Handling the Mists

[Yurim]

There are good explanations of how to handle the Mists, and also, good examples for each of the four types, listed elsewhere. But many have asked 'What happens with a Critical Success? How about a Backlash?' Or even 'Why do we have to make rolls for Mist Handling at all?' And then there's the periodic 'How do you oppose Mist Handling with more Mist Handling?'.

Opposed Mist Handling

I'll start with the latter question first. Most often, a direct conflict of Mist Handling will come up in a combat situation, but not always. In general, if you want to block someone else's Mist Handling, you need to perform a Mist Handling attempt at least one level higher than the already successful Mist attempt. Also, it should be of a type of Mist Handling appropriate. If you're just trying to 'dispel' or 'counter' an attempt, it should be the same kind of Handling. However, say someone throws.. oh.. a ball of fire at you. You could use Psionics, then, to counter, by creating a barrier, or Faith to conjure water to douse the fire. Remember, these aren't set in stone.

Remember that if you're using Mist Handling on another person, it doesn't necessarily have to be targetted. Certainly, if you're using Mist Handling on someone else directly, it should be (such as using Magic to throw the aforementioned ball of fire), but if you're going for indirect effects instead, those don't need to be targetted. Pulling down a roof over someone's head, whipping up the winds to dangerous levels, or any of a million other things that use the environment against a character shouldn't be targetted.

The same goes for defensive effects as well. If you're going to use Psionics to stop that fireball in midflight, that should be targetted because it's your will directly against your opponent's, but if you just create a passive shield type barrier, that doesn't need to be targetted. Any and all types of Mist Handling should be considered for these purposes. Just remember that if you're using an offensive Handling directly on someone, it should be targetted, and if not, don't target it. Healing spells and helpful spells, such as boosting someone else's power or sending a benign telepathic message, do not need to be targetted unless the person you are performing the Handling on wants to resist it.

Critical Success

Say you're one lucky person, and you got a Critical Success on a Mist Handling. Congratulations! But what do you do with it? Well, basically, when you get a critical success, it should be right along the lines of what you were trying to create in the first place. Say you were using Imagination to make bricks. Well, you either made more bricks than you intended (instead of 10, more like.. 50). Or perhaps those are some -really- tough bricks, nearly impossible to destroy, perfectly formed and practically BEGGING to be built with. Maybe they'll even secrete their own cement. Be inventive. If you were trying to heal someone.. Odds are, you healed that wound... as well as every other other one on them (within reason), or took away old scars they've had for years, or grew their tonsils back.

However, you should note, you cannot ignore a critical success. You might not want it. Sometimes, it isn't a good thing. For example, say you're using a Mist Handling to enhance your voice so you can be heard over a crowd, and you get a critical success. Well, not only can you be heard over the crowd, you're quite possibly causing -damage- to those people's ears, as well as maybe even blowing out windows and the like. Or you'll be heard for miles away. Or the effect will last for the next day and a half, even after you don't want to be amplified to the whole town anymore.

Backlash

Now, say you're unlucky, and you get a Critical Failure. The mists backlash. Well, ladies and gents, a backlash is -never- good. Basically, something bad, of equal magnitude, should happen. Most often, it'll be to you. Any failed Mist Handling over level five has a chance to backlash, but what that means is up to you and how you play it. Say you're throwing a ball of fire at someone and you backlash, well, burns probably appear on you as if you hit yourself, instead. Now, say you're healing someone, and you backlash. Chances are very high you not only failed to heal them, but identical wounds appear on you, or MORE wounds appear on the other person. Say you were making bricks. Well, you might get mud, or, they might appear to be good, usable bricks... that then crumble not long after they're built with.

Low level backlashes, level four or below, can be annoying, or embarrassing. Maybe you wanted to turn the light on from across the room. You fail your level one roll, and the finger you point at the lightswitch starts to glow for a few hours instead. Higher level failures are more serious and more dangerous.

High level Mist Handlings that result in backlashes have a random chance of draining sanity. It is built into the system and automatic. And very high level backlashes (8 or higher), even when they don't drain sanity, can be VERY dangerous, even lethal. If you ever backlash on a 10, you're.. well.. screwed. Please remember that while such backlashes can be very daunting to play with, you shouldn't ignore or try to trivialize them. The effects are serious, but they don't have to be permanent. Think of it as an opportunity for roleplay, not a handicap. After all, you can now go and do scenes with everyone you know to get sympathy for your accident. You can try to find someone to put you back the way you were. Maybe you'll even find some poor amputee who could use that new third arm of yours, if you don't want it.

If you're ever wondering what level an effect should be, don't hesitate to page a staff member or one of the wizards, and ask them. Remember, they're there to help, and they should be able to give you an answer fairly quickly.

Why Roll At All?

Some of you may wonder why we need rolls for Mist Handling at all, when even combat itself doesn't. The reason is the Mists themselves. When you're in physical combat, you rely on skills, talents, and other things all your own - your own strength, speed, your own sword, or what have you. These are all things you have direct control over, and in most cases, are actually part of you. The Mists, on the other hand, are not part of you or your character at all. They're an outside influence, and have their own wants and desires, whims and wishes. While your character can use his or her talents to influence the Mists, in the long run, the Mists may decide to just.. not listen. You can use Mist Points (and you have to use at least one) to influence the Mists, and make them more likely to do as you wish, but even the best and most skillfull Mist Handlers do not succeed all the time, simply because the Mists have a sentience on their own. The Mist Handling system reflects this and the possibility of the Mists deciding that its whim is not to follow you today, or even just this minute.

Some final notes: First, remember, the Mists are very tricky. While the #excheck function of the mist handling code is wonderful, remember that, IC, unless you're a very long-time wielder of the mists, you won't know for certain what your chances of pulling something off are. Even minor, level one effects can go awry, often with humorous or embarrassing results. Also, not all backlashes, especially of the lower-level variety, need to be dangerous or harmful. They can be extremely humiliating, instead, or have funny results. And, as said earlier, not all critical successes are a -good- thing. Remember, that kind of success is often double-edged. Above all, the mist handling system is an opportunity to throw some random chance into roleplay. Have fun with it, whether you succeed or fail. That's what it's there for.