Warp manifestations are very useful. They help you use your manifestations to better effect, and since using them efficiently is what being a master of warpcraft is all about, these manifestations are very important. With imagination, you can use these manifestations to make wards, alarms, one-use charged items, and other interesting things. Many Warp manifestations are meant to be projected along with other manifestatios, and modify or change their effects.
Warp also encompasses dealing with demons. Summoning and dealing with demons is prohibited by the Inquisition, but fighting them is allowed.
Warpcraft wielders often use Warp to counteract warpcraft phenomena. GM should assign power levels for all warpcraft phenomena that those using Warp counter manifestations will have to match.
Most Warp manifestations are of General level, because the power that Warp manifestations affect varies widely in power. A projection to dispel a first magnitude projection needs to be much less powerful than a similar projection to dispel a fifth magnitude effect. The guidelines provided for Warp projections take account of this, and rather than giving an absolute level for a corresponding effect, they give the relationship that the level of the Warp projection must bear to the level of the target.
As usual, these guidelines refer to a projection with the basic range, duration and target. When changing these parameters the change in level should be taken account of before multiplying or dividing the power level to get the effect. Thus, a version of Wind of Mundane Silence (Destroy Warp) with Sight range would dispel a projection with a level of up to half (projection level – 5 + 1d10). Ten levels of the projection’s power are devoted to increasing the Target and 15 to increasing the Range, so only the remaining power is available for the projection.
The Individual target for a War projection can refer to either an individual projection, or an individual object or person, and similarly for Group. If the target is an object or person, the Warp projection will affect any suitable manifestation affecting that person, not just one projection. Most such projections can only be projected on either other projections or individuals, but, if the description suggests that they could be projected on either, then they can. For example, Mirror of Opposition can only be projected on other projections, while The Invisible Eye Revealed can only be projected on people or objects.
projections and warpcraft effects do not have sizes, so size modifications do not apply to the levels of Individual Target Warp projections. However, Warp projections affecting areas, or number of projections, must be increased in level for large areas or large numbers, as normal.
The guidelines below refer mainly to projections. This is for the sake of brevity, as Warp projections can affect warpcraft effects proceeding from charged items, warp creatures, or daemons. However, unless specifically stated otherwise, the projections do not affect charged items, only the effects that they produce. Thus, Wind of Mundane Silence could dispel a force field produced by a charged item, but Disenchant is needed to dispel the warpcraft of the item itself.
It should be noted that Psykers, Sorcerers and Faith-wielders, do not have Might scores, and thus are not affected by wardings or other projections that act against Might scores of Daemons and warp entities.
Create Warp
Manipulating the fabric of warp to fabricate, shield, or destabilize warp phenomena.
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| General | Create a false aura detectable by warpcraft senses (e.g., Psyniscience, Know Life, Know Forces). Know projections with level < (2 × this projection’s level + 1 magnitude) perceive it as generic “warcraft” No custom signature or information is included. |
| General | Create a warpcraft shell that prevents Know projections with level < (projection level + 1 magnitude) from learning any details about active warpcraft on the target. |
| General | Create a warpcraft shell that supplies false information to detection projections of level < ½ (projection level + 1 magnitude). This can mimic misleading signatures. Potentially strengthen an aura; roll on the Aura Strengthening Table with a modifier equal to magnitude; the modifier must be 0 or greater, thus the minimum possible base level is 4 (Ritual). |
| 3 | Imprint warp residue on a person or object (e.g., mark a location with artificial Warp signature or taint an item to appear corrupted or holy). |
| 5 | Emit a burst of chaotic warp energy, granting the target 1 Corruption Point. Must be Momentary duration. Considered a hostile act. |
| 10 | Induce 1d5 Corruption Points through concentrated warp discharge. Typically results in visible metaphysical scarring. |
| 15 | Induce 1d10 Corruption Points in a target—risk of mutation, possession, or uncontrolled spiritual evolution increases substantially. |
Control Warp
Reshaping, Modulating, and Commanding Active Powers and Warp Entities
The Control Warp discipline governs active control over warp in motion—modifying projections as they are being manifested, redirecting hostile effects, shielding zones, or exerting dominance over warp-entities such as summoned entities, warp constructs, and daemons.
Where Know Warp perceives and diagnoses, and Create Warp generates or disguises, Control Warp intervenes directly in warpcraft as it manifests. Practitioners can twist a projections’s output, alter its form, prevent its entry into a warded area, or (with enough power) bind warp-reactive creatures and daemons.
General Considerations
Modifying Projections in Motion
- Timing Is Critical: To modify another projection’s structure, the Control Warp projection must be projected simultaneously with the target projection or spontaneous projection as Reaction. It cannot affect manifestations that has already resolved.
