Read Spirit

Spirit	●●●
Instant	None
Covert	Knowing
Adamantine Arrow Sourcebook, p. 188 Rotes
Arrow :	Sense Ban
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This spell is changed to Spirit ●●●.

Every spirit has a ban that prohibits the spirit from certain types of behavior or activities (see p. 320 of Mage: The Awakening). Often the key to dealing with a difficult spirit is to find out what its ban is; but attempting to ascertain a spirit’s ban isn’t without drawbacks. Most spirits are very sensitive about their bans, and are likely to react negatively if they sense a mage snooping around trying to ferret out their secrets.

• Practice: Knowing
• Action: Instant and contested; target rolls Resistance reflectively
• Duration: Lasting
• Aspect: Covert
• Cost: None

As spirits become more powerful, their bans become more complex and difficult to read. When a mage attempts Read Spirit, the Potency of the casting must exceed the Rank of the spirit in order for any useful information to be learned. Conversely, the more Potent the spell, the more likely it is the spirit will notice the casting. If the spell reaches Potency 3 or more, the spirit is allowed a reflexive Finesse roll, requiring a simple success to sense the attempt to read it. A spirit’s reaction to such an intrusive act varies from spirit to spirit, but is unlikely to be viewed in a positive manner.

Adamantine Arrow Rote: Sense Ban

• Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult Skill + Spirit

Enemies of spirit can rarely be defeated by spell or blade alone. Simply discorporating a spirit doesn’t guarantee that it won’t return. The surest weapon against a spirit is knowledge of its ban. With knowledge of a ban, the mage gains strength in either combating or negotiating with the spirit. Members of the Adamantine Arrow who regularly employ this rote believe it’s better to bargain with an angry spirit than go unarmed into a potentially dangerous situation.