Chaos
Magic embodies raw potential and in its natural state, it produces wild, unpredictable effects. The Chaos tradition forgoes the rules that normally apply to the casting of spells to seize and release magic in unconventional ways. Chaos spells can provide unexpected windfalls that enable casters to triumph over impossible situations but are just as likely to make even the simplest task impossible. Chaos magic appeals most to risk-takers and is ignored, shunned even, by those who prefer to remain in control of the magic they wield.
Wild Magic
Often, the casting of Chaos spells produces random and unexpected effects. Whenever directed by a spell, talent, or some other effect, roll a d20 and find the result on the following table.
ROLL | RESULT |
---|---|
1 | You become stunned (luck ends). |
2 | You become confused (luck ends). |
3 | Inside a Size 5 space centered on you, butterflies appear in great numbers to fill the space with light obscurement until the end of your next turn. |
4 | Inside a Size 5 space centered on you, blue-white light flashes. Each ordinary object in the space turns to glass if it’s not glass already. |
5 | On the ground inside a Size 5 space centered on you appear a sea of colorful marbles that cover the surface with challenging terrain that lasts until the end of your next turn. The marbles then hatch, and worms bearing your facial features wriggle out and slither off in all directions. Before the marbles hatch, any creature that starts its turn on this surface or that moves onto it makes an Agility roll. On a failure, the creature falls prone. |
6 | Target a Size 1/4 space within reach. A large clay pot filled with mayonnaise or some tasty sauce appears on the ground in that space. The pot holds enough substance to provide 5 meals. |
7 | Thin beams of energy shoot out from you in all directions. Each creature within 5 yards other than you makes an Agility roll. On a failure, the creature takes 1d6 damage. |
8 | Target one empty Size 1 space on a solid surface within 5 yards. A peasant appears in the space. Each time you get this result, the same peasant appears. If the peasant dies, all future rolls of 8 cause the peasant’s remains to appear in the space instead. This continues until there’s nothing left to summon. The Sage has rules for the peasant and it’s under the Sage’s control. |
9 | Your skin, hair, and eyes turn blue until you get this result again, whereupon your previous coloration returns and you can be affected by this result once more. |
10 | Target one creature within 15 yards. An anvil appears over its head and falls. The target makes a luck roll. On a failure, it takes 1d6 damage and falls prone. |
11 | You disappear from existence (luck ends). The only thing you can do is make this luck roll at the end of each of your turns. When the effect ends, you reappear in the space you left and you roll a d6. On a 1–3, you become frightened of yourself until the end of the next round. On a 4–6, you heal all damage. |
12 | You cast the Anarchic Blast spell without expending a casting, even if you don’t know that spell. |
13 | The Sage targets one of your allies within 15 yards and you target one enemy within 5 yards of the ally. The ally makes an Agility roll. On a success, the enemy takes 3d6 damage. On a failure, the ally takes 1d6 damage. If such an arrangement is not possible, you become confused (luck ends). |
14 | Target any number of creatures within 5 yards. You and each target emit bright light for 24 hours or until you get this result again, whereupon the lights go out and you can be affected by this result once more. |
15 | You learn one language of the Sage’s choice. The knowledge is permanent. |
16 | You sprout an extra, fully functional arm that remains for 8 hours, after which time it falls off your body and rots away within a few minutes. |
17 | The Sage chooses one novice spell you have learned and replaces it with a different novice spell from any tradition. |
18 | Target up to three enemies within 10 yards. Your first choice becomes frightened of you (luck ends), the second becomes your ally (luck ends), and the third becomes confused (luck ends). |
19 | You become weakened (luck ends). While weakened in this way, you have the Fly movement trait. If you are flying when this effect ends, you fall. |
20 | Target one enemy you can see. From under the target comes a blast of brilliant colors. The target takes 10d6 damage. |
Chaos Talents
LAST DITCH EFFORT (Magical): You can use an action to make a luck roll. On a success, choose one novice spell from a tradition you have discovered. You cast it without expending a casting to do so. On a failure, roll a d20 and find the number rolled on the Wild Magic table to see what happens instead. You can use this talent once, twice at level 3, and three times at level 7. You regain expended uses after you rest.
