1001 Interesting Paradox Backlashes

[Bluecho]

one of my pc's (Virtual Adept. Gamer Paradigm. MMORPG Paradigm) has earn her first permadox flaw..but im still thinking what effect could it be. any ideas?. she teleported two mages to a room (she considers that every place where she is, is part of her 'server' and she sees herself as an administrator. which would fit with her paradigm )

I've got a couple suggestions. (Written in the usual thread style).


173) Player Name Here [Flaw]: The character's name and allegiance are displayed in text above their head, for all to see. This is attention-grabbing, not to mention dangerous if the character goes up against a Mage or other individual who can exploit True Names (whether the name displayed actually counts as a True Name, or just a legal name, is up to the Storyteller). If nothing else, it means the character can't go anywhere without attracting the wrong kind of attention (unless she has Arcane), and it means that pretending to be someone she's not will be difficult (assuming other people take the name displayed above her as her name; not a great leap of logic). If this seems too punitive - it becomes a literal sign proclaiming the character's supernatural nature - you could limit manifestations of this Flaw to only when the character is captured in images or video, with the "player name" appearing in the image or video only. I favor this approach, if only because it creates a consistent problem for the character without being overwhelming.


174) Admin Name In Red [Flaw]: In this Flaw, every time the character writes or types something, it is rendered in red color, regardless of the color she intended it to be. Black pens or pencils turn scarlet on the page, and typed words turn crimson on the screen. Because the character sees herself as Admin to her own domain, she speaks (or writes in this case) with the color of authority...whether she wants it or not.


175) No PvP In Shops [Flaw]: Probably the most potentially punitive (and thus deserving of discretionary judgement), the character finds that "PvP" is "turned off" for her while within the bounds of specific types of locations. In this case stores or other places of commerce, although any location the character may consider "sacred" could be substituted. While there, she finds that attempting to assault other characters results in no health levels of damage. She could kick someone in the shins, but it would only sting, not injure them. Same with bullets, which will either bounce off the person or stop dead. She could grapple them, but couldn't perform a Clinch or try to throw or choke them. Magic that would cause direct damage fizzles out, though magic that isn't directly harmful might slip through (Storyteller discretion). Indirect assault could work; weakening a scaffolding so a person falls, lifting a person up with grasping vines and then dropping them, teleporting heavy objects above their head, turning the floor into molten slag, making hazardous obstacles invisible. You may want to be more or less restrictive of what kinds of magic could affect people (you might decide that trying to affect people's minds, even in a non-damaging way, is off limits, for instance). The Flaw should make things more difficult, while not completely taking away her options; they should be obstacles to work around, rather than a blank check to deny the character (and her player) agency.

These restrictions apply so long as the target of her assaults remains in the "safe zone"; bullets fired from outside or magic cast using Correspondence still fail. If she attacks someone outside the area from within, it may or may not work, depending on the Storyteller's decision. Whatever you do, be consistent about the rules of this Flaw, and don't have NPCs take shelter in these zones unless they, in-character, have reason to believe they will be safe. The Flaw exists to create story opportunities, not to be exploited to railroad the players.

[Karlgust]

Ghoulification (Flaw) - vampiric blood is widely know to be a very powerful Tass. Because of it's many inate properties, some bold mages try to capture leeches just to use them as powerful quintessence bateries; what most mages don't know however, is just how dangerous such a substance is for the Awakened. Mages that deal too much with the cursed blood, may end up being ghoulified unwillingly... At first, the Mage may believe he received a great bleassing, gaining many paradox free powers and inhuman physical capacities; however, the vampiric blood is poisonous to the Avatar. Mages suffering from ghoulification will find that they can't improve their Arete, and in time, their Arete ratings will decrease, until they lose their awakened status and become just a pitiful ghoul, unless he stop dealing with the cursed blood before that.

An extremely severe case of this flaw can turn the Mage into a full fledgling Vampire, forever cursed and without his awakened avatar.

Perhaps that's what happened when the house Tremere tryed to use the vampiric blood as the source for their immortality potions? The few mages that have studied the phenomena of natural ghoulification believe it so.

