Sometimes Possibility Energy is released when the Everlaw of One attempts to resolve an overwhelming number of Contradictions. This causes reality storms, raging tempests with strange physical manifestations. These storms have violent weather effects, with winds ranging in velocity from 40 to hundreds of kilometers per hour. Torrential rainfall often occurs, but not always.
Lightning from reality storms can shear mountains and level cities, but it’s often peculiarly selective in its targets as well.
The effects of the storms can be even more confusing. Many realities can come into temporary existence during a storm, gravity can become variable, languages of a region can be changed, vehicles can move about on their own, and the sizes and colors of buildings can alter.
Most of the effects fade within two hours to a day of the storm’s passage. In a few rare instances the effects last much longer.
Reality storms are very common along the boundaries between realms, though they are not necessarily constant. It is during brief lulls in storm activity that most Storm Knights travel into or out of a realm.
The High Lords have some control over reality storms via their Darkness Devices. They might use these to harry their foes, distress a resistant population, or simply to hurry the process of random transformation in a particular area.
The Storm Has a Name
It’s very dangerous for living beings caught in a reality storm. At a dramatically appropriate moment, each reality -rated character makes a reality test with the standard Zone modifiers (-4 for Dominant Zones and –8 for Pure), then check the results below:
- Mishap: The hero loses an add in reality. If the character has no adds, he transforms.
- Failure: The character disconnects.
- Standard: No effect.
- Good: The characters gains 1 Possibility.
- Outstanding: The character gains 2 Possibilities.
Invoked Storms
The Storm Caller Perk allows certain characters to invoke a reality storm against a reality-rated foe from a different cosm. Here’s how it works.
As a simple action, the individual invoking the storm chooses his target, who must be within 10 meters. Calling the storm costs the invoker one Possibility. A small storm then forms directly between the two, sealing them off from the rest of the world. They may talk or be talked to, but may not otherwise be physically affected by others. Neither participant may receive aid or Possibilities from allies, or trade Destiny cards. Since they may speak to and hear others outside the storm, each is subject to verbal interaction attacks.
The two participants are locked in the storm together, engaged in a battle of wills until one or the other disconnects. Each of the two must use his action to make a reality test against his opponent. The DN is the other’s reality total. Since each must attack neither may take Active Defenses. If either gains an extra action thanks to a Flurry it must be used to attempt another test for the contest.
Each time an attacker wins a contest of reality, he drains the other of Shock and Possibilities according to his success level. He doesn’t receive them—they are returned to the world for use by the Everlaw of One.
- Standard: 2 Shock
- Good: 4 Shock and 1 Possibility
- Outstanding: 6 Shock and 2 Possibilities
The contest continues until one character or the other is stripped of all Possibilities or KO’ed. The loser disconnects and either transforms or loses one add of reality. Verbal interaction attacks are possible as Multi-Actions within the storm, but participants may not move or make physical, magical, or other attacks of any kind.
If either participant suffers a Mishap he loses a Possibility and the reality storm grows out of control. Everyone within 20 meters of either character must test reality as described under The Storm Has a Name. This has no effect on the embattled contestants, only the unfortunates around them. If another Mishap occurs the storm doubles in size and forces another reality test for those within range. When the contest ends the storm subsides.