Lizard Lips
First Post
ok... I've got a player... been playing for 20 years.. a bright guy. Too bright. He's got ideas for the use of spells that would turn my game world into something I'd hardly recognize. He's outlined his ideas as a letter from his character to his 'superiors'.
Background: The player is an elf, 4th level wizard... the elves have fallen behind in 'arcane' magic (I changed their favored class to bard rather than wizard). The player is out collecting info on arcane magic in an effort to increase the elves research into that area of magic.
Here's the letter. Please help me figure out how to stop all this stuff. I suppose I can just say 'it doesn't work', but that's lame.
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The following is highly secret. Though they should work in principal, I have not experimented with and in most cases not demonstrated the following concepts. Nor will I unless directed to by higher authority. To do so would risk their discovery by our competitors who are in a better position to implement them then we currently are.
Two spells. Two rather common arcane spells is all it may take to begin the return of the elves to their former glory. The first of the two spells, is commonly referred to as “Reduce”. If cast by an arcane practitioner of quite modest strength will shorten each of the three dimensions of a moderately large object, a very large chest or small cart for example, by half reducing the volume of course by one eighth. The reduction lasts only a short while, but long enough to greatly enhance the effect of the second spell, commonly referred to as “Shrink Item”. Shrink item is a much more powerful version of reduce. It is a significantly more difficult spell to master. It will shorten the dimensions of a smaller object by one twelfth, reducing volume by nearly a factor of two thousand! The effect of Shrink Item lasts for days. Using the two spells in combination, one can Reduce an item of large size to a size that can be treated effectively with Shrink Item, thereby greatly extending the effective size range of the Shrink Item spell.
While it isn’t surprising that the shortsighted humans have neither exploited nor even realized the import of these common spells, I’m sure the council will see the far reaching implications immediately. Although these spells are perhaps the least flashy and impressive to the humans, their usefulness when combined not only with each other, but with modern manufacturing and technology is tremendous.
The most obvious implication is transport. That is indeed the intended use of the more powerful Shrink Item. The extension of it’s useful size range however greatly magnifies its original usefulness. Consider a large block of dense material such as gold, iron or marble 5 ft by 4 ft by 2 1/2 ft. The weight of these blocks is approximately 30, 12 and 8 tons respectively. By shrinking them their weight becomes 35, 12 and 10 pounds. By preparing and casting the pair of these spells each day a wizard could transport 150, 60 or 40 tons of these materials on his person! An additional benefit is that should these materials be stolen, the thief, unless also a wizard, would not travel very far as he would soon find the weight of such items unbearable. Yet another benefit of the spell is that the material as it is shrunk may be transformed temporarily into cloth. This would go far in it’s disguise. Other simple spells are able to conceal the aura of magical enchantment which would be plain to other spellcasters. In short a mage could not only transport literally tons of material, but do so without anyone’s notice.
Transport, while rather mundane compared with the other potential uses of this pair of spells, I believe has the greatest potential impact on the vitality of our great nation. Consider how strong our trade would become if a horseman could transport tons of material. The military applications are perhaps too numerous to count. Consider how much more effective our warships would be carrying 40 extra tons of powder, shot and/or coal, but remaining light in their draft for best maneuvering and speed. How much quicker could a fortress be built if two or three 40 ton blocks of granite could be sent from a quarry over 100 miles away and lifted into place as easily as a simple house brick? Construction and production are often limited by the speed at which raw materials are transported to the site.
Another feature of this spell combination useful in production is scaling. Humans and especially dwarfs are perhaps skilled at assembling large bulky items such as ships or steam engines. Elves are second to none at crafting items of fineness and delicacy. By working with raw materials in their shrunken state, we can exploit our talents for the small scale in the construction of large items. Large items which require many craftsman a lot of time and tools to build can often be made on a twelfth scale by a single craftsman in less time by the use of molds or techniques similar to glassblowing. Consider the steam engine. Steam engines large enough to propel a warship are often made in sections and bolted together. The connections and seams are weak points which become the limiting factor in the pressure one can build up in a boiler. By molding or blowing a twelfth scale boiler chamber in a single piece, not only is it produced faster with fewer craftsman, but it is considerably superior in quality.
