Paradox

What is Paradox?

Paradox is a metaphysical contamination, most commonly created as a side effect  of spells. It accumulates through most spell use, but gets worse when spells are used “vulgar”, “indiscriminately”, or in the presence of innocent, scared victims, under the sun, near bigger populations – especially human populations. There are ways to isolate Paradox contamination by Priestly or Clerical rituals, to create safe zones for use of spells – generally isolated pockets during wartime, but even then the onslaught of Paradox can debilitate and destroy a spellcaster. Paradox is what keeps all manner of spellcasters from whilly-nilly throwing around spells at their convenience.\

Paradox is known as Rot, Blight, Slainte, The Taint, Cancer, Dissonance, Vulgarity, Disgrace, Curse, etc. 

Magic infuses the Dreamlands, and comes easy to the enlightened, the talented, the wise and those willing to accept consequences. These consequences are quantifiable, but can not be controlled, identified or ever fully cleansed away.  Many spellcasters have their own pet theories on why magic should be capable to enact such price, but any willworker who looks at the void beyond the human Kingdom must realize that the universe, including the Dream, is not human and monstrosity lies beyond the human sphere – and this aberration and abomination is the destiny of all who work magic. It is said Paradox is a result of the OS (Ontological Substrate) lashing back against the spellcaster.

How does Paradox work?

Paradox accumulates in discrete quanta. Say, a spell cast produces under the circumstances, and under that type of casting Five points. Five points is somewhat manageable but still a bit on the “vulgar” side. These points stack and displace Mana (spell power energy) in the Mana pool of any spellcaster, so it’s cause to get rid of Paradox as quickly and expediently as possible.  Most common ways to get rid of Paradox are through Priestly rituals of Flagellation, Atonement or Confession (each having their own unique constraints).  When Paradox accumulates beyond a certain point (generally between 10 and 15) it can go critical and find itself into discrete scripts – something to avoid for any spellcaster. 

Paradox manifests strongly in some willworkers and less so in others. It is weakest in priests, as priests supplant personal paradox with collectivized Paradox infused with the sacred emanations of the shared faith and deity. Paradox is the first taint trait of most willworkers – in particular Warlocks, Magi, Magicians, Wizards, Witches and Wu Jen.  Shamen, Priests, Psions and some other of the traditions may start without discernible resonance, and are least likely to develop it. Low Paradox leaves a subtle trace on the magic that may be discerned and identified by forms of forensical research, divination and visions.  

Random

Emergence of Scripts is random, where the total amount allready accrued (including all active or dormant scripts….) add as a worsening factor in the random determination (percent-wise).  In this random process it’s bad to go over a hundred – that’s where the real tragedy starts. Release of Paradox tends to occur in batches of 1 to 6. 

Paradox Scripts (Thorns, Blights)

Scripts have generally (nearly always) two qualia – (1) how persistent they are to removal and (2) what they do and how bad it is what they do.  This persistence rates from one to 10, where 6 means it’s pretty much irremovable except by high level means, and it will keep on ‘grabbing” any stray Dox, and return over and over again. High persistence Scripts are effectively a chronic condition caused by excessive paradox use.They can be with a typical Wizard for years and years, until some kind of Quest is undertaken to remove them, and even then the removal requires Pilgrimage, long atonement and much nuisance. The (2) badness of the script is basically the universe come to torment you and the people around you.

A List of Scripts

Abyss

Abyssals

Alignment Linkage

Aura

Beacon

Bedlam

Blight

Burnout

Calcification

Chaos (medium)

Comedown

Conditionality

Consequences

Consumption

Contamination

Corruption

Cost

Deformity

Disfigurement

Dutch Uncle

Elements

Exposure

Fates

Fatestorm

Gylph Dawn

Godshock

Greater Arcana

Greater Wyrd

Greater Weirdstorm

Guilt

Hallucination

Hatred

Haunting

Hobgoblins

Homer with the giant Knife

Hubris

Hysteria

Ill Omens

Incredible Nuisance

Inconsiderate Fuckers

Ire of the Dragon

Koinkydinky

Leakage

Leprosy

Lesser Arcana

Malfunction

Marauders

Meltdown

Mindscape

Monster

Mutations

Natural Disaster

Nemesis

Open the Labyrinth

Pandemonium

Persistence

Persistent Fate

Pestilence

Pogrom

Pox

Realm

Reduction

Rift

Rot

Tentacles

Tragedy

Realm 

Screaming Hatty

Side Effects

Signature

Sir Grimhead, Esquire

Spawning a Hell

Spirit

Stalker

Stigmata

Them Bones

The Unclean

The Unhallowed Benefit

Twilight

Vortex

Waste  

Witch Hunters

 

***

Other names: ”Backlash, Chaos, Dissonance, Dox, Paradox, The Curse, The Taint, Twilight”

”’Introduction”’
Magikc is a combination of factors, primarily (a) knowledge, (b) degrees of awakening, (c) energy and (d) creative desire. There are many ways and fun damental principles in creating magical effects. Magic can however ‘overload’ and start its own inner logic, and contaminate the user with chaotic, negative and mostly undesirable effects.

