AWARENESS
Description: Awareness is an instinctual reaction to the presence of the supernatural. It differs from Alertness which measures sensitivity to mundane events. Characters with Awareness sometimes get hunches, chills, or sudden flashes of inspiration when they are near supernatural creatures, objects, or events. This insight is purely subconscious, and knowing that something’s wrong doesn’t mean that the character knows what it is. To get more specific information, the character will need to use an ability like Esoterica or a particular power.
Allowed Specialties: Malkavian Time
Rules: Mages are exceptionally sensitive to Awareness-related phenomena. In game terms, you can roll Perception + Awareness to spot paranormal effects, detect magick, recognize Resonance Echoes, and so forth, assuming they’re within close proximity of you. The more successes you roll, the more detailed your impressions become. At 3 dots, a Mage can even use Awareness to perceive Auras. For a reference chart of aura colors and textures, see (M20 Core, Chapter 10, pg 507).
At the Storyteller’s discretion, a Vampire Blood Mage might roll Awareness actively to detect specific phenomena, although what they learn will be highly dependent on their Occult or Esoterica. Mortal+ and True Faith characters may only benefit passively from Awareness.
A character does not always require an Awareness roll to sense or defend from powers. A Mage for example, could set up a Time Ward in advance to protect an entire location from being chronally tampered with, or at least warn them of it. Otherwise, refer to the following guidelines:
- If a power goes through the trouble of specifically describing its own unique mechanics for being detected or not, then that takes precedence over Awareness. You do not get both. For example, if you were to fail a contested Auspex vs Obfuscate challenge, you wouldn’t get to roll Awareness after.
- As a general rule, both Vampires and Mages have a good chance of sensing powers used directly upon them, that correlates to powers that they personally possess. A Ventrue Primogen who mastered Presence will probably notice when the Toreador debutante supernaturally manipulates his attractions. Likewise, a Mage with at least 1 dot in the same Sphere as the effect being used on them, is likely to recognize it as well. In such events, the Storyteller can ask for a simple Perception + Awareness roll vs 4.
- If the same effect as above is instead happening in their near vicinity (such as a subtle use of Dominate being applied to a nearby ghoul servant by a visiting Elder within the same room), and they can see the source of it, then a Mage or Vampire can roll at Difficulty 6 to recognize the effect, same as above.
- If the effect is taking place farther away than one’s near vicinity, then instinctual Awareness ceases to be reliable. The Storyteller might ask for an occasional roll for narrative purposes, or in response to a particularly powerful magickal event, but the results are entirely restricted to ‘Something Happened’.
- If you don’t possess a power that correlates to the one being used on or near you, then the difficulty to detect is increased by +2. (For example, a Vampire without Dominate is less likely to realize they’re being Dominated).
- If you can’t see the source of the magickal effect, then the difficulty to detect it being used on you is increased by +2, (Such as being Scryed from a great distance).
- If you are a supernatural creature that belongs to a different supernatural race, then all Awareness difficulties are increased by +2. It is largely up to the Storyteller if your powers correlate or not. A Mage with Mind 1 sensing Dominate is a fairly easy call, but it can get more complicated. If there’s no agreement, then simply apply an extra +1 difficulty and leave it at that.
- If you manage between 1-4 successes, you are entitled to no more information than a quick headsup, as to something happening, and whether it roughly correlates to a power that you also possess. Thus, most of the time, characters will have to content themselves with realizing ‘Something hinky just happened!’ and use that to inform their next action.
- If you manage 5+ successes, then the Storyteller should give you as much information as your Knowledges reasonably supports. In addition, you’ll know for sure where the power is emanating from, if you can see them. If you can’t see them, then you’ll still have a very vague idea of distance. It does not explicitly identify perpetrators or even reveal them if you can’t already see them.
- Garou substitute Primal-Urge for Awareness and Changelings substitute Kenning. However, they must still abide by the above rules, thus requiring Garou, for example, to have Gifts that are vaguely similar to the Discipline being used on them, to have a chance of sensing it. Such as a gift like Persuasion giving you a chance to discern when you’re being supernaturally awed or entranced by Presence.
- In the end, ‘tabletop common sense’ applies. The above are very strong guidelines yet Directors will always err on the side of common sense and playability.