From: Abyssal Shard
Lore: Chaotic Bolt Scrolls are ancient artifacts of immense power, created by those who sought to harness the volatile energies of chaos and lightning. The recipe for these scrolls is said to have been discovered by a reclusive order of sages known as the Stormweavers, who dedicated their lives to studying and manipulating the forces of storms and chaos. The Abyssal Shard serves as a catalyst in the creation of these scrolls, infusing them with its chaotic essence and imbuing them with unpredictable effects when unleashed.
Use: Chaotic Bolt Scrolls are activated by individuals who possess the ability to tap into arcane magic. When activated, the scrolls unleash bolts of chaotic lightning that arc towards enemies, inflicting damage and causing disruption. The scrolls have the potential to induce random effects upon their targets, such as paralysis or confusion, due to the chaotic nature of the lightning. This makes them both formidable offensive tools and a source of uncertainty, as their effects cannot be precisely controlled.
Tier 1 Stats:
- Damage: Inflicts 1d6+1 lightning damage upon a successful hit.
- Random Effects: Has a 25% chance of causing a random effect upon the target, such as paralysis, confusion, or temporary vulnerability to lightning damage.
Skills:
- Arcana: Allows the character to successfully activate and wield the Chaotic Bolt Scrolls, channeling the chaotic lightning safely and effectively.
- Spellcasting: Enables the character to utilize the scrolls as part of their spellcasting abilities, effectively incorporating them into their combat strategy.
Preparation: Creating Chaotic Bolt Scrolls requires skilled scribes or mages well-versed in the arcane arts. The process involves carefully inscribing arcane symbols and incantations onto Arcane Parchment using specialized inks and quills. The following ingredients are combined during the inscribing process: Abyssal Shard (1), Arcane Parchment (1), Stormvine Essence (3 drops), Lightning Quartz (1), and Essence of Unraveling (1 vial). These ingredients must be precisely incorporated into the scrolls to ensure their proper functioning and chaotic effects. Once created, the scrolls are sealed with a protective wax or enchanted sigils to preserve their power.
Cost: Due to the rare nature of the Abyssal Shard, the craftsmanship involved in creating the scrolls, and their potent effects, Chaotic Bolt Scrolls are highly valued and sought after by adventurers, mages, and collectors. The price of a single scroll can vary depending on factors such as the availability of ingredients, the skill of the scribe, and the demand in the market. As a rough estimate, a Chaotic Bolt Scroll might cost around 100 to 200 gold pieces per scroll.
Tags: Consumable, Lightning Damage, Random Effects, Unpredictable Magic, Rare, Lightning Infusion, Arcane Catalysts, Elemental Chaos, Disruptive Energies, High Volatility, Spellcraft Relics, Charged Scrollwork, Unstable Arcana, Battle-ready Scrolls, Elemental Discharge
The Chaotic Bolt Scrolls, with their potent and unpredictable effects, are highly sought after by those who seek to wield the powers of chaos and lightning. Here’s more information on where and how the recipe is sold, as well as its usage and the environments in which the scrolls are employed:
Sale and Acquisition:
- Arcane Relic Merchants: Specialized vendors dealing in rare and powerful magical artifacts, relics, and scrolls are likely to possess the Chaotic Bolt Scrolls or the recipe for their creation. These merchants can be found in prestigious magical marketplaces, ancient arcane libraries, or traveling fairs dedicated to rare and unique magical items. Acquiring the recipe may require substantial payment or the completion of a challenging quest or task to prove one’s worth.
- Hidden Enclaves of Stormweavers: The Stormweavers, the order of sages who discovered the recipe for the Chaotic Bolt Scrolls, guard their secrets closely. Characters may need to locate their hidden enclaves, which are often situated in storm-laden regions or within the depths of dangerous and chaotic elemental planes. Gaining access to these enclaves might involve proving one’s dedication to the study of storms or negotiating with the Stormweavers for the knowledge or scrolls.
- Black Market Occult Auctions: The Chaotic Bolt Scrolls occasionally make their way into secretive black market occult auctions. These shadowy gatherings attract collectors, wealthy nobles, and individuals involved in the darker side of magic. Characters might need to navigate the murky world of underground auctions, gather information about upcoming events, or engage in discreet dealings to acquire the scrolls or the recipe.
