Counter-Magic is available to anyone with Occult Knowledge. It is in fact possible to know protective charms and the like without being a spellcaster. It can be taught, but must be learned from an appropriate source, and may not be learned from a Mentor unless specifically a caster Mentor. An Instruction roll is required, but no Study Points are provided (since Study Points cannot be spent on Backgrounds), and Study Points cannot be received from any other source for any purpose in the same downtime.
Use of Counter-Magic requires a physical action, and involves a visible, obvious technique (such as a gesture or phrase).
Some method of perceiving the incoming spell is also required. If you have a means of perceiving the spell (for example, you can see the caster and the spell has a verbal or somatic component), you may make a Wits + Intuition check to notice it.
· General Counterspell
The caster spends 1 Willpower and rolls Wits + Occult (Difficulty 8), with every 2 successes detracting 1 from the oncoming spell. (If there is no roll from which to deduct, the spell's effectiveness is degraded in some other way, typically by 1 for every 4 successes.) This may be used on any effect deemed "magical", with no understanding required by the caster. May be used as a defensive action.
·· Tuned Counterspell
The caster spends 1 Willpower and rolls Wits + Occult (Difficulty 7), with successes detracting from the oncoming spell on a 1 for 1 basis. (If there is no roll from which to deduct, the spell's effectiveness is degraded in some other way, typically by 1 for every 2 successes.) To use a Tuned Counterspell, the caster must have at least 1 level in an appropriate Knowledge having to do with the incoming spell (Demon Lore for Dark Thaumaturgy, Faerie Lore for Cantrips, Mythos Lore for Mythos spells, etc.). Simple Occult scores will not help, unless the character has a specialization in the appropriate field. *Note: The "Jack of All Trades" Merit WILL allow the caster to be considered knowledgeable in all magical techniques, and is a powerful tool in Countermagic. Tuned Counterspells may be cast as a defensive action.
··· Unweaving
By spending a Willpower point and rolling Intelligence + Occult (Diff: 8), you may pick apart existing effects. The number of successes required is set by the original spell's caster (Willpower in the case of spontaneous spells, + Intelligence + Occult in the case of rituals), with the Unweaving accumulating enough successes to pick apart the effect. Wards, Circles, and the like may be disabled in this way. This is a slow and arduous process, with every roll representing an hour of toil. If during the process any roll comes up with no successes, the difficulty increases by 1. If there is a botch, all successes are lost and that particular caster may not attempt Unweaving again on the targeted spell for 24 hours. Multiple casters can pool their efforts to Unweave a spell.
···· Wards
Basic Wards alert the wielder when a specific criteria is met. Most Wards activate when a specified supernatural occurrence occurs in the Warded area. Setting up a Ward takes 1 hour per die of Perception the Ward will have (maximum of 5). Spend 1 Willpower and roll Intelligence + Occult (Diff: 7), with every 2 successes raising the Ward rating by 1. Wards must be keyed to a specific material component, and the caster must have some idea of what the Ward is to watch for. Whenever a proscribed event occurs in the Warded area, the Ward rolls its rating (Diff: 6) to detect it. Confounding effects are resisted by the Ward's rating as usual (a level 5 Ward is immune to powers less than level 5). If the Ward succeeds, it activates a preset alarm (usually rings a bell or chime). The area to be Warded must be clearly marked and upkept if the Ward is to remain functioning.
····· Spell Tracing
By using the appropriate tools, the master of Counter-Magic can locate places of magical power, active spells, or even identify the properties of encountered spells/items. You must have appropriate paraphernalia to use Spell Tracing, and each attempt takes 1 hour. Spend 1 Willpower and roll Perception + Intuition (Diff: 7). Successes will indicate direction of active spells or places of power within 1 mile. If multiple targets exist, the strongest/closest will typically be indicated. When used to identify a spell, the number of successes will provide an increasingly detailed description of the spell/item.
Spell Tracing can be used to backtrack scrying attempts. The tracer must gain successes equal to the scryer's Occult score to learn the direction of the scryer at the time of the scrying attempt. More successes may obtain the distance.
When received as a Gift, Counter-Magic is awarded at 1.
