Chaos Mage (3.5e Prestige Class)

Chaos Mage

“	These are conduits of true power, ..let us use them.	”
—Kail-Naketh, Wars of the Second Age, Volume III

Chaos Mages are often eager and impatient to become the powerful master of the arcane they believe themselves to be. Beginning early, they pursue reckless powers with devastating effect, with little scope for utility, they focus on combat powers.

Becoming a Chaos Mage

Arcane spellcasters become Chaos Mages in order to excel in combat and to gain the secrets which the safer paths consider reckless. Chaos Mages are often sorcerers, but some wizards and bards also pursue this path.

Entry Requirements

Alignment:	Any Chaotic.
Skills:	Knowledge (arcana) 5 Ranks, Spellcraft 5 Ranks.
Spellcasting:	Able to cast arcane spells.

Table: The Chaos Mage

Hit Die: d4

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws Fort Ref Will			Special	Spellcasting	Power Points per Day
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Bolt of Chaos, Chaos Damage Type	+1 level of existing arcane class	2
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Summon Chaos Familiar	+1 level of existing arcane class	4
3rd	+2	+1	+1	+3	Chaos Damage Type	+1 level of existing arcane class	6
4th	+3	+1	+1	+4	Imbue Item	+1 level of existing arcane class	8
5th	+3	+1	+1	+4	Chaos Damage Type	+1 level of existing arcane class	10
6th	+4	+2	+2	+5	Ball of Chaos	+1 level of existing arcane class	12
7th	+5	+2	+2	+5	Chaos Damage Type	+1 level of existing arcane class	14
8th	+6/+1	+2	+2	+6	Will of Chaos	+1 level of existing arcane class	16
9th	+6/+1	+3	+3	+6	Chaos Damage Type	+1 level of existing arcane class	18
10th	+7/+2	+3	+3	+7	Rain of Chaos, Chaos Damage Type	+1 level of existing arcane class	20
Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level) Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int).

Class Features

Chaos Mages are so open to the void between worlds that they do not need to cast spells in the traditional sense. They simply let loose the powers of Chaos to do their bidding. This is portrayed by using power points instead of spells per day. All of the following are class features and powers of the Chaos Mage.

Power Points/Day: Your ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points you have available. Your base daily allotment of power points is given on Table: The Chaos Mage. In addition, you receive bonus power points per day if you have a high wisdom score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Power Points). Your race may also provide bonus power points per day, as may certain feats and items. Your power points and bonus power points at each level do not increase automatically after 10th level.

Powers Known: At prestige level 1, you learn Bolt of Chaos. As you achieve new levels, you unlock additional powers as noted on Table: The Chaos Mage.

The total number of powers you can manifest in a day is limited only by your daily power points.

You simply know your powers; they are ingrained in your mind. You do not need to prepare them (in the way that some spellcasters prepare their spells), though you must get a good night's sleep each day to regain all your spent power points.

The Difficulty Class for saving throws against Chaos Mage powers is 10 + the number of power points spent on the spell + your Will save modifier for half damage. If a creature saves vs a spell, they automatically save vs any lower level spell that stacks with it.

Chaos Damage Type: At first level, every odd level afterward, and at level 10, you choose a new damage type from the following list: Fire, Cold, Electricity, Acid, Divine, Necrotic, Poison, Force. When using any damaging Chaos power, it deals all Chaos damage types which you have, rolling the given die size for each type of damage.

Bolt of Chaos: Magical bolt which damages a single target within 100ft+10/level. Move action. d4+1 damage per Chaos Damage Type. 1 power point per Chaos Damage Type.

Summon Chaos familiar: This takes the place of a normal familiar you may have, but has some bonuses over normal familiars; +1 AC, and has hit points equal to it's master. It may also be used as the originating point for any Chaos Mage power manifest by it's master.

Imbue Item: You put a number of power points into a weapon or armor that you are touching. After resting, you still restore back to your maximum number of power points. You may not store more than your daily total of power points in items (before bonuses are applied). If you do not touch an item for more than three days, it loses all power points held within it. Only Chaos Mages may use the power points stored by Imbue Item.

The power points within a weapon may be used as a reaction when you make a critical hit, or after succeeding a Concentration check DC20. This enables you to manifest one of your Chaos Mage powers using only those power points as well as dealing maximum weapon damage.

The power points within armor you are wearing may only be used as a reaction when you are hit by a critical hit, or after succeeding a Concentration check DC20. This enables you to manifest one of your Chaos Mage powers using only those power points. You may manifest a power as a reaction to being critically hit even while incapacitated.

Ball of Chaos: Magical ball which springs from the caster and strikes a target within 100ft+10/level, dealing damage to anything within a 20 ft radius. Standard action. d6 damage per Chaos Damage Type. A creature struck directly by Ball of Chaos is also struck by Bolt of Chaos. 2 power points per Chaos Damage Type.

Will of Chaos: Any Fort or Ref save rolls of 1 may be re-rolled as Will Saves. You may also re-roll one failed Fort or Ref save as a Will save once per day.

Rain of Chaos: Chunks of chaos summoned from the void fall in a target area dealing d8 damage per Chaos Damage Type in a 50 ft radius. Full-Round action. A creature damaged by Rain of Chaos is also struck directly by Ball of Chaos (And subsequently by Bolt of Chaos). 3 power points per Chaos Damage Type.

Ex-Chaos Mages

Any character with at least one level of Chaos Mage that becomes a non-chaotic alignment is stripped of all Chaos Mage powers, class features, and power points until they are once again of a chaotic alignment and then have the benefit of a good night's sleep.

Playing a Chaos Mage

Combat: A Chaos Mage is a glass cannon, but one which can use abilities without needing to worry about being interrupted. They can deal vast amounts of damage to specific creatures or to a large area.

Advancement: Sorcerers build much like a Chaos Mage and Sorcerer/Chaos Mage combinations can be particularly powerful in combat. Wizard/Chaos Mage is extremely versatile, as the Wizard side can be used for utility while the Chaos mage levels add to combat capabilities.

Resources: Chaos Mages often maintain membership in arcane guilds allowed or favored by their base class, but the very nature of Chaos and the individual advancement of the Chaos Mage seems to keep them from making a guild specifically for Chaos Mages. (Such an organized institution is simply not in their nature.)

Chaos Mages in the World

“	I don't do it for a cause, I just do it 'because'.	”
—Daziira Steele, Chaos Mage

Chaos Mages are most often roaming trouble makers and mischievous hermits.

NPC Reactions: NPCs will often not notice a difference between a chaos mage and a sorcerer or wizard. Little is immediately different about them until they use their powers.

Chaos Mage Lore

Characters with ranks in knowledge (arcana) can research Chaos Mages to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

<-the appropriate skills->

DC	Result
11	Chaos Mages are arcane spellcasters which are combat focused.
16	Chaos Mages deal multiple damage types in a single power.
21	Chaos Mages can infuse items that they use with the power of their spells.
26	The greatest Chaos Mages can cast a single spell and have it chain with spells of lower levels, devastating battlefields.

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