So I have been running my players through a custom world of my own design, we have been adventuring for about two years (slow progression for more play time with current characters), everyone is happy and my world has been growing with their decisions. We have reached the point where we have formed a forever party, where we will basically be gaming with eachother to the day we die. And they as we approach the end of the first campaign, they are becoming more and more excited for the followup campaign, where they can see the world and the effects of their decisions in the long run.
The second campaign will take place 250 years or so after the first game, for future reference.
Due to the effects of the players and the goal of the bbeg, the magical properties that empower the world and gifts people their magic powers was absorbed by the bbeg into a vast magical gem, stealing everyone in the worlds magic powers including the first campaigns players. During the final fight as they fight the bbeg they shatter the gem without undoing the magical absorption that happened. Grabbing fragments of the gem they manage to turn it on the bbeg, and strip him of his powers as well as those that hold the gem, control the magic.
Upon his defeat the gem rises into the air, and shatters into trillions of pieces that shower across the world. Everyones magic remains sealed in these gems. So in order to cast spells and use magical abilities, you must possess these gem shards. Over the next 250 years wars are waged as the world is turned upside down by chaos as kingdoms vy for power through getting the most gems, and thus we enter a new age, and campaign two.
The advice needed:
My idea is that in order to cast spells you must collect these gems, players can get them through adventuring, questing, etc.etc. the more gems you have, the more power you possess, allowing you more control over magic.
How would you create a fair and balanced system for players to possess these gemstones and be able to use them to feel more powerful by obtaining them. I really like the idea of them having to hunt down these powerful stones and gaining some kind of strength from each one, maybe allowing them to cast new spells, or giving them more spell slots than they would normally have as a typical wizard, sorc, etc.
Im really just looking for advice or maybe tips or tricks if anyone has ever done this, or even if you have feedback or ideas.
I think the easiest way I could manage such a situation would be let players retain their spell casting as normal but to assign certain magical properties to the shards. Shards can be obtained and their functions range form basic spell focus (but ones that replace some or all of the spell components not just material) upto things like pearls of power or Ioun Stones, you could also have them be used as components to craft magical items or perhaps they allow for items to be "willed" being. To "will" and item into being you have a shard, meditate with it for a an amount of time (probably 8 hours per rarity of the item, so 8 for Common, 16 for Uncommon etc) and then it poofs into existance but destroys the shard, this would also mean any non-spell casters in the world would have a reason to go looking for them. If you go down that route then may have the maximum level of the item you can create be tied to proficiency bonus, so +2 bonus allows you to create common or uncommon items, +3 bonus allows rare items, +4 bonus allows very rare, +5 allows legendary and +6 allows artifact level items and all the chaos such a powerful item would bring.
Another option could be to create a ritual that allows spell casters to steal the magic in the shards and give them a bonus spell, so if they do the ritual with one shard they might get to cast a level 1 spell once per long rest without expending a spell slot, do with two shards they get a level 2 etc.
As a final option, you could opt for the "defilier" magic from the old Dark Sun setting (link to wiki here: https://darksunbergen.fandom.com/wiki/Magic_on_Athas) and say a shard needs to be used as an additional spell component otherwise an effect as detailed in the corruption of magic section of the wiki occurs. This could give some interesting options as different types of spell casters interact with the shards with more evil types noty caring about the damage they do, Druidic types trying yo heal the dfamage caused etc.
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* Need a character idea? Search for "Rob76's Unused" in the Story and Lore section.
Those are some good ideas, ill have to see about incorporating those into the idea I have for this attempt to work. Solid all around with the dark sun throwback, didn't even think of that setting and the defiler/preserver routes.
Can I get some advice I have to make a campaign around vecna in 5 weeks I know that the players will try to stop the ritual that summons vecna but what will be their motivation?
Can I get some advice I have to make a campaign around vecna in 5 weeks I know that the players will try to stop the ritual that summons vecna but what will be their motivation?
Motivation wise it'll be much easier for certain classes: Clerics and Paladins may get some divine visions pertaining to an oncoming darkness, Druids might get a sense of some great unnatural thing with portents in the stars, Sircerers and Wizards might find some long forgotten phrophecy and see it starto unfold and Warlocks might get their patrons saying go investigate this and as such they start out trying to investigate what is about to happen and then try to stop it. Non-magical classes might need something a bit more material to spur them on, maybe a shrine to Vecna is found under their home town or a loved one is kidnapped and be sacrificed etc.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
* Need a character idea? Search for "Rob76's Unused" in the Story and Lore section.
