D&D spellcasters in the modern world
- Thread starter Jürgen Hubert
- Start date
Jürgen Hubert
First Post
Rav said:
Or: "Do you remember when US Army necromancers won the Vietnam war by using re-animated Vietkong casualties?"
That last one was from GURPS Technomancer..
Zappo said:
That is a major mistake. You assume that it's a normal tank.
DUH! It's a +5 Armor Adamantine/Mithral Alloy tank! Just because wizards don't have enough XP to go around enchanting ak47s doesn't mean that the government won't scroundge up enough to make every single high-quality piece of military tech as magically enhanced as possable. And, since the tank is +5, it has a save bonus of +9 (2 + 1/2 15, rounded down).
And, the tank won't just be shooting mortars. It'll be have advanced mechanisms that let Maximized Empowered Heightened Desintigration be fired from multiple turrets at the touch of a button. Remember: People like to kill each other, and magic makes it a hell of a lot easier.
Cerubus Dark
First Post
Tiefling said:
I could see a bank owner getting True Seeing cast on his video equipment. Then again look at the PC game Arcanum. They say maigc and Tech. really don't mix too well. Magic is hard to tag becuase of its unusual quailties and the rules of sicence don't apply to it.
Its all in the way you play it out. If you want to have Wizards and such in Modern times, they will be secritive and hidden from the populace. I hate to say it but in large groups the collective IQ for people no matter how smart drops by 20% for every 10 people. At sports events it drops another 50% for every 5 people if your team losses and the refs made bad calls all night.
As for Clerics, well thats really easy. What person would not follow a good god that granted healing? Although telavangilists (?) would be put out of commision because people would be sucking up to their local preacher to get some minor curing spell cast on them or perhaps a blessing.
I do see some legal problems with some spells like Zone of Truth, its the same as forcing a "false" confession out of someone. The Judge would have to consider it unworthy of use in court. And there is that whole sticky matter of paramillitry activity with magic.
Well I am off to get more drugs pumping into my system. Killer headache time.
(sorry if this makes little sence I am running a nice 103 temp here.)
If you think about it, every single person with Int 10+ will be a Wizard.
Just think: It used to be that only the lelite had access to education. In dnd, only the elite had access to schools of wizardry. Now, everyone learns in school. In DnD 2002, wizardry would doubtless be part of the core curriculum, along with Science, Math, Social Studies, and Language Arts. Highschool grads would probably all be around Wiz4, and Colledge grads would be Wiz5 or 6. If you majored in wizardry, you;d be at least a Wiz10 by the time you got your postdoc. This makes Magic Items relatively common, as joe schmoe will probably be working on a Refrigerator of Coldness in his basement, and Jane Schmane will be building a Windless Windsurfer for her vacatrion next summer. Most average schleps will be able to make 5-6 magic items in their life. Spells will be everyday, and there will be billions upon billions of them. The internet will have countless databases, and those stan cults will be particularly satanic.
Let me go into how magical warfare would be fought:
In 1939, the US ended World War II when it had a medium-level wizard cast Teleport Object on a Nuke, which was finished earlier due to magical enhancement. The nuke went strait to the center of Hitler's bunker, and BAM! How did they find Hitler's bunker? Scry.
Now, all major cities are surrounded by Nullification Field Projecters. They create an inch-thick Antimagic Field around the entire city. These projectors are positioned 12 miles away from the city's edge. This way, Nukes can't be teleported into a city, and even if a nuke is dropped off at the border of the field, the blast won't reach urban areas.
On September the 11th, 2001, the World Trade Center was hit by a Maximized, Empowered, Heightened flame strike. This had been cast into Scroll by Osama ben Ladin, a Cleric 20, claiming that his patron diety is Allah. The Fireball melted the WTCs supports, collapsing the building, and killing or injurring thousands. Post 9/11, the US Gov't has declared that usage of magic is illegal in all public areas. Antimagic Fields now coat all major US cities, except in specially prepaired and gaurded rooms in secret military bases, and some universities.
The US Marines are an elite group of Rangers. They use their innate divine spellcasting ability to penetrate deep into enemy forces, and strike hard and fast. The Green Barets are a group of Psychic Warriors, all around level 16. Check out the Sultons of Smack thread for an idea of how deadly the US Special Forces are.
