Dangerous Magic: Alternate Magic Rules

With great power comes horrible consequences

Greetings! Will here with something that's not a Failed Magic Items article for once.

A little while back, Jon ran an epic-level evil campaign. Long story short, our evil characters were ultimately given their own alternate multiverse to shape and rule over as the evil gods of evilness that they were. Where Good has lost, men's hearts have darkened, and misery reigns. Basically...one of these.

Following that campaign, I started another one set in this multiverse. Where the mortals of the Material Plane were locked in an epic struggle against an unstoppable army (that my evil character was the patron deity of by the way) and the hope that good would return to the world was the central focus. And the whole thing turned out be...well, kind of depressing. And pretty onerous. And honestly not that fun to write. So we stopped.

Remember my fellow DMs: You are allowed to end a campaign if you are not having fun.

Thankfully, lessons were learned and I walked away from it having created a number of homebrewed mechanics, settings, and monsters that could prove useful in future, albeit less grimdark, games. One of which was an alternate approach to the rules of magic.

Dangerous Magic

Prior to starting my ultimately doomed campaign, Jon tipped me off to this article over at Last Gasp Grimoire. In summary, it details a mechanic where it's not a question of how many spells a magic user can cast, but how many they can cast safely. Where the overuse of magic could potentially invite hardship and possibly death on the user.

Additionally, it touched on the idea of every spellcaster having a fluctuating "pool" of magical energy at their disposal, one that was as chaotic and shifting as the winds themselves.

It made perfect sense for a setting ruled by selfish and treacherous entities that were perhaps unwilling to share the magical energies of the multiverse, and now the lowly mortals of the Prime Material Plane are forced to pick off of their scraps.

Unfortunately, as well written and compelling as that LGG module is. It's...a lot. And perhaps skirts a little close to being "random table porn" that would be unwieldy during your typical D&D session.

So, I sought to keep the spirit of this mechanic intact while also simplifying it into something an average player could easily wrap their head around.

So what does this mean for said player? Well for starters, there are no longer spell slots. The magic a spellcaster can safely use is determined by Spell Points, the value of which is calculated at the end every long rest by rolling 1d6 per every traditional spell slot level (refer to the official PHB for spell tables).

For example, a 3rd Level Wizard traditionally has access to 1st and 2nd level spell slots, so this character would roll 2d6 to determine their Spell Points until the next long rest. The level of spell a spellcaster may use is also determined by the class’s traditional Spell Slot allotment.

Using the previous example, a 3rd Level Wizard traditionally has access to 1st and 2nd level spell slots, so this character would be able to cast spells at 2nd level or lower. Players may safely use spells for as long as they have the Spell Points to spend on them, the level of spell cast being the determining factor in how many Spell Points that spell costs (i.e. the 5th Level Cone of Cold spell would cost 5 Spell Points).

Cantrips and Ritual Spells can be cast as normal and do not require the use of Spell Points.

Flirting with Disaster

If a spellcaster decides to push their power beyond what their Spell Points would allow, they must do so by drawing energy from other, more dangerous areas of the multiverse, and the entities therein do not look kindly on those who meddle with their power without their permission. This invites hardship upon the offending spellcaster in debilitating and occasionally deadly ways.

When a player runs out of spell points but still makes the choice to cast another spell, they must roll on the Broken Limits Table (listed at the bottom of this article) and suffer the consequences of the result. The level at which the spell is being cast determines the type of dice that is rolled:

Spell Level 

1. 1d4
2. 1d6
3. 1d8
4. 1d10
5. 1d12
6. 1d20
7. 2d12
8. 2d20
9. 3d20

Additionally, if the spellcaster decides to cast a level of spell higher than what Spell Points they have remaining, the Spell Points are subtracted from the spell level and they will roll the appropriate dice. 

For example, A 5th Level Wizard knows the 3rd Level Fireball spell and wants to cast it on a group of encroaching Orcs. Sadly, the Wizard only has 1 Spell Point remaining. Knowing the risks, the Wizard decides to use the spell anyway. This is calculated in the following way:

3rd Level Spell - 1 Spell Point = 2

Therefore, the Wizard would roll on the Broken Limits Table with 1d6. The spell is successfully cast, the Wizard rolls on the Broken Limits Table, and after rolling a 4 gets the following result “You briefly forget where you are, what you’re doing, and have disadvantage on all saving throws until your next turn.”

The Orcs burn, and the Wizard is briefly debilitated for figuratively and literally playing with fire.

Changes by Class

Wizard

Arcane Recovery

Instead of regaining Spell Slots during a short rest the Wizard instead rolls half of their Spell Point dice (rounded down) to regain Spell Points. A 1st level Wizard rolls 1d6 and divides the result by 2 (rounded down, minimum of 1)

Spell Mastery

The spells you choose for this perk may be cast without spending Spell Points. All other rules still apply.

Signature Spells

The spells you choose for this perk can be cast once in between rests without spending Spell Points. All other rules still apply.

Expert Divination

Instead of regaining a Spell Slot, you regain a Spell Slot worth of Spell Points. All other rules still apply.

Druid

Natural Recovery

Instead of regaining Spell Slots during a short rest the Druid instead rolls half of their Spell Point dice (rounded down) to regain Spell Points. A 1st level Druid rolls 1d6 and divides the result by 2 (rounded down, minimum of 1)

Sorcerer

Flexible Casting

Instead of your Sorcery Points being used to buy Spell Slots, they can be exchanged for Spell Points. The exchange rate is at a 2:1 ratio (2 Sorcery Points = 1 Spell Point). You may also use Spell Points to buy Sorcery Points, but the exchange rate is reversed (2 Spell Points = 1 Sorcery Point)

Warlock

Mystic Arcanum

Your arcanum spells can be cast once in between long rests without spending Spell Points. All other rules still apply.

Eldritch Master

Instead of regaining Spell Slots, you regain all Spell Points allotted to you from your last Spell Point Roll.

Paladin

Divine Smite & Improved Divine Smite

Instead of spending Spell Slots to add 1d8 you spend the appropriate number of Spell Points (i.e. 1d8 = 1 Spell Point). All other rules still apply.

Changes by Race

Drow

Your racial spells do not cost Spell Points and are still cast on a “per-day” basis.

Tiefling

Your racial spells do not cost Spell Points and are still cast on a “per-day” basis.

Changes by Feat

Magic Initiate

These spells are still cast on a “per day” basis.

Note for DMs

Monster Spellcasting

A monster’s Spell Points are determined in the same manner as a player’s. For example, An Eye of Gruumsh has access to 1st and 2nd level Spell Slots, therefore this monster would roll 2d6 to determine their Spell Points. All other spellcasting rules still apply.

Adjudicating

If there is ever a question or dispute pertaining to spellcasting that this guide does not cover, refer to the PHB and replace any mention of “Spell Slots” with “Spell Points” to determine a course of action. More often than not, if a particular skill or ability does not mention the use or recovery of Spell Slots it is likely that traditional rules still apply.

Broken Limits Table (1d4-3d20)