SCINTILLATING SHIELD (Magical): You can use this talent when you use an action to cast a Chaos spell. A warbling shield appears in front of you for 1 minute. The effect ends early if you become controlled, stunned, or unconscious.
When you use this talent, and again at the start of each of your turns, make a luck roll. On a success, you impose 3 banes on rolls to attack you until the start of your next turn. On a critical success, a creature that attacks you takes 1d6 damage. On a failure, you become confused until the start of your next turn. On a critical failure, the effect ends early and you roll a d20, finding the number rolled on the Wild Magic table. You can use this talent once, twice at level 3, and three times at level 7. You regain expended uses after you rest.
WEIRD ORB (Magical): You can use an action to form an orb in your hand and release it to fly where it will. Target one Size 5 space you can see within 10 yards. Then roll a d6 and find the result on the list that appears on the next page to see what happens.
D6 | RESULT |
---|---|
1 | The orb flies to the center of the space and pops, sending multicolored streamers into the air that disappear a few moments later. |
2 | The orb flies from you for a few yards and then veers back toward you. Make an Agility roll. On a failure, the orb strikes you and you take 1d6 damage. |
3 | The orb corkscrews into the air and implodes. Roll a d20 and find the number rolled on the Wild Magic table to see what happens instead. |
4 | The orb flies toward a randomly determined creature in the target space. The creature makes an Agility roll. On a failure, the creature is struck by the orb and takes 1d6 damage. |
5 | The orb flies toward a creature you choose in the target space. Make an Intellect or Will roll against the target’s Agility. On a success, the target takes 4d6 damage. On a failure, the orb disappears and you roll a d20. Find the number rolled on the Wild Magic table to see what happens instead. |
6 | The orb flies toward and strikes a creature you choose in the space. The creature takes 8d6 damage. |
WILD LEAP (Magical): You can use this talent when you move at least 1 yard, but only if you lack the confused and controlled afflictions. Make a luck roll. On a success, you teleport to an empty space you can see within 2d6 yards. On a failure, you tele- port to an empty space of the Sage’s choice within 2d6 yards. You can use this talent once, twice at level 3, and three times at level 7. You regain expended uses after you rest.
Novice Spells
Anarchic Blast
Castings: 1
Target: One creature within 5 yards
Duration: Instant
From your open hand explodes multicolored light. Make an Intellect roll or Will roll against the target’s Agility. On a success, roll 2d6. The sum of this roll tells you how many dice you roll for damage. If the target becomes injured, roll a d6 and find the result on the following list to see what else happens.
D6 | RESULT |
---|---|
1 | You take the same amount of damage that the target took and then roll on the Wild Magic Effects table to determine additional effects. |
2-5 | Each creature within 1 yard of the target takes 1d6 damage and makes a Strength roll. On a failure, the creature takes an extra 1d6 damage. |
6 | Roll 1d6. The number rolled determines the number of dice you roll to determine the extra damage the target takes. |
Chaos Sphere
Castings: 1
Target: One Size 1 space within 5 yards
Duration: 1 minute
A tumescent, nacreous sphere appears in the target space. At the end of each round, make a luck roll. On a success, the energy spreads out from the sphere to a range of 1d6 yards. Each creature and object in the area takes 1d6 damage and becomes confused until the end of the next round. If you get a failure, the spell ends early and you roll a d20 and find the result on the Wild Magic Effects table.
Cheat Death
Castings: 1, reaction when you become injured or incapacitated
Target: You
Duration: Instant
You heal 2d6 damage and make a luck roll. On a success, you teleport to an empty space of your choice within 50 yards. On a failure, you teleport to an empty space with a surface that can support you of the Sage’s choice within 1d20 × 5 yards.
Flickering Form
Castings: 1, reaction when a creature gets a success on a roll to attack you
Target: You
Duration: 1 minute
You reduce the damage from the attack by 1d6. Then, until the spell ends, you have the Slippery trait and when a creature gets a success on a roll to attack you, the roll counts as a failure instead if the result is an even number.
