Quickening

Quickening

Quickening can make any sustained spell permanent without need for a sustaining focus. The spell continues operating without any attention from the caster until it is dispelled (p. 184, SR3).

To quicken a spell, the character must cast the spell and then sustain it for a period of time and pay Karma. In addition, they must use astral perception to keep the spell “in view” while sustaining it. Feeding Karma into the spell to make it permanent requires close astral observation.

The character casts the sustained spell in the standard way and makes a Drain Resistance Test. Centering may be used to offset the Drain.

To determine the base time for quickening a spell, use the Permanent Spell Base Time Table on p. 178, SR3. Make a Sorcery Test to reduce the time, adding dice equal to the initiate’s grade. The target number is the total number of dice used to cast the spell. This includes dice from the Spell Pool, totem advantages, elemental aid, foci, or any other bonus. Divide the base time by the number of successes and round down. The minimum time is 1 Combat Turn. If there are no successes, the initiate must sustain the spell for double the base time. A result of all 1s ends the spell.

Quickening is considered an Exclusive activity, so no other magical actions may be taken while performing this technique. This means that Exclusive-limited spells may not be quickened

At the end of the last turn required, the initiate pays Karma equal to the spell’s Force. The spell is now quickened and self-sustaining. The character may pay additional Karma (up to twice the spell’s actual Force) to make the spell more difficult to dispel. The spell’s Force for purposes of dispelling is equal to the total Karma spent to quicken it.

After spending the Karma, make a second Drain Resistance Test against the spell’s Drain Code. Successes from a Centering Test against Drain made when first casting the spell may instead be applied to this Drain Resistance Test. The character may not make a new Centering Test at this time. The character may end the attempt to quicken a spell if the time requirement seems too long but must make the second Drain Resistance Test regardless.

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