Arceius
2010-07-20, 11:03 PM
I am a GM and in every campaign I run I try out something special. In my current campaign I am testing out Heroic Specials. These are special items and abilities that the heroes posses that has RP and gameplay impact. For my next campaign though (already in the design phases because of it's general nature) I'm testing out a lot of things. One of these things I'm testing out are little wondrous stones called "Eysryn Stones" (don't mock my name, I took the letter Y and ran with it).
Eysryn Stones
The entire concept behind Eysryn Stones is "Magic is available to everyone", and that is just what they do. Anyone in the world can pick up an Eysryn stones with the same efficiency as the next average Joe. (In the setting humans are non-magical and have no other access to magic).
How They Work
Eysryn stones are small concentrated pieces of magical energy, that when discharged, produce a magical effect. An Eysryn Stone holds a single spell of any spell level, but only has the magical energy to charge a single level of spells, a single time a day. An Eysryn Stone can be combined with other Eysryn Stones to cast a spell of a level equal to the total number of Eysryn stoned used in the combination. An Eysryn Stones energy can be used to power the spell of another Eysryn Stone in your Cluster (a group of all the Eysryn Stones you have). An Eysryn Stone that has cast it's spell, has charged the spell of another Eysryn Stone, or has been used in the casting of a higher level spell becomes dormant. An Eysryn Stones spell can be powered by another Stone after it has become dormant. To increase the number of spells your Cluster can cast you need merely to gather a Thread from any Eysryn Stone you can touch, and expend the energy an Eysryn Stone in your inventory.
I never crafted the full rules (what checks are needed for the various activities, though likely it would be spellcraft or UMD) because two of my players decided that they did not like the idea.
Keep in mind that just because everyone can USE them does not mean that everyone HAS them. The Stones themselves are rare enough that rich lords my only have a single stone; Threads however are much more common and anyone who has a Stone is likely to have several Threads. Adventurers, of course, would possess more Eysryn Stones than lords having taken them from other adventurers, found them in dungeons, and gotten them as prizes or other loot.
So, with two players not liking the idea, I have come to the GitP Forums (and the infinite wisdom within) to see what their responses are. Any advise on changing, improving, or reasons why it's the most terrible idea in existence are welcome (though a clear indication of whether you are for or against the idea would be appreciated.)
Eysryn Stones
The entire concept behind Eysryn Stones is "Magic is available to everyone", and that is just what they do. Anyone in the world can pick up an Eysryn stones with the same efficiency as the next average Joe. (In the setting humans are non-magical and have no other access to magic).
How They Work
Eysryn stones are small concentrated pieces of magical energy, that when discharged, produce a magical effect. An Eysryn Stone holds a single spell of any spell level, but only has the magical energy to charge a single level of spells, a single time a day. An Eysryn Stone can be combined with other Eysryn Stones to cast a spell of a level equal to the total number of Eysryn stoned used in the combination. An Eysryn Stones energy can be used to power the spell of another Eysryn Stone in your Cluster (a group of all the Eysryn Stones you have). An Eysryn Stone that has cast it's spell, has charged the spell of another Eysryn Stone, or has been used in the casting of a higher level spell becomes dormant. An Eysryn Stones spell can be powered by another Stone after it has become dormant. To increase the number of spells your Cluster can cast you need merely to gather a Thread from any Eysryn Stone you can touch, and expend the energy an Eysryn Stone in your inventory.
I never crafted the full rules (what checks are needed for the various activities, though likely it would be spellcraft or UMD) because two of my players decided that they did not like the idea.
Keep in mind that just because everyone can USE them does not mean that everyone HAS them. The Stones themselves are rare enough that rich lords my only have a single stone; Threads however are much more common and anyone who has a Stone is likely to have several Threads. Adventurers, of course, would possess more Eysryn Stones than lords having taken them from other adventurers, found them in dungeons, and gotten them as prizes or other loot.
So, with two players not liking the idea, I have come to the GitP Forums (and the infinite wisdom within) to see what their responses are. Any advise on changing, improving, or reasons why it's the most terrible idea in existence are welcome (though a clear indication of whether you are for or against the idea would be appreciated.)