Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
[Creative] Spheres of Power & Might by Setting
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 8288613" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/4ychXsS.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Dark Spheres: the Spheres System for Dark Sun</strong></p><p></p><p>Athas was once a lush green world brimming with life, but magic and warfare warped the land into so much dry dust. Violence is a way of life in the Tablelands, and invokers of the supernatural derive their powers from the land itself, the fell Dragon-Kings, or their own minds.</p><p></p><p><strong>Major Traditions:</strong> Dark Sun is a scorched land where metal is scarce, so traditions emphasizing light and unarmored forms of defense are more common. Equipment in other settings made out of metal such as swords and axes are still available, but made out of stone, bone, obsidian, and wood. Bows, crossbows, spears, slings, whips, and clubs are the most common weapon proficiencies, so traditions focusing on those are preferred by many warriors.</p><p></p><p>As for armor, Athas has adapted to using non-metal alternatives, so in most cases such armor remains unchanged. The exceptions are chain shirts, chainmail, splint, and half and full plate armor, which have to be made with metal and are prohibitively expensive, rare, and impractical. As this more or less closes off the bulk of heavy armor, any martial tradition that would grant Armor Training twice (or move a character to heavy armor proficiency) can opt instead to replace the second talent with some other defensive talent. Armor Expert, Einhander, Unarmored Training, Versatile Shield, and the Shield sphere are all appropriate choices.</p><p></p><p><em>Edit:</em> wellis of RPGnet pointed out that the 4th Edition conversion of Dark Sun had non-metal heavy armors. Chainmail is replaced with bone/horn/wood-stupped leather jacks made from kank and cyclops body parts, while plate armor is made from the chitin of insects, crustaceans, braxats, gaj, and even drakes. Such armor is designed to be worn in hot climates so it does not impose disadvantage on Constitution saving throws to resist exhaustion.</p><p></p><p><strong>Advanced/Legendary Talents:</strong> Dark Sun’s harsh ways make characters more powerful than usual out of necessity. Arcane magic is most responsible for the world’s state of affairs, the Sorcerer-Kings possess magic and psionic powers lost to the ages, and defiler wizards find it all too tempting to achieve feats of eldritch might at the cost of further killing the planet. Advanced and Legendary Talents certainly fit the world of Athas. Most such talents that are in line with spells and psionic powers from AD&D can fit, provided they don’t contradict the base magic and technological assumptions (see New Rules & Subsystems).</p><p></p><p><strong>Technology Level:</strong> Dark Sun is more primitive than the typical medieval setting. Beyond what is mentioned under Major Traditions, a lot of gear is recycled and piecemeal, and beasts of burden are the most common means of transportation. There are devices in Athas that are rare in other settings, such as skimmers capable of sailing upon the Sea of Silt and wind-powered wheeled sand skiffs which travel easily across wide open terrain.</p><p></p><p>The Tinkerer sphere’s accessories and gadgets can range from devices which can be easily reflavored from local materials such as the Suit Improvement talent, to ones which can only be the result of lost wonders from prior Ages such as Recording Gadgets. Certain talents from this sphere may be restricted depending upon the PC backstory and DM’s judgment.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/h88Ug84.jpeg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>New Rules & Subsystems</strong></p><p></p><p><em>Wild Talent:</em> Just about every person in Athas has some degree of minor psionic skill. In the original rules they rolled randomly for 1 (or a lucky 2-3) psionic powers, but anything more powerful than that necessitated a proper psionic class.</p><p></p><p>In the Spheres system this can be emulated via granting every PC a psionically-themed bonus feat. For the spheres system proper the granting of the Magical Training feat for non-spherecasters to simulate a psionic casting tradition works well enough. But for spherecasters the spheres system unfortunately doesn’t have options for “multi-tradition” builds, which means that their powers must be in line with the drawbacks and boons of their proper spherecasting class. In such a case, Extra Magic Talents or Magical Expertise are feats that can let the PC gain access to an otherwise unthematic sphere/talent, representing a psionic origin rather than a traditional arcane/divine one. Otherwise, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything has some feats that grant the use of a minor spell or two per long rest, such as Fey Touched, Telekinetic, and Telepathic.</p><p></p><p><em>Non-Metal Weapons:</em> Weapons made out of non-metal material are more apt to break. When used against a creature with resistance or immunity to the weapon’s damage type or material, said weapon has a cumulative 5% chance of breaking per attack. A broken weapon deals the minimal amount of damage if it can still conceivably still be used to injure; otherwise it’s useless.