Editing Ancient Domains of Mystery (section)

=== Corruption ===
The forces of Chaos that have infiltrated Ancardia corrupt both the surrounding landscape and occasionally the [[player character|player's character]], causing mutations, such as antennae or a tail growing, alteration of existing body features or gaining (often involuntary) magical abilities. Some mutations are helpful, while others make the game much harder; many have elements of both. Players need to be resourceful and adaptable due to the randomness of these mutations. While there are limited opportunities in the game to mitigate or remove corruption effects, taking too long to close the Chaos gate causes the corruption rate to increase dramatically. After becoming fully corrupted, the game ends, as the character has become a "writhing mass of primal chaos". The chaotic ending requires the character to be almost fully corrupted.

Besides background corruption, some powerful chaotic artifacts can cause the character to become corrupted merely by carrying them. Other less powerful chaotic artifacts only corrupt when actively invoked or wielded. Generally, most artifacts and magic items are safe to carry and use, and only the most powerful items affect corruption rates.