Magical Wellspring
Castings: 1, reaction when you cast a spell
Target: One Size 5 space centered on you
Duration: 1 minute
The magic flooding into the target space fills the air with eerie noises, flashing colors, and other odd phenomena. When a creature in the tar-get space produces a magical effect, the creature makes the attribute roll, if any, with 1 boon, and targets of the effect make the roll to resist the effect, if any, with 1 bane. Also, any magical effect that deals or heals damage in the space deals or heals an extra 1d6 damage. However, at the end of each round, you make a luck roll. On a failure, roll a d20 and find the result on the Wild Magic Effects table. The spell then ends.
Warped Space
Castings: 1
Target: One Size 15 space centered on you
Duration: 1 minute
Reality warps out of true in the target space. Whenever a creature in it moves, roll a d6 and consult the following list to see what happens.
D6 | RESULT |
---|---|
1 | The creature becomes confused and held until the start of its next turn. |
2 | The creature makes a luck roll. On a success, it teleports to an empty space of its choice anywhere in the target space. On a failure, it teleports to an empty space of your choice in the target space. |
3 | The creature moves normally. |
4 | A weird orb flies toward a randomly determined creature in the target space. The creature makes an Agility roll. On a failure, the creature is struck by the orb and takes 1d6 damage. |
5 | The creature makes a luck roll. On a success, the creature doubles its Speed until the end of its next turn. On a failure, it becomes slowed until the end of its next turn. |
6 | The creature disappears into the Void until the end of the round. When the creature returns, it makes a luck roll. On a success, it reappears in an empty space of its choice within 30 yards of the one it left. On a failure, you choose the space where the creature reappears. In either cases, the creature rolls a d20. On a 13, it becomes possessed by a formless demon. The Sage has rules for this creature. |
Expert Spells
Bang or Whimper
Castings: 1
Target: One Size 5 space within 15 yards
Duration: Instant
Threads of multicolored light spill through the target space and dissi- pate. Make a luck roll. On a success, each creature and object in the target space takes 36 damage. On a failure, each creature and object in the target space takes 6 damage.
Chaos Surge
Castings: 1, reaction when you cast a spell or use a magical talent
Target: You
Duration: 1 minute
Lights dapple your body as streams of colorful smoke spill from your ears, nose and mouth. You gain the following benefits until the spell ends. The spell ends early if you become unconscious.
- You impose 1 bane on rolls against you.
- You take half damage from any damage-dealing effect that does not specifically target you.
- Damage-dealing spells you cast and magical talents you use deal an extra 2d6 damage.
- You impose 1 bane on luck rolls made to end magical effects that you create.
- Spells and magical effects that last 1 minute or longer now last twice as long.
- At the end of each round until this spell ends, make a Will roll with 1 bane. On a success, one enemy of your choice within 10 yards takes 3d6 damage. On a failure, you become stunned until the end of the round. On a critical failure, you also lose 2d6 Health.
Prismatic Barrage
Castings: 1
Target: You
Duration: Instant
Light in a rainbow of colors erupts from you briefly. Roll a d6. If you roll a 1, roll a d20 and find the result from the following list. If you roll a 2–5, roll two d20s; if you rolled a 6, roll three d20s. Make rolls one at a time and resolve the result before making the next roll.
ROLL | RESULT |
---|---|
1 | The sound of a trombone making a sad noise fills the air and then quiets. You stop making rolls for this casting and the effect ends. |
2-3 | Target one enemy within 40 yards. It makes an Agility roll. On a failure, the target becomes controlled by you for 1 minute. While controlled in this way, you grant the enemy 1 boon on its attribute rolls. |
4 | You become removed from reality. At the end of the round, you return to reality, appearing in the space you left or an empty space of your choice nearest to that space. Roll a d20. On a 13, you return possessed by a formless demon. The Sage has rules for this creature. |
5-6 | Target one enemy within 40 yards. It makes an Agility roll. On a failure, it takes 8d6 damage and catches fire (luck ends). |
7 | You become confused (luck ends). Each time you get this result after the first, you take 1d6 damage. |
8-9 | Target one enemy within 40 yards. The target makes a luck roll. On a failure, it becomes frightened of you (luck ends). |
10 | You take 2d6 damage. |
11-12 | Target one enemy within 40 yards. It makes an Agility roll. On a failure, it transforms into an insensate, inanimate object of your choice (luck ends). |
13 | The Sage teleports you to an empty space within 40 yards. The space must contain a surface that can bear your weight. |
14-15 | Target one enemy within 40 yards. It makes an Agility roll. On a failure, it and each other creature or object within 5 yards of it takes 6d6 damage. |
16 | You heal all damage. |
17-18 | Target one enemy within 40 yards. It makes a Will roll. On a failure, it becomes stunned (luck ends). |
19 | You become stunned (luck ends). Each time you get this result after the first, you lose 1d6 Health. |
20 | Target one enemy within 40 yards. It makes an Agility roll. On a failure, it takes 12d6 damage and then teleports to an empty space of your choice within 40 yards of the space it left. The destination space must have a surface that can bear its weight. |
Reckless Release
Castings: 1
Target: 1d6 enemies within 30 yards
Duration: Instant
Magic bursts from you taking the form of flailing tentacles that then disappear. If the spell would target more enemies than there are eligible targets, you become a target of this spell. For each target, roll a d6 and refer to the following list.
