The Trade of Souls

[Sliver]

I have decided to try my hand at making a world. It's premise begins with a different type of economy.

TL;DR Souls are magic!

What is a Soul?

The Soul is what inhabits any living being, obviously. The stronger the being, the stronger the soul is, it's of higher quality. Thus, souls can grow.

On the other hand, a soul can't be created. The universe is closed off to that precious resource. In order to maintain a cycle of growth, for a population to be able to sustain it's soul income to be able to continue reproducing, souls have to be reintroduced into society.

A grown man has a stronger soul than a newborn, while an old man has a stronger soul than a grown man. The soul's strength is not tied to his physical ability, but to his experience. Physical strength has as much importance as mental strength in determining the soul's quality.

When a man dies, his soul lingers. When a new life is introduced into the area through reproduction, part of the lingering soul is used, assigned to maintain that life. Thus, due to that soul growing during the man's life, it is able to sustain more living beings than it originally could. But if the area doesn't have enough "soul power" in it, it will result in a stillborn.

A release of a soul from the body upon it's death is never complete. A fragment of it leaves the Material Plane, creating a representation of the being in the appropriate plane. This happens only to souls "big" enough. Animals and plants that lack intelligence usually have a "small" soul and don't have part of it move to a different plane. Thus, it doesn't happen that the family dog passes on to chase squirrels happily in the afterlife. It just dies.

Another small part of the soul remains in the body. This has two purposes. When a creature eats the being, which would be a plant, animal or even human, it consumes it's soul and strengthens itself. A soul is made of it's initial soul, it's experiences and the souls the creature devoured during it's life. That means that eating a being alive grants more strength than if it's dead, although that remains a taboo.

The other use of the soul remaining in the body is that a strong enough magic is able to expand the soul, replicating the dispersed parts while linking back to the part that moved to a different plane, thus recreating it and resurrecting the being. A body that had it's soul fragment drained from it is nothing but a husk and can't be used to resurrect the dead to its old former glory.

Even after breaking, the part of the soul that disperses is still greater than the soul invested in the being's birth. That would mean that the amount of "soul power" existing in the world constantly increases and there is never a shortage, at least not for any long periods of time.

The theory would be true if sustaining life was the only purpose of the soul.

The Power of Soul

A soul is not just the measure or origin of the power of it's owner. It is also Magic. Soul is used to cast powerful spells and create magic items, even artifacts. Any spell cast uses Soul. The source of the soul varies and the aftereffects differ. Wizards drain the soul from their surrounding, Druids from the spirits of Nature, while Clerics "loan" it from their deities.

Once a spell is cast, it's Soul is not entirely used up. Part of it lingers and can be used for life or further magic. The lingering soul power that remains isn't as it was before the spell, but it's more powerful.

When a caster prepares his daily allotment of spells, his body gathers around him the necessary soul energy for them, with the spells harvesting the required energy through their casting ritual. But with magic items and certain more powerful spells a more concentrated, solid form of soul is required.

Fortunately, there is a method to do just that. To harvest the Soul and use it to fuel powerful magic. It is not evil to harvest the souls, it is necessary. Soul used in a magic item or ritual gains more power, which is unique and different than a natural form of soul growth. These souls are used to grant life to magical beings of all kinds, from dragons to fey.

This means that the age of a magical item matters. A newly forged +1 sword would be worth far less than one that used to be wielded by an adventurer and has seen many battles. Not only that an old magical item can be harvested out of it's "excess" soul or drained entirely, through magical rituals it can be enhanced, it's powers improved as though it's natural growth.

The Nature of Magic

As magic and soul is basically the same, magic has far more importance than it does in basic D&D, with the morality of it's use being altered as well.

Necromancery is not evil. At all. This form of magic actually releases the remaining trapped soul within the body and fills it with magic that is a different type of soul. As with any other soul, same with a living being or a magical item, the magical soul within the undead being continues to grow, although mostly with experience, less due to prolong survival. Thus, if a powerful undead being is destroyed, the powerful soul it wold release can aid in many aspects.

