PDA

View Full Version : Pathfinder Irradiated crystal deity of magic help



Hazeeb
2018-01-11, 10:13 PM
Hello all!

I had an idea last night before bed about a new deity I want to write up. Normally I'd put it in http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?546414-Creating-new-gods-for-Pyria-all-ideas-and-suggestions-welcome to allow for feedback but the mechanics of this idea need broader review.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?544855-Homebrew-The-Pyrian-Sphere-(Questions-opinions-and-ideas-welcome)
The set up here is Pyria (above) was struck during its earliest formation by a large an aberrant, semi-sentient asteroid made of crystal. TLDR the crystal infests the plant and bleeds radiation all over AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAGIC ON PYRIA.

I can explain a lot of stuff fluff wise in my head canon but the problem here is how to mechanically make this a sound explanation for magic. I'm trying to avoid a directly magical entity like Mystra since this is an entity so massive. It can't be killed like Mystra so I'm not going to go there.

The key here is understanding that magic is essentially radiation that is harnessed in spells to warp reality around the caster. Its going to have a mythos feel but its too much to make every one suffer sanity loss for little spells.

How do I make this work? Maybe higher level spells? Blight or cancer that comes from arcane spells? Leave it alone entirely and just make the radiation non toxic?

All opinions welcome here.

rferries
2018-01-12, 08:44 AM
A certain degree of cosmic radiation has been good for evolution on Earth (triggering mutations); you could say the crystal radiation allowed humanoids to to learn how to manipulate magic in the first place (or produced sorcerers at least).

Certain areas (ley lines, active volcanoes disgorging molten crystal, crystal deposits in mines, the Underdark) have more radiation/magic e.g. wild magic areas, or children there are more likely to be born as sorcerers or with other supernatural features ([ABerrant] feats since you mention the crystal is aberrant, the psuedonatural or celestial/infernal templates, etc.).

Is the crystal sentient and an active influence on the world, or more like a dreaming deity? Is it the source of just arcane magic, or divine as well (and if so, did all the other gods come into being from a mix of the radiation and human imagination?). Is it malevolent i.e. another Jenova?

The radiation should drain mental stats rather than Constitution, unlike "normal" radiation. Maybe drain Wisdom but boost Charisma and/or caster level, as people lose their minds but gain greater magical power and are corrupted by it.

Hazeeb
2018-01-12, 09:05 AM
The deity is definitely a dreaming type. Its far too underdeveloped to have real sentience but it understands stimulus to the point of reacting in subtle ways. Nothing really developed in that arena yet.

The areas most affected in the world are going to be higher concentrations of crystals, as you say. The trick here is the construction of the world itself. I shall explain:

The world is hollow. Not unusual for a fantasy world but this happens to pyria because the asteroid that smashed into it ripped the planet apart before reforming. The crystals broke down on impact but eventually reformed around the core. The crystals act like the rods contained in a nuclear powerplant and get hotter the closer they are to each other. Branches of crystalline tunnels form and push their way to various portions of the planet but mainly in the oceans. The hollow core is filled with water that is constantly super heated and circulates hot water out and cold water in via magic and geology. This allows current and climate to evolve on the planet. Over a few million years the crystalline tunnels grow numerous enough it becomes a proto-neural network for the entity. Very much a gaia type spirit but from off world instead. Large crystal fields sprout from the surface and allow harvesting for various magical items AND the crystals slowly regenerate over time. These are also places where Ioun stones are either harvested or crafted. Land motes also exist but more because of the portions of dead crystal that break away from the main body. Because magic reasons, the magical polarity reverses and then you have floating islands in desolate and scary places.

I like the idea that this radiation can be responsible for spawning sorcerers from naturally clean bloodlines. That could be a bloodline in of itself!

I also like the idea that mutations are involved. It can be a natural explanation for metagaming reasons as to why we can even tap into magic at all. The catalyst for accessing larger universal magical abilities and other dimensional powers. Good thinking!


I'm not sure it covers everything though. More ideas and thoughts?

Hazeeb
2018-01-14, 06:06 AM
I'll bump this once before letting it go silent.

Xzoltar
2018-01-14, 08:57 AM
You have many mechanic that already exist and you could integrate without having to crete everything from scratch.

