1001 Interesting Paradox Backlashes

[Nonsense]

283)Future meals [Quiet; Time]

You know meddling with the future is dangerous. Altering events can prove fatal. What if your next meal is destined to be a club sandwich but you eat a pizza.

You are constantly worried if you do the right things. And life in constant fear of the Time Paradox you could create by doing something you are not doing in the yet to come future.

[Muad'Dib]

284) Prime Authority [Paradox Flaw ; Caused by regular use of Prime - or similar concept(s) for Foundation and Pillars Mages - without mixing it with the other Spheres.]
The Mage becomes incapable of conceiving and perceiving that they can be wrong in matters of how True Magick flows.
This Paradox Flaw is best dealt with by somebody conjuring something pretty and/or beautiful in front of the affected Mage, and then proving them wrong again and again, in matters of True Magick, over a period of over half an hour.

[Bluecho]

285) Too Attached [Flaw]: Responding to an Effect cast with a hand-held Instrument, the Principle of Contagion causes that Instrument to become too strong to break. For the duration of the backlash, the Instrument will not leave the mage's hand; the bonds of sympathy are simply insurmountable. It's for this reason that the backlash also accompanies abuses of Correspondence, which can excel at strengthening or breaking bonds of sympathy. If the mage opens their hand, the object won't fall from their grasp, nor stick in a pocket or holster, nor allow itself to be pried from her flesh. While the mage actively holds the object, she can move it around in her grasp, flip it between her fingers, and even pass it from one hand to another. But it will not leave her grasp, no matter what. Trying to pry it free will more likely hurt her flesh than succeed in dislodging it.

While having the Instrument on hand (pun intended) can be convenient from the sense of always having ready for use, it can be quite inconvenient in basically all other respects. Having a sizable item in the hand makes it harder to use it for other purposes, for instance. Further, people tend to notice if the mage carries around strange, arcane objects in open view. They tend especially to react badly when that Instrument is a weapon, like a gun or an athame.

[Muad'Dib]

286) The Longing [Paradox Flaw ; Mind and Correspondence] This Paradox Flaw affects Mages as a result of any use of True Magick that includes both the Spheres of Mind and Correspondence; or similar concepts for Foundation and Pillar Mages. The Mage suffers from tiredness, dizziness, and a general feeling of being all over the place - unless they are near a specific person they care about, or are in the process of doing something that benefits this person.

[BurritoMage]

286) aged flawed. This paradox flaw strikes those that manipulate (through time or life) their bodies pattern to maintain eternal youth a little too often. Regardless of the age selected the mage goes through puberty all over again. The voice cracking, bad skin, mood swings.

[Muad'Dib]

288) As If Gliding [Paradox Flaw ; Forces, Correspondence] The Mage does not hear or feel anyone's footsteps, including the Mage's own. Other ways of movement - like slithering, for example - are likewise not heard, nor are they felt.

[Muad'Dib]

289) Cherish The Thoughts [Paradox Flaw ; Entropy] This Flaw affects Mages who have used the Destroy Thought Effect - or similar Magick(s) - one too many times. The Mage must repeat every thought and consideration in his head once in order for it to rest and exist in his psyche properly. Without the repeating, the Mage will forget an unrepeated thought over the next ten seconds from thinking it.

This Paradox Flaw might be one of the reasons for weird and peculiar thought and speech patterns of Mages who delved deep into the Sphere of Entropy, or similar Magick in the case of Foundation and Pillars Mages.

This Paradox Flaw can be resolved by using Entropy 1-4 (that is, without Affecting Thoughts) - or similar concepts and True Magick for Foundation and Pillar Mages - to affect positive, lasting changes in regards to mentality of people out in the world.

[Muad'Dib]

290) The Vibrancy of Life... [Paradox Flaw ; Life] This Paradox Flaw causes the affected Mage to automatically use, and be unable to turn off, their Life sight(s)/sense(s) around individuals who voice any opinion(s) related to matters like keeping a good attitude to have good health, eating healthily, working out a lot, and living a healthy lifestyle; be they Mages or non-Awakened. The Mage is subtly drawn and attracted to analyzing, with their Life sight(s)/sense(s) and other means, just how healthy and vibrant the bodies of those individual(s) are.

[Bluecho]

291) Rad Burns [Burn]: Certain technomancers - namely of Iteration X, the Void Engineers, and the Society of Ether - employ explicitly nuclear-powered machinery, or equipment that produce radiation as a byproduct of their functioning. While well-crafted Instruments insulate the worst effects of radiation, prolonged or improper use (read: through the accruing of Paradox or Botching) can result in sudden release of nuclear energy against the user. These cause spontaneous, nasty burns on the mage's body, usually on areas in direct contact with the device, like the hands. This backlash was most common during the Cold War, when nuclear power was at the height of its popularity (and infamy).


