By Beren Goguen

The concept of a powerful mage driven insane by arcane forces has been around for a while in the world of Dungeons and Dragons (and fantasy in general), but this classic archetype is usually only used as a BBEG.

But why not as playable character class?

Well, that’s about to change. You’re welcome.

Chaos Madmage (Wizard Subclass)

Because the world of Elidir is so unforgiving, you have learned to push your mind and body to the absolute limit in order to survive.

But there is always a price for power.

Note: You must have a chaotic alignment to select this subclass, which also has interactions with the new Poise (and Mania) System.

Embrace Madness

3rd-level Chaos Madmage Feature

Starting when you choose this subclass at level 3, you can draw additional power from your mania. While suffering from mania, add +1 to both your spell attack modifier and spell save DC.

If you are not suffering from mania, you may choose to make and fail a mania check, gaining one extended or indefinite mania (your choice). When rolling percentile dice to determine your mania, you may choose to re-roll. You may only re-roll once per check and must take the result of the re-roll.

Push the Limit

6th-level Chaos Madmage Feature

You can choose to push your mind beyond the normal limits, but at a cost. Use this feature to regain one exhausted spell slot. You immediately lose one Poise per level of the spell slot.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 13th level, you can use Push the Limit twice between rests.

Split Mind

9th-level Chaos Madmage Feature

You can divide your mind into two separate but linked consciousnesses. As a bonus action, you manifest a spectral copy of yourself, which hovers in an unoccupied space of your choice within 50 feet of you. Your spectral copy is intangible, invisible, and doesn’t occupy its space.

While manifested, your spectral copy can hear and see, and it has darkvision with a range of 60 feet. The copy can telepathically share with you what it sees and hears (no action required).

Whenever you cast a wizard spell on your turn, you may cast it as if you were in the spectral copy’s space, instead of your own, using its senses. You can do so a number of times per day equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

As a bonus action, you can cause your spectral copy to teleport up to 50 feet to an unoccupied space that you or it can see.

Your spectral copy stops manifesting if it is ever more than 100 feet away from you, if someone casts dispel magic on it, if you die, or if you dismiss the copy as a bonus action. Once you conjure a copy, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of any level to conjure it again. You can only have one copy summoned at a time.

Insane Visage

13th-level Chaos Madmage Feature

As a bonus action, you temporarily transform your face into a visage of pure chaos and insanity, giving you the following abilities:

Your eyes become black voids
Your voice deepens and booms three times as loud as normal
You have advantage on intimidation rolls

When you first activate this ability, one creature of your choice within 50 feet that can see your face must succeed on a WIS save (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your INT modifier) or be frightened of you for one minute. This effect ends if the creature ends its turn out of line of sight or more than 100 feet away. If the creature succeeds on its saving throw, you can’t use this feature on that creature again for 24 hours.

Your visage ability ends if you die, become incapacitated, or you dismiss it. Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of any level to use it again.

Summon Chaos Elemental

17th-level Chaos Madmage Feature

Once per long rest, as an action, you can expend a spell slot of any level to summon a chaos elemental. You must be suffering some kind of mania to use this feature. It manifests in an unoccupied space that you can see within 50 feet of your location.

The elemental is a manifestation of pure madness and chaos, and can take any medium or large form you choose. The elemental disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or is dismissed by you. It acts as an ally to you and your companions. In combat, the elemental shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It obeys your psychic commands (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any, it takes the Dodge action and uses its move to avoid danger.

Chaos Elemental

Medium elemental

Armor Class: 15 (natural armor)

Hit Points: 80

Speed: 40 ft

STR: 18 (+4)
DEX: 17 (+3)
CON: 17 (+3)
INT: 10 (+0)
WIS: 10 (+0)
CHA: 7 (-1)

Damage Resistances: Psychic

Damage Immunities: Poison

Condition Immunities: exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, unconscious

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 10

Languages: Primordial, understands the languages you speak

Amorphous Form: The elemental can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.

Actions

The elemental makes one slam or chaos orb attack.

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: Your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3d6 +4 force damage and the target is pushed back 10 feet.

Chaos Orb (four uses): The elemental hurls a 6-inch-diameter sphere of chaos energy at a creature it can see within range (90 ft.). Use your spell attack modifier to hit. The creature makes a DEX saving throw, taking 2d10 psychic damage on a fail or half as much on a success. If the creature fails the save, it also becomes frenzied for 1D4 turns. While in a frenzy, the creature’s attacks are made at disadvantage and it suffers -2 AC.

Embrace Chaos with this New Wizard Subclass for 5E DnD