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Phasm
2006-02-13, 03:14 AM
The Phasm's Phair
(still incomplete, feedback welcome!)

Box test, outside the Phair:
Rumors of this fair have been flying around the countryside for months, and you've decided to check it out for yourselves... along with half the barony, it seems. The roads teem with travelers, which wouldn't be so odd in itself, but many of the travelers are decidedly not human. Or elven, or dwarven, or any of the recognizable civilized races. A party of what appear to be doppelgangers ride next to you, chattering excitedly and changing into ever more varied forms. Several wolves trot along nearby; when one of your horses shies, the lead wolf changes into a wild-looking human in hide armor who apologizes for the inconvenience. The wolves proceed to turn into eagles and take to the sky... along with a throng of various aerial creatures, people riding aerial mounts, and flying spellcasters. Everyone's going to the Phasm's Phair, THE contest of shapeshifting. Whether you're a contestant or a spectator, the Phair is two weeks of fun and excitement! Of course, if you're entering one of the combat categories, there will be danger as well...

Box text, inside the Phair:
Having paid your entry fee to the gatekeeper and entered the palisade, you can now see the marvels of the Phair. The crowd, as one would expect, is extremely varied; a juvenile silver dragon over there, a weretiger in hybrid form over here, and is that a succubus over that way? Four large tents and three arenas dominate the Phair, with vendors at stalls selling everything from sausage-onna-bun to magic potions. Signboards are posted at convenient places, showing maps of the Phair, rules of conduct, and event schedules.

The question of how the Phasm keeps the peace between beings that are normally mortal enemies is answered as a fight breaks out between the succubus you saw earlier and a ghaele eladrin. A pair of tall, black-armored constructs wade into the fray and pull the pair apart. Both combatants are unceremoniously frog-marched toward a large tent in the center of the Phair. The eladrin's protests that she was simply fulfilling her divine mission to smite evil fall on uncaring metal ears. More of the armored constructs can be seen as you look around, tirelessly patrolling the Phair.

The Phasm's Phair is a grand contest of shapeshifters, founded by an elder phasm known simply as The Phasm, that takes place over two weeks on either side of the spring solstice every year. All kinds, all alignments; it doesn't matter whether you use a spell, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability to change shape just as long as you do. Anyone caught breaking the peace of the Phair outside competition is mind-probed and either fined or fined and kicked out, depending on the results of the probe. Non-shapeshifters are allowed- indeed, welcomed- to come and observe, but they cannot participate in any of the contests. A fee of 100 gp per contestant and 1 gp per observer is required to enter the gates of the fairground. Each entrant is given an entry token with an arcane mark, which must be displayed to re-enter after leaving. The entry tokens are different each year- not only do they have a different mage's arcane mark, but they can be made of different materials (wood, bone, polished stone, glass, metal), and in different shapes (round and octagonal being most common). The only thing that remains the somewhat the same is the inscription on the back: Phasm's Phair, {year of entry}. Many regular attendees and contestants keep collections of Phair tokens.

The contests are divided into artistic and combat categories, and subdivided within those categories depending on the type of shapeshifting being used. Artistic contests are just that- the competitors are judged on the beauty and creativity of their chosen form. Due to past unfortunate events, nymph and sirine forms are prohibited in the Full Transformation category. Creativity is judged higher than beauty; the judges are more likely to be impressed with a druid who wildshapes into a rare, brightly plumaged bird native to the southern jungles than with one who wildshapes into a blooming rosebush... after all, the judges have most likely seen roses before. Combat contests are a demonstration of effective shapeshifting in physical combat. All combat contests are nonlethal and monitored by telepaths for lethal intent; intent to kill your opponent will get you disqualified and kicked out. No spellcasting of any kind is permitted, except for category-specific spells such as polymorph and shapechange.

Prizes are never simply gold or gems. The Phasm likes creativity, and its prizes of choice reflect that. Magical items, rare art, ancient artifacts, obscure and highly sought after books, an esoteric service such as a round trip plane shift to the plane of your choice... all of these are possible prizes at the Phasm's Phair. The value, naturally, increases with the difficulty of the division; the winner of the Artistic Full Transformation will receive a much better prize than the winner of the Disguise Self. If a winner is unsatisfied with her prize, she may exchange it for gold... but this is considered very bad form and insulting to the Phasm. Exchanging prizes with another winner is acceptable, as long as the deal is witnessed and sealed by one of the many clerics on site.

The subdivisions are as follows:

-Disguise Self. Changelings and mages with the disguise self spell are the usual entrants in this category, which is Artistic only. This is the only category in which a non-transmutation spell is permitted, since disguise self is so similar to the changeling's natural ability.

-Alter Self. Doppelgangers and mages with the alter self spell are the usual entrants in this category. If a doppelganger is pitched against a mage who does not have the detect thoughts ability, the mage is loaned a ring of mind shielding for the duration of the bout to offset the doppelganger's natural advantage. This goes for any case of a creature with the detect thoughts ability against one without it.

-Animal Shape. Druids, lycanthropes and araneas may participate in this category; if the druid is capable of taking a form other than animal, he must refrain from doing so. Lycanthropes are asked to restrain themselves from biting, but if somebody gets carried away, skilled healers are on hand with large supplies of fresh belladonna. A few particularly fervent druids have been known to refuse treatment after an accidental lycanthrope bite, stating that lycanthropy brings them closer to nature.

-Partial Transformation. This category covers advanced druids, creatures with the polymorph ability, and mages using the polymorph spell. Partial Transformation is defined as being able to take the form of most living things, but not gaining spell-like or supernatural abilities from the transformation. Although druids do gain plant and elemental traits when using those forms, advanced wild shape is defined as partial transformation due to lack of scope. Master transmogrifists are feared contestants in this category, and a contest between two of them is one of the hottest events at the Phair. Warshapers are also crowd-pleasers in this event. Over the centuries, less than ten phasms have shown up to compete in this category.

-Full Transformation. This is the smallest category, and the most popular to watch. Full shapechange is required here, whether for a natural ability or a spell. Literally any shape can be and is taken, from a strange and beautiful couatl to a terrifying elder black pudding. The Phasm, founder of the Phair, participates every year in the artistic division, but only participates in combat on leap years. Elder phasms are so rare and reclusive that so far no other elder phasm has shown up at the Phair to compete in this category. However, this category is popular among powerful mages and the occasional master of many forms.

Phasm
2006-02-14, 01:01 PM
(Filler post: NPCs, including The Phasm- which is not an ordinary MM phasm- go here. Guards, innkeepers, hucksters, regular contestants, etc.)

Phasm
2006-02-15, 05:17 AM
(I think I'll need a third post for adventure hooks and- hopefully- maps.)