A dedication is a strict practice of living that rewards a mage with Mana, without a Hallow or a need for Prime magic. Such a practice takes the form of a vow (of celibacy, poverty, silence or charity, for example) to which the mage must always adhere. A mage who maintains his discipline gleans Mana from his refined habitation of the Fallen World and the insight he attains from structured thought[1].
- A vow that costs a character nothing earns him nothing[2].
- The breaking of a dedication vow should have consequences beyond just the loss of Mana[3].
All Dedications must be approved by a Mage ST, and are not available at character creation.
Game Mechanics
The rules for dedications are simple: When the mage upholds his vow for one week it is considered Dedicated and he gains one Mana. If he breaks his vow at any point while it is Dedicated, he loses one Mana and breaks the vow’s dedication. Note that the mage not only fails to gain Mana from the broken vow, but actually loses one Mana from his current pool.
A vow is either Dedicated or not, it’s not a matter of degrees. A vow cannot be abandoned — once it is Dedicated it is maintained (supplying one Mana per week) until broken (costing one Mana). A mage can’t give up his vow without the accompanying loss of Mana[4].
Once a vow is broken, the mage does not lose more Mana for actions against his vow — he cannot violate a vow that is not being maintained. He does not lose Mana again until he has successfully maintained his vow for another week, after which a break from the vow costs him the Mana he just earned[5].
The seven-day period necessary to Dedicate and maintain a vow can begin at any time, though many vow-takers select a customary time such as 12:01 a.m. or the hour of their Awakening. The character gains one Mana at that moment each week as long as the dedication is maintained. Thus the mage who begins his one-week fast at one minute past midnight on Sunday gains one Mana at one minute past midnight on the following Sunday. The mage who’s vow of sobriety began when he woke up in a hospital bed at three o’clock on a Saturday afternoon gains one Mana Saturday afternoons at three o’clock[6].