</p><p></p><p>Weapons made out of metal cost ten times the normal amount they’d be in other settings.</p><p></p><p><em>Rare Terrain:</em> Much of Athas is hot and arid, and the few exceptions are small and isolated regions. Barring campaigns set predominantly in such places, it’s fair to say that most Dark Sun campaigns will be in desert-like environs. Additionally, iron, steel, and metal in general are extremely scarce.</p><p></p><p>Any talent or effect which creates water can never be of instantaneous or permanent duration. In such a case the duration becomes 24 hours. The Metal geomancy package’s Recover Ore ability can only work a number of times per long rest equal to the spherecaster’s proficiency bonus. Once this limit is reached, the area is temporarily tapped out of resources.</p><p></p><p>Sphere talents reliant upon certain terrain for their effects are less optimal choices, and thus not as valuable as others. One solution would be that PCs at character creation gain one bonus talent for an otherwise sub-optimal sphere package/talent choice. Nature’s metal, plant, and water geomancy packages qualify, as do the Weather sphere’s shroud and mantle talents reliant upon cold and precipitation conditions.</p><p></p><p>Another option is presenting a new, if rather macabre, talent has been made for Nature sphere users with the metal and water geomancy packages:</p><p></p><p><u><strong>Blood Mastery (geomancy, metal, water)</strong></u></p><p></p><p><strong>Augment 0 sp:</strong> Whenever a metal or water package ability would require water or metal, you can instead use blood to fill that requirement.</p><p></p><p><strong>Augment 0 sp:</strong> You can use blood siphon on a creature or corpse containing blood within range to supply the required blood for the effect you are augmenting. Generally speaking, a living creature can supply enough material necessary for a space or object two size categories smaller than their own size. Exsanguinating a non-undead corpse can supply material one size category smaller.</p><p></p><p>You gain the following geomancy abilities.</p><p></p><p><strong>Blood Siphon</strong></p><p><strong>Target:</strong> one creature containing blood.</p><p></p><p>(requires a living creature containing blood) You can telekinetically drain a target of blood within range, dealing 1d8 necrotic damage and making the target suffer 1 level of exhaustion (max 1 level of exhaustion per creature) on a failed Constitution saving throw. A successful Constitution saving throw halves this damage and avoids the exhaustion. The damage increases by 1d8 at 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).</p><p></p><p><strong>Mounting Wounds</strong></p><p><strong>Cost:</strong> 2 sp</p><p></p><p>(concentration, requires a bleeding creature) You can cause a bleeding creature within range to heal less efficiently. They take 1d8 additional damage from any piercing or slashing damage attacks done to them, and any healing effects restore only half the usual number of hit points (rounded down).</p><p></p><p><strong>Red Mist</strong></p><p><strong>Area:</strong> 10-foot square</p><p><strong>Cost:</strong> 1 sp</p><p></p><p>(concentration, requires a bleeding creature) As the water geomancy package’s fog ability, save that those within the area of effect suffer disadvantage on saving throws vs the frightened condition, the Confusion spell and Confusion charm sphere talent, and similar effects that bestow distracting negative emotional effects.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/BhYPnfH.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Popular Archetypes</strong></p><p></p><p><em>Bards:</em> Bards on Athas do not have knowledge in spells, instead specializing in poison and with more thief-like abilities. The Guild Trained Martial Tradition is the best fit in granting access to the Alchemy and Scoundrel spheres, and for the former they invariably pick poison talents. Talents which can alter the form of poisons, such as Contact Poison Delivery and Gaseous Application, are eventually picked up, especially at higher levels. Those which increase the speed and reliability of delivery such as Quick Doses, Risky Business, and Skilled Applicator are common.</p><p></p><p>For the more secondary talents, the Warleader sphere’s shout-based talents are a good means of ‘inspiring’ allies, particularly Harangue, Rallying Speech, and Rousing Claxon.</p><p></p><p>A Bard’s actual class can vary. Alter Ego is the most thieflike of the Sphere of Might classes, although it’s alternate identity is most likely of the mundane double agent/spy variety. Conscripts with the Knave subclass and Strikers with the Skirmishing Scout subclasses represent other good sneaky options.</p><p></p><p><em>Druids:</em> Druids are specialized priests who make a pact with spirits of a localized geographic area known as a Guarded Land. Although capable of long-range travel at lower levels, they are expected to eventually settle down and choose a permanent location to defend.