D6 | Result |
---|---|
1 | The target heals 4d6 damage. |
2 | The target takes 6d6 damage and becomes Intellect impaired (luck ends). |
3 | The target heals 8d6 damage and becomes confused until the end of your next turn. |
4 | The target takes 10d6 damage and becomes held until the end of your next turn. |
5 | The target heals 10d6 damage and becomes stunned until the end of your next turn. |
6 | The target takes 12d6 damage, and you roll on the Wild Magic Effects table to see what else happens. |
Unchained Probabilities
Castings: 1, reaction when you move 1 yard
Target: You
Duration: 1 minute
You flicker out of existence. Target one empty space within 10 yards. You teleport to that space. Then, for the spell’s duration, whenever a creature within 5 yards of you makes an attribute roll or a luck roll, it rolls an additional d20 and you roll a d6. (If the creature rolls any additional d20s for any other reason, it ignores this effect.) If you roll a 3 or lower on the d6, the creature uses the lower number it rolled on either d20. If you roll a 4 or higher, the creature uses the higher number instead.
Wild Idea
Castings: 3, reaction when you make an attribute roll
Target: You
Duration: Instant
An idea comes to you. Make a luck roll. On a success, you make your next attribute roll before the end of your next turn with 1d6 boons. On a failure, you become cursed for 1 minute. If you are cursed already, you become stunned for 1 minute instead.
Master Spells
Bend Reality
Castings: 1
Target: You
Duration: Instant
Reality buckles around you and rights itself. Make a Will roll with 1 bane. On a success, choose one of the following effects. On a failure, you take 10d6 damage, fall prone, and become stunned (luck ends).
- Choose one expert spell from a tradition you have discovered. You cast the spell without having to expend the casting to do so.
- Choose one novice spell from any tradition. You cast the spell without having to expend the casting to do so.
- Target one creature you can see. It either takes or heals 20d6 damage.
Chaos Vortex
Castings: 1
Target: One Size 5 space within 15 yards
Duration: 1 minute
Colorful clouds appear in the target space and form into a vortex. The vortex fills the space with moderate obscurement. At the end of each round, each creature inside the target space with a Health score of 20 or less dissolves into vapor that the vortex then absorbs, killing the crea- ture instantly. Each other creature in the space makes a Strength roll. On a failure, the creature takes 6d6 damage.
Each time a creature within 10 yards of the target space produces a magical effect, roll a d6 to see what happens.
D6 | Result |
---|---|
1 | Destructive energies rush through the target space. Each object in the space loses 10d6 Health. Each creature in it takes 5d6 damage and makes a Strength roll. On a failure, the creature takes an extra 5d6 damage and becomes vulnerable (luck ends). |
2 | The vortex moves 1d6 yards toward the source of the magical effect. |
3 | The vortex rumbles with menace. Nothing else happens. |
4 | The vortex moves 1d6 yards away from the source of the magical effect. |
5 | The vortex moves 1d6 yards in a direction the Sage chooses. |
6 | Wild, violent energy explodes from the vortex. Each object within 10 yards of the target space loses 20d6 Health. Each creature within 10 yards of the space takes 10d6 damage and makes an Agility roll with 1 bane. On a failure, the creature takes an extra 10d6 damage. On a critical failure, the creature becomes stunned (luck ends). |
Eye of the Chaos Storm
Castings: 1
Target: One Size 5 space centered on you
Duration: 1 minute
Boiling orange and green clouds spill out from your mouth to swirl around you, filling the target space with heavy obscurement for all creatures other than you. The storm enhances magic; creatures in the space that produce magical effects make their rolls with 1 boon, while creatures roll with 1 bane to resist magical effects originating from the space.