1. Your mind strains and you take 1d4 psychic damage.
2. You become stunned until the end of your next turn, this ignores any resistances or immunities to the “stun” condition.
3. You feel weak and your speed is reduced by 10ft. for 1 hour.
4. You briefly forget where you are, what you’re doing, and have disadvantage on all saving throws until your next turn.
5. You become confused (See the Confusion spell for details)
6. Your vision fades and you become blinded for 10 minutes.
7. Your skin inexplicably lacerates, causing 2d6 slashing damage.
8. You begin to vomit uncontrollably and cannot take actions on your next turn. At the end of your next turn you must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you regain your composure and may act as normal on your next turn. If you fail, you continue to violently throw up. This continues for three turns or until you pass the save.
9. For 1d4 hours your breathing is no longer automated. Each of your bonus actions must be spent consciously remembering to breathe, if you choose to not use your bonus action for this purpose you take 2d4 damage.
10. You lose all feeling in your legs and fall prone. For the next 2d4 hours you are unable to walk or stand and can only use your arms to drag yourself at a speed of 5ft.
11. Any action you take happens 5 seconds after you decide to take it. For the next hour your Initiative bonus is -5, you cannot take reactions, and all attack actions and saving throws are rolled with disadvantage.
12. You suddenly burst into green flames and take 3d6 fire damage. The fire is otherworldly in nature and cannot be extinguished through conventional means (i.e. water). You continue burning for two turns reducing the damage by 1d6 each time until no dice remain.
13. You speak in unintelligible gibberish for the next 2d4 hours. You think you make perfect sense in your mind, but no one else can comprehend what you are saying, even through magical means. Spells with the “verbal” component become impossible to cast.
14. All damage you take for the next 2d4 hours reduces your maximum HP. Your maximum HP returns to normal after this time. If your HP is reduced 0, you die instantly without death saves.
15. Life energy dissipates out of your body in a bright blue mist, your speed is reduced to 0 and all ability scores drop to 3 for 1 hour.
16. You are unable to regain HP for the next 2d4 hours.
17. Animate Objects is cast on the nearest 5 Medium sized objects. They become hostile toward you and any allies that are with you.
18. An item you are holding, carrying, or wearing permanently vanishes.
19. You share the effects of the spell cast on the target as if it was cast on yourself.
20. Your mind and body give out, instantly dropping your HP to 0 and rendering you unconscious but stable.
21. You instantly suffer 4 levels of Exhaustion
22. Your hands vanish for 2d4 hours. You cannot grab anything and spells with the “somatic” component become impossible to cast.
23. You become Petrified for 2d12 hours. This cannot be cured by Greater Restoration.
24. You cannot regain Spell Points during your next long rest.
25. You suddenly begin to have masochistic tendencies. Every hour for 2d6 hours you must make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw. If you succeed, nothing happens. If you fail, you deal 5 damage to yourself. Each failed save increases this damage by 5. In addition, all damage you take from enemies is doubled. This effect ends if your HP reaches 0.
26. A vision of an apocalyptic cataclysm flashes across your mind, the sheer horror of the vision causes you to take 8d8 psychic damage.
27. For 2d4 hours, Critical Hits instantly kill you. You cannot make death saves.
28. You permanently forget the spell that was just cast. You cannot re-learn it. (Note: This does not lower your maximum “spells known” and you may learn back up to your maximum amount on your next level up)
29. For 2d4 hours, anything that dies within 60ft. of you rises again with full HP. If they die again, they do not rise.
30. You and anyone within a 20ft. sphere are stripped of any remaining Spell Points until the end of your/their next long rest.
31. Your mind and body withers and atrophies. All ability scores are permanently reduced by 1.
32. Your eyes burst from your skull, causing 3d6 force damage and permanently blinding you.
33. Your left arm turns black, shrivels with decay, and falls off.
34. Your AC drops to 0 for 2d6 hours.
35. For 2d4 hours, you shrink to 1/6th of your normal size. Your HP, Speed, all ability scores, and any remaining Spell Points also reduce to this amount (minimum of 1)
36. The bones in your legs permanently vanish. You fall prone and can drag yourself with your arms at a speed of 5ft.
37. All damage you take from now on is increased by 50%.
38. You or a random creature (including allies) within 60 ft. of you vanish into a formless demi-plane for 1d100 hours.
39. You are inflicted with a creeping decay. For 1d100 hours, your maximum HP is reduced by 1 every 2 hours. Your maximum HP does not recover when this effect ends.
40. A fiery explosion erupts from your body, dealing 10d10 fire damage to you and anything in a 30ft. sphere.
41. You instantly and permanently age 1d4 x Character Level years.
42. Feeblemind is cast on you, it automatically succeeds and only be cured by the necessary saving throw every 30 days.
43. All knowledge of speech permanently fades from your mind. Spells with the “verbal” component become impossible to cast until you learn how to communicate again.
44. You are True Polymorphed into a black house cat and must make a DC 18 Charisma saving throw. If you succeed, you revert to your original form after 1 hour. If you fail, the change is permanent.
45. Good news! You never have to roll on this table again because your connection to the arcane energies of the multiverse is permanently severed. You are no longer able to cast spells.
46. You briefly blackout and awaken feeling like a completely different person. During your next turn, use the appropriate Background table(s) to re-roll your character’s Personality, Ideal, Bond, and Flaw traits.
47. All memory is permanently erased from your mind.
48. Your soul becomes corrupted and your alignment permanently shifts to Chaotic Evil. What is to be done with your character is at the DM’s discretion (i.e. turn them over to the DM, keeping playing as an evil character, etc.)
49. You become keenly aware that your soul is now condemned to the worst punishment the afterlife has to offer. In addition to taking 4d8 psychic damage, you cannot be resurrected in any way once you die.
50. You watch your body fall away from you as your soul is released from your mortal form. Until you are returned to your body through magical means (i.e. a Resurrection spell), you are effectively dead and exist as a helpless ghost. You can still be seen and can communicate but cannot affect the Material Plane in other ways and you cannot venture more than 5ft. away from your body. Every 4 hours you remain a ghost your body decays for 4d8 necrotic damage. If your body’s HP reaches 0, your soul is released into the afterlife.
51. All damage you take from now on permanently reduces your maximum HP to a minimum of 1. This maximum HP cannot be regained (leveling up still adds to your maximum HP like normal)
52. You feel the eyes of an unknown and incredibly powerful malevolent entity staring into your soul.  You take 10d10 psychic damage and are stunned for 1d4 hours.
53. Any conditions you suffer from now on become permanent and cannot be dispelled or cured.
54. You become possessed by a malevolent spirit from beyond the Material Plane. It acts on your behalf (DM control) and you must make a DC 20 Charisma saving throw at the start of your next turn. If you succeed, the spirit is banished back to its plane of existence, your HP is reduced to 0, and you fall unconscious. If you fail, the spirit remains in control until your next turn where you will need to make the saving throw again. Upon failing the throw three times, the spirit permanently takes control.
55. You expend all of your remaining life-force over the course of 1 minute, rapidly aging and decaying before crumbling to ashy dust. Your character dies.
56. An inky black tentacle bursts from the ground at your feet and pulls you into the dark ether between multiverses. You die horribly in a manner beyond mortal comprehension.
57. Your mind breaks and you become convinced that a glorious treasure resides within your chest cavity. Every action you take must be made with the goal of excavating it by any means necessary. No matter how deep you dig, you are sure that the treasure is deeper.
58. You are violently and painfully torn apart from the inside as a Shadow Demon emerges from your body. Your character dies.
59. Every vein and artery in your body ruptures causing you to bleed internally for 10d10 damage each turn. In addition, your speed is reduced to zero and you cannot take any actions. Only a healing spell cast at 6th level or higher can stop it. Upon your HP reaching 0, you get no death saves and your character dies.
60. Your body tears at its seams and erupts in a cataclysmic explosion, killing you instantly and dealing 40d10 fire damage to anything in a 120ft. sphere.

And there you have it! A more simplistic way to make magic dynamic and dangerous. The Broken Limits Table was incredibly fun to come up with, and I encourage anyone who decides to use this mechanic to alter or expand said table with new and horrible ways to punish your players.

Until next time!

Innate Magic People Part 13

Our last artist is David Keen. His style mixes the magical and the mundane, extremely well

In Ahneria, nearly everyone can cast a little bit of magic, but some people can cast full-on spells. I decided it would be fun to detail out a set of NPCs based on the first level spells. As I said in the previous article, these are people who are somewhat common, but might have gained notoriety or fame based on their abilities.

These NPCs form an ongoing set of articles. This is the thirteenth and final article in this series, and covers the final ninth level spells. These spells are so powerful, that anyone who can use them innately will likely cause a lot of crazy things to happen before they can control their power. These are the type of people that could define entire settings, worlds, or beyond. Obviously, some of these folks aren't going to be found on Ahneria anymore.

Nestariel of Merilwen
Spell: Power Word Heal (PHB pg. 266)
One day, everyone in the world of Nephoria stopped dying. Wounds healed, poisons were neutralized, even those who had withered and grown old felt their strength return to them. Attempts at harvesting crops or slaughtering livestock failed to kill the plants and animals, but people suddenly felt no need to eat. Or sleep. Or drink. Overnight, the world changed immensely. Though hesitant at first, after a full year had passed, ranchers released their herds, war had become all but pointless, and the population exploded. With nobody dying, there were suddenly a lot more people. But since nobody needed to be fed or cared for anymore, the land could suddenly house many more people.

