[D&D3.5] Paths of Legend: The Azgundi Tournaments (OOC)
- Thread starter crazy_monkey1956
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crazy_monkey1956
First Post
Aohdan would be the first Centaur Lord in Azgund if he won a Lordship. 
Mr Monkey, how flexible are you in the interpretation of warlock abilities?
The description given in Complete Arcane implies that they're fiendishly powered, but I often have variant descriptions to emphasize alternative origins. No mechanical effect, just aesthetic.
Also, what are the rules for magic use during tournament events?
The description given in Complete Arcane implies that they're fiendishly powered, but I often have variant descriptions to emphasize alternative origins. No mechanical effect, just aesthetic.
Also, what are the rules for magic use during tournament events?
crazy_monkey1956
First Post
Warlocks are relatively new in the setting with an origin that ties into some major plot events (and is a little long).
Sblocked for your convenience...
[sblock=Warlocks - Secret Origin]Thay's Red Wizards continually strive to augment their magical abilities. One of their experiments, the Human Paragons, proved to be a bit more than they could control. They attempted to eliminate the Paragons, but some escaped and went underground. These Paragons made contact with the gnome delegation currently residing in Thay as part of a cultural exchange. The gnomes had stumbled upon a means of summoning and binding outsiders via pacts which empowered the summoner but had not shared that knowledge with the Red Wizards for fear that it would be abused. The Paragons wrested that knowledge from the gnomes and have used it to increase their own power in a potential bid to take over Thay. They have not yet made their move, but have been secretly traveling to other lands, scouting out potential pawns and allies.
So, to answer your question, if someone were to discover the pact-ritual, they could potentially direct it at a different sort of outsider than the usual infernal types.
The true secret of this setting is that Outsiders don't exist...well, sort of. There are no outer planes, just a Limbo-like vastness called The Nothing where all souls go when they die. Whenever a spellcaster summons an outsider, one of those souls is used to form the outsider right then and there as part of the summoning ritual, the powers and appearance of the outsider completely determined by the caster's whim and imagination. Early summoners quickly realized how this could be abused, so they concocted a complex system of outer planes and natives of those planes, codifying this knowledge and passing it on so that it eventually became accepted as fact. Many of the more powerful outsiders, once summoned, quickly come to understand the nature of their existence and thus do whatever they can to remain in the Material Plane, since, once their summoning is done, they effectively cease to exist. Thus, the Warlock Pact-Binding ritual accidentally discovered by the gnomes, which is really a means by which outsiders can remain in the world, albeit in limited form.[/sblock]
Sblocked for your convenience...
[sblock=Warlocks - Secret Origin]Thay's Red Wizards continually strive to augment their magical abilities. One of their experiments, the Human Paragons, proved to be a bit more than they could control. They attempted to eliminate the Paragons, but some escaped and went underground. These Paragons made contact with the gnome delegation currently residing in Thay as part of a cultural exchange. The gnomes had stumbled upon a means of summoning and binding outsiders via pacts which empowered the summoner but had not shared that knowledge with the Red Wizards for fear that it would be abused. The Paragons wrested that knowledge from the gnomes and have used it to increase their own power in a potential bid to take over Thay. They have not yet made their move, but have been secretly traveling to other lands, scouting out potential pawns and allies.
So, to answer your question, if someone were to discover the pact-ritual, they could potentially direct it at a different sort of outsider than the usual infernal types.
The true secret of this setting is that Outsiders don't exist...well, sort of. There are no outer planes, just a Limbo-like vastness called The Nothing where all souls go when they die. Whenever a spellcaster summons an outsider, one of those souls is used to form the outsider right then and there as part of the summoning ritual, the powers and appearance of the outsider completely determined by the caster's whim and imagination. Early summoners quickly realized how this could be abused, so they concocted a complex system of outer planes and natives of those planes, codifying this knowledge and passing it on so that it eventually became accepted as fact. Many of the more powerful outsiders, once summoned, quickly come to understand the nature of their existence and thus do whatever they can to remain in the Material Plane, since, once their summoning is done, they effectively cease to exist. Thus, the Warlock Pact-Binding ritual accidentally discovered by the gnomes, which is really a means by which outsiders can remain in the world, albeit in limited form.[/sblock]
crazy_monkey1956
First Post
And, to answer the question about the Tournament's rules on magic-use...
Magic is allowed, within certain limits, depending on the event. For example, participants are required to use the bows and ammunition provided by the tournament officials for the archery contest, but may utilize magic that would enchance their aim or dexterity. Likewise, for duels, the tournament provides blunted rapiers, but the participants may employ magic to enhance their reflexes, for example. Each event has different rules and stipulations.