The place where the Crystal are more present could be Earth Nodes (see Underdark (http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Earth_Node)) then you could have Leylines (see Occult Adventures (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/occult-adventures/occult-rules/ley-lines/)) you could use the Ley Magic School (http://www.pathfindercommunity.net/multiclass-archetype-supplements/arcane-schools/ley-magic-school) for Wizard, the Menhir Savant (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/druid/archetypes/paizo-druid-archetypes/menhir-savant/) archetype for Druid, the Menhir Guardian (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/monk/archetypes/paizo-monk-archetypes/menhir-guardian-monk-archetype/) for Monk, Ley Line Guardian (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/witch/archetypes/paizo-witch-archetypes/ley-line-guardian-witch-archetype/) for Witch

If you have that book, there's also Deep Magic (from Kobold Press) that have a lot of things you could use.

You can have rule similar to Darksun Defiling for Casters

You have many options and just from your post, its hard to know exactly in wich direction you wan't to go

SilverStud
2018-01-14, 03:24 PM
First off, this is a seriously cool idea. I gotta ask, is this semi-inspired by the Traveler from Destiny? Because it's also a magic-granting ball from the sky. :D
Even if you did take inspiration there, your take on the idea is unique and gets mah brain going.

So magic is radiation, right? And radiation is poison. I always strive for mechanics that are simple, and that have precedent in other rules. So how about this:

Arcane Irradiation
When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher, your Maximum Hit Points is reduced by that spell's level (1 for 1st, 2 for 2nd, so on). This reduction lasts until you complete a long rest.

This way it is something simple and easy to calculate. You don't need to worry about dreaming up Severity Levels or anything (like you would if you messed with core attributes). And it's something that allows casters to survive, so long as they're careful.
If you take the idea of a sorcerer bloodline based on this god-rock, one of the first-level features could be that his Arcane Irradiation goes away after a short rest, instead of a long one.

Honestly I think you need to go all out with this. Your god-rock, being the source of magic, the cause of the hollow planet, should not simply be cast aside as "the source of magic, also magic hurts a little."

So, take the crystal fields and leylines, and add them to your world as codified features. (unless one of the characters is the new sorc bloodline, or a scholar of the god-rock, don't tell the players the specifics of these features until they become relevant)

Leylines
The sheer power of [god-rock] traces through the world in geometric lines, which amplify the magical power of spells above them. Leylines have six power levels, and function simply. When a caster casts a spell while standing precisely on top of a leyline, the spell receives the following augmentations: damage dice results lower than the Leyline's level are considered instead to be the leyline's level, spell save DCs are increased by the leyline's level, and the spell's duration is multiplied by the leyline's level.

Radiation Zones
Radiation Zones are raw emanations of [god-rock]'s power, and are quite dangerous. Unfortunately, they are much more common than powerful leylines. They also have six levels, and have the same effects as leylines. However, they also have the following devastating effect:
Whenever a spell is cast within a Radiation Zone, the power of the spell reacts dangerously with the radiation. The caster and each creature within the Radiation Zone take damage equal to the level of the spell + the Zone's power level. The damage type is determined randomly.


2d8
Damage Type


2
Bludgeoning


3
Slashing


4
Piercing


5
Psychic


6
Necrotic


7
Radiant


8
Fire


9
Cold


10
Acid


11
Thunder


12
Lightning


13
Poison


14
Force


15
Force


16
Force



That's all I can think of for now!

Hazeeb
2018-01-14, 11:34 PM
You have many mechanic that already exist and you could integrate without having to crete everything from scratch.

The place where the Crystal are more present could be Earth Nodes (see Underdark (http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Earth_Node)) then you could have Leylines (see Occult Adventures (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/occult-adventures/occult-rules/ley-lines/)) you could use the Ley Magic School (http://www.pathfindercommunity.net/multiclass-archetype-supplements/arcane-schools/ley-magic-school) for Wizard, the Menhir Savant (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/druid/archetypes/paizo-druid-archetypes/menhir-savant/) archetype for Druid, the Menhir Guardian (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/monk/archetypes/paizo-monk-archetypes/menhir-guardian-monk-archetype/) for Monk, Ley Line Guardian (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/witch/archetypes/paizo-witch-archetypes/ley-line-guardian-witch-archetype/) for Witch

If you have that book, there's also Deep Magic (from Kobold Press) that have a lot of things you could use.

You can have rule similar to Darksun Defiling for Casters

You have many options and just from your post, its hard to know exactly in which direction you wan't to go

THANK YOU. I have no idea even half of those existed. I will look into each in turn and post the final direction I wish to go.


First off, this is a seriously cool idea. I gotta ask, is this semi-inspired by the Traveler from Destiny? Because it's also a magic-granting ball from the sky. :D
Even if you did take inspiration there, your take on the idea is unique and gets mah brain going.

