Limbo 4.0 (3.5, PEACH) [COMPLETE]

[afroakuma]

Theoretically, a mud slaad could acsend all the way up to a slaad lord

Yup. All it takes is 50 years of survival in a harsh, competitive environment that hates them, then a random, low-chance event ro become a red slaad, then another 500 years of survival in a harsh, competitive environment that now merely dislikes them, and then finding out how to mysteriously seize the power of a slaad lord.

But theoretically, it IS possible, yes.

Come to think of it, if that actually WAS happening, the more paranoid and selfish slaad lords

...you mean all of them?

And by "have a few words with him", I of course mean "eat him."

Hit the nail on the head, there.

I've been wondering about Slaad genders. How exactly do female slaad give birth? Do they lays eggs like the giant frogs they are, or is it live birth?

Female sexual reproductive slaad give birth either according to the other parent's species (they do have egg-laying capabilities) or placental birth. The only distinction between a human placental birth and a slaad's is that the slaad newborn emerges in a slim, jellylike amniotic sac, and has an "egg claw" that it uses to break free when it senses light and a temperature change.

Female budding slaad have general female secondary sexual characteristics, and can receive through sexual process genetic material. If reproducing parthenogenically or through sexual congress with another slaad, the bud forms underneath the chitinous scale layer of the skin and breaks off as a colored bulge. If reproducing after sexual congress with another species, the bud takes the form of a calcified extrusion, rather like a colored pearl, and can be separated when the nearby tissue dries. It takes a three day recovery period for the female's dermis and blood vessels to heal in the area. The female will keep the bud or egg with her until the newborn is fully formed/ready to emerge. Most females elect to "raise" their children.

For you LGBTers out there, male and female budding slaadi can acquire and transfer genetic material between others of the same sexual characteristic, and certainly between others of their particular gender.

[Zeta Kai]

For you LGBTers out there, male and female budding slaadi can acquire and transfer genetic material between others of the same sexual characteristic, and certainly between others of their particular gender.

Okay, dude, TMI. Seriously, this is a great homebrew, but you can stop right there, we don't need an entry in the BoEF for the Slaad. That's just too much. Thank you for thoughts that I cannot un-think.

[afroakuma]

*shrug* I pre-empted it. It was coming anyway. Blame Terror_Incognito for asking.

[afroakuma]

A Tourist's Guide to Limbo

The Spawning Stone

The Spawning Stone is the traditional heart of the slaad race, a center for slaad business, society and especially mating. Though composed of chaos, the Stone has words of primal law grafted to it, binding the forms of the slaadi to the conventional colors that the multiverse knows.

Surrounded by fading, used constructions, the Spawning Stone is the civic core of an incivil race. A solitary death slaad guards the Stone against intruders, but the area nearby is always highly populous, teeming with slaadi and those brave enough to deal with them. The interior of the stone is thought to be honeycombed with circular rooms and passages.

Non-slaadi are not allowed within roughly ten miles of the Stone, though this distance may vary by as much as five miles. Concession is made only in direst necessity. Shaping chaos is difficult for anarchs within 100 miles of the Stone, and so it is usually avoided.

Pinwheel

An unusual feature in Turbidis is the stable island of Pinwheel, a rough oblong so named for the spiral arms of half-stable matter that trail off from it as it spins lazily in the chaos. Pinwheel is a forested island with down-defined gravity and an air envelope, with lakes of chaos bubbling on one end that serve anarchs as raw fuel to create neutral, sequestered meeting places. The island's shape approximates a kidney, with a large mountain raised at the center. Here, a root of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, touches the plane. It has been speculated that Yggdrasil's presence explains the stability of this island. On the other hand, Yggdrasil is not considered a living being, and so this point is hotly debated.

Pinwheel is covered in parts by more jungle than forest, and is so heavily populated with animals that few beings remain long.

Shra'kt'lor

The largest city of the githzerai, Shra'kt'lor is estimated to hold over two million living beings. Considered a military bastion, Shra'kt'lor is the central redoubt and last defense of the githzerai race against their enemies. Its ruler is Zaerith Menyar-Ag-Gith, known as the Great Githzerai, who directs his race's efforts against their mortal enemies, the githyanki. The immortal Zaerith is considered God-King, and is the spiritual leader of his people. The city is ostensibly ruled by the generals, but their political machinations are secretly run by their God-King, who they view as a religious figurehead.