[Bluecho]

Ghoulification (Flaw) - vampiric blood is widely know to be a very powerful Tass. Because of it's many inate properties, some bold mages try to capture leeches just to use them as powerful quintessence bateries; what most mages don't know however, is just how dangerous such a substance is for the Awakened. Mages that deal too much with the cursed blood, may end up being ghoulified unwillingly... At first, the Mage may believe he received a great bleassing, gaining many paradox free powers and inhuman physical capacities; however, the vampiric blood is poisonous to the Avatar. Mages suffering from ghoulification will find that they can't improve their Arete, and in time, their Arete ratings will decrease, until they lose their awakened status and become just a pitiful ghoul, unless he stop dealing with the cursed blood before that.

An extremely severe case of this flaw can turn the Mage into a full fledgling Vampire, forever cursed and without his awakened avatar.

Perhaps that's what happened when the house Tremere tryed to use the vampiric blood as the source for their immortality potions? The few mages that have studied the phenomena of natural ghoulification believe it so.

Drinking vampire blood turns the imbiber into a ghoul anyway. You don't need Paradox for it, because it happens automatically.

Many of the options described above have shown up in official material, as well. The Revised Storyteller's Handbook gave options for ghouls being able to use vampire-like powers in a coincidental manner, in return for botches causing the Ghoul Mage to manifest Paradox flaws like classic vampire weaknesses.

And Blood Treachery has an entire chapter devoted to special rules for how Magedom and Ghouldom interact. In addition to the normal blood addiction and chance to become thrall to a vampire, it eats away at the Avatar, not only potentially Gilguling the Mage, but making the Avatar an addict to Vitae even if it survives, which causes problems for later incarnations.

For the record, I do not like the rules from Blood Treachery, for reasons I won't go into here.

[Karlgust]

Oblivion Numb (Quiet) - thats for those necromancers that have no regards for the dead and see them as power sources. The Mage will experience the world the same way spectres do: colors are dimmed, sounds are muffed, the entire world is a ruin in degradation.

On higher levels, that dreadful visage makes things even worse - the Mage will cease seeing or hearing or otherwise sensing the living alltoghether; he will only see clothings floating around in silence, cara moving with no drivers, and so on. A little bit further and anything the living touches will disappear from his senses, and on even higher levels, even the wraiths and specters of the Underworld will become invisible, until the moment that Oblivion itself comes to collect the Mage and remove such aberration from the world, sending him to the Labirinth were he will remain in timeless static darkness.

As this quiet worsen, living beings will begin to gain Arcanum status while close to the Mage, until every living being around such a marauder will keep warping in and out of reality, as if with arcanum 10. Interesting enough, that kind of marauder is completely unknow by any magikal group, because those affected have their own memories numbed by the event to a greater or lesse degree... So, this is a sad fate indeed, because the victims will vanish in absolut anonimity and total loneliness

Voices of Oblivion (Flaw) - necromancy is a higly dangerous art indeed. That flaw is considered one of the greatest perils for the users of that Art (but only because none know that Oblivion itself can take away your senses). A Mage afflicted by this flaw will hear dark whispers from things he wouldn't want to... Basically, his mind will be connected to the Hive Mind of the Specters.

Worse of all, it's not all the profanations that he hears, but that some monsters may hear the mage's thoughts as well...

At worse levels, this flaw may make a Malfean Onceborn pay attention to the whispers a Mage unwillingly sends

It is unknow of any case that a Mage got connected to a Neverborn because of this... If that has ever happened, the Mage didn't survive, or went mad (perhaps suffering from the Quiet above), or took the black spiral descent steps...

[Karlgust]

Drinking vampire blood turns the imbiber into a ghoul anyway. You don't need Paradox for it, because it happens automatically.

Many of the options described above have shown up in official material, as well. The Revised Storyteller's Handbook gave options for ghouls being able to use vampire-like powers in a coincidental manner, in return for botches causing the Ghoul Mage to manifest Paradox flaws like classic vampire weaknesses.

And Blood Treachery has an entire chapter devoted to special rules for how Magedom and Ghouldom interact. In addition to the normal blood addiction and chance to become thrall to a vampire, it eats away at the Avatar, not only potentially Gilguling the Mage, but making the Avatar an addict to Vitae even if it survives, which causes problems for later incarnations.

For the record, I do not like the rules from Blood Treachery, for reasons I won't go into here.