On the other hand, nullifying magic is evil. It doesn't just prevent the casting of magic, it destroys it and prevents the magic from ever returning to it's soul form, diminishing from the world as a whole. Dispel Magic and Anti-Magic Field are considered Evil spells, with Disjunction is considered almost Vile.

It doesn't mean spells like Mind Rape aren't evil, but Deathwatch certainly isn't, just like it shouldn't in D&D.

Due to the divine nature of magic, certain people frown upon certain actions. This is due to the fact that magic that is interrupted and doesn't cast properly is lost along with the soul that would be created from it.

That means that some consider attacking a caster during his casting and causing him to lose concentration is almost the same as killing. This results in these people considering carefully before taking such actions against a caster.

This leads to cases where a Paladin won't take an attack of opportunity against a wizard casting against him because he doesn't want to interrupt the spell. Of course, this is not part of the Paladin's code and he is not obliged to do it, but if he's in good condition and believes he can withstand the spell, he would rather suffer the consequences of the spell than disrupt it.

A similar approach is taken by the casters themselves. A cleric would avoid casting a spell in unfavorable circumstances such as bad weather unless it is highly likely that he will manage to pull of the casting or the situation is dire.

The Divinity of Magic

Compared to mortals, the soul power that stands to a deity's use is infinite. But deities don't compare their power to that of mortals, that would be absurd.

The personal power of deities may vary greatly, determined by their nature and personality among other things. How willing they are to "share" with mortals by answering their prayers has great impact on their overall power.

An evil or kind god might want to grant much power to his followers, thus increasing his influence while losing personal power. A more distant deity would be more reluctant to answer prayers, only granting power to those who are directly furthering the god's goals.

Besides having more followers in their plane, there is another benefit to maintaining devotion through answering prayers. When the devoted passes on, the soul that remains on the Material Plane remains devoted to it's god. While not absolute, the life that is created from the soul is highly likely to share the divine allegiance and goals of the original soul while always being similarly aligned on the good-evil axis.

Finally, mortal casters have a specific feature which deities lack. When a deity casts a spell, it's absolute. Nothing of the energy went into the spell remains as a magical soul. A cleric that casts a spell, basically grants his god the soul power that is required for him to create minions. While the deity is able to create minions from magic directly, it is more beneficial for both parties to share. It is also noted that most of the time, the minions created from the collective souls of mortals' magic residue are often more powerful, as the souls have both power from the deity and the mortal.

Finally, while it is possible for a mortal to worship a concept, in effect being able to choose his domains, it is less effective than to worship and pray to a deity. The universe itself doesn't grant magical powers to those who pray to it, thus a cleric has to find the enlightenment and power himself to be able to draw the magic that he needs to power his spells.

While the beings born out of his magic and soul will be similarly aligned, the cleric has no real influence over them.

In effect it would mean that a cleric gets a certain penalty in exchange for the flexibility of choosing his domains. The penalty I had in mind was an effective -2 to your casting abilities, so a cleric of a concept would need 21 WIS to cast 9 level spells, always have -1 lower DC and probably less bonus spells compared to a normal, god worshiping cleric.

The Economy of Souls

As souls are a resource like any other, it has limits and thus, demand. This means that rulers have the ability to control basic things like reproduction and even certain product creation. A ruler with strong enough influence could theoretically drain his realm of souls.

Such a situation would mean that not only no more babies, but no new crops or game. This means that anyone who would like to have a baby or produce food would have to subject himself to whatever rules were set by such a harsh ruler, or attempt to steal the soul power required for what he wants to do. Fortunately, there aren't any rulers that extreme.

For normal people, the economy of souls means squat. But there they are, the high end people. The extremely wealthy (the just pretty wealthy have little to no interest in the soul trade), the magical, the divine and the adventurous. These people are constantly involved in the trade of souls.

A ruler who would want babies with more potential would distribute more soul power over certain areas, or use souls to improve food production. Or if his population grows in a rate that is unable to handle it, he'll drain some of the soul power in the area to limit growth.

