon millenia of dedicated study and the experiences of the countless mages who have come before, the vulgar mage may never gain a capstone ability and gains only half of the power per level that a schooled magic user does. On the other, other hand, vulgar mages effectively learn catalysts as alternative applications of the same power and may cast any purchased method as a single action as easily as by ritual, save for those that may be only cast by ritual.

Rituals take one hour per catalyst involved to cast. Other individuals may assist by chanting, joining hands, donating blood, or all three, adding +1 to the vulgar mages' magic roll for each successful roll to assist. Each failed roll adds 50% to casting time or causes the ritual to fail completely, lead mage's choice.

Apprentice

Possession of level one methods makes a character an Apprentice. Apprentices of vulgar magery receive +1 to any roll involving the use of magic. They may only employ one method at a time.

Range

Action

Apprentices may affect themselves or a single target they can see in their own zone.

Ritual

Using ritual casting, a vulgar mage may affect any or all targets they can perceive in their own zone and every adjacent zone.

Adept

Those who have learned level two methods are Adepts. Adept vulgar mages have +2 to any roll involving the use of magic. They may combine two methods to produce a much greater variety of effects.

Range

Action

Adepts may target as an Apprentice, above, and may additionally affect their entire zone or any number of targets they can perceive within it, or a single target they can perceive up to three zones away.

Ritual

Master

Attaining a third level rote denotes the skill of a Master. Master vulgar mages receive a total of +3 to their magic-related rolls in their school. They may combine up to three methods in a single incantation.

Range

Action

Masters may target as adepts and apprentices, above, and may also affect an entire zone up to three zones away or a single target they can perceive up to five zones away.

Ritual

Masters of the Art are capable, with enough preparation, of affecting an area equal to five square kilometers (about two square miles) from a distance of five kilometers to the epicenter. That would be a circle with an approximate diameter of 2.5 kilometers, covering an area from Midtown Manhattan to Union Square. One might think of this as cursing an entire county.