At the end of each round, a bolt of chaos lightning leaps from the storm. Target one creature within 10 yards and make a Will roll against its Agility. On a success, the target takes 5d6 damage, and becomes vulnerable (luck ends). If you get a failure on your Will roll, roll a d6 to see what happens.
D6 | Result |
---|---|
1 | Increase the Size of the space by 5. |
2 | A bolt of chaos lightning strikes you. Make an Agility roll. On a failure, you take 5d6 damage and become vulnerable (luck ends). |
3 | Every creature and object inside the storm’s area takes 10d6 damage. |
4 | Each creature in the storm’s area makes a Will roll. On a failure, the creature becomes confused until the end of the next round. |
5 | A bolt of chaos lightning strikes a creature in the storm’s area chosen by the Sage, with the same effect as described for a roll of 2. |
6 | The storm contracts by 5 yards. If the contraction would leave the storm no space to occupy, the spell ends. |
Pandemonium Egg
Castings: 1
Target: One Size 1 space within 5 yards
Duration: 24 hours
A mottled egg with a shell that rapidly changes color appears and hovers inside the target space. A creature can pluck the egg from the air as if picking up an object. The egg has Defense 0 and Health 66. The egg takes damage from magical sources on behalf of its wielder. When the egg is destroyed, it hatches, which ends the spell. Roll a d6 and consult the following list to see what happens:
D6 | Result |
---|---|
1 | The egg disappears with no other effect. |
2 | Magical energy explodes from the broken egg. The egg’s wielder and each object within 10 yards takes 20d6 damage. Each other creature within 10 yards takes 10d6 damage and makes a luck roll. On a failure, the creature takes an extra 10d6 damage. |
3 | If a creature holds the egg, the creature chooses to either heal all damage or regain all castings of spells that it has expended. If no creature holds the egg, each creature within 50 yards that has expended castings of novice spells regains them. The egg then disappears. |
4 | Target one empty Size 1 space within 1d20 × 5 yards of the egg. The egg teleports to that space and then explodes. Each object within 15 yards of it takes 30d6 damage. Each creature within 15 yards of it makes a luck roll. On a success, the creature heals 30d6 damage. On a failure, the creature takes 30d6 damage. |
5 | Target one Size 5 space you have seen at least once before and that is within 500 miles. The egg teleports you and each creature inside a Size 5 space centered on it to that space. The egg then disappears. |
6 | The egg hatches to release a demon of a random type. Roll a d6: 1, type I; 2–3, type II; 4–5, type III; 6, type IV. The demon is under the Sage’s control and regards all other creatures as enemies. |
Spatial Exchange
Castings: 3, reaction when you move 1 yard
Target: Two Size 5 spaces, one centered on you, the other centered anywhere within 100 yards
Duration: Instant
You, along with everything else within the target space centered on you, teleport to swap positions with everything in the other target space. Then, make a Will roll. On a failure, roll a d20 and find the number rolled on the Wild Magic Effects table to see what happens instead.
Unpredictable Summons
Castings: 1
Target: One Size 5 space on the ground within 5 yards
Duration: Instant
A creature of chaos appears on the ground in the target space. The creature combines the forms of many different beings into one heaving mass. When the creature of chaos appears, make a luck roll. On a success, the creature becomes your controlled companion. On a failure, the creature becomes your enemy under the Sage’s control. The creature treats all creatures as enemies. When the creature becomes incapacitated, it disappears.
CREATURE OF CHAOS |
DEFENSE: 1d6 + 10, HEALTH: 1d6 x 10
ATTRIBUTES: Strength 1d6+10, Agility 1d6+10, Intellect 1d6+2, Will 1d6+10
SIZE: 1d6, SPEED: 6
SENSES: Keen Vision
IMMUNE: confused, frightened, Will impaired, stunned
MELEE ATTACK – CLAWS AND TEETH: Strength with 1d6 boons ([1d6]d6)