In my world, magic is currently unstable. The Weave got torn, and since then the casting of higher magic (3rd level and above) results in wild magic effects (I made my own table). Centuries later, a special type of crystal was discovered that could store magic and be used as a spellcasting focus that circumvented the effects of wild magic, if the magic was of a level the crystal could store (the crystal type is essentially a Spell Gem with tweaks).
The crystals are not perfect containers for magic however, and the magic stored inside a crystal therefore slowly seeps out over time, passively radiating a sliver of the magic stored within it (e.g. a crystal storing an invisibility spell would passively cause small objects touching it to become invisible). These crystals have since been used to advance the world's technology, and are used by commoners and nobles alike (they use the passive effects to warm themselves, light a room etc.).
I feel like having your gem shards based on the Spell Gem template is a good way to go about it mechanically. The changes I have made to the gems are as follows:
The gems work as spellcasting foci that circumvent the wild magic effect, but only up to the level of spell that the gem can contain.
Casting a spell through the gem will immediately clear out any spell stored in the gem.
This is really really great! I love this idea so much!
So just to make sure I understood the concept right.
If a gem has a passive spell, lets say light, stored inside, and it functions essentially as a lightbulb, but it has the ability to safely channel lets say, a 5th level spell like greater restoration. If it is used to cast greater restoration, it loses its light passive ability. Does it then take on a new passive? Or is it considered unstable?
I think its super cool too! It works really well and it is extremely easy to find various uses for it that can shape your world in different ways ^^ In my world I have an organisation that hunts down fey creatures for historical reasons. Some of its members carry crystals storing a Detect Evil and Good spell that makes the crystal glow if an otherworldly creature walks by, while a select few carry crystals containing the True Seeing spell.
As for the mechanics I use, a spell that is being cast through the crystal (with the crystal acting as a spellcasting focus) would remove the current spell stored inside without replacing it with a new one. To replace a passive effect you must actively store a spell inside the crystal instead of casting a spell through the crystal. If you let the magic out it won't get stored!
A few things to be aware of:
It's important to remember that people without spellcasting abilities cannot use the spells contained in the crystals, but can still make use of their passive effects.
A person can use as many crystals as they like, spending a whole day to store spells into a dozen of crystals if they want. This can be considered gamebreaking as it essentially gives a spellcaster additional spell slots. However in my games, I don't find the amount of spell slots to be an issue, as they would simply take a short/long rest to solve the problem anyway. On the contrary, I think it makes my life as a DM easier in at least two ways: (1) It gives the characters something to spend their money on; (2) these crystals are valuable and walking around with a dozen of them hanging from your belt would definitely attract all sorts of attention, which gives the DM a good excuse to interact with the PCs. And if you carry them in your bag instead of a more easily accessible place, it'll take an action to retrieve a single crystal in combat at my table (no matter if it's a normal backpack or a Bag of Holding).
First the setting:
So I have been running my players through a custom world of my own design, we have been adventuring for about two years (slow progression for more play time with current characters), everyone is happy and my world has been growing with their decisions. We have reached the point where we have formed a forever party, where we will basically be gaming with eachother to the day we die. And they as we approach the end of the first campaign, they are becoming more and more excited for the followup campaign, where they can see the world and the effects of their decisions in the long run.
The second campaign will take place 250 years or so after the first game, for future reference.
Due to the effects of the players and the goal of the bbeg, the magical properties that empower the world and gifts people their magic powers was absorbed by the bbeg into a vast magical gem, stealing everyone in the worlds magic powers including the first campaigns players. During the final fight as they fight the bbeg they shatter the gem without undoing the magical absorption that happened. Grabbing fragments of the gem they manage to turn it on the bbeg, and strip him of his powers as well as those that hold the gem, control the magic.
Upon his defeat the gem rises into the air, and shatters into trillions of pieces that shower across the world. Everyones magic remains sealed in these gems. So in order to cast spells and use magical abilities, you must possess these gem shards. Over the next 250 years wars are waged as the world is turned upside down by chaos as kingdoms vy for power through getting the most gems, and thus we enter a new age, and campaign two.
The advice needed:
My idea is that in order to cast spells you must collect these gems, players can get them through adventuring, questing, etc.etc. the more gems you have, the more power you possess, allowing you more control over magic.