Shra'kt'lor is a concentric city, comprised of seven great rings with iron gatehouses. Cramped and xenophobic, the city suits the githzerai just fine. Foreigners are usually forced to sleep in tents outside the city, protected only by the occasional patrol.

The city is a marketplace for small transactions in arms and armor, but no entertainment of any sort is to be had. This is a city believing itself on the edge of war, and behaves as such.

The Floating City

Considered the seat of religious power for the githzerai, here magic, psionics and thievery are valued, nurtured and taught. The God-King's word is law here, and it was his plan to separate his warriors from his mages. The academies place strict limits on the power growth of their students, who must either win the God-King's favor or depart the city to legally study further. The God-King brooks no challengers and is paranoid of other mages of strength in his city.

The Floating City is a series of spires and towers, connected by bare stone walkways. A magical glow lights the city, providing a dim illumination for its populace. Its steets are lifeless, winding and shadowy, and the citizens move about in silence. With the exception of the "Tower of Luminescence," the home of the God-King and his circle, foreigners are given unrestricted access to the city - which in turn gives the city's theives unrestricted access to the foreigners. Foreign wizards had best be on their guard lest they be discovered, but psions, clerics and others are welcome. Foreign tutors are especially prized.

The city offers a few magical services, but is wary of selling magical goods to outsiders. The most important service offered in the city is the Anarch's Guild.

Barnstable

This little burg is a halfling settlement, previously a Prime village that was drawn into Limbo during a wild magic surge. Only the quick thinking of several halflings saved the population from drowning in the chaos. Quite hospitable, Barnstable's only quirk is that foreigners must sleep outside.

Barnstable is built in the soil trapped in the root network of a giant old oak. The homes and other buildings are subterranean nooks, with walkways ascending through the root system to the tree above. The only above ground building is a large barn, wherein cattle and goats are kept and the community's food stores are stocked. The town is strictly barter - cash is useless to their way of life.

Barnstable has no natural anarchs, so the halflings must take it in shifts to maintain the terrain. Younger halflings enjoy pranking their elders and guests by making small adjustments while they sleep.

The Waterfall

Perhaps misnamed, the Waterfall is no such thing. It is, rather, a bizarre confluence of riverlike streams, mixing together to form the substance known as phlogiston. This mysterious, flammable substance insulates itself from the chaos of Limbo with a solid, crystalline coating, and runs along its self-made bank to a sudden plunge; the oily rainbow cascae this produces gives this site its name.

The crystalline banks of the Waterfall are a pilgrimmage site for many Prime spacefarers, and scholars as well. Insulated from Limbo's chaos, they have formed a small community.

The Waterfall is one of the most beautiful sights in the Planes, and many have tried to follow it downwards. It seems to go on for over a hundred miles before becoming lost in a silvery fog. Scholars speculate that the Waterfall is the source of all phlogiston on the Prime Material Plane.

Heramela

Heramela is an island in the dark sea of Hypervista, where stands Atlas, a Titan imprisoned long ago, who assists in supporting the Upper Planes. His daughters, nymphs known as Hesperides, tend to golden apples in the garden at his feet. His other children are the atlazi, the colossal giants who roam Hypervista, separating the barrier of Turbidis from the nascent second layer.

Heramela plays host to a dread linnorm known as Ladon, who defends the Hesperides but otherwise keeps to his own vicious counsel.

[afroakuma]

Anarch's Rest
Transmutation (Abjuration/Transmutation for those who use the two school rule)
Level: Clr 3, Drd 4, Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S, Personal*
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Close (25 ft.)
Effect: Sphere of stable Limbo
Duration: 1 hour/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

Anarch's rest stabilizes an area of Limbo as though it was held under the conscious control of an anarch. The spell creates a stable sphere to the description of the caster that extends in a 30 ft. diameter. This sphere cannot be moved. Creatures such as chaos beasts and unravelers can do permanent damage to this sphere, effectively reducing its area. A creature with spell resistance who is in the area of the sphere at the time of casting can choose to resist the spell, bringing down the sphere if successful.

The caster does not need to concentrate on the spell to maintain it, meaning a full eight-hour rest is possible (for a ninth-level caster). At the end of the duration, the sphere immediately collapses back into chaos; only concentration will retain the current shape. Any features to complex to be maintained by concentration are lost.

The spell may be cast multiple times, in which case a later casting may support the effects of the first upon expiry. Each casting temporarily drains 1d6 points from the caster's requisite casting ability. Should the drain remove the caster's access to this level of spell, the sphere fails immediately. Complete rest restores the drained ability score.

