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
The Path of Berserk Growth
The Path of Berserk Growth is the way of the wilderness, the way of primal growth, of bloom, of blossom, of pollen and sticky sap. Seeping chaos magic fuses with the mage, causing his body to explode into verdant growth, strange vegetation and fungal growth sprouting from his joints and from his soft, moist crevices. As the mage stumbles along the path, the growths become more alien and more prolific, his body a breeding ground for vegetation which mortal eyes cannot conceive. In the end, the power of chaos sunders the characters mind and body and his soul boils away, leaving only a gibbering grove of loathsome vegetation.
Step 1 – Blades of Chaos
The chaos mage’s hair shifts colour, giving way to myriad shades of green. It’s texture changes as well, becoming wide and flat as blades of grass. Moving, or even the soft caress of the wind, sets the character to rustling like a tree in the autumn breeze. A faint miasma of the swamp hangs about the character like a cloud, thought this can be easily disguised by perfumed oils and other fragrances. Clothing and headgear, or a good cloak, can easily disguise the changes, but it is impossible to remove the blades permanently, as they regrow almost instantly when cut. Cut blades exude a combination of blood and sap, which reeks of stinkweed and is sticky to the touch.
The strangely grassy hair the chaos mage possesses cannot be disguised with the use of chaos magic – should he change forms, for example, any fur or hair he gained would still resemble blades of grass.
Step 2 – Startling Growth
Strange, toadstool shaped growth erupt from the flesh of the chaos mage, pocking his skin with coin sized patches of unnatural fungus. The fungus continually grows and sloughs off in patches, eventually appearing on every portion of the character’s flesh, catching in his clothing and littering areas where he rests with choking dust spores. Hiding the growths is possible, but periodic appearances on the face and neck require a mask to cover.
Upon achieving this step, the character inherits some small measure of fungus’ ability to resist toxins of all sorts. He gains acid resistance 2 and receives a +1 bonus to saves against acid and non-magical poisons.
Step 3 – Supple Stalks
The chaos mage suffers an explosion of itching, straw-like stalks from his flesh; the thin brittle spines cover the character from head to toe, pushing their way through clothing with ease. The caster comes to look like a hideous scarecrow, and the hideous itching makes it nearly impossible for the chaos mage to focus his attention on anything for long. As a result, the chaos mage suffers a permanent -2 penalty to all Concentration checks and a -1 penalty to all Charisma-based skill checks, as he is no longer able to direct the full strength of his personality toward others.
Step 4 – Green Resilience
On this step on the Path, the chaos mage’s skin becomes hard and brown, more akin to wood than flesh. While the grains and patterns on his ‘skin’ are strangely appealing, the stalks blades and fungal lesions from the earlier stages of chaos are still present, causing the character to resemble a tree covered with verdant growth. The thick, hard skin grants a +1 natural Armour Class bonus to the chaos mage’s Armour Class.
Step 5 – Chaotic Flowering
A crown of richly coloured, unnatural looking flowers sprout from the skull of the character. The flowers are permanent, and if plucked they weep blood and sap until they grow back over the space of a few hours. The chaos mage can hide the flowers beneath a helm, hood, or cap, but it will be difficult. The character now bears little resemblance to anything mortal, resembling some sort of tree spirit, albeit a completely unwholesome one.
To his benefit, the alien fronts which cover his brow release soothing chemicals which sing to him the secrets of bending chaos to his will; he gains a permanent +1 bonus to all final casting checks when using chaos sorcery. These chemicals can also be harvested by alchemists and mages to create both strong soporifics and highly addictive drugs. Should the character encounter those of either profession, he will likely be hunted like the natural resource he has become.
Step 6 – Sprouting Limbs
Slender wooden branches erupt forth from the chaos mage’s skin, creating strange humps and bulges across the surface of his body and choking his joints with thick tangles of root and vine. More painful than the worst arthritis, the victim can only find relief by lying or standing completely still. Still, the hideous growth is not without some small benefit, as it further toughens his body.
Upon reaching this step, the chaos mage suffers loses of 2 points of Dexterity. In return, his natural Armour Class bonus increases to +2.
Step 7 – Fruiting Flesh
An irritating juice begins to drip from the fungus growing on the chaos mage’s skin, causing a fiery, itching rash wherever it falls. This juice affects other even more than it does the mage, and with an effect far more damaging than worst case of poison ivy. The burning and irritation from contact with the character makes any human contact virtually impossible, meaning both the lover’s caress and the basic pleasure of human company is denied him – the mage is alone in green misery. The constant pain and distraction makes it difficult for the mage to think of anything but his own agony..
The chaos mage suffers 2 points of Charisma loss. The upside of this, if there is such a thing, is that the character’s body is now a living weapon. Unprotected flesh which comes in contact with the mage is instantly exposed to the sap’s harmful effects. A Fortitude save (DC 17) is required to avoid suffering 1d6 points of temporary Constitution damage.
Step 8 – Skin of Spring’s Blossom
Exotic foliage blooms from the character’s flesh and thick vines uncoil from his joints and down his spine. The transformation completely alters the character’s appearance, leaving him changed into something…else. Any resemblance to his original form is now completely obliterated. By now, misery, loneliness and despair are likely constant companions, though strangely, birds begin to find the character attractive and will often try to roost on him, feeding on his growths.
The character loses another 2 points of Dexterity, but his natural Armour Class bonus increases to +3, his acid resistance increases to 5 and he is rendered completely immune to natural poisons. Finally, creatures of the plant subtype are automatically considered friendly to him, and will not attack unless provoked.
Step 9 – Absurd Fecundity
The character’s entire body becomes a shifting mass of vegetation, his bones green saplings with motile roots, his muscled coiled bundles of vine and densely packed lichen. Flowers and patches of bark take the place of skin, and the body becomes dangerously unstable. Even more so than before, the only relief the chaos mage finds is when he remains still, though he instantly begins to take root if he does so – this has no mechanical effect, but it is intensely disturbing to watch the character have to tear himself loose from the soil.
Some practitioners, their minds nearly gone or at least no longer human, give up wild sorcery and become something like true forest spirits, allying with local druids and, while never regaining anything like humanity, at least avoiding the ultimate fate of more hateful and determined sorcerers.
Each morning, the chaos mage loses 2 points from one randomly chosen physical ability score (Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution). Each day the penalised score is returned to normal, and another ability is penalised.
Simultaneously, the chaos mage gains regeneration 1 (cold), meaning he regains 1 hit point a round even if brought below 0. Note that regeneration does not convert or recover hit points lost from chaos spellcasting.
Step 10 – Grove of Chaos
The ultimate destination on the Path of Berserk Growth and the point at which the mage is lost to the world. What little is left of the chaos mage’s mind and body disappears in an explosion of botanical frenzy. The character fuses with his environment, transforming into a small grove of stunted, alien trees and bizarre plant life. The grove is devoid of sentient life, though it frequently retains some haunting reminder of the original man – a love of birds, or perhaps flowers the colour of the victim’s eyes. The character is lost forever.
