House Rules: Chaotics (Arcane Companion)

by Doug Rosengard

Date: Thu, 19 Dec 1996 12:02:44 -0500 From: Doug Rosengard To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Optional Rule for Chaotics (Arcane Companion)

A recent discussion involving Arcane magic and the Chaotic semi-spell user from Arcane Companion got me thinking about a possible alternate way to do spells for this odd profession.

The thing I don't like about their current system is that Chaotics are supposed to be characters who have learned to use magic without any outside training. Thus their spell lists are supposed to be odd mixtures of magic.

The problem, though, is that in fact all Chaotic mages have exactly identical base list spell development. They all have the same four base lists, and their base lists contain the same spells in the same order. This seems to fly in the face of the character conception. Instead, I would expect every Chaotics to have a unique set of base lists. No two Chaotic characters should have the same base spells, in my opinion.

Below is an optional system to try that addresses this problem. Besides the Arcane Companion, it helps to have the Treasure Companion's Random Spell List Table handy (page 89).

Disregard the standard Chaotic base lists. Instead, the Chaotic base lists are as follows:

CHAOTIC ESSENCE:  Self-taught Essence style magic

CHAOTIC MENTALISM: Self-taught Mentalism style magic

CHAOTIC CHANNELING: Self-taught Channeling style magic

CHAOTIC ARCANE:  Self-taught Arcane style magic

All four lists are Arcane magic, and use Arcane power points. Each list's spells are tied together by the type of realm that is being simulated through the Chaotic's own trial and error efforts.

For each rank up to twenty a Chaotic begins training in one of his base lists, roll three random spell lists in the corresponding realm using the Treasure Companion random spell list table. For example, if he trains in a rank in Chaotic Essence, roll three random Essence spell lists.

Look up each list and find the corresponding spells for that rank. Continuing the example, if this was the fifth rank learned in Chaotic Essence, he would look up the fifth level spells on the three lists rolled.

Some lists may not have a spell of that level. This simply means that the Chaotic will have fewer spells to choose from.

Once the spells are found, the Chaotic will have up to three spells to select from for training. He selects one of these, and writes it down as his spell list for that rank. For instance, let's say a Chaotic is training in his fifth rank of Chaotic Essence. He rolls three spell lists - Invisible Ways, Shield Mastery and Light Law. Looking at the corresponding fifth level spells gives no spell for Invisible Ways, Deflections I for Shield Mastery and Sudden Light for Light Law. He selects Deflections I as his fifth rank spell for Chaotic Essence.

The above procedure is repeated for all spell ranks up to rank 20. New spells are also generated for ranks 25, 30 and 50.

It is possible that, when rolling up three spell lists, a duplicate list is generated. Reroll any duplicates. It is also possible that all three spell lists generated have no spell of the appropriate rank. In this case, continue rolling random spell lists until one is generated with a spell of the appropriate rank. This means the Chaotic base lists will have no "gaps" through twentieth level.

Remember that all spells on all four base lists are treated as Arcane Magic, with the associated increased fumble chances and effects, as well as any Corruption or Spell Risk the GM uses. In addition, don't forget that Chaotics have to make a Spell Casting roll at -10 for ALL spells cast; Chaotics have no automatic spell casting.

This system has not been playtested, and obviously some Chaotics will end up with more powerful spells than others. The GM should feel free to reroll any spells or spell lists he deems inappropriate for the Chaotic to learn, such as Evil Spell Lists perhaps. One interesting aspect of the random base lists is that the Chaotic will often learn an advanced version of a spell without learning the lower level versions (eg learning Sleep X before Sleep V). This simply reflects the Chaotic's ability to stumble across short-cuts to magical power that conventional training does not afford. Simultaneously, the base lists can become wildly ecclectic -- perfectly suited for someone who is stumbling along blindly in the realm of Arcane Magic.

If anyone has a chance to try out this system, please feel free to post the results. I'd be interested in seeing how it turns out. For my part, I'll hopefully get to try this out with the next chance I have to use a Chaotic character.