Anarch's Bastion
Transmutation [Lawful] (Abjuration/Transmutation for those who use the two school rule)
Level: Clr 6, Drd 7, Sor/Wiz 7
Components: V, S, Personal*
Casting Time: 2 minutes
Range: Close (25 ft.)
Effect: Sphere of stable Limbo
Duration: 24 hours
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

Anarch's bastion stabilizes an area of Limbo as though it was held under the conscious control of an anarch. The spell creates a stable sphere to the description of the caster that extends in a 30 ft. diameter. This sphere cannot be moved. Creatures with the chaotic descriptor ignore the sphere, and refuse to enter if pressed. A creature with spell resistance who is in the area of the sphere at the time of casting can choose to resist the spell, bringing down the sphere if successful.

The caster does not need to concentrate on the spell to maintain it, meaning a full eight-hour rest is possible. At the end of the duration, the sphere immediately collapses back into chaos; only concentration will retain the current shape. Any features to complex to be maintained by concentration are lost.

The spell may be cast multiple times, in which case a later casting may support the effects of the first upon expiry. Each casting temporarily drains 1d6 points from the caster's requisite casting ability. Should the drain remove the caster's access to this level of spell, the sphere fails immediately. Complete rest restores the drained ability score.

[afroakuma]

They came without warning.

Five of them, frightening creatures all.

They saw me not; they knew me not.

The five humanoids hovered softly in midair, feeling the air currents of the Prime world they had chosen. They hovered outside of a farm, in the dead of night, two of them restless to destroy it.

The first to speak was a giant, standing over ten feet tall, with chitinous skin radiating all colors of the spectrum. Dressed in finery, this being made no hostile move, but two others flinched at his speech.

"This... event... is not expected. Let's finish this business and be done."

Another, tall and golden, looked to her side, where a third, a malign titan with skin of midnight black, grimaced.

"We have felt it. They are back," he hissed.

The largest of them all, with radiant white scales, crawled on all fours like a dog, scratching at its neck. It then drew itself upright and spoke as a statesman might, an odd sight indeed.

"Of we three, none have anything to contribute. This was not an event of our time, which is but recent."

The gold looked downwards. "Yes."

An incongruous statement, to be sure. The last was a deep crimson, as though of blood, and the smallest by far, perhaps the height of a human. She spoke with a feminine voice.

"And what did you expect? The both of you agreed to this independently. Were you hoping for some unity? Are you insane? Of course she is, but I would not have expected this trespass on my private time from you," she spat at the black.

The gold, the insane one, turned to the crimson, who seemed to grow afraid.

"It is something that we need to know about. Something to be on guard for. If not for all, then for one. I have seen it. I know," said the gold, rather lucidly.

"As have I," croaked the black, "and it is a threat. Remember it. All of you. Only we two have seen them before. Only we two survived. Another is terlen chum."

"Then why warn us?" asked the prismatic one. "Or were you just looking for a change in your life?" This last sounded a threat. "I learned this myself; I came to extract more from you."

The five glanced at one another.

"We are the first to know," said the black softly. "I know you have checked," he spoke now to the colored one, "with the Queen and the Lords. He," gesturing now to the white, "has seen no sign during his travels, at least none that he cares to share."

"No, we are first," said the gold, again sounding lucid. "This... this we shall not share. If anyone makes the discovery, it will next be the lamenti. There is one with us who has assured that."

The crimson took stock rapidly. "Certainly none among us! Not even he," again to the white, "unless there is another here?"

As I watched, the shapes flickered. I could see these giant, froglike men and women, outlined by the most monstrous of shapes. Here a titan, a horned black skeleton. There, an opalescent beast with a malevolent grin. Another, burning with ferocious white light, without fixed form. A crimson serpent with a woman's body, spreading fish fins that covered the moon. The last, a golden ooze with a human brain.

They came without warning.

Five of them, frightening creatures all.

They saw me; they knew me.

And I have screamed.

My scream is the messenger. Their words the message.

And what is coming, I wish never to know.

-Fragmentary results of a spell of deathspeaking, conducted on the remains of the good farmer Methus. Record sealed to the lower clergy; refrain from contact with higher powers as regards this treatise - for official documentation, refer to the reports on the sudden insanity of Father Praces.

[afroakuma]

Alright, that project is officially complete. I'll still take questions and commentary, but no further material will appear.

[Zeta Kai]

Finally, I can yoink this. No comments, other than:

1. Great job
2. Yoink!