d20 Plot Device Colours of Magic - Orange.pdf - Plot Device - R5700

Orange Magic

“Can’t say as I have heard tale of an Orange mage,”

said the young farmer over his ale, a bland note of derision in his

tone. “What manner of vast cosmic power does an Orange give you

anyhow?” The chuckles of his compatriots filled the bar. All but

the old innkeeper saw an opportunity for fun in the

stranger with the rune-painted leather surcoat and

outlandish turban. Outsiders were often a source of

amusement, something to pass time on the cold

winter nights. Few, if any, noticed the innkeeper

carefully remove the breakable items from the

bench-top, then slink back to the door to the cellar.

None saw the fear in his eyes, the paralysing force

of which stopped him from even warning his

long-time customers and friends of their danger.

last the farmer had heard of, and the man’s presence now chilled him to the bone.

“Can’t say as I’ve head of ‘em,” muttered one of the more simple of the

farmer’s friends. “ What’s the big deal?”

“Allow me to show you, friend,” said Jako, his grin widening to a far

greater width than it should, “F is for Frog, and Frog is for Fun!”

He drew a short sword from under his leathers, waving the others

back, and grabbed the farmer by the hand. A flash of

Orange light, then Jako held a frog by the hand. “A

croak is a joke,” he laughed into the silence “Fun.”

Index

O v e r v i e w ……………………… 2

A b e r r a n c e ……………………. 3

E n t r o p y . . . ……………………… 4

M e t a m o r p h ……………………. 5

U n m a k e r . . ……………………... 6

Appendix (Orange Spells) .….. 11

L i c e n c e ………………………….

The stranger grinned at the farmer.

“Power, power, dour power. Why is it

always about power? Shouldn’t magic

sometimes be about fun? Funny, funny

fun, fun.” He ended by banging his

mug on the bar to emphasise his words.

2 1

The farmer raised an eyebrow.

This was not exactly what he had expected.

His fellows stared from him to the stranger

and back. He decided to try to salvage the

situation. “Well, have there been powerful

Orange mages in the ancient past, of which we

might have heard tale? Some history to pass our time, friend?”

Chromatic Arcana

This game supplement requires the

Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook, Third

Edition, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. It uses

material from the updated v3.5 revision. All content in the Game Rule Info

sections, all spell descriptions and names and all tables are OGC. All fiction,

pictures and other descriptive text are IP of the respective creators.

“Thallius the Unmaker, Angelique the betrayer, Kulkus

the knife-jester, yes, yes. Aronie the torturer, Sal the kinslayer,

Jako the frog-maker... why at last it is me!” exclaimed the

stranger. The litany of names were frightful, the reputations

of these wizards most definitely preceded them. Even this

Chromatic Arcana is a reorganization of the magic system of d20 fantasy.

Instead of Illusion, or Evocation, spells are classified according to colours. Three

new cleric domains are also included. It is possible to use this supplement directly

with the normal classes. A new class is also included: The Unmaker.

Chromatic Magic Overview

School, Sub-school, Descriptor

The easiest application of these rules is to

simply allow a few new character classes that you

can say come from a culture that has had a different

approach to the study of magic within an already

existent standard world. It is relatively easy to

assume that a culture separated from the

mainstream of a fantasy world might develop a

magical metaphysics that approached arcane theory

from a chromatic perspective rather than an

elemental or effect-based one.

are available in the “Unlikely Heroes: The Mystic”

character class. Please feel free to ignore the 0 level

spell for domains if you do not want to use that

option in your game world. If you do choose to use

this option, you should grant an extra 0 level spell

slot to clerics that must be chosen from the relevant

domain spells, as per the domain bonus spell rules. I

have included two levels of Domain power, the base

level available to clerics that might choose the

domain, and the advanced power that is available to

Mystics and classes such as the Unmaker. Feel free

to use or ignore this extra information at your whim.

In the Players Handbook, spells are

classified by School, Sub-School and Descriptor.