As an example, I shall describe the construction of a warship far superior to those in use today. To begin with a marble mold is constructed in one twelfth scale to match the shape of the outer hull of the ship size desired. Additionally, flat marble inserts to fit precisely into this mold can be made to fill in the base up to the level where each deck would be. Our fine craftsman should be able to create such a mold in fairly short order, but a spell commonly called “Stone Shape” would do the work in but a moment. A wizard would then reduce and then shrink as many large blocks of steel as he could in a day less then the maximum duration of his shrink spell. These shrunken blocks would then be melted (Note: The melting process would require far less fuel then it would on the full sized steel. This effect could greatly increase the efficiency of our smelting and other processes.) In crucibles and carefully poured into the heated marble mold so as to generate an even coating of the shrunken steel. Once it cools and contracts slightly, it can be removed from the mold and placed in a harbor and will expand to full scale the next day. A very similar process is performed to create flat deck plates. Since the molds could be reused the manufacture would be dependent only on the speed at which steel could be transported to the construction area and shrunk. By my calculations, even one with barely enough power to cast these spells, such as myself, would be able to make 56 ft wide by 280 ft long dreadnaught hulls of 2 inch thick steel every 5 days time. These hulls would be single piece construction, leak free and with no seams for weak points. Astoundingly they would weigh about the same as the 16 inch thick wooden war hulls currently made. Consider not just that they are harder and stronger then their wooden counterparts, but virtually impervious to fire which is more often then not the bane of a warship. Another example of a large scale item created faster with few craftsmen and in vastly superior quality.
Now consider an odd example of the use of this spell combination as a weapon. I’ve already described how 8 tons of rock may be turned into 10 lbs. Easily transportable by a man. A rare spell, though one I have obtained access to, allows a wizard to enable himself or another to fly through the air. By preparing some large boulders in a few days in advance a wizard could carry them high above an enemy ship or fortress then release the shrink item spell. The effect would be devastating. Even without the fly spell, we have trained hawks who could carry slightly smaller or “Reduced” loads.
In conclusion, it is plain to see the incredible value of arcane magic overall. When only two common spells can turn the fate of our nation, it only has to be wondered what other treasures lie waiting in the knowledge of the arcane. It is this agent’s recommendation that efforts to train mages be redoubled. It is clear that at the very least that is the first step toward implementation of these above procedures. More likely it will reveal a veritable treasure trove of new and innovative techniques like those described above which will change the course of our nation unimaginably toward the better. I am already researching other ideas which could be nearly as powerful as those described above.
Background: The player is an elf, 4th level wizard... the elves have fallen behind in 'arcane' magic (I changed their favored class to bard rather than wizard). The player is out collecting info on arcane magic in an effort to increase the elves research into that area of magic.
Here's the letter. Please help me figure out how to stop all this stuff. I suppose I can just say 'it doesn't work', but that's lame.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The following is highly secret. Though they should work in principal, I have not experimented with and in most cases not demonstrated the following concepts. Nor will I unless directed to by higher authority. To do so would risk their discovery by our competitors who are in a better position to implement them then we currently are.
Two spells. Two rather common arcane spells is all it may take to begin the return of the elves to their former glory. The first of the two spells, is commonly referred to as “Reduce”. If cast by an arcane practitioner of quite modest strength will shorten each of the three dimensions of a moderately large object, a very large chest or small cart for example, by half reducing the volume of course by one eighth. The reduction lasts only a short while, but long enough to greatly enhance the effect of the second spell, commonly referred to as “Shrink Item”. Shrink item is a much more powerful version of reduce. It is a significantly more difficult spell to master. It will shorten the dimensions of a smaller object by one twelfth, reducing volume by nearly a factor of two thousand! The effect of Shrink Item lasts for days. Using the two spells in combination, one can Reduce an item of large size to a size that can be treated effectively with Shrink Item, thereby greatly extending the effective size range of the Shrink Item spell.
While it isn’t surprising that the shortsighted humans have neither exploited nor even realized the import of these common spells, I’m sure the council will see the far reaching implications immediately. Although these spells are perhaps the least flashy and impressive to the humans, their usefulness when combined not only with each other, but with modern manufacturing and technology is tremendous.