Deep in the Daeralda forests, an elven child named Nestariel of Merilwen had been born with incredible power. Their simple presence in the world had eased all suffering, stopped death, eased hunger and exhaustion, and restored the vitality of the elderly. The elven clan of Merilwen hid the child, unsure what would happen if the world learned of their existence. Though many people were satisfied to never die, many rulers were losing control of their subjects. Without the fear of death or starvation to keep the lower classes subservient, they were hoping to find someone to blame for their misfortune. The wise clan of Merilwen decided to raise the child ignorant to their own powers, fated to try to fit into this strange new world like everyone else.

For 750 years, nobody died. Eventually, humanoids had filled every corner of the world. Stone or ice buildings became the only viable option, and plants grew tall and strong between and within the structures. Animals and humanoids lived in harmony, with no need to eat to survive. Most people stopped aging in their first century, and after that retained an healthy elderly glow. There was much wisdom and art, little quarreling, and powerful concordance among all beings. The only one who seemed to be getting older and older was Nestariel of Merilwen. Their body hurt, their eyesight faded. They became frail and sluggish, and finally, they died. And suddenly, everyone in the world became extremely hungry for the first time in centuries.

Shīyu Mot
Spell: Power Word Kill (PHB pg. 266)
Shīyu Mot wanders the world, looking for comfort and fearing his past. He passes as a mute person, taking small kindnesses from those who give him shelter or sustenance. His eyes are deep wells of sorrow, and he never stays in one place too long. For eventually, as they always do, someone finds him. Sometimes they seek to kill him, sometimes they demand he come back to Gliros and lead their people. To either request, he flees, but if they pursue he leads them to a place far from civilization. Then, with a single word, he kills them.

Shīyu began life as a slave. From a young age, he was in chains, forced to work back-breaking labor and serve the wealthy of the country of Gliros. It was not long before the pain and fear of his daily torture made his powers manifest. Always a quiet child, he was surprised when the taskmaster who made him yelp in pain suddenly dropped dead. When questioned what he had done, his meager excuse made the guard captain die on the spot. Unsure of his own powers and actions, Shīyu grabbed the keys and ran, shouting anyone who stood in his way to death.

The king of Gliros, a cruel man known as Kgosi Yijun, immediately put out a bounty on the child. Shīyu became known as the harbinger of death, and murdered every soldier and bounty hunter that tried to eliminate him. Eventually, frustrated by the constant attempts on his life, he slaughtered his way into the royal castle and slew every person there. The commoners, free of Yijun’s oppressive reign, declared Shīyu their leader and took up arms in his name. He became known as the Reaper, but by the time the country had fallen, Shīyu had vanished. Now, those who seek him out wish to get revenge for old blood, or hope that he might return and become the leader of the greatest military force in history.

Ain't no grave can hold me now

Vaiva Dalton
Spell: Prismatic Wall (PHB pg. 267)
As Vaiva Dalton died at the hands of the assassins of Lanari, she swore that the Gethins, the royal family of Lanari, would be visited by seven plagues, the likes of which had never been seen upon the world of Sastroa. What Vaiva did not say, or perhaps she too was unaware, was that the plagues would not only visit the country of Lanari but the entire world. The consequences that followed were far beyond anything the Gethins could have imagined, or indeed the entire world expected.

The world began to suffer terrible heat waves, destroying crops and livestock and causing sea levels to rise. The heat became worse and worse, until the League of Ailill Wizards summoned forth a powerful blizzard to cool the planet. But the snow of the blizzard quickly turned into rain that was infused with acid. Buildings of stone and steel, spared by the heat, began to rust and melt away. Citizens began hiding in caverns, the wealthy built magical bunkers to protect themselves. The Druids of Mazinri Forest banded together and began purifying the rain, turning the terrible acid into normal water. But the skies were not done yet. The natural storm suddenly began spraying down lightning, killing anyone who hadn’t taken shelter from the acid rain. Food became scarce, and few people were able to survive.Finally, a faction of wizards known as the Brotherhood of Ammon finished their plan to erect a barrier around the surface of the world, blocking out the devastating storms once and for all. People began to emerge, and rebuild their lives. And for a few years, people believed the worst was over, despite the fact that only three plagues had occurred.

But soon those with weak constitutions began to die prematurely, and people realized that the air within the barrier had become poisonous. Clerics of the Holy Order of Naomne finally broke the barrier, releasing the poison outward. But the massive air pressure that had been building up in the bubble suddenly caused the world to plunge into winter, forcing the Sorcerers of Cináed to enact a ritual that brought warmth back to the world. The entire planet was now wracked with storms, and the sun barely shone through the clouds. This made things all the worse when the entire planet’s population turned to stone, only undone when sunlight touched them. It was centuries before enough druids had become un-petrified that they could calm the skies and restore the population. However, shortly after the world expected to return to normal, the final plague struck. Half of the world vanished in an instant, the other half went completely blind. With no way of dispelling this magic, the world has been locked in this dark, hellish state since then. Each day, hope dies a bit more, and the name of Vaiva Dalton is spoken on hushed lips and fearful tongues.

Manas Kamon
Spell: Psychic Scream (XGtE pg. 163)
Long ago, there was a terrible apocalypse that visited upon the world of Shigur Fos. Manas Kamon, a metallurgist with a booming laugh and a kind heart, had been arrested by King Adil the Just. King Adil had decreed that anyone who helped the barbaric Bandit Lord Waltraud should be put to death, after the widespread genocide caused by Waltraud’s bandit hordes. It was discovered that Manas had been supplying weapons to the bandits, though he had simply thought he was providing swords and armor for knights and hunters. The bandits had tricked him, and now, by King Adil’s decree, he was to be put to death. He pleaded for his life, claiming his family would die without his labor, but the knights of King Adil responded by slaying his wife Masuma before his eyes. Manas let out a terrible scream, so loud and long that it could be heard across the entire world.

Those who heard this scream felt it pierce their minds for only a brief instant before they died. Even Manas, who was unaware of his own power, was slain by this mighty wail. Entire cities dropped dead, ships suddenly began to steer along currents without their crews, and even Lord Waltraud was stricken down by its mighty power. There was no escaping the scream, except for those rare few creatures who had already shielded their minds from such assault, and those to simple-minded to comprehend the overwhelming pain it contained. The world became a dark and silent place, save for the growls and barks of the animals that had been spared a sudden and terrible death.

However, some people managed to survive. The Warlocks of Jespa, long practiced in speaking to eldritch horrors, were untouched. Sphinxes summoned from other planes of existence resurrected their masters, if only to honor contracts they had made to guard their possessions. The few liches existing on Shigur Fos began to bring people back to life, if only to ensure their phylacteries were filled with souls. Civilization was now in ruins, and a new world of natural dangers and unclaimed riches had begun.

I want to be a Queen of the Animals

Themisa
Spell: Shapechange (PHB pg. 274)
In times long past, the known world was threatened by Oswald, a barbaric warlord who promised to conquer every civilization known to man. His warriors were strong, and well-fed on both meat and the gory tales of victory for the Gods of the tribe. They believed by eating animals, they gained their strength, and fought harder and longer against their foes. The warriors of Oswald were indeed a force to be reckoned with, and swept over any inhabited land they could find. However, that all changed one day.

The Warlord was taking his personal bathing time away from his servants and concubines, when a rabbit snuck into view. Oswald, swift with both axe and bow, nocked and arrow and fired at the beast, hoping to claim an evening snack for himself. To his surprise, however, the animal transformed into a beautiful woman. He was transfixed, and called out to her, but she turned into a mole and fled underground before he could react. From that day on, the barbarian was changed. He forbade the eating of meat, in fear that one of his hunters might see his love before he did and steal her away from him. The warriors, confused by this new change in their deeply-held traditions, revolted and the army was weakened from the inside. This allowed the Oscal Empire to finally make their move, and struck back with their full force.

Once the dust had settled, General Fulton of the Oscal Empire was visited by a mysterious hawk. The beast transformed into a beautiful woman, thanked him for his actions, then turned back and flew away. The General was shocked, even more so when he learned the truth about the revolt within the barbarian ranks. He brought this tale back to Empress Min-Ji, and the legend of the Goddess of Animals was born. Since then, even to this day, it is considered wise practice to not kill more animals than absolutely necessary, and to whisper a prayer of forgiveness to Themisa when you do so.