”’Backgrounds of Dox”’
A small number of humans have awakened to the supernatural; in other words it means these humans have transcended the normal. The highest form of such awakening is that which is called true awakening where the subject taps into a higher state of being, possibly the true state of being, wherein the universe is malleable with will alone. Humanity has barely grasped this concept at the fringes, and a minority of humans are exploring the implications of will over matter, ”like mice playing with radioactive isotopes”.

”’Dissonance Bleeding”’

”’The Paradox Tree”’

==== Affliction ====

==== Backlash ====

==== Banshee ====

==== Beacon ====
Dox nestles in the pattern of the willworker by becoming prominently visible to supernaturals in the area such as scientists, paladins, dark powers, wraiths, vampires, fey folk, dragons, other willworkers, priests…) in some indirect and round-about manner. The entity that is alerted may not be immediately aware of why she is drawn in, and may regard the whole concept of Paradox working its reverse causality as “farfetched”. Quite often those that “sense a disturbance in the force” are mundane organizations that just found some clue to ongoing crimes or misschief and they might not even aware of any magical effects. Beacon effects have a runtime of weeks to months and can be hard to see coming.

(1) a minor local city pconstabulary may have discovered a minor clue to a crime or transgression recently committed by the willworker, somehow causally (yet loosely) related to the spell just cast. This triggers a several person minor investigation. This process stays active for about 1-3 weeks, and if additional paradox nestles in the Beacon this quickly gets out of hand, and superiors get called in. <br>
(10) The Beacon triggers a causal sequence of events that alerts an Old Dragon, as the Paradox jostles up and down a leyline and causes distress and disurbances for hundreds of kilometers. Quite often this resonates with other Paradox scripts in amajor way creating a Confluence of events. The script lasts indefinietly and is near impossible to get rid off, culminating in the Dragon sending dozens of powerful emissaries, agents, minions and finally coming over for a visit and to scrutinize what is happening. Beacons of this magnitude are just noise, but for those that perceive the causality noise, the effects or wrongly and alarminly interpreted – but the interpretations are nearly always attributable on powerful magic effects created by the willworker. <br>

<hr>

==== Bedlam ====

==== Burnout ====
In case of burnout, Paradox nestles deep within the offending mage’s avatar, damaging his quintessence potential. The mage feels the effect like an acute pain or some manner of (spiritual) discomfort, and over time if he doesn’t deal with the rot inside him, the disturbed chi may trigger diseases or insanities. Burnouts are nearly impossible to remove. If burnout has burned all through the 20 quintessencepool-dots, the mage will lose his magickal ability and is able to wield little more than mere sorcery. The good thing is that burnout is mostly inert.
Burnout is fairly common in old and unbsubtle magi. It also occurs in Marauders. It is also linked with physical changes, and can sometimes be interpreted as the individual being sick, or metamorphing into something alien, or some spirit. In some cases magi have slowly changed into a changeling, becoming magickal, but losing the powers associated with awakening. Most often the burnout is impossible to remove, growing inside the mage like a malignity, causing aches and anxiety and a swelling sense of loss. Over the years burnouts can become old friends of the mage, as part of the mage fears the return of true potential and consoles himself to having lost the way. Burnout often causes a sobriety or pettyness, or on the other scale, a vindictive attitude towards the universe. There are magi who fear that burnout can contaminate fellow-magi.

==== Calcification ====
The paradox manifests as a seperate affliction, as a ‘thickening’ of the mage’s reality. The veil permanently increases 1:1 for the mage, impairing future vulgar magick. Calcification may have other side effects as well, such as personalitychanges of the mage in question. This effect dissipates over time.

==== Chaos ====

==== Comedown ====
The effect known as comedown reverses the magick in a fairly straightforward and immediate manner. The reversed rote has the same intensity and power equal to the original rote would have generated. A comedown can be put off by additional spellweaving, but any such paradox will remain lingering just around the corner. Sufficient comedown paradox may have a permanent effect, wrecking a specific rote all the time.

==== Conditionality ====
Consequence paradox manifests as a perverse cosmic justice. The consequence is generally symbolic, and occurs on an appropriate moment. Consequence is generally based on the paradigm of morality of the magus, or of the place she’s in. An euthanatos magus in the catholic environs suffering from consequences may experience scripts based on his belief in karma, or the wrath of God. Consequences can be amazingly accurate at first glance, but tend to be a bit superficial in broader context.

