It seems like I'm taking every opportunity to work on the Handbook instead of the Campaign book, but I can't help myself. While working on the creatures I started thinking about the impact of magical creatures like demons and the fae on the world and it gave me an idea, what if they affected the physical laws of the world and our faculties. Here's what I've run with:
Magic and the Environment
In a world where magic saturates the very fabric of the earth, powerful enchantments tend to influence the environment in various ways. Latent magic is drawn to powerful objects and beings as if having the effect of gravity. Indeed, the effects of powerful magic on the physical world are profound.
Environmental Effects: The more powerful an item of power or being is, the more it affects materiality. Time also plays a role. The effects of a powerful being can be strong but fleeting if it spends only a short time in a place. The longer a powerful being or object remains, however, the more the effects of its presence linger.
Shapeshifting: Creatures can disguise their effect on the world, if they have some method of changing forms or suppressing their magic. Fae and demons in particular, are quite adept at hiding their otherworldly nature.
Shadow
The effects of shadow play on the emotions of living beings. It seeps into their dreams, lengthens shadows, and twists reality. Shadows include demons, creatures from the Shadow Realm and portals into it, and powerful objects that derive its power from Demon Magic and to a lesser degree, Sorcery.
Environmental Effects: Normal physics surrounding a shadow thing operate in spectacular and strange ways. Light bends away from it. Perspective is twisted. Corners seem to come together at oblique angles. Structures defy logic. The air grows colder and stale. The affected area is difficult to see from outside it, even if the creature has low-light vision, but once within the area of effect, the unlight makes your surroundings eerily visible.
When a creature first enters into the area of effect it becomes shaken for 1d6 rounds, unless it has equal or more levels than the shadow’s source. Creatures that became shaken from this effect must roll detriments on subsequent Will checks relating to it.
Fae
The presence of fae has been described as euphoric, out of time, enlivening– if beauty and majesty were a feeling it would be it. Like the presence of shadow, the effects of the fae also impact the emotions of living beings. This can manifest in many wonderful and also terrifying ways. The fae includes fae and magical creatures.
Environmental Effects: Time slows; figments of light, colors, and shadow disappear and reappear at random. The environment glows and darkens, seemingly on a whim. The area is tied to the emotions of the fae creature there.
Time is out of place in the presence of the fae. When a creature first enters the radius of effect roll a d6. A result of 1-3 means time passes slower relative to the outside world and a result of 4-6 means time passes more quickly. A 1 is half the rate, 2 a quarter, and 3 an eighth, while a 4 is twice the rate, 5 is four times the rate, and 6 is eight times the rate. Once within the area creatures become distracted, unless they have equal or more levels than the source.
Chaos
The Aether and the planar creatures that reside there have an enormous impact on the Material World. Things are never as they appear. Your companions seem to move in two different directions at once or simultaneously appear in a state of anger and happiness. Reasoning out what is and is not may be less a question of what is happening and more accepting that it is happening all at once.
Environmental Effects: In the presence of a powerful planar creature or portal spells go awry, things appear at random or teleport around the affected space, their potency increases and decreases at random, and other unintended effects. Conjuration spells summon the intended thing in a random spot, which then appears and reappears every 1d6 rounds, an illusion spell cast in the area becomes percentage dice real every 1d6 rounds, the spell dice result of an evocation spell increases or decreases in potency by 1d6, and an abjuration spell cast in the affected area has a random chance of transporting its caster to a random spot in the Aether for 1d6 rounds before returning.
Outsiders
The presence of outsiders is discombobulating. The room seems to breathe. The ground fluctuates like thick mud with each step. Sense of self, control over emotions and physical reactions have a complete disconnect from reality. After an experience with an outsider, one could describe it as an overwhelming sense of horror or madness, but only for a complete lack of ability to cope with the sensation.
Environmental Effects: Once in the affected area creatures have a tenuous grasp on their sanity. Creatures forced to make any check risk becoming confused if they fail it. Making a full movement requires an Intuition check.
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