-dug@lugaru.com


Date: Thu, 19 Dec 1996 12:29:34 -0500 From: Andrew Park To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Re: Optional Rule for Chaotics (Arcane Companion)
Doug Rosengard wrote:
[...snip...]
>  The problem, though, is that in fact all Chaotic mages have exactly
> identical base list spell development.  They all have the same four base
> lists, and their base lists contain the same spells in the same order.
> This seems to fly in the face of the character conception.  Instead, I
> would expect every Chaotics to have a unique set of base lists.  No two
> Chaotic characters should have the same base spells, in my opinion.

i agree, and like the look of your system - i'll be trying it out shortly and will let you know... i'll probably be doing a bit more crafting though to fit the plot-line...

the other thing i was wondering was what happens if a chaotic decides to get formal training, and is no longer "chaotic"? do the lists become more rigid? if so, how?? do their penalties disappear, along with their chaotic lists?

.andrew


Date: Thu, 19 Dec 1996 14:03:30 -0500 From: Doug Rosengard Reply to: rolemaster@tower.clark.net To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Re: Optional Rule for Chaotics (Arcane Companion)

From: Andrew Park 
Date: Thursday, December 19, 1996 12:29 PM
>Doug Rosengard wrote:
>[...snip...]
>>  The problem, though, is that in fact all Chaotic mages have exactly
>> identical base list spell development.  ...  
>> Instead, I would expect every Chaotics to have a unique set of base lists.  
>> No two Chaotic characters should have the same base spells, in my opinion.
>... I was wondering ... what happens if a chaotic decides to get formal training, 
>and is no longer "chaotic"?  do the lists become more rigid? if so, how?? do 
>their penalties disappear, along with their chaotic lists?

"Chaotic" is the name of the character's profession. As such, his profession dictates how hard or easy it is for him to learn spells of all types. Any character, not just a Chaotic, can learn any spell from any list in theory by spending the development points necessary. For example, a Chaotic can learn any Arcane Open List to rank 10 at a cost of 11/11. Learning another profession's base lists are more expensive. An Arcane base list costs 25 pts per rank to rank 5, while a traditional realm's base list cost (hold onto your hat) 60 points per rank to rank 5.

Basically this means any character, including a Chaotic, can seek some formal training by spending a large portion of his training time devoted to it. A Chaotic, as with all semi-spell users, is usually much better off spending his time training in his base lists, since learning Open and Closed lists costs them many more spell points than pure and hybrid spell-users.

Note that the Chaotic character will always have the disadvantage of having a to make a -10 Spell Casting roll on all spells. He has already lost the important time of his valuable Apprentice years learning to do things himself rather than studying under an experienced teacher. He would have to "unlearn" everything he's already figured out himself in order to learn the basic spell casting skills needed to lose the -10 Spell Casting disadvantage.

Should it become clear a Chaotic has gone along the path of beginning formal magic training, this would have to be handled as if the character were switching professions. I personally highly recommend that profession switching not be allowed, but if it were necessary I believe there are rules in RMSS to cover it.


Date: Thu, 19 Dec 1996 14:28:45 -0500 From: Doug Rosengard Reply to: rolemaster@tower.clark.net Subject: Re: Optional Rule for Chaotics (Arcane Companion)

A quick follow-up to the alternate Chaotic Base Spell List rules I posted (a partial summary of them is at the end of this message).

Some of the entries in the Treasure Companion's Master Spell List are shown as "Special". This normally indicates a spell chosen by the GM. There are two ways I suggest for handling these rolls. The first is to simply reroll any "Special" results. The second option, which I prefer, is to let the Chaotic's player choose any spell of the appropriate level from that realm. So, if a fifth rank Chaotic Essence spell results in a "Special" spell, the player could select any fifth level Essence spell subject to GM approval. "Special" results occur relatively infrequently (10%?), so this shouldn't increase the Chaotic's magic strength very much overall. It also gives the player a morale boost when they "hit the jackpot" and get to select any spell they want.

On very rare occasions, a Chaotic may be forced to learn a spell that requires that he be able to cast another spell in order to use it. An example is the fifth level "Locate Target" spell from Thieving Law (Dabbler base list). Locate Target requires that the caster have previously cast the third level spell "Mark Target" from the same list.

