Nega Zones and Null Zones

by John W Carter
Edited by The Digital Mage
[Please note that anything by me is enclosed in square brackets. The DM]

Upon discovery of so-called "Dead Zones", where Technology discovered after 1800 will not function, magical theorists have hypothesized the exsistance of their inverse: places where magical energy is less than the "norm", or even non-exsistant. Places where magic functions less than average are called "Nega Zones", while places where magic doesn't function at all are called "Null Zones".

Many rumors abound as to places like these, but no confirmed Nega or Null Zones have been found (Note: As a GM, you can have these wherever you bloody well please).

Game Info:

Nega Zones:

These Zones have five different Ratings (1-5), depending on how magically-drained the area is, with a Rating 1 being "slightly different" and a Rating 5 being "Almost None". Different magical activities are affected thus:

Sorcery: Successes from the Spellcasting Test are divided by a 2^R [2 to the power R] to 1 ratio, where R is the Zone Rating (Yes, this means a Rating-5 Nega Zone requires 32 success to equal one success!) Drain is unaffected. Ritual Sorcery is affected similarly, but the successes from EACH TEST are reduced in this fashion.

[Here's a chart for all of you out there who can't be bothered to do the maths:

Zone Rating__Ratio
____1_________2:1_
____2_________4:1_
____3_________8:1_
____4________16:1_
____5________32:1_
I hope that helps!]

Conjuring: Successes from the Conjuring Test are reduced as in Spellcasting, with Drain being unaffected. Elementals and Allies are impossible to summon in Zones with a rating greater than 3.

Astral Actions: Astral Perception in a Nega Zone requires a Willpower(Rating) Test, with each success translating to a number of Rounds that Perception can be maintained until the magician begins to get a headache, and must make another test to continue. [With each additional test the TN increases by +1].

Astral Projection requires the same Willpower Test, but the successes of this test go toward resisting a (Rating)M Stun (Physical in Zones with Ratings greater than 3), with damage being applied after the magician returns to his body.
[Alternatively, the Willpower test determines the amount of time the magician may remain astrally projecting, just as for perception. When a roll finally comes up with no successes -meaning the magician should return to his body- for each turn he remains astrally projecting after this he must resist, with his Willpower, (Nega Zone Rating)M stun damage (physical damage in Zones with ratings greater than 3). If this damage reduces the mage to unconsciousness before he can return to his body then he immediately returns there -his silver cord snapping him back. Otherwise, nasty GMs may elect the magician's form remains astrally projecting and will continue to take damage till death occurs!]

Physical Adepts: Other than the above limitations (Astral Perception), Phys-Ads are unaffected by a Nega Zone of any rating, due to the fact that their abilities require very little magic-body interface.
[Alternatively the GM may call for a Magic Attribute test with a TN of the Zone Rating in order to see if the powers activate and for how long, 1 success equals 1 turn. This test can be repeated to keep the powers going however the TN increases by +1 for each test. When one of these tests fail the physical adept needs to recover for a few minutes (GM discretion).]

Null Zones:

Magic is impossible in a Null Zone. Magicians attempting to perform magical actions in a Null Zone expose themselves to great risk.

Sorcery: The Spellcaster (Or Spellcasters in Ritual Sorcery) must resist 6M Physical damage with Willpower if spellcasting is attempted. If any damage is taken, the spellcaster(s) stand the chance of losing Magic Rating as if they had taken a Deadly Wound.

Conjuring: The Conjurer must resist 6S(D if attempting to conjure an Elemental or Ally) Physical damage, with the same chance of Magic loss as Spellcasting.

Astral Perception: The Magician must resist a 6M Physical, and roll for magic loss whether he takes damage or not, but with the roll for Magic loss at a -3.

Astral Projection: The Magician must resist a 6D Physical and automatically loses 1 point of Magic Rating.

Physical Adepts: Physical Adept Abilities will not function in a Null Zone, with Astral Perception the physad risks the same as normal. Other Phys-Ad abilities do not harm the Adept, however [they simply do not work].