Amihan Tondra
Spell: Storm of Vengeance (PHB pg. 279)
When Amihan Tondra was born, terrible storms were already brewing. His parents, Varsha and Barak, were fortunate enough to live in a sturdy home, but there was no stopping the torrents of hail, rain, lightning, and wind that assaulted their town. The child seemed to draw the storms to himself, and before long they moved out of Snorus town and to the larger city of Oblia. But the storms continued, only now with more casualties. And the storms hadn’t even left Snorus town, only slowly expanded until both settlements were within its radius. The more the family moved, the larger the storm became, until it covered nearly a quarter of the world.

Of course, such a storm upset the natural balance of weather quite a bit. Around the world, people were dying in droves, forced into buildings or caverns, depending on their wealth. But even the sturdiest of structures couldn’t stop the massive hailstones and acid rain that pummeled them from the skies. The weather pounded at the very foundations of civilizations, destroying the walls and buildings that kept them safe from the monsters of the wilderness. Before long, most of the civilized races had descended into the dark caverns beneath the surface, praying to their Gods that the weather would soon cease.

Fortunately for the world, Amihan, Varsha, and Barak were eventually slain by the very weather they kept attempting to escape. The storms took years to settle, however, and the skies were still turbulent for some time. Finally, after about a decade of hiding, the peals of thunder ceased, the skies brightened, and humanoids of all kinds began to risk emerging from beneath the ground. Some chose to stay, unwilling to trust the skies ever again. But those who found purchase in this new, washed-clean land tried their best to restore some of the civilization they had lost. The monsters still roamed the land, of course, and the task ahead of them is great. But slowly, they are recovering.

Ito Miku
Spell: Time Stop (PHB pg. 283)
When Ito Miku turned 18, she vanished into thin air. Her family and friends were distraught, and began to search for her. However, they didn’t get far before they heard the news. Every evil lord, every domineering queen, every single slave-owner, and every orcish and goblin warlord had been assassinated, all at once, at the same moment Miku had disappeared. Some were stabbed through by hundreds of blades that were formerly held by the very guards protecting them. Some were suddenly teleported into lava, monster dens, or deadly traps. Miku’s family was confused and distraught, but decided to keep their suspicions secret when they found a huge pile of gold coins in their basement.

At the zenith of her coming-of-age, Miku discovered that time around her had stopped. She tried in vain to get her family to listen to her cries, to make anything move again, to hear another human voice. It was all in vain. She went on a tantrum, knocking over market stalls and kicking time-frozen buckets. However, she soon realized that there was nothing she could do to change her fate, and carefully, sorrowfully, replaced everything she had disturbed. She sent several years wandering, safe in her frozen time from monsters and natural dangers. She explored the known world, then traveled beyond that to places too dangerous to visit for most.

As she entered her later years, Miku realized that her life, despite her explorations, had little meaning. She hadn’t loved. She couldn’t lose anything or face challenges. She revisited her old village, and sadly reflected on her life. That’s when she realized there was one last thing she could do. She went around the nearby countries, slaying any tyrants and slavers she could find. With little real-world experience, she didn’t realize that the political turmoil she might cause would be worse than the rule of a tyrannical lord, but that didn’t stop her righteous crusade. She also stole a small amount of gold from each one, bringing it back to her family’s home as consolation for her tantrum and disappearance. Her final act was to visit the explorer-queen Isra vi Andoles, famous for mapping the known world. She anonymously left her journal, which detailed safe passages to dangerous parts of the world, at his feet. She then found a quiet place to die, which kicked off the most tumultuous and exciting era of exploration and revolution the world had ever seen.

Bucket is in the background of this shot

Bucket
Spell: True Polymorph (PHB pg. 283)
Bucket was crafted with little love or regard by a blacksmith named Gobán Blake in the city of Maglesh. Gobán was filling orders of buckets for the local meadery, and completely failed to notice that one particular metal container was slightly more magical than the rest. Bucket could not speak, hear, or even see. It simply knew it existed, and pondered this thought for some time. It had no way to understand the world around it, and little care for those who picked it up, filled it with mead or grain, and swung its handle. It could feel the weight of its contents, and the grinding of its handle on its sides as it swung, and over time these small discomforts provided both a sense of annoyance and loneliness to Bucket. Bucket wanted to find out who was swinging the handle! Who was filling and emptying it! And perhaps, then, it could be a bit less alone.

Bucket waited patiently for someone to pick it up and fill it. At the moment its handle lifted, it reached out to the thing holding the handle, trying desperately to communicate. And for a moment, Bucket was successful. It could feel the life within the creature holding it, A living breathing thing that it could be with. And at that moment, the thing holding Bucket turned into a bucket themselves, and Bucket took on the form of the thing. Bucket was suddenly filled with strange thoughts it had never had before, images that it couldn’t stop thinking, sounds it couldn’t stop hearing, and strange limbs that weren’t handle-like at all. Bucket was so confused, it didn’t realize this body required air to breathe, and the townsfolk later found a pile of clothing next to two unusually similar buckets. They assumed the boy who was carrying Bucket had gone off somewhere naked, but he was never seen or heard from again.

Meanwhile, Bucket began to realize what had happened. It had turned into another life-form, one with many more senses (and bodily needs) than itself. It waited patiently until another creature touched it, and tried again. This time, Bucket’s body was slightly different, but it quickly figured out how to breathe before the body died. Bucket began running around, touching things to change them into buckets. Each of these buckets were just as sentient as the original, and soon Bucket and its allies were stealing bodies and turning all sorts of things into Buckets. A plague of buckets swept across the land, forcing several armies to try and stop these strange bucket warriors. They seemed only to wish to make more buckets. The world fought back, but after a few decades the entire world had been transformed into buckets, a planet covered in nothing but dirt and buckets. And now they are all that is left, and each Bucket wallows in its dark, silent misery, waiting for someone to come along and pick them up.

Zdravko Tasios
Spell: True Resurrection (PHB pg. 284)
The world of Hozira had experienced a tumultuous few centuries. The elven wizards of Zeelin had tried to divide the planet (literally), the warlords of Savas had risen up and nearly conquered all of Zeelin, and the lich lord Yudogo had slain hundreds before she was stopped. Such times produced great heroes, many strong and noble warriors, and kind-hearted wizards who stopped these evildoers at every turn. Time after time, the forces of evil were held at bay, and the successful heroes lived happily ever after, dying at ripe old ages.

However, in a small unimportant town called Ulun, a young boy named Zdravko Tasios was born. In his youth, he was visited by a seer, who told him he would shape the fate of the entire world of Hozira. Zdravko laughed, since he was nothing but a simple farmhand, and planned to take over his father’s farm when he came of age. And sure enough, his life was simple, full of love and labor, and when his time came, he passed on to the next life. He died believing that the seer must have been wrong, but satisfied that he had provided a fine life for his wife, children, and grandchildren.

But the moment Zdravko died, his innate magic ability activated. Suddenly, every single person on Hozira who hadn’t died of old age in the past 200 years was brought back to life, hale and healthy. The wizards of Zeelin, the warlords of Savas, the lich lord Yudogo, and many more. The world was swept with terror as the villains from legend and story came to life, with nary a hero in sight to stop them. Those few heroes that had died tragic deaths were returned as well, but were so scattered that without their allies, they fell once again to those who had bested them before. The world suddenly had to handle an assault the likes of which they had never seen before. If they will survive is for time to tell.

Zilya Dabria
Spell: Weird (PHB pg. 288)
Zilya Dabria was a famous bounty hunter known as the Lady of Nightmares. She could cause someone’s worst fear to manifest into reality, terrifying her victims, sometimes even to death. She lived her life surrounded by other people’s nightmares, and they obeyed her every command. Her strength grew day by day, and before long she could summon the worst fears of any creature within hundreds of yards. She realized she could demand whatever she wanted, and before long became the de facto ruler of Pagrax city, where she lived.

However, the nightmares began to take on a life of their own. The newly-branded “City of Bad Dreams” was no longer ruled by one woman, but now a menagerie of terrifying aberrations crawling through its twisted streets. Even Zilya, once lauded for her mastery of these illusions, had vanished, perhaps in hiding from the terrors she had herself created. The streets were empty except for the sounds of flesh-rending claws stalking the night. Windows were boarded shut, houses abandoned, businesses empty. People fled, but the monsters kept following them, further and further away from the city.

Soon, the monsters had spread to everywhere in the world that people lived. Those who didn’t know about Zilya and the City of Bad Dreams tried to fight back, but they couldn’t bring their swords or bows to bear on the things that scared them most. The nightmares swarmed city after city, country after country, tearing people apart with their hands of those they loved and feared most. Now, only a few people remain, hiding against the ever-stalking nightmares. Their goal is to find Zilya and kill her, ending the incessant terror the world has succumbed to.