Durring the Cold War, russia got fed up. So, they killed thousands of their citizens, and magically reanimated them as vampires. The russian forces were able to rip through almost all opposition, and were only quelled by a strong barrage of Disjunction Detonaters from the US. Thank Mordenkainen for Disjunctions.
Crime was way out of controll. Psion-Rogues would use Teleport, Invisibility, Displacement, Dimension Door, Chamelion, and similar powers to break into even the most secure areas. Until the police wized up: All vaults are now Antimagic Fielded, and special cameras that can see into the 'Invisible' bandwidth have been programmed to shoot multiple Ray of Enfeeblements at anything that moves.
By 1950, other worlds had been colonized using Teleport and Telekenetic Sphere. Magicala and Psionic forcefields were erected around colonies on airless worlds, and satelites programmed with Teleport, Scry, and Fireball (channeled to create thrusts) quickly found hundreds of habitable worlds. All of these planets are constantly in contact via the ScyNet, and several houses had Transdimensional Corridors installed by 2013.
Transplanar commerce has always been a great benefit to those in Japan. No one else seems to have the manpower and the tech to set up stable Transplanar Navigation Nexi like them. They have set up trading colonies on the Energy Plane of Time, allowing them to get any amount of anything at a moments notice. Unfortunately, this caused major global economic destabalization when it was in full-swing--the Japanese now have production limiting laws, as do all other countries.
Disease no longer existed, or so we thought. Not a single bacteria had shown up for over 90 years, thanks to Cure Disease and Heal, until when, in 1996 a plague from Limbo was released on the Earth by Gate that was left open a few seconds too long. Because we all had virtually no immunity, and the disease was resistant to magic thanks to it's incredable reproduction rate (and therefore adaptability). the disease killed over half of the world's population before stopped.
Just a taste of the . . . erm . . . present, I guess.
Just think: It used to be that only the lelite had access to education. In dnd, only the elite had access to schools of wizardry. Now, everyone learns in school. In DnD 2002, wizardry would doubtless be part of the core curriculum, along with Science, Math, Social Studies, and Language Arts. Highschool grads would probably all be around Wiz4, and Colledge grads would be Wiz5 or 6. If you majored in wizardry, you;d be at least a Wiz10 by the time you got your postdoc. This makes Magic Items relatively common, as joe schmoe will probably be working on a Refrigerator of Coldness in his basement, and Jane Schmane will be building a Windless Windsurfer for her vacatrion next summer. Most average schleps will be able to make 5-6 magic items in their life. Spells will be everyday, and there will be billions upon billions of them. The internet will have countless databases, and those stan cults will be particularly satanic.
Let me go into how magical warfare would be fought:
In 1939, the US ended World War II when it had a medium-level wizard cast Teleport Object on a Nuke, which was finished earlier due to magical enhancement. The nuke went strait to the center of Hitler's bunker, and BAM! How did they find Hitler's bunker? Scry.
Now, all major cities are surrounded by Nullification Field Projecters. They create an inch-thick Antimagic Field around the entire city. These projectors are positioned 12 miles away from the city's edge. This way, Nukes can't be teleported into a city, and even if a nuke is dropped off at the border of the field, the blast won't reach urban areas.
On September the 11th, 2001, the World Trade Center was hit by a Maximized, Empowered, Heightened flame strike. This had been cast into Scroll by Osama ben Ladin, a Cleric 20, claiming that his patron diety is Allah. The Fireball melted the WTCs supports, collapsing the building, and killing or injurring thousands. Post 9/11, the US Gov't has declared that usage of magic is illegal in all public areas. Antimagic Fields now coat all major US cities, except in specially prepaired and gaurded rooms in secret military bases, and some universities.
The US Marines are an elite group of Rangers. They use their innate divine spellcasting ability to penetrate deep into enemy forces, and strike hard and fast. The Green Barets are a group of Psychic Warriors, all around level 16. Check out the Sultons of Smack thread for an idea of how deadly the US Special Forces are.
