KULT: Divinity Lost vs Mage: The Ascension
Compare KULT: Divinity Lost and Mage: The Ascension side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| KULT: Divinity Lost | Mage: The Ascension | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Horror, Modern | Fantasy, Modern, Horror |
| Tags | Atmospheric, Character-Driven, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Fiction-First, Investigation, Licensed IP, Lore-Heavy, Playbook-Driven, Player-Only Rolls, Strong GM Support | Freeform Magic, Character Building, Crunchy, Fiction-First, Character-Driven, Roll to Cast, Skill-Based, Lore-Heavy, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Urban Fantasy |
| Core Mechanic | When a player Move calls for a roll, roll 2d10 and apply its listed modifiers. A total of 15 or more is a complete success. A result of 10–14 succeeds with complications. A result of 9 or less lets the GM make a Move. The GM never rolls dice. | Roll an Attribute-plus-Ability pool of d10s and count dice meeting the difficulty, usually 6. Each rolled 1 cancels a success. A roll botches only when no die meets the difficulty and at least one die shows 1. Magick instead rolls Arete, the mage's enlightenment rating, against a difficulty based on the highest Sphere used and whether the effect violates ordinary reality. Successes determine the effect's extent. |
| Dice | 2d10 | d10 dice pool |
| Complexity | High | Very High |
| Accessibility | High | High |
| Runnability | High | Very High |
| License | All Rights Reserved | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | Noncommercial only — Helmgast Fan Content Policy | Commercial publishing allowed — Storytellers Vault |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Helmgast AB | Onyx Path Publishing |
| Year | 2018 | 2015 |
| Languages | English, Swedish, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Italian | English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish |
| Best For | Groups seeking adult occult horror where personal secrets drive investigations and dangerous confrontations. It suits tables willing to establish explicit boundaries and develop a campaign around their characters. | Groups who want long modern occult campaigns about conflicting beliefs and the consequences of reshaping reality. |
| Highlights | Dark Secrets feed the GM's Intrigue Map, turning character histories into connected campaign threats. Stability makes horror exposure create lasting vulnerabilities to further supernatural pressure. Dramatic Hooks reward players for bringing their requested character scenes into play. | Nine Spheres combine into improvised magical effects beyond a fixed spell list. A mage's beliefs determine the practices and instruments that make those effects possible. Concealing magick within plausible events reduces the risk of reality's backlash. |
| Considerations | The game addresses sexual violence and torture, requiring agreement on boundaries before play. The GM develops the Intrigue Map between sessions as threats react to the characters. Optional Enlightened characters introduce supernatural abilities that change the balance of ordinary human horror. | Improvised magick requires the group to agree on what an effect can accomplish before rolling. Accumulated Paradox can injure a mage or trap them in a distorted reality. Cabals need shared motives to keep incompatible faction loyalties from pulling the campaign apart. |