Here is the text of the information about this

categorization system copied in from the System

Reference Document for reference:

Almost every spell belongs to one of eight schools of

magic. A school of magic is a group of related spells that work in

similar ways. A small number of spells (arcane mark, limited

wish, permanency, prestidigitation, and wish) are universal,

belonging to no school.

Appearing on the same line as the school and sub-

school, when applicable, is a descriptor that further categorizes

the spell in some way. Some spells have more than one

descriptor.

The descriptors are acid, air, chaotic, cold, darkness,

death, earth, electricity, evil, fear, fire, force, good, language-

dependent, lawful, light, mind-affecting, sonic, and water.

Most of these descriptors have no game effect by

themselves, but they govern how the spell interacts with other

spells, with special abilities, with unusual creatures, with

alignment, and so on.

Each of the new schools (the Colours in

other words) is sub-divided into 3 sub sections, or

“spheres”. Spheres are in essence Sub-schools and

Descriptors wrapped into one. Note that focusing on

a sphere has no in game effect with the standard

character classes. Some GMs may choose to use an

optional rule of giving a bonus to Sorcerers that

learn all the spells in a particular domain and colour

in exclusion of granting them the base domain or

even the advanced domain powers of the Domain of

Dynamics as an added incentive for specialising.

The Colour Orange

To incorporate the Colours into your

existing campaign, first simply allocate the colours

to deities, so in the case of Orange, deities of chaos,

destruction or transformation might have influence

over the Orange domains of Aberrance, Entropy and

Metamorph. Then allow Specialist Wizards to

choose a Colour as their primary school. The colours

are opposed to each other in the following manner

by default, but please feel free to add in your own

chromatic oppositional restrictions:

Spectrum Shift

Chromatic Magic is a reclassification of the

base spells from the standard rules using a different

school system. All spells are given a school, or

Colour. The basic descriptors of spells do not

change. Only a few of their effects are modified to fit

in with this reclassification. The schools and sub-

schools do change. The effect of this alteration to the

magic system is simple and subtle, but it has a very

powerful follow-on effect to the nature of the game

world that it might be included in. In particular

there are fundamental effects upon specialist

Wizards, and there may (if you choose to go that far)

be effects upon clerical magic, or even the existence

of any of the standard spellcasting classes.

Basically this is the name I gave to a d20

rules modification that I came up with for a game

universe I ran for my friends in 2004. I twisted the

magic system, the base character classes and

alignments, and took out the classic fantasy races,

adding in a few archetypes of my own. It was a lot

of fun to do, so I wanted to share these ideas.

Red (energy) ÅÆ Indigo (thought)

Blue (pattern) ÅÆ Orange (disorder)

White (divine) ÅÆ Black (mundane)

Yellow (life) ÅÆ Purple (death)

Green (nature) ÅÆ Brown (artifice)

Grey (form) ÅÆ Chrome (function)

In the Spectrum Shift system, all domains

are given a 0 level spell. If you are interested in

finding out what 0 level spells are allocated to the

basic domains out of the Player’s Handbook, they

For ease of use, the complete list of Blue

spells is shown after the Orange Spell descriptions

on page 20. These should be prohibited to an

Orange specialist.

The Sphere of Aberrance

Aberrance is deviation from the norm.

This sphere is classic chaos, where order has

given way to the incomprehensible, and

nothing is certain. The spells that Aberrance

holds sway over are ones that are strange

alterations upon that which is, manipulating

fate or chance, or the natural order. Curses,

people coming back from the dead in other

forms, plants moving as animals or even

inanimate objects coming to life all fit into this

very peculiar sphere. Those who summon forth

the power of Aberrance do so at their own risk,

for it is a power not altogether predictable; it is

the very opposite of wholesome and orderly.

Table Orange 1 All Aberrance Spells

Spell Name

The base domain power for Aberrance

allows the devotee to Summon Chaos into their

body. This is a free action to initiate that lasts

class level rounds, and can only be done once

per day. While the effect remains, any weapon

or person doing damage to the devotee must

roll a DC10+class level fortitude save or suffer

1d4+class level damage from chaos backlash.

