The Quintessential Chaos Mage
The Quintessential Chaos Mage front cover
| Author | Patrick Younts |
| Series | Quintessential Series |
| Publisher | Mongoose Publishing |
| Publish date | 2003 |
| Pages | 128 |
| ISBN | 1-904577-54-7 |
| OGL Section 15 | qcmg |
Note: Material in this section may be "mature" in nature.
The material below is designated as open game content
Saving Throw Element
All chaos magic spells have a base saving throw DC equal to 10 + the caster’s Wisdom bonus + half the caster’s level, rounded down. This means that most chaos magic spells will be about as hard to resist as those cast by more traditional methods. Chaos magic is quick and abundant, but lacks the deadly punch of prepared arcana.
Should he so choose, however, a chaos mage can attempt to overcharge his spells with raw chaos particles, giving it an increased ability to penetrate arcane defences, at the cost of making it much more difficult to control. At the time of casting, before saving throws are attempted, the chaos mage can alter the save DC of the spell, as outlined below: Note that the penalties to saving throws listed below stack with the penalty lawful creatures already face against chaos magic effects.
It is possible for a spell to be woven which provides the victim with a bonus to his saving throws. While this considerably weakens the offensive power of the spell, it also reduces its cost, which can be important at low levels. Bonuses to saving throws can normally only be added to Direct Damage effects, but with the Games Master’s permission, they may be added to other types of spell weaves which are directed at the chaos mage’s enemies.
+2 bonus to saves
The casting DC is modified by -3
+1 bonus to saves
The casting DC is modified by -1
+/-0 to saves
Default. No modification to saves
-1 penalty to saves
The casting DC is modified by +2
-2 penalty to saves
The casting DC is modified by +5
-3 penalty to saves
The casting DC is modified by +8
-4 penalty to saves
The casting DC is modified by +10
-5 penalty to saves
The casting DC is modified by +12
Overcoming Spell Resistance
Though their spells lack the ability to easily punch through a target’s normal defences, chaos mages have a potential advantage against those foes who possess spell resistance. Creatures with the innate ability to shake off spell energy are without a doubt the bane of spellcasters, as they can render even the mightiest spell to little more than sparks. Chaos mages, however, with their ability to warp reality to their desire, can direct their spell energies to bypass spell resistance altogether, though the cost is great.
To ignore a target’s spell resistance and avoid the necessity of making the required caster level check, declare to the Games Master your intention and figure the spell’s DC as per normal. Roll as per normal to see if he spell works, but the Games Master will deduct the total spell resistance of the target from your casting check. Bypassing spell resistance is a great risk, but can be a chaos mage’s greatest boon when dealing with powerful magical creatures.
