[3.5] Ideas for a Sapphire Hierarch campaign

[Particle_Man]

I am thinking of running a 3.5 campaign where the party are lawful acolytes and initiates of the temple of the Sapphire Eidolon (in Magic of Incarnum). They would be servants of a Sapphire Hierarch, travelling with him and solving problems while he is doing other things (such as making axiomatic weapons for law enforcement institutions at the places they go). Thus the party would have a cleric they can go back to for healing between adventures, and also have someone to give them missions to go on (but the Sapphire Hierarch would not micromanage or go with them on these adventures - I don't want the DMPC to overshadow them that way).

So what are ideas for missions that The Forces of Law could go on?

I have a few:

a) Get that ring of jumping (which defies the "law of gravity" - bad!) away from a local town wizard but *without* breaking the local laws or increasing chaos in the town.
b) Help defend a town vs. marauding orcs (ok, that one is obvious).
c) Higher level - DROP EVERYTHING a SLAAD is NEARBY!
d) Discover some lost books in a ruined and monster-infested library.

etc., etc.,

I was thinking of allowing most Wotc races/classes, but requiring a lawful alignment and the sapphire eidolon religion (rather than worshipping any gods). I would also relax paladin of the sapphire eidolon restrictions to allow them to adventure with lawful evil servants of the sapphire eidolon (since the accent is on Lawful, and since the temple already has soulborn servants, which presumably are already LG and LE).

So, assuming I can get the time to do this and "buy in" from players, what are some ideas you have for missions, adventures, etc.?

[Troacctid]

In my last game that featured the Sapphire Hierarchs, they were allied with the Pentifex Order, and would commune with the Sapphire Eidolon to divine where the Order's forces would be most needed to combat the Lost. In exchange, the Pentifex Order offered meldshaping training for their acolytes and vowed to aid them should their temple be attacked.

[Nifft]

I don't like the implications of the Ring of Jumping thing. There are soulmelds which grant a similar Jump bonus, and Cleric spells which can emulate or exceed that bonus.

-- -- --

Anyway, ideas:

- The Hierarch is a diplomat, going around to butter up other nobles and perform diplomacy with other organizations. The Hierarch is like an ambassador -- the PCs are the under-cover secret agents who accompany the ambassador as guards, as spies, and as troubleshooters.

- When the Hierarch visits an area, he acts as a local circuit judge. The PCs screen access to the Hierarch, reviewing cases brought by NPCs and deciding which few are worth the Hierarch's time. The PCs may have a few days to investigate on their own before making the decision.

- The Hierarch is an amazing distraction for the PCs to perform covert action against specific nobles, or against agents in the retinue of specific nobles. Perhaps a supporter is being corrupted / infiltrated / set up to be framed by a spy in her household staff. The PCs must find the spy and foil the plans. Surprise: there were two spies from two different enemy factions.

[Particle_Man]

Good point on the ring of jumping. I could replace that with a scroll of reverse gravity (or is there a staff or wondrous item that has that)?

Thanks for the ideas!

[Zaq]

To be honest, unless you’re playing up the campy “Lawful Stupid/willfully obtuse” aspect, the idea of most mortal magic upsetting a Lawful spellcaster specifically because it breaks some kind of law of physics just doesn’t strike me as, how to put this, intellectually consistent? I can see it being played for laughs or to show how kooky/misguided these folks are, but I can’t see playing it straight. Not when these characters are, as stated, spellcasters with all sorts of physics-humiliating spells (and magical soulmelds) of their own.

The campaign as a whole sounds like a neat idea, don’t get me wrong! A skillful GM can have a lot of fun with a campaign emphasizing L/C over G/E, and the concept of an incarnum-focused campaign is actually pretty compelling. But I’d have a hard time taking it seriously if you threw in the “laws of physics = philosophical Law (except for all of MY spells)” bit.

Of course, there are OTHER hypothetical groups who could be offended by the existence of a Reverse Gravity item. I could see a twisted cult of elemental earth getting all up in arms about that, for example. That could be amusingly weird without being totally hypocritical. But the specific logical leap of “Lawful spellcaster thinks other people’s magic breaks physics and therefore offends the Law” is a bit much for me.

[Particle_Man]

Every religion has its quirks. This one is specifically called out in the description of the prestige class. I wouldn’t make it an epic quest but as a minor mission it could add some detail to the religious strictures. I wouldn’t do this for all the laws of physics but the law of gravity is well enough known to be a trope in children’s cartoons (and called out in the rpg TOON).

[Zaq]

. . . Huh. There does indeed appear to be a line in the fluff about opposing "wizards who use spells to defy gravity." (Pg. 138, midway through the right-hand column, for anyone who feels like looking it up.)

To be honest, I still find that jarring enough that my original opinion isn't swayed. Magic breaks physics. In order to have access to this PrC, it's actually kind of difficult not to have access to at least one magical effect that lets you defy gravity in one way or another. I suppose that there's something to be said for having an ability and choosing not to use it, but still, it's not like basically any other magical effect is especially non-physics-breaking. Except maybe the occasional mind-affecting thing (something something energy whatever), which still obviously isn't possible with real-world physics, but it's less obviously physics-breaking.

Still. It doesn't work for me. If it works for you and your players, I genuinely hope that you have fun with it. I repeat that I like the concept of the campaign and I think it would potentially be very interesting to play in a game where the Sapphire Hierarchy is extremely prominent, but the specific bit about "your flying magic is TOO MAGICAL IN THIS SPELLCASTER'S JUDGMENT, SIRRAH" hits the wrong note for me and makes them come off as less alien and more goofy. The other quests seem fine.

[Particle_Man]

Maybe it is in line with the belief that one day everything will be unified. Anti-gravity would seem to go against that specific tenet, slowing down the inevitable reunification of the universe.

That said if I can’t sell players on being lawful and can’t find time to run the game the point is moot.:smallbiggrin:

[Nifft]

Anti-gravity would seem to go against that specific tenet, slowing down the inevitable reunification of the universe.

"Mr. Otiluke, tear down this wall (of force)."

... and then the universal reunification begins, with a thriving arts scene in Elf Berlin, until the Goblinoid Bugbearxit threatens to disunify everything all over again.

€ is obviously the symbol for Electrum Piece.

[Bronk]

So what are ideas for missions that The Forces of Law could go on?

I have a few:

a) Get that ring of jumping (which defies the "law of gravity" - bad!) away from a local town wizard but *without* breaking the local laws or increasing chaos in the town.
b) Help defend a town vs. marauding orcs (ok, that one is obvious).
c) Higher level - DROP EVERYTHING a SLAAD is NEARBY!
d) Discover some lost books in a ruined and monster-infested library.

etc., etc.,


How about:

Lawyer skill battles? You'd come in and be the defense team for a fellow order member who's fallen afoul of foreign laws, or act as a prosecutorial team for a beleaguered justice system somewhere.

Or, you're out to mete out some justice of your own, but run into an Inevitable. Now you have to either figure out how to drive it off, kill it (and it's replacements), or convince it that whatever it is is under your jurisdiction. Maybe everyone has to take a trip to Mechanus to file the proper paperwork to avoid a second kind of Inevitable coming after them too!

The class just requires 'Lawful', and they're taking orders from the sect, so throw in some lawful evil encounters as well. Maybe they end up having to help a devil enforce a soul contract or something.

[Particle_Man]

The class just requires 'Lawful', and they're taking orders from the sect, so throw in some lawful evil encounters as well. Maybe they end up having to help a devil enforce a soul contract or something.

Could work, especially if the contractee is trying to get out of it by becoming a lich, which Sapphire Hierarchs also think is wrong.