Casting Spells
To Add
You can't parry when casting, it's as good as an interruption. You can hold your weapon out in front of you in a vaguely threatening manner, but you can't move it around to parry, or push against an incoming blow, without losing your spell.
If a weapon or effect, or any call strikes you while you are casting, then your casting is interrupted and you must start the vocal over, but do not lose any magic or spirit. The only exception to this is if the call is, precisely, "NOTHING". This is very strict, so a RED NOTHING will interrupt anyone, even a pyrokin, as it is not a "NOTHING" - the reason being that even that effect is distracting enough to break your concentration. This means you are interrupted in all other situations, for example if you DAC a blow, or you have magical armour. You are not mechanically interrupted when someone distracts you, say, by throwing a bucket of water over you, however you should feel free to roleplay losing the spell or miracle and starting over.
Source: Rules clarifications
Magic and Metal
Old Text
Metal is a very good magical conductor. So good, in fact, that it acts as an 'earth'. This doesn't have much effect at the business end of a spell, but it interferes somewhat with the control of magical energy. If a mage is carrying more than a certain amount of metal - that is, three daggers OR one shortsword OR one suit of studded leather armour or equivalent - then they are taking a significant risk of the mana in their focus becoming unstable and earthing. If you are exceeding your 'metal allowance', then you may not cast magic; a tingling sensation starts which slowly increases over thirty seconds to a minute; after this time, all the mana you have stored will discharge through your focus in a spectacular fashion. This will leave you with no mana left until you next sleep, but is unlikely to permanently damage your focus. Picking up metal for 20 seconds, putting it down and then picking it up again, will not reset the counter - in fact, it is liable to increase the final discharge due to the 'ref capacitor effect'.
New Text
Metal is a very good magical conductor. So good, in fact, that it acts as an 'earth'. This doesn't have much effect at the business end of a spell, but it interferes somewhat with the control of magical energy. If a mage is carrying more than a certain amount of metal then they are taking a significant risk of the mana in their focus becoming unstable and earthing. If you are exceeding your 'metal allowance', then you may not cast magic; a tingling sensation starts which slowly increases over thirty seconds to a minute; after this time, all the mana you have stored will discharge through your focus in a spectacular fashion. This will leave you with no mana left until you next sleep, but is unlikely to permanently damage your focus. Picking up metal for 20 seconds, putting it down and then picking it up again, will not reset the counter - in fact, it is liable to increase the final discharge due to the 'ref capacitor effect'.
The metal allowance for a mage is measured in daggers (this is used both in an out of character for convenience). The maximum a metal a mage can safely carry is "3 daggers worth" of metal, thus they could carry with daggers with them with no adverse effects, but any more will trigger discharge.
Common metal amounts:
- Armour: 1 location of 2pt armour contains half a daggers worth of metal regardless of phyrep. (source: extrapolated from 1 full suit of studded leather (6 locations) == 3 daggers worth)
- Shortsword: 1 short sword is equivalent of 3 daggers of metal. (source: original rules)
- Shield: A shield contains 1 daggers worth of metal regardless of pysrep. (source: rules clarifications)
Should be added:
- Dagger equivalent of 1pt armour.
- Spear: its a wooden stick with a bit of metal on the end.
- Axes / Maces : its a shorter bit of wood with a bit of metal on the end.
- Can mages wear heavier armour in less locations? E.g. Is the metal allowance of 1 location of chain or plate automatically higher than 3 daggers?
Vocals
Remove the paragraph about interruptions as they are now described in the casting section in more detail.