3.5 Spell: Chaos Bolt

[Malapterus]

This is an idea I've long toyed with just for fun, and I thought I'd share it. I'm really not sure what level it should be, as on average it can rival a delayed fireball cast by a level 20 caster, but it's also very.... unreliable.


Chaos Bolt
Evocation [Chaos]
Level: Sor/Wiz ???
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target: One creature or object.
Effect: Surge of chaotic energy
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

Chaos Bolt deals 1d100 damage.

The damage dealt by Chaos Bolt cannot be increased or decreased by any feat or effect. it cannot be Maximized or Empowered.

Chaos Bolt has a 50% chance of by passing any effect that would normally block a spell, such as a Wall of Force.

Any effect that protects against Chaotic effects has a 50% chance of failing against Chaos Bolt.

[Malapterus]

Update: the verbal component of this spell is now yelling "CHAOS BOOOOOLT!"

[JNAProductions]

Compare to Scorching Ray-4d6 per four levels, to a max of 12d6. Can be split between up to three targets at 11th level, so there's that, but average damage is 14 when you get it, scaling up 42.

This spell is much better. No touch attack required-that's one less point of failure. No damage type, so it can't be resisted. No spell resistance. And has a 50% chance of bypassing any protections (which, by RAW, can include things like walls. Mindsight says hi.) And, even with all those bonuses, its damage averages to 50.5-better than an 11th level Scorching Ray.

This spell is too good.

[Malapterus]

Compare to Scorching Ray-4d6 per four levels, to a max of 12d6. Can be split between up to three targets at 11th level, so there's that, but average damage is 14 when you get it, scaling up 42.

This spell is much better. No touch attack required-that's one less point of failure. No damage type, so it can't be resisted. No spell resistance. And has a 50% chance of bypassing any protections (which, by RAW, can include things like walls. Mindsight says hi.) And, even with all those bonuses, its damage averages to 50.5-better than an 11th level Scorching Ray.

This spell is too good.

Well, Scorching Ray is a 2nd level spell. I did not figure out a level for this one, though after brief discussion with my roommate we were thinking perhaps 8 or 9.

It's got comparable average damage to a 20th level Delayed Fireball.

[Avigor]

When I first loaded this thread out of curiosity from the name, I was expecting something akin to a Rod of Wonder in spell form... A simple 1d100 damage just seems disappointing IMO.

[ImperatorV]

A REAL Chaos Bolt would do a random amount of a random type of energy damage and deal a random status effect while randomly dropping one of the aforementioned effects in favor of a randomly determined effect from a table, and any time you cast the spell there would be a chance you cast a completely different spell instead, or that the Chaos Bolt would in fact do nothing at all!

...Chaos can be silly.

[aimlessPolymath]

Hmm..

Raw Chaos
Universal[Chaos]
Wizard X (this spell can be prepared or learned as a spell of any level)
Casting time: Full-round action.
Range: Varies
Save: Varies
Effect:
When you cast this spell, roll on the Random Scroll table for a spell of level X+1, where X is the level of this spell. If you roll a spell with a casting time of greater than a full-round action, reroll. You cast that spell.

The Raw-er Chaos spell, which gives X+2, requires you to choose targets before finding out what spell you got (The DM rolls for you). Don't worry, choose your ally! You probably will get haste, right?

[rferries]

The spell does an average of 50.5 damage, which works out to roughly 14d6 damage (I used d6 as that's the baseline for most damage-dealing spells).

Comparing to scorching ray: chaos bolt is better than the rays from an 11th-level caster, so it should definitely be higher than 2nd level.

Compared to other evocations (fireball, lightning bolt, etc.): chaos bolt deals damage as a 14th-level caster, with a damage cap as a 4th-level spell (e.g. "to a maximum of 15d6"). So, it should be at least 4th level.

The no-save, no-SR, no-ranged-touch-attack, plus 50% chance to ignore defenses are all icing on the cake; I'd bump it up another level to 5th (where baleful polymorph, feeblemind, and other save-or-die effects are really becoming available). However the full-round casting time could be enough to negate this.

Although there's a chance of rolling poor damage, there's also a chance of one-shotting an enemy far beyond your own CR. A sorcerer with this spell will spam it at the villain until he drops dead.

Was Diablo II (specifically a lightning sorceress) an inspiration? :)

[Westhart]

I'm going to agree on the 5th for level, and also suggest adding that it heals creatures with the chaotic subtype, because... well, y'know . and why is it not on the chaos domain? Also, I would make it a range touch attack, and maybe work some... chaotic flavor in, like so:

Chaos Blast
Universal
Level: Chaos 9
Components: V, S
Casting Time: One full Round action
Range: Medium (100'+10'/level)
Area: 5'/level radius centered on point of origin
Effect: (See Text)
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: No
Spell Resistance: No
As you intone what sounds like utter rubbish your hands seem to bend in an incomprehensible way, as you launch a bolt of pure chaos at your enemy.
Roll 1d% for each person in the and consult the following (god I hate:) table.

Roll	Result
1-10	Consult The animal Transformation Table
11-20	Affected by a Heal Spell
21-30	Affected by a Harm Spell
31-40	Caster takes 1d4 damage to a random ability score
41-50	Subject affected takes 1d4 to a random ability score
51-60	Maximized, Empowered fireball centered on subject.
61-62	Tongue of Lies: You automatically succeed all bluff checks, however you automatically fail all sense motive checks.
63-67	Subject Planeshifted to a random plane.
68-70	Caster Planeshifted to a random plane
71-80	Otto's irresistible dance on the subject.
81-90	Roll another percentile die, all creatures affected shrink (1-50) one size category or grow (51-100) one category. Creatures that were colossal instead explode in a gory display, creatures that were diminutive vanish from existence.
91-99	Turn into a chaos beast, per shapechange.
100	Gain a +1 to a randomly determined stat.

Table: Animal Tranformation

Roll	Animal
1-2	Bunny
3-4	Badger
5-6	Lion
7-8	Self
9-10	Dove
11-12	Tiger
13-14	Turtle
15-16	Swan
17-18	Bear
19-20	Sheep

Creature's With the chaotic subtype may choose to be unaffected by this spell, or they can reroll once, choosing before the spell effects.

Looking back over it, I would say that it should probably be epic, or offer a save. Think of the spell as the deck of many things Lite^TM. It is just a suggestion though, and was 'brewed rather quickly.

[Malapterus]

I see where you guys are coming from, but a huge chart with a bunch of outcomes seems way too lawful for me.

I have a lawful contemporary of this that has a whole bunch of rules and conditions, so I like the chaotic version to be quick & messy. Splat!

[Westhart]

I see where you guys are coming from, but a huge chart with a bunch of outcomes seems way too lawful for me.

I have a lawful contemporary of this that has a whole bunch of rules and conditions, so I like the chaotic version to be quick & messy. Splat!

To each their own then