</p><p></p><p>In terms of Casting Tradition they are closest to Druidic, but are similar to Elemental Priests (see below) in that they must choose Nature and a relevant geomancy package for a favored element as one of their two sphere options. They do not speak Druidic as a bonus language given Athas’ lack of an overarching culture or organization of druids. Furthermore, they also are likely to have the Nature Warden drawback, representing their bond to a Guarded Land.</p><p></p><p>The benefits derived from their Guarded Land can be simulated in a number of ways. The Photosynthesis feat can emulate a Druid’s ability to not need to eat or drink for sustenance, while the ability to speak with animals and plants may be reflected via the Nature sphere’s Speak with the Elements talent and either Alteration’s Bestial Spirit talent or Beastmastery’s Wild Speaker legendary talent. As the latter is a martial sphere, the GM may make an exception in letting it be taken as a Nature sphere talent. The ability to shapechange into creatures common to one’s Guarded Lands is best replicated as the Alteration sphere with the Animalistic, Avian, Plant, and/or Vermin genotype talents, with complementary talents such as Bestial Reflexes and Size Change.</p><p></p><p><em>Elemental Priests:</em> Divine magic in Dark Sun comes from the elements or the Dragon-Kings. In the case of the former, priests pledge themselves to one of the four elements and derive power from making said element more influential in the Material Plane. As a Casting Tradition they can be emulated as Divine Petitioners, choosing the Nature sphere with the geomancy package of their favored element, and either another Nature talent in line with their element or another sphere that can simulate this. Conjuration for summoning an elemental companion, Destruction for blast types of related elemental energies, and Weather for phenomena related to their favored element are common choices.</p><p></p><p>The Elementalist with the Geomancer subclass is a popular choice, and its ability to trade out class proficiencies for a martial tradition can better replicate weapon restrictions: Earth priests can use any weapons and armor, Air priests focus on ranged weaponry ‘guided by the air,’ Fire priests are likely to have Bombardier Training and access to the Alchemy sphere for the Alchemist’s Fire talent, and Water priests have a preference for bows, spears, and bludgeoning weapons.</p><p></p><p><em>Gladiator:</em> Not only does Spheres of Might have a Gladiator Martial Tradition, it also has an entire sphere of the same name! Unfortunately, the Gladiator class’ major feature in Dark Sun is that they are proficient in all weapons. As the Spheres of Might system encourages specialization in small families of weapons rather than being a broad jack of all trades, other options are necessary for an authentic conversion. The Mageknight and Prodigy classes both have Blended Training and can choose to not opt for a Martial Tradition at character creation, still giving them access to talents as they level up while maintaining their universal weapon proficiencies. For the Prodigy the Battleborn subclass is the best choice, while for Mageknight magical spheres can be reflavored to be less magical or reflective of Wild Talents. The Psionicist path is a great choice for this, as is the Spellblade who takes variants to have their magical spheres be self-buffing, such as Protection’s Protected Soul and taking the Blade blast shape talent for Destruction.</p><p></p><p>The Gladiator’s expertise in unarmed combat can be represented in them taking the Equipment sphere’s Unarmed Training and Mystic Fist talents, and complementary spheres such as Brute and Wrestling. For the AC bonus to worn armor, the Enhancement sphere’s Enhance Equipment talent combined with the Personal Magics variant is a good choice. Finally, the gladiator’s ability to attract followers is best represented as the Leadership sphere with the follower package and Soldiers talent.</p><p></p><p><em>Psionicist:</em> <strong>Special Note:</strong> These guidelines are useful for other campaign settings that employ the use of 2nd/3rd Edition style psionics.</p><p></p><p>Dark Sun may be a low magic setting, but it’s certainly a high-psionics one. Unlike divine or arcane magic which draws power from an external source, psychic powers come from one’s own personal will. As a Casting Tradition it is closest to Natural, albeit having Wisdom as its key ability modifier. The Psychic Casting Tradition may seem more appropriate at first glance, although the bonus spheres may differ depending on one’s favored disciplines and AD&D psionics are not necessarily limited by a caster’s concentration or emotional state. The most likely drawbacks are Mental Focus and Rigorous Concentration, and ones which rely upon external physical objects such as Diagram and Material Casting are inappropriate.</p><p></p><p>For classes psionicists can vary wildly, although “pure psionicists” are more likely to be pure casters and thus be Incanters and other classes that don’t have Blended Training or Martial Traditions.