Usage and Environment: Chaotic Bolt Scrolls are primarily used in situations that require destructive and unpredictable magical attacks. Here are some scenarios in which the scrolls’ usage and the environments in which they are employed come into play:
- Battle Against Tough Adversaries: The Chaotic Bolt Scrolls are particularly effective against enemies with high defenses or resistances. The unpredictable nature of the scrolls’ effects makes them capable of bypassing conventional defenses and causing disruptive outcomes. Characters can use the scrolls to unleash chaotic lightning upon their foes, inflicting damage and potentially debilitating them with random effects.
- Exploration of Elemental Storms: The scrolls find great utility in environments rife with elemental storms or chaotic energies. When delving into realms of raw elemental power or navigating treacherous storm-laden territories, characters can employ the scrolls to harness and control the chaotic lightning, granting them an offensive advantage while remaining attuned to the unpredictable environment.
- Magical Duels and Competitions: In arenas of magical combat, such as duels or competitions, the Chaotic Bolt Scrolls can be employed to surprise opponents and gain an upper hand. Their unpredictable effects add an element of surprise and strategic uncertainty to battles, making them highly valued by arcane duelists seeking to showcase their prowess and defeat opponents with unexpected outcomes.
- Rituals and Arcane Experiments: The Chaotic Bolt Scrolls may also play a role in specific magical rituals or experiments that require the manipulation of chaotic energies or the infusion of unpredictable elements. Characters with knowledge of the scrolls’ properties can incorporate them into rituals to enhance or alter their effects, taking advantage of the scrolls’ volatile nature.
Tale of the Stormweaver’s Chaos
Once in the days when the skies wept fire and the earth trembled with secrets, there existed a cloister of wise ones known as the Stormweavers. It is said they dwelled atop a cliff that pierced the heavens, where clouds swirled endlessly and thunder sang the songs of ancient chaos. These wise ones sought neither glory nor riches but the mastery of storm and chaos, for they believed that only through chaos could true harmony emerge.
Among them was one called Eldrass, the Most Spirited Weaver. Eldrass, in his zeal to unearth the core of the storm’s fury, descended into the Abyss with naught but his staff and a heart brimming with ambition. Deep within the shadowed chasms, he uncovered the Abyssal Shard—a fragment of the very chaos that birthed the storms themselves.
Eldrass returned to his cloister with the shard, declaring that it would be a key to unlocking the secrets of the storm’s unbridled power. The other Stormweavers, wary of the shard’s dark pulse, pleaded with him to destroy it. Yet Eldrass, entranced by its potential, ignored their warnings and began crafting scrolls etched with symbols drawn from both the winds and the Abyss.
It was said that the first Chaotic Bolt Scroll Eldrass unleashed tore asunder the sky, hurling bolts of wild lightning across the heavens. But with its power came calamity. The bolts danced unpredictably, striking the unprepared and the undeserving alike. One struck the earth, causing the waters to boil and the land to scream. Another struck the cloister, shattering their great spire and scattering the Stormweavers to the winds.
Realizing too late the folly of his ambition, Eldrass sought to seal the knowledge of the Chaotic Bolt Scrolls. Yet, the scrolls he had created could not be unmade, for the chaos they contained had already been unleashed into the world. Eldrass vanished into the storm, his body never found, his name carried away by the winds he had sought to command.
The Chaotic Bolt Scrolls, scattered across the lands, became a legacy of both wonder and woe. Some who found them wielded their power to turn the tide of battles, while others unleashed destruction upon friend and foe alike.
Moral of the Story: To command chaos is to walk a perilous path, for what is unbridled cannot be tamed, and the seeker of unrestrained power may find their own ruin in its tempest.
Suggested conversions to other systems:
Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)
Chaotic Bolt Scroll
- Type: Mythos Artifact
- Description: A single-use scroll imbued with chaotic energies that unleashes bolts of unpredictable lightning.
- Effects: Upon activation, the scroll casts a bolt of chaotic lightning toward a target.
- Range: 20 yards
- Damage: 1d8 electrical damage
- Unpredictable Effect: Roll 1d6 after activation:
- 1-2: Target is stunned for 1 round.
- 3-4: Nearby electronics malfunction or explode.
