Chaos Mage: weak, strong or balanced?

[Li Shenron]

I really want to try a Chaos Mage as an NPC who is allied with the PCs, but I just cannot understand if it going to be unbalanced when compared to the other spellcasters, for good or bad.

The Chaos Mage is a weird core class from Mongoose's "Chaos Magic" supplement book (Encyclopedia Arcane series). It is basically one step beyond the Sorcerer casting versatility AND the Wizard spell knowledge scope:

Wizard = lots of spells known, not many spells/day, prepare spells

Sorcerer = few spells known, many spells/day, cast spontaneously

Chaos Mage = no spells known, no limits on spells/day, cast spontaneously

Ok, it looks odd... the CM does not really know specific spells, he chooses on-the-fly which magic effect he wants (limited to damage, movement, creation and maybe something else) and how strong. This sets the DC for a casting check - the stronger the spell, the more difficult the check for the CM; secondary parameters such as duration, bonus/penalty to ST, etc. further alter the DC.

The real limit is that every time he casts he suffers subdual damage (or real damage if the spellcasting check is failed); furthermore, there are long-term drawbacks that may be overcome only by burning Xp.

Sorry that I have to be so generic, but I don't have the book here and I think it's better I don't write numbers than write them wrong! I would really like to know if anyone in the world has ever tried to play or run a CM at all, because I think the concept is very interesting

 

[Darklone]

Get the errata, clarifications and additional rules (plus some changes like the saves... 1d8 per level with Fort save halves against mages is just too good ).

Anything else? Yeah, I want to say it's nice. Ridiculously overpowered if used creatively, but NICE.

 

[Li Shenron]

I will try it as a NPC friend, because I think it has less dramatic consequences if it turns out to be too good or too bad. If I make it a villain and it turns to be devastating the PCs are gone, while if it turns to be crap the adventure is spoiled. No way to let a PC use it before trying an NPC.

Did anybody else buy the Chaos Magic book? Strange, I thought Mongoose supplements were very popular, and the Encyclopedia Arcane series is really the ONLY non-WotC stuff I am glad to purchase... great ideas for something new, but I admit that they are so different things that I am always very scared before using them

 

[Darklone]

Grimjesta and lainyia (or so) and some others on the Kenzerboards used the class too... she has a homepage with new paths and some more rules... Somewhere they wrote about their experiences.

 

[Li Shenron]

Kenzerboards

Link!

 

[Darklone]

Uhm, used the search func there...

chaos mage