Paradox Effects

 :Paradox_Effects

   Paradox effects occur randomly, and are the result of loose energy

residues in an area. They affect the area, objects within it, and

persons within it or passing thru it while active. The rules for Paradox

are subject to GM interpretation and should not be considered so solid 

that you cannot enhance them or improve them. They are similar to the

realm of Spell Klutz's, but are not the same.

  The GM must track the area involved over time, Paradox rarely affects

a place that is not regularly used by magic, and constantly affects

places like a Sanctuary of a mage. The GM must decide the background

level of the area before the first time a player uses it. In general

you can consider background levels thusly:

        Beach                                    1

        Church or other Religious locale         3

        City Street                              0

        Graveyard                                4

        Home/Apartment (Mundane)                 1

        Place of Business (Mundane)              1

        Place of Business (Magical)              4

        Public Park                              2

        Sanctuary                                5

        Shipboard                                2

        Sports Arena/Ballpark                    1

        Theatre/Music Hall                       3

  An 'Area' is considered usually a 30' across sphere within the locale.

  Note that a vehicle, such as a Ship, boat, Car, Truck, Bus,

plane etc DOES count as a locale.

  Each time a spell is cast within an area, (After the first) except

those that are purely detection oriented magics, it adds 10% of the

total points spent to the background level (adding a MINIMUM of one

Point). After each cast a d100 roll is made against this total, and

if the roll is equal or less than the total then the energy causes a

Paradox effect to occur within the area. After a Paradox Effect has

occured, the energy level of the area is reset to 0 (unless something

other is mentioned in the Paradox Effect Results roll).

  Since PARADOX can produce lasting (and even permanent) effects to

an area, object(s) or people, it is feared by some mages. Others

consider it part of the price of magic, and others believe it is the

punishment of unseen divinities upon their lives for abuse of power.

Hermetics teaches it is simply loose energy, seeking to ground and

which builds up to produce a chaos effect with time. Paradox effects

do not appear to occur on Technomages for some reason.

  Once an area has an ongoing Paradox effect there should be no

further rolls for castings within the area until AFTER it has ended

(If the effect is permanent in the area then record keeping becomes

unneeded).

  Paradox effects cannot be dispelled by those responsible for their

generation, except by spells specific to them.

  If an effect is marked with a (T) it signifies that the effect

will be more than instantaneous and a roll is made on the time table:

:Time

        ROLL      DURATION OF EFFECT

        ----      ------------------

        01-05     5 Rounds

        06-10     1 Minute   (10 Rounds)

        11-15     10 Minutes (100 Rounds)

        16-20     1 Hour     (600 Rounds)

        21-50     1 Day      (14,400 Rounds)

        51-65     1 Week     (100,800 Rounds)

        66-75     1 Month    (432,000 Rounds)

        76-95     1 Year     (5,256,000 Rounds)

        96-00     Permanent

:Results

  ROLL    RESULTS

  ----    -------

    01    Any Time Recording device will run in reverse in the Area (T)

    02    Plastic brought into the area will Rust (T)

  03-05   Any Liquid objects in the area will Spoil (Milk, Alcohol etc)

  06-07   Any Glass objects in the area will crumble into sand

    08    Fires in the area will burn without consuming their fuel (T)

  09-10   Anyone present will cease to cast a shadow (T)

  11-12   Anyone present will have their sense of taste reversed

                 (What did taste good tastes bad! those without taste

                  sense gain them from this effect!)  (T)

  13-14   Fires in the area will burn cold (T)

    15    Anyone present will have their handedness reversed (T)

  16-17   Any sound occuring in the area will echo for a full round (T)

  18-20   Anyone present will find their reflections act of their own 

                 accord instead of reflecting what they do (T)

  21-22   Objects dropped within the area fall upward (T)

  23-25   Electronic devices within the area turn off and on randomly (T)

  26-27   Objects fall/move in slow motion within the area (T)