I recommend that such spells be handled normally (ie. if "Locate Target" is the only viable spell rolled, the Chaotic must learn it). This is the worst case scenario for a Chaotic, and simply represents him stumbling across an advanced spell that he may have no immediate use for. In order to use such a spell, he would have to either learn the lower level spell normally by spending development points and time learning the actual list, or find a magic item or rune that can cast the lower level spell for him. So, if the Chaotic can find or purchase a rune with "Mark Target" on it, he could then make use of his own "Locate Target" spell.

If this seems a little harsh, remember that many other spell lists have "gaps" with no spells at all. This is essentially as close to a gap as a Chaotic base list gets.

[system summary]
> 
> A recent discussion involving Arcane magic and the Chaotic semi-spell user
> from Arcane Companion got me thinking about a possible alternate way to do
> spells for this odd profession.
> 

> 
> Disregard the standard Chaotic base lists.  Instead, the Chaotic base lists
> are as follows:
> CHAOTIC ESSENCE:  Self-taught Essence style magic
> CHAOTIC MENTALISM: Self-taught Mentalism style magic
> CHAOTIC CHANNELING: Self-taught Channeling style magic
> CHAOTIC ARCANE:  Self-taught Arcane style magic
> All four lists are Arcane magic, and use Arcane power points.  Each list's
> spells are tied together by the type of realm that is being simulated
> through the Chaotic's own trial and error efforts.
>
> For each rank up to twenty a Chaotic begins training in one of his base
> lists, roll three random spell lists in the corresponding realm using the
> Treasure Companion random spell list table.  For example, if he trains in a
> rank in Chaotic Essence, roll three random Essence spell lists.


Date: Thu, 19 Dec 1996 15:27:42 -0500 From: Doug Rosengard Reply to: rolemaster@tower.clark.net To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Sample Chaotic Base List

For reference, below is a sample I rolled up of a "Chaotic Essence" spell list, using the alternate Chaotic base list system I recently posted. This list is intended to give an idea of a "typical" Chaotic base list you might see using this system. The list includes the spell name, followed in parentheses by the name of the list it is contained in. "OE" stands for "Open Essence" and "CE" for "Closed Essence". A profession indicates that profession's base lists.

CHAOTIC ESSENCE BASE LIST: (Sample)

1) Detect Essence (Detecting Ways, OE)
2) Nightvision (Darkness, Evil)
3) Protection Sphere I (Spell Wall, OE)
4) Confusion (Spirit Mastery, CE)
5) Suggestion (Influences, Dabbler)

6) Illusion V (Illusion Mastery, Illusionist)
7) Vacuum I (Wind Law, Magician)
8) Listen II (Essence Perceptions, OE)
9) Open Prison I (Unbarring Ways, OE)
10) Aiming (Essence Hand, OE)

11) Ice Bolt III (Ice Law, Magician)
12) Call Flame II (Fire Law, Magician)
13) Mass Vibrations I (Essence Hand, OE)
14) Telekinesis IV (Essence Hand, OE)
15) Protection IV (Spell Wall, OE)

16) Triad of Water (Water Law, Magician)
17) Utterlight (Light Law, Magician)
18) Untrap IV (Mechanisms, Dabbler)
19) Mass Watervision (Physical Enhancement, OE)
20) Cancel True (Dispelling Ways, CE)

25) Waiting Illusion X (Illusion Mastery, Illusionist)

30) Extension True (Spell Enhancement, CE)

50) Sense Mastery (Senses, Dabbler)

This is only one possible Chaotic Essence list, of course, out of countless other possible random selections. Notice the above list has a pretty wide range of abilities when looked at as a whole. Also, the best effects seem to be those on the other profession's base lists overall. However, there were numerous times I rolled three open and closed lists, or simply preferred an open or closed list's spell to a base list's spell I also rolled.