So magic is radiation, right? And radiation is poison. I always strive for mechanics that are simple, and that have precedent in other rules. So how about this:

Arcane Irradiation
When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher, your Maximum Hit Points is reduced by that spell's level (1 for 1st, 2 for 2nd, so on). This reduction lasts until you complete a long rest.

This way it is something simple and easy to calculate. You don't need to worry about dreaming up Severity Levels or anything (like you would if you messed with core attributes). And it's something that allows casters to survive, so long as they're careful.
If you take the idea of a sorcerer bloodline based on this god-rock, one of the first-level features could be that his Arcane Irradiation goes away after a short rest, instead of a long one.

Honestly I think you need to go all out with this. Your god-rock, being the source of magic, the cause of the hollow planet, should not simply be cast aside as "the source of magic, also magic hurts a little."

So, take the crystal fields and leylines, and add them to your world as codified features. (unless one of the characters is the new sorc bloodline, or a scholar of the god-rock, don't tell the players the specifics of these features until they become relevant)

Leylines
The sheer power of [god-rock] traces through the world in geometric lines, which amplify the magical power of spells above them. Leylines have six power levels, and function simply. When a caster casts a spell while standing precisely on top of a leyline, the spell receives the following augmentations: damage dice results lower than the Leyline's level are considered instead to be the leyline's level, spell save DCs are increased by the leyline's level, and the spell's duration is multiplied by the leyline's level.

Radiation Zones
Radiation Zones are raw emanations of [god-rock]'s power, and are quite dangerous. Unfortunately, they are much more common than powerful leylines. They also have six levels, and have the same effects as leylines. However, they also have the following devastating effect:
Whenever a spell is cast within a Radiation Zone, the power of the spell reacts dangerously with the radiation. The caster and each creature within the Radiation Zone take damage equal to the level of the spell + the Zone's power level. The damage type is determined randomly.


2d8
Damage Type


2
Bludgeoning


3
Slashing


4
Piercing


5
Psychic


6
Necrotic


7
Radiant


8
Fire


9
Cold


10
Acid


11
Thunder


12
Lightning


13
Poison


14
Force


15
Force


16
Force



That's all I can think of for now!

You are thinking in parallel with me on the direction this should take. Its a very important proto-deity in its purpose and has shaped the world for countless millenia.

Radiation doesn't HAVE to be poison here. Not all radiation is harmful and I'm torn in that regard. What strikes me is that the nature of the radiation is what allows the manipulation of reality in pyria for arcane magic, the development of psionic mutations, and the abilities of mortal creatures to ascend into godhood.

Leyline magic is its very own natural source of energy and has its own proto-deity. But its not a bad idea to consider combining them on some level. The main thing that stops me there is that its a little more druidic in nature. *ponders*

Essentially the planet could be described as Gaia to describe everything that is NOT the god-rock. Two beings living independently of one another sharing the same space. Not quite a symbiotic relationship but its close.

Perhaps the radiation can cause subdual damage...

I have never played Destiny or looked at its Wiki!


Thoughts on all that?

SilverStud
2018-01-15, 03:17 AM
Making leylines and radiation zones separate is a good idea. I do think you should go with the "magic is powerful but also hurts you" theme. At least, if you keep calling it radiation you should stick with it. The word is very.... heavy? with connotations and associations of poison and sickness. I mean, sure, technically any electromagnetic wave is "radiation," but we never call it that unless it's harmful.

As for Destiny, they took a very different approach to "alien ball of magic arrives." The Traveler brought its Light with it, and started resurrecting long-dead soldiers to serve as immortal guardians. Yes, they built respawning into the lore. It's very different, your idea and their idea both start with "alien ball of magic arrives," so I thought that was an interesting connection.

noob
2018-01-15, 03:28 AM
I mean, sure, technically any electromagnetic wave is "radiation," but we never call it that unless it's harmful..

The sun is harmful(do not get too much exposed to it.It even kills you of desiccation in deserts) and increase likeliness of getting cancer.
It is the main source of radiations on this planet(since it is the main source of harmful electromagnetic waves).
Whenever we call something radiations or not depends essentially on context.(not much on harmfulness)
Which is why people will very rarely say the sun is radioactive while the majority of the harmful radiations they take(unless working in a place such as a nuclear power plant) is from the sun.

Hazeeb
2018-01-15, 05:03 AM
So putting the context of direct exposure might be fitting if i wanted to continue referring to it as radiation. That makes sense if I'm already having PC's rolling for radiation poisoning for being within a crystal field.