Mana Transference

[MLMII]

For a campaign that I'm designing, magic (bought as a VPP) always uses "mana", which witches typically provide from their own personal mana reserves, or if forced, regular endurace (at a poor exchange rate plus body damage).  However if they don't wish to wait for their own mana to recover they also have the ability to draw mana/endurance from other targets, whether that is another living creature, a foci, or a rare manaspring.  

 

 

The way that I envision it working in play is that if a witch is using it on a willing target, she simply touches the target and drains as much mana/endurance she wishes up to her max mana reserve ( mana 1:1  endurance 2:1 -body damage is 1 body per 2 endurance).  If she's using it against an unwilling target she first has to touch them and then make a contested Sorcery skill roll vs Sorcery/Ego. Any damage that results from being siphoned can not be healed via magic.

 

 

 

Example:

 

 

Melody has Sorcery-14 and is attempting to drain a prisoner who is currently restrained, so laying hands is automatic.  Melody rolls an 11, succeeding by three.  The prisoner, who is mundane and thus doesn't have access to Sorcery instead rolls against Ego-11, rolling a 10 he has succeeded his roll by one, so Melody can drain two points worth of Mana from his soul, he loses 4 Endurance and 2 Body from the ordeal.   Melody can continue attempting to siphon his endurance reserves until he runs out, he dies, or her own mana reserve is full.

 

 

If he wasn't restrained, Melody would have to succeed in first touching him and he would be free to continue to act on his turn.

 

 

...

 

 

Is there a "cleaner" method to represent this ability and/or there any glaring balance issues that I've missed seeing?

[Sir Ra]

could you do it as an ENDURANCE transfer? Goes to spells only?  Only up to max END?  A willing victim wouldn't require a "to hit roll " at all anyway. Maybe resists with an EGO ROLL  ? 

[MLMII]

Mostly because I want to avoid the feeling that magic can be worked with raw endurance or the scenario where viewing your fellow party members as walking "powerstones" is "ok" by making converting endurance both costly and hurt.

 

 

On the other hand, I like the image of ritual sacrifice being based on a grain of truth, so killing mundanes for mystical power is a vibe that I want to keep.  (Sorcerers aren't viewed favorably in my world and the fear that they have to wrestle with the temptation of being able to shred one's very soul for power seems like a good reason for that.)  ...  On the other hand, I want to try to maintain balance where the damage is low enough that it'll never become a preferred combat option. 

[Lucius]

Siphon Power:  (Total: 60 Active Cost, 14 Real Cost) Healing MANA 1d6 (standard effect: 3 points), Decreased Re-use Duration (1 Turn; +1 1/2) (25 Active Points); Limited Power Self Only (-1), Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand (Special: Does no STUN, damage END instead); Lesser Power can only be used when character uses greater Power at full value; -3/4), Gestures (Requires both hands; -1/2), Unified Power (-1/4), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Conditional Power Must do BOD damage with Killing Attack (-1/4), 16 clips of 1 Recoverable Charge (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4) (Real Cost: 5) <b>plus</b> Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand (Special: Does no STUN, damage END instead) 1/2d6 (standard effect: 1 BODY, 1 STUN), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Attack Versus Alternate Defense (Power Defense; +1), Does BODY (+1) (35 Active Points); No STR Bonus (-1/2), Cannot Use Targeting (-1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), -1 Decreased STUN Multiplier (-1/4), Cannot Be Used With Haymaker] (-1/4), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Unified Power (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4) (Real Cost: 9)

 

Lucius Alexander

The palindromedary wants an indoor heated mana pool