The advanced domain ability for

Aberrance allows projection of a Sphere of

Disorder as a free action, for a number of

rounds per day as class levels. These rounds of

effect need not be consecutive. The sphere has a

radius of 5’ per class level, emanating from the

devotee, and has the effect of causing all to

become Staggered as if they had sustained non

lethal damage to reduce their hit points to zero

for as long as the Sphere is active, unless they

make a fortitude save vs. DC 10 + Class level.

Level

Open/Close

Animate Rope

Entangle

Grease

Rope Trick

Spider Climb

Warp Wood

Spike Growth

Bestow Curse

E.'s Black Tentacles

Reincarnate

Wall of Thorns

Animate Objects

An Aberrance specialist is likely to be a

very strange individual. The kind of person

that would take the time to try to master (but

not understand) the mysteries of this sphere is

likely to be as chaotic as the powers they are

granted. One thing is certain of specialists in

Aberrance: expect the unexpected. The spells

are few, but varied in scope and power.

Repel Wood

Eyebite

Reverse Gravity

Maze

A deity that grants power over

Aberrance is as likely to be a mindless lump of

semi-animate chaos at the heart of the universe

as a thinking god of fate or chance. This

domain is the playground of unpredictable and

unnatural forces. Clerics worshipping chaos,

disorder, chance, or freedom are likely to

choose this domain. They are likely to be in

opposition to the forces of Blue, which focuses

on understanding the mysteries rather than

evoking them without comprehension or fear

of the consequences.

Table Orange 2 Aberrance Domain

Spell Name

Level

Open/Close

The Domain of Aberrance

Entangle

Spider Climb

The Domain of Aberrance is uncertainty

manifest. It is different to the domain of Chaos

in principle, in that Chaos focuses upon people

and entities that are aligned toward or against

chaos whereas Aberrance is involved with the

actual effects that chaos may manifest. It is anti-

intellectual in scope and ability.

Spike Growth

Bestow Curse

Wall of Thorns

Animate Objects

Eyebite

Reverse Gravity

Maze

The Sphere of Entropy

Unlike Aberrance, Entropy is not

exactly a chaotic force. Entropy is the state at

which all matter reaches its most inactive and

stable equilibrium. As most matter is in fact in a

high-energy state, entropy can be seen by the

ignorant as a force of utter destruction, but in

fact it is not that at all. It is the ultimate

stabilizing force, reducing everything to the

lowest common denominator. Entropy seeks

heat death, the absence of activity and the

reduction of everything to its most basic and

simple parts.

Table Orange 3 All Entropy Spells

Spell Name

value by 50%, and repair attempts have a

negative modifier on the Craft skill roll equal to

twice the damage done. Note: attacks on

weapons attract an attack of opportunity in

combat.

Level

Acid Splash

Doom

Entropic Shield

Knock

Example: The character uses their lesser

Rusting Grasp on an opponent’s longsword.

The opponent gets an attack of opportunity

against the spellcaster, then the spellcaster

must hit the weapon with a touch attack.

Assuming success, the longsword’s hardness is

10 and hit points are 5. The power bypasses the

Hardness, and does 1d6 hit points of damage to

the sword. If this does only 2 points, the sale

value of the weapon is reduced by 50% and

craft rolls to repair the weapon are at -4.

M.'s Acid Arrow

Shatter

Contagion

Freedom of Movement

Poison

Rusting Grasp

Blight

It is, in truth, a lot like utter destruction.

But there is more to it than that. This is a sphere

of undoing, unmaking and manifesting the

effects of age and time.

Cloudkill

Acid Fog

Disintegrate

Destruction

Storm of Vengeance

Manipulating the forces of entropy is

usually done with one idea in mind: wrecking

things. There is a little more to this sphere than

destroying, though. Anything that increases

entropy by reducing structure, lowering

complexity or increasing disorder has a place

here. Life itself is one of the few counter-

entropic things in the universe, so there are

more than a few lethal spells to play with...

