The Short and Long-term Effects of Nuclear Fallout on Faerun's Magical Weave

[Darmanicus]

Treat ground zero as an AM field that gradually weakens as you go further from it. Absolutely prohibit any form of dimensional/teleport travel in any of the AM fields area. Add a specific template now to all creatures in the AoE. Have random wild magic zones all over the place due to the winds having spread the fallout.

 

[StupidSmurf]

I'm a bit curious myself, aye.

I'll third that, with a side question: How the heck did players get into that position in the first place, where a possible consequence would be a nuclear explosion????? :\

 

[jefgorbach]

Actually wouldnt Glantri's rules regarding Radiance apply since that effect was created when the Beagle's Warpcore exploded??

 

[moritheil]

I want to suggest another possibility: Radiation is neither an element (such as fire) with respect to magic, nor completely unaffected by magic. In other words, maybe you have radiation burns that won't heal well via normal heal checks, but they can be healed via magical healing just as any injury (up to and beyond death, in FR) can.

This opens up the idea that magic healing is still potent, but avoids the messiness of adding another magical element to manipulate.

 

[freebfrost]

I want to suggest another possibility: Radiation is neither an element (such as fire) with respect to magic, nor completely unaffected by magic. In other words, maybe you have radiation burns that won't heal well via normal heal checks, but they can be healed via magical healing just as any injury (up to and beyond death, in FR) can.

I've done a similar thing before, but took it a step further in a sense by defining it as another "element" type effect, much as you have fire or force effects. You have to do a bit of working adding the definition of radiation effects into the game - i.e. does a Wall of Force stop a radiation effect or not - but it gives you a good way to lay the foundation as to what effects radiation has in your game.

 

[yangnome]

There are some excellent ideas here, please keep them coming. I promise to tell you the background behind it later this evening after I wake up. I've been up for about 30 hours and couldn't do the story justice. I didn't get a chance to post a good reply from work due to ceramicDM. For now, let's just say that Elminster is a real vindictive SOB and from there, things just got worse . My players really threw me for a loop on this one.

 

[moritheil]

I've done a similar thing before, but took it a step further in a sense by defining it as another "element" type effect, much as you have fire or force effects. You have to do a bit of working adding the definition of radiation effects into the game - i.e. does a Wall of Force stop a radiation effect or not - but it gives you a good way to lay the foundation as to what effects radiation has in your game.

Yeah; the problem is when you have demons and the like that normally rely on immunity or resistance to several elements, and obviously "radiation" isn't one of them. You have to go in and re-stat them, which can be a hassle.

 

[Aidan mac Culloch]

Consequently, if you don't want to treat it as a separate elemental sub-type, why not handle it as a poison/disease? In RL, fallout from radiation causes sickness, which can degenerate the body enough to kill. I would think about making some sort of disease (with appropriate saving throws, effects, etc.) which creatures must attempt to resist when they enter nuclear areas. The primary difference from other "diseases" is that the effect of radiation should have some permenance i.e. remove disease cannot completely cure you, etc.

Another side effect of the "disease" is that there is a percentile chance that the radiation instead causes some sort of mutation. The mutations can be as appropriately random as you wish. Either all negative (disfiguration (-2 to Charisma?), weakness (creature has less hp or lowered Constitution), altered metabolism (lower Strength or occassional effects similar to slow)) or positive (increased Strength, resistance to certain energy effects, increased speed, etc.). Those would be your perogative.

Just my thoughts on it. As far as messing with the actual Faerunian weave, that is a hefty task which would have several game balance considerations.

 

[Samuel Leming]

For now, let's just say that Elminster is a real vindictive SOB and from there, things just got worse . My players really threw me for a loop on this one.

This is going to be soooooo much fun!

Sam

 

[Baron Opal]

Another option would be to reference When The Sky Falls by Monte Cook. While it is geared toward meteor impacts, you can extrapolate blast potential of weaponry to meteor mass. There are rules for direct and indirect effects from the blast and to the disturbance to the ambient magic from the EMP* generated.

* Ethero-Magical Pulse