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
Paths of Chaos
Each of the Paths of Chaos is a 10-stage mechanic which represents the changes that are wrought in the bodies, minds and souls of chaos mages as they begin to lose control.
Backlash and its Effects
Whenever a chaos mage rolls a ‘1’ for a casting check, a backlash has occurred. When a backlash occurs for the very first time, the Games Master and player work together to select a Path of Chaos for the character, as detailed below. The character automatically receives the first step upon that path. When subsequent backlashes occur, 1d20 is rolled. If the result is equal to or less than the number of steps the character has on his Path of Chaos, another step is taken.
The effects listed at each step are applied immediately, potentially causing great suffering for the afflicted chaos mage. Unless otherwise stated, all effects are permanent and any that reduce his ability scores to 0 or less cause the chaos mage to be automatically slain by the ravenous energy flooding his body. It is possible for a chaos mage to take a step back along his path, though this is normally a difficult and expensive process (see the Chaos Mage Character Class chapter for details). If this is achieved, the chaos mage instantly loses all bonuses and penalties associated with the step just purged.
As will quickly become apparent, chaos mages just starting out in their careers will advance relatively slowly along their Path of Chaos. As they progress further, however, the advancement will rapidly speed up as they continue to use their powers, with potentially deadly consequences.
The Paths
When a chaos mage experiences a backlash for the very first time, he takes his first step upon one of the Paths of Chaos described below. Once a path has been selected, a chaos mage cannot normally choose another (see the Split Path feat in the Chaos Feats chapter for an exception) as his destiny is now fixed for all time. All the penalties and bonuses stack, so a chaos mage who is suffering a –1 penalty to Charisma-based skills and a –1 penalty to Diplomacy checks suffers a total –2 modifier when making Diplomacy checks.
The 10 Paths
Path of Agonised Ecstasy – The pain wrought by chaos magic gradually perverts the character’s
Path of Berserk Growth – The path of the forest, and the wilderness. The caster becomes, whether he likes it or not, one with nature.
Path of Bloody Rage – The character is forever tormented with dreams of violence and death. Violence and death which he perpetrates.
Path of Rapid Regression – This path is a slow, agonized journey into primal devolution.
Path of Screaming Shadows – The character who succumbs to this path becomes a literal shadow of his former self.
Path of Shrieking Pain – The character who follows this path experiences inhuman levels of pain during his every waking moment.
Path of Teratic Growth – Strange tumours and growths appear on the mage’s body, developing until his entire form is a walking womb for bizarre, twisted creatures.
Path of Tortured Stone – The character takes on the strength and consistency of stone and eventually melds with the living earth, lost forever.
Path of Whispered Madness – Not all prisons are physical ones. The chaos mage on this path is tormented by chaos delusions, and is eventually smothered by them.
Path of the Whore – The character on this path becomes obsessed with transactions of all sorts, an echo of the give and take required in chaos sorcery.
It is recommended that the Path of Chaos the character travels along be related thematically to his actions in the game, particularly those actions which involve use of spells. So, for example, a character who revels in launching blast after blast of Direct Damage oriented spells is a likely candidate for the Path of Bloody Rage, while a sculptor who twists flesh to serve his own end would often be doomed to the Path of Shrieking Pain or Path of Rapid Regression.
In any case, when a character takes his first step, his fate is sealed, with each additional step bringing him that much closer to his ultimate disillusionment and immersion into the boiling seas of primal chaos.
Of course, no chaos mage ever has to take more than the initial step along a path. If the price is too much to bear, he can stop himself at any time, so long as he is willing to never practice wild sorcery again. If a chaos mage stops casting his wild magic, he will not suffer backlash, nor ever progress in chaos mage levels. Few have such strength of will, but the choice is always there.
Locked Steps on the Paths of Chaos
Certain steps along the chaos paths are designated as locked steps – specifically the 4th and 8th steps along every path. These steps are especially hard for the chaos mage to divest himself of, and he must pay double the normal amount of experience required to purge a step.
Naturally, this creates a mechanical barrier to those wishing to completely divest themselves of chaos perversion. A kind Games Master might consider eliminating locked steps, though this has the consequence of allowing chaos mages to easily purge themselves of what are intended to be major drawbacks to travelling the wild ways.
The Final Fate
If a chaos mage ever reaches the last step of any Path of Chaos, he is lost – irretrievably, irrevocably, permanently lost. There are ample opportunities for any chaos mage to save himself from this fate, but those who push too far should be made to suffer their ultimate punishment. Wandering adventurers may encounter the remnants of such chaos mages in the wilderness, each serving as a reminder of the price chaos always collects.
Due to the explosive interaction between traditional magic and chaos sorcery, there are no spells that can bring a lost mage back from the depths of the chaos sea. Not even a wish or miracle is sufficient, though each of those spells is sufficient to move a character one step back along a Path of Chaos.
Cheating Fate
Chaos mages faced with a painful and irredeemable death may decide it is in their best interest to end their lives naturally, and pray that a raise dead, resurrection or similar spell can be used to restore their life – and, coincidentally, reset the chaotic clock which is ticking within their bodies.
Unfortunately, chaos is not so easily purged or tricked. A character who dies while having taken even a single step along a chaos path returns to life still afflicted. The power of chaos recognise those who share its taint and will seek them far beyond the grave if necessary.
