[3.5] Temporary Epic

[Kraklen88]

Hello,

Long time follower, first time poster. I am running a 3.5 Eberron campaign and is currently around 5th level. I saw a post awhile back about a campaign setting around the Tarrasque. In this setting, a civilization has captured the Tarrasque and harvests the creature for blood, bones, etc. for epic level spell components and weapons.

Anyways, I thought an idea for my campaign is to have an island like this setting. Exposure to components/consumption of the blood make them temporarily epic. I am thinking like 21st level but it will only last a week or something. Any additional exposure could be life threatening.

What do you think? I think it might be a fun option but want to make sure a) they can't abuse it and become epic and b) I know not all people like given epic levels just to have them taken away later.

All advice is appreciated.

[Glimbur]

Rather than letting them build 21st level characters (which is a lot of work) and only using them occasionally, I would figure out some significant buffs and just apply those when they are under the effect of the blood. +100 hp, +10 to hit, +10 to CL, that sort of thing. Maybe also some +DC to stuff and +spells/day.

If you don't give access to higher level spells, this has the effect of not helping casters as much as it helps other people. Whether or not that is desirable is up to you.

[Zweisteine]

This sounds a bit interesting, if rather strange.

I dislike the idea just because it seems to be a rather convoluted plot device. I'll just ignore that impulse for now, though, because it does sound interesting.

There are a few simple problems with this. The most basic is that just having epic levels doesn't always do much. Without epic gear as well, mundane classes will suffer. A temporarily epic wizard would not know any high level spells. A sorcerer or divine caster, however, would gain full epic abilities.

There is no way to both keep the idea realistic and prevent exploitation.
An epic cleric or sorcerer can teleport to any of the major continents (Khorvaire, Xen'drik, Sarlona) and do pretty much whatever they want. In Eberron, the only things that would pose any challenge at all to such a character would be the Keeper of the Flame in her temple (Cleric 18), the Lich Queen Vol (Half-dragon Elf Lich Wizard ?? (I'd say level 17)), and the mightiest of the dragons of Argonnessen, and maybe a few others.

If it was me, I would probably do something along the lines of looting Xen'drik for mighty artifacts, and finding ways to keep them hidden from the greater powers of the world after I returned to normal levels.

The obvious way to prevent this is an area restriction on the epic levels, but that is kind of hard to justify in-game. My only thought would be that the extra power is granted by a combination of a special magic area* and consumption of a special potion containing Tarrasque blood. (and other things, like dragon blood, powedered dragonshards (all three types, etc).

*Probably a manifest zone, or a few of them. I would use Lammania (nature: connection to the tarrasque), Irian (free energy!), and Dal Quor (dreampower!).

Another limitation might be a requirement to wear a special amulet that absorbs excess energy (from Irian) to prevent spontaneous combustion. It can only absorb so much, you have to drink a counter-potion before too long passes.


If I were to do a temporary-epic storyline, I would probably have it involve a ritual turning the characters into manifest zones of Irian, in a way, and wearing amulets to prevent combustion as long as the ritual lasts (can't overuse, because amulets let some extra energy through whenever used).

[Kraklen88]

Glimbur, I like the idea. Making a 21st level character is really time consuming and not exactly fun.

Zweisteine, they are actually on the radar of Lady Vol. Or at least her various organizations (Blood of Vol, Order of the Emerald Claw). I am not sure if I am attracted to the idea either. I kinda like it but I try not to fall in love with ideas, especially if it doesn't help along the plot or player enjoyment.

I thought maybe they could drink the Tarrasque blood, which gives them a week of heightened power before wearing off. Overexposure is toxic and has the opposite effect. Tarrasque bones, organs, etc. could be epic level items with also a limit to effect/duration as the blood. This would limit their power to a duration. Or I could give the Tarrasque an aura of X miles which they need to remain inside to keep said benefits.

Not sure how I would fix the Wizard/Archivist. But like I said, I just wanted to see how viable it is and if players would even enjoy it.

[NichG]

In my last campaign, 'character levels' were the result of specific genetic keys that had to be unlocked in people through a regimen of treatments controlled by a setting-wide guild (so literally as you rose in power in the guild, you rose in power). However, there was a substance called 'Boost' which was refined from the blood of those who for various reasons were able to trigger their own level-ups without help of external treatments.

Boost didn't work through gaining levels though (because it just triggers an instant gain of power, not a receptive state in which to absorb years of training in days). Instead, it granted temporary abilities based on a certain number of LA. The potent stuff would give you 8 LA worth of abilities for an hour, which we had a table for things like '+ to stats' and the like as well as a few custom abilities.

The problem was, if you used Boost too much, it'd permanently damage the stuff in your body that was designed to gradually strengthen you, so it would lower the maximum level you could ever achieve. Essentially, for every 1 point of LA you got temporarily, you accumulated -0.1 permanent level cap, so you could use the high-end Boost once safely, but if you used it again you'd cap out at Lv19. If you lower your cap below your current level, then it kills you in a way that you can't be resurrected from (sort of like somehow managing to have a max hp of -11) - so Boost could be used to assassinate high level characters.

Anyhow, hopefully there's something in there that's helpful. The PCs first encountered it at Lv5 or so, but they never used it - they were too terrified of the permanent level cap reduction.