</p><p></p><p>Psionic Combat is discouraged as a wholesale conversion; using typical offensive and defensive sphere effects is preferred. For psionic attack forms, the Destruction sphere is ideal: Ego Whip and Id Insinuation are best emulated via the Slowing blast type, Mind Thrust via the Disrupting blast type, Psionic Blast via the Siphoning blast type, and Psychic Crush Corrosive or Scorching. For psionic defenses, they can be emulated via various features that impose disadvantage on enemy rolls and advantage on the user’s defensive rolls. The Universal sphere’s Dispel package can be used as a reaction by default when augmented with spell points, while the Protection sphere’s Resistance talent can grant advantage to a saving throw as a reaction. The Mind sphere’s Mind Shield talent is a highly appropriate choice, too.</p><p></p><p>When it comes to disciplines, their particular talents can vary wildly, much like the core rules’ schools of magic. Clairsentient powers are best replicated via Divination sphere talents. Psychokinetic powers typically use the Creation and Telekinesis spheres, with some miscellaneous spheres for more specialized effects: Enhancement’s Animate Objects talent for the power of the same name, the Dark and Light spheres for Control Light, Enhancement’s Manipulate Hardness for Molecular Manipulation, etc. Psychometabolic powers manipulate the physical form and thus are best replicated by the Alteration, Enhancement, and Life spheres; the Illusion sphere’s Illusionary Disguise is good for replicating the Chameleon Power. The Cannibalize power is less represented as a talent, and more of the Overcharge Casting Tradition boon, which lets a caster treat their proficiency bonus as 1 higher in exchange for suffering a level of exhaustion. Psychoportation powers are best reflected by the Conjuration and Warp spheres, as well as the Death Sphere’s Astral Projection for the power of the same name. Telepathic powers are best represented via the Mind sphere, with the Life sphere’s Break Enhancement and Restore Mind talents useful for emulating Psychic Surgery, Divination sphere’s Detect Life talent for the Life Detection power, and the Destruction sphere’s Frightful blast type talent emulates the Inflict Pain power.</p><p></p><p>In Dark Sun’s Expanded & Revised Edition, Metapsionics no longer exists as a discipline, being folded into the previous one. But some have not made the transition, which I’ll cover here. Aura Alteration can be replicated as the Illusion sphere’s Veiled Illusions talent, Empower is best emulated as the Enhancement sphere’s Bestow Intelligence talent, Psychic Clone is represented as the Death sphere’s Project Spirit advanced talent, Split Personality is emulated by the Time Sphere’s Adjusted Frequency and Shift Time talents for the apportioning of additional actions, Gird can represent augmenting spells to persist without concentration in general instead of a specific talent, Convergence is emulated by various Manabond talents from the Universal sphere, and Retrospection is closest to the Divination sphere’s Delve for Knowledge advanced talent, to name just a few.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/B3FERHY.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><em>Templar:</em> Templars best represent hybrid/gish spherecasters, most likely a class or subclass with access to Blended Training. For Casting Traditions they are most commonly Divine Petitioners with spheres related to their Sorcerer-King’s areas of influence. For Martial Traditions they can be diverse in a variety of fighting styles, but the institutional authority they wield often grants them Traditions with the Warleader and/or Gladiator spheres, particularly those options which impose and play off of the frightened condition. Their ability to requisition soldiers, draw upon the city treasury, and give commands to slaves may be represented by the Leadership sphere with the Followers package, with the Detectives, Soldiers, and even Friends in Low Places as common talents.</p><p></p><p><em>Trader:</em> This thieflike class focuses more heavily on social skills and contacts. Their fast-talk can be easily emulated as proficiency in Deception and perhaps the use of proficiency-doubling features such as the Alter Ego’s Socialite persona or the Skill Expert feat from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. The followers and special agents can be replicated both via the Leadership sphere and the Commander’s Politician subclass. For the Leadership sphere, the Merchant and Messenger follower talents are obvious choices, followed by others reflective of the trader’s areas of expertise. Alchemists, Artificers, and Craftsmen are appropriate for production of specialized goods, Entertainers for services of a non-physical nature, Friends in Low Places for illegal and black market goods, Laborers for construction projects, and Managers and Base of Operations for those whose business empire grows beyond any one person’s ability to operate. For the Politician subclass, Call In a Specialist emulates a Trader’s ability to hire on retainers of exceptional quality, as does the Leadership sphere’s sidekick package.</p><p></p><p><em>Wizards:</em> This entry covers both defilers and preservers. All arcane magic draws upon surrounding life energy, specifically plants and soil, for the powering of spells. Defilers and Preservers are cut from the same cloth, but the difference is in their mindset. In traditional AD&D they were treated as separate classes, with defilers leveling up faster to represent the tempting ease of their power.