Immortals Handbook - Grimoire (Artifacts, Epic Magic discussion)

[Fieari]

On that note, it might work to make it two seperate spells that only take up one spell slot together, and can both be cast on the same round-- But still treat them like seperate spells when cast.

 

[Kerrick]

My suggestion would be to make it two different spells and then "combine" them...which is in essence what Animus Blizzard is/does.

That's what I'm trying to do too - combine the effects of mass inflict wounds, ice storm, and animate dead. Or are you talking about making one spell (the evocation effect) that deals cold/negative energy damage, then a second that takes effect one round later (the necromancy effect) that raises any dead beings? It's workable, but I'm still left with the problem of how to tag it. Is it Evocation, Necromancy, or something else entirely?

 

[Upper_Krust]

I'm suggesting that combining two spells into one spell (so they can be cast as one spell) is as simple as totalling the spell levels.

So if you have cone of cold and animate dead then thats 5 + 3 = 8th-level spell.

So create any individual elements of the spell seperately then stack them.

 

[Kerrick]

That's exactly what I'm doing. Although I've found that pricing it more like staff spells works better - 100% for the highest level, 75% for the second, and 50% for all others.

That's not the problem, though - the problem is combining the effects. If a spell deals energy damage AND raises the dead, is it Evocation or Necromancy? I thought I could get away with having it deal cold/negative and call it Necromancy by using chill touch as a precedent, but that spell deals strictly negative energy damage now. I might just go back to using the cold as a visual effect only and have it all be negative energy damage - a storm of snow and ice impregnated with negative energy.

 

[Omeganian]

You know, I remembered a certain magical trick from Terry Goodkind's books. I wonder how it will work in the RPG system.

A certain wizard family wanted a large and stable rune spell which will augment their family's power as long as they were inside its borders, and weaken the enemy's magic.

Now, they knew that a spell empowered with blood is a very good choice especially since the spell is supposed to distinguish wizards by their blood. The problem is, the blood must be fresh, otherwise, much of the power is lost.

What did they do?

They were a family of wizard kings. So, they built a palace in the form of such a spell. A palace - city. It was the seat of their power, and the capital of their realm. As a result, thousands and thousands of people always lived there. And their living blood empowered the spell.

An enemy wizard entering could barely manage a cantrip.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Howdy Omeganian mate!

You know, I remembered a certain magical trick from Terry Goodkind's books. I wonder how it will work in the RPG system.

A certain wizard family wanted a large and stable rune spell which will augment their family's power as long as they were inside its borders, and weaken the enemy's magic.

Now, they knew that a spell empowered with blood is a very good choice especially since the spell is supposed to distinguish wizards by their blood. The problem is, the blood must be fresh, otherwise, much of the power is lost.

What did they do?

They were a family of wizard kings. So, they built a palace in the form of such a spell. A palace - city. It was the seat of their power, and the capital of their realm. As a result, thousands and thousands of people always lived there. And their living blood empowered the spell.

An enemy wizard entering could barely manage a cantrip.

Cool stuff, sounds like a magic dampening field (which is probably how Anti-magic should be treated in a non-absolute way). The trick here would be to balance the dampening for one side against the other. My guess is that this should be a temporal effect. In that the longer you work upon the chosen area the greater the dampening...1 round, 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, 1 decade, 1 century etc.

Perhaps by a century, the area would dampen enemy magic by 10 levels.

Incidently, my next website update will be about dimensional magic (for 3.5E and 4E) so that may help in this regard.

 

[Omeganian]

Howdy Omeganian mate!



Cool stuff, sounds like a magic dampening field (which is probably how Anti-magic should be treated in a non-absolute way). The trick here would be to balance the dampening for one side against the other. My guess is that this should be a temporal effect. In that the longer you work upon the chosen area the greater the dampening...1 round, 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, 1 decade, 1 century etc.

Perhaps by a century, the area would dampen enemy magic by 10 levels.

Incidently, my next website update will be about dimensional magic (for 3.5E and 4E) so that may help in this regard.

That palace was standing for something like 3000 years.

BTW, there was another palace there. It was connected to some other dimensions, where time had no meaning. As a result, the aging of people inside it slowed (the effect seemed to be lingering for a day or so, at least the people spending most of their nights in the surrounding city outside were aging just as slowly). A ratio of about 1/15. Apparently, there were some ways to slow it down even further.

The real trick is, the palace spell could only exist as a mere pocket in a larger spell - about 30 miles across (is that principle used often?).

