Let's break the Realms!

[Olli]

double post

 

[jdrakeh]

So, whats the problems with this spell that I don´t see??

First, as noted, the likelihood that a PC will have M's Disjunction ready to fire is pretty slim. Secondly, in order to counter Elminster's Evasion, they'll need to actually know what it is and that he has it active all of the time, which is definitely in the realm of player knowledge as opposed to character knowledge.

That said, let's assume that the PCs somehow manage to secretly surveil Elminster for weeks on end without the sage noticing and learn his most intimate of routines, up to and including the application method of his most secret evasion spell. Elminster has a lot of other bennies. By virtue of his nature as a Chosen of Mystra, he is immune to:

* Aging
* Disease
* Disintegration
* Poison
* Sleep

He may also call upon the Silver Fire of Mystra for any one of these effects at a time, once per round, without using an action. All effects are as if cast by a 20th-level sorcerer, where applicable:

* Duplicate the effect of a Ring of Warmth.
* Duplicate the effect of a Ring of Mind Shielding.
* Banish all external magical compulsions upon the wearer as per Greater Dispelling.
* Function without food or drink for up to 7 consecutive days.
* Dispel a dead magic zone or antimagic shell, permanently (this effect may be used only once every 70 minutes).

Add to that his 26-ish levels as a Magic User and various levels in other classes. Even if PCs do manage to er. . . disjunct. . . him, they'll have a very difficult fight on their hands. Of course, if Elminster never becomes a Chosen and never sleeps with Mystra, he loses all of the aformentioned extra benefits and becomes a fairly standard character (albeit one with roughly 30 character levels).

This Elminster would definitely be a departure from the one we have now. I envision such an Elminster as somebody who had to learn hard lessons, scraping his fingers to the bone in his youth, and learning his trade via the school of hard knocks. This Elminster would be more Harry Dresden and less Albus Dumbledore.

 

[Nymrohd]

Not to mention that if Elminster feels threatened, help in the form of several Chosen, some arguably more powerful than him, is just a couple of rounds away. Honestly your best choice is to ambush him with multiple antimagic effects and hit him hard and fast. Which is the way to handle any epic spellcaster after all.

 

[Olli]

t Honestly your best choice is to ambush him with multiple antimagic effects and hit him hard and fast. Which is the way to handle any epic spellcaster after all.

This!!!!

Olli

 

[Rechan]

The Novels Never Happened.

There, biggest change ever.

Although honestly, if I wanted to really change the realms, I'd Eberron it's alignment/god system. Gods are not only uninvolved, no one is certain of their existence in the first place. And, the alignment of things is very, very muddled.

While we're at it...

Hellgate Keep and Myth Dannor were never destroyed.

The ancient black wyrm actually ate the king and his adviser mage.

I'll go with an earlier suggestion: Netheril never fell.

 

[Nymrohd]

I think it is just simpler to just play in the past and have your players break history for the extra fun. Make them stand with Raumathar and destroy Narfell reigning supreme over the east. Keep Ioulaum from abandoning Netheril so that Karsus never feels compelled to cast his Avatar spell. Expose the Vyshan's contact with Malkizid and banish Wendonai before the corruption of the Srri-tel-Quessir. In a history as intricate and complex as that of FR, there are hunderds of turning points to exploit and alter.

 

[Primal]

This Elminster would definitely be a departure from the one we have now. I envision such an Elminster as somebody who had to learn hard lessons, scraping his fingers to the bone in his youth, and learning his trade via the school of hard knocks. This Elminster would be more Harry Dresden and less Albus Dumbledore.

Sounds like the young Elminster depicted in Greenwood's novels, i.e. in 'Elminster: the making of a mage', 'Elminster in Myth Drannor' and 'The tempation of Elminster' (for example, Elminster was a bandit, a thief, and even a female priestess of Mystra in his early years).

 

[jdrakeh]

Sounds like the young Elminster depicted in Greenwood's novels, i.e. in 'Elminster: the making of a mage', 'Elminster in Myth Drannor' and 'The tempation of Elminster' (for example, Elminster was a bandit, a thief, and even a female priestess of Mystra in his early years).

I didn't get that vibe at all from the novels in question. Granted, I didn't get the Dumbledore vibe, either, but definitely not any kind of a gritty, hard knocks, vibe.* I think the novels that depict Elminster in his 'youth' are more Merlin-ish (the television series) than Dresden-ish. Any setbacks that Elminster faces are fleeting at the very worst and most everything works out to his benefit in the end.

Elminster doesn't seem to have very many permanent consequences, while magic users like The Grey Mouser, Harry Dresden, and even Merlin (of legend, not television) seem to be constantly hammered with hardship. Elminster is a lot of things to me, but dark, brooding, and hard of heart don't come to mind. He isn't even particularly callous. Despite being powerful, I wouldn't call him tough.

*I don't think I've ever gotten a 'gritty' vibe from any FR novel, come to think of it. FR has always been the highest of High Fantasy for me, even outdoing Tolkien in that regard from time to time.