</p><p></p><p>Preserver Wizards more or less function as standard Wizards in other D&D settings for conversion: the Traditional Magic Casting Tradition being the most likely, and from there it’s all up to the player on what class and spheres best reflect their favored spells. As for defilers, they are equally versatile but always have the Terrain Casting Drawback and Terrain Defiler boon.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Libertad, post: 8288613, member: 6750502"] [CENTER][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/4ychXsS.jpg[/IMG] [B]Dark Spheres: the Spheres System for Dark Sun[/B][/CENTER] Athas was once a lush green world brimming with life, but magic and warfare warped the land into so much dry dust. Violence is a way of life in the Tablelands, and invokers of the supernatural derive their powers from the land itself, the fell Dragon-Kings, or their own minds. [B]Major Traditions:[/B] Dark Sun is a scorched land where metal is scarce, so traditions emphasizing light and unarmored forms of defense are more common. Equipment in other settings made out of metal such as swords and axes are still available, but made out of stone, bone, obsidian, and wood. Bows, crossbows, spears, slings, whips, and clubs are the most common weapon proficiencies, so traditions focusing on those are preferred by many warriors. As for armor, Athas has adapted to using non-metal alternatives, so in most cases such armor remains unchanged. The exceptions are chain shirts, chainmail, splint, and half and full plate armor, which have to be made with metal and are prohibitively expensive, rare, and impractical. As this more or less closes off the bulk of heavy armor, any martial tradition that would grant Armor Training twice (or move a character to heavy armor proficiency) can opt instead to replace the second talent with some other defensive talent. Armor Expert, Einhander, Unarmored Training, Versatile Shield, and the Shield sphere are all appropriate choices. [i]Edit:[/i] wellis of RPGnet pointed out that the 4th Edition conversion of Dark Sun had non-metal heavy armors. Chainmail is replaced with bone/horn/wood-stupped leather jacks made from kank and cyclops body parts, while plate armor is made from the chitin of insects, crustaceans, braxats, gaj, and even drakes. Such armor is designed to be worn in hot climates so it does not impose disadvantage on Constitution saving throws to resist exhaustion. [B]Advanced/Legendary Talents:[/B] Dark Sun’s harsh ways make characters more powerful than usual out of necessity. Arcane magic is most responsible for the world’s state of affairs, the Sorcerer-Kings possess magic and psionic powers lost to the ages, and defiler wizards find it all too tempting to achieve feats of eldritch might at the cost of further killing the planet. Advanced and Legendary Talents certainly fit the world of Athas. Most such talents that are in line with spells and psionic powers from AD&D can fit, provided they don’t contradict the base magic and technological assumptions (see New Rules & Subsystems). [B]Technology Level:[/B] Dark Sun is more primitive than the typical medieval setting. Beyond what is mentioned under Major Traditions, a lot of gear is recycled and piecemeal, and beasts of burden are the most common means of transportation. There are devices in Athas that are rare in other settings, such as skimmers capable of sailing upon the Sea of Silt and wind-powered wheeled sand skiffs which travel easily across wide open terrain. The Tinkerer sphere’s accessories and gadgets can range from devices which can be easily reflavored from local materials such as the Suit Improvement talent, to ones which can only be the result of lost wonders from prior Ages such as Recording Gadgets. Certain talents from this sphere may be restricted depending upon the PC backstory and DM’s judgment. [CENTER][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/h88Ug84.jpeg[/IMG] [B]New Rules & Subsystems[/B][/CENTER] [I]Wild Talent:[/I] Just about every person in Athas has some degree of minor psionic skill. In the original rules they rolled randomly for 1 (or a lucky 2-3) psionic powers, but anything more powerful than that necessitated a proper psionic class. In the Spheres system this can be emulated via granting every PC a psionically-themed bonus feat. For the spheres system proper the granting of the Magical Training feat for non-spherecasters to simulate a psionic casting tradition works well enough. But for spherecasters the spheres system unfortunately doesn’t have options for “multi-tradition” builds, which means that their powers must be in line with the drawbacks and boons of their proper spherecasting class. In such a case, Extra Magic Talents or Magical Expertise are feats that can let the PC gain access to an otherwise unthematic sphere/talent, representing a psionic origin rather than a traditional arcane/divine one. Otherwise, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything has some feats that grant the use of a minor spell or two per long rest, such as Fey Touched, Telekinetic, and Telepathic. [I]Non-Metal Weapons:[/I] Weapons made out of non-metal material are more apt to break. When used against a creature with resistance or immunity to the