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Concerning the wizard and her spells
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<blockquote data-quote="Edena_of_Neith" data-source="post: 2468240" data-attributes="member: 2020"><p>I get the sarcasm. I understand your point.</p><p></p><p> My opinion is that the best counterargument to power, is power. Thus, the NPCs and the monsters have power - magical, combat worthy, psionic, and otherwise - to match the PCs.</p><p> If the PCs wish to terrorize the civilian population with dazzling displays of magic, they can do so ... but then they must deal with the champions sent by the Lord of the Realm to put an end to them, and those champions have terrifying magic too.</p><p> If the PCs enjoy roasting monsters for breakfast, and blasting them to smithereens for dinner, they should be aware that some of those horrors in that dungeon have spells too ... or special powers, or psionic powers, or ghastly physical attacks. </p><p></p><p> Consider the drow. We all know that the drow are powerful. But did you know just how powerful?</p><p> The drow worship the Demon Queen of Spiders. The drow and spiders are friends. They have been friends for millennia. Because of this, spiders and drow will cooperate. And if they won't cooperate, even mere 1st level drow divine spells allow control of hundreds of spiders over a wide area.</p><p> The mighty characters and their mighty elven friends don't know this. But they will know. They will KNOW. All those black widows in the trees, those brown recluses in every home, spiders of deadly poison everywhere - in every bar, every workshop, every elven home in forest and city alike - on the ground and in the air, will march with the drow.</p><p> Even in the Real World, people who sleep with their mouths open eat spiders on a regular (and accidental) basis. And most homes are filled with spiders, most of them harmless. But in the D&D world, there are spiders more poisonous than any spider from Australia, and there are - indeed - spiders in every home, every business, in the guarded citadels of invincible places like Castle Waterdeep, Blackstaff Tower, and the Citadel of the High Mages.</p><p></p><p> One night, the drow come forth. The priestesses of Lolth summon all their arachnid friends.</p><p> The Player Characters have mighty spells. They can summon Prismatic Sphere, wield Prismatic Swords, throw Flensing and Time Stop and Meteor Swarm, hurl enough Fireballs to light up half of Faerun, and autokill with dozens of horrific spells.</p><p></p><p> But ...</p><p></p><p> The drow have three autokill spells for every PC spell. The drow know every PC spell, and how to counter it. They've only spent 15,000 years getting ready for this day, so they know it all ... how to fight, how to use psionics, how to use magic, and how to do it all well.</p><p> And their countless billions of arachnid friends move into action, against populations helplessly asleep, against Kings and High Priests and Archmages alike, who defended themselves against everything ... but forgot the tiny danger that crept, unseen and overlooked, in the very heart of their safeholds.</p><p></p><p> Be afraid. Be very afraid. The lucky ones will merely die. The rest will be taken back for experimentation, slavery, and torture. And all the elves who are not killed will suffer the ultimate fate: they will be forcibly converted to the worship of Lolth.</p><p></p><p> -</p><p></p><p> The point of the above is simple: powerful spells do not make an archmagistress. An archmagistress, makes powerful spells. Wizards drunk with power do not live very long. Overconfident characters, wizards or not wizards, tend to die quickly.</p><p> And no matter how invincible an archmagistress thinks she is, she is not invincible and should know that. Jaran's Prismatic Blade, Shape Change, Flensing, Prismatic Spray, Disintegrate, Cone of Cold, Fire Shield, Fireball, and Chromatic Orb - even the mighty Srinshee's Spellshift and Mavin's Worldweave! - will not stop the arachnid that, unnoticed, climbs onto the leg of the character and bites her, inflicting venom swift and deadly.</p><p> And while the archmagistress battles valiantly against the drow priestesses, waging a war of spells that shakes the mountaintops, that spider IS making it's slow, inexorable way towards her leg, to deliver that very, very fatal bite. And if it fails, the archmagistress can take comfort in knowing a thousand more are waiting for her ... wherever she goes. She can run, but she can't hide. And the drow will never stop, until she is dead.</p><p></p><p> See the point?</p><p> The next time a character says: I'm in Blackstaff Tower ... or ... I'm in the High Keep of Alustriel ... or ... I'm in my invincible keep, they might remind themselves that deadly danger creeps all around them, in many guises, and what they don't know CAN and WILL hurt them ... are they clever enough and will they be fast enough to perceive all the possible dangers, before it is too late?</p><p> Be afraid. Very afraid. A character - mage or otherwise - might actually live to high level, if they heed this advice!</p><p></p><p> When I was still a kid, I saw a (supposedly) 75th level wizard challenge the Guildmaster of Assassins (14th level assassin, 1st Edition.) The Guildmaster accepted the challenge, and the day and time was set.</p><p> The (supposedly) 75th level wizard showed up to give battle to this pathetic foe. But the Guildmaster was not there. Curious, the wizard used his magic to search and search for him, but he never found him ... the Guildmaster was nowhere in the area.</p><p> While the wizard was doing this, the Ear Wig that the Guildmaster had left at the battle site crawled unnoticed up the wizard's side, got to his ear, and proceeded to kill him.</p><p> The wizard forgot the cardinal rule: Be afraid, be very afraid. So, he was very dead instead. That's how it is, in the D&D multiverse!