- Own Projections: You may alter your own projections with standard projecting if you succeed an Concentration test.
- Other Projectors: To affect another warpcraft wielder’s projection, you must either be cooperating or Spontaneously react against it. Your projecton must penetrate their projecting force.
- Formulaic Only: Spontaneous projection is too unstable to be reliably altered. Only formulaic or ritual projections may be targeted for Control Warp modulation.
- Item Limitations: Control Warp effects can only be embedded in charged items if they interact with another known effect in that same item.
Projection Structure and Duration
- The Control Warp effect must last at least as long as the projection it modifies is being projected.
- Formulaic Projection: Momentary Duration is sufficient.
- Ritual Projection: Requires Sun or longer.
- The altered Projection’s final effect must still conform to the rules for Projection magnitude: no resulting effect may exceed the power ceiling of the controlling projection.
Risk and Corruption
- Botching a Control Warp effect may result in:
- Wild magical side effects
- Altered projection targeting
- Backlash onto the caster
- Summoning of unintended warp-entities
Repelling and Commanding Warp Entities
- Control Warp also governs repulsion of supernatural entities, such as daemons, warp entities, or warp-constructs.
- Banishment, containment, and coercion are possible with proper rituals—but using these projections for summoning or control is forbidden by Imperial creed.
Control Warp
Manipulating magic as it manifests, altering effects, warding against entities, and directing warp flow
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| General | Modify a projection being cast (not spontaneous). The result must not exceed the Control Warp projection projection’s level. Examples: minor cosmetic alterations, simple target shift. |
| General | Superficially change a projection of level ≤ 2×(Control Warp projection level + 1 magnitude). No change to core function or power. |
| General | Significantly change a projection of level ≤ (Control Warp projection level + 1 magnitude). You may adjust power by ±1 magnitude, change parameters (e.g., target or range), but not Technique or Form. |
| General | Totally change a projection of level ≤ ½(Control Warp projection level + 1 magnitude). You may change Technique, Form, or both. Requisites not required. Cannot increase power by >2 magnitudes. |
| General | Sustain or suppress a projection you have cast of level ≤ (Control Warp level + 2 magnitudes). Duration cannot exceed the original projection’s limits. |
| General | Sustain or suppress a projection cast by another of level ≤ ½(Control Warp level + 5 magnitudes). |
| General | Create a conduit (mystical contact, effective Touch range) or container (stores a projection temporarily) for a projection of level ≤ (Control Warp level + 5 magnitudes). |
| General | Ward a person, area, or object against creatures with Might ≤ Control Warp projection level, from one Realm (Magical, Infernal, Faerie, or Divine). Warded beings cannot physically or mystically affect the target. Common format: Touch + Ring + Circle. |
| General | Redirect or block another caster’s projection , assuming timing and penetration are achieved. May only redirect Formulaic or Ritual projections. |
| Level 5 | Banish a weak warp-being (minor spirit, construct, daemon). Resistance depends on the being’s Might or warp integrity. |
| Level 10 | Move raw vis between physical objects without a lab. Requires ritual precision and proper vessel preparation. |
| Level 10 | Create a mobile antimagic field or repulsion threshold against projections of magnitude ≤ 10. |
| Level 15 | Bind a warp-entity (spirit, elemental, daemon) into a warded area or object. Binding may last until the ward is broken. |
| Level 20+ | Establish a permanent or large-scale warpcraft ward. Prevents uninvited entities and suppresses external magic within a controlled zone. |
Destroy warp
If you want to cast a Destroy Warp projection on a target who has Warding, you must penetrate the Warding.