weapon’s damage type or material, said weapon has a cumulative 5% chance of breaking per attack. A broken weapon deals the minimal amount of damage if it can still conceivably still be used to injure; otherwise it’s useless. Weapons made out of metal cost ten times the normal amount they’d be in other settings. [I]Rare Terrain:[/I] Much of Athas is hot and arid, and the few exceptions are small and isolated regions. Barring campaigns set predominantly in such places, it’s fair to say that most Dark Sun campaigns will be in desert-like environs. Additionally, iron, steel, and metal in general are extremely scarce. Any talent or effect which creates water can never be of instantaneous or permanent duration. In such a case the duration becomes 24 hours. The Metal geomancy package’s Recover Ore ability can only work a number of times per long rest equal to the spherecaster’s proficiency bonus. Once this limit is reached, the area is temporarily tapped out of resources. Sphere talents reliant upon certain terrain for their effects are less optimal choices, and thus not as valuable as others. One solution would be that PCs at character creation gain one bonus talent for an otherwise sub-optimal sphere package/talent choice. Nature’s metal, plant, and water geomancy packages qualify, as do the Weather sphere’s shroud and mantle talents reliant upon cold and precipitation conditions. Another option is presenting a new, if rather macabre, talent has been made for Nature sphere users with the metal and water geomancy packages: [U][B]Blood Mastery (geomancy, metal, water)[/B][/U] [B]Augment 0 sp:[/B] Whenever a metal or water package ability would require water or metal, you can instead use blood to fill that requirement. [B]Augment 0 sp:[/B] You can use blood siphon on a creature or corpse containing blood within range to supply the required blood for the effect you are augmenting. Generally speaking, a living creature can supply enough material necessary for a space or object two size categories smaller than their own size. Exsanguinating a non-undead corpse can supply material one size category smaller. You gain the following geomancy abilities. [B]Blood Siphon Target:[/B] one creature containing blood. (requires a living creature containing blood) You can telekinetically drain a target of blood within range, dealing 1d8 necrotic damage and making the target suffer 1 level of exhaustion (max 1 level of exhaustion per creature) on a failed Constitution saving throw. A successful Constitution saving throw halves this damage and avoids the exhaustion. The damage increases by 1d8 at 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8). [B]Mounting Wounds Cost:[/B] 2 sp (concentration, requires a bleeding creature) You can cause a bleeding creature within range to heal less efficiently. They take 1d8 additional damage from any piercing or slashing damage attacks done to them, and any healing effects restore only half the usual number of hit points (rounded down). [B]Red Mist Area:[/B] 10-foot square [B]Cost:[/B] 1 sp (concentration, requires a bleeding creature) As the water geomancy package’s fog ability, save that those within the area of effect suffer disadvantage on saving throws vs the frightened condition, the Confusion spell and Confusion charm sphere talent, and similar effects that bestow distracting negative emotional effects. [CENTER][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/BhYPnfH.jpg[/IMG] [B]Popular Archetypes[/B][/CENTER] [I]Bards:[/I] Bards on Athas do not have knowledge in spells, instead specializing in poison and with more thief-like abilities. The Guild Trained Martial Tradition is the best fit in granting access to the Alchemy and Scoundrel spheres, and for the former they invariably pick poison talents. Talents which can alter the form of poisons, such as Contact Poison Delivery and Gaseous Application, are eventually picked up, especially at higher levels. Those which increase the speed and reliability of delivery such as Quick Doses, Risky Business, and Skilled Applicator are common. For the more secondary talents, the Warleader sphere’s shout-based talents are a good means of ‘inspiring’ allies, particularly Harangue, Rallying Speech, and Rousing Claxon. A Bard’s actual class can vary. Alter Ego is the most thieflike of the Sphere of Might classes, although it’s alternate identity is most likely of the mundane double agent/spy variety. Conscripts with the Knave subclass and Strikers with the Skirmishing Scout subclasses represent other good sneaky options. [I]Druids:[/I] Druids are specialized priests who make a pact with spirits of a localized geographic area known as a Guarded Land. Although capable of long-range travel at lower levels, they are expected to eventually settle down and choose a permanent location to defend. In terms of Casting Tradition they are closest to Druidic, but are similar to Elemental Priests (see below) in that they must choose Nature and a relevant geomancy package for a favored element as one of their two sphere options. They do not speak Druidic as a bonus language given Athas’ lack of an overarching culture or organization of druids. Furthermore, they also are likely to have the Nature Warden drawback, representing their bond to a Guarded Land. The