Flux is one of the three Forbidden Arcanoi from Wraith: The Oblivion listed in the Wraith Players Guide. Flux affects the structure and reaction of matter in the Skinlands.
Flux is an offshoot of Inhabit (and its earlier form, Kinesis), in that it mostly affects items in the living world. Despite their close relation in terms of what they can affect, Flux exists purely to be used on the Quick, and does not have any major side-benefits, like Soulforging, to support it. Therefore, after the Breaking of the Guilds, practitioners of Flux were soon banished. There is some debate why Flux was made expressly forbidden while the other Guilds in violation of the Dictum Mortuum were allowed to remain in strictly limited capacities, but the reasoning remains unknown to this day.
Alchemists differ from their cousins the Artificers the most in how they affect items. Where most users of Inhabit can use them as intended, they cannot alter them structurally, or move them around of their own free will unless the item already has some mobility. Those who study Flux rather than fear it feel strongly about what they can do to items, and many find roles for themselves protecting or destroying relics and Fetters.
Unlike the other Shroud-crossing Arcanoi, especially Pandemonium, many Alchemists do not have a grand artistic sense about their abilities. In fact, most Alchemists feel that items have some kind of life of their own, and that is why their powers can affect these things so strongly; some dedicate their lives to studying how their powers can improve the "life" of the objects in their power.
Messing up a use of Flux usually has the strongest effect on the object in question. In most cases irreversible damage or destruction is the result.
Basic Abilities
Grave Mold - The wraith may cause the spontaneous grown of lichen and mildew in small areas. By repeated use of this ability, the wraith can spread decay throughout a house. This mold has no effect on living matter.
System: roll Strength+Flux (diff of local Shroud)
Sense Fluxation - A wraith may, with careful examination, sense when others are using Flux on an object in the Skinlands.
System: Roll Perception+Flux (diff 6). More successes give more information.>
O - Rot - Using this art, the character may age a small, nonliving item.
System: Spend 1 Pathos, roll Strength+Flux (diff of local Shroud). The number of successes determines the volume of matter which can be affected. A single success could ruin a few pages, while five could destroy an entire volume of a city's Yellow Pages.
OO - Strengthen - This art allows a waith to make an object more resisitant to decay and damage.
System: Roll Dexterity+Flux (diff 7). Each success allows the wraith to increase the difficulty to destroy the object by one, up to the wraith's stamina.
OOO - Decay - This art allows a wraith to promote significant decay in manmade objects. With sufficient success, wood crumbles at the lightest touch, and iron rusts to the point where it loses all structural integrity.
System: Spend 2 Pathos, roll Stamina+Flux (diff of local Shroud) One success is needed to cause an already rusted section of pipe to crumble, while five successes would be needed to damage a cable on the Golden Gate Bridge.
OOOO - Puppet Theatre - The wraith may animate several small objects at one time, typically several objects of like nature. Perhaps an entire collection of dolls from a dollhouse, or a jar of pencils may be animated. The collection as a whole has the same Phsyical Attributes as the wraith, but each individual has only a fraction thereof.
System: Spend 1 Pathos for each item in the collection, roll Wits+Flux (diff of 4 + 1 per item above the character's Wits rating). The first success allows the character to control as many items as their Wits score; each success above 1 adds to that rating. The difficulty is never higher than 9. The character may spend Willpower to lower the difficulty of the roll This effect lasts for one scene.
OOOOO - Automaton - A wraith may literally build a body from objects in her vicinity. The body has Physical Attributes equal to the wraith's own, and can see and even speak.
System: Spend 3 Pathos, 2 Willpower, and gain 2 temporary Angst. Roll Stamina+Flux (diff of local Shroud). One success is needed, and each additional success may be used to increase a Physical Attribute. The body lasts for one scene, at maximum.