The Power of Chaos compels you!

[DaGreatJL]

So, there's a campaign I'm looking to set up using the BW rules, right? Now, in this game world, there is a god who embodies chaos, and madness, and hurting puppies, and things like that. He also happens to be something of a patron for the mystic arts. Now, not all sorcerers follow him. In fact, most don't. However, those who do, get considerable benifits for it, though at a price.

So, what I'm looking at doing is creating a trait that would give a very large amount of power to spellcasters, at the cost of making their magic much more risky and dangerous. This is what I've come up with; those more experienced in using the rules should feel free to pipe in with how my ideas would unbalance and destroy life.

So, the Mark of Chaos is a numbered trait, similar to Faith, Hate, and all the fun ones. It gets advanced when you do things that please the god of Chaos, like causing mischief and bad things to happen. (I'll make an actual list of obstacles, but it's not important for now.) Those with this trait may add it to Sorcery rolls they make. Note that this is in addition to, not in place of, the current rolls. So someone with this trait is going to be rolling A LOT of dice.
However, using the trait carries with it some risk. A 1 rolled on a die is not simply a failure; it actually subtracts from your successes. This means that while your likelyhood of rolling lots of suxx is increased, so is the possibility of totally botching. Also, if the subtraction sends you into the negatives, each success below zero is added to the Die of Fate roll for failing the casting roll.

So, what do y'all think?

[Viper]

Sounds good... if you wanted it to have even more severe consequences, you could say that every success on the chaos dice (or every two if you feel it's too severe) adds +1 to the tax obstacle- thus making it a dangerous power to tap, even if you tap it successfully.

[DaGreatJL]

Sounds good... if you wanted it to have even more severe consequences, you could say that every success on the chaos dice (or every two if you feel it's too severe) adds +1 to the tax obstacle- thus making it a dangerous power to tap, even if you tap it successfully.

Hmm, nice idea, but not quite what I'm looking for. I want using the trait to be risky, but I want it to be risky because it's a bit more likely that a demon will pop up and eat you. Also, I want it to be scary to those who don't have it, because having it means you're a powder keg about to 'splode.

[Kaare Berg]

So, what I'm looking at doing is creating a trait that would give a very large amount of power to spellcasters, at the cost of making their magic much more risky and dangerous

I don't know how much you've played with mages and sorcerors, but tbey are powerful. Using the abstractions and they are even fleksible to boot.

The failures on ones do add a chaos factor in that you can not trust the spell.
But instead of adding a lot of dice, how about:

Mark of Chaos
The mage is branded by evil, but the mark which stretches into his soul allows him to tap into primal magic. The mage gains access to abstractions.

Abstractions are powrfull and fleksible (yet dangerous). Any mage without the Mark of Chaos must comply with normal formalized spell casting.

Or simply the trait halves successes on the opposing mages Eldricht Shield, making this power dangerous against those who dare oppose a chosen of the Lord of Chaos.

Just an idea.

[DaGreatJL]

The Abstraction idea would be good, except that I LOVE Abstractions, and don't want to relegate them to a 'Dark Side of the Force' quality. Which is what the Mark of Chaos is meant to be, essentially. The Dark Side. The get great power, in exchange for the likelyhood you won't last long enough to enjoy it.
As for the lessened Shield, well, that's a start, but it doesn't apply in enough situations.
Maybe if any time two wizards are fighting, and have spells that contest each other, someone with the Mark of Chaos will be at a disadvantage similar to the one you just described.

[jc_madden]

Also note that if you're trying to more closely partern your magic after "the dark side of the fore" (or was I just misinterpretting a loose analogy?) then you have to remember that the Dark Side offers BIG PAYOFF at first with little disadvantage but eventually low payoff with huge disadvantage. Also if you're talking about game mechanics most Dark Side mechanics in RPGs compel the PC to continue down the path of the dark side and further rely on it even though the payoff becomes thin.

[Manicrack]

inspried by the ast post:
How about you are allowed to delay your tax roll somewhat, lets say an hour max or so. However, when you roll it, it hits you heavily.
Add all the mark of chaos dice to the tax test.
That would make these sorcerers lethal (and not, "oops, I summoned another demon, this is becoming a habit") but take abig price from them a little later.
I personally also like the feel of a god who name shis price after the service.

-Crack


PS: For all the people that remeber me. Yes, I am back.