Durring the Cold War, russia got fed up. So, they killed thousands of their citizens, and magically reanimated them as vampires. The russian forces were able to rip through almost all opposition, and were only quelled by a strong barrage of Disjunction Detonaters from the US. Thank Mordenkainen for Disjunctions.
Crime was way out of controll. Psion-Rogues would use Teleport, Invisibility, Displacement, Dimension Door, Chamelion, and similar powers to break into even the most secure areas. Until the police wized up: All vaults are now Antimagic Fielded, and special cameras that can see into the 'Invisible' bandwidth have been programmed to shoot multiple Ray of Enfeeblements at anything that moves.
By 1950, other worlds had been colonized using Teleport and Telekenetic Sphere. Magicala and Psionic forcefields were erected around colonies on airless worlds, and satelites programmed with Teleport, Scry, and Fireball (channeled to create thrusts) quickly found hundreds of habitable worlds. All of these planets are constantly in contact via the ScyNet, and several houses had Transdimensional Corridors installed by 2013.
Transplanar commerce has always been a great benefit to those in Japan. No one else seems to have the manpower and the tech to set up stable Transplanar Navigation Nexi like them. They have set up trading colonies on the Energy Plane of Time, allowing them to get any amount of anything at a moments notice. Unfortunately, this caused major global economic destabalization when it was in full-swing--the Japanese now have production limiting laws, as do all other countries.
Disease no longer existed, or so we thought. Not a single bacteria had shown up for over 90 years, thanks to Cure Disease and Heal, until when, in 1996 a plague from Limbo was released on the Earth by Gate that was left open a few seconds too long. Because we all had virtually no immunity, and the disease was resistant to magic thanks to it's incredable reproduction rate (and therefore adaptability). the disease killed over half of the world's population before stopped.
Just a taste of the . . . erm . . . present, I guess.
A lot of folks letting their imaginations wander here. Many of them victims of the U.S. educational system.
A few corrections.
1. The magic shows up in modern times. I.E., 2001 or so.
2. The atomic bomb was not available in 1939. The date was 1944.
Now that that's dealt with, let's get down to the metaphysics.
The sudden appearance of magic in our world would not be a matter of adding something new to the mix, but a fundamental change in the universe itself. A change in the very nature of the universe, and how it works. It would also mean a change in how we interact with the world, and the impact we have upon it.
Would every person of above average intelligence become a wizard? No. Becoming a wizard takes discipline and drive. Not everybody has what it takes. The same for all of above average sagacity. To become a spellcaster takes dedication, hard work, and a tolerance for pain that is remarkable. (Try dropping a Fireballat your feet and see how it feels.)
It is true criminals would pick up nifty new tricks, but so would the cops. After a period of adjustment, it would all end up pretty much as it is now. Crooks coming up with ways to get loot. Cops coming up with ways to get the crooks.
As to the divine. let us remember that the divine seldom, if ever, makes an appearance in our lives. With a few, very rare, exceptions, none of us has dealt with a god. Much less God himself. Angels and saints a tad more often, but not by much.
In other words, we have no real experience in the matter. We don't know what to expect. So some hold that it can be denied, and shall be. (Hi, Canis, I am talking about you.)
No, bunky, the divine is not something you can so cavalierly dismiss. Ineffable is an inadequate word to describe it. Meeting divinity face to face is not something you can pass off as a bad hot dog with chili flash back. It's not something you can deny.
You know, we have become so used to concocted "wonders" we have become jaded and cynical. We're not really ready for the real thing, should it show up. So we get those who declare that folks would take the new way of things in stride. When, really, there is nothing in our experience that would prepare us for what would come should magic appear in our midst.
To put it another way, the reality is not the description. The words, "You heal up 12 points of damage on Sir Hektoh." is not the same as watching a broken leg knit up right before your eyes. The words, "You take 22 points from the Fireball." does not have the same impact as watching your skin redden and bubble as your flesh cooks and your clothes burst into flame.
No, suddenly having D&D style magic in the real world would not be what many of us apparently expect. It would be different, and how we react to it, adjust to it, would differ from what we say would happen.
A reality check for you all. Remember, more real world wizards would be like Artax than Elminster.
A few corrections.1. The magic shows up in modern times. I.E., 2001 or so.
