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Sorcery (Shadowrun 6th Edition)

Skills

Definition

Sorcery is what most people mean by magic. It throws combat spells, heals wounds, manipulates minds and objects, counters another magician's work in progress, and runs the longer rituals that reach beyond line of sight. It is the magician's primary weapon and the reason corporations keep Awakened security on payroll. The limit is drain: every spell pushes back, so a caster who leans on force without the Willpower to absorb it burns themselves out mid-run.

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How it works

**Linked Attribute**: Magic **Dice Pool**: Magic plus Sorcery, counting each 5 or 6 as a hit. **Requires Magic**: Awakened only, with Magic rated 0 to 6. Essence loss from chrome drags Magic down with it. **Drain**: Casting costs the magician personally, which is why Willpower is a caster's second most important attribute.

Tips

**Best for**: Mages and aspected magicians. It is the skill that defines the archetype. **Character concepts**: A combat mage on retainer, a hermetic scholar renting out rituals, a shaman whose spells follow her tradition's rules. **Synergies**: Astral finds and identifies the target, Conjuring covers what a spell cannot, and Willpower keeps the drain from stopping you.

Frequently asked questions

Why does chrome hurt a magician?

Augmentations cost Essence, and Essence loss reduces Magic. A lower Magic means fewer dice in every Sorcery pool you roll.

Can an adept cast spells?

No. Adepts channel magic into their own body instead. Casting belongs to magicians and, in a narrower form, aspected magicians.

Further Reading

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