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AO
Spell: Wish (PHB pg. 288)
Mr. and Mrs. Owen, from Pataskala, Ohio, were expecting a child, a boy. They had selected the name Andrew, after Mr. Owen’s favorite baseball player from his youth. Mrs. Owen had heard many horror stories about pregnancy and the strange behaviors and cravings it brought about in the human body, but her term had been incredibly easy so far. The child was quiet, and seemed to be growing quite healthily. Eventually, the time came to birth the child, and the happy couple were whisked off to the nearby Mount Carmel hospital. The doctors predicted a smooth and easy delivery, and Mrs. Owen went into labor. Andrew Owen was born a healthy baby boy, whose first desire was for the strange, bright new world he had been thrust into to stop existing. And so it did.

Andrew Owen drifted in nothingness. He was not hungry, for his belly filled with food when he desired it. He was not cold, for his skin was warmed at a thought. Images and sounds flashed through his mind. Who were the men in bright white robes, with green and blue skin, ringed in burning light? Who was the voice who had spoken to him, comforted him, while he was in the womb? Why were they gone? Why did he exist? Andrew grew, like all humans do, and he pondered these thoughts and more. As he did, images of them flashed before his eyes, and he realized that he could control these images. They had mass, and warmth. They were his thoughts, made real. He began experimenting, creating creatures like himself, like the strange men, like the comforting voice.

He watched as the creatures he made became independent. He made a strong male voice, warm and reassuring, that represented light. He made a wispy elderly voice, cold and hollow, to control the darkness. These two fought endlessly, and Andrew was pleased. He decided to give them the power to create as well, and they began to build a multiverse. There were people in white robes ringed in light, which Andrew called angels. There were comforting voices, called Gods. And there were people who looked just like Andrew. There were people who looked a bit different than Andrew. They laughed, grew, lived, and died. Gods made them, or sometimes Andrew lent a hand. They filled Andrew’s creation, and he watched them with utter and total fascination.

Andrew decided to call himself AO, though he barely knew why. Once he had reached an old age, he wished to stop aging, and he did. He wished for somewhere high up, a mountain, where he could view all of his creation. And here he sits, watching his grand experiments, creating new multiverses at will, attempting different combinations of gods and sciences, trying out new forms of matter and magic, and forever consumed by his simple curiosity. For all his power, he cannot see the future, and his experiments may never cease as he tinkers endlessly with the multiverses. He is AO, creator of all. He sits on his mountain, unsure of what he is searching for but endlessly searching nonetheless. And so it shall be, for all eternity.

And that's it! That's every spell! Yeah!

I'm thinking about putting these NPCs into a huge PDF for posterity's sake. It's much easier to search through a PDF than it is to scour through articles.

Thanks for reading!

Innate Magic People Part 12

This week's artist is Viktor Titov, aka Hamsterfly. Another great artist that has influenced my games since the very beginning.

In Ahneria, nearly everyone can cast a little bit of magic, but some people can cast full-on spells. I decided it would be fun to detail out a set of NPCs based on the first level spells. As I said in the previous article, these are people who are somewhat common, but might have gained notoriety or fame based on their abilities.

These NPCs form an ongoing set of articles. This is the twelfth in this series, and covers eighth and ninth level spells. These spells are so powerful, that anyone who can use them innately will likely cause a lot of crazy things to happen before they can control their power. These are the type of people that could define entire settings, worlds, or beyond. Obviously, some of these folks aren't going to be found on Ahneria anymore.

Veltari Casvir

Spell: Maze (PHB pg. 258)
In a minor demiplane in a distant pocket of the multiverse, a settlement called Errus has formed where there was once nothing but a towering maze of wood and stone. The walls of the maze have been torn down and re-purposed into buildings, businesses, and homes for those who seek out this remote plane. And because of its remoteness, Errus has become something of a safe haven for those who are being pursued by forces beyond their ability to handle. The city is full of thieves, murderers, and villains who obtained a copy of the portal key that lead them to this place.

The first portal key, and indeed the maze itself, was created by a tiefling of Baphomet, Veltari Casvir. She never knew her parents, as her earliest memories were of wandering the maze alone, trapped by her own incredible power. But the young girl eventually met a planar explorer, a male elf named Zinwarin Erydark who sought out the strangest and rarest of places. Zinwarin helped Veltari forge a key that would bring him back to this place, as he immediately saw the value of having a plane with no other entrances or exits. Veltari only wished to see her friend once more, but ended up with a whole host of interplanar refugees appearing at her door, willing to build a life away from prying eyes.

Now, Veltari has grown into the matron of the small town of Errus, and her powers have grown immensely. She can banish people to the far reaches of her maze, forcing them to wander until they starve to death or find their way back to the settlement. She does so whenever one of the vagabonds in her town breaks one of her rules, which mostly relate to ensuring nobody steals from or kills each other. She has also learned how to deny admittance to any who seek to enter, but always allows mortals in hopes of someday meeting Zinwarin again. However, agents of justice and law, such as Gods and their angels, are strictly forbidden from entering. As of yet, no angel has managed to break Veltari’s seal and bring the criminals within to justice, but the bounty is high and conspiracies to get past her wards are abundant.

Kahoku Noe
Spell: Mighty Fortress (XGtE pg. 161)
Many cities in the world of Ioshoa are sprawling, but none compare to the city-country of Nasun. Long ago, a man known only as Kahoku Noe spent his life constructing castles across a huge plot of land, linked by short hallways and surrounded by small courtyards. The massive network of fortresses are maintained to this day by invisible hands, known as the Ghosts of Kahoku. Floors are swept, masonry repaired, and torches kept lit. These tireless servants have continued their work long after Kahoku’s death.

Long ago, while he was alive, someone must have lived in these fortresses. Otherwise, why make them? But the stone structures destroyed any hope of farming the land, and humanoids haven’t been able to live there for as long as anyone can remember. Rather, the small courtyards keep their share of vermin and birds, which in turn are hunted by pack animals that lie within the long-abandoned halls. Creatures that don’t require food, such as constructs, undead, and magical beings have also made refuge here, causing the castles to be quite dangerous.

Nasun is a ghost-land, a blight on the natural world. However, rumors have persisted of the supposed treasures of Kahoku, kept deep in his domain. Adventurers delve deep into the winding passages, many starving to death before they find anything within the long, immaculate halls. Others are fortunate enough to run into the monsters that stalk the halls, which slay the treasure-seekers before lack of food can. Maps have surfaced of many of the castles, but any marking left on the masonry to mark direction is quickly cleaned or erased. Navigation is nearly impossible. The outer edges, however, have been made the homes of several humanoid tribes, most of whom allow adventurers past them to seek their deaths. Other tribes attack, claiming Nasun to be their sacred home, or they simply attack to kill and eat their foes. The guards of Nasun are savage and unpredictable, much like the city-country itself. And the secrets of Nasun are still being held tightly.

Great rogue art (ignore gun)

Feruza Valiyava
Spell: Mind Blank (PHB pg. 259)
When Feruza Valiyava was born, her parents submitted her to the Church of Usnos, God of Law, for a routine check to see if she was possessed, cursed, or otherwise evil. Though the Church performed these rites frequently for newborns, they had never encountered a being who simply could not be tested. Every divination came back blank, every portent hollow. The child was passed further and further up the chain, until the High Priest begged Usnos itself for guidance. Usnos saw the child, its mind guarded by magic stronger than even the Gods, and determined its destiny was far greater than the toils of the earth. Feruza was taken into the Domains of Law, granted immortality and high honors, and began her training as a mediator and diplomat of Justice.

For millennia, Feruza served as an arbitrator for the Gods of Law. In the multiverse, the Gods of Law oversee the courts and prisons for any extraplanar being who seeks the relief of Justice. Feruza was assigned to the highest courts, meant to resolve the disputes of powerful fiends and terrible angels, because her inability to be swayed by their magics made her the ideal leverage for the law. She oversaw disputes between influential factions, unruly demigods, and even some actual deities. Though her wisdom was highly respected across the multiverse, the servants of Chaos were irritated that a being existed that could defy their trickery.