292) Vacuum Phobia [Quiet]: A magickally induced form of PTSD, resulting from poor experiences with the vacuum of space. Naturally, this Quiet effects Void Engineers most frequently; the other major explorers beyond the planet, the Society of Ether, don't by their very nature believe in the vacuum. Sufferers of this Quiet become terrified of the vast, empty expanse beyond the earthly firmament. Floating among the stars, thin sheets of metal and plastic the only barrier between an oasis of life and the unrelenting Void.

The character never feels safe unless they have some kind of protection against the hostile forces of the Void. At first, a mask with a few minutes of oxygen are sufficient to be on the mage's person. Enough to give them time, should the local environment experience a "atmosphere leak". (No, it doesn't really reassure the sufferer to tell them there's plenty of air. They've heard those naive assurances, right before a seemingly impregnable bulkhead was breached. No, they don't even trust the planet to keep its atmosphere.) The mage will also tend to stick near walls, always keeping eyes peeled for potential handholds that could prevent being "sucked out" by decompression. At all times, the mage feels more comfortable inside than outside; outdoors, they feel a sense of dread, and may breathe less easily.

As the Quiet worsens, they grow more paranoid and uneasy outside still. They begin to walk around with a functional space suit, with at least an hour's worth of air at all times. Ready to deploy at a moment's notice, which they know they'd be lucky to get in an emergency. They hug the walls wherever they go, grabbing handholds as they walk wherever possible. They don't trust the gravity keeping them down - artificial gravity has failed before on Voidships and Space Constructs. Why should natural gravity be any more trustworthy? Visual and auditory hallucinations begin to set in at this stage. Half the time, a window reveals a black field dotted with stars, either whole or superimposed over the regular landscape (depending on how severe the Quiet is). Noise that comes from outside becomes muted to the mage's ears; the Void was always dead silent, so a mage who spent a great deal of time there expects sound not to exist outside the walls around them. It becomes difficult to convince the sufferer to exit buildings; it takes a great force of will to pass out an entryway without first popping on their helmet. They berate others for leaving doors or windows open ("You're letting the air out, you fool!"), and will shut any they find whenever possible. Breathing outdoors becomes difficult, if not impossible.

At its most severe, not even the inside of structures seem safe. Their Quiet has progressed and shifted, making them believe that the bulkheads have already been breached, and all the air released. They have their suits and helmets on at all times, for it is impossible to breathe otherwise. This is true for everyone around the mage as well, as their Quiet leaks out and creates an anti-bubble of vacuum in their immediate presence. Obviously, those who didn't remember their spacesuits ("Idiots") are left out in the cold; literally in this case, as the space around the mage becomes bitter cold, unless in direct sunlight. In that case, the characters are left terribly warm, as heat fails to leave them through the lack of atmosphere, and builds up in their body. Gravity also looses its grip on the mage and those around them; they must climb over surfaces or push off and float, to get anywhere. At this point, the mage will suffer no nonsense about being planetside (if applicable). They are in the Void, at best surrounded by the ruptured hull of a voidcraft, space station, or asteroid base. It looks it, too, with walls and surfaces shifting to reflect the familiar VE installations. And, of course, all is deathly silent. The only way to communicate with the mage is either through nonverbal communication, or through radio or text message.

[Bluecho]

293) My Co-Pilot Is A Panther [Spirit]: The mage's car becomes host to a semi-wild animal, like a predatory cat or a honey badger. Nor does it have any intention of leaving. It just lives there, now. Even entering the vehicle can gain its ire, as it sees others as invading its territory; it will growl at all interlopers, and swipe at them in order ward people away. Attacking the animal will result in an angry beast wanting the mage dead, and it won't be tempted to leave through bribes of food. It CAN, however, be bribed into nonaggression, and letting the mage use their vehicle. Using Mind 2 to talk with the beast will pan out just the same; it refuses to leave before the backlash is over, but can be bargained with for access to the car. This doesn't mean the mage and beast are now friends, mind. It just means they can tolerate each other during car rides. Amusingly, some beasts (like wolves) enjoy sticking their heads out of open windows during travel. There's little the mage can do except wait until their passenger disappears of their own accord.


294) Skeleton With A Gun [Spirit]: It's an animate skeleton.

With a gun.

Usually appears as a response to flagrant necromancy. Or if Paradox just feels like phoning one in.