==== Consumption ====
Consumption eats or cancels nearby quintessence, preferring tass first, then quintessence in the magus on a 1:1 basis, but will cancel out all quintessence used to lower casting TN’s. If no quintessence becomes available to a contaminated mage, the paradox will deteriorate the inherent value of objects or substances in the area. For example: gold will become (tainted with) mere copper, expensive clothes will age, colors will fade, and art will become kitsch. Consumption is fairly common with entropy- and prime- involved magi.

==== Contamination ====
Easily mistaken as another, minor form of structured Paradox at first, Contamination manifests slowly as a paradox spirit or bane works through the effect. Paradox spirits seek to control or punish the mage/ Dark forces will perform their obligatory corruption shtick. Contamination is particularly insidious to mages who don’t have the spirit sphere. The rote’s effects will be edited, and will occasionally radiate something akin of wyrmishness.

==== Corruption ====
Corruption paradox taints the surrounding area, persons, objects and proceedings. Paradox corruptions are subtle at low levels while monstrously wicked at higher concentrations. Corruptions are relatively common amongst magi with a low self-image. The effects may range from dying plants to diseases, or even something as insidious as a strange mutation occurring in all children born in the area.

==== Corrupt Chi ====

==== Cost ====
In face of a Cost paradox, the mage succeeds (on a consious or subconsious level) believes he shunts the paradox away and has replaced it with an ersatz action or sacrifice. The Cost is considered dissimilar from a Condition Script, in that it does not become a projected segment of the paradigm, and the mage erronyously believes the paradox removed. Cost may limit itself to a one-time observance, but a more insidious alternative is that the cost paradox may attach itself to a particular rote, apparantly reducing the paradox caused by that rote indefenitely.. . The magus needs to act out the cost fetish, like a condition , unaware that the cost funnels any newly devoured paradox into other effects. The mage remains oblivious, though another mage may perceive the paradox swelling up like a balloon. The cost will do anything to feed and hide that secret script from the mage.

==== Dark Void ====

==== Deformity ====
The mage suffers physical deformities. These deformities may be anything strange to annoying at low levels, to outright depraved mutilations at higher levels. Duration of these deformities is a factor in determining the severity of this paradox script. Some deformities may be permanent but removable with proper tools and resource. Deformities are a rather humiliating affair in those modernday vain mage cliques.

==== Echoes ====

==== Elements ====
Element Scripts are selfconsistent hallucinations. They have no effect over static reality, though nearby changelings may somehow experience them as chimera. To the mage elements can be confusing. Larger (amounts of) elements can combine into a twilight. By effort of will and concentration the mage can distinguish reality from element, and escape from the clutches of such a twilight. Elements can have an identity all their own, and may become old familiar friends wherein the mage befriends or chooses to live with the element. However- as long as paradox is involved, elements will aim to be a nuisance. Elements, though annoying, unpleasant, traumatic or confusing to see, smell and hear, don’t cause damage. (see Hobgoblin).

==== Emanation ====

==== Exposure ====
Exposure scripts are insidious and subtle. It has an identity based on the magick that evokes it. Exposure contaminates a person, process, place or object, alter it in an undesireable manner that’s supposed to play havoc with the mage’s life. Friends may change in strange ways, animals may become strange and crooked, objects may aquire undesireable qualities. Exposure appears to have a malign intensity.

==== Fate ====
Fate script involves an amazing combination of events, that plays havoc with static reality and logic. Fate is based on the magick creating the effect. A common fate is that the magick cast becomes temporarily coincidental, calls for amazing media attention, and mucks up the mage’s daily life. One chance event leads to another, and the mage is inexorably drawn to further trouble untill the script runs its course.

==== Fate Storm ====

==== Fomor ====

==== Haunting ====
The paradox summons and binds an undesireable spiritual energy to the mage. The mage becomes haunted by an elemental, demon, bane, specter, wraith or spirit. The entity actually feeds from the paradox, and may thereby gain in power. Quite a few wraiths (or their shadows) have benefitted from this script.

==== Hobgoblins ====
Hobgoblins are elements of mage twilight that have become real and physical, having escaped from the mage’s subconscious or dreamrealm. They can be anything, and act with a shrewd intelligence. There is a strong link between hobgoblins and faerie magick (chimera). Hobgoblins can appear to the mage only (and are invisible to anyone else), while some become real to other awakened beings. Few hobgoblins aquire so much pattern as to be able to appear to sleepers.

==== Hubris ====
Hubris scripts cause magick to attract more undesireable attention. The magick becomes less subtle, even annoyingly so. Hubris scripts are pretty straightforward, but can base themselves on moral or aesthetic weaknesses of the magus. Noise is often a factor in magick twisted by Hubris.