If the Mage is stupid enough for drinking the cursed vitae he deserves what he gets. I'm aware of all those setbacks; the idea of that flaw were to induce ghoulification WITHOUT drinking the vitae, just manipulating it in the magicks

[Karlgust]

Calling the Wyrd (Flaw) - Ilusionists that overuse Mind effects to deceive the senses, may inadvertly Call the Wyrd, in the same way that changellings do. Any chimeras around will materialize, and the Mage's darkest thoughts and fears will gain life. Your imaginary friend may give you a hand, but the best under your bed can show too.

Beware when that happens close to changellings, because this will make them a lot more powerful

[Bluecho]

180) A Taste Of Things To Come [Flaw]: Reliance on precognition results in the Mage being given omens they can least make use of. Maybe it happens when they're eating, or maybe at any given moment. Regardless, the Mage's mouth becomes filled with a strong taste that hints at the future. Betrayal tastes bitter, seduction sickly sweet. Conspiracy is rotten, assault by computer tastes of battery acid, rage is spicy, and violence of blood. These impressions are vague, and rarely pleasant.


181) Skills Are Rusty [Flaw]: Afflicts cyborgs, craft workers, and warrior magi. Regardless of the composition of the Mage's body - metal, plastic, or flesh - they exhibit oxidation on their very person. Their joints show signs of rust, and squeak loudly. More potent backlashes can cause a metallic kind of arthritis, the joints becoming unable to move as the corrosion spreads across their body. Alternate forms of the Flaw may cause the flesh to tarnish like silver, or grow a sickly seafoam green like bronze.

[Muad'Dib]

182) Darth Vader [Spirit] Some Hermetic scholars theorize that a spirit taking on a likeness of Darth Vader was due to Star Wars embedding themselves into popular consciousness, especially as the series' Extended Universe was developed. Others think that this powerful Paradox Spirit was given form through antics of ignorant Void Engineers who made one too many carefree references to Star Wars and the Empire while cruising throughout the Deep Umbra. Still others put forward the notion that it was this spirit who somehow inspired the films' character - there have been some reports of Darth Vader being encountered already in the 50s; though they are difficult to confirm because of the Avatar Storm-related chaos.

Darth Vader preys on those Mages who explore and battle beyond the Horizon. He has a particular contempt for both the Nephandi - who he considers barely initiated in the ways of the Dark Side - and the Technocracy - because they can't even bring their order to supposedly theirs planet. Mages can encounter Darth Vader both in space and on the surface of planets, moons and asteroids. He is drawn by particularly insipid botches of Spells/Procedures from the Spheres of Prime, Spirit, Mind, Correspondence and/or Entropy.

If boarding a ship, he shows up in his advanced TIE Fighter which inevitably manages to make contact and board. (Defense spells and technology tend to waver and malfunction when the Dark Lord shows up.) His powers include: telekinesis, energy absorption, telepathy and force speed. His armor gives him excellent protection from attacks of all kinds, and his melee combat skills and tactics are superb; he is capable of efficiently dealing with groups of assailants. He possesses working knowledge of technocratic and technomagical technology, as well as familiarity with mystic Magicks - which he probably has tortured out of Mages, or perhaps looted from databases and libraries. He can sense, counter and unweave both technological and mystic Magick. He can manipulate the energies of Paradox to influence when and how Backlashes will happen around him. He is more than a match for a group of 3-4 Mages who are not Masters.

Darth Vader can be bargained with - if a group is willing to give up their Tass, Artifacts or Talismans, he will siphon their energy (destroying them in the process) into a Sith crystal, and leave them; at least for a time. Giving up locations of other Mages can also deflect the attention of the Sith. Darth Vader will not harm pregnant women and very young children - but any children over the age of three will not spared during an attack.

If Darth Vader arrives during a battle between two or more groups, he will side with the enemies of those Mages who suffered the Paradox Backlash which drew him; and will not betray his temporary allies during the meeting. After subduing opposition and looting any Quintessence and acquiring information, he will attempt to leave – and will quickly turn hostile at any attempt to delay him by his momentary allies.

Darth Vader will not yield and upon being killed or rendered unconscious his body will disappear in a flash/cloud of red-purple energy. Groups that defeat him will find a temporary reprieve from his attentions.

