Time (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)
Definition
Time reads and reshapes duration. Its low ranks give perfect timing and glimpses of what happened here or what is about to; its higher ranks stretch a second, compress an hour, and eventually move a person along the track. The Cult of Ecstasy hold Time as their specialty Sphere and reach it through altered states rather than calculation, which is why their temporal magic plays as intuition. At the table Time is the Sphere that repairs mistakes and the one Storytellers watch most carefully. Even rank 1 pays for itself, because knowing exactly how long you have and reliably acting first solves a surprising number of problems. Rank 2 makes it the best investigative Sphere in the game, and rank 4 is where a chronicle has to decide out loud how time travel works in it.
How it works
Tips
Frequently asked questions
Is Time worth taking at one dot?
Yes. Rank 1 is precise timing and awareness of temporal effects, which quietly improves your initiative and lets you notice when another mage is using Time on you.
How do I use Time without breaking the chronicle?
Agree on rank 4 before you buy it. Rank 2 glimpses of the past are investigative and safe, while genuine travel changes what stories the group can tell, so it deserves a conversation rather than a surprise.
What makes Time good for investigation?
Rank 2 reads the past of a place or an object, which turns a crime scene into a witness. It is usually coincidental too, since the mage looks like someone standing still and thinking hard.