    28    Anyone present will have their sense of hearing reversed

                 (Whispers are LOUD, Shouts are barely audible) (T)

  29-30   Anyone present will have delayed nerve impulses, dropping

                 their Initiative by 5 points (T)

    31    Anyone present will have sight reversed, seeing in darkness and

                 unable to see well at all in light (T)

  32-33   Dark colored objects present become suddenly transparent (T)

  34-35   Inanimate objects in the area not worn/carried by a person

                 become animate and move about randomly (T)

  36-37   All electronic devices brought within the area fail to function

                 while in it but work fine elsewhere (T)

  38-40   Broken or corroded objects are restored in the area

  41-42   Firearms an explosives will fail to function in the Area (T)

    43    Velocity (on bullets, arrows, throw items) fails to propel

                 them more than a few inches while in the area (T)

  44-45   Solid objects within the area become immaterial to the

                 touch, randomly while within it (T)

  46-75   The area becomes subject to time ghosts, that is those viewing

          it from within or without will see in the area the presence of

          objects/persons of the past (01-50) or the Future (51-00) 

          randomly while in effect (T). Such time ghosts cannot be touched,

          heard or in any way affected, and may include things that only

          might happen or have happened, as distortion occurs from other

          realities.

  76-80   A Hobgoblin is formed. This is a projection from the memories

          and imagination of whoever is present at the infliction, and

          may look like anything from a classic monster to an old

          enemy. The Hobgoblin will have random physical attributes:

                 BODY, MIND, SPIRIT, COORDINATION

          and some random abilities based on what the image from their

          minds had, its up to the GM. A hobgoblin will exist till

          destroyed and will seek to harm, annoy and disrupt the lives

          of all present at its creation. The GM controls the creature.

          Hobgoblins cannot be dispelled thru ordinary means.

  81-85   Paradox Enhancement. This appears to do NOTHING but in reality

          is very devious. The area gets a permanent add to its probability

          of Paradox happening, an unerasable base score of 10 (this

          does not count as a permanent affect). If this is gotten

          more than once, it compounds accordingly. All TIME rolls will

          add five to their rolls as well.

  86-90   Written words while within the area will become unreadable, as

          they will move about on a page as if insects. (T)

  91-95   Klutz Enhancement. This is another subtle effect. The area gets

          a permanent modifier that increases the chance of spell klutz.

          Anytime when casting within the area, a 91-00 will result in

          a klutz instead of the usual 96-00. Although a permanent effect

          it does not prevent future paradox rolls etc.

  96-98   Caster Warp. This affects ONLY the caster, it causes a physical

          warping of their being. It should be something very odd and is

          always permanent. Among possibilities:

    

                 Loss of all Body Hair

                 Body Hair Becomes an Unnatural Color

                 Grows an extra Finger or toe on each extremity

                 Loses a finger or toe on each extremity

                 Caster Ages a full year instantly, including hair,

                        beard and fingernail growth.

                 Strange patterns appear on the Caster's skin, as if

                        tatoo's, related to their Tradition types

                 Caster's clothes crumble into dust if any being worn

                 Caster becomes sterile (does NOT get disadv. points for

                        it; or if already sterile becomes fertile!)

                 Caster's Fingers gain an extra joint

                 Caster's Nails become claw-like (+2 for damage HTH)

                 Caster's Bodily fluids become a strange color when in

                        contact with air (Black Blood, Green Urine etc)

                 Caster's Ears become pointed (or rounded if an elf)

                 Caster grows tiny horns from their skull (Devil like)

                 Caster's Canine Teeth become sharper and more prominent

                 Caster can always see into the Nearby Ethereal Plane

                 Caster can always see into the Nearby Astral Plane

  99-00   Locale Warp. Everything and everyone in the area at time of

          casting is warped into another version of reality, an alternative

          reality and must find their way BACK to the Mystic Earth (they

          will be drawn back automatically at the end of Time limit) (T).