Tensions built, until one day when Feruza was found slain, her immortality stripped and her life taken. The Gods of Law tried to hold court, but the forces of Chaos were delighting in the fall of their foe and refused to submit to judgement. Without the ability to know who had committed such a heinous crime, the Gods of Chaos were held in contempt of Justice, and war broke out. The small world that Feruza was born on was the first major casualty, but many more have followed since. To this day, both sides believe there will be no end to the fighting. The Gods of Chaos no longer have to submit to Law, and the Gods of Law are now fully convinced the Gods of Chaos used Feruza’s death to spark a revolution. The multiverse is tearing itself apart, as the forces of Order and Madness try to destroy one another.

Samael Raiden
Spell: Power Word Stun (PHB pg. 267)
Samael Raiden is a man who can get whatever he wants. In his presence, people collapse, are stricken with fear, or find their bodies ignore their desperate commands. He kills those who oppose him, takes what he pleases, and moves on. Kingdom after kingdom has placed a hefty price on his head, but no warrior or assassin can get close enough to him to deal the killing blow. Even if they remain undetected, they freeze when they come within sight of him.

His haggard appearance has caused the commoners to believe he is some kind of God of Fear, or a terrible fiend. In truth, he was born mortal like anyone else. His parents treated him poorly, and he often fantasized on taking revenge against them. He discovered his powers, and committed his first murders, on the day he found his parents frozen in fear when he arrived home. Since then, he has been wandering the land, trying to figure out what he wants to do with his immeasurable power. The protests of armed guards and bounty hunters have done little to dissuade him that the world is out to get him.

The Council of Kings has since called an emergency meeting to discuss what to do about this person who completely defies their rule. Some suggest using blind assassins, others believe the effect is based on proximity and want to hire the legendary bowman Siiv Nal Kasar. Only Lady Sumati, from the kingdom of Renui, has spoken up about discovering the motivations of this mysterious killer. She believes he is looking for something, or someone, and hopes to find a messenger that can bypass Samael’s power and actually talk to him.

Saulè Willka
Spell: Sunburst (PHB pg. 279)
Saulè Willka, the Hero of Sunlight, once walked the lands of Ayoria. She was likened to a holy beacon, filling the air around her with light so blinding that it is said she never truly experienced night. Saulè carried her light to the farthest reaches of the world, filling the tunnels of the underdark with radiant glory, destroying the monsters that once lived deep below. Drow, Duergar, Oozes, and even more terrible, aberrant creatures were wiped out, granting the foundation for a long-lasting peace among the gnomes and dwarves that colonized the underground.

However, an infection not completely destroyed often returns with even greater strength. Deep in the recesses of the underdark, oozes had remained, and began to multiply over many years. Even after the death of Saulè, while dwarves rebuilt their mighty fortresses, the oozes stayed in the shadows and bided their time. While gnomes mined the earth and crafted new inventions, the oozes quietly multiplied, surviving on small creatures in the deepest parts of the caverns they stalked. And finally, their waiting was over.

Pouring through a small portal came their lord and master, Jubilex. The demon lord commanded the oozes to rise up and strike, overtaking small settlements at first, then larger. Now guided by a perverse intelligence, the meager oozes became bloodthirsty and swarmed city after city. The dwarven lords have put up a valiant fight, but the oozes are endless. A call has gone out to adventurers of all kinds, hoping beyond hope that someone will answer their plea for help. Otherwise, the work of the Hero of Sunlight might have all been in vain.

Hey, it's that guy from the first pic! He's looking better

Aatos Prymysl
Spell: Telepathy (PHB pg. 281)
When Tammaro Mislav was born, he cried without pause for nearly 9 months. His parents, unsure how to help, took the babe to every cleric they could think of, hoping to ease Tammaro’s ailment. But the child was perfectly healthy, and eventually the crying stopped. He grew up a surprisingly quiet child, always seeming to be lost in his own thoughts, often missing or ignoring words spoken to him. It wasn’t until he was about 10 years of age that he began speaking in earnest, and at that time he realized there was something strange and unique about him.

The voices that had echoed in his head his entire life were not simply his brain or random words. They were the thoughts of all those around him, broadcast constantly into his mind. He learned to slowly expand the reach of his power, until he could hear the entire city of Cloulia at once. This level of information drove him into isolation and depression. There were so many problems, so many miscommunications, that he could fix. But every time he tried to tell someone a solution, they became scared of the information he knew. Tammaro realized he was alone in his power, and tried to shut himself off from the world.

However, the thoughts still flowed into his head unbidden. Slowly, he realized he could speak back to them, just whispers at first, but eventually able to disguise his “voice” to match the person’s own inner monologue. He tried to fix things again, but just made them worse and worse. He expanded his range into the next kingdom, trying to put a stop to a war brewing. However, the conflict became even more vicious than before. Tammaro realized that he couldn’t fix people, but in his loneliness, couldn’t stop reaching out an speaking to them either. The people of the kingdom began to speak of Miatos, the God of Dark Thoughts, a voice spouting intrusive thoughts into certain people’s heads. The superstitions continue to this day, and Tammaro is still out there, though nobody knows where he resides. They just hear his whispers in their mind.

Tasi Manami
Spell: Tsunami (PHB pg. 284)
Opria was a normal world until the tyrannical Tasi Manami appeared. Queen Manami of the Ucri’na archipelago carried her army across the ocean with her own power, then demolished any port city she found with water until her warriors could clean up the rest. She was godlike in her power, and eventually even inland cities fell to the rising tide of her power. She created water so rapidly and in such great quantities that the entire world saw shrinking coastlines and cities left underwater. This, in addition to the relentless weather caused by the mass ecological change.

Eventually, to Queen Manami’s dismay, there was little left to conquer. People had fled to the mountains, where they remained protected by the natural rocky barriers, or built ships strong enough to withstand the harshest of weather. It’s unknown how or where it happened, but Queen Manami died somewhere, alone and starving despite her ambition. Legends and rumors of the Dark Queen of the waves still echo across the endless seas of Oodonis.

Now, those who survived are stuck aboard their peaks or arks, desperately low on supplies. Fish are plentiful, but fresh water is in rare supply. Those who have the magic necessary to purify it are in high demand, if they can find the people demanding the service. Meanwhile, Triton and Merfolk tribes are picking through the ruins of the not-so-ancient civilizations left underwater by the rising ocean. The market for gold and jewels from dead cities is growing, and pure water is becoming a currency of its own.

Ji-u Evren
Spell: Astral Projection (PHB pg. 215)
The mist-walker. The plane-hopper. Ji-u Evren has wandered the whole of the multiverse for their entire life, gathering strange items and knowledge for their research purposes. They wish to map the entire astral sea, a task which some scholars would call impossible. However, Ji-u has been jumping into the misty expanse since they were a child, always only just escaping the clutches of a Githyanki war band or hungry Astral Dreadnought. The chance to find ancient relics, speak to the wise Berbalangs, or encounter a new kind of astral portal is what Ji-u lives for.

Of course, these forays are all possible because of the wizards that keep track of Ji-u’s body while they explore. The Takia Cabal, a powerful group of wizards on the planet Aidia, are eager to learn more about the multiverse, and feed and protect Ji-u with their lives. They have an agreement with the astral explorer: no bringing back living things, and no revealing the world of Aidia to any powerful beings they might encounter. And technically, Ji-u didn’t break either of these rules when they returned with the flesh of a dead God in tow. But since that day, things have only gone downhill for Aidia.

Ji-u had no way of knowing the flesh belonged to the God Olujmi, only recently deceased in the Great War of Elysium. Olujmi’s brother, Thekla, was a God of War, and had been scouring the planes to find Olujmi’s final resting place. To discover the body desecrated on a small, unassuming planet was too much for the angry God, and Thekla descended to the surface of Aidia and began killing all he saw. This incurred the wrath of Theia, the patron Goddess of Aidia, who struck back and inadvertently caused more destruction. A holy apocalypse is brewing on Aidia, and Ji-u and the Takia Cabal need to find a way to set it right.

350 pounds of world-conquering warlord

Cyrus Tal’at
Spell: Foresight (PHB pg. 243)
If you knew the name Cyrus Tal’at, you probably knew it as the moniker of the King’s greatest champion, the best fighter alive, the untouchable man. Despite serving only a short span of duty, Lord Tal’at was notorious for his skill in combat of all stripes, able to dodge or even catch arrows, sidestep spells, and deliver deadly blows to his foes in a single, effortless strike. He fought man, demon, and dragon alike with no more than his trusty dagger Valkyrie, and no other weapon was necessary. But that was long ago, and although his name still echoes in the halls of great warriors, Lord Tal’at disappeared into history well before his time.

