What would a magical world look like? Discussion thread

[Kaodi]

To go back to the basic question of co-existence, other than maybe raising the dead and teleportation inequalities in the real World probably dwarf those in D&D. Even the destruction of the Rain of Colourless Fire and Invoked Devastation pale in comparison to the nuclear arsenals of todays powers.

 

[Lalato]

The difference is that many more individuals have access to nukes versus a handful of countries with a vested interest to not destroy each other.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

The difference is that many more individuals have access to nukes versus a handful of countries with a vested interest to not destroy each other.

That's really going to vary by setting. Most games I've either run or played in will have NPC spellcasters top out around level 9.

 

[Hussar]

People seem awfully focused on spellcasters in this thread. Monsters need to be considered as well - you're far more likely to be attacked by flying monsters than wizards with fly. Thor help you if they're flying tool-using monsters.

I agree. The biggest setting changers would be found in the Monster Manual. Giants as siege weapons would be devastating. Communication and observation via flying mounts would have an impact. Creatures with at will powers like Charm (imagine how devastating harpy units could be) could change the battlefield. Umber Hulk sappers. Doppelgänger spies. That sort of thing.

Launch trolls from catapults over castle walls. Or green slime or Brown mold.

I remember on idea I read was to use brown mold for refrigeration. This would completely change a game world. Refrigeration is possibly the single greatest invention of all time.

 

[Savage Wombat]

I was actually thinking about brown mold the other day. Can you imagine what a plague it would be in modern society? Whole manufacturing plants and even, say, nuclear reactors shut down because of brown mold infestations sucking up the heat and growing without fear of sunlight.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

You could pay adventurers to clear out the brown mold. Because mold isn't intelligent, the same solution will always work on it. Barring mutations, of course.

I agree. The biggest setting changers would be found in the Monster Manual. Giants as siege weapons would be devastating. Communication and observation via flying mounts would have an impact. Creatures with at will powers like Charm (imagine how devastating harpy units could be) could change the battlefield. Umber Hulk sappers. Doppelgänger spies. That sort of thing.

Launch trolls from catapults over castle walls. Or green slime or Brown mold.

I remember on idea I read was to use brown mold for refrigeration. This would completely change a game world. Refrigeration is possibly the single greatest invention of all time.

I don't think that would work so easily. Flying mounts would enhance communications to an extent, but unless they're much more enduring than horses, why not use mounted messengers?

Harpies could mess up battlefields, but why would the harpies serve anyone but harpies? The Daughters of Sora Kell in Eberron are powerful precisely because they do command an army of monsters!

Creatures like umber hulks would be hard to control unless you're neogi. (In short, neogi armies would have umber hulk sappers, but they wouldn't be standard issue with [demi]human armies.)

Launching trolls from catapults would either require willing trolls (fancy that) or some powerful charm magic, and even then you'd probably only be able to capture a few. If you capture and don't charm trolls, they'll just try to get back to you.

 

[Savage Wombat]

You wouldn't have to control an army of umber hulks to affect a civilization. One umber hulk burrowing into the market district on feast day will wreck most small cities up something fierce. And what about those shadow outbreaks?

 

[Hussar]

Why would harpies serve? Same reason as anyone else. Mercenary pay. Mutual protection. Subjugation. National pride. Religious fervour. Take your pick. It's not like they are mindless.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

You wouldn't have to control an army of umber hulks to affect a civilization. One umber hulk burrowing into the market district on feast day will wreck most small cities up something fierce. And what about those shadow outbreaks?

Are umber hulks really that vicious individually? I think a militia could defeat a single one. Stay back and shoot it. Hopefully you're too far to be affected by its eyes. (A poorly-trained militia might run away or close their eyes though.)

Proper world design would prevent this kind of thing from happening. I recall a debate on the WotC years ago about a balor literally taking over Eberron (Teleport Without Error at will, Dominate Person or Monster at will) and how there was no "Big Good" to stop it. Good thing that kind of thing happens every century or so there. The balor didn't come to Eberron by itself, it had a cult, who had to collect resources and run plots, all of which the PCs and heroes of the setting could put a stop to. The balor running wild is what happens if the PCs fail.

Proper world design would have umber hulks being pretty rare, or harpies being rare or insular. Harpies just aren't interested in many of the same things humans are interested in. An "army" of harpies might be more interested in keeping hostile humans out of their lands and less interested in putting their fragile selves into combat.

 

[Savage Wombat]

OK, then - is your bank vault xorn-proof? One xorn stonewalks into your bank one night and eats the entire royal budget for the next year. And if the guards can hit its AC, it phases away and comes back later.