The mage reduces the friction (static or kinetic) between two solid objects. A book on a table will appear to slide effortlessly across the surface with little resistance. A walker will have a hard time maintaining a foothold. Objects on an incline will move downward.
The mage reduces the friction in a given area according to her successes:
| Successes
| Area-Affected
|
| 1 success
| 5 cu. yards
|
| 2 successes
| 10 cu. yards
|
| 3 successes
| 20 cu. yards
|
| 4 successes
| 40 cu. yards
|
| 5 successe
| 80 cu. Yards
|
Any person walking on that area suffers a –1 penalty to any action that might have required normal friction to be present, whether it’s a Drive roll to keep control of a car or an Athletics roll to walk across the frictionless surface (other rolls may apply per situation). This penalty can be increased by raising the spell’s Potency factors during casting. Characters who fall into objects take damage accordingly[1].
Free Council Rote: Black Ice
Free Council mages cast this rote on a patch of ground — pursuers in a car or in other vehicles hit the patch of “black ice” (or, if not in winter, a hard-to-see “oil slick”) and likely lose control of the vehicle. Best to use this on an area of ground around a curve or near obstacles, thus requiring an already-difficult Drive roll — Black Ice only makes the maneuver tougher.
