The Willpower Trait measures confidence, drive, and resolve. A character with high Willpower is going to be steady and self-confident. One with a low Willpower has limited self-control and not as much determination. Normally, Willpower runs anywhere from one to ten, but it has two ratings: a permanent rating and a temporary pool. When you roll against a character’s Willpower to perform feats, you use the permanent rating; when using Willpower to actually perform feats, spend temporary points from the Willpower pool. Points get crossed off and restored to the pool, but the permanent rating rarely changes. The temporary pool can rise only until it equals the permanent rating, so a character with high Willpower not only has a better chance of resisting certain effects, but also has more reserves of inner strength.

When calling on his Willpower, your character is making a determined effort to finish some task or overcome some extreme obstacle or adversity. Such an expenditure usually costs one point from the Willpower pool. Over the course of play, that pool can be diminished or refreshed. A character who runs out of Willpower is, well, screwed. He’s tired out, exhausted and unable to muster any more spirit. A character’s resolve can return slowly, but in the meantime, he can’t get himself to give a damn.

Because mages literally wrap reality around their desires through force of enlightened will, they tend to have strong Willpower ratings. Mages start with a permanent Willpower rating of five or more. Sleepers, by contrast, can range anywhere in the scale of one to ten, though an average of three is usual, and extremes are quite rare.

X	Spineless
*	Weak
**	Timid
***	Unassertive
****	Diffident
*****	Certain
***** *	Confident
***** **	Determined
***** ***	Controlled
***** ****	Iron-Willed
***** *****	Unshakable

<> using willpower <>

• By spending a Willpower point, a mage can get an automatic success on an action. He can use only one point per turn this way, though an extended action over several turns could benefit from multiple expenditures. Such a success adds directly to the roll, without counting against any of the dice. Obviously, such expenditure also prevents the possibility of a botch. Use of Willpower in this fashion must be declared before the action is actually taken, but the use is then considered reflexive.
• Willpower can be used in resistance against Mind magic, usually against a difficulty of 6. Successes scored on each roll subtract from the successes of the Mind Effect. Note that resistance may not be possible or automatic in some cases (at Storyteller discretion). Supernatural entities gain this resistance at no cost, but normal mortals must spend a point of Willpower to exert this defense.
• A point of Willpower is sufficient to banish a hobgoblin or Quiet-induced hallucination for a scene. You must roll Willpower (see pg. 201 Mage 3rd Ed) to do so successfully; otherwise the Willpower point is expended to no avail. If successful, the phenomenon goes away, and the mage asserts command of his senses for a short time. This expenditure also burns out a point of Paradox, if the mage still holds any. Only one point per day may be used in this fashion.
• When faced with an overwhelming urge or compulsion – “You flee in horror from the Umbral monstrosity,” or “The wiles of the succubus draw you closer against your better judgement” – you may spend a Willpower point to override the compulsion and act normally. Your mage musters enough self-control to assert himself in the face of a monstrous urge. Should the source continue, though, you may need to spend additional Willpower over successive turns, just to keep control. If you ignore a situation and call for your mage to do something in the face of an overwhelming reaction, the Storyteller may require you to spend a point of Willpower even if you do not specifically ask to do so. Although you [the player] may be rather blasé about the prospect of your mage’s confrontation with an Umbral monstrosity, your character is much less certain about the outcome!
• Spending a point of Willpower allows a mage to ignore all penalties from wounds and injury, up to but not including total incapacitation, for one turn. The character struggles to put out a last-ditch effort. This expenditure lets the character perform one action without dice pool penalties, or move at full speed in spite of injuries.

<> losing willpower <>

Loss of permanent Willpower is very rare, as it takes a concerted effort to strip away the ego and lay bare the mind. Repairing such damage takes time and a great deal of effort, as the subject has to overcome hideous emotional scars. Thus, characters lose permanent Willpower only if the Storyteller judges that they’ve undergone trials terrible enough to break them in mind and spirit. Lost Willpower can be regained only through roleplaying and experience.

<> regaining willpower <>

Over time, confidence returns and mental fortitude rebuilds. A character who’s had a chance to rest and regain her strength can refresh her temporary Willpower. Many other events can return temporary Willpower to the character’s pool as well, up to the character’s permanent Willpower rating. Raising the Willpower rating permanently comes only with experience.