Adept

Magic is a significant aspect of most fantasy settings. Some have a single type of magic, some have several, but implementing them is a major part of what defines the world of the game. Remember, these are just Roles — what makes them interesting is the narrative you attach! You can pick any one of these as the sole magic of your world, or include several versions of each…or none at all if you prefer. The special mechanics will be discussed later in the section on Magick!

"I am the flame, the very essence of the furnace in flesh and will!"

An Adept doesn't "study" magic, they are the magic, manifest in mortal form — or at least that's how it feels to them. Where Spellweavers meticulously prepare and Conjurors negotiate, Adepts reshape reality through pure innate will and talent. Each has a connection to something primal — raw fire, deep earth, wild storms, fae glamour, a beast's soul, shadow and void… or stranger things.

An Adept's Source, their theme, isn't merely what they do — it's what they are. Pyromancers don't just wield flame; they live in terms of consumption, transformation, and brilliant intensity. Aeromancers don't "control" winds, they breathe freedom, movement, and the space between things. Their power is their essential nature.

This primal nature usually manifests as a Hook. The storm-touched are volatile and impetuous, lycanthropes seethe with barely-contained passions, and Shadow Adepts shun the light. These aren't weaknesses — they're the price and proof of power.

The Intuitive Path

Unlike other supernatural practitioners, Adepts work purely through instinct and emotion. There are no formulae or otherworldly entities. They just do. Warriors know more about how they swing a sword than Adepts understand the methods of their Arts. This makes them simultaneously the most flexible and the most limited of magical practitioners. An Adept can attempt virtually anything that fits their Source's theme, but they have to build the strength to match the task.

Every Adept has a Source — a theme for their magic. If a player wants to take up Adept magic after character creation, they need to justify it, and it should be something related to an existing Hook. The theme should be broad enough for varied application but focused enough to create meaningful limitations. "Fire" works well; "energy" is far too broad, and "torches" too narrow.

The Price of Power

Adept magic carries unique risks. Their power is internal, so pushing too hard can do literal Harm.

An Adept's Power Threshold is their base Level + Adept rank, plus any directly relevant Adept Maneuvers such as Endurance, or a maneuver for the specific action they were attempting. "Isn't that just their EL?" Well, it might be, but that doesn't account for Role Synergy, or Boosts, or anything else. If you prefer a simpler or harsher limit, use base Level alone, or even Adept rank.

An Adept who chooses to Overchannel still goes through the normal opposition/resistance to get their effect, but must also immediately make a resistance test against the difference between their Threshold and the power they've channeled. Failure means Harm equal to that difference — exhaustion, disorientation, burst blood vessels, or even theme-appropriate side effects like smoking and scorching or a Hindrance on their self-control.

This has nothing to do with how well the effect is resisted by a target once channeled; this is purely a cost of pushing that power through their body and soul. They can always accept a reduced result within their safe limits, discarding any remaining effect.

As with most Harm, they often won't know how bad it is until they manage a recovery. Conservative Adepts learn to work within their limits, finding creative applications that achieve their goals without exceeding their safe channeling capacity. The reckless (or heroic) burn bright but often burn out, or sometimes are overcome by the power and run amok as an avatar of its essence.

Thematic Manifestations

Adepts commonly organize their magical applications into two major categories, representing sensory or manifested aspects of their relationship with their chosen power. Others are certainly possible.

Communion represents the Adept's ability to perceive and understand manifestations of their Source. A Pyromancer can sense heat sources through walls, or smell the flammability of tinder and fuel with the "hunger" of flames that want to spread. A Glamour Adept reads the desires people try to hide. A Lycanthrope can track and read the emotional state of creatures by scent, and instinctively feels the phase of the moon. The GM should frequently volunteer relevant information without rolls to represent the character's constant worldview, though rolls are encouraged when a player wants more information than mundane senses offer. These sensory rolls do not trigger Overchanneling; they are generally safe.

Manifestation covers the presentation, shaping, and direction of the Adept's power in the physical world. A Stone Adept might crumble walls, harden their skin, or ensure every step finds solid purchase on treacherous terrain. A storm Adept could summon lightning, leap great distances on gusts of moist air, or shroud allies in concealing mist. A beast-touched Adept might manifest claws and fangs, gain supernatural speed and strength, or see in the dark. Maneuvers for these form the backbone of most Adepts' obvious magical abilities. This is usually what triggers Overchanneling, though the GM can choose to apply it whenever appropriate.

Other options are possible —

Endurance ranks would add specifically to resistance rolls for Overchanneling.
Theme Adjacency ranks would help offset high difficulty for actions on a specific far corner of the theme, like a Storm Adept summoning frost with Ice Adjacency. (It wouldn't reduce the difficulty, just offset it.)
Transcendence is the Adept's ability to briefly become more than human, taking on aspects of their Source in ways that fundamentally alter their nature and capabilities. A storm Adept might become partially incorporeal to leap as lightning at impossible speed, passing through tiny gaps. A Stone Adept could phase directly into and through a wall without damaging it. These transformative states are difficult and rarely last long, but they represent the Adept's ultimate expression of unity with their power.