Questions about "Chaos Magic" (Mongoos Publishing)

[Nemroth]

hi there!

(first:
i'm not really sure if this is the right board for my questions or if the "d20 publisher"-board would be the right...
so please don't be too much annoyed if this posting here isn't on the right place and just delete it,ok? thanks)

i've got two questions about chaosmagic:

1)
a chaosmage wanted to teleport himself and the group out of a dangerous battle, so he wanted to cast:

Movement, Minor (DC 15)
Area, Allies Only (+5)

In my opinion he has also to use
Range, Close (+1)
Because ha couldn't touch all his Allies in this situation in one moment.
His opinion is, that with "Area, Allies Only" all allies are directly included and no Range is needed.
We have the same disscusion when he wants to use "Area, Enemies Only" together with a damage spell...
(btw: this would be question 3: with an element of Area (e.g. cone or enemies only) which includes more than 1 enemie, is the damage of the spell splitted or gains each enemy the full damage?)

So is with "Area, Enemies/Allies Only" also a range needed or not? and if not: which enemies/allies are affected? All? All the chaosmage can see? Something else?

2)
the chaos mage has the first step on his chaos-path.
if i understand the rules correctly, he gains step 2 only when:
he first rolls a 1 on a d20 on his "spell-check"
and then rolls with a d20 a 1 again (because he has to "under-roll" his current step with a d20)
but the chance for this to happen is only by 0,25%
Could it be, that the dice for "under-rolling" the current step has to be a d10 (because of the 10 steps each path has)?
But even then, the chance is only by 0,5%
I'm just wondering if it is correct, that reaching step 2 on the chaospath is statisicly so improbaly...

so, enough bad english from a german guy for one day, right?
would be very happy about your answers!

bye, nemroth

 

[fuindordm]

That book makes a fun read, doesn't it? How is the player liking his character so far?

I believe the answer to #2 is that both rolls are d20s. This gives you a 1/400 chance only for the first and second steps, true, but considering that the player probably casts 5 spells per day even at low levels, it shouldn't take all that long for them to start on the path. Players cast a *lot* of spells!

I don't know the answer to #1, but either interpretation sounds fine to me. After all, it's only a difference of one to the DC.

--Ben

 

[reiella]

For #2, would have to agree on rolling two d20s for the steping. After all, how many times in a session do you cast a spell?

Also, a backlash also occurs on a failed arcane spell failure roll (which most likly won't occur but still significant to note).

Big reason why the steps occur so rarely (Especially 1 to 2) is that the final step is irrevocable character retirement for the most part. Getting from 0 to 1 is also the 'quickest' of any steps.

For question 1: Range for area spells is NOT used... The given example of Push Wave gives a good example of this. Range with an area spell is for stuff like if the chaos mage wanted to simulate a Fireball or the like.

[ Edited example to be clearer ]

 

[Nemroth]

hi!

first: thanks for all your answers!!!
and if you are really interested:
yeah, the chaosmage is real fun! (for me as dm and also for the player ) great book!

For question 1: Range for area spells is NOT used... The given example of Push Wave gives a good example of this. Range with an area spell is for stuff like if the chaos mage wanted to teleport a group of enemies in a given area that's not centered on the caster.

yes, in the given example there is no range needed, but particularly this example is very confusing to me:
(if i remember right) in this example the range is touch, because the chaosmage casts the spell on the ground (which he touches). but which enemies will be affected? all enemies which are with their feets on the ground? even if hundreds of feet away?

another example:
a (very) big battle:
maybe 500 enemies and 500 allies (maybe a siege of a town).
the chaosmage wants to cast a "haste-spell" on all allies.
if there is no range needed he could cast this "haste-spell" on all his 500 allies just with a +5 on the dc for "area, all allies"?in my opinion the chaosmage has to choose a range (as an radius of the area around the chaosmage).
in my opinion this is the only locigal way, even if it's not exactly written in the rules (afaik).

same thing with (e.g.) "area, cone"
there should also be a range needed, just to see how big the cone will be. but (afaik) thats also not written in the rules...

so far i would be very happy about an errata
and as far as there is no one i would be very happy about as many other opinions as i could get
(wow, i think i should get an how-many-mistakes-someone-could-probably-make-in-just-one-sentence-award for my last sentence... hope you although understand)

bye, nemroth

 

[reiella]

I believe, the Burst Area results in having a burst area, with a radius ranging from 5 ft to (CasterLevel *5ft), if for some reason the spellcaster didn't want the area at max.

So for your friend's spell.

Movement, Minor (DC 15) : Base
Area, Burst (DC +5) : You need a base area element or else it's single target. Allies Only/Chosen/Objects Only are additional modifiers.
Area, Allies Only (DC +5)


For a total of DC 25 for the group d-door.

Your second question.

No range needed, no... But unless all 1000 people happen to be in the same (casterlevel *5) circle, he ain't getting them.

Range just moves the center of the effect. It has no affect on the area.

The Cone has the base rules for a cone. A cone is a linear progression (it's as wide as it is long, ie, at 10 ft away from the origin, it's 10 feet wide, at 20 feet, 20 feet, all the way up to max). And the level range given for the cone is simply 10 ft to (Caster Level*10ft).

 

[Nemroth]

mh, this sounds logical, but afaik (i'm not sure for 100% because the player has the chaosmagic-book so i can't just check...) there isn't written in the rules that you need a "base area element".
Also in one Example ("Push wave") from the book there is only "area, all enemies" choosen and no other area-element.

and afaik there is also not written that a cone has a range of 10ft per caster level...

and last but not least i still don't know what happens if more than one enemie are affected by an damage spell.
e.g.:
2 enemies are affected, the spell does 1d8 damage ( the player rolls a 6)
get both enemies 6 points damage? (every enemie gets full damage)
or get both enemies 3 points damage? (divided damage)

nemroth

 

[Sam Witt]

Nemroth -

Sorry for the confusion. You must always choose an area (single target, burst, spread, or cone) for your spell. You may also choose an area modifier (such as allies, enemies, selected individuals, or objects) to further refine your spell's original area of effect.

As for damage - all targets within the area of effect suffer the full damage of the spell, it is not divided up amongst the total number of targets in the area.

Hope that helps -

Sam

ps -> The DC increases in the spell examples in the book are wrong, due to some changes made in playtesting. New examples are coming soon. But a burst area was taken in the push wave example.

 

[Nemroth]

But a burst area was taken in the push wave example.

yes, you're right...
i just wrote from memory, because the player has the book and i have only a copy of the table on the first page...

Thanks for your answer, now i know everything i was wondering about and can explain it to the player...

just one last question (maybe it's written in the book, but (as said) i haven't it at the moment):
is a natural 1 on the "cast-check" everytime a fail and a natural 20 everytime a success?

Again thanks to everybody for your time and answers.

Nemroth