johnbragg
2019-08-11, 11:16 AM
E6 Worldbuilding assumptions
50% of the population is 1st level, 37.5% is 2nd level, 11% are 3rd level, 1.5% are 4+.
Magic Mart is not really a thing, at least not at 3rd edition book values (25 gp x SL x CL), maybe at the BX rate (100 gp x SL for scrolls)
Which means we can think about spells as At Will, Apprentice, Veteran and Master (0, 1, 2, 3).
I've also stolen adapted a "dual saving throw" mechanic for a lot of spells--roll twice, full effect on a double failure, half effect on a single failure, no effect on a double pass.
Scry-and-die becomes a plague, a crutch etc in 3rd edition, because you could scry-buff-teleport. Without the buff-teleport part, it's something I'd like to bring back--it's a very common fairy tale element.
I'm thinking that scrying on a person is a thing available to Veteran (3rd level) spellcasters, with limitations. The most obvious limitation is discovery--if you scry on someone, they're likely to know, and act accordingly. So you could try to scry on the Ice Witch or the Bandit King in the wilderness, or on the Duke or the Grand Chancellor of the Wizards' Guild, or on the Evil Queen Grimhilde, but you probably can't do it without them knowing you're doing it. Scrying on the kidnapped villager in the Ice Witch's dungeon? That's a thing you can do. The BBEG can scry on the party, the party will probably know about it, and the BBEG feels secure enough to not worry about the party's retaliation (party is coming for BBEG anyway.)
Competing BBEG's might scry on each other to open negotiations (rule that the Message spell works through the sensor just fine). Or just talk through the sensor, actually.
Which opens up Sending spell instant transcontinental communication. Hmm.
How exactly does this work mechanically? I think the easiest thing is to decide that scrying is done through a ghostly apparition thing of your face. Possibly with funky arcane runes or something to further tag who the caster is, if you have the Arcana chops to decode the symbols.
50% of the population is 1st level, 37.5% is 2nd level, 11% are 3rd level, 1.5% are 4+.
Magic Mart is not really a thing, at least not at 3rd edition book values (25 gp x SL x CL), maybe at the BX rate (100 gp x SL for scrolls)
Which means we can think about spells as At Will, Apprentice, Veteran and Master (0, 1, 2, 3).
I've also stolen adapted a "dual saving throw" mechanic for a lot of spells--roll twice, full effect on a double failure, half effect on a single failure, no effect on a double pass.
Scry-and-die becomes a plague, a crutch etc in 3rd edition, because you could scry-buff-teleport. Without the buff-teleport part, it's something I'd like to bring back--it's a very common fairy tale element.
I'm thinking that scrying on a person is a thing available to Veteran (3rd level) spellcasters, with limitations. The most obvious limitation is discovery--if you scry on someone, they're likely to know, and act accordingly. So you could try to scry on the Ice Witch or the Bandit King in the wilderness, or on the Duke or the Grand Chancellor of the Wizards' Guild, or on the Evil Queen Grimhilde, but you probably can't do it without them knowing you're doing it. Scrying on the kidnapped villager in the Ice Witch's dungeon? That's a thing you can do. The BBEG can scry on the party, the party will probably know about it, and the BBEG feels secure enough to not worry about the party's retaliation (party is coming for BBEG anyway.)
Competing BBEG's might scry on each other to open negotiations (rule that the Message spell works through the sensor just fine). Or just talk through the sensor, actually.
Which opens up Sending spell instant transcontinental communication. Hmm.
How exactly does this work mechanically? I think the easiest thing is to decide that scrying is done through a ghostly apparition thing of your face. Possibly with funky arcane runes or something to further tag who the caster is, if you have the Arcana chops to decode the symbols.