So I recently purchased Rime of the Frostmaiden, and upon pouring through the adventure, I stumbled across possibly one of the best concepts for monster encounters ever.
Specifically, “Rime of the Frostmaiden” has several monsters that are “living” spells...essentially, spells that have become sentient, and serve as encounters.
Living “Demiplane”, for example, is a shadowy, creeping creature that can suck adventurers into a concrete room...meanwhile, there is also a living “Bigby’s Hand”, which independently operates of it’s own will, for maximum Master Hand shenanigans.
Now, these monsters are exceptionally entertaining on their own...but it got me thinking: why not base an entire campaign around this concept?
I started thinking: what would be a sentient spell’s motivation? I mean, gaining self-awareness is a big deal...and tied into the very fabric of existence.
What if a major deity, like Vecna or Mystra, grew tired of the meddling of mortals in their beloved Weave, and decided that spells should be the new dominant species in the Forgotten Realms?
Also, I’d wager that these Living Spells would HATE wizards and warlocks, viewing them as slavers and tyrants...you might have a full-blown rebellion as the living spells “jailbreak” from their spell tones.
If a Wizard wanted to add spells to their spell book; they might even have to “defeat” them in combat in order to put them in their books (eliminating the gold cost, of course).
”Unseen Servants” would make up the bulk of their population...”Phantom Steeds” would run free...storm clouds of “Lightning Bolts” and “Gust of Winds” would threaten settlements.
Hell, these living spells might have their own religion...they might even consider the “Wish” spell to be their god.
Man...imagine THAT as your campaign’s final boss...a sentient, Living Wish.
What do you all think? Is there potential for a fully-blown adventure based around sentient spells?
What would be some amazing encounters based around living spells?
I think what you are looking for is the Mournlands in the Eberron setting. A former nation called Cyre, it is now a devastated magical wasteland filled with living spells.
I think what you are looking for is the Mournlands in the Eberron setting. A former nation called Cyre, it is now a devastated magical wasteland filled with living spells.
Seems like another thing to add to my list of reasons to play an Eberron game.
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So I recently purchased Rime of the Frostmaiden, and upon pouring through the adventure, I stumbled across possibly one of the best concepts for monster encounters ever.
Specifically, “Rime of the Frostmaiden” has several monsters that are “living” spells...essentially, spells that have become sentient, and serve as encounters.
Living “Demiplane”, for example, is a shadowy, creeping creature that can suck adventurers into a concrete room...meanwhile, there is also a living “Bigby’s Hand”, which independently operates of it’s own will, for maximum Master Hand shenanigans.
Now, these monsters are exceptionally entertaining on their own...but it got me thinking: why not base an entire campaign around this concept?
I started thinking: what would be a sentient spell’s motivation? I mean, gaining self-awareness is a big deal...and tied into the very fabric of existence.
What if a major deity, like Vecna or Mystra, grew tired of the meddling of mortals in their beloved Weave, and decided that spells should be the new dominant species in the Forgotten Realms?
Also, I’d wager that these Living Spells would HATE wizards and warlocks, viewing them as slavers and tyrants...you might have a full-blown rebellion as the living spells “jailbreak” from their spell tones.
If a Wizard wanted to add spells to their spell book; they might even have to “defeat” them in combat in order to put them in their books (eliminating the gold cost, of course).
”Unseen Servants” would make up the bulk of their population...”Phantom Steeds” would run free...storm clouds of “Lightning Bolts” and “Gust of Winds” would threaten settlements.
Hell, these living spells might have their own religion...they might even consider the “Wish” spell to be their god.
Man...imagine THAT as your campaign’s final boss...a sentient, Living Wish.
What do you all think? Is there potential for a fully-blown adventure based around sentient spells?
What would be some amazing encounters based around living spells?
What spells are deserving of a “sentient” status?
I think what you are looking for is the Mournlands in the Eberron setting. A former nation called Cyre, it is now a devastated magical wasteland filled with living spells.
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Seems like another thing to add to my list of reasons to play an Eberron game.