An Excerpt from The First Day, Book One...
Added 2021-03-30 23:35:55 +0000 UTCFrom Chapter Nine:
Ripping is the process whereby a Mage may sacrifice himself to fuel a particularly powerful spell. The mechanics of it are simple: you gain the amount of energy equal to the bonus of the Stats you give up. Unfortunately, Magi have little to no control over the process of Ripping, which preys first upon those Stats that are their highest, and then rolls downwards from there in order. Thus, Ripping a spell will probably impede any successive Casting, as a Mage’s Casting Stats are usually his highest, and the first to be stricken.
This process is greatly painful, in addition to causing massive penalties if overused. It isn’t called Ripping because it’s an easy, gentle process, but it is the one way that Mages can elevate their spells to rival that of Gods for the short term. Even the Gods respect the element of personal sacrifice and discipline this takes.
Healing magic will quickly restore some of the ability score damage, but complete recovery is a function of time and Meditative ability that correlates to the amount of damage done. This is not a tactic to be used by the idle.
===from the Guidebook to the Power of Ten.
