Magic Backlash

Because of the chaotic nature of magic, spellcasting can be dangerous. When a spellcaster rolls Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination when casting a spell, you may roll on the chart below, Critical Backlash from Spellcasting. Additional Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination from the magic roll can be used to increase the Critical Backlash roll by 10. This may be done multiple times. Additional Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination can be used to increase the Critical Backlash roll by 50.

Critical Backlash from Spellcasting
Result	Severity	Effect
1-5	Easy (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Minor Feedback: There is a minor amount of magical Backlash. Suffer 1 strain.
6-10	Easy (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Mental Muddle: It takes a moment to regain your bearings. You can only act during the last allied initiative slot on your next turn.
11-15	Easy (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Numbing Sensation: Your body briefly goes numb. You drop any items you are holding in your hands.
16-20	Easy (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Glimpse of Darkness: You are given a glimpse of the darkness of some shadowy plane and are momentarily taken aback. You are unable to make a free maneuver during your next turn.
21-25	Easy (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Infernal Secrets: An infernal voice whispers the word "DOOM!" in your ear. Add Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination to your next roll.
26-30	Easy (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Dreadful Insight: You have a stark realization; life is about to get more difficult. Move one Story Point from the PC pool to the GM pool. (Reverse if NPC.)
31-35	Easy (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Staggering Backlash: Magical power washes over you, leaving you staggered until the end of your next turn.
36-40	Easy (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Lost Focus: You are unable to maintain Concentration. Any spells you are currently maintaining fail.
41-45	Easy (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Arcane Web: You become tangled in errant strands of arcane power. You are immobilized until the end of your next turn and cannot perform any maneuvers. The GM may spend additional Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination from the magic roll can to increase the duration of the effect by one round. This may be done multiple times. You may break free of the immobilization with a successful Hard (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination) Athletics check.
46-50	Easy (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Inter-Planar Pests: A swarm of thetches - small insects that feed on magical energy - surrounds you. Increase the difficulty of your next magic check by one.
51-55	Average (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Magical Migraine: Your head begins to throb, making it impossible to focus. Increase the difficulty of all Intellect and Cunning checks until this Critical Backlash is removed.
56-60	Average (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Startling Countenance: A dark pallor comes over you. Increase the difficulty of all Willpower and Presence checks until this Critical Backlash is removed.
61-65	Average (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Arcane Agony: Your body is wracked with pain. Increase the difficulty of all Brawn and Agility checks until this Critical Backlash is removed.
66-70	Average (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Discombobulation: Your thoughts become a jumble. You are disoriented until this Critical Backlash is removed.
71-75	Average (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Bewildering Backlash: The spell leaves you slightly dazed. Remove all Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination from skill checks until this Critical Backlash is removed.
76-80	Average (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Tenuous Focus: Some anomaly is making it difficult to maintain your spells. Suffer 1 additional strain each time you use the Concentration maneuver, even if you would not normally suffer strain to use the Concentration maneuver.
81-85	Average (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Black Morass: The air around you coalesces into a dark soup, making movement difficulty. You lose your free maneuver until this Critical Backlash is removed.
86-90	Average (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Out of Energy: You feel the presence of your power eking away from your being. You cannot voluntarily suffer strain to activate any abilities or gain additional maneuvers until this Critical Backlash is removed.
91-95	Average (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Depleted: Shadows cloud your mind, making all actions more difficult. Increase the difficulty of all checks by one until this Critical Backlash is removed.
96-100	Average (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Riven Connection: The connection to your source of magic has been severed temporarily. You may not use any magic actions or maneuvers until the end of the encounter.
101-105	Hard (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Siphoned Soul: Using magic has started to wear you out. Suffer 2 additional strain each time you use a magic action until this Critical Backlash is removed.
106-110	Hard (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Opportunist Attack: Your intense focus leaves you open to attack. If you are engaged with one or more opponents, they may make an attack against you as an out of turn incidental. If you are not engaged with any opponents, the nearest ranged opponent may make an attack against you as an out of turn incidental. (If neither of these situations apply, use the Siphoned Soul critical.)
111-115	Hard (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Primordial Gaze: You are enthralled in a vision, and peer into the eye of an eldritch being. Roll 1d10 to determine which of your characteristics is affected. 1-4 for your spellcasting characteristic, 5 for Brawn, 6 for Agility, 7 for Intellect, 8 for Cunning, 9 for Willpower, and 10 for Presence. Until this Critical Backlash is removed, treat the characteristic as one lower.
116-120	Hard (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Bound: Magical energy binds you in place; you are unable to move. You are immobilized until this Critical Backlash is removed.
121-125	Hard (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Otherworldly Vision: You are trapped in an vision of darkness and shadows, effectively blinding you. Upgrade the difficulty of all checks twice, and upgrade the difficulty of Perception and Vigilance checks three times, until this Critical Backlash is removed.
126-130	Hard (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Paralyzing Feedback: A major surge of feedback threads through your mind, body, and soul, leaving you staggered until this Critical Backlash is removed.
131-135	Hard (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Degradation: The backlash seeks out your magical implement like a lightning rod. If you used a magical implement for casting this spell, or are carrying a magical implement, it is damaged one step. If you are not carrying a magical implement, one item (at the GM's discretion) is damaged one step.
136-140	Hard (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Unexpected Targets: Your spell spirals out of control, affecting each character or creature within short range. (If the spell is beneficial, reverse the effects. Healing becomes damage, Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination becomes Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination, damage reduction becomes an increase in damage, etc.)
141-145	Hard (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Infernal Contract: You suffer 5 wounds as a two inch tall rune is inscribed by fire into the flesh of a random part of your body. Should you collect thirteen of these, they will spell out a contract signing your soul away to a malevolent eldritch entity. Removing the skin will make no difference to the contract. This Critical Backlash can only be removed by Divine ritual magic.
146-150	Hard (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Destructive Severance: The connection to your source of magic is violently disrupted. A surge of energy bursts outward from you. All characters and creatures within short range suffer 3 wounds. You may not use any magic actions or maneuvers until the end of the encounter, and this Critical Backlash has been removed.
151-155	Daunting (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Mindworm: A psychic leech attaches itself to your soul. Your spellcasting characteristic is reduced to 1. For each 24 hours that passes, one point is returned, until it reaches full strength.
156-160	Daunting (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Devastating Backlash: Power wracks your body, coursing through its every fiber. Roll 1d10 to determine which of your characteristics is affected. 1-4 for your spellcasting characteristic, 5 for Brawn, 6 for Agility, 7 for Intellect, 8 for Cunning, 9 for Willpower, and 10 for Presence. That characteristic is permanently reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1.
161-165	Daunting (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Trembling Mind: Something has gone wrong; you're not sure what it is, but you're finding it difficult to cast the kind of magic you did before. Permanently upgrade the difficulty to use the spell action you just used.
165-170	Daunting (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Primordial Summons: A vortex of arcane power yanks you from the world and into the aether, where you are commanded to do the bidding of a powerful elritch being. What the being asks you to do and how long you are gone in order to complete the task is up to you, but you return to the temporal plane fifteen minutes later, having suffered 10 wounds and strain, which you may divide between the two.
171-175	Daunting (Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination)	Backlash Curse: A powerful entity has taken umbrage with the use of your power. Each time you cast a spell, treat the spell as if you have rolled a Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination and have the GM roll on this chart. This Critical Backlash can only be removed by Primal or Arcane ritual magic.