==== Hysteria ====
The paradox alerts sleepers; all in the wider area becomes progressively more anxious, and the mage himself may trigger and attract the anxiety. It takes some effort to diffuse situations where hysteria channels into an angry mob. In advanced cases the population may become exposed, and change in physical and mental ways. Quite a few villages were driven to anxiety, hysteria, derangement and finally physical aberration by the experiments of a nearby magus.

==== Insanity ====
The mage becomes temporarily or permanently insane. The ST will confuse the issue regards to twilight, hobgoblins, elements or mere hallucination.

==== Karma ====

==== Limercy ====
Arguably one of the most cruel Dox scripts, once it forms, Limercy never ever goes away. It can not be reduced below one, and it will always try to-re-establish itself. Limercy is essentially impossible love having degraded the willworker, its sensibilities, her rationality, her sense of self-worth, her dignity. It an be bad enough to push a sane human to suicide. The willworker falls forever in some obsessive kind of love that will never be answered. Any attempt to force, seduce, flatter the target of this obsession will only cause to alienate him or her, and everyone around the willworker. To everyone, the willworker is perceived as obsessed, emotionally disturbed, a stalker, a creep.

==== Malfunction ====
A malfunction script accumulates on a certain rote or main activity of the magus, untill that particular enterprise suddenly reaches a critical state and fails disastrously. The accumulation may be noticed by others than the particular mage by means of entropy or prime, and smells like a fishy kind of curse. Such curses can be dealt with beforehand, minimalizing the downside, or the paradox may be diffused into other, more convenient ails.

==== Marauders ====
Marauders are magi driven by dynamic change.

==== Mindscape ====
A Mindscape is a real dreamrealm given substance by paradox. The mage is the director of the mindscape, which is its main strength and its main weakness. A more disciplined magus can more easily deal with mindscapes, and that’s why disciplined magi less often suffer from mindscape scripts. The mage’s body suffering from midscape may enter catatonia during the episode, though another magus adept at spirit and/or mind magicks can seek entrance into the midscape and offer assistance.

==== Monster ====
Paradox generated by the Magick is forced into a consistent form, and that form is purposefully horrible. The monster in question may be an exposed animal that aquires fomoric qualities, or a haunting taking assuming a more permanent manifestation. Monsters scripts can also be carelessly used power-rotes, old enemies that were annihilated with but a gesture, and who return as vengefull animated cadavers. A prime example would be a teleporter accident wherein the mage becomes the monster by assimilating insect genes – a real bad case, or the super-weapon that twists the user into a homocidal maniac. And do remember the resurrection used in Lovecraft’s the Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

==== Mutations ====

==== Nexus ====

==== Nightmares ====

==== Paradox Realm ====
A paradox realm is a midscape out of controll, out there somewhere in the astral realm, under controll of an evil paradox intellect. Paradox realms may be legendary affairs, seeking out and catching whole generations of magi. The paradox entities therein may also do field trips as paradox spirits, but not all paradox realms may have detachable paradox spirits. Paradox realms aim to confuse, trap, enslave, derange or even kill the magus, anything to feed of his magick. Magi caught in a paradox realm may not even realize they are inside one. Paradox realms can be compared to wraithly harrowings, though most are not as intentionally sadistic.

==== Primal ====

==== Reduction ====
Reduction is a kind of magick that reduces or impairs with the effectivity of magick. It may work once (the paradox manifests upon aquisition of paradox, causing the rote to go astray, or horribly wrong), or have a recurrent theme. Stronger reduction scripts cause a certain rote to suffer from reduced power. It has occurred that such a reduced rote is taught to an apprentice, and that the specific paradox script migrated to the apprentice.

==== Resonance ====

==== Qlippoth ====

==== Quiet ====
A rift manifests as a temporary conduit in the fabric of space-time, to an alternate reality. Rifts rarely come out of the blue, and always follow a rationale cause and effect. Use of a necromantic rote which results in a rift script might lead to other realities involving undead. Rifts are powerfull and quite vulgar in nature, and are consequently shortlived. They have long evaporated before CNN arrives, and can actually be “extinguished” by scrutiny and scepsis of sleepers. Rifts can lead to paradox realms and all kinds of paradox vermin may scurry out of them.

==== Rift ====

==== Scourge ====

==== Side Effects ====
Side effects are undesireable events that become bound to magick or mundane actions taken by the Magus. Side effects are characteristic and the mage will quickly notice a pattern of events. Side Effect scripts can occur upon casting a particular rote, anytime using a given sphere, or after otherwise mundane activity. The effects are always instantaneous.

==== Signature ====
A signature script makes the magick or rotes of an affected magus characteristically his. Signatures can become quite impressive and are similar to longterm side effects. Some can be insidious, others blatant and banale. Signature effects can be indictive of an old and familiar paradox spirit or hobgoblin. A lingering signature may be identified and interpreted by mundane sciences such as forensics or unawakened dowsers. Tremere make good use of a known signature of magus, as the paradox leaves especially strong empathic traces. Signatures are difficult to get red of, and many old magi have long since accepted, or pride themselves on one or more signatures for years.