2. The atomic bomb was not available in 1939. The date was 1944.
Now that that's dealt with, let's get down to the metaphysics.
The sudden appearance of magic in our world would not be a matter of adding something new to the mix, but a fundamental change in the universe itself. A change in the very nature of the universe, and how it works. It would also mean a change in how we interact with the world, and the impact we have upon it.
Would every person of above average intelligence become a wizard? No. Becoming a wizard takes discipline and drive. Not everybody has what it takes. The same for all of above average sagacity. To become a spellcaster takes dedication, hard work, and a tolerance for pain that is remarkable. (Try dropping a Fireballat your feet and see how it feels.
)It is true criminals would pick up nifty new tricks, but so would the cops. After a period of adjustment, it would all end up pretty much as it is now. Crooks coming up with ways to get loot. Cops coming up with ways to get the crooks.
As to the divine. let us remember that the divine seldom, if ever, makes an appearance in our lives. With a few, very rare, exceptions, none of us has dealt with a god. Much less God himself. Angels and saints a tad more often, but not by much.
In other words, we have no real experience in the matter. We don't know what to expect. So some hold that it can be denied, and shall be. (Hi, Canis, I am talking about you.
)No, bunky, the divine is not something you can so cavalierly dismiss. Ineffable is an inadequate word to describe it. Meeting divinity face to face is not something you can pass off as a bad hot dog with chili flash back. It's not something you can deny.
You know, we have become so used to concocted "wonders" we have become jaded and cynical. We're not really ready for the real thing, should it show up. So we get those who declare that folks would take the new way of things in stride. When, really, there is nothing in our experience that would prepare us for what would come should magic appear in our midst.
To put it another way, the reality is not the description. The words, "You heal up 12 points of damage on Sir Hektoh." is not the same as watching a broken leg knit up right before your eyes. The words, "You take 22 points from the Fireball." does not have the same impact as watching your skin redden and bubble as your flesh cooks and your clothes burst into flame.
No, suddenly having D&D style magic in the real world would not be what many of us apparently expect. It would be different, and how we react to it, adjust to it, would differ from what we say would happen.
A reality check for you all. Remember, more real world wizards would be like Artax than Elminster.
Last edited:
Jeremy Ackerman-Yost
Explorer
mythusmage said:In other words, we have no real experience in the matter. We don't know what to expect. So some hold that it can be denied, and shall be. (Hi, Canis, I am talking about you.
No, bunky, the divine is not something you can so cavalierly dismiss. Ineffable is an inadequate word to describe it. Meeting divinity face to face is not something you can pass off as a bad hot dog with chili flash back. It's not something you can deny.
Hi, Mythusmage. I thought you might be
People will accept magic as soon as they have to, I never said anyone would be able to deny that they took a searing light in the arse. But I think you'd be surprised by people's capacity to deny the source. A lot of people have VERY closed minds on the subject. They will accept super-science. They will accept magic, if no alternative explanation is possible. But no matter how many communes and Miracles are cast, they are going to insist that the power could not be coming from a god, because they KNOW gods don't exist. The power of self-delusion is tremendous. I think you underestimate it. When something is that integral a part of your worldview, moving it is not possible. If you DO manage to move it, the result is more likely psychosis than enlightenment.
I can tell you right now that nearly a quarter of the people I work with, if God Almighty walked up and pinched their ass, they would STILL deny he existed. What I find amusing is that these are "open-minded", liberal academics. Not as open-minded as they think they are.
Me. I'd say (after I cleaned up the mess from my bladder, of course), "Good Morning, your Divinityship. Nice planet you gave us. Sorry we're screwing it up. Don't suppose you could use a paladin?"
EDITED for emphasis
Last edited:
Jeremy Ackerman-Yost
Explorer
Just wanted to say that I completely agreed with the rest of your post, Mythusmage. Especially the reality check. The darker side of human nature would take to that kind of personal power like a duck to water.
Cerubus Dark
First Post
Re: Wizard / Sorceror v Cleric spells
Don't forget a cleirc can cast up to thrid level spells on faith alone even if they don't serve a particular god.
Caedrel said:
Don't forget a cleirc can cast up to thrid level spells on faith alone even if they don't serve a particular god.
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