Due to the nature of souls to linger in the same area where the person died, which sometimes might cause cloisters or emptiness in certain areas, orders have risen to regulate soul traffic.

People that make their living by tracking strong souls or large cloisters. They would hand over their findings to these orders, that would decide what is needed more at the time, life or magic. Usually. Sometimes people would decide to freelance, selling souls directly to wizards and artificers, or certain other groups.

The trade of souls is a different layer of trade. Usually commoners never think about seeing a platinum coin in their lives, but a soul? That's currency that an adventurer will never be able to spend in a village.

So... What do you think?

[Croverus]

Looks really cool, now how would this be represented by mechanics in the game?

[Sliver]

Mechanically there isn't much difference besides another treasure type. Item creation would probably have at least half it's GP in soul power required and using souls to power spells would increase their power in some way not yet thought about.

For GP value I'm thinking that up to CR 5 it's 100XHD^2, then up to 10 it's 1,000XHD^2 and so on for every 5 CR. Thoughts for balance?

[Calliope121]

I really like the idea of having souls as a currency! I had a little bit of a hard time following what you were saying, but otherwise it's really cool! I would like to see how this would work, mechanics wise. I think you might need to change or add a whole bunch of alternate rules. Also, just thinking, how would you be able to move souls around? Anyways, you have a really really really good start!:smallsmile:

[sktarq]

Several times you mention how a ruler could regulate the amount of soul power levels in a regions. How they do this (moving elderly population, purposly failed magic spells in mass quantities, birthing centers, clearcutting forests and ofter natural soulstuff, etc) really seems to need more definition. It doesn't seems to be as much something controls as a wilderness or even weather phenomenon. Certain influences can be wrought but not control.
Also if I understand this correctly a soul dead area (as in one where breeding of new life would fail) would also mean that it would be a dead magic zone as there is little to no soul energy to collect for the spell (at least sponaneous ones - prepared it may just be a no -prep zone.) So I'd imagine dissruptions to normal soul working would also cause "wild magic" type areas and high soul energy regions provide enhanced magic of some sort?
Also lore and whatnot seems littered with tales of natural area untouched by the hand of "mortal souls" that teem with a life energy like effect. Special glades, magic forests, etc. Would this be something you'd want in your setting? If so how would you provide it? Some area effect that pushes animal and plant souls to mature faster? Are the fae involved etc.
I guess the first thing I saw are a direction you may want to look is how certain terrain or buildings may effect the lay of this soul energy in the surroundings. Do wizards like towers because they can act as collectors or enhancers? Stuff like Stonehenge or the Nazca linescould they be either meathods of concentrating the energy for fertility? Wide rangeing low level constant spell effects (say something that acts as a giant circle of protection of evil for example)? Do they (or other types of buildings promote soul growth of the people who worship there? Hospitals, battlefields, slave labor camps, slaughterhouses for livestock all seem to have potential for wierd things to happen.
And what about the differences between a very fertile jungle and a not so fertile desert. How much is due to it being a soul desert and how much a dearth in rainfall? and what about the magical traditions of the two different biomes. Desert magic would either be much more rationed or focus on those special magic souls of the divine and spell results. Do you feel that such climes that are not fertile need to have balenced magic potential because at the moment I see how it could be read that they do not.
It strikes me that you have made death into a tradeable assest. If something dies in place X that place has more magical power and/or greater fertility. That could drive a lot of underground activity (esp sacrifice which could I imagine be shaped to get much more powerful results out of a soul's energy by dropping its other effects -better crops more powerful magic etc) or massacres.

All in all an unfinished but great idea

[Sliver]

Thanks for the input, a lot to think about!

My thoughts about the soul energy is that like any other resource, it can be contained and transported. Currently I'm imaging that concentrations of Soul can be seen through special magical sight, with items granting the ability as well. Naturally, it's the school of Necromancery. My thought that Soul would be contained in crystals similar to how it's done in The Elder Scrolls, with the standard form is through a magical item. Unlike in TES, you don't have a crystal that you put the soul into, but the soul itself is concentrated and turned into the crystals themselves.