==== Spell Burn ====

==== Spell Rot ====

==== Stalker ====
Some spirits feed on paradox, like parasites feeding on poison. The paradox spirit may have its own modus operandi of feeding of paradox, including trapping the mage in a paradox realm , driving him nuts, or outright attack. Paradox spirits can and often do interact with the hobgoblins of a given mage, and most have complex reasons to act as they do. In some cases otherwise apparently normal sleepers act as paradox spirits. Most paradox spirits have strange powers, or even wield true magick themselves. Some can be classified as maraudersor are in leage with a garou shamen, thaumaturgist or sorceror.

==== Stigmata ====

==== Tempus Figit ====

==== The Price ====

==== Torment ====

==== Twilight ====
Twilight is a delusional state wherein the mage’s perceptions are rearranged. A twilight is not automatically lethal or intentionally adverse as is a paradox realm, but is much more substantial than a mere dreamrealm or mindscape. Twilight involves quite often a psychic projected (the mage’s body becomes catatonic or acts to unseen stimuli) or downright physical excursion (the mage vanishes) into another reality. Not all twilights are detrimental; some can serve the magus as a visionquest, or allow the mage to subdue the state and develop it into a shadowrealm background trait. Though a mundane will perceive a dream-twilight as the psychotic-catatonic episode, an awakened being will quickly realize the mage is elsewhere. Quite unnerving are those instances where mundanes are sucked right along into the twilight, or twilights that involve the subconsious creations of mindscapes of other individuals.

==== Vermintide ====

==== Vile ====

==== Vortex ====
A Vortex script is a rift in the space-time continuum evoked specifically by wyld energies. As a rule vortices occur only where there are already openings into others states of existence, such as near Caerns, and are therefore rare. When they occur, they are always visible. Many involve pyrotechnics and other special effects. Vortices can cause random damage, leave evidence such as crap circles and may scare the zip out local yokels. Marauder infestation is not far removed from Vortices, so beware.

==== Waste ====
The paradox manifests as a kind of harmfull waste material… The paradox becomes undesireable substance, which can range from fecal matter to slime and as bad as radioactives. The waste may need cleaning and in extreme cases containment. Some kinds of waste may be spiritually contaminated.

==== Wyrd ====

Other names: ”Backlash, Chaos, Dissonance, Dox, Paradox, The Curse, The Taint, Twilight”

”’Introduction”’
Magikc is a combination of factors, primarily (a) knowledge, (b) degrees of awakening, (c) energy and (d) creative desire. There are many ways and fun damental principles in creating magical effects. Magic can however ‘overload’ and start its own inner logic, and contaminate the user with chaotic, negative and mostly undesirable effects.

”’Backgrounds of Dox”’
A small number of humans have awakened to the supernatural; in other words it means these humans have transcended the normal. The highest form of such awakening is that which is called true awakening where the subject taps into a higher state of being, possibly the true state of being, wherein the universe is malleable with will alone. Humanity has barely grasped this concept at the fringes, and a minority of humans are exploring the implications of will over matter, ”like mice playing with radioactive isotopes”.

”’Dissonance Bleeding”’

”’The Paradox Tree”’

==== Affliction ====

==== Backlash ====

==== Banshee ====

==== Beacon ====
Dox nestles in the pattern of the willworker by becoming prominently visible to supernaturals in the area such as scientists, paladins, dark powers, wraiths, vampires, fey folk, dragons, other willworkers, priests…) in some indirect and round-about manner. The entity that is alerted may not be immediately aware of why she is drawn in, and may regard the whole concept of Paradox working its reverse causality as “farfetched”. Quite often those that “sense a disturbance in the force” are mundane organizations that just found some clue to ongoing crimes or misschief and they might not even aware of any magical effects. Beacon effects have a runtime of weeks to months and can be hard to see coming.

(1) a minor local city pconstabulary may have discovered a minor clue to a crime or transgression recently committed by the willworker, somehow causally (yet loosely) related to the spell just cast. This triggers a several person minor investigation. This process stays active for about 1-3 weeks, and if additional paradox nestles in the Beacon this quickly gets out of hand, and superiors get called in. <br>
(10) The Beacon triggers a causal sequence of events that alerts an Old Dragon, as the Paradox jostles up and down a leyline and causes distress and disurbances for hundreds of kilometers. Quite often this resonates with other Paradox scripts in amajor way creating a Confluence of events. The script lasts indefinietly and is near impossible to get rid off, culminating in the Dragon sending dozens of powerful emissaries, agents, minions and finally coming over for a visit and to scrutinize what is happening. Beacons of this magnitude are just noise, but for those that perceive the causality noise, the effects or wrongly and alarminly interpreted – but the interpretations are nearly always attributable on powerful magic effects created by the willworker. <br>

