Wild Energy
Using wild energy to channel spells is dangerous yet expands the range of energy types for channeling spells. Each time a spell is channeled when using a wild channeling skill, using an untrained channeling skill, channeling with a conduit you’re not melded with, or channeling a spell using a different energy type other than the spells indicated energy your body is affected by an energy surge. So, if you have an educated Gaia skill and decide to channel Daggers of Time but don’t want to over channel due to your Chrono skill being untrained, you can decide to use Gaia energy instead. However, this will cause an energy surge to happen, which will negatively affect your character. How your character is negatively affected depends on the energy type.
The ways to use wild energy do not stack on each other. The effects are one per channeled spell.
Ways to Use Wild Energy
Energy Surge
Religious/spiritual people believe that an energy surge is a curse placed upon those who experiment with the energy of the gods. While others understand it as a curse caused from breaking the laws of the universe. Regardless of what is believed, an energy surge is a curse and, therefore, can be cursed in the same way.
Each energy will alter your character’s body differently every time an energy surge happens. For example, Gaia energy causes nature to grow out of your body, while Necrosis causes your body to rot. The more times you use wild energy, the worse the surges become. However, the area of the body that each energy surge affects is determined at random. A d20 is rolled to determine which part of your character’s body is affected each time an energy surge happens.
Energy Surge Limits
Each area of the body has a limit on how many surges it can withstand before it causes irreversible damaged or death. When limbs reach their limits, they become consumed by the energy and are removed. Limbs removed by wild energy cannot be regrown through herbal means (i.e. Apocrium). Remaining limbless or using steam mail are the only options available. If your head or torso reaches their limits, the character dies and cannot be revived.
All energy surge limits are based on the character’s vitality. The head can withstand surges equal to vitality divided by three; the torso is also divided by three, but gains one to its limit. All limbs have half the character’s vitality as their surge limit.
Vitality / 3 = head energy surge limit
(Vitality / 3) + 1 = torso energy surge limit
Vitality / 2 = limb energy surge limit
Energy surge count = head/torso surge limit = death (no revive)
Energy surge count = limb surge limit = limb is removed
Regardless of the energy type used, energy surges per area of the body stack. So, if you have a Gaia and Chrono surge on your right arm, that counts as two surges towards that body part’s limit. On the character sheet, there is a designated spot to keep track of which energy was used to tell how many surges you have per area.
Energy Surge Effects
As mentioned before, every energy type has their own effect that happens when your body is affected by an energy surge. Since the surges stack regardless of which energy used, the visual aspects also stack deforming the area of the body by combining the visual effects.
One major component of using wild energy is that it alters your mental state. The realization that your body is being deformed and changed by the energy you channel has strong negative effects against your psyche. For every three energy surges, you receive your insanity stage increases by one.
3 energy surges = +1 insanity stage
Chrono
Chrono energy leads to rapid aging in certain areas of the body. The skin becomes wrinkled, age spots and discoloration forms as joints ache. When the body part has reached its limit, it shrivels up, breaking off and turning to dust.
Elemental (Air)
Air energy causes the body part to look as if it has eroded away because of extreme winds over a long period. Once the area reaches its limit, it erodes away to dust and blows away in a gust of wind.
Elemental (Earth)
Earth energy causes the affected part of the body to turn to stone the more surges that are applied. If earth energy is the final surge to cause the body part to become permanently petrified and fall off.
Elemental (Fire)
The body part affected always feels warm both to the touch and an internal warmth. The surface of the area turns red as it bubbles and blisters from the heat. When it reaches its limit, the area bursts into flames before burning out.
Elemental (Frost)
The more frost energy used, the more the area of the body turns into ice. Once the surge limit for the area is reached, the body part turns completely into ice and shatters.
Elemental (Lightning)
Lightning energy leave streaks of shard and burnt flesh on the body part. Internally, there is a feeling as if a pulse of electricity is flowing back and forth. The more surges the area has, the darker and more scared it becomes until it reaches its limit and erupts in an electrified explosion.
Elemental (Water)
As more and more water energy is used, the part of the body turns into a liquid form of itself. Once the limit has been reached, the body part detaches and splashes to the ground.
Force
The body part becomes contorted as if an extreme force is pushing yet also pulling on it. Once the area has reached its limit, the body part implodes and falls off, leaving only a tiny crushed and deformed version.
Gaia
For every surge, nature grows from the body part. The type of nature can be anything like vines, mini trees, branches, grass, roots, etc. The more energy surges, the more the area becomes completely covered. Once the area has reached its limit, it detaches from the main body and plants itself into the ground. It then grows into a tree, bunch of vines, or other similar aspect of nature.
Necrosis
The affected body part develops dark spots of rot and decay. When the surge limit is reached, the body part completely rots away.
Photonic
As more photonic energy is used, the body part either glows, turning into pure light; or absorbs light, becoming black and darkened, turning into pure darkness. The limb will either turn into light and disappear or turn dark and vanish.
Psionic
Psionic energy causes the body part to appear blurry and transparent, as if hard to make out. When moving, it produces a blurry afterimage as if displaced from reality. The body part that reaches the energy surge limit will vanish completely by becoming transparent. The missing limb feels as if you don’t remember ever having it to begin with. Dying from this type of energy surge causes you to no longer exist in the memories of those who previously knew of you.
Transmutation
Transmutation surges are one of the more disturbing and grotesque energy surge effects. The body part is mutated and deformed, often growing other smaller dead body parts until the entire area is consumed with mutation. When the limit is reached the body, part rips itself free from the main body and attempts to crawl off before dying and turning to a pile of deformed tissue.
Removing Energy Surges
There are ways to counter energy surges, as energy doesn’t always flow together. Each type of energy has an opposite energy. The opposing energies counter each other, especially when used as wild energy. For example, Gaia and Necrosis energy are opposites of each other and cancel out each other’s energy surge.
Using the opposite energy as wild energy can cause energy surges to reverse their effects, provided the same area of the body that is already affected is rolled.
Transmutation vs. Elemental
Transmutation and elemental are unique types of energy. When channeling transmutation spells write down the spell that caused the energy surge, as the element that is closest to the spells effects is the opposite energy type. For example, the spell Intoxicate would be cancelled by an elemental water energy surge. Likewise, Flying Earth Carpet would be cancelled by an elemental earth energy surge.
Other Ways to Remove Surges
Opposed Wild Energy
Channeling the opposite energy of the surge cancels each other out. Removing the surge with this method has no guarantee as the area of the body is randomly selected.
Purify Spell
Removed one surge of the channelers’ choosing but must use the opposing energy of the surge.
Temple Services
If you are not willing to gamble with using opposing energy types, you can always visit the local temple to have surges removed for a price. Each temple only removes energy surges connected to their deity (i.e. Necrosis temple can remove Gaia surges and vice versa).
