Paradox (MTAw)

Whenever a mage tries to use the powers of the Realms Supernal, he has to cross the Abyss that separates the Fallen World from it. Thus, he has always the risk on pulling some of the Abyss essence with it and thus ushering the effect mages call "Paradox"

Paradox is the way the Abyss react to any blatant way to use magic in front of sleepers or others who still believe the Lie. Thus, some scholars have theorized, the Abyss widens everytime a mage draw paradox to him.

Manifestations
Depending on the power, wisdom, and external elements surrounding a mage, a paradox can appear in a number of ways.
 * Backlash -- Rather than allow a paradox to occur, a mage can endure the pain of backlash, sacrificing their health to mitigate the potential hazards a paradox can induce, while still allowing their spell to go into effect.
 * Havoc -- The spell changes from its intended target to something similar but different, eg. If the target was a human, than another nearby human may be at risk of taking the effects of the spell.
 * Bedlam -- Rather than effect the area around the willworker, the mage suffers a derangement which increases in severity depending on their rank in the arcanum they were using.
 * Anomaly -- Reality tears itself apart to allow the unbelievable and unpredictable to occur. Each anomaly is relevant to elements found in the mage's path. Thus, an anomaly summoned by a warlock would have aspects of Pandemonium.
 * Manifestation -- Worst of all possibilities, the paradox manifests as an acamoth, with power equal to and rivaling that of the mage who summoned it, ranging from mindless gremlins, to unbelievable horrors beyond time and space. To get rid of such entities usually requires intense research, or the death of the mage who called it in the first place.