“Magic is a fickle dance of power and consequence. One must master its steps, for in its capricious embrace lies both our salvation and peril.”

The Mage, a master of arcane arts, wields the power of myriad spells, capable of bending reality to their will. Yet, with great potential comes the need for meticulous preparation, as they must carefully select and enhance their spells to navigate the intricate dance between knowledge and casting.

No other caster has such flexibility as the Mage. Beyond their massive selection of spells, there is also the fact that they tend to tinker with their spells, increasing the flexibility of the spells that they know. They are students of the arcane arts, theorists as well as practitioners.

Magic is not just fickle; it is also subtle. Mages are not the sort of spellcasters who throw fireballs or call down lightning from the heavens. Their powers are more insidious: They can cloud the minds of their targets, cause them to see friend as foe, create hallucinations, see beyond sight, and even bind others from harm—or from causing harm. Their role is to sow chaos among their opponents, not to destroy them outright.

When you select Mage as your class, increase your Education score by +1. Obviously, a broad education is needed to learn magic. Then choose one of the following spell foci: Amulet, Orb or Wand. This choice will grant you an improvement to one of your attributes as well.

Increase your maximum stamina by ten, plus five times your Body score. Your recoveries are equal to four plus your Body score.

The Mage receives no training in weapons or shields by default. You receive one training rank in both Arcana and Lore. You may choose two specialties for Lore. Choose three additional skills, plus a number equal to your Education score, from the following list: Crafting, Deception, Diplomacy, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Religion, Sleight of Hand, Society. You receive one training rank in each of the selected skills.

Add your level to your Charisma and Education defences.

While the Mage is typically not very good in melee combat, they can employ their magics to attack a foe at range.

Melee: Skill vs Agility.

• Hit: 2[W] + Body.
• Miss: 1[W] + Body.

Ranged: Skill vs Agility.

• Hit: 2[W] + Dexterity.
• Miss: 1[W] + Dexterity.

The Mage also gains the ability to cast a magical attack, called a Cantrip, as a basic attack. Damage type for the Cantrip is determined by their choice of focus. If you don't have focus training (because you chose Mage as your Hybrid class), your Cantrip inflicts Blunt damage.

Cantrip: 3 seconds, Arcana vs Agility.

• Hit: 2d6. This increases to 3d6 at Level 3, and 4d6 at Level 5.
• Miss: 1d6.

The Mage is, of course, centered around their ability to cast spells. Your spellcasting skill is Arcana.

Choose six Power 1 spells from the Arcane Tradition, and add them to the list of spells that you know. Unlike other casters, you do not always have access to all of your spells. You must Prepare Spells at the start of each day. By default, a Mage can prepare two spells of each Power that they can cast, plus additional spells whose total Power does not exceed their Education score.

Your spells are powered by Æther. At the beginning of every encounter, you will have Æther equal to your current Victories plus your level. Once per round, you may take a one-second action to draw Æther from the environment. The maximum amount of Æther you can store is equal to your Level plus your Education score.

Remaining Æther is lost at the end of the encounter.

As the Mage studies and develops their art, they tend to gravitate towards one of three different spell foci: amulets, orbs and wands. While this denotes an affinity for certain types of magic, it does not denote a preference towards them, and many Mages choose to study a broader range of spells than their focus would indicate.

You do not require your focus to Cast a Spell, but you've trained to use it, and will suffer slight on any roll associated with Casting a Spell if you do not have it in hand. Similarly, if the spell requires a saving throw of its targets, those targets will have favour on their saving throw if you do not have your focus in hand.

Your focus also tends to store small amounts of Æther. It is your focus that allows you to add your level to your starting Æther at the beginning of each encounter.

Choose one of the three following foci. You are trained in the use of the chosen focus, so the hand holding the focus is considered to be free for purposes of Casting a Spell.

Mages who have a proclivity for enchantments and illusions will be drawn to the amulet as their focus. Though it must be in hand to Cast a Spell, releasing the amulet is a free action, and it will fall to the caster's chest, instead of being dropped, making it only a one-second action to retrieve.

The Colleges of Magic associated with the amulet are Charms and Glamerie. When you select the amulet, increase your Charisma by +1. Your Cantrip basic attack inflicts Mental damage.

The orb you wield grants you dominion over both arcane sight and protective magic. With practiced ease, you weave spells that pierce the veil of reality and erect shimmering wards against magical assaults.

The Colleges of Magic associated with the orb are Divination and Wards. When you select the orb, increase your Foresight by +1. Your Cantrip basic attack inflicts Vital damage, bypassing all Resistance and Damage Reduction.

No slender baton, the Wand is a thick rod of hardwood. Whether manipulating the world around you through jinxes and curses, or shaping the ephemeral with a creative flourish, this wand allows you to leave your mark on the world, both subtle and strange.

The Colleges of Magic associated with the wand are Creation and Jinxes. When you select the wand, increase your Dexterity by +1. Your Cantrip basic attack inflicts Force damage. You may employ the wand as though it were a Light one-handed melee weapon using the Blunt Weapons skill, inflicting d6 Blunt damage.

If you select Mage as a Hybrid Class, you gain their Spellcasting feature, but you do not select or become trained in a magical focus. They also gain the Cantrip basic attack. Choose either Mental damage or Force damage for your Cantrip. Once chosen, you cannot change the damage type.

When you select Mage as your class, you automatically gain the Spell Research feature. You may also choose one other Mage Heroic feature and add it to your character.

Æther Attunement
Arcane Universalist
Expanded Spell List
Magical Specialist
Quick Casting
Spell Research

Arcane Flexibility
Empowered Magics
Signature Spell
Spell Augmentation
Spell Reserve

Empowered Cantrip
Illusionist's Insight
Wand Mastery
Wizard's Eye

Golem Crafter
Improved Signature Spell
Sustain Spell

Amulet of Sovereignty
Orb of Celestial Insight
Wand of Arcane Mastery
Wellspring of Æther