benefits derived from their Guarded Land can be simulated in a number of ways. The Photosynthesis feat can emulate a Druid’s ability to not need to eat or drink for sustenance, while the ability to speak with animals and plants may be reflected via the Nature sphere’s Speak with the Elements talent and either Alteration’s Bestial Spirit talent or Beastmastery’s Wild Speaker legendary talent. As the latter is a martial sphere, the GM may make an exception in letting it be taken as a Nature sphere talent. The ability to shapechange into creatures common to one’s Guarded Lands is best replicated as the Alteration sphere with the Animalistic, Avian, Plant, and/or Vermin genotype talents, with complementary talents such as Bestial Reflexes and Size Change. [I]Elemental Priests:[/I] Divine magic in Dark Sun comes from the elements or the Dragon-Kings. In the case of the former, priests pledge themselves to one of the four elements and derive power from making said element more influential in the Material Plane. As a Casting Tradition they can be emulated as Divine Petitioners, choosing the Nature sphere with the geomancy package of their favored element, and either another Nature talent in line with their element or another sphere that can simulate this. Conjuration for summoning an elemental companion, Destruction for blast types of related elemental energies, and Weather for phenomena related to their favored element are common choices. The Elementalist with the Geomancer subclass is a popular choice, and its ability to trade out class proficiencies for a martial tradition can better replicate weapon restrictions: Earth priests can use any weapons and armor, Air priests focus on ranged weaponry ‘guided by the air,’ Fire priests are likely to have Bombardier Training and access to the Alchemy sphere for the Alchemist’s Fire talent, and Water priests have a preference for bows, spears, and bludgeoning weapons. [I]Gladiator:[/I] Not only does Spheres of Might have a Gladiator Martial Tradition, it also has an entire sphere of the same name! Unfortunately, the Gladiator class’ major feature in Dark Sun is that they are proficient in all weapons. As the Spheres of Might system encourages specialization in small families of weapons rather than being a broad jack of all trades, other options are necessary for an authentic conversion. The Mageknight and Prodigy classes both have Blended Training and can choose to not opt for a Martial Tradition at character creation, still giving them access to talents as they level up while maintaining their universal weapon proficiencies. For the Prodigy the Battleborn subclass is the best choice, while for Mageknight magical spheres can be reflavored to be less magical or reflective of Wild Talents. The Psionicist path is a great choice for this, as is the Spellblade who takes variants to have their magical spheres be self-buffing, such as Protection’s Protected Soul and taking the Blade blast shape talent for Destruction. The Gladiator’s expertise in unarmed combat can be represented in them taking the Equipment sphere’s Unarmed Training and Mystic Fist talents, and complementary spheres such as Brute and Wrestling. For the AC bonus to worn armor, the Enhancement sphere’s Enhance Equipment talent combined with the Personal Magics variant is a good choice. Finally, the gladiator’s ability to attract followers is best represented as the Leadership sphere with the follower package and Soldiers talent. [I]Psionicist:[/I] [B]Special Note:[/B] These guidelines are useful for other campaign settings that employ the use of 2nd/3rd Edition style psionics. Dark Sun may be a low magic setting, but it’s certainly a high-psionics one. Unlike divine or arcane magic which draws power from an external source, psychic powers come from one’s own personal will. As a Casting Tradition it is closest to Natural, albeit having Wisdom as its key ability modifier. The Psychic Casting Tradition may seem more appropriate at first glance, although the bonus spheres may differ depending on one’s favored disciplines and AD&D psionics are not necessarily limited by a caster’s concentration or emotional state. The most likely drawbacks are Mental Focus and Rigorous Concentration, and ones which rely upon external physical objects such as Diagram and Material Casting are inappropriate. For classes psionicists can vary wildly, although “pure psionicists” are more likely to be pure casters and thus be Incanters and other classes that don’t have Blended Training or Martial Traditions. Psionic Combat is discouraged as a wholesale conversion; using typical offensive and defensive sphere effects is preferred. For psionic attack forms, the Destruction sphere is ideal: Ego Whip and Id Insinuation are best emulated via the Slowing blast type, Mind Thrust via the Disrupting blast type, Psionic Blast via the Siphoning blast type, and Psychic Crush Corrosive or Scorching. For psionic defenses, they can be emulated via various features that impose disadvantage on enemy rolls and advantage on the user’s defensive rolls. The Universal sphere’s Dispel package can be used as a reaction by default when augmented with spell points, while the Protection sphere’s Resistance talent can grant advantage to a saving throw as a reaction. The Mind