- 5-6: The caster suffers 1d4 Sanity loss due to chaotic feedback.
- Requirements: Requires an INT roll to activate successfully. Failure results in a misfire, causing the lightning to arc unpredictably (roll 1d6 for a random nearby target).
- Mythos Knowledge: Prolonged use can result in psychological instability. Regular users must make a Sanity check after every 3 uses.
Blades in the Dark
Chaotic Bolt Scroll
- Type: Arcane Item
- Use: One-time use
- Effect: Unleashes a bolt of chaotic lightning at a chosen target.
- Position/Effect: Controlled/Standard (can change based on the situation).
- Damage: Level 3 harm if successful. Nearby entities may suffer reduced harm (Level 1) due to residual energy.
- Unpredictable Effect: Roll 1d4:
- 1: Target is momentarily blinded by the flash.
- 2: Nearby equipment malfunctions or sparks.
- 3: The caster takes 1 stress from backlash.
- 4: A random nearby object is struck.
- Special Notes: Requires attunement to the arcane to activate. Scrolls of this kind attract the attention of supernatural forces.
Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)
Chaotic Bolt Scroll
- Wondrous Item, Uncommon (Consumable)
- Use: As an action, a creature can read the scroll to unleash a chaotic bolt.
- Range: 60 feet
- Attack: Make a ranged spell attack (+5 to hit).
- Damage: 3d6 lightning damage on a hit.
- Random Effect: Roll a d6.
- 1-2: Target is paralyzed until the end of its next turn.
- 3-4: Target emits a loud crackling noise, giving creatures within 10 feet advantage on attacks against it until the end of their next turn.
- 5-6: The caster takes 1d6 lightning damage as chaotic energy recoils.
- Requirements: Requires a spellcasting ability to use. The scroll is destroyed after one use.
Knave
Chaotic Bolt Scroll
- Type: Consumable Magic Scroll
- Effect: Activates to release a bolt of chaotic lightning.
- Range: 50 feet
- Damage: 1d8 damage to the target and 1d4 damage to a random adjacent creature (including allies).
- Unpredictable Effect: Roll a d6:
- 1: Target is stunned for 1 round.
- 2: A random object within 10 feet of the caster explodes.
- 3: Caster gains a chaotic surge, losing 1 hit point but gaining a bonus to their next attack roll.
- 4-6: Normal effect, no additional chaos.
- Requirements: Use of this scroll requires an INT check. Failure results in the caster being affected instead.
Fate
Chaotic Bolt Scroll
- Type: Consumable Item (Single Use)
- Aspects:
- “Unpredictable Power of Chaos”
- “Lightning That Knows No Boundaries”
- Use: Spend a Fate Point to activate the scroll. Roll to attack a target within one zone.
- Effect:
- Success: Deal 4 shifts of electrical damage to the target.
- Fail: Chaos lashes back, inflicting a Mild Consequence on the user (e.g., “Overcharged Nerves”).
- Chaotic Effect: Invoke the scroll’s Aspect to create an additional complication (e.g., nearby equipment malfunctions or lightning arcs to unintended targets).
- Notes: The scroll is consumed after use, and any consequences caused must be resolved.
Numenera & Cypher System
Chaotic Bolt Scroll
- Level: 5
- Usable By: Adepts or characters trained in magic or ancient technologies.
- Activation: Takes 1 action to activate.
- Effect: Releases a chaotic bolt of lightning.
- Damage: Inflicts 10 points of electrical damage to the primary target.
- Random Effect: Roll a d100 (50% chance of a secondary effect):
- 01-25: Secondary target within 10 feet takes 4 points of damage.
- 26-50: Target becomes dazed for 1 round.
- 51-75: Nearby devices short-circuit.
- 76-100: The user loses 2 Intellect points due to chaotic feedback.
- Crafting/Cost: Requires Abyssal Shard as a catalyst and a week of crafting. Value: 300 shins.
Pathfinder (2nd Edition)
Chaotic Bolt Scroll
- Consumable Item, Rare
- Type: Scroll (Evocation)
- Price: 250 gp
- Usage: 1 action (Cast a Spell, consumed on use)
- Spell Effect: Chaotic Bolt
- Range: 60 feet
- Attack Roll: +10 (ranged spell attack)
- Damage: 3d6 electricity damage to one target.
