All characters in this setting have an extra statistic, Warping, although most characters never rise above 0 in it. Exposure to strong long-term magic or powerful momentary effects can give the subject 1 Warping Point (warp), which can add up over time. For most long-term effects, a character may gain 1 warp in a year.
The overall effect this has on a character is expressed by hir Warping Score, which increases when the character gains warp equal to its next level x 5. When a mundane creature accumulates 5 warp, the points reset and hir Warping Score increases to 1. For the next level, ze has to amass 10 warp; after that, it takes 15 warp for hir Warping Score to increase. By and large, most commoners never reach Warping 1.
If a character’s Warping Score does reach 1 (5 warp), ze starts to feel its effects: ze gains a Minor Flaw related to the source of the warping. At a Warping Score of 3 (which usually takes 30 years or more), the character gains a second flaw. If the character reaches a Warping Score of 5, ze gains a Minor Virtue related to the magic and stops gaining Warping Points from the same magical source.
Wizard’s Twilight
For Hermetic wizards, Warping has an additional effect: Wizard’s Twilight. When a mage gains 2 or more warp from botching a single spell, ze has to make a Wisdom save to resist entering Twilight. The mage gets a bonus to hir save equal to hir Magnitude in the Vim Form.
The DC for saving against Wizard’s Twilight is:
10 + Warping Score + number of Warping Points gained + Proficiency for Enigmatic Wisdom (if the character possesses it) + the rating of the local magic aura
Note that the character’s proficiency bonus is added if ze is proficient in the Mystery of Enigmatic Wisdom, making it harder to resist Twilight.
- If the roll results in a natural 1, the mage enters Wizard’s Twilight and cannot comprehend the experience.
- If the roll fails, the mage enters Wizard’s Twilight.
- If the roll succeeds, the mage spends two minutes (one Diameter) brining hir magic under control, but there are no other effects.
Comprehending Twilight
What a mage undergoes during Twilight is strange and fantastic, with unique visions and mysterious events. If ze assimilates the vision and understands it, the experience is positive. If ze flails and fails to comprehend it, the experience is jarring and unsettling.
Comprehending Twilight is an ability check:
d20 + INT modifier + Proficiency for Enigmatic Wisdom (if the character possesses it)
vs. 10 + Warping Score
Note that the character’s proficiency bonus is added if ze is proficient in the Mystery of Enigmatic Wisdom, making it easier to gain a good effect from Twilight.
- If the roll results in an unmodified 1, the time the wizard spends in Twilight is increased by one category.
- If the roll fails, the wizard spends time in Twilight based on hir new Warping Score and suffers a bad effect that may include a Mystical Flaw, at high enough severity.
- If the roll succeeds, the wizard reduces the time spent in Twilight by 1 row (See the Twilight Duration table) for each point ze succeeded in the check, to a minimum of 2 minutes. If the Twilight is sufficiently severe, the mage may gain a Mystical Virtue from the experience.
In any case, the mage also gains a Twilight Scar from the experience. If the experience was good, the magical effect caused by the scar may be beneficial. If the experience was bad, it will be annoying.
Note that, once a Hermetic wizard’s Warping Score gets high enough, it becomes difficult for hir to resist slipping into Final Twilight, from whence there can be no return.