An Idea: Gemstones Powers And Alignment

[Diamond Cross]

This is an idea I've just come up with. I'm not sure if it has been done before. This is for 3.5e or maybe just fantasy in general.

The basic idea is Gemstones have powers that is tied to their alignment.

For example:

Lawful Good

Might have Pearls connected to it. The power of a pearl might add a bonus to Willpower saves because pearls are a symbol of wisdom. Willpower saves come from Wisdom. White is generally associated with good.

I'm not sure how to further develop this power any further though.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Monte Cook had some gemstone-associated stuff in Arcana Unearthed/Evolved...but mostly as alternative spell components. (Lots of good stuff in that game, FWIW.)

You can find all kinds of good info on the mystical powers of gems in any book on gems that covers even a little bit of history, or in some kind of encyclopedia. You can also find stuff looking up info on birthstones. My go-to book is Gemstones of the World by Walter Schumann. You can probably find an inexpensive used copy- it's been through a couple of editions. You might also look up "lithotherapy" and Abbess Hildegard von Bingen.

Amethyst, with it's deep purple color, was associated with Dionysus, and was thought to ward off the effects of drinking.

 

[kitsune9]

Sounds interesting Diamond. In addition to just making the gemstones an magic item or ability booster, you can inject a more roleplaying flavor for them. For example, in the your lawful good nation that associates the pearl to its alignment, you can state that rubies are associated with chaotic evil. Therefore, it is a crime upon imprisonment to own, buy, or sell rubies. Any citizen would look upon a ruby with absolute disgust and react accordingly to anyone who possesses one.

However, everyone has a pearl. There are festivals to celebrate it. The churches that espouse good will have pearls are part of their religious relics. Pearl divers are considered honored professions as high as nobilty or some other respected profession.

Also, the gemstones, being tied to alignment act like "magnets". People who are lawful good can pick up and handle pearls. Neutral people can touch them, but find it discomforting to be around them, and evil people are burned or afraid of pearls. It makes the ability to detect evil people easier, but also creates a crutch that society relies upon that can be exploited with feats and spells.

What happens when there are families who are too poor to own a pearl? Are they shunned? Are they pariahs? Or does society pity them and have a charity time in which those more fortunate provide pearls to those who don't have them? Kind of like a Christmas holiday, but involving pearls.

And for our chaotic evil friends who value rubies, well....their holiday is knifing their friends, neighbors, and family members for those shiny, lovable rubies.

Now we can add some mechanics to our gemstone collection. For someone whose alignment matches their gemstone, it powers their magic items. For example, a +1 longsword with a pearl set in it only works if it's in the hands of a lawful good person, anyone else, it's just a masterwork longsword and if a chaotic evil person touches it, they get burned by it or get a negative level for as long as they are holding it. This really works if you want to limit the number of magic items in the campaign that the PC's can go and sell at Magic Mart.

We also don't have to use the gems just for magic as well. If they are tied to alignment, then may be we can gift them with a sense of raw emotion or psych. People who are lawful good may be willing to donate some of their own essence or themselves into pearl that will heal others since being lawful good is being charitable. The opposite is that you can use a ruby to commit murder that will increase your own power.

Well, this is what I have off the top of my head.

Happy Gaming!

 

[RSKennan]

This is an idea I've just come up with. I'm not sure if it has been done before. This is for 3.5e or maybe just fantasy in general.

The basic idea is Gemstones have powers that is tied to their alignment.

For example:

Lawful Good

Might have Pearls connected to it. The power of a pearl might add a bonus to Willpower saves because pearls are a symbol of wisdom. Willpower saves come from Wisdom. White is generally associated with good.

I'm not sure how to further develop this power any further though.

It's not really irony, but it's funny that the first thing I thought upon reading this was "Lawful good=diamond". I hadn't seen your name because I have my browser's text blown up to compensate for eye drops I have to use for a while and it was off screen.

Here's a way I might break it down, assuming the old school alignments, and based entirely on emotion:

LG- White Diamond
NG- Emerald
CG- Jade
LN- Hematite
N- Sapphire
CN- Amber
LE- Black Diamond
NE- Ruby
CE- Obsidian

Or something. I could see your idea being particularly fitting to an "Earthy" or Psionic Setting. I see a lot of dwarves, and/or elementals, and a misty, "Time before time" kind of setting.

Cool idea.

 

[Aeolius]

I started a similar thread discussing bezoars, pearls, and similar items but it didn't really take off. I did however get a few more nibbles on the thread I started at Canonfire

You might draw inspiration from the wiki articles detailing the Nine Pearls and Pearl of Lao Tzu . Also, pearls are found in places other than oysters. You might enjoy looking for images of pearls from conchs, abalone, scallops, and noble pen shells.

 

[Aus_Snow]

LG: Lapis Lazuli
NG: Pearl
CG: Moonstone
CN: Ocean Jasper
N: Malachite
LN: Hematite
LE: Heliotrope
NE: Cinnabar
CE: Rainbow Obsidian

Well, that was fun. I know, um, very little of these things. But I just looked up some stuff, and hey, there's a list. Such as it is.

I'll have a think about powers and other aspects, when I get a chance.


edit: Black Star Diopside is awesome! But... does it have any other names?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

One of my favorite gem websites:

D&J Rare Gems - cut fine and rare gems for sale

Has all kinds of images of cut stones you might find inspirational.

Expanding on your original idea, you might want to have alignment stones...but also class and race stones as well. And then there could be stones so unusual that they have "meta" effects that may vary from user to user...

Black Star Diopside is awesome

No other names exist, except possible misidentified stones: such as how the Black Prince's Ruby is actually a spinel.

The star is caused by fine rodlike structures growing in a pattern that, when the stone is cut & polished en cabochon reflects light as a star with 4, 6, or more points...or as a cat's eye if the rods are arrayed a different way.


For alignment stones, you might want to hit the major stones- diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, opal, pearl, topaz, garnet, tourmaline - and use color to denote specific sub-powers.

Race stones could have strong associations based on visuals: moss agate would seem a natural for Wildren; peridot for elves, likewise dwarves and iron ore; thri-kreen and picture agate match nicely.

Class stones could be based on stone properties: quartz family stones for Wizards, Sorcerers and other arcanists; cats-eye and star stones for the Psionic classes, spinels for divine martial classes, and so forth.

Oddballs like amber, pallasite, or pyritized/silicates fossils could be power storage, spell enhancers or fate randomizers of all kinds.

 

[Aus_Snow]

No other names exist, except possible misidentified stones: such as how the Black Prince's Ruby is actually a spinel.

The star is caused by fine rodlike structures growing in a pattern that, when the stone is cut & polished en cabochon reflects light as a star with 4, 6, or more points...or as a cat's eye if the rods are arrayed a different way.

Ah. I do prefer ones with nice or interesting names, which is why it didn't make the list. Otherwise, it's quite cool though. I'd only heard of star sapphires, kinda along those lines.

For alignment stones, you might want to hit the major stones

That's probably good advice for anyone, but me, I just wanted to go with unusual stuff, mostly. Pearls, not so much, I know. But I read a myth realting to pearls, and couldn't pass them up, for NG.

I thought it would be interesting if the major, more expensive stones, were devoid of relevance in this particular instance. Just for something different, I guess.

 

[MoxieFu]

I'm really surprised no one has mentioned this yet.

DMG, First Edition, pp. 26-27


It's not regarding alignment, but magical properties. I'm not quite sure I understand what alignments gems have?

 

[Hand of Evil]

Aligments will have to becided on by what they do but here is a list

Crystals, gemstones, occult meanings.