The Art is divided into seven Aspects, and while Missionaries may receive some rudimentary training in all Aspects they have any care to look into, as soon as they show any proficiency, they are moved into a different career in the Brotherhood, and then specialize in a single Aspect for the remainder of their lives -- unless, that is, they show such promise that they are moved into the ranks of the Mystics.

The powers of the Art can greatly tax the human body, and physical fitness is a requirement for a truly powerful Mystic. An Art-user may use the Art theoretically several times any given day, but each use is taxing, and the resultant fatigue can limit his performance in other areas. For instance, an Art-using warrior would be ill-advised to use his full Art potential to the very last ... because he'd be barely holding himself up due to exhaustion long before he is unable to cast another spell.

Furthermore, especially powerful Art users need to use Power Stabilizers to protect against other ill effects of over-use of these powers. There have been cases of early Art-users spontaneously combusting when they have pushed themselves too hard. Power Stabilizers are contraptions worn on the back with several tubes radiating outward, that somehow serve to protect against this "backlash" effect. Power Stabilizers are generally only required by dedicated Art users, such as Mystics, and are rarely seen in use by those in other branches of the Brotherhood.

Of the seven Aspects, there are:

Exorcism: Despite the connotations of the name, this power is used primarily to heal the human (or other) body of injury, disease and supernatural afflictions. The most popular power of this Aspect, for instance would be Exorcise Wound, which is used to heal wounds by touch.

Mentalism: The powers in this Aspect are focused on the user's own body, and this Aspect is often practiced by Mortificators. The power Exorcise Self can act like Exorcise Wound, but is only usable on the caster's own body. Other powers focus on enhancing the caster's own reflexes, using the Art to aid in aiming a shot, performing a task, running quickly, or even levitating short distances.

Elements: These powers focus on shaping the four elements: air, water, earth, and fire. While there are very few spells in this Aspect, each one of them can be used in a variety of different ways, summoning striking bolts of energy from any of the four elements, or reshaping the elements. (Reshaping earth, for instance, can be used to form a barrier, to build a bridge, or to create an opening in a wall, among other things.)

Manipulation: This concerns the power to delve into the minds of others, and is frequently practiced by Inquisitors. These powers allow the caster to hypnotise others, plant suggestions, read thoughts, and otherwise mess around with the human mind. Some particularly useful powers in this area are "Discern Truth", "Telepathic Message" and "Suggestion".

Kinetics: This focuses on acting upon the physical realm, and includes a number of powers useful to warriors utilizing the Art. This would include the ability to teleport oneself short distances, to create blasts of energy, and to levitate amongst other effects.

Premonition: This Aspect is often used by the Scribes of the Brotherhood. It allows some limited ability to gain visions of the past, present or future, by means of prophesy, clairvoyance, clairaudience, and picking up "vibes" off of objects or people.

Changeling: This Aspect is perhaps a "mixed bag" of abilities, borrowing a little from the other Aspects, though not quite as potent as any single one of them.

Casting Spells

First of all, please note that becoming a spellcaster of any level of competence is extremely expensive. Accomplished Mystics and Inquisitors of the Brotherhood are extremely powerful individuals. As cool as it would be to be one of these types of characters, the system isn't set up so that a PC has a fair shot at being a very potent spellcaster compared to what's possible in the Mutant Chronicles universe. The rules here are very complicated, drawn largely from the roleplaying game, with an attempt to mesh them in with the points-based character generation system we're using. If this is too complicated for you to follow, then perhaps the rules here could use a little more clarification, but suffice it to say that magic use requires a lot of work on the GM's and the PC's parts, and it's not expected that PCs should be spellcasters ... at least, not very GOOD ones. This is included largely for the GM's benefit, so that he can be sure that NPCs are CONSISTENT in their displays of magical abilities.

Spellcasting is almost instantaneous in the Mutant Chronicles, unlike the long and complex rituals in the Sinai universe. However, spellcasters are restricted in how much they can tax themselves a day without risking ill side-effects up to and including strokes and (in extreme cases, when the caster is not using a Power Stabilizer), spontaneous combustion. The Art is a powerful thing, and not to be trifled with or used casually.

There are a number of requirements for using the Art. First, the caster must have at least one Level of Perfection in the Aspect of the Art that his spell is coming from. The higher this Level of Perfection, the more "power" he can put into his spell for better effects, and the better his chance for success.

Secondly, you must know the spell you wish to cast. And thirdly, you need the required number of MST points to cast the spell.

MST (Mental Strength) is gained by one of two ways. First off, you can buy the Mental Strength ability. Second, you can get the Spell Resistance ability. To be a spell caster, you need the first version -- the latter only means that you are resistant to spells; it doesn't convey upon you any increased ability to cast them.

As you cast spells, you "spend" MST points, down to a minimum of zero (0). Most likely, you'll never get down that far without passing out first, or worse. Normally, casting a spell at its most basic level costs 4 MST points. Pumping more points into it gives additional bonuses to the effect, increasing the "Magnitude" of the spell. You can never put more points of Magnitude into a spell than your Level of Perfection in that Aspect. If you have a Level of Perfection of 4, therefore, you can only cast a spell up to 4th Magnitude.

The points of MST you must spend to cast a spell are 4 points of MST per Magnitude of the spell. This may require a bit of bookkeeping during play. It is recommended that you advise the GM OOCly how many points you are putting into a spell, so he can determine the results, and the GM should make a "note" for the log (recommended format: "*** 4 points of MST spent on spell; Brother Kane has 12 points left.") for reference purposes.

At the end of the day, you can get a full night's sleep and recover your MST for the next day of adventuring and spellcasting.

Special effects of spellcasting vary with the spell. Spells that only affect the user may not have any visible effect at all. Spells that affect the environment tend to be preceded by a glow about the caster's hands, and then some sort of energy blast going out. This will be described in each section devoted to listing spells of each Aspect of the Art.

When you try to fire off a spell, you have a base chance of success depending on what you bought the spell at. For convenience, a chart is repeated below. Your chance of success is modified by two factors: 1) You add your Level of Perfection; 2) You deduct the Magnitude of the spell. (Is this complicated? Don't worry. It's the GM's job to figure out if you pass or fail anyway.)

On top of that, there is a limit of how many spells you can safely cast per day. This is equal to three times your highest Level of Perfection. If you try to cast more than this -- regardless of how many MST points are involved -- you are making a very real gamble. If you have a Power Stabilizer, the worst that might happen is that you have a stroke and need immediate hospitalization. If you don't have a Power Stabilizer, you might spontaneously combust. (That means death, and the Brotherhood doesn't do resurrections.) In short, unless you're going to probably die anyway, don't try this.

By default, any given character has an MST rating of "5", but you can purchase higher levels, whether you are a spellcaster or not.

Also, spells don't automatically succeed even then. If you are casting a spell against someone who might wish to resist, their own MST ratings might give them a chance to resist the effect. (Thus, having a high MST replaces the old "Spell Resistance" ability.) Additional Magnitudes pumped into the spell (i.e., additional MST points spent, but not just to increase the chance of success) can cause additional benefits.

Success and Failure

When rolling for the chance of success in casting a spell, the "Rule of 1 and 20" still applies. 1 is Perfect, and always succeeds. What's more, you get 2 extra Magnitudes. 20 is a Fumble, and there is no effect at all.