The most obvious implication is transport. That is indeed the intended use of the more powerful Shrink Item. The extension of it’s useful size range however greatly magnifies its original usefulness. Consider a large block of dense material such as gold, iron or marble 5 ft by 4 ft by 2 1/2 ft. The weight of these blocks is approximately 30, 12 and 8 tons respectively. By shrinking them their weight becomes 35, 12 and 10 pounds. By preparing and casting the pair of these spells each day a wizard could transport 150, 60 or 40 tons of these materials on his person! An additional benefit is that should these materials be stolen, the thief, unless also a wizard, would not travel very far as he would soon find the weight of such items unbearable. Yet another benefit of the spell is that the material as it is shrunk may be transformed temporarily into cloth. This would go far in it’s disguise. Other simple spells are able to conceal the aura of magical enchantment which would be plain to other spellcasters. In short a mage could not only transport literally tons of material, but do so without anyone’s notice.
Transport, while rather mundane compared with the other potential uses of this pair of spells, I believe has the greatest potential impact on the vitality of our great nation. Consider how strong our trade would become if a horseman could transport tons of material. The military applications are perhaps too numerous to count. Consider how much more effective our warships would be carrying 40 extra tons of powder, shot and/or coal, but remaining light in their draft for best maneuvering and speed. How much quicker could a fortress be built if two or three 40 ton blocks of granite could be sent from a quarry over 100 miles away and lifted into place as easily as a simple house brick? Construction and production are often limited by the speed at which raw materials are transported to the site.
Another feature of this spell combination useful in production is scaling. Humans and especially dwarfs are perhaps skilled at assembling large bulky items such as ships or steam engines. Elves are second to none at crafting items of fineness and delicacy. By working with raw materials in their shrunken state, we can exploit our talents for the small scale in the construction of large items. Large items which require many craftsman a lot of time and tools to build can often be made on a twelfth scale by a single craftsman in less time by the use of molds or techniques similar to glassblowing. Consider the steam engine. Steam engines large enough to propel a warship are often made in sections and bolted together. The connections and seams are weak points which become the limiting factor in the pressure one can build up in a boiler. By molding or blowing a twelfth scale boiler chamber in a single piece, not only is it produced faster with fewer craftsman, but it is considerably superior in quality.
As an example, I shall describe the construction of a warship far superior to those in use today. To begin with a marble mold is constructed in one twelfth scale to match the shape of the outer hull of the ship size desired. Additionally, flat marble inserts to fit precisely into this mold can be made to fill in the base up to the level where each deck would be. Our fine craftsman should be able to create such a mold in fairly short order, but a spell commonly called “Stone Shape” would do the work in but a moment. A wizard would then reduce and then shrink as many large blocks of steel as he could in a day less then the maximum duration of his shrink spell. These shrunken blocks would then be melted (Note: The melting process would require far less fuel then it would on the full sized steel. This effect could greatly increase the efficiency of our smelting and other processes.) In crucibles and carefully poured into the heated marble mold so as to generate an even coating of the shrunken steel. Once it cools and contracts slightly, it can be removed from the mold and placed in a harbor and will expand to full scale the next day. A very similar process is performed to create flat deck plates. Since the molds could be reused the manufacture would be dependent only on the speed at which steel could be transported to the construction area and shrunk. By my calculations, even one with barely enough power to cast these spells, such as myself, would be able to make 56 ft wide by 280 ft long dreadnaught hulls of 2 inch thick steel every 5 days time. These hulls would be single piece construction, leak free and with no seams for weak points. Astoundingly they would weigh about the same as the 16 inch thick wooden war hulls currently made. Consider not just that they are harder and stronger then their wooden counterparts, but virtually impervious to fire which is more often then not the bane of a warship. Another example of a large scale item created faster with few craftsmen and in vastly superior quality.
Now consider an odd example of the use of this spell combination as a weapon. I’ve already described how 8 tons of rock may be turned into 10 lbs. Easily transportable by a man. A rare spell, though one I have obtained access to, allows a wizard to enable himself or another to fly through the air. By preparing some large boulders in a few days in advance a wizard could carry them high above an enemy ship or fortress then release the shrink item spell. The effect would be devastating. Even without the fly spell, we have trained hawks who could carry slightly smaller or “Reduced” loads.
In conclusion, it is plain to see the incredible value of arcane magic overall. When only two common spells can turn the fate of our nation, it only has to be wondered what other treasures lie waiting in the knowledge of the arcane. It is this agent’s recommendation that efforts to train mages be redoubled. It is clear that at the very least that is the first step toward implementation of these above procedures. More likely it will reveal a veritable treasure trove of new and innovative techniques like those described above which will change the course of our nation unimaginably toward the better. I am already researching other ideas which could be nearly as powerful as those described above.
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