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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DM_Jeff" data-source="post: 2008652" data-attributes="member: 3687">Chaos Magic is the third in the unique Encyclopedia Arcane series of Mongoose offerings detailing new systems of magic use.Chaos Magic: Wild Sorceryby Sam WittCover art by Anne Stokes$14.95 64-page d20 sourcebook for DM's and players alikeBackground: Finally getting the real copy of this book in my hands was quite a thrill. You see, my crew was one of the primary playtest groups on this project, and I can`t tell you how many changes we poured over and playtested time and again. The Mongoose designers, and author Sam Witt must be commended for the attention to detail and the care they put into the project. It shows. And in case you think it`s not fair I be writing this review, I ask who better than someone who saw the system strained to abuse and use at his own table? Read on and see...Appearance: Chaos Magic is a 64-page perfect-bound d20 sourcebook that introduces a whole new system of magic use. The cover art by Anne Stokes shows a Chaos Mage invoking a powerful enchantment about her and conveys a feeling of what you`ll fine inside, showing both a beauty but a hint of dark danger. The interior is well laid out and organized, borders are not abused, text density is very good and interior art ranges from good to very good. The inside front cover is used for a table that helps the chaos mage compute his spell casting, and the inside rear cover is an ad for some other Mongoose d20 titles.Review: Chaos magic isn`t what many veterans may first think. It`s not a whole book of tables that you roll on to see what wacky things might happen when you cast a spell. It is a system of magic whereby hopeful and brave characters subscribe to magic as a force to be shaped and used through the body on a whim, not tied to bookish study or religious devotion. The book begins with an introduction, the philosophies behind the practice, and the differences between chaos magic and other `dependable` forms...called static magic. Chaos magic allows your character to shape spells as he casts them, on the spot. The universe, so say chaos wizards, is really only made up of substance and form, and Chaos Magic is the ultimate tool for using both to your own ends. With that in mind, more subtle effects like divinations won`t come into play. But the true applications are only limited by your creativity and imagination.Next we get a look in which static casters can dabble in the world of chaos magic. Through a number of ways (including research, exposure, or...DEATH), they can augment their spells with a few random elements (discovered by rolling on a table, the player doesn`t get to pick). The wizard or sorcerer gains what`s called a wanton talent which might let them cast spells with highly variable effects like for lesser or greater damage, more potent to resist, or with no spell components. This is really the only way to dabble for these classes, for a static mage may never multiclass into a chaos mage.Next we get the chaos mage presented as a new base d20 character class. He`s modest in both hit and skill points, isn`t all that great with a weapon, and saves like most spellslingers. Astute readers of course will notice that there’s no spell progression chart. That`s when the player grins!In a nutshell, chaos magic requires imagination and a little addition. A chaos mage picks from a well-organized list of descriptive effects he`d like to use to craft his desired spell. Each of these items carries a point cost, that when added together gives the player the DC number that they must succeed by rolling 1d20 + caster level + Charisma modifier. A single-roll raw spellcasting system! There`s no limit to the number of spells that can be cast per day, nor is there ever a need to keep a spellbook, or pray, or prepare. Lock, load and let loose! Anticipating questions I`ve set up a little Q&A session:Q: If I can cast spells all day whenever I want, I`ll be all-powerful pretty quick won`t I? My DM will have a heart-attack.A: We once thought as you do. The system is integrally balanced, but allows you freedom to be creative instead of limiting you to the same old pool of effects.     * If you create spells with too many powers, the DC will be impossible to beat, wasting your attempt!    * Even if you make the attempt, you take 1 point of subdual damage for every 5 points of the DC of the effect you are trying (a DC 30 spell for example will deal you 6 subdual).    * If you fail, you take the damage above but it’s REAL damage, not subdual.    * Every time you botch (roll a natural 1) you stand the chance of furthering your decent down one of the Dark Paths...mutative punishments you endure for the benefit of shaping raw magic through your body.Q: All that math seems like an awful lot of work to cast a spell, won`t it slow down my games?A: It`s less math than you think. There’s really just simple addition. You want to cast a raw damage spell (DC 10) in a cone (+10) within close range (+1) with a duration of instantaneous (+0). Your DC is 21. Roll your d20, add your caster level plus your Charisma modifier. Done! Of course, players will start out a little clunky, but you learn the basics quite quickly. Complicated favorite spells can be crafted and figured in between sessions and worked up in notes to cast at a moment`s notice. Want to damage that pesky outsider with energy resistance to cold and acid? Pick an alternate energy type and fire away!The casting process starts off by having you choose a base effect: either Damage, Materialization, Movement or Transformation. These things can effect you, a friend, a foe, or lots of foes, just like regular spells. You piece together the final spell by choosing area, range, duration and saving throw modifications you want and watch the fun! You can even have a familiar, but you create the thing yourself. My group played a session where every character was some bit of a chaos mage up to 6th level. The effects and inspiration were both a surprise to me and the other players, making the Chaos Mages involved characters to play with a variety of neat effects at their disposal. While plenty of examples are given in the text, it`s a good idea that the DM have a firm grasp of the formula and the types of effects that the players might try. Next comes the lists of Dark Paths: those mutative, progressive effects that might plague a character each time he botches. Each path has 10 steps. The first time the Chaos Mage rolls a 1 on a casting attempt, he gains step 1 in a randomly-determined path: Berserk Growth, Bloody Rage, Rapid Regression, Shrieking Pain, Screaming Shadows, Writing Serpents, Tortured Stone or Whispering Madness. The fact that none of these are called the Path of Flowers or the Path of Love might betray what awaits Chaos Mages who use their powers too often. Each additional time a Chaos mage rolls a 1 a second d20 is rolled. If that number is equal to or less than the number of steps they have, another step is added. Each path has a theme of powers, madness, and mutations, some even interestingly beneficial, but they each get progressively worse. Skin oozes, shadows cling, arthritis, deformities, and eventually at Step 10 total annihilation and chaos warps your body beyond mortal limits. By the way, a Chaos mage can relieve himself of steps beyond the first by spending experience points. At 12th level the Chaos Mage gets the chance to purge a level by spending 500 XP`s times the step level he wishes to remove. A Chaos Mage with 4 steps of the Shreiking Pain path may spend 2000 XP`s to go back to only having 3 steps. Also, DM`s are encouraged to create their own diabolical paths to plague their players with!Next we get a handful of Chaos feats that let you break the rules in cool ways, two specially designed Chaos Mage prestige classes to follow (the Bloodcarver and the Doomringer) along with full rules for Chaos Magic item creation, a chapter specifically on help for the DM and designer`s notes explaining the many reasons behind design decisions.Conclusion: If you run a campaign with a creative player who wants to explore and tackle the challenge of a new magic system, are looking for great new ways to surprise your players with NPC`s or villains, or just crave a system where the only real limit to what you can do with a spell is your imagination and how much damage you wanna take, this is the book for you. It`s been playtested thoroughly and the guys and gals at our table all agreed it is a winner.-Jeff Ibach</blockquote>

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