[Bluecho]

295) Broomstick Rebellion [Flaw]: The power of flight is generally a Vulgar art, outside airplanes, helicopters, and rather large and complicated jetpacks. Whether it's a witch's broomstick, a magi's flying carpet, or a hacker's hoverboard, these means of aerial conveyance can rebel against their riders, with the addition of Paradox. They fly as they please, resisting the mage's attempts to control them. Botches are especially insidious, as the mage is made to believe their Effect was successful, until their mount goes wild mid-flight, bucking like a bronco and moving way off course. Remaining on could necessitate a Dexterity + Flying or Dexterity + Jetpack roll, and the cost of falling off could be high, depending on the circumstances. The luckiest a mage could be with this Flaw is that it results in the mount taking off without them, leaving the character stranded while their ride does its own thing for a while. Could make finding it again difficult...


296) Rolling Rock [Spirit]: A rolling stone gathers no moss, but one propelled by Paradox can gather a coating of mage blood. This round boulder ranges from the size of a bowling ball to the thickness of a car tire, depending on the severity of the backlash. It rolls on the ground, or sometimes bounces from surface to surface. Its method of punishing mages is obvious: it rolls into them, attempting to cause blunt force trauma and knock them down. If there are cliffs, the edges of long drops, or sets of stairs, the stone will attempt to maneuver towards knocking the mage off that precipice, so they incur more damage. As it is a rock with no appendages, it can be destroyed or restrained through obvious means, and it has difficulty pursuing a target uphill. Their greater mass allows larger stones to potentially deal more damage, but also makes them slower and more impaired by inclines. Matter arts tend to draw this spirit, especially Effects that alter or reshape earth.

[Muad'Dib]

297) Misplaced Memory [Paradox Flaw ; Mind and Correspondence] This Flaw mostly affects Mages who read minds from a distance. It causes the Mage to forget memories and facts associated with a particular place(s) - often one(s) similar to the place(s) the Mage combined Mind and Correspondence; or the equivalent for the Foundation and Pillars Mages.

[Muad'Dib]

298) Attention Addiction [Paradox Flaw ; Prime, Mind] Mages affected by this Flaw suffer from a state of simultaneous tiredness and hypertension every time they are not not the subject of attention of over half of the persons surrounding them.

[Bluecho]

299) Reefer Madness [Quiet]: Of course, Marijuana is largely harmless, especially compared to other drugs. But for a few ulterior reasons, propaganda campaigns were started in the early and mid 20th century to demonize the drug in the US. These ulterior motives varied; certain businesses like the paper industry didn't like the competition from hemp paper, and prohibition officials needed a new target to remain relevant once alcohol prohibition was dying off. And, of course, there's the reason all Tradition mages know for why Marijuana was outlawed: the Technocracy wanted to stamp out the substance as a means of cognitive expansion, and criminalize superstitionists who employed it. All of this, however, went on behind the scenes; those opposed to Mary Jane needed a public pretense for outlawing it.

So they fabricated one: Reefer Madness. Marijuana was painted as a drug just as bad as cocaine or other hard substances. A plant that promoted violence, deviant behavior, and death. It was then claimed that weed was a direct threat to America's youth. That it would destroy the country and everything it stood for.

Obviously, this does not happen in real life. But it worked well enough to get the drug outlawed. And even though mages know full well that this is not only propaganda, but Technocratic propaganda, it still stuck the idea in the heads of the Awakened. Even now, decades past those early days of hysteria, Paradox can cause Reefer Madness to manifest in mages who use pot as a tool in their magick.

This Quiet promotes in its sufferer mania, paranoia, and a growing disregard for societal norms. Their culinary and sexual appetites are switched into high gear. While marijuana normally sedates, the Quiet causes it to excite and agitate; for the mage, it is an upper rather than a downer. Minor hallucinations blossom into major ones, which feed upon lingering feelings of fear, anger, and guilt. As the Quiet worsens, they begin to become twitchy, violent, and prone to excesses. Eventually, the Quiet becomes so bad, the mage gains zombie-like characteristics; unable to differentiate hunger and longing for pleasures of the flesh, they are afflicted with cannibalistic desire. As their madness creeps into the world, they transform into a rotting, cadaver-like figure, seeking only to gratify its desire for meat and weed. Hobgoblins spawned from their hallucinations begin to accost passersby, other zombies corresponding to the mage's deepest obsessions and insecurities.

[Muad'Dib]

300) The Weight of Fate [Paradox Flaw ; Matter and Entropy] Every time the Mage makes a promise, the Mage is afflicted with a condition that makes all the items that she or he will hold in her hands feel three times heavier. This lasts until the Mage fulfills all promises that she or he has given.