How would you create a fair and balanced system for players to possess these gemstones and be able to use them to feel more powerful by obtaining them. I really like the idea of them having to hunt down these powerful stones and gaining some kind of strength from each one, maybe allowing them to cast new spells, or giving them more spell slots than they would normally have as a typical wizard, sorc, etc.
Im really just looking for advice or maybe tips or tricks if anyone has ever done this, or even if you have feedback or ideas.
Thanks in advance, roll on.
- Nora B. Proud Lifetime DM
I think the easiest way I could manage such a situation would be let players retain their spell casting as normal but to assign certain magical properties to the shards. Shards can be obtained and their functions range form basic spell focus (but ones that replace some or all of the spell components not just material) upto things like pearls of power or Ioun Stones, you could also have them be used as components to craft magical items or perhaps they allow for items to be "willed" being. To "will" and item into being you have a shard, meditate with it for a an amount of time (probably 8 hours per rarity of the item, so 8 for Common, 16 for Uncommon etc) and then it poofs into existance but destroys the shard, this would also mean any non-spell casters in the world would have a reason to go looking for them. If you go down that route then may have the maximum level of the item you can create be tied to proficiency bonus, so +2 bonus allows you to create common or uncommon items, +3 bonus allows rare items, +4 bonus allows very rare, +5 allows legendary and +6 allows artifact level items and all the chaos such a powerful item would bring.
Another option could be to create a ritual that allows spell casters to steal the magic in the shards and give them a bonus spell, so if they do the ritual with one shard they might get to cast a level 1 spell once per long rest without expending a spell slot, do with two shards they get a level 2 etc.
As a final option, you could opt for the "defilier" magic from the old Dark Sun setting (link to wiki here: https://darksunbergen.fandom.com/wiki/Magic_on_Athas) and say a shard needs to be used as an additional spell component otherwise an effect as detailed in the corruption of magic section of the wiki occurs. This could give some interesting options as different types of spell casters interact with the shards with more evil types noty caring about the damage they do, Druidic types trying yo heal the dfamage caused etc.
Those are some good ideas, ill have to see about incorporating those into the idea I have for this attempt to work. Solid all around with the dark sun throwback, didn't even think of that setting and the defiler/preserver routes.
- Nora B. Proud Lifetime DM
Can I get some advice I have to make a campaign around vecna in 5 weeks I know that the players will try to stop the ritual that summons vecna but what will be their motivation?
Motivation wise it'll be much easier for certain classes: Clerics and Paladins may get some divine visions pertaining to an oncoming darkness, Druids might get a sense of some great unnatural thing with portents in the stars, Sircerers and Wizards might find some long forgotten phrophecy and see it starto unfold and Warlocks might get their patrons saying go investigate this and as such they start out trying to investigate what is about to happen and then try to stop it. Non-magical classes might need something a bit more material to spur them on, maybe a shrine to Vecna is found under their home town or a loved one is kidnapped and be sacrificed etc.
In my world, magic is currently unstable. The Weave got torn, and since then the casting of higher magic (3rd level and above) results in wild magic effects (I made my own table). Centuries later, a special type of crystal was discovered that could store magic and be used as a spellcasting focus that circumvented the effects of wild magic, if the magic was of a level the crystal could store (the crystal type is essentially a Spell Gem with tweaks).
The crystals are not perfect containers for magic however, and the magic stored inside a crystal therefore slowly seeps out over time, passively radiating a sliver of the magic stored within it (e.g. a crystal storing an invisibility spell would passively cause small objects touching it to become invisible). These crystals have since been used to advance the world's technology, and are used by commoners and nobles alike (they use the passive effects to warm themselves, light a room etc.).
I feel like having your gem shards based on the Spell Gem template is a good way to go about it mechanically. The changes I have made to the gems are as follows:
This is really really great! I love this idea so much!
So just to make sure I understood the concept right.
If a gem has a passive spell, lets say light, stored inside, and it functions essentially as a lightbulb, but it has the ability to safely channel lets say, a 5th level spell like greater restoration. If it is used to cast greater restoration, it loses its light passive ability. Does it then take on a new passive? Or is it considered unstable?
- Nora B. Proud Lifetime DM
Just wanted to say this is cool. I have nothing to add, it'll be hard to do, people are being great, just that.
This is cool.