- Chaotic Effect: Roll 1d4 for an additional effect:
- 1: Target is stunned 1.
- 2: Target emits chaotic sparks, granting adjacent creatures +1 to hit the target for 1 round.
- 3: The caster takes 1d6 electricity damage from a chaotic backlash.
- 4: A random nearby object (GM’s discretion) is damaged.
- Crafting Requirements: Craft Magic Item feat, Abyssal Shard, and Stormbound Ink.
Savage Worlds
Chaotic Bolt Scroll
- Type: Magic Item (Single Use)
- Effect: Activating the scroll casts a bolt of chaotic lightning at a target.
- Power: Bolt
- Damage: 3d6 lightning damage.
- Range: 12/24/48
- Random Effect: Roll a d6.
- 1: The target is Shaken and takes an additional 1d6 lightning damage.
- 2: Sparks fly, causing one adjacent target to take 1d6 damage.
- 3-4: Normal effect.
- 5: The user takes a level of Fatigue from chaotic feedback.
- 6: A random environmental effect occurs (e.g., a nearby object is struck or catches fire).
- Activation Roll: Requires an Arcane Skill roll. A failure results in a Wild Magic effect determined by the GM.
- Cost: 200 credits or equivalent resources.
Shadowrun
Chaotic Bolt Scroll
- Type: Single-Use Magical Consumable
- Activation: Simple Action, Magic skill test (Threshold 3).
- Effect: Casts a bolt of chaotic lightning at a target.
- Range: Line of Sight.
- Damage: 8P Electrical Damage (ignores 2 points of armor).
- Secondary Effect: Roll 1d6:
- 1-2: Target suffers -2 penalty to their next action (stunned by chaotic energy).
- 3-4: Nearby electronics glitch, causing a temporary -2 dice pool penalty for electronic actions in a 3-meter radius.
- 5-6: Target takes an additional 2 Stun damage from feedback.
- Drain Value: F/2 + 2 (Force divided by 2, rounded up).
- Cost: 1,500¥.
Starfinder
Chaotic Bolt Scroll
- Item Level: 5
- Price: 2,000 credits
- Usage: Single-use magic scroll (consumed upon activation).
- Casting Time: Standard Action.
- Effect:
- Range: 60 feet.
- Target: One creature or object.
- Damage: 4d6 electrical damage.
- Chaotic Surge: Roll a d4 for a secondary effect:
- 1: Target becomes flat-footed for 1 round.
- 2: Nearby electronics within a 10-foot radius malfunction for 1 round.
- 3: An ally within 20 feet heals 1d6 Stamina Points due to the chaotic energy.
- 4: A random piece of nonmagical gear within 10 feet is damaged (Reflex DC 15 negates).
- Skill Check: Mysticism DC 20 to activate. Failure triggers a wild surge, causing 1d6 damage to the caster.
Traveller
Chaotic Bolt Scroll
- Type: Arcane Artifact (Single Use).
- Effect: Activating the scroll releases an arc of chaotic lightning.
- Range: 20 meters.
- Damage: 2d6 energy damage (ignores armor).
- Secondary Effect: Roll 1d6:
- 1-2: Target suffers -2 DM to all actions for 1 round.
- 3-4: Sparks disrupt electronics in a 5-meter radius for 1d3 rounds.
- 5-6: The user suffers 1d6 damage from chaotic feedback.
- Activation Roll: Science (Magic) or Electronics (Computers) 10+ to use successfully.
- Cost/Value: 10,000 Credits.
Warhammer (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay or Age of Sigmar: Soulbound)
Chaotic Bolt Scroll
- Type: Arcane Consumable (Rare).
- Activation: Cast using a Channeling Test (Average +0).
- Effect:
- Range: 24 yards.
- Damage: 1d10+3 Electrical Damage with Penetrating (ignores 2 Armor points).
- Chaotic Disruption: Roll a d6:
- 1: Target suffers Stunned Condition for 1 round.
- 2-3: Target is Wracked with Pain, suffering -10 penalty to all actions until the next round.
- 4-5: Nearby objects are struck with chaotic lightning, causing 1d10 damage to a random object.
- 6: The caster gains a Corruption Point from chaotic feedback.
- Cost: 150 gold crowns.