Paradox normally manifests at the time the Mage performs the effect. However, a Mage can spend one Willpower trait to stave off disaster until a later time. Willpower must be spent each time a character accumulates Paradox within a scene. After the Scene is over or an hour has passed (whichever comes first) the paradox manifests and a paradox Test is then performed to determine the effect.
Whenever a Mage accumulates Paradox from casting an effect, unless it is held off using the method above, a simple test is performed. If the Mage wins or ties this test, all the accumulated Paradox in her pattern is released at once in some form. If the Mage looses the test the paradox accumulates and adds to any paradox, she already had.
For example, Doctor Tangent is in a pitched battle with several lupines. Having already used his mastery of Entropy to disrupt them, he tries to pull off a vulgar effect with witnesses and fails. He looses the simple test for Paradox and the five traits sit in his pattern.
Several rounds later he fails another effect and accumulates another six paradox traits. Testing for Paradox, he again looses and now has 11 total paradox traits in his pattern.
Again he fails a vulgar effect and has to suffer three more Paradox. Worried about what this Paradox might unleash, he spends his last Willpower Trait to hold it off until the battle is done one way or another.
Finally, he has shaken off two of his pursuers, tries one last effect to Teleport himself to safety, and Paradox be damned. He botches the vulgar effect and suffers eight paradox traits because of it. He tests for Paradox and wins. Good for him. The ST inflicts the results of 19 Paradox Traits worth of Backlash on poor old Doctor Tangent. The player of Doctor Tangent cries. He still has to test for the three traits he held off earlier at the end of the scene.
The most common type of backlash is manifested by damage to the Mage's pattern.
If you have suffered 1 to 10 traits of Paradox backlash, divide by two (round up) and take that many levels of bashing damage.
If you have suffered 11-20 traits of Paradox backlash, subtract 10, divide by two (round up) and take that many levels of lethal damage.
If you have suffered 21 or more traits of Paradox backlash, subtract 20, divide by two (round up) and take that many levels of aggravated damage.
Any type of Paradox manifestation beyond simple physical damage is usually manifested in the form of poetic justice. Paradox acts as a kind of moral force that punishes the abuse of Awakened creative power. This reflects the view of Paradox as a manifestation of the creative power of the subconscious "shadow" of the Awakened Avatar.
Paradox Flaws occur when accumulated Paradox energy has not been released by a backlash and "condenses" into a "lump" in the Mage's pattern. The tension caused by the accumulated energy no longer exists, but the change in the Mage's pattern manifests as a physical, mental, perceptual or spiritual disability or disfigurement. Flaws should ideally reflect the act that generated the Paradox in the first place.
Most of these Flaws are only temporary, but some are permanent. Manifestation of a Paradox Flaw erases from one to five traits of paradox from a Mage's pattern. Either the player of a character or a storyteller may opt to inflict a paradox flaw on a character. If the player opts to take a paradox flaw, its value must be at least half the current pool of Paradox in a pattern. For example, with five paradox traits in a Mage's pattern, the least flaw a player can opt for is three traits. If a Mage has more than eight Paradox Traits, she must take five point flaws.
One-Point Flaws: A minor Paradox effect occurs near the character. Most one-point flaws are extremely short lived. The majority of Paradox Flaws are one-point effects that happen as the Mage performs the magic that caused her to acquire the flaw in the first place. These short lived and minor flaws generally last no longer than five minutes. The Storyteller may have the character be one Trait down on the next Challenge.
Two-Point Flaws: Two-point flaws are more dramatic and can last for hours. Flaws of this nature are a little more potent and begin to warp reality around her. If the Flaw interferes with the character's ability to function, the Storyteller might apply a two-trait penalty to all tests for a scene or two. Such Flaws make certain things more difficult and they could be noticeably odd to others.
Three-Point Flaws: Three-point Flaws are much more prominent and inhibit the character significantly. They also tend to have a longer duration; some last for days or weeks. The player may choose to one-point Flaws and make them permanent. These flaws begin to impede severely the character and warp reality around her. At this level, Flaws become more than just uncomfortable; they could place a Mage at a significant disadvantage.
Four-Point Flaws: Four-point Flaws become quite hazardous. They can last for hours, days or weeks depending on their severity. The Mage with this level of Paradox can find life quite hazardous for days on end. These Flaws are somewhat harmful, even to others, and they are definitely strange, noticeable and problematic.
Five-Point Flaws: These are major Paradox Flaws. These Flaws are often more damaging than the lesser Flaws but do not necessarily last longer than three- or four-point Flaws. The Storyteller must decide the exact consequences of each Flaw in terms of game statistics. These Flaws often involve drastic and temporary or minor and permanent decrease in one or more Attributes. Players may also choose two-point Flaws and adopt them permanently. Most characters are taken out of play for the duration of these major Paradox Flaws, which can continue for several sessions or even be permanent. At this level, the Mage has trouble just getting out of bed. They can change a Attributes of a character by three or more Traits for short periods, or alter them permanently by one Trait. If out of control, these Flaws can wreck havoc on the Mage and on the people around him. Some things may become downright impossible for the Mage to accomplish, depending on the nature of the Flaw.
