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<blockquote data-quote="Haldrik" data-source="post: 8056835" data-attributes="member: 6694221"><p>A fun rule for folklore magic is temptation. For example.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>A monarch must have an heir but is sterile because of a powerful curse. To have a child, a worker tells the monarch to find a sage at a certain tower "with a gold ring that lights the sky as bright as day". It turns out, there will soon be a "ring of fire" eclipse, where an unusually smaller moon leaves the sun still shining like a hollow ring.</p><p></p><p>In D&D terms, this is a "ritual": go to specific place at a specific time. Gain a magical benefit.</p><p></p><p>The eerie sage instructs the monarch to go to the royal garden to pick one white rose and one red rose. If eating the white one, a child will be born who grows up to be wise and the kingdom will enter an age of great prosperity. If eating the red rose, a child will be born who grows up to be a mighty warrior who wins a vast empire. With one flower in each hand, the monarch must choose which flower to eat.</p><p></p><p>Of course, the monarch eats both. It isnt really about greed per se. The monarch wants the best possible circumstances for the citizens.</p><p></p><p>The monarch has a dragon as a child. The dragon is loyal to the royal parents but is a terror to kingdom, and hoards great wealth while delivering vast destruction to kingdoms all around.</p><p></p><p>This is a D&D "ritual" requiring a short rest: go to a garden, pick a flower, and eat it. Perhaps there is meditation, or special words, or even some elaborate ceremony. Sometimes simple but odd is good. Whatever the requirements, it is a ritual.</p><p></p><p>The DM can also have an other "ritual" ready to solve the new problem when the previous ritual goes awry.</p><p></p><p>The dragon demands to marry a human spouse. But when the time comes to consummate the marriage, the dragon ends up devowering the spouse, one marriage after an other. No more humans volunteer to become a royal fiance. The dragon feels rejected by humans, flies into a wrath, and begins to destroy the kingdom itself. Until a human is willing to sacrifice ones own life by agreeing to marry the dragon.</p><p></p><p>The brave fiance clings to hope, and locates a scroll that seems a prescient oracle. The fiance must find a way to truly love the dragon when marrying. If so, in the wedding chamber, when the dragon asks to kiss, the fiance can agree to one kiss for that one night, but only if the dragon first sheds its layer of snakeskin. The dragon agrees, but shedding the skin takes hours, and the morning sun rises. The dragon misses the opportunity for the kiss, and desires the newlywed even more. On the second night, an other kiss, but only if shedding yet an other layer of snakeskin. After a total of nine nights, the dragon is a gory skeleton a strange fraction of its original size, about to die, without any strength, yet more in love than ever. As the dragon is about to expire the last breath, the human has pity and kisses the dragon. Then the draconic skeleton heals into a beautiful human, who resembles the royal parents, but still keeps serpentine eyes.</p><p></p><p>The two royal newlyweds live happily, and govern wisely together, uniting many kingdoms by commercial alliances. They preside peacefully over vast lands of great prosperity.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>As a fun rule:</p><p>• One serving of magic is good (here find the sage).</p><p>• Two servings of magic is better (eat one rose).</p><p>• Three servings of magic is dangerous (eat both roses).</p><p>• Either all will be destroyed and revert to the first serving (potentially glimpse the sage after all is lost), or a fourth serving rescues with triumph.</p><p></p><p>These four servings of magic can divide up into one or more "rituals".</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>So, think of any folklore story. If you dont quite remember it right, then even better! Make it into D&D rituals.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Haldrik, post: 8056835, member: 6694221"] A fun rule for folklore magic is temptation. For example. A monarch must have an heir but is sterile because of a powerful curse. To have a child, a worker tells the monarch to find a sage at a certain tower "with a gold ring that lights the sky as bright as day". It turns out, there will soon be a "ring of fire" eclipse, where an unusually smaller moon leaves the sun still shining like a hollow ring. In D&D terms, this is a "ritual": go to specific place at a specific time. Gain a magical benefit. The eerie sage instructs the monarch to go to the royal garden to pick one white rose and one red rose. If eating the white one, a child will be born who grows up to be wise and the kingdom will enter an age of great prosperity. If eating the red rose, a child will be born who grows up to be a mighty warrior who wins a vast empire. With one flower in each hand, the monarch must choose which flower to eat. Of course, the monarch eats both. It isnt really about greed per se. The monarch wants the best possible circumstances for the citizens. The monarch has a dragon as a child. The dragon is loyal to the royal parents but is a terror to kingdom, and hoards great wealth while delivering vast destruction to kingdoms all around. This is a D&D "ritual" requiring a short rest: go to a garden, pick a flower, and eat it. Perhaps there is meditation, or special words, or even some elaborate ceremony. Sometimes simple but odd is good. Whatever the requirements, it is a ritual. The DM can also have an other "ritual" ready to solve the new problem when the previous ritual goes awry. The dragon demands to marry a human spouse. But when the time comes to consummate the marriage, the dragon ends up devowering the spouse, one marriage after an other. No more humans volunteer to become a royal fiance. The dragon feels rejected by humans, flies into a wrath, and begins to destroy the kingdom itself. Until a human is willing to sacrifice ones own life by agreeing to marry the dragon. The brave fiance clings to hope, and locates a scroll that seems a prescient oracle. The fiance must find a way to truly love the dragon when marrying. If so, in the wedding chamber, when the dragon asks to kiss, the fiance can agree to one kiss for that one night, but only if the dragon first sheds its layer of snakeskin. The dragon agrees, but shedding the skin takes hours, and the morning sun rises. The dragon misses the opportunity for the kiss, and desires the newlywed even more. On the second night, an other kiss, but only if shedding yet an other layer of snakeskin. After a total of nine nights, the dragon is a gory skeleton a strange fraction of its original size, about to die, without any strength, yet more in love than ever. As the dragon is about to expire the last breath, the human has pity and kisses the dragon. Then the draconic skeleton heals into a beautiful human, who resembles the royal parents, but still keeps serpentine eyes. The two royal newlyweds live happily, and govern wisely together, uniting many kingdoms by commercial alliances. They preside peacefully over vast lands of great prosperity. As a fun rule: • One serving of magic is good (here find the sage). • Two servings of magic is better (eat one rose). • Three servings of magic is dangerous (eat both roses). • Either all will be destroyed and revert to the first serving (potentially glimpse the sage after all is lost), or a fourth serving rescues with triumph. These four servings of magic can divide up into one or more "rituals". So, think of any folklore story. If you dont quite remember it right, then even better! Make it into D&D rituals. [/QUOTE]
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