Of course, the form I'm imagining for such a magical item is a vacuum cleaner... If it works for ghosts, why not souls as well?

That's how souls can be drained of areas and moved to others. Other forms of draining can be accomplished through rituals. So I like the idea that wizard towers and magic circles, with some of the circles being entire buildings, being used for that purpose. Makes both towers and dungeons have a bigger purpose.

For soul-dead areas, I'm thinking that the morning prep ritual is the part that collects the soul energy required to cast spells for the day. So Sorcerers that rest outside such an area have the energy needed to cast inside. Arcane and Divine Nature casters like druids will be unable to prep at such areas, while normal divine casters wouldn't be hindered.

Soul rich areas would affect casting only when they are really rich with soul energy, which can't be accomplished by natural means. Usually it would mean that magic would be affected in a way similar to being cast on a magic enhancing plane. Wild magic could be possible, but I haven't thought about what would cause it yet...

Deserts could be created in different ways. A soul dead area is likely to turn into a desert or some other kind of wasteland if the situation isn't fixed. Haven't yet thought about climate and environment effects on soul and vice-versa.

Indeed there would be groups that focus on the more evil ways of soul harvesting, instead of merely finding them floating around. People that want to optimize soul growth would figure that a lot of the experience and growth of the soul is gained over the first few years, for most races at least, and a "soul farm" could sacrifice children as soon as their soul is large enough for two babies to be born.

Everything else being equal, a natural death soul would be of higher quality than one who's... Owner... Has died from something such as a plague or sword to the gut. So stuff like massacres are great for short term soul harvesting, but not so much for the long term wellbeing of the area.

[sktarq]

Hmmm....
I've been rolling this around in my head a bit for a week now and certain things keep comeing up.

The massive difference in soul energy systems caused by natural vegatation and animal life versus the mechanics you have described. I mean think of a broken forest area with farmsteads, villages, and towns. Or even a farming plain. There are several thousand plant souls for every humanoid one. Even if humanoid ones are much bigger they would still propbably be overwhelmed. And really how much bigger should humanoid souls be? If age etc grows them then your 500+ year old oaks, and redwoods or bristlecone pines (10K years old) would have souls how big? I would think big would be good for the story hooks and imagry. There is a lot to pull from about holy semi mystaical trees in both real and literary history.
Also when you describe it as a resource that can be picked up and moved. They way you described it you need this stuff in the background in order to grow more new life that as it matures grows bigger and then disperses into the local enviroment when it dies. So you have to have some to grow it but it also moves as natural life does. So you're describing it as like fish stocks but treating it like a mineral fertilizer on the users end. The two don't match up well. Its a renewable reasource to a point but not totally. . . like you can stock a lake with fish you could stock an area with souls but if they don't have a way to like in the area then both would die out. . .
Also how does this view touch other things? I could see it promoting images where a parent dies to advance their very young offspring as a holy image. Things like preying mantis where the father dies or a Salmon run where all the adults die, increasing the soul energy for their own fry to absorb. So you'd see those images in heareldry, on churches etc allot more if they are holy. Possibly fertility totems, or sacrifice health to increase magic power type items.

Also by the way you have described it you have made the city with its imporation of people (cities were net consumers of people for most of history) its additional magic users, concentration of esp valuable humanoid souls, and being the place that harvested would most likely be used to be far more magical as a whole than the natural world. You could certainly do this but it will fly in the face of allot of magic glade, lake, mountain, forest, dragon, fey and even the cultural expectations of many of your players.

Looking at the above they all really deal with how this idea works in nature. Where more of your ideas seem to deal with people and people energy. Perhaps you want to pull out sentient soul energy as a seperate energy type? Like you did with magical spell soul energy? People need both to be born but are manipulated seperatly? Would cut out allot of the problems that you run into with logic of deserts and jungles etc versus the stuff you've implied you want in your campaign. Also it gives Druids, witches (with their familiars), or other nature casters their own source of energy. Fey perhaps need magic and nature or can use nature for magic or something(dragons similar)? It's your world but I think this could help allot.
I guess, Natural-easy to manipulate local but very hard on a large scale. Can be very powerful with lots of soul energy but dispersed. Easiest way to
Humanoid type-more of what you said overall without the complications of trying to apply it to your background as much. But does eventually bleed over to the natural perhaps. It would probably be a much more "visable" mayhaps.
Magic Souls-just as before. But the question of magical beasts, fey and dragons does lead to questions of it's placement.