The truth to his power was built in the fact that Cyrus Tal’at did not experience time the same way most others did. He perceived time ever-so-slightly faster than those around him, making him constantly interrupt people as a child. However, with a good memory and intense physical training, he was finally able to apply his disjointed perception to combat, rising quickly in the ranks of the King’s army. As he grew, his vision moved farther and farther forward in time. At first, dodging swords was a task that required his full concentration. By the end of his tenure, he was seeing hours into the future, memorizing his every move and fully playing out fights before they even started. But eventually, the strain of living in one time and seeing in another became too much to handle. When he left the army and disappeared, he was already seeing days ahead of where his body was.

Fortunately, he found a monastery that would take him in. He became well-known for predicting bandit attacks weeks in advance, and became known as Cyprus the Seer. But as his vision drifted further from his body, living his life became unbearably difficult. He had to remain motionless much of the time, being fed and changed like a child by monks. He was still able to predict events, but he had become helpless in the process. His eyes constantly darted, as if seeking something beyond the veil for normal mortals. Then, one day, he predicted the end of the world. It was only a few years away, he said. There was fire, screams, and death. Then, he died. The monks were left to prepare, to find the cause of this vision and raise heroes to try to prevent this terrible future foreseen by Cyrus Tal’at.

Belenos
Spell: Gate (PHB pg. 243)
As far as anyone knows, there has never been a world like Crosaire. Known as the Crossroads of the multiverse, there is something for everyone and anything. Need a baby Grey Render for a breeder or collector? Someone in Crosaire has it. Have an incredibly rare cursed historical weapon that glows? Someone in Crosaire wants it. Every life form imaginable and unimaginable can be seen traversing the walkways and markets, even the avatars of the Gods of Justice and Law that rule the planet.

The way Crosaire became a crossroads for all is a tale shrouded in much mystery, but throughout the many retellings, the basic facts are consistent. There was a young God Belenos that believed the multiverse would be better if interconnected, to allow advancement and progress at an accelerated rate. This initially almost destroyed the entirety of Crosaire, but the other gods and goddesses stepped in and created some semblance of order, and Belenos was cast from the pantheon to live and die as a mortal. However, here the story splits. Some tell it that Belenos was treated as an outcast, shunned from village to city until he disguised himself, and became a monk in a peaceful temple. Some say Belenos was still treated like a God, visiting towns and cities, and creating his own temples. It’s hard to know for sure whom is correct.

Over time, the many linked worlds began to coincide peacefully, for the most part. There were some conflicts, such as the elemental feud of 564, which lasted a few years and decimated a few cities, but those who now inhabited Crosaire rebuilt. The Gods of Law and Justice stepped in to protect the world, and keep the forces of the lower planes form overtaking it. But Crosaire has grown into a thriving, world-wide metropolis, with hideouts and markets for every type of creature and good imaginable.

Vijaya Shakti
Spell: Invulnerability (XGtE pg. 160)
Long ago, far too long to be known in any history book of man, a warrior was born. Her name was Vijaya Shakti, a girl raised in a culture of great warriors. At a young age, she was already skilled with blade and bow, and was one of the few women to take ranks at the front of the great army of Tayea. Vijaya fought relentlessly, without mercy for her foes, and alongside her companions, slaughtered any who stood in her way. She was given great honor, and raised to the rank of a captain among the army. However, at the Battle at Jandre Coast, she was struck by hundreds of enemy arrows, and declared dead by the priests of Tayea.

But, a few weeks later, she returned to her home, unharmed. Her family was shocked and grateful, but also a bit afraid. What had happened? Vijaya could not explain it. She simply woke back up, whole and healthy. She survived the trip back through the freezing mountains with barely any clothing, and had fought off wolves and bears with nothing but rocks. Their bites and claws did nothing to harm her. Vijaya was brought before the Lord of Tayea, and granted special honors and the position of General. She continued to fight, never taking a single scratch, sometimes destroying entire battalions of foes simply because she never tired or slowed her assault. And she remained as ruggedly fair as the day she had fallen, as her age seemed frozen in time as well. The people of Tayea took it as a sign of the Gods’ favor, and after a few centuries she took the throne with little resistance.

However, as is the fate of many worlds, eventually the planet Vijaya lived on met its end at the hands of a demonic cult bent on the world’s destruction. Vijaya watched as her planet, her people, and her home were consumed by demons, leaving the world a tortured hellscape. Just one woman, even immortal and impervious, could not stop the onslaught. When the planet imploded in an abyssal eruption, Vijaya was sent flying into space, but still she couldn’t die. She drifted for longer than any mortal mind could comprehend, mourning the loss of her world. She sees nothing but inky darkness, and has little hope of finding a new world to live on. However, the Gods have long memories, and some still remember the warrior who could not die. The Warrior Gods who she once served may yet come to her aid once more.

Triumph is his middle name

Dalia Kore
Spell: Imprisonment (PHB pg. 252)
The planet known as Iatran was under attack. An Elder God, a being of unimaginable power and terror, was headed their way, bent on consuming the planet and ending the lives of all who inhabited it. The world looked to the legendary archmage Rangi Leander for guidance, but he toiled without success on a solution. Time was running out. However, merely days before the eldritch terror arrived, a child was discovered with great magical power, and brought to Rangi. The archmage decided to use the child, known as Dalia Kore, as a conduit to save the world.

As the Elder God descended, Rangi enacted a ritual that caused the entire planet to disappear, robbing the monster of its meal. All that remained was a small red gemstone, inside which the entire planet slumbered in a time-stopping stasis. Rangi and Dalia had saved Iatran, but now the gemstone was long deserted, hurtling through space without purpose. Eventually it landed on the planet Ealinx, where it was discovered by a roving group of adventurers.

The gemstone was set into a fine necklace meant for a young princess, and none knew about the planet that slumbered within for many years. However, the eldritch being was unsatisfied, and cultists began to appear across Ealinx, heeding their dark master’s call to claim the ruby necklace. The necklace, passed down for generations, was finally inspected by the court wizard Dáire, who realized the significance of the jewel. To save his world, he fled to the outer planes, where he continues to hide and evade the murderous cultists intent on sacrificing the world within the gemstone.

Saint Sipho The Healer
Spell: Mass Heal (PHB pg. 258)
Few know of the ancient race of Terronians, creatures as large as planets and similarly shaped. With crater-like eyes and ancient intelligence, they lived peacefully among the stars, communicating via telepathy and subsisting off of the energy released by nearby suns. They had no interest in ruling the universe, they simply wandered from star to star, leaving their old home before the eventual supernova and black hole that would inevitably form. They passed eons this way, tending to the suns and leading nomadic lives, until they quietly disappeared into the annals of history. To this day, they are considered legend and superstition among star travelers.

However, the Terronians did not vanish. They simply hid. To astronomers and travelers today, they simply appear as planets, coated in a thick layer of soil and vegetation. Long ago, they scattered into hiding for unknown reasons, and since then many have remained barren and inert, simply waiting for the telepathic call that would bring them back together. However, some ended up just the right distance from a sun, with just the right vegetation, to support life. And life came, either by the hand of Gods or Mortals. A few of these worlds are now inhabited, though the creatures living there have no idea what lies deep beneath their planet’s surface.

One such Terronian, called Zakaa Sem by its people, was colonized during its slumber. But the enterprising civilizations upon Zakaa Sem grew quickly, and before long much of the surface had been stripped away by mining, construction, and wars. Slowly, Zakaa Sem’s flesh was revealed, and then breached, and commoditized by the people living on it. Zakaa Sem was dying, and many people began to realize that killing the being they lived on would result in their own deaths as well. The bishop of Azros known as Saint Sipho The Healer poured his powerful magic into the planet, healing its wounds and resetting the damage done. However, the effort of healing such a massive creature cost Saint Sipho his life, and now world leaders are acting quickly to ensure Zakaa Sem is taken care of and not exploited once more.

Stroke of a Brush
Spell: Mass Polymorph (XGtE pg. 160)
Once upon a time, the world of Krackaw was like any other. Humans were growing their civilizations, elves hunted in their forest sanctuaries, dwarves toiled beneath the earth, and a multitude of other races swam through the chaos or avoided the trouble brought on by the ruling races. But now, Krackaw is ruled by animals, who keep the simple humanoid races in cages. The birds, lords of the sky, act as the nobility of the world, as they are literally and figuratively far above the common bestial masses.

