Warp

Force of Corruption

There are many who believe that mortals were not meant to meddle with magic, and nothing gives more credence to this than the phenomenon that is Warp.

— Obeus the Mad

Warp is strange and otherworldly force of corruption that supposedly stems from beyond the stars. It is a form of radiation, raw chaotic energy that permeates an area or a creature and causes the gradual deterioration of the mind and body. Warp can be caused by overuse of magic, baleful curses, or from the presence of a creature or area infused with Warp. Aberrations commonly have a high concentration of Warp permeating their bodies and lairs, but otherwise seem to be immune to the common effects.

Effects

Warp in Creatures

For living creatures, Warp is an insidious force that causes the gradual decline of their mind, body and magic. The more Warp a creature has accumulated, the faster this process becomes. While most creatures accumulate trace amounts of Warp during their life, Warp builds faster and in greater amounts by creatures with a penchant for arcane magic. While this rarely proves to be a problem for the average Wizard or Sorcerer, it is when this magic is abused that it leads to dangerous levels of Warp. Warp has three main effects in a living creature; warp madness, warp corruption and warped magic.

Warp Madness

Warp madness is the effect that Warp has on the mind and psyche. A creature suffering from warp madness sporadically suffers from fits of short term madness. With higher concentrations of Warp, this can lead to very frequent bursts of long term madness. As Warp gets worse, the creature can begin to suffer from indefinite madness, in addition to the other effects.
Unlike other forms of madness, warp madness cannot simply be cured by a spell like lesser restoration or calm emotions. The only way to cure Warp Madness is to remove the Warp itself.

Warp Corruption

Warp corruption is the effect that Warp has on the body of a living thing. As the Warp grows, the corruption spreads through the body, transforming and twisting it into an aberrant monstrosity. Most often, individual parts of the creature's body twist and transform independantly, and as the creature fully succumbs to warp, it transforms completely into a deranged, snarling beast.

Warped Magic

Warped magic is the effect that Warp has on the soul of a creature. As the creature builds more and more Warp, the spells they cast have a greater chance of becoming unstable. Warp causes magic to become wild and chaotic, leading to instances where spells cast by a creature suffering from Warp can misfire, backfire, or even cause a surge of wild magic.

Warp in an Area

Like with creatures, Warp can permeate an area, lingering like radiation. It can be caused by the presence of aberrations, ritual spells gone awry, or particularly powerful surges of wild magic.

Type

Metaphysical, Supernatural