[Bluecho]

182) Darth Vader [Spirit] Some Hermetic scholars theorize that a spirit taking on a likeness of Darth Vader was due to Star Wars embedding themselves into popular consciousness, especially as the series' Extended Universe was developed. Others think that this powerful Paradox Spirit was given form through antics of ignorant Void Engineers who made one too many carefree references to Star Wars and the Empire while cruising throughout the Deep Umbra. Still others put forward the notion that it was this spirit who somehow inspired the films' character - there have been some reports of Darth Vader being encountered already in the 50s; though they are difficult to confirm because of the Avatar Storm-related chaos.

Darth Vader preys on those Mages who explore and battle beyond the Horizon. He has a particular contempt for both the Nephandi - who he considers barely initiated in the ways of the Dark Side - and the Technocracy - because they can't even bring their order to supposedly theirs planet. Mages can encounter Darth Vader both in space and on the surface of planets, moons and asteroids. He is drawn by particularly insipid botches of Spells/Procedures from the Spheres of Prime, Spirit, Mind, Correspondence and/or Entropy.

If boarding a ship, he shows up in his advanced TIE Fighter which inevitably manages to make contact and board. (Defense spells and technology tend to waver and malfunction when the Dark Lord shows up.) His powers include: telekinesis, energy absorption, telepathy and force speed. His armor gives him excellent protection from attacks of all kinds, and his melee combat skills and tactics are superb; he is capable of efficiently dealing with groups of assailants. He possesses working knowledge of technocratic and technomagical technology, as well as familiarity with mystic Magicks - which he probably has tortured out of Mages, or perhaps looted from databases and libraries. He can sense, counter and unweave both technological and mystic Magick. He can manipulate the energies of Paradox to influence when and how Backlashes will happen around him. He is more than a match for a group of 3-4 Mages who are not Masters.

Darth Vader can be bargained with - if a group is willing to give up their Tass, Artifacts or Talismans, he will siphon their energy (destroying them in the process) into a Sith crystal, and leave them; at least for a time. Giving up locations of other Mages can also deflect the attention of the Sith. Darth Vader will not harm pregnant women and very young children - but any children over the age of three will not spared during an attack.

If Darth Vader arrives during a battle between two or more groups, he will side with the enemies of those Mages who suffered the Paradox Backlash which drew him; and will not betray his temporary allies during the meeting. After subduing opposition and looting any Quintessence and acquiring information, he will attempt to leave – and will quickly turn hostile at any attempt to delay him by his momentary allies.

Darth Vader will not yield and upon being killed or rendered unconscious his body will disappear in a flash/cloud of red-purple energy. Groups that defeat him will find a temporary reprieve from his attentions.

I like to think Vader isn't always trustworthy. Especially if his "allies" have a Paradox backlash while working with him.

Vader: "I will be taking the prisoner back with me."
Mage: "What? That's absurd! We flew halfway around the Umbra to catch this guy! He's ours! This wasn't part of the deal!"
Vader: "I am altering the deal. Pray I do not alter it further."


On another note, I like the idea that Vader has little love for Technocrats. Not just because of their inability to enforce order on their corner of the galaxy, but also because Vader - a space wizard - is the exact sort of person they oppose. A follower of a religion that sees a mystical power permeating the world, that is categorically more powerful than work of technological artifice. "I find your lack of faith disturbing." *Force Chokes*

[Muad'Dib]

I like to think Vader isn't always trustworthy. Especially if his "allies" have a Paradox backlash while working with him.

Vader: "I will be taking the prisoner back with me."
Mage: "What? That's absurd! We flew halfway around the Umbra to catch this guy! He's ours! This wasn't part of the deal!"
Vader: "I am altering the deal. Pray I do not alter it further."

I considered it, but a traitorous or hostile to everyone Vader feels too much like a possible boon for those that suffered a Backlash. You suffer a Backlash during a fight or stand-off, Vader shows up, and all you have to do is to escape or bunker up, and your enemies might have to fight the Sith Lord. Even in a case of being defeated or killed, it is still somewhat positive if Vader can then turn on your enemies.

On another note, I like the idea that Vader has little love for Technocrats. Not just because of their inability to enforce order on their corner of the galaxy, but also because Vader - a space wizard - is the exact sort of person they oppose. A follower of a religion that sees a mystical power permeating the world, that is categorically more powerful than work of technological artifice. "I find your lack of faith disturbing." *Force Chokes*

Indeed, I can imagine Vader's contempt at being called a "Superstitionist".

