Hallow

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A Hallow is a nexus of magical energy, a place that generates Mana each day. Such locations are vital to mages. Your character has one within his sanctum’s premises. The sanctum’s security determines how well it is guarded from access by uninvited mages.

Hallows tend to be situated in high places, especially where the stars are visible at night. Mana seems to flow readily there, although that isn’t always the case; dark glens and hollows covered by a canopy of trees or steep peaks can still host such energy. Nonetheless, they occur most often on mountaintops, hills or at the tops of skyscrapers, giving birth to the legend of mages in their towers.

A Hallow generates a number of points of Mana equal to its dots each day. A mage can transfer the power from his Hallow to replenish his own Mana points by performing an oblation (see p. 77) or using a Prime 3 spell. Each Hallow is tied to a particular time of day when this replenishment can take place — sundown, sunrise and midnight are the most common.

If this Mana is not harvested, it congeals into tass, usually in the form of spring water or growing plants, or it’s imbued into stones or other objects. Some mages forbid others from harvesting free Mana, cultivating it into tass that can be stored and used later. See Tass.

A Hallow’s Mana shares the place’s quality of resonance. Resonance quality in opposition to a spell’s effects — calm resonance for an attack spell, violent resonance for a healing spell — might levy anywhere from –1 to –2 penalties on spellcasting rolls. For this reason, mages do not let their Hallows become polluted with foreign or impure auras. They work to maintain proper resonance quality.

Additionally, a Hallow’s close vicinity (five yards per dot rating) is always suffused with power. This power obviates the need to spend one point of Mana for any mage within the vicinity. Essentially, mages need not spend that one point even when it’s required, such as for improvisational spellcasting, but must spend any points in excess that are still required, such as when casting an improvisational spell that inflicts aggravated damage. This example would normally cost two points, but it costs only one within the Hallow’s vicinity. This suffuse power cannot be siphoned into something else using Prime magic or into the mage’s personal store of Mana.

Special: Characters who share a sanctum can also share Hallow dots, with each contributing to its power. Cabals that do this usually work out a schedule by which each member can access the Hallow’s Mana, ensuring that none takes too much. If they suffer a falling out, one or more might be banned from access to the Hallow. Those who are banned lose whatever dots they contributed.

Note

• Ambient Mana: Is mana that can be used for casting of spells while in the hallow without affecting your personal pool.
• Personal Mana: Is mana that is drawn from the Hallow through an Oblation, and are calculated with this.

See Also Hallow • Halt the Flow • Tainted Source Sanctuaries: Alchemical Lab • Athenaeum • Bastion • Chapter Library • Den Merit • Guardian Ghost • Guardian Retainer • Guardian Spirit • Hallow • Haven • Hollow • Lair • Library • Locus • Necropolis • Occultation • Safehouse • Sanctuaries • Sanctum • Sanctum Gauntlet • Sanctum Materials • Scriptorium • Shadow Sanctum • Shadowless Chambers • Sites • Workshop

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