This came about not long ago, when a Tabaxi hunter named Stroke of a Brush wanted revenge for being treated poorly when she was captured by humans. Unlike many of her people, she was unable to escape the slave trade as it grew across the world. Brush wished deep inside herself for the power to gain revenge on those who had wronged her, and in an instant she changed the world. Brush and her clan, those of the Misty Lakes, were transformed into small felines and able to easily escape through the bars. However, there was hardly a need to escape. The humans guarding them had begun barking and rolling on the ground, while the guard dogs desperately tried to grab keys and spears with their clumsy paws. Brush had got her wish, and the clan escaped.

The world had changed forever. Across the planet, animals inhabited by humanoids found themselves unable to speak properly, perform their jobs and chores, and wear clothing. There was mass panic, and many of them nearly died out. Even worse off were the animals in humanoid bodies. Deprived of their claws and fangs, many starved, or got sick when they tried to eat their usual food. Slowly, things settled down, and order was once again restored. Those who had been transformed into birds set up a system of communication to confirm the situation, which grew into a powerful messaging tool that gave them great power. Birds soon controlled the flow of information, and they slowly subjugated the rest of the people-turned-animals. Now, things are running smoothly, but for only so long as the birds claim they are working on a way to give people back their bodies. In truth, they have no leads and fear for what might come next.

Please make sure to check out the artist!

Eli of Jedoriin
Spell: Meteor Swarm (PHB pg. 259)
Long ago, the great prophet Vegar spoke of a birth that would herald the end of the world. The child would be born of an affair, in a port city during a full moon. For decades, women all along the coast of Jedoriin moved into the country to give birth, often even if they had been faithful to their lovers. A wives’ tale spread, that the salty air of the sea wasn’t good for a newborn anyway, and if it meant the prophecy would never be fulfilled, all the better. Soon, the prophet’s words faded into legend, but the practice of leaving the coast to give birth carried on across the continent.

Nearly a century later, the royal family of the port city of Ealia was embroiled in scandal. The crown prince Elias of Jedoriin, just a few years from his coronation, was discovered to be sleeping with his maidservant Makeda. Despite the fact that he was betrothed to Princess Asphora, Makeda was now pregnant with his child, which was what had caused the entire investigation. The scandal had split the family, and several of the Prince’s close friends and cousins stuck up for his love. They snuck Makeda out of the castle, sequestering her in a safe house near the docks of the city. King Jedrian was furious, but was unable to locate the maid before she gave birth. By the light of the full moon, she birthed a baby boy, who she christened Eli.

The prophecy had been fulfilled. Spiraling out of the sky, hundreds of massive meteors struck the city of Ealia, erasing it in an instant. But it didn’t stop there. Much of the coast of Jedoriin was destroyed, leaving the countries along its border decimated and without access to their trade routes. Rocks fell from the sky in endless droves, like the tears of a hateful God lamenting the birth and death of IIII. The dust from the impacts grew into clouds that blotted out the sun, and the rain turned as thick as silt all across the world. Crops refused to grow, livestock died in droves, and people starved. Those who remained in their castles guarded their food jealously, but eventually the hordes of starving commoners broke inside and ended their reign. Civilizations fell, even as the meteors finally came to an end. Those who survived retreated deep underground or into the relative safety of the Feywild and Shadowfell. It would be many millennia before they could emerge, and by then the very landscape of the world will be changed forever.

We're so close to the finish line. Next week - the final countdown, ending with the most powerful spell of all. Wish.

Thanks for reading!

Monday Recap: Valley of the Lords Update

Day 82: still no dragons sighted

The games in the Valley march on. I can't really say this has been a D&D hiatus, since we have been playing nearly every weekend, but we simply haven't had enough of the long-form D&D campaigns to create recaps for the past few weeks.

However, as I said, the Valley is still moving ahead. And I've expanded the shop list, so now there are four shops available. The Church of Pelor doesn't sanction a shop, but they offer spellcasting services and equipment for their members.

Ena's Sundries (Smithing Supplies)
Gennal's Leatherworks
Dogroic's Laboratory (Magic and Magic Item Crafting)
Scouts of the Roses

I'll expand a bit more on that last one. I realized that players might be able to find maps or hear rumors containing adventuring sites, and learn about those sites without knowing what danger level those sites were. We had an early game where a group of level 2 characters traveled a long way, only to find the site they were seeking was meant for level 3 characters. They wandered a bit before they found a level 2 site.

I want to avoid that issue by creating a system for characters to hire scouts to check out locations for them. That way, for a small fee, they can figure out if its worth traveling all that way, or if they should gain a few more levels first.

Another problem I've run into is a gap between new characters and established characters. Even characters a few games in are significantly more powerful than those just joining. In a game where old and new characters can go adventuring together, this leads to very dangerous situations for some, or very easy situations for others.

Fortunately, one of my players and I have worked out a solution: starting new characters at higher levels. And because of the established settlement growth mechanic, we already have a way to implement it.

Currently, New Ashe is considered an Outpost. Well, four outposts for different factions, and a tavern. There's no civilians, no general stores, no farmers, and certainly no official leadership structure outside the factions. But a group of veteran explorers spent a lot of time and gold mapping significant parts of the area around New Ashe and its peninsula, prepping the land to be used in construction, farming, and defense. With enough resources, the Outpost will soon be categorized as a village, and that means more people will be coming.

The main things the village will need is housing, a general store, and some sort of leadership in the form of a Reeve, an appointed agent of a noble that settles disputes and collects taxes. Since New Ashe is mainly ruins, housing will be easy to find but tedious to repair. Some people may prefer to build homesteads and start farmland instead. The tavern and general store will form the hub of the village, and will serve as a home to travelers passing through the area. And of course, the Reeve will need a home, which will double as courtroom and common house.

These additions will make it easier to live in the settlement, and will attract more skilled individuals to assist explorers. This means new characters can start at level 2 instead of level 1, and some new subclasses will become available. Not many - the village will simply have a few travelers stop in that can teach the next generation their skills. The reference manual will be updated as well.

This also happens to solve another problem I've been facing: running low on sites. At this point, the hexes around New Ashe are pretty thoroughly explored. Particularly, the level 1 sites are fading quickly. So, by starting people at level 2, I can effectively raise the bar and allow characters to explore the sites that used to be inaccessible at their start.

So, the plan now is:

• Outposts (immediate): level 1
• Villages (1 month after resources found): level 2
• Towns (10 months after resources found): level 3
• Cities (1 year after resources found): level 5
• Metropolises (10 years after resources found): level 7

Obviously, it will be a while before the group is automatically starting at level 7. Perhaps never, unless New Ashe becomes the New York of my world. Which is possible, I suppose, if we keep at this.

But on another level, this encourages new Outposts to be built. As characters explore the valley at level 2 or 3, they will find plenty of level 1 sites that aren't worth exploring. This makes it a good idea to set down an outpost there, and start some new level 1 characters to venture into that part of the valley. Then, the cycle can repeat!

On the trail towards this New Ashe place I've been hearing so much about

Finally, I think I finally found a good solution to adding DMs and helping me grow the Valley, courtesy of my brilliant player once again.

When I last had a guest DM, she did her site just fine but struggled with travel, resources, and staying in line with the established lore of the Valley. The solution to this? Handwave travel and lore! This can be accomplished by creating a standalone site which requires multiple sessions to get through, like an ancient castle or expansive ruins. The site itself can have lore that is only vaguely connected to the overall Valley lore, and travel to and from the site can be reduced to a number of days and gold. Then, the guest DM can run the site on their own terms (just telling me how many days the group is in the site), and not have to worry about fitting in to the larger narrative.

And the best place to do this? The Underdark! There have already been a couple sites that lead deep underground, and it's expansive enough to give a DM tons of room to grow. I don't have much written yet about the Underdark, making it rife for adventure and exploration. And as a bonus, it won't affect the expansion on the surface, but gives more opportunities for gaining levels, catching up, and getting that sweet sweet loot.

That's all that I'm updating for now. This is really a work in progress, but I have to say the format is really enjoyable. In a couple games, New Ashe (and the entire campaign) are going to level up!

Thanks for reading!