Chapter Five: CHAOS SLAVES Chaositechnician

Chaos Slaves

Kail spoke to the advancing mutants.“Look,I am a servant ofchaos,sent here by the high priest Mevalkris.” A voice came from the ebon bonds ofthe darkness around him.“Our master has other plans for you.” Kail strained to see the speaker.He thought he could make out a thin,hawkish man,clad in tattered robes.Some strange tattooed pattern ran across his flesh.The pattern occasionally flashed with what looked like a bluish bolt ofelectricity.In this bizarre light,Kail saw a diminutive,misshapen creature offlesh and steel at the man’s feet,clinging to the hem ofhis robes like a child.

“Who is your master?” Kail asked him. “We serve as you do,Kail.We are all slaves ofchaos.”

This chapter deals with the people who willingly serve chaos by working with chaositech.It offers two new prestige classes,the chaositechnician and the machine mage.It also provides a template for creatures either modified by chaositech or created entirely by chaositech,plus two additional creature templates:the chaosomaton and the fused aberration.

Chaositechnician

Rarely,a mortal becomes adept at working with chaositech. While most go mad attempting to master the science of chaos,these rare individuals,called chaositechnicians,excel at it.Some still go mad eventually,plying the mysterious and unpredictable stuffofchaos itself,but before they do,many learn to use chaositech the way mages use spells.

Chaositechnicians cannot only use chaositech—and use it better and more efficiently than others—but they can alter it to fit their own needs and create new chaositech devices when they need to.

Chaositechnicians are quick thinking and good with their hands.They frequently carry dozens oftools with them, most ofwhich a nonchaositechnician could not even identify,let alone use.Chaositechnicians come from all walks of life and all professions,except perhaps monks and paladins. Anyone with a chaotic disposition and a good Intelligence can excel at working with chaositech.A high starting Wisdom,representing a good grounding in reality,helps ensure that the character can progress in the class without too much fear ofgoing insane.

Chaositechnicians are frequently loners,although they often dwell in urban areas to keep abreast ofnew sources of chaositech.They frequently garner mysterious reputations, such as “the surgeon in the shadows” who will grant individuals amazing powers for a hefty price.Due to the nature ofthe dangerous materials they work with,as well as the fact that they frequently become mutants in the course oftheir work,many chaositechnicians are fugitives from the law.

Any chaos cult would kill (literally) for a chaositechnician to join its ranks and help provide it with the gifts ofthe Chaos Lords.Most large and powerful cults do have at least one associated chaositechnician.These individuals are rarely the cult leaders (although chaotic clerics make fine chaositechnicians),preferring to stay and work in shadows even deeper than those in which the cult operates.

ClassBase AttackFortitude Reflex Will Spells Per Day/Spells Known or Level Bonus Save Save Save Special Chaositech Combat Bonus Increase

1st +0 +0 +0 +2 Chaositech affinity +1 level ofexisting class or +1 attack 2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 Tinker,resist insanity — 3rd +2 +1 +1 +3 Chaositech stabilization +1 level ofexisting class or +1 damage 4th +3 +1 +1 +4 Surgical healing (1d8) — 5th +3 +1 +1 +4 Jury rig chaositech (1st level) +1 level ofexisting class or +1 attack 6th +4 +2 +2 +5 Surgical healing (2d8), — rapid tinker 7th +5 +2 +2 +5 Jury rig chaositech (2nd level) +1 level ofexisting class or +1 damage 8th +6 +2 +2 +6 Surgical healing (4d8),jury — rig chaositech (3rd level) 9th +6 +3 +3 +6 Jury rig chaositech (4th level) +1 level ofexisting class or +1 attack 10th +7 +3 +3 +7 Surgical healing (6d8),jury +1 level ofexisting class or +1 damage rig chaositech (5th level)

CHAOSITECHNICIAN

Note: The chaositechnician is not appropriate for all campaigns.DMs wishing to have chaositech exist only as ancient artifacts or gifts from the gods (the Galchutt) most likely will not want to enable mortals to build their own chaositech devices or manipulate the ones they find.

Hit Die: d8

Requirements

To qualify to become a chaositechnician,a character must fulfill all the following criteria. Alignment: Any chaotic

Craft (Chaositech): 8 ranks Chaos Surgery: 4 ranks Feats: Skill Focus (Craft [chaositech]) Special: The character must have used chaositech

Class Skills

The chaositechnician’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int),Chaos Surgery† (Int), Concentration (Con),Craft (any)(Int),Decipher Script (Int),Disable Device (Int), Heal (Wis),Knowledge (any one skill) (Int),Open Lock (Dex),Profession (any) (Int),Ride (Dex), Search (Int),Use Magical Device (Cha),and Use Rope (Dex).See the Player’s Handbook, Chapter Four,for skill descriptions.

