D&D General Setting Idea: Arcane Dyson Sphere

Dannyalcatraz · May 28, 2019

Radaceus said:
This reminds me of The Darkwar Trilogy, by Glen Cook...

Don’t know that one.

Samloyal23 · May 28, 2019

If you want an example of a really large structure, take a look at the 2E setting Penumbra, the capital of the Illithid Empire.

Samloyal23 · Jun 14, 2019

Umbran said:
I admit I am coming at this from the direction of a physicist, so accept that bias...

But you can't go using a tool to make a structure *on the scale of a solar system* without knowing why that tool works. That sounds implausible, to me. I mean, the structure itself is implausible to start with. The idea that the makers don't know why the tools they used to make it work? That stretched credulity. For me, anyway.

It would only make sense if they had found the tools left behind by a more advanced civilisation and just fiddled around with them until they figured out where the ON switch was...

Samloyal23 · Jun 14, 2019

Paul Farquhar said:
Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.

digitalelf · Jun 30, 2019

Samloyal23 said:
If you want an example of a really large structure, take a look at the 2E setting Penumbra, the capital of the Illithid Empire.

Yeah, this was almost the inverse of a Dyson Sphere, where the Sun was covered, with the inhabitants living outside of the structure in the relative darkness.

Samloyal23 · Jul 3, 2019

digitalelf said:
Yeah, this was almost the inverse of a Dyson Sphere, where the Sun was covered, with the inhabitants living outside of the structure in the relative darkness.

Wouldn't the exterior be dead cold like outer space? It would receive no sunlight at all...

digitalelf · Jul 3, 2019

Samloyal23 said:
Wouldn't the exterior be dead cold like outer space? It would receive no sunlight at all...

Yes, and the module reflects that by saying that unprotected characters receive 5d6 points of damage per round from the cold. That is however, while the characters are "in space", for once the characters are on the surface of the structure, there is no more mention of the cold, or any need to protect one's self from extreme temperatures. In fact, there is a sidebar that states that "the average temperature is comfortable, if a bit on the warm side." it goes on to say that the PC even feel some humidity.

But I have to mention that the sun is not 100% enclosed; the part surrounding the sun is more tube-like than it is spherical; so a small portion of the sun protrudes from the top and bottom of this "tube".

Michael Silverbane · Jul 3, 2019

In the Spelljammer campaign setting, the Herdspace Sphere is a dyson sphere. It was probably not constructed by arcane magic. Here is some information that I found on it.

It features in the Spelljammer novel, The Maelstrom's Eye.

Herdspace
Connects To/From: Casaspace
Planets and Ports: Many ports, no 'planets' per se
Sources: The Maelstrom's Eye
Description and Notes:
Herdspace is a very different Crystal Sphere. It has no planets; instead, the inside of the sphere itself is the 'ground'. This provides it with more living space than any other sphere. It is dominated by 'mega fauna', planetary scale creatures that walk through the sphere (the footprint of at least one mega fauna was measured at 130 miles long!). Portals from the phlogiston are actually gates so ships entering the sphere do not disturb the 'ground'. The sphere likely has everything imaginable somewhere in it, but spelljamming-aware rastipedes and falmadaraatha have been confirmed to live within it. The gnomes of Ironpiece and the Elven Imperial Navy have both visited the sphere more than once. It is renowned as the home of the Fal known as 169. It has a sun at its center, the atmosphere doesn't extend all the way to the center, after two hours plus of upward flight wildspace is reached. The sun of the sphere is dark over half, so that day and night do exist in the sphere.