<hr>

==== Bedlam ====

==== Burnout ====
In case of burnout, Paradox nestles deep within the offending mage’s avatar, damaging his quintessence potential. The mage feels the effect like an acute pain or some manner of (spiritual) discomfort, and over time if he doesn’t deal with the rot inside him, the disturbed chi may trigger diseases or insanities. Burnouts are nearly impossible to remove. If burnout has burned all through the 20 quintessencepool-dots, the mage will lose his magickal ability and is able to wield little more than mere sorcery. The good thing is that burnout is mostly inert.
Burnout is fairly common in old and unbsubtle magi. It also occurs in Marauders. It is also linked with physical changes, and can sometimes be interpreted as the individual being sick, or metamorphing into something alien, or some spirit. In some cases magi have slowly changed into a changeling, becoming magickal, but losing the powers associated with awakening. Most often the burnout is impossible to remove, growing inside the mage like a malignity, causing aches and anxiety and a swelling sense of loss. Over the years burnouts can become old friends of the mage, as part of the mage fears the return of true potential and consoles himself to having lost the way. Burnout often causes a sobriety or pettyness, or on the other scale, a vindictive attitude towards the universe. There are magi who fear that burnout can contaminate fellow-magi.

==== Calcification ====
The paradox manifests as a seperate affliction, as a ‘thickening’ of the mage’s reality. The veil permanently increases 1:1 for the mage, impairing future vulgar magick. Calcification may have other side effects as well, such as personalitychanges of the mage in question. This effect dissipates over time.

==== Chaos ====

==== Comedown ====
The effect known as comedown reverses the magick in a fairly straightforward and immediate manner. The reversed rote has the same intensity and power equal to the original rote would have generated. A comedown can be put off by additional spellweaving, but any such paradox will remain lingering just around the corner. Sufficient comedown paradox may have a permanent effect, wrecking a specific rote all the time.

==== Conditionality ====
Consequence paradox manifests as a perverse cosmic justice. The consequence is generally symbolic, and occurs on an appropriate moment. Consequence is generally based on the paradigm of morality of the magus, or of the place she’s in. An euthanatos magus in the catholic environs suffering from consequences may experience scripts based on his belief in karma, or the wrath of God. Consequences can be amazingly accurate at first glance, but tend to be a bit superficial in broader context.

==== Consumption ====
Consumption eats or cancels nearby quintessence, preferring tass first, then quintessence in the magus on a 1:1 basis, but will cancel out all quintessence used to lower casting TN’s. If no quintessence becomes available to a contaminated mage, the paradox will deteriorate the inherent value of objects or substances in the area. For example: gold will become (tainted with) mere copper, expensive clothes will age, colors will fade, and art will become kitsch. Consumption is fairly common with entropy- and prime- involved magi.

==== Contamination ====
Easily mistaken as another, minor form of structured Paradox at first, Contamination manifests slowly as a paradox spirit or bane works through the effect. Paradox spirits seek to control or punish the mage/ Dark forces will perform their obligatory corruption shtick. Contamination is particularly insidious to mages who don’t have the spirit sphere. The rote’s effects will be edited, and will occasionally radiate something akin of wyrmishness.

==== Corruption ====
Corruption paradox taints the surrounding area, persons, objects and proceedings. Paradox corruptions are subtle at low levels while monstrously wicked at higher concentrations. Corruptions are relatively common amongst magi with a low self-image. The effects may range from dying plants to diseases, or even something as insidious as a strange mutation occurring in all children born in the area.

==== Corrupt Chi ====

==== Cost ====
In face of a Cost paradox, the mage succeeds (on a consious or subconsious level) believes he shunts the paradox away and has replaced it with an ersatz action or sacrifice. The Cost is considered dissimilar from a Condition Script, in that it does not become a projected segment of the paradigm, and the mage erronyously believes the paradox removed. Cost may limit itself to a one-time observance, but a more insidious alternative is that the cost paradox may attach itself to a particular rote, apparantly reducing the paradox caused by that rote indefenitely.. . The magus needs to act out the cost fetish, like a condition , unaware that the cost funnels any newly devoured paradox into other effects. The mage remains oblivious, though another mage may perceive the paradox swelling up like a balloon. The cost will do anything to feed and hide that secret script from the mage.

==== Dark Void ====

==== Deformity ====
The mage suffers physical deformities. These deformities may be anything strange to annoying at low levels, to outright depraved mutilations at higher levels. Duration of these deformities is a factor in determining the severity of this paradox script. Some deformities may be permanent but removable with proper tools and resource. Deformities are a rather humiliating affair in those modernday vain mage cliques.

