Seto
2014-03-01, 12:12 PM
I have this idea for a setting. The continent that the PCs are in is isolated from the rest of the cosmology ; there's an Epic magic effect surrounding it (powered by a sort of Ubermonster hidden beneath the continent, put there by the Gods as a guardian, feeding off the magic of the Prime in order to maintain this effect). The effect affects all of the continent, including the interloping Shadow and Ethereal Planes. This barrier has been here for centuries (maybe millenia), and very few and powerful people are even aware of its existence, most people see the situation as natural (it is widely known in the magical community that planar travel is impossible, for example, but only the most competent have figured out that this should not be the case). A handful of beings are aware of the ways to bypass it ; that is, if you go high enough in the sky or deep enough into the sea, you leave the area of effect (up and down are okay, sideways are blocked and discreetly send you backwards... this is the reason that the sea surrounding the continent is know as The Infinite Ocean).
The effect is basically this : anything can get in, nothing gets out.
I am trying to figure out, and deal with, the implications of this (and of course I'll tell the players before the campaign starts, especially the ones using magic) :
- Spells using the Astral plane as a means of travel will not succeed.
- Summoning magic is quite rarer than normal, given that summoned creatures are effectively trapped... And that makes them angry.
Does that need balancing ? What would it change power-wise ?
Now to the metaphysical questions :
- Souls. I have ruled that they are made of Magic, much like a chair is made of Matter and a ghost of Ether. This could go either way : the barrier does block Magic, and after dying, instead of going to its natural afterlife, the soul is consumed by the Guardian. Or it doesn't. The former would be classier, but would render resurrection impossible (thus making the game that much tougher) - plus, I'm not sure the Gods would have allowed it (but then again, they really do want that barrier up. Or else something could be set free and kill them.) The latter would maybe make less sense, but pragmatically speaking be a better choice. What would you go with ? A compromise could be that the souls are not consumed, but trapped and used to power the effect anyway (à la Galbatorix with the Eldunari).
- Outsiders. They are made of Magic that can manifest as Matter (but they really are Magic). The question here is the same : do I shrug off the usual rule that says a dead outsider vanishes ? Or is suicide an efficient way to leave the Prime ?
What other things would it impact, that I might not have thought of ? Do you think my idea is good ? Or am I just in over my head ?
Thanks ;)
P.S. I must add that I don't have experience as a DM. I know a lot of you will probably say "start slow and do that later when you're experienced". But I really want to know if it's doable, because I find it neat and it motivates me.
The effect is basically this : anything can get in, nothing gets out.
I am trying to figure out, and deal with, the implications of this (and of course I'll tell the players before the campaign starts, especially the ones using magic) :
- Spells using the Astral plane as a means of travel will not succeed.
- Summoning magic is quite rarer than normal, given that summoned creatures are effectively trapped... And that makes them angry.
Does that need balancing ? What would it change power-wise ?
Now to the metaphysical questions :
- Souls. I have ruled that they are made of Magic, much like a chair is made of Matter and a ghost of Ether. This could go either way : the barrier does block Magic, and after dying, instead of going to its natural afterlife, the soul is consumed by the Guardian. Or it doesn't. The former would be classier, but would render resurrection impossible (thus making the game that much tougher) - plus, I'm not sure the Gods would have allowed it (but then again, they really do want that barrier up. Or else something could be set free and kill them.) The latter would maybe make less sense, but pragmatically speaking be a better choice. What would you go with ? A compromise could be that the souls are not consumed, but trapped and used to power the effect anyway (à la Galbatorix with the Eldunari).
- Outsiders. They are made of Magic that can manifest as Matter (but they really are Magic). The question here is the same : do I shrug off the usual rule that says a dead outsider vanishes ? Or is suicide an efficient way to leave the Prime ?
What other things would it impact, that I might not have thought of ? Do you think my idea is good ? Or am I just in over my head ?
Thanks ;)
P.S. I must add that I don't have experience as a DM. I know a lot of you will probably say "start slow and do that later when you're experienced". But I really want to know if it's doable, because I find it neat and it motivates me.