Notice that the above list fits the general "feel" for Essence magic, in that the spells deal primarily with manipulating outside forces and objects. A typical Chaotic Channeling list contains numerous healing, inspiration, summoning and channeling type spells, and Chaotic Mentalism and Chaotic Arcane likewise reflect their respective realm's spells.

The above list was also heavily shaped by my own preferences for general utility spells. A character who prefers inflicting pain could, using the same rolls I used, have replaced a few of the spells above with spells like "Lightning Bolt I" or "Trait Erosion". Someone who likes trickery and illusion could have had an extra Phantasm or Illusion instead of one of the other spells. (In particular, the 50th level spell could have been "Phantasm True", the best single illusion spell in the game.)

Hope this proved interesting.

-dug@lugaru.com


Date: Thu, 19 Dec 1996 16:11:00 -0500 From: Patrick Plummer Reply to: rolemaster@tower.clark.net To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Re: Sample Chaotic Base List

At 03:28 PM 12/19/96 -0500, you wrote:
>For reference, below is a sample I rolled up of a "Chaotic Essence" spell
>list, using the alternate Chaotic base list system I recently posted.  This
>list is intended to give an idea of a "typical" Chaotic base list you might
>see using this system.  The list includes the spell name, followed in
>parentheses by the name of the list it is contained in.  "OE" stands for
>"Open Essence" and "CE" for "Closed Essence".  A profession indicates that
>profession's base lists.
>
>CHAOTIC ESSENCE BASE LIST: (Sample)
>
        

I think you have a good idea, but I think that some aspects are somewhat unbalancing. The fact that you can amazingly self-discover IceBolt III without knowing anything about IceBolt I seems farfetched and over powerful. The flexability that a Chaotic gets is a powerful gift and should be handled carefully. Having access to all these random (but powerful) spells COMBINED with getting them at such high levels seems to be too much.

My suggestion is in the case that the random spell determination process turns up something like a bolt III, then give them the bolt I spell. THis will tone it down to more acceptable levels. The flexability is very powerful in itself.

patrick

--
Patrick Plummer                        Digital Consulting
Email: pwplumme@dcss.com               & Software Services
http://studentweb.tulane.edu/~csapp    Voice Mail:(504)523-5501

Date: Thu, 19 Dec 1996 16:46:22 -0500 From: Doug Rosengard Reply to: rolemaster@tower.clark.net To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Re: Sample Chaotic Base List

From: Patrick Plummer 

>I think you have a good idea, but I think that some aspects are somewhat
>unbalancing.  The fact that you can amazingly self-discover  IceBolt III
>without knowing anything about IceBolt I seems farfetched and over
>powerful.  The flexability that a Chaotic gets is a powerful gift and
>should be handled carefully.  ...

>My suggestion is in the case that the random spell determination process
>turns up something like a bolt III, then give them the bolt I spell.  THis
>will tone it down to more acceptable levels.  The flexability is very
>powerful in itself.

A good idea, and I did consider it. I tend to think, though, that an 11th level spell should be at the 11th level of power. I'd prefer an 11th level Ice Bolt III to an 11th level Ice Bolt I, for instance.

Also, note that much of the Chaotic's power in spell flexibility is balanced out by certain limitations. First, his spell casting is never automatic, always has a -10 Spell Casting penalty, and suffers all the penalties and spell failures involved in Arcane Magic. Second, he has no way of planning more than one level in advance exactly what spells he'll learn. Third, as a semi-spell user, his spell costs are much higher than a pure or hybrid spell user. It costs him 6/6/6 for ranks 1 to 5, 7/7/7 for ranks 6 to 20 and 8/8/8 for ranks over 20. These are the base lists, too -- he's not likely to have many, or any, spells outside of his base lists.

At any rate, an alternate way to make the lists less powerful is to make fewer rolls per spell rank. That is, roll two or even one time per spell rank to get eligible spells. This would result in many more slots filled with somewhat esoteric spells, such as Calm Water and Air Stop. While potentially useful, spells like this are certainly not on my list of "powerful" spells because of their more limited application.

Of course, everything's subjective in a system like this, so I'm sure you'll modify the system down somewhat. I just wanted to give my own perspective.


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