Mages are so adept at eschewing "true" reality to pursue their own unique visions that they tend to get a little carried away. Sometimes the Mage's perceptions cannot align with reality for a time. Such an estrangement is known as an episode of Quiet. Mundane humans usually view Quiet as a form of insanity.
Any Mage with Paradox points can slip into Quiet at any time. Quiets are often the result of long strings of coincidental magic or too many uses of perception magic. Usually occurs if a character builds up Paradox without releasing it in the form or Paradox Flaws or suffering some other type of Paradox backlash. When and how they occur is entirely up to the Storyteller.
The symptoms of a Quiet, from an outsiders perspective include bursts of thought, action and communication that make no sense to sane people � interspersed with bouts of severe withdrawal verging on catatonia. From the victim's perspective, Quiet is an assault of extraneous sensory data and changes to the world around him. During the fight to realign his perceptions with reality, he is perceived as catatonic as he withdraws into himself to fight his personal illusions.
During the episode, the Mage usually tries her best to ignore her delusions and act normally. Those who fail tend to end up in sanitariums, or at least tarnished reputations in human society.
A Mage having an episode of Quiet suffers problems based on the amount of Paradox energy that put him there. The type of Quiet is depends on the Mage's highest Resonance trait.
With one to three traits of Paradox, the Mage suffers from doubled Negative Traits due to Resonance.
With four to six traits of Paradox, the Mage also suffers from a Derangement. The Mage sees things that are not there and he has trouble distinguishing this fantasy from reality. High Dynamism leads to Schizophrenia. High Stasis leads to becoming Obsessive/Compulsive. High Entropy leads to Paranoia. Players who ignore these Derangements should not be awarded experience points for the session.
With seven to 10 traits of Paradox, the Mage also spawns Hobgoblins. A Mage manifests one hobgoblin for each trait of Paradox that went into the Quiet above six. With seven Paradox Traits blown into a Quiet, the Mage suffers one Hobgoblin. With eight, two Hobgoblins, etc. High Dynamism leads to little goblins, nonsensical furniture, or other odd things. High Stasis leads to machine voices or freakish technological aberrations. With Jhor, hobgoblins could be small demons, imps or perhaps weapons or implements of torture.
A hobgoblin is very real, and it does not suffer from paradox or Unbelief but is perceived only by the Mage that spawned it. Rather it is spawned by the Mage's own magical powers. No simple means exists to tell a Hobgoblin from reality. Hobgoblins tend to stick around and haunt the Mage for at least an entire game session. Most hobgoblins run around, vex the Mage or cause social problems, and perhaps play to some of the Mage's personal fears.
With 11 or more traits of paradox, the Mage will also suffer from the epitome of his Resonance. Victims of Madness will enter a mindscape where to the rest of the world they appear to be catatonic. Victims of Clarity stop speaking to others and become fixated on doing things as if they were a complete drone. Victims of Jhor are drawn to death and become silent, sociopathic killers. This is best handled by role-playing the consequences of this state. Mages suffering from this amount of Quiet should be taken aside by Narrators or Storytellers for solo actions.
Escaping from any Quiet is difficult. Each Willpower Trait spent to resist a Derangement, ignore a Hobgoblin's taunting or the silent urges of Madness, Clarity or Jhor will be tallied. When this total amount of Willpower spent equals the Paradox traits of the Quiet, the Mage escapes the effects and discharges that amount of Paradox from her pattern.
Additional excellent information on Madness, Clarity and Jhor can be read in Mage Revised on pg. 199-200.
Occasionally, a Mage's gross violation of reality draws down some sort of offended force. A Mage may suffer from a visit from a Paradox Spirit. Such spirits usually manifests in a form appropriate to the magic used and wreck havoc upon the unfortunate with its powers. Some can materialize physically. Others slightly hamper the Mage's effects or create nuisance effects of their own. Paradox spirits are typically immune to the Sphere that was used to cause the paradox that drew their attention. Furthermore, a Paradox spirit cannot be summoned, commanded or banished with Spirit magic or Dimensional Science.
Paradox realms act as prisons for Mages who violate reality too much. Mages caught within them are subjected to trials and puzzles to figure out in order to escape. Such events are best left to role-playing, separate areas set-aside for this purpose, solo sessions and downtimes.
These are exceedingly rare. When they occur at all, they mark some huge battle or act of foolish pride. The destruction of some mighty Artifact might bring on a Paradox Storm but few other things will. The effects of a storm are to normalize reality in the area where they were brought forth. They undo all magical effects in the are of about a small neighborhood and while they rage Paradox Realms may open and close, Paradox Spirits may be encountered wandering the area. They temporarily drain nodes and strip excess Quintessence from all patterns (Mages, Talismans and Tass). Usually the effects of a storm last about a day and are only observable to the Awakened and partially Awakened. Afterwards, the are becomes calm and tranquil with an overwhelming sense of normality.
This website and all original content is �Copyrighted 2002 to the staff and players of Dream Carefully. All Rights Reserved. All references to the White Wolf Publishing, Inc. materials is no challange to their rights.