[Muad'Dib]

183) The Punisher [Spirit] Members of the Technocracy often assume, because of the technocratic and largely coincidental nature of their expertise, that they are unable to suffer dire consequences from occurrences of the Statistical Inevitability– a mental illness or an equipment explosion is the most that can happen. The most arrogant tend to come from the Syndicate. The Punisher is here to prove them wrong. Ever since he lost his family in a mob shoot-out (which might be a reference to other spirits dying due to the Syndicate) the Punisher has been trying to track the global criminal conspiracy, which – as far as he has gathered – has influence over big business, governments and the media; as well as numerous future-tech scientists at their services.

The Punisher is an expert marksman and melee fighter, and an unpredictable and shrewd tactician. He has an aptitude for technology that enables him to use some of the Technocracy's devices (he is unable to maintain them, though), is virtually immune to pain, has a resilience against poisons and mind-influencing technology, and can't be negotiated with – unless he does so dishonestly in order to acquire more information or an advantage. One of his tricks is pretending he can be bought – which certainly plays into the Syndicate Paradigm; upon receiving the money he will only use it to further his cause, and go after his former benefactor.

Through money obtained from killing, he possesses numerous safe-houses. He starts going after the bottom soldiers and the Providers; being technically 'innocent' is not enough for this Punisher – he will torture and execute anyone who works for the Syndicate, and he has an uncanny ability to work this out with certainty. He also has no compunctions about killing policemen who get in his way.

Through accessing databases and interrogations, he slowly but surely moves towards the Syndicate kingpin whose mistake(s) drew his attention. As members of the Syndicate often affect far-away locations and whole organizations with their Procedures and Adjustments, it might be the case that the Punisher will start in Africa while following a trail of a Syndic in the USA who suffered a Paradox Backlash.

The spirit will work with anyone who helps him to bring down the Syndicate – but anyone linked to the organized crime might be killed if they fail to prove they aren't one of the scum on this Earth. The Punisher usually gets taken down by a team of Enforcers; though this more often than not involves significant losses. The Punisher has stated that he will only stop his crusade if the Syndicate starts fighting organized crime, rather than encouraging it.

I like to think Vader isn't always trustworthy. Especially if his "allies" have a Paradox backlash while working with him.

He might turn against allies if they suffer a Backlash - "I sense weakness in you - it's time you become aware of it.".

[Bluecho]

184) Keeping An Eye On It [Flaw]: The focus Mages maintain on what they want is simultaneously their greatest strength and their largest blind spot. When they generate Paradox in pursuit of a goal, they may find their desires made abundantly clear. It all depends on what they keep their eye on. In the case of this backlash, this is literal. One of the Mage's eyes rebels against its owner's commands, so that in any given scene, while the other eye remains focused on the task at hand, the rebellious one remains fixed on the Mage's true desire. It moves independent of the person's intent, staring and moving at who or what the Mage happens to want at the time. A thief that tries to avoid staring at their quarry will have one eye fixed on the object, while a magi harboring secret feelings for someone can't keep their eye off them. Like a chameleon, their eyes are divided between what they choose to see and what they truly prize. It's a subtle but obvious Tell for the Mage's intentions. Even turning fully away from the object in question won't always work, as the eye may turn 180 degrees in its socket to remain "locked on". In addition to being bizarre and attention-grabbing, it betrays something of what the Mage values, which can be dangerous for an attentive adversary.


185) The Primordial Chaos [Realm]: Adherents to Classical beliefs - Greco-Roman Hermetics or Verbana, the Pomegranite Deme, etc. - sometimes cite the existence of a Primordial Chaos. A mass of dark and undifferentiated being from which all existent things arose. The gods of ancient Greece and Rome have their origins there, as do all the powers and plagues against the world. It is where Nothing exists before it becomes Something. For this reason, Mages who draw power from this worldview may find themselves cast back into the Chaotic Deep when they wield Vulgar Prime arts. It is roiling mass of material and anti-material, constantly shifting between solid, liquid, and gas. From living to nonliving, and everything in between. Most folk consigned to this place merely skim the edge of the bubbling sea, marooned on chunks of existence being spat from the depths. Constantly made to jump from landmass to landmass, as the "ground" beneath them is created and destroyed. Dodging monsters that rise from the Deep in search of prey; abominations that never were and should never be. It's unwise - and probably suicide - to dip into the Primordial Chaos proper. If the Things inside do not tear the Mage apart, they may simply be unmade by contact with the source of all being. If they are lucky, they will simply be threatened with drowning in the true primordial soup, or be plucked out by one god or another.