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier

Class Features

All ofthe following are class features of the chaositechnician prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The chaositechnician gains no proficiency in weapons,armor,or shields.

Spells Per Day/Spells Known or Chaositech Combat Bonus Increase:

When a character gains a new,odd-numbered chaositechnician level (plus at 10th level),she gains new spells per day (and spells known,ifapplicable) as ifshe had also gained a level in her previous spellcasting class (ifany). She does not,however,gain any other benefit a character ofthat class would have gained (bonus

metamagic or item creation feats,and so on).Ifa character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a chaositechnician,she must decide which class receives each level of chaositechnician,for the purpose ofdetermining spells per day.

Ifthe character did not have levels in a spellcasting class, she instead gains a +1 competence bonus to either attack rolls or damage rolls made with chaositech weapons ofany kind.

Chaositech Affinity (Ex): The 1st-level chaositechnician gains a +2 competence bonus to Craft (chaositech)† and Chaos Surgery†.

Tinker (Ex): The 2nd-level and higher chaositechnician can take an existing chaositech device and,after 1d4+6 days ofwork,make one ofthe following changes to it: • Double the range • Increase the damage inflicted by +1d6 • Increase the saving throw Difficulty Class by 1 • Double the area affected • Double the duration of an effect

The work requires a Craft (chaositech)† check based on the device’s normal Craft Difficulty Class and materials worth 10 percent ofthe device’s original price. With further applications ofthis ability,the chaositechnician can make more changes,but she cannot make the same change twice to the same device.

Resist Insanity (Ex): The 2nd-level and higher chaositechnician gains a +4 competence bonus to the saving throws she must make when working with chaositech or performing chaos surgery.

Chaositech Stabilization (Ex): The 3rd-level and higher chaositechnician is adept at honing a chaositech device and getting the most out ofit.When chaotic failure occurs in the device,she has a 50 percent chance ofnegating it,allowing the device to function normally.

Surgical Healing (Ex): A 4th-level or higher chaositechnician can make a Chaos Surgery† check (DC 15) to heal a creature of1d8 points ofdamage + 1 point ofdamage per class level.This crude procedure takes 1d4+1 rounds.The chaositechnician can perform this surgery on herselfor others.The subject must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 20) or the healing causes scarring and other minor deformities, resulting in 1 point ofCharisma damage—whether the chaositechnician succeeded with her Chaos Surgery check or not.At 6th level,the chaositechnician can use surgical healing (Chaos Surgery,DC 18) to heal 2d8 points ofdamage + 1 point ofdamage per class level.At 8th level,she can use this technique (Chaos Surgery,DC 20) to heal 4d8 points of damage + 1 point ofdamage per class level;the save for the Charisma damage becomes DC 22.At 10th level,the quick surgery (Chaos Surgery,DC 25) heals 6d8+10 points ofdamage,and the save for the Charisma damage becomes DC 24.

Jury Rig Chaositech (Ex): A 5th-level chaositechnician with at least 500 gp worth ofchaositech materials and components,or a chaositech device worth at least 500 gp,can develop a one-use chaositech device that can replicate the abilities ofany 1st-level spell.This jury-rigging takes 1d4 rounds to complete.Using this ability consumes the materials or original device.Ifthe spell replicated has a costly component,the chaositechnician must add its price to the price ofthe parts needed.Only the chaositechnician can use this device,and it lasts only 24 hours before falling apart.(To make more stable items,she should use the Craft [chaositech]† skill.) Replicated spells use the chaositechnician’s class levels as caster level,and her Intelligence bonus modifies the Difficulty Classes. At 7th level,a chaositechnician can take 750 gp worth ofmaterials to develop a one-use device that replicates the abilities ofa 2nd-level spell.At 8th level,she can use 1,000 gp worth ofmaterial to create a device that mimics a 3rd-level spell.At 9th level, 1,250 gp worth ofmaterials allows her to replicate a 4th-level spell.At 10th level,she can use 1,500 gp ofmaterials to replicate a 5th-level spell.

Rapid Tinker (Ex): At 6th level,the chaositechnician can manipulate a chaositech device to gain one ofthe effects listed under the tinker ability above for one use ofthe device. No additional parts or Craft checks are needed;rapid tinkering takes a full round.The item must be used within one minute ofthe tinkering’s completion,or the item reverts back to normal.The effects ofan item that has already been tinkered with do not stack with the effects ofa rapid tinker.