Fantastic Stuff
Fantastic Stuff posted in Fantasy and Progress Level 3 forum comment posted by derek_holland How difficult is it to create new magical letters, such as glyphs or symbols? I had an idea of incorporating them in memetic warfare where the victims have a compulsion to carve them into appropriate surfaces whenever they have the chance. Instead of spells, for this I would use something like the 3e incantation rules so that everyone's writing has the desired effect.
I have been thinking about Powers checks from Ravenloft and how the version from Domains of Dread with terror tracks* could be reskinned to have different effects on the setting. What I came up with is skills that offend spirits of various sources and the resulting transformations are thematic to both. Here are some examples using 2e NWP and monsters:
- Agriculture turns people into shambling mounds. This was initially a secret from mortals but the dark art of farming and its consequences are mostly known.
- Astrology ticks off the spirits of the earth- the sky's influences are unneeded in their viewpoint. Those who insist on continuing that path eventually turn into esthetics (living ships from the first Spelljammer MC) who then travel beyond the sky, possibly with their friends aboard.
- Cryptography offends the spirits that believe information should be free. The people who use it eventually turn into doppelgangers that use their shapeshifting and telepathy powers to find information and spread it to the public at large.
- Dancing and Singing, well you can consider the real world cultures that disapprove of them. These people become quicklings and dragonnes (it was a better choice than shrieker).
- Fire-building turns people into salamanders. The bigger the fire, the worse the chances of making the check. The only way for anyone to use fire without offending the nature spirits is to collect it from the wild.
- Forgery is offensive to spirits of purity, wealth and truth. These people turn into mimics of well known, very valuable objects of art and consume would be thieves.
- Mining is unwanted by spirits of stone. Mortals who attempt it become xorn that prey on other miners and their ill gotten wealth.
- Set Snares offends the spirits of the chase in hunting. Giant spiders may seem like an odd choice, but their thoughts are "if the mortals like snares so much, they can have a form dependent on them."
- Weather Knowledge is hated by the wild spirits of weather who want mortals to be surprised by their power. Mortals who keep predicting correctly end up transforming into wind walkers.
Now consider what a setting would be like not just with the addition of the tracks but also how most people will avoid those skills.
Have any suggestions using skills and critters from any edition or game?
* The Kargatane's Book of Secrets is still free to download on their website. It has 20 examples of these transformations.
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