Mage Armour is a set of 10 Attainments, one per Arcanum, that allows a mage to protect herself magically.
Mage Armour requires a point of Mana to activate with a Reflexive Action, whereupon it remains active for the scene, even if the mage falls unconscious, unless the mage dies.
A mage can only benefit from one form of Mage Armour at a time, but can spend Mana to change between Arcana as a Reflexive Action. Mage Armours that increase Defence work against surprise attacks.
Forms of Armour
Death
Death Armour causes a field of entropy around the character, causing her body to react to injury almost like one of the undead. Death Armour downgrades lethal damage from kinetic attacks (bullets, claws, rocks, etc.) to bashing.
A mage using Death Armour does not roll to stay conscious once her Health track is filled with damage.
Fate
Fate Armour comes from incredible luck — attacks miss, the character trips at just the right moment to avoid a swinging fist, a knife glances off the button on her coat, and so forth.
Fate Armour adds the character’s Fate rating to her Defence.
In addition, Fate Armour allows the character to apply her Defence to firearms attacks.
If the character successfully Dodges an opponent’s attack, the player can spend a point of Mana to add the character’s Fate dots as a weapon rating on the mage’s next physical attack on that target. This bonus must be used by the mage’s next action or it is lost.
Forces
Forces Armour disperses the energy of attacks before they can reach the mage, much like a force field.
Forces Armour applies the mage’s full Forces rating as general armour, applicable against all damaging physical attacks and the automatic damage from fire and electricity.
It has no effect on mental or psychic attacks.
Life
Life Armour heightens the combat instincts of the mage and prepares her body to shrug off injuries.
Life Armour adds half the character’s Life rating (round up) as both general armour and a bonus to Defence. Use the higher of the character’s Wits and Dexterity as Defence, rather than the lower.
Matter
Matter Armour changes the properties of the matter surrounding the mage to protect her; her clothes solidify to repel a fist, a bullet softens to lessen the impact, or ambient moisture condenses to quench a fireball.
Matter Armour applies the mage’s full Matter rating as general armour, applicable against all damaging physical attacks. It is immune to Armour Piercing. Matter Armour has no effect on mental or psychic attacks.
Mind
Mind Armour causes minute doubt and hesitations in the mind of an enemy as to where the mage is and how best to hit him.
This allows the mage to be highly effective at dodging incoming attacks, but provides no protection against threats with no cognition to affect (explosions, natural disasters, automatons).
Mind Armour adds the character’s Mind Arcanum to her Defence. In addition, if the mage Dodges a target’s attack, the player can spend a point of Mana to cause the target to gain the Beaten Down Tilt; the target just doesn’t want to continue the fight. A supernatural being can contest this with a Clash of Wills.
Prime
Prime Armour does not protect the mage from mundane attacks. Instead, it protects the mage from incoming magical attacks, including the damaging spells of other Awakened, but also any supernatural effect that deals direct damage.
Prime Armour reduces the damage of all wholly supernatural attacks by the character’s Prime dots. For example, it will defend against an Aimed damaging spell or a bolt of energy shot at the character, but not a werewolf’s claws.
Space
The mage makes tiny changes in the fabric of space, moving attacks away from her.
Space Armour adds character’s Space rating to her Defence. The character also applies her Defence to firearms attacks. In addition, if the character successfully Dodges an attack, the player can spend one point of Mana to redirect the attack to another applicable target. The attack hits with successes equal to the mage’s Space Arcanum rating.
Spirit
The character cloaks herself in ephemeral armour, protecting the character from any attack stemming from Twilight, and slowing the force of physical attacks.
Spirit Armour downgrades lethal damage from kinetic attacks (bullets, claws, rocks, etc.) and the attacks of ephemeral entities to bashing.
Time
Time Armour speeds or slows time in the mage’s area, allowing her to move out of the way of incoming attacks.
Time Armour adds the character’s Time rating to her Defence. Time Armour also allows the character to apply her Defence to Firearms attacks. In addition, if the character successfully Dodges an attack, the player can spend a point of Mana to reduce the attacker’s Initiative rating by the mage’s Time Arcanum dots for the remainder of the scene.