The advanced domain power for

Entropy is Acid Resistance of 15 points.

The base domain power for Entropy is

the ability to use a lesser Rusting / Caustic

Grasp ability for one use per day per class level,

as a spell like action. The character can cause

1d6 hit points of damage with one touch attack

to flesh or ferrous based material, bypassing

hardness damage resistance. If the character

should target an object, use the normal object

damage rules from the DMG and PH, with the

exception of non-magical Armour or Shields,

which are automatically reduced by 1 AC

effective defence per successful attack with this

power. Each hit with this ability that does not

destroy a non-magical item reduces its effective

Table Orange 4 Entropy Domain

Spell Name

Level

Acid Splash

Entropic Shield

Shatter

Contagion

Rusting Grasp

The Domain of Entropy

Blight

Acid Fog

Gods of endings, time, chaos, and

destruction are likely to have Entropy as a

chosen domain.

Disintegrate

Destruction

Storm of Vengeance

The Sphere of MetaMorph

Mutability of form and shape is the

focus of the Metamorph sphere. From the base

abilities that allow a temporary change of size,

to the greatest powers of shape-shifting or

transformation of matter, this area of Orange

magic has wide applicability and effect

Specialists in this area learn about the differing

natures of the material, and master the capacity

of magic to manipulate the differing layers so

as to bend them to one’s will.

Table Orange 5 All Metamorph Spells

Spell Name

their threatened area, as well as allowing them

to fit through any space large enough to

accommodate their skull, providing they move

at a rate of no more than 10’ per round. Note

that the movement aspects of this power can

only be manifest if the caster is wearing Light

or no Armour, and it provides a +6 synergy

bonus to the Escape skill when being used.

Level

Reduce Person

Enlarge Person

Soften Earth and Stone

Reduce animal

Shrink Item

Enlarge Person, Mass

Polymorph

The advanced domain power for

Metamorph grants the ability to absorb the

form of any material or creature touched once

per day for a number of rounds equal to class

level. This is equivalent to a polymorph self

spell, with the limitation that the character

must touch the creature or object, and in the

instance that an inanimate object is touched, the

character has the option of becoming either an

Animated Item (as the creature type) or an

Elemental of their size (as the elemental type).

Reduce Person, Mass

Animal Growth

The Metamorphic sphere has an

extensive repertoire of spells. For the most part

they are miscellaneous or occasionally offensive

in effect, with few if any defensive abilities. Of

the specialists in Orange magic, those that learn

the art of this sphere are most likely to be

rational and scientific individuals. The power

of this sphere can seen as mastery over the

limitations of matter, and is thus an avenue for

a mortal magician to gain control over their

environment. It can allow wizards to put their

own stamp of order on the universe.

Baleful Polymorph

Transmute Mud to Rock

Transmute Rock to Mud

Flesh to Stone

Stone to Flesh

Transmute Metal to Wood

Polymorph Any Object

Shapechange

The Domain of Metamorph

Table Orange 6 Metamorph Domain

Spell Name

Level

As with the other Spheres of Orange,

Metamorph is favoured by chaotic deities. It

also has applicability for entities of shape-

shifting, deities of magic, transformation, birth,

the earth, plants and animals.

Reduce Person

Some might seek to use this style of

magic for the transformative power of the

philosopher’s stone: making gold from lead.

Others could aim to gain mastery over their

own form: allowing them to slip from the

limitations of being held to one shape. Orange

magic’s transformative energy is complex and

risky to master, but holds great benefit for any

that succeed in controlling the chaotic power.

Enlarge Person

Soften Earth and Stone

Shrink Item

Polymorph

The base domain power for Metamorph

is the ability to make one’s body slightly

mutable in form for a number of rounds per

day equal to class level. This is a free action. It

increases the character’s reach by 5’, widening

Baleful Polymorph

Flesh to Stone

Transmute Metal to Wood

Polymorph Any Object

Shapechange

d20 Plot Device Colours of Magic - Orange.pdf

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