[Bluecho]

186) Doctor Strangelove's Hand Syndrome [Flaw/Burn]: If one's hand causes one to sin, one should chop it off and cast it into the fire. At least, a Mage should consider it when their hand is possessed of a mind of its own (or reacting to the Mage's hidden desires). Attracted by magicks of deception, or those directed by hand movements and gestures, this backlash causes the Mage's hand to act of its own accord. As a Flaw, it moves and gestures in ways obscene or dangerous; the eponymous Doctor Strangelove found himself needing to restrain his hand from saluting in the style of the Third Reich, and a modern take may involve flipping the bird. Sometimes this conforms to the Mage's true feelings - hidden feelings of loyalty to Nazism or latent antipathy towards one or more persons respectively, for example. Other times, it merely acts to get the Mage in trouble, regardless of their desires. As a Burn, the rebellious appendage will turn directly against its master, punching or strangling them. It will continue to do so until it has succeeded in dealing the required health levels of damage, though it may become docile for a time if the Mage is persistent in restricting it. The docility is temporary, as it has a quota to meet, no matter how many times it must go on the attack.


187) Personal Magnetism [Flaw]: Naturally, magicks used to manipulate magnetism, metal, and electricity can garner for the user a bodily magnetic charge. The flesh attracts objects made of iron, cobalt, and/or nickel; some mystics have been known to attract non-ferromagnetic metals, or even non-metals, though this is rare in this day and age. At low levels of backlash, light objects like paper clips or bottle caps seek and stick to the Mage, and they experience slight resistance when moving away from metal surfaces. At medium backlash levels, small objects fly across the room (which can hurt), and larger objects slid across the ground or other surfaces, in attempts to reach the Mage. Metal surfaces require Strength checks to dislodge from. At high levels, the Mage becomes seriously under threat from large, flying objects, and find it all the harder (if not impossible) to unstick from metal surfaces. They become covered in appliances, road signs, hubcaps, knives, and cast iron skillets, among others. They may be in real danger of death, as they become crushed between cars or pulled towards third rails.

The effects on electronics can also be devastating. Light backlashes may disrupt screens or erase magnetized data, while severe ones can cause power surges or complete destruction of electronics. Virtual Adepts fear this manifestation of Paradox like little else, as they become anathema to their own tools and data.

[Bluecho]

188) The Beast Within [Quiet]: What separates Humans from Beasts? This question has occupied theologeans, philosophers, and scientists for millennia, both Sleeper and Awakened. It's a question that becomes harder to answer when True Magick is involved, as the Awakened blur the lines between man and animal. Paradox has been known to effect that change on a Mage's body and mind for a long time. Even before the Scourge, however, Mages of old fell to bestial Twilight.

Two primary patterns can lead to this variant of Morbid Quiet: 1) a Mage exemplifying the bestial, or 2) a Mage trying to distance themselves from the beastial, but failing. The first sort afflicts shapeshifters and animal-talkers, though raw bloodlust can draw it out. By acting like an animal, they become an animal. The second sort is often seen among the Gnostic or the Transcendental. Their quest to overcome their bestial idiocy - the faults of the flesh and the material world - may plunge them farther into the base muck if their efforts go wrong. Botching magicks aimed towards breaking from the physical - Spirit, Life, and Mind magicks, and especially astral projection - create the reverse effect the character desired. More physical, more bestial. More mired in the preoccupations of base organisms: eat, sleep, breed, kill.

At low levels of Quiet, the Mage's passions begin to flare up. Normally serene or controlled individuals become moody, and may be inclined to lash out. They may find their eyesight blurring at times, but grow stronger in smell. As the Quiet grows worse, they slowly begin to acquire animal behavioral traits, such as skittishness, growling, or an urge towards grooming (and not how humans usually groom themselves). Hair begins to grow fast and thick; normally clean-shaven persons may find themselves with beards or mutton chops, or furry limbs and torsos, before they even know it. As they are driven to sniff their environment, their eyes grow consistently worse; Vision is seen as a mark of intelligence, a hallmark of humanity's capacity for enlightenment. Animals begin to react to the predator in their midst, whether through growling or cowering deference. If the character is endowed with Life, they will feel the urge to shift into animal features or forms, and will prefer to do so to solve problems, in lieu of most any other tactic. Or they'll shift for no reason, other than because they feel more comfortable that way. (This also has a nasty habit of garnering yet more Paradox, deepening their Quiet).