Magic is allowed, within certain limits, depending on the event. For example, participants are required to use the bows and ammunition provided by the tournament officials for the archery contest, but may utilize magic that would enchance their aim or dexterity. Likewise, for duels, the tournament provides blunted rapiers, but the participants may employ magic to enhance their reflexes, for example. Each event has different rules and stipulations.
eeenteresting...
Forgive me if I seem overly inquisitive...it's relevant to character design, and will almost certainly come up in play too.
re: magic - Are magically gifted and mundane people scored on the same basis? If so, it seems to put mundanes at a significant disadvantage when a 1st level wizard with a Dex of 10 has a better chance of hitting a target with True Strike than a 10th level fighter with Dex 20 and a magic bow. Normally that's balanced by making the wizard's spell a 1 shot, that uses an action, which in combat is a huge limit. But in a controlled target shooting event, it's a nonissue. Other games have similar spoilers. Neutralize or Delay Poison for drinking contests (or who could beat a 9th level druid?
), Locate Creature for fox hunt, etc etc. Of course some of this ties into the next question...
Level of participants. A big tournament like this, with noble title as prize, would logically draw some of the biggest, best, and most experienced hands in the land. What sort of competition are our 2nd levelers looking at?
Re: Warlocks [sblock=Supa-Secret-4-GM-Eye-Only-Stuff-Really-This-Means-You!]An interesting origin indeed. It raises some questions about other magicks, but I will leave those to the time they become pertinent to the game. As far as Warlock Von Warlocksalot goes, the immediate questions revolve around this idea of binding another soul. Does the outsider become part of the warlock? Does it remain separate? Is there a split personality involved? An inner voice that interacts? Emotional resonance and/or feedback? Are warlocks made by other ritualists, or do they have to perform the ritual themselves? If they're made by others, does it require consent? Do the ones performing the ritual exact a price for bestowing powers? If they do it themselves, how does one go from being a powerful mage binding outsiders to being a puny 2nd level warlock?
I have some ideas along these lines myself, but I'd like to get your interpretation before I start brainstorming too much. Thanks for your patience![/sblock]
Forgive me if I seem overly inquisitive...it's relevant to character design, and will almost certainly come up in play too.
re: magic - Are magically gifted and mundane people scored on the same basis? If so, it seems to put mundanes at a significant disadvantage when a 1st level wizard with a Dex of 10 has a better chance of hitting a target with True Strike than a 10th level fighter with Dex 20 and a magic bow. Normally that's balanced by making the wizard's spell a 1 shot, that uses an action, which in combat is a huge limit. But in a controlled target shooting event, it's a nonissue. Other games have similar spoilers. Neutralize or Delay Poison for drinking contests (or who could beat a 9th level druid?
), Locate Creature for fox hunt, etc etc. Of course some of this ties into the next question...Level of participants. A big tournament like this, with noble title as prize, would logically draw some of the biggest, best, and most experienced hands in the land. What sort of competition are our 2nd levelers looking at?
Re: Warlocks [sblock=Supa-Secret-4-GM-Eye-Only-Stuff-Really-This-Means-You!]An interesting origin indeed. It raises some questions about other magicks, but I will leave those to the time they become pertinent to the game. As far as Warlock Von Warlocksalot goes, the immediate questions revolve around this idea of binding another soul. Does the outsider become part of the warlock? Does it remain separate? Is there a split personality involved? An inner voice that interacts? Emotional resonance and/or feedback? Are warlocks made by other ritualists, or do they have to perform the ritual themselves? If they're made by others, does it require consent? Do the ones performing the ritual exact a price for bestowing powers? If they do it themselves, how does one go from being a powerful mage binding outsiders to being a puny 2nd level warlock?
I have some ideas along these lines myself, but I'd like to get your interpretation before I start brainstorming too much. Thanks for your patience![/sblock]
crazy_monkey1956
First Post
Each contest has several stages and magic augmentation is only to occur before the event starts. So, true strike, for example, would help with the first shot in the archery contest, but the shots get progressively harder as the comptetition goes on.
Yes, there's going to be a large mix of character levels present amongst NPCs in the contest. However, 99% of them are NPC class characters (mostly Aristocrats).
As an example, of the Lords and Ladies in the first post (those whose Lordships are up for grabs) only Lady Dawn de Guare and Lady Devera de Sisan have levels in PC classes. The others are mostly Aristocrats (maybe with a level or two in Warrior or Expert).
[sblock=Regarding Warlocks]The reason the gnomes kept the ritual to themselves is that it is deceptively easy to perform...too easy in fact. The cost is rather high, as the bound outsider gets to send the warlock's soul in its place when the warlock dies, allowing the outsider to stick around permanently. The outsider is present at all times but the level of interaction depends on the individual warlock and the outsider. In all cases, the outsider isn't able to actually take any actions of any sort.[/sblock]
Yes, there's going to be a large mix of character levels present amongst NPCs in the contest. However, 99% of them are NPC class characters (mostly Aristocrats).