sphere’s Mind Shield talent is a highly appropriate choice, too. When it comes to disciplines, their particular talents can vary wildly, much like the core rules’ schools of magic. Clairsentient powers are best replicated via Divination sphere talents. Psychokinetic powers typically use the Creation and Telekinesis spheres, with some miscellaneous spheres for more specialized effects: Enhancement’s Animate Objects talent for the power of the same name, the Dark and Light spheres for Control Light, Enhancement’s Manipulate Hardness for Molecular Manipulation, etc. Psychometabolic powers manipulate the physical form and thus are best replicated by the Alteration, Enhancement, and Life spheres; the Illusion sphere’s Illusionary Disguise is good for replicating the Chameleon Power. The Cannibalize power is less represented as a talent, and more of the Overcharge Casting Tradition boon, which lets a caster treat their proficiency bonus as 1 higher in exchange for suffering a level of exhaustion. Psychoportation powers are best reflected by the Conjuration and Warp spheres, as well as the Death Sphere’s Astral Projection for the power of the same name. Telepathic powers are best represented via the Mind sphere, with the Life sphere’s Break Enhancement and Restore Mind talents useful for emulating Psychic Surgery, Divination sphere’s Detect Life talent for the Life Detection power, and the Destruction sphere’s Frightful blast type talent emulates the Inflict Pain power. In Dark Sun’s Expanded & Revised Edition, Metapsionics no longer exists as a discipline, being folded into the previous one. But some have not made the transition, which I’ll cover here. Aura Alteration can be replicated as the Illusion sphere’s Veiled Illusions talent, Empower is best emulated as the Enhancement sphere’s Bestow Intelligence talent, Psychic Clone is represented as the Death sphere’s Project Spirit advanced talent, Split Personality is emulated by the Time Sphere’s Adjusted Frequency and Shift Time talents for the apportioning of additional actions, Gird can represent augmenting spells to persist without concentration in general instead of a specific talent, Convergence is emulated by various Manabond talents from the Universal sphere, and Retrospection is closest to the Divination sphere’s Delve for Knowledge advanced talent, to name just a few. [CENTER][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/B3FERHY.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [I]Templar:[/I] Templars best represent hybrid/gish spherecasters, most likely a class or subclass with access to Blended Training. For Casting Traditions they are most commonly Divine Petitioners with spheres related to their Sorcerer-King’s areas of influence. For Martial Traditions they can be diverse in a variety of fighting styles, but the institutional authority they wield often grants them Traditions with the Warleader and/or Gladiator spheres, particularly those options which impose and play off of the frightened condition. Their ability to requisition soldiers, draw upon the city treasury, and give commands to slaves may be represented by the Leadership sphere with the Followers package, with the Detectives, Soldiers, and even Friends in Low Places as common talents. [I]Trader:[/I] This thieflike class focuses more heavily on social skills and contacts. Their fast-talk can be easily emulated as proficiency in Deception and perhaps the use of proficiency-doubling features such as the Alter Ego’s Socialite persona or the Skill Expert feat from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. The followers and special agents can be replicated both via the Leadership sphere and the Commander’s Politician subclass. For the Leadership sphere, the Merchant and Messenger follower talents are obvious choices, followed by others reflective of the trader’s areas of expertise. Alchemists, Artificers, and Craftsmen are appropriate for production of specialized goods, Entertainers for services of a non-physical nature, Friends in Low Places for illegal and black market goods, Laborers for construction projects, and Managers and Base of Operations for those whose business empire grows beyond any one person’s ability to operate. For the Politician subclass, Call In a Specialist emulates a Trader’s ability to hire on retainers of exceptional quality, as does the Leadership sphere’s sidekick package. [I]Wizards:[/I] This entry covers both defilers and preservers. All arcane magic draws upon surrounding life energy, specifically plants and soil, for the powering of spells. Defilers and Preservers are cut from the same cloth, but the difference is in their mindset. In traditional AD&D they were treated as separate classes, with defilers leveling up faster to represent the tempting ease of their power. Preserver Wizards more or less function as standard Wizards in other D&D settings for conversion: the Traditional Magic Casting Tradition being the most likely, and from there it’s all up to the player on what class and spheres best reflect their favored spells. As for defilers, they are equally versatile but always have the Terrain Casting Drawback and Terrain Defiler boon. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
[Creative] Spheres of Power & Might by Setting
Top