There is also a rather odd/touchy subject your world brings up. When does a creature get its soul? The two main ones I see are conception and birth. The ansewers matter because if the quality of the soul that a creature gets matters based on the enviroment it happens in then there is a difference. If it is conception you have inteesting if adult themes open up. Orgies with blood sacrifice happening at he same time (something I can see going great with orcs for example). You'd also have a strong link of sex and death and sex and magic. Up to you if you want to go that way but it brings up lots of interesting ideas. It would also promote goverments trying to control their sex lives versus haveing "birthing" areas which would also be places that would have people dieing in them to provide good soul energy for it. Hospital type places. If it's birth what happens when the mother dies in childbirth? Does it change how the child is treated? Also will there be areas of different "resonance" to promote different souls in children born/concieved there, even if it has no game effect (but world effect like personality, caste, receptivness to sorcery, or connection with dieties etc), game effect only if enchanted, or being entierly false but believed in some regions. Looking at the above it seems obvious now; this whole soul magic idea strongly promotes the powers that be being involved in their citizens reproductive lives.

Also you could get lots of questions from your players about if being born/concieved in certain types of area has any effect. Which you may want to explore in terms of feats perhaps. I could see a couple off the top my head of "graveborn" from people born/concieved in a graveyard, or feyborn if they were born/concieved in a fairy ring.

Also you mentioned that massacres and such don't help long term. Yeah they do as long as it is not your people you are massacring. Your mechanics have just provided a very good reason to raid other nations/races for sacrifics. So several peoples would do so. Again see orcs, but also something similar to the Aztec Flower Wars, but also imagine the nazi aryan breeding centres being put in the middle of the death camps in order to take advantage of the soul energy of the slaughtered.

Also burial rites? do they move the soul energy "home" if so it would provide lots of good basis for "restless dead" type undead. Even if they don't I can very much see how the idea of dying away from home being a bigger deal socially and psychologically (not returning your soul to your people type stuff)

also it isn't played up as much anymore but there is a large mythos of a king and his land reflecting each other. A sick king will lead to sick crops etc. It's something you might want to play up or use somehow

Also Being able to manipulate the soul energy cycle for a government/society's good seems like a strong advantage for a society. This would promote large well organized (mostly lawful) nations.

and a final question: What system are you thinking of putting this with. Just to have some idea of what classes come into play.

[sktarq]

Hey it didn't move the thread to the top of world builder or notice my post there. Trying again.

[Sliver]

Huh, I didn't get any notification about your post. Thanks for the input, I'll try to address it all tomorrow.

[hoverfrog]

It is easy to see how some could come to view all use of magic as inherently evil. By casting a spell you are using up life force even if some remains behind afterwards.

What about resurrection? If a cleric were to resurrect or raise Lord Edmund Longshanks the Brave a year after his untimely death at the hands of the dragon witch then presumably he is gathering up the fragments of the soul and using them to repair the body and reincorporate most the soul back into it. What does this mean for any newborns in the area who might have benefited from his soul? Do they die? Do they become soulless or lose a part of their souls?

Is magic different in an area of great death like a battlefield or of great life like in the heart of a rainforest? Do people view human sacrifice differently than the secular world would? After all knowing that your life will go to create many more lives and sustain them is a point of celebration rather than sorrow. Wouldn't the old and sickly prefer to have their souls properly guided into the next phase of their existence by a kindly priesthood than to selfishly linger and keep their soul energy to themselves?

Is there anything more evil than Trap the Soul or a lich who refuses to die and pass on his living soul to others?

It's an interesting back story for magic but unless it has some repercussions in the mechanics of the way magic is actually used then it won't have any impact on how players treat magic.