| Level | Effect |
|---|
| General | Make a target (including magical items) appear mundane to Know projections of level ≤ 2×(projection level + 2 magnitudes). |
| General | Dispel effects of a specific type (e.g., Ruinous, Psychic, Sorcery or Faith) with level ≤ (projection level + 4 magnitudes + stress die). Warp wielder must have some knowledge of the warpcraft type. |
| General | Reduce a creature’s Might Score by (projection level + 2 magnitudes), if the projection penetrates its resistance. |
| General | Dispel any warpcraft effect with level ≤ ½(projection level + 4 magnitudes + stress die). |
| General | Reduce the projection total for all warpcraft projected by the target by ½(projection level + 2 magnitudes). Does not stack—only the highest effect applies. Must penetrate Warding. Potentially weaken a Magic aura; roll on the Aura Weakening Table with a modifier equal to magnitude; the mod- ifier must be 0 or greater, thus the mini- mum possible base level is 4 (Ritual). |
| Level 5 | Reduce the duration of an Arcane Connection by one step. If reduced below “Hours,” it expires immediately. Cannot affect Indefinite connections unless fixed in a lab. |
| Level 10 | Reduce Arcane Connection duration by two steps, subject to the same limitations. |
| Level 15 | Reduce Arcane Connection duration by three steps, subject to the same limitations. |
| Level 20 | Reduce Arcane Connection duration by four steps, subject to the same limitations. |
| Level 25 | Reduce Arcane Connection duration by five steps, subject to the same limitations. |
| Level 30 | Reduce Arcane Connection duration by six steps. This can sever almost any Arcane Connection instantly. |
Know Warp
Since warpcraft is a tricky thing to understand, projectionss that detect warpcraft are at once difficult and important. Although daemons deal in Warp, they are made of the essence of deception itself. If a demon does not wish to be detected, it cannot be (at least to the common knowledge of the Sanctioned Psykers), and for this reason there are no demon-locating projections. Charged items cannot be investigated with simple warpcraft projections. Investigation requires that you spend at least one season in the laboratory to discover what warpcraft an charged item contains (see the Laboratory chapter). A projection will suffice to tell you that an item is charged with warpcraft, however, and may give you some idea of its powers. projection s will never tell you how to use an item.
General Considerations
- Residue Decay: Psychic projection residues halve in strength immediately upon expiration, then drop by one magnitude per original projection duration. GM may adjust this rule based on narrative needs.
- Realms of Power: Each projection targets only one Realm (Psychic, Ruinous or Divine), and Realm-specific versions must be developed.
- Warp Creatures and Items:
- Creatures: Detected via Might / Highest Art (÷5).
- Items: Detected via Warp Essence invested in creation.
| Level 1 | Detect warpcraft of tenth magnitude or higher. Detect the presence of a dominant aura. Detect the presence of warp essence. As concentrated magic, warp essence is not hard to spot. |
| Level 2 | Detect warpcraft of eighth magnitude or higher. Determine the power of an aura. |
| Level 3 | Detect projection of sixth magnitude or higher. Detect hidden auras. If cast with a Vision target, this provides enough information to find a way center of aura. Otherwise, it reveals the presence of a aura, and possibly its rough shape. |
| Level 4 | Detect projection of third magnitude or higher. Judge the amount of warp essence present. Discern the Art of warp essence. |
| Level 5 | Detect any active projections |
| Level 10 | Detect the traces of powerful warpcraft. Detect the recent presence of weak warpcraft. |
Further increases in level will give increased sensitivity to residues. The base level of a projection also gives a fairly good idea of the strength of the warpcraft (within a magnitude). The addition of one magnitude will say whether the effect is Sanctified or Ruinous, and a warpcraft wielder familiar with other types of projections will be able to identify them as well. The addition of two magnitudes will give information about Technique and Form. Further increases in level will yield further information, depending on the design of the specific projection.
Different projections may be invented to detect Psychic, Divine, or Ruinous effects. Each projection only affects one realm.
As a general rule, residues of warpcraft decline as follows. As soon as the manifestation finishes, the magnitude halves. It then drops by one for every duration of the projection that passes. GM should employ this as a guideline, not a rigid formula, and may, if they wish, allow high level detection projection s to pick up residues with “negative magnitude.”
Charged items have an effective residue magnitude equal to the number of pawns of Warp essence used to open the Relic or Talisman. A projection to detect items will not also detect effects or creatures, and vice versa. Variants will detect items attuned to different Realms, as above.
Warp creatures can also be detected. Treat Daemon’s or warp entity’s Might as the level of the effect; for Psykers, use their Psy Rating, for daemons their Daemonic Presence, Sorcerers by warp essence they carry or Faith-wielders Pure Devotion by five (rounding up) to get the effective residue magnitude.
Raw warp essence will show up simply as raw warp essence, under any warpcraft detection. The level of the detecting projection is irrelevant, as is the realm of power that it was designed to detect. However, only specially designed projections will yield any information other than that it is raw warp essence.
Spirits – Proto-Daemons of the Warp
Spirits are lesser Warp-born entities, often emerging spontaneously in locations of strong emotional resonance, saturated Warp essence, or persistent human belief. Unlike daemons, spirits lack true self-awareness. They do not comprehend time or identity, functioning instead as archetypal fragments — warping their surroundings with singular themes like fear, hunger, sorrow, or flame.
Spirits are often considered “proto-daemons,” and while they may grow in complexity, they are typically more elemental than malicious. Warp projections can banish, bind, or suppress them.
Ignis Aeternus WH 40K campaign notes 