As an example, of the Lords and Ladies in the first post (those whose Lordships are up for grabs) only Lady Dawn de Guare and Lady Devera de Sisan have levels in PC classes. The others are mostly Aristocrats (maybe with a level or two in Warrior or Expert).
[sblock=Regarding Warlocks]The reason the gnomes kept the ritual to themselves is that it is deceptively easy to perform...too easy in fact. The cost is rather high, as the bound outsider gets to send the warlock's soul in its place when the warlock dies, allowing the outsider to stick around permanently. The outsider is present at all times but the level of interaction depends on the individual warlock and the outsider. In all cases, the outsider isn't able to actually take any actions of any sort.[/sblock]
Ahh, gotcha. Good deal then. So no spellcasting -during- the events.
That still makes some events vulnerable to magic...is dispelling one's opponent legal?
[sblock=War of the Warring Warlocks of War (GM Only...Eeek!)]Hm. That makes any warlock character a fairly nihlistic concept, though it also gives them a built-in character goal, which isn't a bad thing. Does it have mechanical effects? Does the outsider immediately take over the warlock's body on death...so that a warlock who dies against, say, kobolds, suddenly turns into a balor that kills everyone else? Does it mean that warlock can't be raised or resurrected, because their souls are annihilated on death?
Also, for conceptual purposes, I need to know under what circumstances the ritual is done. Does the warlock have to perform it himself? If not, do they do it on other people? If they do, out of malice, goodwill, greed, curiosity...why do they do it? Are there a bunch of ex-warlock outsiders rampaging around now too?
Inquiring minds![/sblock]
That still makes some events vulnerable to magic...is dispelling one's opponent legal?
[sblock=War of the Warring Warlocks of War (GM Only...Eeek!)]Hm. That makes any warlock character a fairly nihlistic concept, though it also gives them a built-in character goal, which isn't a bad thing. Does it have mechanical effects? Does the outsider immediately take over the warlock's body on death...so that a warlock who dies against, say, kobolds, suddenly turns into a balor that kills everyone else?
Does it mean that warlock can't be raised or resurrected, because their souls are annihilated on death?Also, for conceptual purposes, I need to know under what circumstances the ritual is done. Does the warlock have to perform it himself? If not, do they do it on other people? If they do, out of malice, goodwill, greed, curiosity...why do they do it? Are there a bunch of ex-warlock outsiders rampaging around now too?
Inquiring minds![/sblock]
Lynx_The_one
First Post
Monkey, favored soul info please?
crazy_monkey1956
First Post
[sblock=Regarding Warlocks]Generally speaking, one has to perform the ritual oneself. The binding process requires a willing participant. Upon the warlock's death, the outsider becomes native to the prime material plane. The warlock can be brought back via the usual means, though the outsider will likely take measures to prevent that from happening or try to kill the warlock again if the ousider is evil.[/sblock]
[sblock=Regarding Favored Souls]When The Ten first ascended to godhood during the Shadow War, few people knew of their existence. Thus, most of them actually have more Favored Souls than Clerics at this point as they are still establishing things like churches and organized religions. Thus, Favored Souls have only been around for about ten years or so and they are individually chosen and imbued with power by the god they follow to spread the word of that god.
The Ten are...
The Shadow Knight, also known as the Redeemer and Lord of Shadow
The Silver Shadow, also known as Lady of Shadow, goddess of choice
The Bronze Hammer, patron of dwarves
The Divine Riddler, patron of gnomes
The Wanderer, patron of halflings
The Piper, patron of outcasts
The Lord of Death, also known as Thanyx
The Undaunted General, also known as Kerakus
The Savage Warrior, patron of gnolls
The Scaled Hunter, patron of reptillian races[/sblock]
[sblock=Regarding Favored Souls]When The Ten first ascended to godhood during the Shadow War, few people knew of their existence. Thus, most of them actually have more Favored Souls than Clerics at this point as they are still establishing things like churches and organized religions. Thus, Favored Souls have only been around for about ten years or so and they are individually chosen and imbued with power by the god they follow to spread the word of that god.
The Ten are...
The Shadow Knight, also known as the Redeemer and Lord of Shadow
The Silver Shadow, also known as Lady of Shadow, goddess of choice
The Bronze Hammer, patron of dwarves
The Divine Riddler, patron of gnomes
The Wanderer, patron of halflings
The Piper, patron of outcasts
The Lord of Death, also known as Thanyx
The Undaunted General, also known as Kerakus
The Savage Warrior, patron of gnolls
The Scaled Hunter, patron of reptillian races[/sblock]