</p><p></p><p> Edena_of_Neith</p><p></p><p> Incidentally, I don't know what the Land of Nod is, but I think the Nodwick strip is great stuff. Up there with Snarfquest and Knights of the Dinner Table. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Edena_of_Neith, post: 2468240, member: 2020"] I get the sarcasm. I understand your point. My opinion is that the best counterargument to power, is power. Thus, the NPCs and the monsters have power - magical, combat worthy, psionic, and otherwise - to match the PCs. If the PCs wish to terrorize the civilian population with dazzling displays of magic, they can do so ... but then they must deal with the champions sent by the Lord of the Realm to put an end to them, and those champions have terrifying magic too. If the PCs enjoy roasting monsters for breakfast, and blasting them to smithereens for dinner, they should be aware that some of those horrors in that dungeon have spells too ... or special powers, or psionic powers, or ghastly physical attacks. Consider the drow. We all know that the drow are powerful. But did you know just how powerful? The drow worship the Demon Queen of Spiders. The drow and spiders are friends. They have been friends for millennia. Because of this, spiders and drow will cooperate. And if they won't cooperate, even mere 1st level drow divine spells allow control of hundreds of spiders over a wide area. The mighty characters and their mighty elven friends don't know this. But they will know. They will KNOW. All those black widows in the trees, those brown recluses in every home, spiders of deadly poison everywhere - in every bar, every workshop, every elven home in forest and city alike - on the ground and in the air, will march with the drow. Even in the Real World, people who sleep with their mouths open eat spiders on a regular (and accidental) basis. And most homes are filled with spiders, most of them harmless. But in the D&D world, there are spiders more poisonous than any spider from Australia, and there are - indeed - spiders in every home, every business, in the guarded citadels of invincible places like Castle Waterdeep, Blackstaff Tower, and the Citadel of the High Mages. One night, the drow come forth. The priestesses of Lolth summon all their arachnid friends. The Player Characters have mighty spells. They can summon Prismatic Sphere, wield Prismatic Swords, throw Flensing and Time Stop and Meteor Swarm, hurl enough Fireballs to light up half of Faerun, and autokill with dozens of horrific spells. But ... The drow have three autokill spells for every PC spell. The drow know every PC spell, and how to counter it. They've only spent 15,000 years getting ready for this day, so they know it all ... how to fight, how to use psionics, how to use magic, and how to do it all well. And their countless billions of arachnid friends move into action, against populations helplessly asleep, against Kings and High Priests and Archmages alike, who defended themselves against everything ... but forgot the tiny danger that crept, unseen and overlooked, in the very heart of their safeholds. Be afraid. Be very afraid. The lucky ones will merely die. The rest will be taken back for experimentation, slavery, and torture. And all the elves who are not killed will suffer the ultimate fate: they will be forcibly converted to the worship of Lolth. - The point of the above is simple: powerful spells do not make an archmagistress. An archmagistress, makes powerful spells. Wizards drunk with power do not live very long. Overconfident characters, wizards or not wizards, tend to die quickly. And no matter how invincible an archmagistress thinks she is, she is not invincible and should know that. Jaran's Prismatic Blade, Shape Change, Flensing, Prismatic Spray, Disintegrate, Cone of Cold, Fire Shield, Fireball, and Chromatic Orb - even the mighty Srinshee's Spellshift and Mavin's Worldweave! - will not stop the arachnid that, unnoticed, climbs onto the leg of the character and bites her, inflicting venom swift and deadly. And while the archmagistress battles valiantly against the drow priestesses, waging a war of spells that shakes the mountaintops, that spider IS making it's slow, inexorable way towards her leg, to deliver that very, very fatal bite. And if it fails, the archmagistress can take comfort in knowing a thousand more are waiting for her ... wherever she goes. She can run, but she can't hide. And the drow will never stop, until she is dead. See the point? The next time a character says: I'm in Blackstaff Tower ... or ... I'm in the High Keep of Alustriel ... or ... I'm in my invincible keep, they might remind themselves that deadly danger creeps all around them, in many guises, and what they don't know CAN and WILL hurt them ... are they clever enough and will they be fast enough to perceive all the possible dangers, before it is too late? Be afraid. Very afraid. A character - mage or otherwise - might actually live to high level, if they heed this advice! When I was still a kid, I saw a (supposedly) 75th level wizard challenge the Guildmaster of Assassins (14th level assassin, 1st Edition.) The Guildmaster accepted the challenge, and the day and time was set. The (supposedly) 75th level wizard showed up to give battle to this pathetic foe. But the Guildmaster was not there. Curious, the wizard used his magic to search and search for him, but he never found him ... the Guildmaster was nowhere in the area. While the wizard was doing this, the Ear Wig that the Guildmaster had left at the battle site crawled unnoticed up the wizard's side, got to his ear, and proceeded to kill him. The wizard forgot the cardinal rule: Be afraid, be very afraid. So, he was very dead instead. That's how it is, in the D&D multiverse! Edena_of_Neith Incidentally, I don't know what the Land of Nod is, but I think the Nodwick strip is great stuff. Up there with Snarfquest and Knights of the Dinner Table. :) [/QUOTE]
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