==== Echoes ====

==== Elements ====
Element Scripts are selfconsistent hallucinations. They have no effect over static reality, though nearby changelings may somehow experience them as chimera. To the mage elements can be confusing. Larger (amounts of) elements can combine into a twilight. By effort of will and concentration the mage can distinguish reality from element, and escape from the clutches of such a twilight. Elements can have an identity all their own, and may become old familiar friends wherein the mage befriends or chooses to live with the element. However- as long as paradox is involved, elements will aim to be a nuisance. Elements, though annoying, unpleasant, traumatic or confusing to see, smell and hear, don’t cause damage. (see Hobgoblin).

==== Emanation ====

==== Exposure ====
Exposure scripts are insidious and subtle. It has an identity based on the magick that evokes it. Exposure contaminates a person, process, place or object, alter it in an undesireable manner that’s supposed to play havoc with the mage’s life. Friends may change in strange ways, animals may become strange and crooked, objects may aquire undesireable qualities. Exposure appears to have a malign intensity.

==== Fate ====
Fate script involves an amazing combination of events, that plays havoc with static reality and logic. Fate is based on the magick creating the effect. A common fate is that the magick cast becomes temporarily coincidental, calls for amazing media attention, and mucks up the mage’s daily life. One chance event leads to another, and the mage is inexorably drawn to further trouble untill the script runs its course.

==== Fate Storm ====

==== Fomor ====

==== Haunting ====
The paradox summons and binds an undesireable spiritual energy to the mage. The mage becomes haunted by an elemental, demon, bane, specter, wraith or spirit. The entity actually feeds from the paradox, and may thereby gain in power. Quite a few wraiths (or their shadows) have benefitted from this script.

==== Hobgoblins ====
Hobgoblins are elements of mage twilight that have become real and physical, having escaped from the mage’s subconscious or dreamrealm. They can be anything, and act with a shrewd intelligence. There is a strong link between hobgoblins and faerie magick (chimera). Hobgoblins can appear to the mage only (and are invisible to anyone else), while some become real to other awakened beings. Few hobgoblins aquire so much pattern as to be able to appear to sleepers.

==== Hubris ====
Hubris scripts cause magick to attract more undesireable attention. The magick becomes less subtle, even annoyingly so. Hubris scripts are pretty straightforward, but can base themselves on moral or aesthetic weaknesses of the magus. Noise is often a factor in magick twisted by Hubris.

==== Hysteria ====
The paradox alerts sleepers; all in the wider area becomes progressively more anxious, and the mage himself may trigger and attract the anxiety. It takes some effort to diffuse situations where hysteria channels into an angry mob. In advanced cases the population may become exposed, and change in physical and mental ways. Quite a few villages were driven to anxiety, hysteria, derangement and finally physical aberration by the experiments of a nearby magus.

==== Insanity ====
The mage becomes temporarily or permanently insane. The ST will confuse the issue regards to twilight, hobgoblins, elements or mere hallucination.

==== Karma ====

==== Limercy ====
Arguably one of the most cruel Dox scripts, once it forms, Limercy never ever goes away. It can not be reduced below one, and it will always try to-re-establish itself. Limercy is essentially impossible love having degraded the willworker, its sensibilities, her rationality, her sense of self-worth, her dignity. It an be bad enough to push a sane human to suicide. The willworker falls forever in some obsessive kind of love that will never be answered. Any attempt to force, seduce, flatter the target of this obsession will only cause to alienate him or her, and everyone around the willworker. To everyone, the willworker is perceived as obsessed, emotionally disturbed, a stalker, a creep.

==== Malfunction ====
A malfunction script accumulates on a certain rote or main activity of the magus, untill that particular enterprise suddenly reaches a critical state and fails disastrously. The accumulation may be noticed by others than the particular mage by means of entropy or prime, and smells like a fishy kind of curse. Such curses can be dealt with beforehand, minimalizing the downside, or the paradox may be diffused into other, more convenient ails.

==== Marauders ====
Marauders are magi driven by dynamic change.

==== Mindscape ====
A Mindscape is a real dreamrealm given substance by paradox. The mage is the director of the mindscape, which is its main strength and its main weakness. A more disciplined magus can more easily deal with mindscapes, and that’s why disciplined magi less often suffer from mindscape scripts. The mage’s body suffering from midscape may enter catatonia during the episode, though another magus adept at spirit and/or mind magicks can seek entrance into the midscape and offer assistance.