P.S. Did you check if the Boundary Spell can be done in the 4th edition?

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hello again mate!

That palace was standing for something like 3000 years.

So then an 11 level penalty for enemy wizards.

BTW, there was another palace there. It was connected to some other dimensions, where time had no meaning. As a result, the aging of people inside it slowed (the effect seemed to be lingering for a day or so, at least the people spending most of their nights in the surrounding city outside were aging just as slowly). A ratio of about 1/15. Apparently, there were some ways to slow it down even further.

Thats pretty cool too. As more of the temporally unstable plane leaks into our reality the effect becomes more and more pronounced.

Round = Aging 1/2
Minute = Aging 1/3
Hour = Aging 1/4
Day = Aging 1/5
Week = Aging 1/6
Month = Aging 1/7
Year = Aging 1/8
Decade = Aging 1/9
Century = Aging 1/10
Millenia = Aging 1/11

Incidently, were there any side effects when they left the palace? Did they age more rapidly, or just normally?

The real trick is, the palace spell could only exist as a mere pocket in a larger spell - about 30 miles across (is that principle used often?).

My guess is that the area of the initial spell/ritual would be determined in the original casting.

P.S. Did you check if the Boundary Spell can be done in the 4th edition?

Care to refresh my memory on the matter?

 

[Omeganian]

Hello again mate! So then an 11 level penalty for enemy wizards.

Actually, the wizard who entered and could barely act was near epic (he did regain much of his power when the master of the palace died). It should be noted that some disturbance made it impossible for wizards to use epic magic (what passed for it) unless they made a pact with the Devil. Also, the master of the palace was stronger than him anyway, and the palace stood for millennia.

Hello again mate!
Thats pretty cool too. As more of the temporally unstable plane leaks into our reality the effect becomes more and more pronounced.

Round = Aging 1/2
Minute = Aging 1/3
Hour = Aging 1/4
Day = Aging 1/5
Week = Aging 1/6
Month = Aging 1/7
Year = Aging 1/8
Decade = Aging 1/9
Century = Aging 1/10
Millenia = Aging 1/11

Actually, perhaps the plane should be call more stable (the book simply said time had no meaning there. Maybe it siphoned time away). No known changes in the aging speed, but then it was built by some REALLY powerful wizards, who knew what they were doing. Perhaps the plans were to widen the gate a bit.

Hello again mate!
Incidently, were there any side effects when they left the palace? Did they age more rapidly, or just normally?

No side effects. And no noticeable differences in aging for ones who spent their nights in city compared to a bookworm. Of course, after awhile, normal aging settled in. One of the characters spent over twenty years outside, and aged over twenty years.

Care to refresh my memory on the matter?

Attached.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hello again Omeganian mate!

Actually, the wizard who entered and could barely act was near epic

Well if we assume he was 15th-level (?) then an 11 level penalty would render him unable to do anything but cast 2nd level spells or worse.

(he did regain much of his power when the master of the palace died).

So the master is a necessary piece of the spell component/contingency?

It should be noted that some disturbance made it impossible for wizards to use epic magic (what passed for it) unless they made a pact with the Devil.

'The' Devil or 'a' devil. I wonder would any Arch-duke suffice?

Also, the master of the palace was stronger than him anyway, and the palace stood for millennia.

How did he win?

Actually, perhaps the plane should be call more stable (the book simply said time had no meaning there. Maybe it siphoned time away). No known changes in the aging speed, but then it was built by some REALLY powerful wizards, who knew what they were doing. Perhaps the plans were to widen the gate a bit.

Did anyone actually enter this 'dimension' beyond the gate?

No side effects. And no noticeable differences in aging for ones who spent their nights in city compared to a bookworm. Of course, after awhile, normal aging settled in. One of the characters spent over twenty years outside, and aged over twenty years.

Okay.

Attached.

Thanks. Seems a tad multi-faceted but shouldn't be impossible to duplicate with an epic spell or similar magic.

Its initially an attack spell that when it reaches its area of effect remains in place. The area within the boundary overlaps the real world with the Netherworld (Shadowfell?).

Could perhaps be mimicked by a divine aura I suppose...a moving boundary as it were.

Incidently, regarding the Gray Gripper creature, why couldn't they just slice the monster down to the limb rather than have to sever the limb entire? I mean I understand the idea that you couldn't pull it off, but unless the thing is nigh on indestructible, couldn't it just be chopped up itself?