Warping Effects of a Magical Aura
by Mark D F Shirley
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If fluid vis is the raw power of magic that flows through
the world, then magical auras are pools of this vis. Those
that bathe in these pools by living in magical auras are subject
to uncontrolled raw magical forces for extended periods of time.
This is bound to have an effect upon mundanes.
This article provides some rules for dealing with this warping
effect. They are based on the Ageing rules of Ars Magica 4th Edition.
Storyguides may wish to use a similar mechanic for people who
habitually dwell in Faerie or Infernal Auras, but this article
deals only with Magical Auras.
Unlike the Ageing rules, there is no minimum age for the warping
effect to start. It requires a record to be kept of the number
of Aura Years - that is, for every full year spent in magical
aura, add the strength of that aura to the Aura Years total. The
Aura Years total can be decreased by moving into an area under
the sway of the Dominion - decrease the Aura Years total by the
strength of the Dominion for every full year spent there. Naturally,
the Aura Years total cannot be less than zero - growing up in
the Dominion does not start you off with a number of negative
Aura Years! Instead, the power of God can decrease the accumulated
magical detritus. Mundane areas (i.e. those with no aura) and
other types of auras have no effect.
Magi are a special case. They are protected somewhat from this
warping effect by their parma magica, which, after all,
is designed to block the encroachment of magic. They accumulate
Aura Years at a rate of Aura - parma magica score, with
a minimum of zero. Thus if the aura is 5, a magus with a parma
magica score of 3 will only accumulate 2 Aura Years a year,
and a magus with a score of 5 or more won't be affected by the
aura. This is assuming that the parma magica ritual is
conducted on a daily basis. Jerbiton often do not use their parma
magica except when expecting trouble, because it prevents
fully appreciating such things as art and music, which have a
magic of their own.
Every year (customarily on All Hallows Eve, a most magical time),
players must make a warping roll. A quality die is used for this
roll, and a number of factors can adjust it. For every (full)
ten Aura Years possessed by a character, one is added to the warping
roll. Magi must also add one to the warping roll for every 5 Twilight
Points they possess. If magi are in the habit of using a particular
spell upon themselves, this can also increase the warping effect.
This is a judgement call of the storyguide - using a particular
spell every day would certainly count, as would one spell with
a Duration of Year; using the same spell once a month might have
an effect. In general, add the magnitude of the spell to the warping
roll, but adjust this according to usage.
If the total is above 9, consult the Warping Table, below.
Warping Aberration
Roll Result Score
9-11 Annoying negative aberration* 0
12-16 Minor negative aberration, or 1
worsen by 1
17 Minor positive aberration, or 1
increase by 1
18-19 Major negative aberration, or 2
worsen by 2
20 Major positive aberration, or 2
increase by 2
21+ Gain a Twilight Point -
*If the character already has five aberrations, he must add 1
to an existing aberration
These aberrations work in exactly the same way as afflictions
in the ageing rules. Characters may either develop new afflictions
or old ones might worsen. If the latter occurs, roll a simple
die and add the score of the aberration, on a result of less than
9, the aberration worsens by the amount indicated on the Warping
Table. The score of the affliction adds or subtracts to all related
rolls.
Unlike afflictions, aberrations are not always penalties. Some
aberrations can be of benefit to the receiver, granting semi-magical
powers, or such-like. However, others can be as damaging or restricting
as afflictions - it is luck of the draw which a character gains.
No aberration score may be greater than 6, and a character may
have no more than five different aberrations. A player can opt
(or may be forced, if he already has five afflictions at level
6) to have his character gain a Twilight point instead of gaining
or worsening an affliction.
Some aberrations mimic Exceptional Talents such as Second Sight
and Magic Sensitivity. These are not actually talents, and their
sores cannot be increased by any means other than the mechanics
described here. Most aberrations mimic Virtues or Flaws in some
way
Any character that possesses more than three aberrations, or 5
points of aberrations (whichever comes first) gains the Magical
Air flaw.
Sample Aberrations:
Negative aberrations:
Positive aberrations:
Many are the reports of odd covenfolk in ancient covenants such
as Doissetep. In places such as these, many generations have lived
and died in a strong magical field, and the Order has seen many
strange events relating to this warping effect. One of the strangest
is the passing down of the warping effect to one's children. Children
who are born in magical auras of parents who have developed aberrations
tend to exhibit virtues or flaws that mimic the aberrations of
one both of their parents. Such children, should they remain in
the magical aura for most of their life, might have children of
their own who have not only the virtues or flaws of their grandparents,
but also virtues and/or flaws that mimic aberrations gained through
the life of their parents.
One magus of House Bonisagus has started to study the warping
effect of magical auras. She has noticed that more Gifted children
seem to be born amongst covenfolk than the general populace, and
she hypothesises that this is due to the warping effect. She has
begun to use her magic to start up a 'breeding' programme, encouraging
covenfolk exhibiting certain aberrations to produce children together.
She believes that not only can she generate Gifted children, she
can also generate children with particular affinities. Those with
the Weather Sense aberration in their background, for example,
might end up with affinities with Weather, or Auram. The Order
must wait and see whether this experiment is a success or not...
Mundanes and Twilight
Through the warping effect of a magical aura, mundanes might gain
Twilight Points. What effects to these have on non-Gifted individuals?
Unlike Decrepitude Points in the Ageing rules, they only have
a minor effect on the warping roll itself (every 5 Twilight Points
adds one to the warping roll), so they do not represent gradual
state of 'magical health' in the same way that the former represent
physical health. Instead they represent the character's overall
resilience to magical effects. Magi are not affected in the same
way, because their Gift and their magical training protects them
Firstly, mundanes who possess Twilight Points who are caught in
a magical botch (for example, were a target of a spell that botches)
must roll an extra botch die for each Twilight Point they own.
If any of these come out as zero, then this represents the magical
backlash that the character will suffer, notwithstanding the effects
on the magus who botched the spell in the first place.
Secondly, a mundane character with Twilight Points might experience
strange effects if exposed to large quantities of raw magic -
i.e. conditions that might usually induce Temporary Twilight in
a magus. In an intense magical aura they might suffer hallucinations
(which may turn out to be prophetic visions), or be knocked unconscious
by the magical overload. These effects are up to the storyguide,
but may result in gaining more Twilight Points
Thirdly, a character who accumulates 15 Twilight Points gains
the ability to use minor magics - they have developed, in effect,
the Gift. Although this Gift is not strong enough to learn Hermetic
Magic, they can, for example, be trained by a Natural Magician
or Cunning Woman. Of course, they do not necessarily realise that
they have developed the Gift, and they may be too old to fully
develop their potential.
Fourthly, a mundane character who accumulates 24 Twilight Points
will enter Final Twilight, just like a magus would.