==== Monster ====
Paradox generated by the Magick is forced into a consistent form, and that form is purposefully horrible. The monster in question may be an exposed animal that aquires fomoric qualities, or a haunting taking assuming a more permanent manifestation. Monsters scripts can also be carelessly used power-rotes, old enemies that were annihilated with but a gesture, and who return as vengefull animated cadavers. A prime example would be a teleporter accident wherein the mage becomes the monster by assimilating insect genes – a real bad case, or the super-weapon that twists the user into a homocidal maniac. And do remember the resurrection used in Lovecraft’s the Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

==== Mutations ====

==== Nexus ====

==== Nightmares ====

==== Paradox Realm ====
A paradox realm is a midscape out of controll, out there somewhere in the astral realm, under controll of an evil paradox intellect. Paradox realms may be legendary affairs, seeking out and catching whole generations of magi. The paradox entities therein may also do field trips as paradox spirits, but not all paradox realms may have detachable paradox spirits. Paradox realms aim to confuse, trap, enslave, derange or even kill the magus, anything to feed of his magick. Magi caught in a paradox realm may not even realize they are inside one. Paradox realms can be compared to wraithly harrowings, though most are not as intentionally sadistic.

==== Primal ====

==== Reduction ====
Reduction is a kind of magick that reduces or impairs with the effectivity of magick. It may work once (the paradox manifests upon aquisition of paradox, causing the rote to go astray, or horribly wrong), or have a recurrent theme. Stronger reduction scripts cause a certain rote to suffer from reduced power. It has occurred that such a reduced rote is taught to an apprentice, and that the specific paradox script migrated to the apprentice.

==== Resonance ====

==== Qlippoth ====

==== Quiet ====
A rift manifests as a temporary conduit in the fabric of space-time, to an alternate reality. Rifts rarely come out of the blue, and always follow a rationale cause and effect. Use of a necromantic rote which results in a rift script might lead to other realities involving undead. Rifts are powerfull and quite vulgar in nature, and are consequently shortlived. They have long evaporated before CNN arrives, and can actually be “extinguished” by scrutiny and scepsis of sleepers. Rifts can lead to paradox realms and all kinds of paradox vermin may scurry out of them.

==== Rift ====

==== Scourge ====

==== Side Effects ====
Side effects are undesireable events that become bound to magick or mundane actions taken by the Magus. Side effects are characteristic and the mage will quickly notice a pattern of events. Side Effect scripts can occur upon casting a particular rote, anytime using a given sphere, or after otherwise mundane activity. The effects are always instantaneous.

==== Signature ====
A signature script makes the magick or rotes of an affected magus characteristically his. Signatures can become quite impressive and are similar to longterm side effects. Some can be insidious, others blatant and banale. Signature effects can be indictive of an old and familiar paradox spirit or hobgoblin. A lingering signature may be identified and interpreted by mundane sciences such as forensics or unawakened dowsers. Tremere make good use of a known signature of magus, as the paradox leaves especially strong empathic traces. Signatures are difficult to get red of, and many old magi have long since accepted, or pride themselves on one or more signatures for years.

==== Spell Burn ====

==== Spell Rot ====

==== Stalker ====
Some spirits feed on paradox, like parasites feeding on poison. The paradox spirit may have its own modus operandi of feeding of paradox, including trapping the mage in a paradox realm , driving him nuts, or outright attack. Paradox spirits can and often do interact with the hobgoblins of a given mage, and most have complex reasons to act as they do. In some cases otherwise apparently normal sleepers act as paradox spirits. Most paradox spirits have strange powers, or even wield true magick themselves. Some can be classified as maraudersor are in leage with a garou shamen, thaumaturgist or sorceror.

==== Stigmata ====

==== Tempus Figit ====

==== The Price ====

==== Torment ====

==== Twilight ====
Twilight is a delusional state wherein the mage’s perceptions are rearranged. A twilight is not automatically lethal or intentionally adverse as is a paradox realm, but is much more substantial than a mere dreamrealm or mindscape. Twilight involves quite often a psychic projected (the mage’s body becomes catatonic or acts to unseen stimuli) or downright physical excursion (the mage vanishes) into another reality. Not all twilights are detrimental; some can serve the magus as a visionquest, or allow the mage to subdue the state and develop it into a shadowrealm background trait. Though a mundane will perceive a dream-twilight as the psychotic-catatonic episode, an awakened being will quickly realize the mage is elsewhere. Quite unnerving are those instances where mundanes are sucked right along into the twilight, or twilights that involve the subconsious creations of mindscapes of other individuals.

==== Vermintide ====

==== Vile ====

==== Vortex ====
A Vortex script is a rift in the space-time continuum evoked specifically by wyld energies. As a rule vortices occur only where there are already openings into others states of existence, such as near Caerns, and are therefore rare. When they occur, they are always visible. Many involve pyrotechnics and other special effects. Vortices can cause random damage, leave evidence such as crap circles and may scare the zip out local yokels. Marauder infestation is not far removed from Vortices, so beware.

==== Waste ====
The paradox manifests as a kind of harmfull waste material… The paradox becomes undesireable substance, which can range from fecal matter to slime and as bad as radioactives. The waste may need cleaning and in extreme cases containment. Some kinds of waste may be spiritually contaminated.

==== Wyrd ====