This is the power to discern the “Butterfly Effect.” The mage can judge a currently ongoing event, one about to take place (within the next five turns) or one that has just taken place (again, within five turns) and discover whether it will be beneficial or adverse for her. For example, she could check to see if letting a sketchy-looking valet take her car keys turned out to have been a bad decision (and maybe stop him before he drives off). Or she could, when being chased by police, learn whether or not it’s a good idea to turn down the alley ahead. This sense does not say what will happen, only whether it will be a boon or a hindrance to the mage. If all possible choices are equally beneficial or adverse, this sense will tell the mage as much.
If all options are based entirely on the results of random chance, rather than any actor’s intention, then the mage gains a rough idea of the odds — that the guy in the black jacket has the edge in the fight that’s about to break out (because his Strength + Brawl dots are higher than his opponents’ — not enough to ensure victory, but enough to make him the oddson favorite).
A simple success is enough to get an answer concerning one action or event. The Storyteller answers this question as well as he can, knowing what he knows about the situation and the intentions of his Storyteller characters. However, there is no guarantee that the new course of action the mage chooses based on this knowledge will not eventually lead to an adverse choice, since events are always in flux based on many factors. This spell tells the mage only if the specific event queried will lead to good or ill for him in the immediate future.
Silver Ladder Rote: Seizing the Moment
To mages of the Silver Ladder, the use of this rote is nothing less than asserting power over an instant in time and shaping its outcome according to one’s own will.
