Epic Spells & sacrificies. Also, Shadow Weave & Mythals

[Zagaroth]

So designing an epic spell (A Mythal in FR to be exact) and the characters to eventually be involved in casting it are evil. So Sacrifices make sense as a cost reducer, and naturally the sacrifice would be permanent (ie, soul is trapped so long as the mythal exists, and even if mythal is destroyed, Miracle or Wish would be needed to resurrect person). What would be an appropriate modifier for sacrifices? I'm thinking an entire sentient life & soul should be worth more than a single spell slot for the day, so was thinking for 19 + 1/HD (which means a 1HD/1st level person would be worth -20, 1 point more than the temporary expenditure of an epic spell slot)

Oh, and since the character to be Casting it is a Shadow Weave user.. as per lost empires Mythal spell seed, think 50,000 component cost is good for eliminating the normal Weave in the area of the Mythal? highest listed power there.

Heh, my army will be well-nigh invincible inside the are of the mythal. immune to exhaustion, fast healing 2, +8 armor bonus, +4 shield bonus, +4 str/dex/con, and so much more... all at twice the cost, since it's keyed of course.

[Alleran]

Oh, and since the character to be Casting it is a Shadow Weave user.. as per lost empires Mythal spell seed, think 50,000 component cost is good for eliminating the normal Weave in the area of the Mythal? highest listed power there.
It would be a major power effect, certainly. You're basically, if I'm reading you correctly, trying to create a dead magic zone inside the area of the mythal. Note that dead magic zones in some cases work similarly to antimagic fields, so anything that can get around an antimagic field would probably also get around your epic dead magic zone.

[Zagaroth]

yes, like IIRC in FR Dead Magic Zones allow psionics to work (though they do no in an AMF). it's because the normal weave is absent in a DMZ, whil an AMF is actively suppressing any form of weave

[tyckspoon]

I'm thinking an entire sentient life & soul should be worth more than a single spell slot for the day, so was thinking for 19 + 1/HD (which means a 1HD/1st level person would be worth -20, 1 point more than the temporary expenditure of an epic spell slot)


That seems a little high to me.. sure, it's a soul, but it's also a 1 HD Commoner. You're an Epic level evil character. You can get hundreds of 1 HD people to sacrifice without much effort; they shouldn't be worth all that much (unless your spell is designed to only allow you to usefully sacrifice one person, in which case the higher value would be more appropriate.) I'd scale it by.. oh, XP necessary to get to the level of whatever you're sacrificing? For non-classed things, use CR as effective level.. so a level 1 NPC/random orc is pretty worthless, but if you manage to subdue a level 20 hero or a big dragon, well, at a ratio of 1/1,000 XP, they'd be good for -190.

[Andion Isurand]

yes, like IIRC in FR Dead Magic Zones allow psionics to work (though they do not in an AMF). it's because the normal weave is absent in a DMZ, while an AMF is actively suppressing any form of weave

Here's a good post I found:

Psionics exists in the Realms, separate from the weave, but equally susceptible to it's effects.

Dispel magic works on psionic powers, as does the psionic equivalent in reverse. Anything that can prevent magic from harming a person, also stops psionics dead. Spell resistance is thus psionic resistance, and vica versa. Antimagic likewise stops Psionics, so a Psion with an Antimagic ring is helpless as well. This is explained in the Players guide to Faerun, near the very end under the psionic section.

For clarity, Antimagic and Dead magic zones, are not the same thing. Antimagic, may for all intents and purposes be called Antipower, or Antienergy. It works against Weave magic, Shadow Weave magic and Psionics with equal impunity. Dead magic however is a rift, or wound in the fabric of the Weave, making it impossible for a Weave user to establish a connection. Think of it as someone cutting your phone line. You can't call out on the land line, but your cell still works, as it's signal comes from another source. But with both, an EMP burst will render either phone equally useless, regardless of what method they connect to the network.

That said, Psionics is drawn from an inner power, where as magic was taken from the weave. This is why when the gods walked the world in 1358, and Magic went wild, Psions were still able to use their powers. This was proven true in the "Legacy of the Drow" series, where house Oblodra still held power, whilst all other Houses were left virtually defenseless in the wake of the Time of Troubles. However, when the time of Troubles ended, the back lash from the reformed universe, caused Psionic abilities to falter as magic had during the ToT. This is how Matron Baenre was able to destroy the house once and for all.

The Aboleths and Mindflayers were able to very quickly adapt to the sudden change, as they both operate in hive like minds, so finding an alternate mental path was simple. For other, individual psions, this change took more time. With this point of revelation, it is entirely possible that Dead Psionic zones exist within the Realms, though few have been documented or dealt with.

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So basically you have the weave, shadow weave, and the "psionic weave" ... and there is a 3rd level spell called Rend Shadow Weave in Champions of Valor (pg 57) ...which might be useful as a precedent for setting a price on the dead magic zone you wish to create via a Mythal.