As the Mage begins to see the world around them as a jungle, so too do those around them begin to see a wilderness crawl into view when the Mage in Quiet comes around. The environment grows silent when they're near, in much the same way a forest grows silent when a wolf or tiger stalks about. Every scent is stronger, including an ever-present, pungent stink of blood. The Mage's body naturally assumes a more and more bestial form, like a half-man, half-animal. No less intelligent (usually), the character's mind is preoccupied with baser thoughts and feelings. They go through the motions of ritual Focus, more from habit than anything; they are still a potent magician, but now one ruled by instinct, mood, and a hunger for flesh and blood. Only those with the greatest Willpower can hope to keep themselves focused and in any kind of control. Still, those same Mages will tend to pursue their goals with ferocity, driven to feast by an aching hunger, fight by a feral rage, and fuck with a bestial lust.

Most Mages who progress this far come to the attention of others before too long. Their allies or sect-mates may attempt to capture and cage the Mage, for their own good. Rival sects, and those interested in the basic safety of the community (like the Technocracy), will try to hunt them down and destroy them. Vampires may mistake the Mage for a Lupine, or for one of their own fallen to the Beast, and act accordingly in defense of the Masquerade. Garou and other changing breeds find the Quiet-racked Mage a mockery of everything they are and stand for, especially since the poor bastard's bloodlust not rarely marks them with the stint of the Wyrm. But despite them having become feral, they are still a Mage. Some can fight off all comers, and/or retreat and hide. The wilds of both Earth and the Middle Umbra abound with signs and tales of bestial Marauders, more animal than man. A spark of rationality may exist in them, and they sometimes keep to their old patterns - Ritual is a hard habit to break - but it would take careful work for someone to coax it out, without becoming prey.

[Bluecho]

189) A Layer Of Frost [Flaw]: Attracted by abuse of cold (or heat) and winter magicks, this Flaw causes the Mage to become covered in a thin, ever-present layer of frost, and be frigid to the touch. Ice crystals form on the character's clothes and hair; the character seems as though they just came in from the cold at all times. Their breath mists, and surfaces fog up at the character's touch. At more powerful backlashes, icicles hang from the body and accessories, and they begin to turn blue. While this Flaw is not usually harmful, it can be uncomfortable to exist in prolonged chill.


190) Stuck In The Game [Flaw/Realm?]: Virtual Adepts and other technomancers often frequent artificial worlds. Whether these are mundane MMOs or the full Digital Web, they project their reach into constructed environments. If the Mage botches Magick related to these places (which can include Vulgar attempts to transition bodily into the Digital Web), the character may find themselves unable to leave. If as a Realm, the character is trapped, in the flesh, inside the game or simulation, disappearing from their previous location or being unable to leave the same way they came in. If as a Flaw, the Mage's consciousness is taken in, while their physical body remains comatose in the material world. In either case, the Mage is effectively a resident of the game, VR environment, or Digital Web. While some Virtual Adepts consider the loss of Reality 1.0 not a big deal - and may even relish being "uploaded", as part of a Transhuman ideal - most Mages would rather go on their own terms. Being trapped against their will is irksome at the very least, and panic-inducing at worst.

The Storyteller can either make the imprisonment lapse after a normal Duration for Paradox has passed, or elect to trap the character inside until they find a way out. In either case, the character exists in the digital space provided, which for them works as a reasonable approximation of their own world. Of course, most such places operate on different rules, a fact that Mages are typically familiar with enough that they can adapt. Divers into the Digital Web expect such things. Food present in the world can be consumed, and indeed the character will feel the pangs of hunger and thirst without nourishment. For the purposes of system, assume that, regardless of how they'd usually interact with such worlds, they are bodily present for the duration, and use all their normal Traits. If the character would normally use an in-game avatar/Icon in that world, they appear as that character, with physical abilities approximate to any "levels" they might have. If this would not apply, they appear as they would normally appear, but use their normal Trait values for everything. Unless the Storyteller desires them to appear as they truly are, where appropriate.