Magical Disruption

The Rift does not merely separate—it scrambles the currents of spellwork that try to cross it, reroutes planar travel, and leaves most demiplane magic curiously untouched. Unless specified otherwise below, magic functions as written.

Planar Travel

Magic that reaches for “elsewhere” must brush the Rift first—and the Rift does not answer kindly. Spells that would move creatures between planes are diverted, delayed, or forced to complete their journey by way of the Horizon Belt. Unless noted here, same-plane teleportation and movement work as written.   General Rule. If a spell or magical effect would transport a creature or object from Duskfall to any other plane, the targets arrive in the Rift instead. The spell’s transfer becomes suspended and will complete only after the travelers finish the Horizon procedure below.   From Duskfall to Other Planes. Casting Plane Shift, Gate, Banishment, or a similar effect from Duskfall deposits the targets in the Rift. The transfer is suspended for spells intended for planar travels: the spell slot is expended, and the effect does not expire with time nor require Concentration.   Completing the Journey—The Horizon Belt. To reach the intended destination, travelers must journey to the Horizon Belt and attune to an appropriate Horizon Splinter tied to their target plane (via resonance, a brief rite, a keyed focus, or another narrative key at the GM’s discretion). The moment a creature completes attunement, the suspended transfer immediately resolves, carrying that creature (and any items or mounts included by the original spell) to the intended plane. Creatures affected by the same casting may complete attunement together or separately; each transfers the instant they finish attunement.   From Within the Rift to Elsewhere (Not Duskfall). Casting planar travel from within the Rift to any plane other than Duskfall also creates a suspended transfer that will only complete upon Horizon attunement as above.   From Within the Rift to Duskfall. Travel from within the Rift to Duskfall resolves normally.   What Counts as Planar Travel. Any magic that is designed to permanently move a target to a different plane is intercepted such as Plane Shift and Gate. Spells that only temporarily, or have very special and unique circumstances to permanently move a target to another plane, such as Banishment still send a creature to the Rift but the spell is not suspended. Good faith and rules as intended are the best practice when determining which spells do and do not count as planar travel.

Contact & Communication Across the Rift

Magic that reaches for “elsewhere” must brush the Rift first—and the Rift does not answer kindly. Spells that try to cross it are swallowed, stutter into static, or reroute travelers through the Horizon, while same-side workings proceed as written unless a spell explicitly demands the same plane. Spells that contact or converse with entities beyond the Rift automatically fail when cast from Duskfall. From within the Rift, such effects have a 50% chance to fail when aimed beyond the Rift. Same-side workings—cast within Duskfall to a target on Duskfall, or within the Rift to a target within the Rift—function normally unless a spell explicitly requires same-plane targeting. Resolution: when a 50% failure applies, roll d20; on 11+, the magic fails (slot/time consumed; no result).

Divination

Divination magic pries at seams the Rift would rather keep shut. Gazes fixed on Duskfall’s Material land true, but sight cast into the Rift flickers by chance—and anything sought beyond goes black. From within the Rift, you can still read Duskfall clearly; push farther and probability eats the thread.

• Divination magic targeting a creature or place on Duskfall works normally, even if the caster stands in the Rift, unless the spell itself requires same-plane targeting.
• Targeting a creature or place in the Rift from Duskfall incurs a 50% failure chance.
• Targeting beyond the Rift from Duskfall automatically fails.
• Targeting beyond the Rift from within the Rift has a 50% failure chance.

Extradimensional Magic

Demiplane-style magics, such as Rope Trick and similar effects, function normally. Casting near an active Breachpoint, however, still risks Arcane Rift Anomalies per the Breachpoint’s rules.

Study & Travel Warnings

The Rift is not a road; it’s a living problem. Even Rift Wardens move through it like a battlefield—objectives set, lines kept, and an exit already chosen—because the more you try to understand it, the more it presses back.   High-Risk by Design. Wardens treat every foray as an operation: a fixed goal, a timebox, a fallback point, and a way home that doesn’t depend on a single spell. Parties assign roles (navigator, counter-chorister, rear guard), keep line-of-sight and line-of-rope, and ban singing or call-and-response near active tears. Watches are set by whatever time flow exists and no one promises a return “by tomorrow.”   Cognition Hazard (Rift Madness). The Rift punishes prolonged pattern-hunting—star-river charting, listening for harmonics too long, mapping “impossible” angles, or meditating on the Horizon’s geometry. This isn’t mere fear; it’s cognitive abrasion. Long observation, forced stillness near a tear, or ritual attempts to model its rules are all common triggers. See Rift Madness for symptoms and mechanics; in play, Wardens limit exposure, rotate duties, and pair any observer with a minder who doesn’t look.   Why Results Don’t Agree (and Still Aren’t Wrong). Experiments inside or adjacent to the Rift often produce locally true outcomes that don’t replicate elsewhere. A Sending that “worked normally” during last night’s patrol may “fail on 11+” tonight because the group crossed into a different micro-condition: a new spill of Verge rules, a Conflux eddy brushing the Verge, or simply the thickness of the veil at the moment. Wardens’ logs therefore record context, not just outcomes. If two reports disagree, the doctrine is simple—both can be correct for where they stood and when they stood there.   In short: move with purpose, measure where you are as carefully as what you cast, and remember that in the Rift, truth has a place and a moment—carry it too far, and it changes shape.